Great news - Delaney stays on as FAI head!

[Charlie Darwin]

John Delaney is to stay at the helm of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) for a further five years, it was announced today.

In a statement the FAI said that following its meeting this week, its Board of Management had unanimously asked the current chief executive to extend his contract until 2015.

Delaney has been head of the FAI since 2004.

"John has presided over the development and growth of all strands of the game and we are delighted to announce that he will continue as Chief Executive of the Football Association of Ireland for a further five year term", said FAI President David Blood.

"John has been instrumental in modernising the Association and has a track record of achievement including the establishment of a nationwide network of co funded community based football development officers, the transformation of relations with football’s grassroots, the trebling of the Association’s commercial portfolio, the merger with the Airtricity League and the development of the new Aviva Stadium in partnership with the IRFU," Mr Blood added.

"I know that I speak for all of the elected members of the Board of Management when I say that John is the right man to continue delivering growth and success for Irish football over the next five year period.
Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/delaney-to-stay-on-as-fai-head-464858.html#ixzz0tC3Ldj6S

[marinobohs]

read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/delaney-to-stay-on-as-fai-head-464858.html#ixzz0tc3ldj6s aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh hhhhhh

[Cuyahoga]

I dont have a problem with this. He has made mistakes,but overall has done a good job!

[Lim till i die]

He has made mistakes,but overall has done a good job!

http://turbo.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2009/11/skeptical-hippo-1.jpg

[dcfcsteve]

Sceptical Hippo needs to invest in a non-US spellchecker...... :D

[Lim till i die]

I think he's doing alright for a hippo tbf.

Can you run at 25 miles per hour and kill a Nile Crocodile??

[Réiteoir]

I dont have a problem with this. He has made mistakes,but overall has done a good job!

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/206808/872384.jpg

[Schumi]

I for one welcome our continuing insect overlord.
http://bestuff.com/images/images_of_stuff/210x600/kent-brockman---insect-overlords-66140.jpg

[Lim till i die]

http://i37.tinypic.com/30sy9hv.jpg

[Spudulika]

Thank god I'm not on a Ryanair flight or I'd have to pay for the sick bag - good old FAI, cronyism inc.

[Alf Honn]

Another €2mill for the man who finally admitted recently the FAI is all about money.

This just backs up his statement.

[poster]

I dont have a problem with this. He has made mistakes,but overall has done a good job!

Maybe he's done something for Shams, but I do disagree.

Any idea when his aid Fran Gavin's contract's up?

[Riddickcule]

Tbh who could do a better job?

All positions of power contain an element of corruption.

[Alf Honn]

Niall Quinn or Fintan Drury for a start...hardly think they would plunge the FAI into €50 mill of debt with a disastrous (disad)Vantage tickets scheme at a time when everyone but Delaney could see the Corporate sector was nosediving.

[Riddickcule]

Niall Quinn or Fintan Drury for a start...hardly think they would plunge the FAI into €50 mill of debt with a disastrous (disad)Vantage tickets scheme at a time when everyone but Delaney could see the Corporate sector was nosediving.
50 million of debt you say? Where'd you hear/see this?

[Alf Honn]

50 million of debt you say? Where'd you hear/see this?

One of the Sunday papers (Times, I think) got their hands on a Bank document a few weeks showing a massive loan taken out for the Stadium.

[Riddickcule]

Every organisation takes out loans, doesn't mean they're in financial difficulty.

[galwayjames]

Tbh who could do a better job?

What about Jonathan Roche? I've been very impressed with the way he has handled Shamrock Rovers.

[Alf Honn]

Every organisation takes out loans, doesn't mean they're in financial difficulty.

Oh right then; besides that, €18mill deficit in last accounts...no World Cup qualification funds...eircom rumoured to be pulling the plug. The only way is up.

[1882]

One of the Sunday papers (Times, I think) got their hands on a Bank document a few weeks showing a massive loan taken out for the Stadium.You surely didn't think that the FAI had the money in the bank to pay for their part of the Aviva without having to get finance from anywere did you?

[outspoken]

well this is great news.......for barstoolers that want to see our league crumble

[SkStu]

well this is great news.......for barstoolers that want to see our league crumble

how so?

[Riddickcule]

What about Jonathan Roche? I've been very impressed with the way he has handled Shamrock Rovers.
Why would he want to give up his secure, popular post at SRFC to take control of a FAIlure of an organisation?

[Cuyahoga]

What about Jonathan Roche? I've been very impressed with the way he has handled Shamrock Rovers.
I'm a Rovers fan but wouldnt agree with you there. Roche is the chairman but its more of a collective effort.The chairman is more like a publicity officer ! The secretary Noel Byrne makes a lot of the decisions.

[outspoken]

because delaney dosnt care about our league and if theres no one to help push it on we will go into a decline and crumble.

[1882]

because delaney dosnt care about our league and if theres no one to help push it on we will go into a decline and crumble.The clubs don't think that way. Every single club voted to extend the deal with the FAI to allow them to continue running the league.

[gael353]

The clubs don't think that way. Every single club voted to extend the deal with the FAI to allow them to continue running the league.

the clubs voted for the FAI continuing to run the league as there was no better alternative, the vote on Delaney was done by the Board of Directors of the FAI. The clubs, nor any affiliate have voted for Delaney to continue which would seem to be weird as every other thing to do with the league seems to be referred back to every affiliate. Who could we get to replace delaney? Philip Browne of the irfu, Niall Quinn, and even from my clubs committee id see several candidates far far more qualified then the incombent. Oh and about that loan mentioned, i belive the AVIVA "sponsorship" is in fact a loan hence the performance of the stadium and its workings all being built into a massive repayment scheme to AVIVA over a long period of time. also like to point out that this "great news" broke in the media late in the afternoon on a friday. now if you want any bad news burried you release it on a friday so well done Peter Sherrard on that one

[Riddickcule]

I will be FAI CEO in 10 years time. I promise everything will be much better :)

[Spudulika]

Nobody in their right mind who has a shred of decency and corporate success in their background would step into the job. One of the most progressive businessmen and complete sports and football fanatics did (Fran Rooney), but it proved to be nothing more than a set up job to get Delaney Jr back in the saddle. This is the son of a man who was utterly corrupt and amoral (along with the blazer brigade of the time) and who vowed he'd get those who squealed on him back. And he has. John Delaney was a disaster as a businessman (how many company's did he run into the ground?) and has failed as the head of the FAI. However unless there is a cull in the association and it is run as a proper business, it will continue to be a financial and sporting disaster.

[bennocelt]

I dont have a problem with this. He has made mistakes,but overall has done a good job!
You must be taking the pee, surely:eek:

[Riddickcule]

Nobody in their right mind who has a shred of decency and corporate success in their background would step into the job. One of the most progressive businessmen and complete sports and football fanatics did (Fran Rooney), but it proved to be nothing more than a set up job to get Delaney Jr back in the saddle. This is the son of a man who was utterly corrupt and amoral (along with the blazer brigade of the time) and who vowed he'd get those who squealed on him back. And he has. John Delaney was a disaster as a businessman (how many company's did he run into the ground?) and has failed as the head of the FAI. However unless there is a cull in the association and it is run as a proper business, it will continue to be a financial and sporting disaster.
The problem will never be solved with that attitude.

[danthesaint]

The problem will never be solved with that attitude.

his attitude wont change when 5 year contracts are being dished out.

[bennocelt]

The problem will never be solved with that attitude.

No, better to go along with the dross:rolleyes:

[outspoken]

The clubs don't think that way. Every single club voted to extend the deal with the FAI to allow them to continue running the league.

As pointed out by someone else there was no other option and if your club voted against and the fai still got in that club would have all ties cut as the fai wouldnt give them any help in future eg. loans ect.

[Alf Honn]

You surely didn't think that the FAI had the money in the bank to pay for their part of the Aviva without having to get finance from anywere did you?


No, but they indicated they had - absurd as it sounded. Remember our great failed business man declaring he could 'write a cheque in the morning' for the Stadium costs. We didn't hear that spin repeated.

The point here is that Delaney's grand plan was to rip the Corporate sector off with over-priced premium tickets, let it pay for the stadium and pocket the rest.

The calculations Delaney spouted on at the Vantage launch in Sept 2008 were this: 80% of the tickets would be sold by the opening game (that's next month).

Taking an average ticket sale of 20k (they are between 12-36k), selling the 10,000 available sales works out at 160mill of income. Even with costs factored in, that would have made the FAI a profit, after paying the 70mill stadium bill, of approx 50mill.

Instead, it's all gone Pete Tong. Can't offload the tkts for love nor money and the grassroots are being asked to buy them instead.

In other words, a complete business disaster from the CEO. If he had pitched the tkts at, say, 8-9 grand each, they probably would have all sold by now and no 'morgage' would be required.

If this was any other private business with vocal board members, the CEO would have been sacked by now, never mind given another sweetner contract.

[Macy]

Isn't it even worse than that? Didn't the FAI have the chance to have the vantage club tickets effectively underwritten, but at a lower guaranteed amount? He turned it down, and now the FAI are reduced to ridiculous friendlies of clubs in direct competition with the domestic clubs for fans and money, and blocking domestic clubs hold friendlies themselves, and twisting the arms of affliated clubs to take up the unsold tickets?

[marinobohs]

Isn't it even worse than that? Didn't the FAI have the chance to have the vantage club tickets effectively underwritten, but at a lower guaranteed amount? He turned it down, and now the FAI are reduced to ridiculous friendlies of clubs in direct competition with the domestic clubs for fans and money, and blocking domestic clubs hold friendlies themselves, and twisting the arms of affliated clubs to take up the unsold tickets?

The FAI did have an offer from a third party to take over the sale of seats in new Lansdowne. The FAI in its infinite wisdom decided that it would be easy to sell them and they could keep all the money - another business gem. While the rugger buggers shifted most/all of their tickets long ago the FAI wait until a collapse in the economy to go selling tickets. expect all clubs to come under huge pressure to sell tickets just to keep the FAI afloat.

[Macy]

expect all clubs to come under huge pressure to sell tickets just to keep the FAI afloat.
They already done so - look at the number of junior clubs, never mind LoI clubs, holding draws for the use of the tickets. There was talk of inducements - such as clothing and insurance vouchers to offset clubs. I'm sure clubs that didn't fall into line will have their payback...

[jbyrne]

The FAI While the rugger buggers shifted most/all of their tickets long ago the FAI wait until a collapse in the economy to go selling tickets. expect all clubs to come under huge pressure to sell tickets just to keep the FAI afloat.

the lure of big rugby games at a weekend was always going to be a far far easier sell to corporate ireland than mid week qualifiers etc against mostly unglamerous opposition. also, the irfu had a huge waiting list for 10 year tickets in place well before the new stadium was even dreamt of. the comparison is therefore unfair.

the constant petty FAI / JD bashing around here is pathetic

[jbyrne]

I'm sure clubs that didn't fall into line will have their payback...

ridiculous beyond words

[Macy]

the lure of big rugby games at a weekend was always going to be a far far easier sell to corporate ireland than mid week qualifiers etc against mostly unglamerous opposition. also, the irfu had a huge waiting list for 10 year tickets in place well before the new stadium was even dreamt of. the comparison is therefore unfair.
So why not take the guaranteed money rather than sell themselves with the greater risk?


ridiculous beyond words
Yeah, it would never happen that the FAI treat different LoI clubs in a different manner for similar offences/ issues, would it?

[galwayjames]

if your club voted against and the fai still got in that club would have all ties cut as the fai wouldnt give them any help in future eg. loans ect.

sounds more like a communist dictatorship than a democratic football association.

[marinobohs]

So why not take the guaranteed money rather than sell themselves with the greater risk?


Yeah, it would never happen that the FAI treat different LoI clubs in a different manner for similar offences/ issues, would it?

Now now Macy, JByrne has to earn that FAI salary.......;)

[OneRedArmy]

ridiculous beyond wordsYup, the FAI have no history whatsoever of vindictiveness and petty score settling.

Wait now, whats that about a thrown cream bun and the selection of a manager......George the Greek and the night of the long knives....