AGM

[thesilverfox]

Was anybody at the AGM last night that could tell us what happened? Was their many changes on the managment committee? You would think that the club would make a statement regarding what happened. Nothing up on the website either.

[Only1Rovers]

The AGM was last night?

[thesilverfox]

The AGM was last night?

Im afraid it was. Great advertising from the club as always. From what I got in a text message a few minutes ago, there have been no changes even though it has been said on this forum that there were gonna be some.

[neutrino]

Im afraid it was. Great advertising from the club as always. From what I got in a text message a few minutes ago, there have been no changes even though it has been said on this forum that there were gonna be some.

All club members get notified a couple of weeks in advance. If your a member and got no letter then check to make sure they have your right address. I'm pretty sure it would have been in the local papers too. It's not open to the public so not sure how much adversting should be done / needed. I think if people really want to go to the agm they should seek it out.

There should be a report about it in todays champion i'd say. It's a pity the website isnt up to date but i know how tough and time consuming that job is so not going to give out about it.

[thesilverfox]

With a new website and webmaster, things should improve soon enough.
any time frame on when the website will be up and running? has the new webmaster been confirmed?

[neutrino]

With a new website and webmaster, things should improve soon enough.

great news Rory. Hope it goes well

[Sean South]

Thought it went very well last night. Chairman came across very well. We made a profit last year but a big push is badly needed selling these 20euro tickets as season ticket sales are down. Anyone who got tickets through us for the cup final I would really appreciate it for you could get in contact with me.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Can the €20 tickets be bought on line?

[Sean South]

They will be able to be bought on www.forzarovers.net at sometime this evening. Payment through pay pal

[Fabrizio]

Has there been any changes on the management committee? I heard Vincent Nally will not longer be involved?

Also, after the meeting in the Clarion two weeks back i still cant understand why nothing was done to get the gantry up and running
so we could avail of the Irish U21 game, which would have included Seamus Coleman.Above says we made a profit last year and yet we couldnt
afford 12k for the gantry. In my opinion, a great opportunity missed, and by the looks of it could have been rectified.

[sligofan4ever]

Has there been any changes on the management committee? I heard Vincent Nally will not longer be involved?

Also, after the meeting in the Clarion two weeks back i still cant understand why nothing was done to get the gantry up and running
so we could avail of the Irish U21 game, which would have included Seamus Coleman.Above says we made a profit last year and yet we couldnt
afford 12k for the gantry. In my opinion, a great opportunity missed, and by the looks of it could have been rectified.

I hope what you heard about Nally is wrong, losing him would be a massive blow to Rovers and since becoming our financial controller, the club has been doing much better financially, but he was always known to be very good in a financial role I beleive.

[DonalE]

Has there been any changes on the management committee? I heard Vincent Nally will not longer be involved.

Where did you hear this Fabrizio?

[DonalE]

CF you should know that important and all as he is, Vincent Nally is not the most important man at the club. Let me give you a clue: the most important man at the club has received a few red cents for his services, and also some reds of a different variety

[srfc1928]

vincent nally's gone. definate.

i think this is a massive loss for the club. the most important man in the club imo now gone and hopefully it wont have repurcussions off the field now. he helped the club out for 2 years without recieving a red cent and hes been let slip through our fingers.

I remember the morning we were outside the Showgrounds getting ready to go to Dubrovnic,
Vincent came out to wish us luck and take some group photographs.
there we were heading off and he was heading back in to continue his work.
Massive loss. Very disappointed to hear he is gone.

[CarrickFan]

danny ventre's not a man though, he's a finely tuned machine


Yeah pity football is played by people not machines!!!

[sligoman]

Was anybody at the AGM last night that could tell us what happened? Was their many changes on the managment committee? You would think that the club would make a statement regarding what happened. Nothing up on the website either.Were you not listening to the chairman at the forum a couple of weeks ago regarding 'the club should do this etc.'

Anyway, AGM is for members. Doesn't need advertising and if you want to be kept up to date so quickly, become a member.

[CRFC&SRFC]

vincent nally's gone. definate.

i think this is a massive loss for the club. the most important man in the club imo now gone and hopefully it wont have repurcussions off the field now. he helped the club out for 2 years without recieving a red cent and hes been let slip through our fingers.

Terrible news and find it hard to believe... With money so scarce around Sligo at present its gonna be tougher than ever for club to generate funds. Club has sent batches of tickets to all junior clubs to try and sell for 1st 2 home games at the 20eur, hopfully there will be a decent uptake.

On a lighter note stumbled across this that we also may have let slip...:

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/women/news/newsid=1168292.html#oriordan%20nomadic%20nurturer

[whiteagle]

I agree that the loss of Vincent Nally is massive , the man practically took the club by the scruff of the neck when we were in turmoil turned it around within 2 years and this year possibly only 1 of 2 clubs to turn a profit for last season.The man has put in massive work in the background organising golf classic 's also. I hope we have a good year this year looking forward to the season starting ....

[prodsc]

Agreed, a very big loss to the club. His fundraising was immense, as well as keeping the club in the black. Let's hope his successor is just as successful. Were there any new members elected to the Board?

[Well Red]

I agree that the loss of Vincent Nally is massive , the man practically took the club by the scruff of the neck when we were in turmoil turned it around within 2 years and this year possibly only 1 of 2 clubs to turn a profit for last season.The man has put in massive work in the background organising golf classic 's also. I hope we have a good year this year looking forward to the season starting ....

Spent some time one evening with Vincent in the Showgrounds talking about where the club was at and it was amazing to listen to the sincerity of the man and on top all that he is a perfect gentleman and never ever looked for attention, his main concern was the club. Thanks Vincent for all you have done for us.

[akearins]

"We all know the work Vincent is doing with Sligo Rovers, and if there was a Vincent Nally in every club the league would be in a healthier position" (P.Smyth FAI Treasurer)

And so say all of us, this was at a fans forum in Abbottstown a few years back when I mentioned that we were a club heading in the right direction under the guidance if Vincent Nally. We have possibly missed out on the best signing for the club.
This loss is huge and cannot be understated. Vincent always was in the background with fundraising through the golf classics or the 400 club but we never really saw his influence until he became heavily involved as financial controller. At the time he stepped into the role he brought all his years of experience of running Brooks Hanlys to assist the club in getting onto a stable financial footing. We saw the club facing a crisis over unpaid taxes and with the support of the fans and the guidance of Vincent we came through the crisis. He was always astute with finances and realistic with budgets and costing. The club always came first and at no point would he ever jeopardise this. A modest man never seeking praise or plaudits for his time spent working on club finances he would often deflect praise onto all who helped with working with the club, as he said in his own words he "simply managed the finances brought in by the fans and the club management".
On a personal note through dealings with the Trust and the club through Vincent I always found him to be straight talking no bull**** and told you exactly where we were and where we were going, what was done and what needed to be done.
Unfortunately there is an undercurrent of mistrust among some supporters when it comes to finances, some believing that our finances are sometimes mismanaged or monies spent frivolously, such suggestions can be very wide of the mark.
However this was never the case once Vincent was involved he brought a trust, which was needed between the fans and the club, and when he told you "not one penny is squandered" it carried weight with it.

It is a huge loss to the club and cannot be understated but hopefully he will still be available to assist if needed.

Rumours are abound as to why he may have stepped aside and lets hope a clash of personalities or ideas, (which is one of the so called reasons for his departures) are unfounded.

So all we can say is thanks to Vincent for all his hard work in getting us onto a sound financial footing and bringing a professionalism to the club at a time when we badly needed it.

Also lets not forget the other management committee members who stepped down at the AGM and who also volunteered their time to help run the club. Fergal Davy and Jeffery Rainey are 2 that spring to mind who gave up their free time and were always approachable with any issues or queries you may have had and willing to give you a hand when needed.
And to those who still remain to run the club, its easy to criticise but if you walk in their shoes you will change your mind and not be as quick to criticise as its a 24-7 effort to keep the club alive and remember these are volunteers doing a days work and them more.

[red arrow]

very well put togeather alan. i also wish to express my gratitude to vincent . his enthusiasm was boundless & he brought great professionalism to any task that he took on. he more than likely is taking a well deserved rest at this stage and it up to us all to build on his infectious enthusiasm and keep moving the club in the right direction. we are all in it togeather , it is our club and one that we can be very proud of.

[jc46]

I agree with everything that has been said about vincent nally. In the lead up to the cup final, i had reason to have dealings with him relating to sligo rovers and the amount of work he was doing was mind-boggling. His energy and work rate knew no bounds. He has to be brought back into rovers and if there is a clash of personality with somebody else in the club, that person should exit. I know for a fact that he is highly respected in fai corridors of power in abbotstown.

[sligofan4ever]

Why has Vincent Nally stepped down does anyone know ?

He obviously cares alot about this club, and if he wasn't around during our crisis in 2008 who knows where we would be now. The man is a credit to the endless work that goes on behind the scenes at the club and I hope some day Vincent might make a return, if theres another financial crisis or a potential one, I hope his replacement is just as good. Our fnancial situation is very healthy in comparison to alot of clubs in the LoI and once again, we not be in such a healthy position if not for Vincent Nally.

[Oldred]

As a new forum member, but supporter of the Bit 'o Red for more than 40 years, I feel very sad for our Club that Vincent Nally is not still involved. I've known Vincent through business for many years and have found him to be a straight, honest (albeit hard-nosed at times!) businessman. The work he has done for OUR Club in such a short time is incredible. If he left through a so-called personality clash, then I think the other party involved has to have a long, hard look at themselves and their priorities when it comes down to the future well-being Rovers. Maybe it's not too late to say sorry and get Vincent back. I have yet to talk to a true supporter who does not want him back

[dong]

Vincent Nally's knowledge and expertise in all areas of running the club will be sorely missed from what I can gather.
It seems disgraceful that he would be squeezed out now.

[Oldred]

Are season tickets available online? I spend a lot of time away from home through work but would gladly buy one even though I may only make it to 9 or 10 home games per season.

[Rasputin]

Sad to see Vincent gone, done some great work for the Club.

[Fabrizio]

I have to disagree with above, i think this season and particularly the start will prove to very very tough and, as has been discussed previously, it is imperative that we get a good start, in terms of league position, season expectations and financially.

I have been very under-whelmed by the signings during pre-season. The best player we "signed" managed to get away (still no answers as to why, entirely clubs own fault ) and considering that more quality players than ever have become free agents we havent signed any real proven players. Peers resigning should have been the catalyst for a few more top quality signings, but unfortunately that never materalised.

To be honest, i cannot see where we are going to get the goals from! Blinkhorn is a good front player but not very prolific. To be honest, i dont know much about Amond but his stats suggest he wont score alot of goals. Playing Doyle as a striker isnt an ideal solution, hes our best winger, why play him out of position?

I dont want to sound like a pessimist and of course i hope we get off to a flying start but i think this season is going to be alot harder that people suggest, i think mid-table is the best we can hope for, suggestions of top 4 are ridiculous in my opinion!

There are alot of things at the club at the minute that i dont feel happy about, but only time will tell, and i hope next weeks game v Shams is a full house and a victory sets us up for the season!

[avvenalaf]

So who is going to be in the top four?

[bingoballs]

I have to disagree to be honest. We have held on to the nucleus of the side that performed so well in the second half of last season, Peers, Blinkhorn, Doyle, Keane, Brush and O Grady. We have resigned Almeida who was immense for us when he partnered Peers at centre half before. We have signed quality players like McCabe and Russell, we have players competing for almost every position, and I am optimistic for the season ahead.
I do think we may be light up front but I honestly believe that Raf missed more then he scored last season and if Ammond gets the same service, he could be a contender for the leagues top scorer. Dillon and Donninger could be anything and hopefully they will prove to be great additions also.
As for Turner, I don't think you can blame the club over the whole fiasco. There are some things in life you can't legislate for, such as Turners actions sincne he signed for us, and if the club are in the wrong then surely he would be a Shams player already! Anyway, Russell is more then capable of filling his boots when he is fit. He was a massive player for Galway United last season, a leader, and was instrumental in their staying up.
I am full of optimism for the year ahead. We have a had a decent pre season(compared to last season it wouldn't be hard), a good squad competing for places, and if we can get off to a decent start I can't see why we shouldn't be competing for a top 4 finish, Ammond to be top scorer, and maybe even a trophy too. If we start this campaign like we finished the last we could have a great year.

[avvenalaf]

That's my thinking, too. Frankly, anything less than a top three finish will be disappointing.

[Peachey]

Great start to the season, a begging letter from the club on my mat this morning and not a ball kicked, 100 euro they want, suppose if people want a top team they will have to pay for it, come on foot.ie boys stump up some cash and become members, I'm told there are only around 5 members on this site, a very low number for all the talk

[CarrickFan]

Im very optimistic(always am pre season!!).....i think we have a bigger and better squad than last season,Raf and Boco will be missed obviously but we have brought plenty in and are well covered in most positions except perhaps up front..really looking foward to tomorrow and getting my chance to see Dillon and Doninger play for the first time and some of the others for the first time in a Rovers jersey.

[sligoman]

I'm not as optimistic as everyone else seems to be. We are really lacking up front so goals could be a big problem, a lot depends on if Amond can do the job or not. We have a rake of midfielders, could take a while for the new lads to settle, plus we don't really know a lot about the likes of Dillon & Doninger so may not live up to expectation. Happy enough with the defence now Mauro is back alongside Peers. We won't be down fighting relegation but I think it's a bit early for people to be thinking top 3 just yet.

At least we have a big squad this season so it shouldn't cripple us when we pick up injuries/suspensions this season.

[srfc1928]

Im not too optimistic either.
God i hope im wrong.

[Dixie Dean]

I am somehwere in the middle, neither overly pessimistic or optimistic.

On the plus side there is a bit of continutiy having kept some key players like Brush/Peers/Blinkhorn, no major overhaul of the squad like previous seasons.

On the negative side there are alot of unknowns, which after a few games might be unfounded. One area i would be concerned about is pace on the break which has been a bit of a feature in Cooks rovers team. In the last few years we have lost coleman, raf and boco, all very fast. Not sure if there is pace in this team now , but thats only because i havent seen the new players.