Neale Fenn on retiring: 'I think once you finish you might as well finish rather than making all sorts of comebacks.'
Behave yourself. Galway were never, in the history of Irish football, a bigger club than Dundalk.
Neale Fenn on retiring: 'I think once you finish you might as well finish rather than making all sorts of comebacks.'
Galway United sent the FAI a slick DVD with a famous tune from one of the world's leading DJs as the soundtrack.
Dundalk sent the FAI a madman with a dislike of Christmas trees and a petrol canister to their offices. If their was a soundtrack it would have been this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg
Which team would you have promoted to the Premier Division?
I phoned the speaking clock to hear a voice speak, it said - "At the tone you will be very much alone"
Galway are an abomination of a club, they've no business in senior football (that's soccer for those of you in Connaught, outside of Sligo). I'm with Maxi, burn those friggers down.
On the other hand, GUFC were able to manage a whole season in the premier before the financial **** hit the fan.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Clubs that voted for this IAG process in good faith were sold a pup by the FAI. If ever that was clearly demonstrated, it was by the disgraceful duplicity that was the play-off process - only announced (and the outcome duly disregarded) when it appeared that league standings might not suit the FAI's designs.
Fair play to Galway at the time for getting a good PR spin together - it's a sad reflection on the FAI that spin and style outweighed substance and sporting achievement. The IAG process was a scam then, and is even more obviously so a small number of years later.
The position regarding the play-off was clearly indicated months in advance. I recall Bald Student pointing it out in July or August of that year, indicating that it would be the most pointless match ever. If you didn't read that bit, that's your problem. (And I'm no fan of the whole IAG nonsense).
The promotion/relegation play-offs were not part of the First Division competition when it commenced. They were subsequently introduced during the season, without clubs agreement, at a time when Dundalk were leading the division by about 6 points.
Initially it was billed as a promotion/relegation play-offs and this was subsequently down-graded to a determination of final "rankings", when it became apparent that the sporting outcome may not have been in line with the FAI / IAG agenda.
The whole IAG process was seriously flawed, but this piece of duplicity laid bare its total lack of transparency and fairness. To partially defend this outrageous gerrymandering strategy by the ridiculous assertion that the "position" was clear before the play-offs took place, reflects badly on your knowledge and insights.
Where was it billed as a promotion/relegation play-off?
The clubs signed up to the IAG, so you can't now say they didn't agree with it. Of course it was nonsense, but a club can't sign up for something and then cry when they don't like what they've signed up for.
Edit - here's Bald Student in May of 2006 drawing attention to the game. He quotes the section from the FAI, which makes no mention of "promotion/relegation". It was merely a 12th/13th place play off.
This reflects badly on your knowledge and etc etc.
Last edited by pineapple stu; 01/09/2009 at 11:04 AM.
From the start of the IAG process it was clear that Dundalk had not a hope of promotion due to their poor performance in the years leading up to it leaving them at a serious disadvantage.
It was and remains a source of much amusement that so many at DFC seemed surprised by the outcome when it was so clear from the start.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Not a hope??. We would have been promoted were it not for Galway's claims. But listen, that's all by the by. We're in the Premier Division with average crowds of over 2,500 and major revelopment of the ground and Galway are a complete basket case with two men and a dog at their home matches and making appeals for somewhere to train, ffs!! Now that's what I call a wrong being righted!!!
Neale Fenn on retiring: 'I think once you finish you might as well finish rather than making all sorts of comebacks.'
It wasnt "style over substance" as you claim for Utd.At the time of the IAG process they had the best off the field set up-best training pitches,the ONLY club to have a 5 year plan,finances in perfect order etc etc.However a combination of poor decisions by Nick and the Board(ticket prices being one),Nick turning it into a dictatorship and poor attendances has led to the current situation happening in the last 9-12months.
Galway had similar crowds in their first year up. And managed to pay the wages in full all the way through it as well. GUFC took the process aboard and made the best of it, DFC should have done the same.
And if I recall correctly Waterford were next in line for a premier place, not Dundalk.
As for the comment about GUFC being the only club with a five year plan- that was an outrageously untrue claim that Leeson made.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Is that where it came from? Thought I was imagining our own five-year plan.
Think Galway were E150k in debt at the end of 2006, having lost E50k-E100k that year, so I think that rules out "finances in perfect order", as eamo1 said.
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