Whats going on at Dundalk?

[Rovers Maniac]

The players have refused to train twice this week over something to do with the contract offered to 3 of their new signings in July and then was changed after without their consent. Seems to be all very amateur by them.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/dundalk-crisis-boils-over-as-players-refuse-to-train-1934526.html

[marinobohs]

The players have refused to train twice this week over something to do with the contract offered to 3 of their new signings in July and then was changed after without their consent. Seems to be all very amateur by them.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/dundalk-crisis-boils-over-as-players-refuse-to-train-1934526.html

Noooooooo, training consisted of 5 a side and they were all sent off (practice for matchday) ;)
I think the reality for players is starting to kick in that no club(s) will have money to spend next season. The days of big earnings are a thing of the past and with the exception of MK Hoops and possibly Sporting franchise I would expect all clubs to be operating on lower budgets next season.
the seanie angle at Dundalk is interesting especially given the rumors about him leaving for sunnier climes in scotland. Many of the players there appear to have a level of loyalty to Seanie and his position could have a big knock-on impact on who stays or go's at Oriel.

[White Horse]

It is a confusing situation.

From what I have heard, when the players signed new contracts following the agreed pay cut, some other terms were different to contacts originally signed by them when they joined the club.

These terms seem to relate to the provisions regarding contract termination.

The players or their representatives now claim were not aware they were agreeing to different terms.

[pineapple stu]

with the exception of MK Hoops and possibly Sporting franchise I would expect all clubs to be operating on lower budgets next season.
We'll be on a higher budget. :)

(But only cos we got promoted...)

[brendy_éire]

And Stephen McGuinness is getting involved now. Busy man these days.

[Shelsman]

The Irish Sun has an article today to say that Dundalk will release their FULL SQUAD after their match tomorrow.

Once exception (apparently) is Chris Turner.

This will be the second time (twice in two years?) that they have done this. Who would want to be a Dundalk player? Mind you, at least they pay their players not like in Cork or Derry.

Shamrock Rovers for the league next year I'd say as Bohs are cutting their budget too. I wouldn't be surprised if Jason Byrne signed for his home town club either.

[WoodquayBoy]

Dundalk have to release their players, sure they must be costing them a fortune in fines for all the red cards

[Dillonman]

I dont think even our own board knows whats going on lately down Oriel Park way!

[The Betting Man]

.

Shamrock Rovers for the league next year I'd say as Bohs are cutting their budget too. I wouldn't be surprised if Jason Byrne signed for his home town club either.

Byrne has a year left on his contract so if he does move,somebody will have to buy him

[KevB76]

We'll be on a higher budget. :)



So will we :)

(it'll probably still be one of the smallest budgets though)

[EalingGreen]

The Irish Sun has an article today to say that Dundalk will release their FULL SQUAD after their match tomorrow.

Once exception (apparently) is Chris Turner.

Any idea why this should be so? Does it mean he might fetch a few bob of a transfer fee?

As a youngster he was always considered to be extremely talented, but suffered from being "temperamental" i.e. 50% temper and 50% mental...:(

[SligoBrewer]

Any idea why this should be so? Does it mean he might fetch a few bob of a transfer fee?


http://www.kansas-bingo.com/topeka/topeka-bingo.jpg

[Infadel]

Any idea why this should be so? Does it mean he might fetch a few bob of a transfer fee?

As a youngster he was always considered to be extremely talented, but suffered from being "temperamental" i.e. 50% temper and 50% mental...:(

Turner's contract is expiring at the end of the season so he is free to leave if he wants.

[SkStu]

looking forward to Ezekial pontificating against his own club now.

What a mess. Connor brings nothing to a club but red cards and chaos.

[shep]

The only good thing is that the club are at least living in the real world in terms of wages etc.. .We cant afford to pay players during the close season and that is the bottom line.

I would love to see us mount a strong challenge next year,byt would hate if it was done in the form of gambling with money we dont have.

[marinobohs]

looking forward to Ezekial pontificating against his own club now.

What a mess. Connor brings nothing to a club but red cards and chaos.

No. I'm sure it will somehow be Bohs fault that Dundalk are now in trouble and that the Dundalk board are the only ones in the league* acting responsibly :rolleyes:

* UCD are of course acting reponsibly but that is a given.

[Magicme]

No. I'm sure it will somehow be Bohs fault that Dundalk are now in trouble and that the Dundalk board are the only ones in the league* acting responsibly :rolleyes:

* UCD are of course acting reponsibly but that is a given.

*cough cough*

[shep]

No. I'm sure it will somehow be Bohs fault that Dundalk are now in trouble

Well you could have held onto him,so tecnically it is your fault:p

[marinobohs]

Well you could have held onto him,so tecnically it is your fault:p

And if that is the case (RE getting rid of him) then the next couple of seasons will be great times at Oriel ;) (once you get rid of him !)

[WoodquayBoy]

*cough cough*
Need a Strepsil?!?! ;)

[Magicme]

No need a massage on a sun lounger in a carribean island about now.

[Mr A]

So what the hell is going on here? Sounds like Dundalk pulled a fast one on their players by inserting new clauses as well as the paycuts?

Sounds pretty mad in any case.

[jinxy lilywhite]

Hard to know what is happening and why it is happening. Hope we get out of it fast and the decisions being made can bring us back into the black.

[Ezeikial]

A club statement has contradicted the Indo article that players refused to train and it seems that the players and management have issued a similar if even stronger statement that is highly critical of the Indo article.

First one is from the club, second one is attributed to the players and management, both via Oriel Web. Expect that they will appear on club website shortly :



Press Release
Following media reports and speculation surrounding current player contracts and other related matters, Dundalk FC would like to provide the following clarifications


Current Player Contracts
Dundalk FC can confirm that the club met yesterday (Wednesday) with a number of players, along with Stephen McGuinness of the PFAI, to address any potential misunderstandings regarding the terms of these players contracts. These matters were resolved to the satisfaction of all involved in these meetings, although agreement remains to be finalised with one player who was unavailable to attend.

2010 Player Contracts
The club has discussed plans for 2010 season with a number of the current squad and will continue to have further discussions over the coming days and weeks as regards new player contracts for next season.

2010 Manager
The position regarding the manager for 2010 is currently not finalised, with no contract being completed at this point. The club hope to be able to make further announcements on this situation shortly.


Dundalk V Derry City – Friday 6 Nov
The 1st team squad has trained as normal this week on Monday and Tuesday with a rest day assigned on Wednesday and a full training schedule on Thursday, ahead of the final league game against Derry City on Friday night.
Sean Connor will have a full squad available with the exceptions of suspensions (Shaun Kelly, Paul McAreavey) and injuries (Kevin McKinlay and Michael Collins), while Alex Williams is doubtful.



The management team and players of Dundalk Football Club wish to dispute and clarify an article printed in today’s Irish Independent newspaper.

At no point this season have the players refused to train. This week, they took part in a double session on Monday which was followed by another session on Tuesday morning. It was the manager’s decision to give the squad Wednesday off as he felt it would be helpful for the players as they try to get their head around the situation that everybody at the football club finds themselves in. The squad returned to training today in preparation for tomorrow’s game.

Comments made about the club in today’s media are reprehensible, and Sean Connor and the players wish to make it clear that they remain fully committed to Dundalk FC and are looking forward to finishing the season on a high when they welcome Derry City to Oriel Park tomorrow night.

“The players are fully behind the manager and are fully committed to the club, and have been throughout the season,” club captain Thomas Heary said. “Today’s article does not help us in our preparations for tomorrow’s game and we want to make it clear that we have trained as normal this week, with the exception of yesterday when Sean felt it would be in our best interests to give us a rest day. We have enjoyed this season, we have achieved what we set out to do, and we really want to finish the year on a high against Derry.”

Manager Sean Connor also echoed those comments. “The players have been absolutely fantastic this year, and have given 100 percent commitment and effort throughout, which has seen the club achieve their highest league position in over 12 years,” he said. “The squad are extremely disappointed with today’s article, which has called into question their commitment to the football club. We feel it is very important to clarify to our supporters, who would have understandably been deeply concerned by this story, that while we have achieved what we wanted and guaranteed fifth position, we will be going out for and doing our best to get all three points against Derry. We have trained well this week, and we want to finish with a win.”

The manager and players would like to thank the fans for their magnificent support this year, both home and away, while they also wish to pay gratitude to the Dundalk FC Trust for their continued support and efforts in trying to help the club in these difficult economic times.

Yours in sport,
Dundalk FC management team & squad.

[WoodquayBoy]

No need a massage on a sun lounger in a carribean island about now.
Well if you manage to arrange that, shove over and make room for me!

[brianw82]

If the Dundalk statements are to believed, where is McDonnell's information coming from?

[WoodquayBoy]

Thorough research*???





* his imagination

[pineapple stu]

You'd imagine McDonnell, of all people, would be sure in his sources before writing that kind of stuff about Dundalk too.

[marinobohs]

You'd imagine McDonnell, of all people, would be sure in his sources before writing that kind of stuff about Dundalk too.

Hmmmmm an Indo "journalist" not getting his facts right....... why is that not too surprising

[MariborKev]

He's a Dundalk fan though.

[Rovers Maniac]

You'd imagine McDonnell, of all people, would be sure in his sources before writing that kind of stuff about Dundalk too.

To be fair any big story that he broke about Dundalk was always correct, it could be PR guff from the club. He was the first to break the story that Connor would get the job 2 or 3 days before it actually got it, so i would say he contacts are fairly decent.

[marinobohs]

He's a Dundalk fan though.

with fans like him :rolleyes:.

[pineapple stu]

Yup, they should toe the line and listed to what they're told instead.

[marinobohs]

Yup, they should toe the line and listed to what they're told instead.

As opposed to making up stories to knock clubs and/or the league ? matter of opinion but I know which I think they should do.

[pineapple stu]

How do you know he's making it up?

[marinobohs]

How do you know he's making it up?

Boils down to who I believe more likely to know what is going on at Dundalk.
Dundalk football club + Thomas Heary + Sean Connor V "irish" (small i) Independent.

Would need to see a bit of evidence before I believe the (S)indo "story".

[shep]

I know from talking to Daniel before that he wouldnt be a Sean Connor fan at all.

Unusual for a Dundalk "fan" to be coming out with a negative story like that all the same.

[Acornvilla]

*cough cough*-pats back- are you alright? :D

[Ezeikial]

You'd imagine McDonnell, of all people, would be sure in his sources before writing that kind of stuff about Dundalk too.

I can't help but chuckle at this oft repeated assertion that Daniel McDonnell and Neil Aherne are biased pro-Dundalk fans. While both have strong connections with the area, the only evidence over the course of the season is exactly the reverse (as a small example check out the difference between Neil Aherne's report of the first Dundalk V Bohs cup game and the Irish Times version).

I don't know if this is influenced by the Indo Sports Editor or it's got to do with previous history (maybe between Aherne and Sean Connor?), but the slant has been consitently negative towards Dundalk all year (in keeping with the generally negative LoI Indo reporting).

It seems that the only quotes attributed in the todays article are from Stephen McGuinness. Surely it is standard practise to verify the story from the club or manager or players?

I notice also that eleven-a-side have repeated the story from the Indo but added an unsported additional twist in the headline:
"Dundalk problems grow as players launch strike action"
http://www.eleven-a-side.com/dundalk/news.asp?n=37483

Indo and Times Reports of Dundalk V Bohs:


Irish Times

FAI Cup 4th round/Dundalk 0 Bohemians 0: DUNDALK and Bohemians will have to scrap it out again in a replay on Tuesday after a full-blooded cup tie failed to produce a winner at Oriel Park last night

Bohs will be happy to take Dundalk back to Dalymount Park, but they will feel they should have got the job done at the first attempt. With 91 minutes on the clock, Neale Fenn’s beautiful lay-off fell to the unmarked Jason Byrne eight yards out, but he was denied by a point-blank save from Peter Cherrie.

It earned Dundalk another shot at redemption. Seán Connor’s side played the final 13 minutes with 10 men after Shaun Kelly was harshly dismissed for a second bookable offence, the third time a Dundalk player has been sent off against Bohs this season

Clear chances were few and far between in the opening 45 minutes. Michael McGowan tested Brian Murphy with an early free-kick which the Bohs number one dealt with very capably.

Paddy Madden had the ball in the net for the cup holders in the 15th minute, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Gary Deegan then flashed an effort just wide of the post as Pat Fenlon’s men began to find their stride.

However, Dundalk finished the half strongly. Liam Burns and Mickey Collins both had shots blocked from the edge of the penalty area before Ger Rowe had the ball nicked off his toe by Brian Shelley just as he was about to pull the trigger from close range

Bohs almost silenced the crowd in the 39th minute with a lightning-quick break. Joseph Ndo raced clear on the left before picking out Byrne at the far post, but the striker could only scuff his volley into the ground.

The champions started the second half on the front foot, pinning Dundalk into their own half and they should have been ahead in the 53rd minute when Ndo’s header was cleared off the line by Shaun Kelly

The result should suit the champions, however it did not seem to please Fenlon.

]The Bohs manager had plenty of words with Seán Connor on the touchline and he was also involved in a verbal exchange with home supporters at the final whistle.

Indo

'Idiots' fail to rile Bohs boss Fenlon
Dundalk 0 Bohemians 0

By Neil Ahern

Saturday August 15 2009

ADVANTAGE Bohemians in this tie, as they emerged battered but well and truly alive after a tempestuous affair at Oriel Park last night.

The Gypsies proved they are not all glitz and glamour and well up for a battle in an extremely hostile atmosphere at the Louth venue.

Sean Connor's side, true to form, were reduced to 10 men for the third time in succession against the double-winners and while they fought hard last night and often out-played the visitors, it will be a much tougher assignment away from their passionate support at Dalymount on Tuesday night.

Indeed, the passion did boil over afterwards as Bohs boss Pat Fenlon was struck by a number of missiles while he performed his post-match interview with TG4, who broadcast the match.

[I don't think a big issue should be made of it, it was a couple of idiots just throwing things but hopefully the people here will deal with it properly," said Fenlon after the incident.

idiots

The problem is if one of them hits you in the eye or the head there's a problem, but in any ground you get idiots that want to ruin things."[/FONT]

Dundalk, already struggling financially, may face a hefty fine from the FAI over the conduct of their fans.[/FONT]

Bohs did have the ball in the net when Gary Deegan latched on to Killian Brennan's deflected shot and scooped the bouncing ball over Peter Cherrie, but the former Galway United midfielder was deemed to be offside.[/FONT]

Another opening came when Joseph Ndo skinned Shaun Kelly on 40 minutes along the left flank before placing a cross right into Jason Byrne's path, but he couldn't do the build-up play justice as he slammed the ball off the synthetic surface and into Cherrie's hands

]The second half continued in much the same fiery vein as the first and eight minutes in Bohemians thought they had taken a lead when Joseph Ndo's close-range header was cleared from the line by Shaun Kelly and some of the Bohs players claimed it had gone over.

The tackles were flying in and things almost boiled over when Thomas Heary jumped in on a crunching tackle on Conor Powell before the former Gypsy, Paul Keegan and Shaun Kelly saw yellow as a result of the afters. It was to prove a crucial caution for Kelly as he became the third player to be sent-off for Dundalk against Bohs when he barged into Powell 13 minutes from time.[/FONT]

Despite their numerical advantage Bohs couldn't make it count and hardly threatened until the 90th minute when Byrne was denied by Cherrie.[/FONT]

]Dundalk -- Cherrie, McGowan, Burns, Heary, Simon Kelly; Shaun Kelly, Collins, Daly, McKinlay; Williams (Mansaram 84), Rowe.[/FONT]

]Bohemians -- B Murphy, Rossiter (Heary 84), Shelley, Oman, Powell; Ndo, Deegan (Murphy 64), Keegan, Brennan; Madden (Fenn 75), Byrne

[WindmillWarrior]

Font off will ya

[Mr A]

The club statement has been greeted with some scepticism by posters on Oriel Web.

[SMorgan]

That Dundalk-Bohs match report by Ahern was shocking. It's not something I could even get annoyed about. I just read it and said to myself "you pillock".


The club statement has been greeted with scepticism some by posters on Oriel Web.

That's not like them!!!

[Ezeikial]

The club statement has been greeted with scepticism some by posters on Oriel Web.

It's comedy central on there today!

All that were missing at the moment is that JFK was not shot but is living in Termonfeckin with Elvis

[Mr_Parker]

He was the first to break the story that Connor would get the job 2 or 3 days before it actually got it,

Was he? :cool: