Players' Pool

[Fixer82]

Does anyone else think it's crazy that the players take half the money from Euro 2012 when the FAI desperately need all they can get for local soccer clubs/development around the country.
The players don't need it and often give their international match fees to charity anyway. So why do they need €4 million ??

[nigel-harps1954]

Was thinking that myself this morning. It's a bit ridiculous, these lads are probably earning on average £15,000-£20,000 a week in England or wherever they play.
The FAI are struggling, football in general in Ireland is struggling. It makes no sense to give the players this massive sum of money on top of an already massive wage for Trap. The 8 million from qualifying will effectively be gone before we even get to Poland/Ukraine without touching Irish soil.

[Dodge]

Not to mention the huge boost to individula player's profiles to the point where they can all benefit from endorsement deals etc

[jbyrne]

the amount has yet to be agreed. figures being mentioned are based on wc 2002 where funny enough stan was one of the main player negotiators and delaney was apparently so impressed with how he handled it that he saw management material in him! thats what i was told anyway.

the bonus is not limited to the players so when it is spread over backroom staff etc it could involve well over 50 people.

yes, some of the high profile players earn mega bucks but i doubt o'dea, the wolves lads, cox etc do. if delaney is somehow entitled to €400k a year from the FAI then how much is richard dunne entitled to for example?

[shakermaker1982]

Doyle and Hunt will be on big bucks JByrne. I'd be amazed if they weren't on at least £20k.

[jbyrne]

Doyle and Hunt will be on big bucks JByrne. I'd be amazed if they weren't on at least £20k.

maybe, but the essence of my point is that not all the players are on big money.
a year or two ago the average premiership wage was £20k per week and championship £5,000. obviously mega bucks to the normal joe soap but not in the sports world

[shakermaker1982]

Keane, Duff, Given, O'Shea, Dunne, McGeady, Doyle and Hunt could all opt out! Those guys don't need the cash....

[Macy]

So why do they need €4 million ??
Exactly the amount it would take to save the spiritual home of Irish football...

[Stuttgart88]

Vincent Hogan suggesting today that foregoing the bonus would complete the change in perception of them among the Irish public. Would be nice to see it happen, but it won't.

[toffeeforever]

id probably cop some flax for this but I think the players deserve it. obivously some players may need the cash more than others but it certainly shouldnt be means tested or suggested that more wealthier players should 'opt out'.

id love to know who will be entitled to it though. would it be the players of the last squad? would a player like paul green who played in earlier matches but not invovled now be entitled?

[nigel-harps1954]

Exactly the amount it would take to save the spiritual home of Irish football...

Finn Park? Sure..we'll take it..

[mypost]

Was thinking that myself this morning. It's a bit ridiculous, these lads are probably earning on average £15,000-£20,000 a week in England or wherever they play.
The FAI are struggling, football in general in Ireland is struggling.

That's not the players fault. The players are entitled to get a bonus from the World Cup. The amounts they would get, are probably less than a week's wages at their clubs, as there's very little money in international football, relative to the club game.

[Closed Account 2]

Where would you draw the line, should Kilbane (almost certainly in his last years as a pro, and probably no longer on fantastic money, if he ever was) hand his payment back if he gets paid for his part in qualification ? He's been a player for almost 15 years and has only got to two finals, it seems a bit harsh to begrudge any payment to him.

The FAI might be struggling at the moment but these players (and manager) have given it a huge jump in terms of morale and finances. The knock-on effects of qualification mean potentially a lot more sponsorship deals - these deals might generate more money than the cost of the players bonuses. The sight of seeing the team in a national competition for the first time in 10 years will be a massive boost to the popularity of the sport. The Euros in 88 and World Cups in 1990 and 94 inspired a generation of kids to have an interest in the game, if we can get to a few more competitions in the space of the next decade or so it's likely to do the same.

Personally I have no problem with any of the players and staff involved in qualification being paid these bonuses. They've generated it through their performances, and actually meeting their targets, if you want to suggest people paying money back or foregoing bonuses, I'd look to the top brass at the failing banks who are still being paid "market rate" bonuses or some of the cowboy property developers who generated a false bubble partly financed by government grants (tax payers) money.

[Dodge]

That's not the players fault. The players are entitled to get a bonus from the World Cup. The amounts they would get, are probably less than a week's wages at their clubs, as there's very little money in international football, relative to the club game.
They're still being paid by their clubs, so its not like they're missing out on anything


Vincent Hogan suggesting today that foregoing the bonus would complete the change in perception of them among the Irish public. Would be nice to see it happen, but it won't.
Was there a problem with perception with the Irish public? I suggest that was just in Vincent's tiny little mind

[tetsujin1979]

Was there a problem with perception with the Irish public? I suggest that was just in Vincent's tiny little mindAgreed, part of me thinks Vincent put that out there so at some point in the future, when something goes badly wrong, he can turn around and say "they didn't even donate their qualification bonuses to charity"

[Macy]

The FAI might be struggling at the moment but these players (and manager) have given it a huge jump in terms of morale and finances. The knock-on effects of qualification mean potentially a lot more sponsorship deals - these deals might generate more money than the cost of the players bonuses. The sight of seeing the team in a national competition for the first time in 10 years will be a massive boost to the popularity of the sport. The Euros in 88 and World Cups in 1990 and 94 inspired a generation of kids to have an interest in the game, if we can get to a few more competitions in the space of the next decade or so it's likely to do the same.
The knock on effects will be diluted if that pot of money is taken out of the game. The players themselves will increase their own sponsorship potential, and future career earnings, by performing in an international tournament. No point in the interest in the game if there isn't the money to exploit that in footballing infrastructure. No player in that squad, including Kilbane, needs that money imo.


Was there a problem with perception with the Irish public? I suggest that was just in Vincent's tiny little mind
I don't know about that. I wouldn't think this set of players is particularly well regarded by the public. If they take that type of sum out of the association money, it won't exactly help that imo.

[geysir]

I'm somewhat amused when a journalist, who will probably get a fair bit of milage reporting on Ireland on the road to the Euro finals, suggests ways for other people to give away their money, to improve their image amongst the public.

If David Kelly gave away all his salary to a good cause, would it register a notch in a hundred notch image rehabilitation program.

[Fixer82]

Was there a problem with perception with the Irish public? I suggest that was just in Vincent's tiny little mind

I think Stephen Ireland's grannies, Anthony Stokes being tired, players not turning up when called has in the past few years damaged people's perception of our footballers. Very few people see them as ordinary Joes that are 'one of our own' in the way John Aldridge, Paul McGrath, Kevin Moran etc. were seen in their time. Footballers are also much more private these days (they have to be with tabloids, twitter, facebook etc) and that doesn't help.

It's not unusual to see Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan having a pint quietly to themselves in town but ya generally won't see the soccer lads out as much cos they live in England (and Moscow) and if they were it'd be in the papers the next day. People have less access to them and feel more distant towards them because of this.
It's not the players' fault. It's just the way professional soccer has gone I'm afraid.

[SwanVsDalton]

It's not unusual to see Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan having a pint quietly to themselves in town but ya generally won't see the soccer lads out as much cos they live in England (and Moscow) and if they were it'd be in the papers the next day. People have less access to them and feel more distant towards them because of this.
It's not the players' fault. It's just the way professional soccer has gone I'm afraid.

Bingo. See Keane going out for lemonade and a bit of craic down at the karaoke when injured causing absolute mayhem. If it was a rugby player, it'd be (rightly) a non-story but footballers are fair game for the nonsense just because of their perceived excesses.

[Fixer82]

Bingo. See Keane going out for lemonade and a bit of craic down at the karaoke when injured causing absolute mayhem. If it was a rugby player, it'd be (rightly) a non-story but footballers are fair game for the nonsense just because of their perceived excesses.

yep. what a non-story that was of keane being in Gibney's in Malahide singing a song.
But Joe Duffy's phone-lines were hopping the next day...