Athlone Again........Naturally

[joey B]

With the greatest of respect to Athone what madman would invest In the shambles they currently are???

[Longfordian]

Plenty of dodgy characters looking for a business to put their money into. I'd be curious to know what kind of questions the FAI asked about this mystery investor.

[joey B]

Even for our league its a bit mad!

[KeepersBall]

Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.

[outspoken]

Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.

I'm sure theyl try sign a few Indians

[NeverFeltBetter]

Some bizarre miscommunication issues there. Real amateurish. Club would be well advised to make a statement on who the manager is sharpish.

[ToberonaTornado]

https://www.facebook.com/AthloneTownFcFans/posts/1281617315254458


Athlone Town AFC would like to announce changes to the first team coaching set-up.The club is delighted to confirm that respected Portuguese coach Ricardo Monsanto has been appointed as First Team Manager.
Ricardo is the holder of a UEFA A License, awarded to him by the Portuguese Football Association.
Colin Fortune has assumed a new role of Head Coach and will continue to provide the sterling service he has given Athlone Town AFC on and off the field over many years.
Coaches Ricardo Cravo, also from Portugal, and Gavin Drummond are also on board and will play their part as part of the backroom team.
The changes take effect from today (Thursday March 9th) however it is important to note that the coaching staff have been working well together since the start of the season.
To date this coaching structure has greatly aided the blending in of the first team squad’s locally based players with those who have come in from Europe.
The changes have been brought about as part of the club’s on going efforts to improve results and player performance on the field of play.
The Football Association of Ireland have been formally notified of the changes.
The club has no doubt that our senior coaching staff will continue to work both with each other and the players to build on our positive opening to the 2017 First Division season.
The club asks that all genuine fans of Athlone Town AFC give their full support to the management team and playing staff particularly in our upcoming games against neighbours Longford Town.
"GENUINE FANS"
****ing gob****es https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v7/f51/1/16/1f603.png:D

[nigel-harps1954]

What a complete and utter shambles that club is.

I fully expect them to go and win the league now.

[Battery Rover]

The genuine fans bit was totally uncalled for. Most of the genuine diehards are refusing to attend games. I know some are 60 plus years attending games and refusing to do so at the minute.

[Duggie]

The genuine fans bit was totally uncalled for. Most of the genuine diehards are refusing to attend games. I know some are 60 plus years attending games and refusing to do so at the minute. why? Sure who cares who is running the club. If you get some investor in and is willing to spend some cash the great. We need more of that. Its better than not having a pot to **** in. If it fails then you just go back to not having a pot to **** in. The same one they were using before.

[Charlie Darwin]

What a complete and utter shambles that club is.

I fully expect them to go and win the league now.
Hypothetically, wouldn't that require Monsanto to give up the manager's job as he doesn't have a pro license? Which I believe Fortune has or is studying for.

[nigel-harps1954]

Hypothetically, wouldn't that require Monsanto to give up the manager's job as he doesn't have a pro license? Which I believe Fortune has or is studying for.

He's working on a GM licence.

[outspoken]

why? Sure who cares who is running the club. If you get some investor in and is willing to spend some cash the great. We need more of that. Its better than not having a pot to **** in. If it fails then you just go back to not having a pot to **** in. The same one they were using before.

Are you serious? Even as much as I hate athlone I think their fans are dead right to boycott. The way that club is been run is a disgrace. The amount of money they owe is disgraceful and only in Ireland would they get away with not paying it

[Duggie]

Are you serious? Even as much as I hate athlone I think their fans are dead right to boycott. The way that club is been run is a disgrace. The amount of money they owe is disgraceful and only in Ireland would they get away with not paying it how much do they owe? to who

[outspoken]

how much do they owe? to who

They owe a load of players expenses but don't got a license because they are amateurs so it doesn't count. Only in Ireland would clubs get away with it

[outspoken]

Midlands 103 not allowed to ask off field questions last night. Apparently they were lucky to get an interview with the manager at all.

[Battery Rover]

Midlands 103 not allowed to ask off field questions last night. Apparently they were lucky to get an interview with the manager at all.

People now asking what do they have to hide.

[Duggie]

I dont get all the negativity around athlones investor. I heard fortune on one of the podcasts saying since they came in athlone had a good preseason with everything laid on. Meals training gear etc etc. Thats a good thing.Whats with all the bad press.

[outspoken]

I dont get all the negativity around athlones investor. I heard fortune on one of the podcasts saying since they came in athlone had a good preseason with everything laid on. Meals training gear etc etc. Thats a good thing.Whats with all the bad press.

If you can't see the problem then you really don't understand

[Duggie]

If you can't see the problem then you really don't understand

Clearly not. This is a club with a few hundred people going to games and not a penny to their name id say. Along comes a portugese guy for whatever reason willing to spend some cash and bring in players and all i see is people questioning it. Id be singing from the rooftop if i was an athlone fan. Its not real madrid were talking here. Sure get rid of him then and go back to been **** poor and shakeing buckets around the streets to survive.

[Martinho II]

Clearly not. This is a club with a few hundred people going to games and not a penny to their name id say. Along comes a portugese guy for whatever reason willing to spend some cash and bring in players and all i see is people questioning it. Id be singing from the rooftop if i was an athlone fan. Its not real madrid were talking here. Sure get rid of him then and go back to been **** poor and shakeing buckets around the streets to survive.

the Athlone fans must be happy when their boycotts outside the ground stop!

[Battery Rover]

the Athlone fans must be happy when their boycotts outside the ground stop!

They have stopped protesting outside the ground but are still boycotting all home games.

[oldyouth]

<SNIP>

So I heard. Could get interesting alright

[bluewhitearmy]

As in our old friend * could be added to events or worse bye bye Athlone?

[Battery Rover]

As in our old friend * could be added to events or worse bye bye Athlone?

Not bye bye as there is a group ready to step in to run club if / when it implodes.

[outspoken]

Not bye bye as there is a group ready to step in to run club if / when it implodes.

How long are we hearing that tho? What state will the place be in at that stage? This is a real mess no matter what happens now.

[Battery Rover]

How long are we hearing that tho? What state will the place be in at that stage? This is a real mess no matter what happens now.

Sometimes you have to hit the very bottom before you can rise again.

[Longfordian]

It's a bizarre set up. Appoint Colin Fortune, let him sign a mostly local squad then with about two weeks until the season starts bring in a mystery investor, and a load of Portuguese coaches with no track record in any kind of respectable league and a French "Director of First Team Operations" whose employment at a Lithuanian club saw them being beaten 10 and 12 nil in games. Plus a load of Eastern European nobodies. I can only imagine what the dressing room dynamics are like.

[Mr A]

How does the 'investment' even work at what is in theory a members club? Have they bought a load of memberships or have the current membership agreed to sign over ownership?

And as for the group ready to step in- what's the story there?

[Pablo Escobar]

How does the 'investment' even work at what is in theory a members club? Have they bought a load of memberships or have the current membership agreed to sign over ownership?

And as for the group ready to step in- what's the story there?
It's the word "investment" when used in a LOI context that always makes me suspicious. It implies that they are looking for some kind of return. And TBH there's easier ways to **** your money away if you really wanted to. There's always another motive.

[oldyouth]

Neither, but everyone loves a good scandal. Thats all i can say for now.

I think we're on the same wavelength. Something new for LOI to deal with

[ATFC-1887]

Listen to What's Happening At Athlone Town by Midlands Sport #np on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/midlandssport/whats-happening-at-athlone-town

A piece on Midlands radio today

[EatYerGreens]

Clearly not. This is a club with a few hundred people going to games and not a penny to their name id say. Along comes a portugese guy for whatever reason willing to spend some cash and bring in players and all i see is people questioning it. Id be singing from the rooftop if i was an athlone fan. Its not real madrid were talking here. Sure get rid of him then and go back to been **** poor and shakeing buckets around the streets to survive.

And there, my friend, is the answer to the fact that you don't get what the problem is here. If it needs to be explained to you any further, there's probably no point doing so - as you just won't get it.

Just ask yourself why someone with no connection at all to Ireland would want to put money into a club that is chaotic, poorly supported and has very limited potential.

[sbgawa]

And there, my friend, is the answer to the fact that you don't get what the problem is here. If it needs to be explained to you any further, there's probably no point doing so - as you just won't get it.

Just ask yourself why someone with no connection at all to Ireland would want to put money into a club that is chaotic, poorly supported and has very limited potential.

I think by "whatever reason" he meant what does it matter what the reason is............. how could the club be any worse off?.
Who owns the ground btw ? if the club don't then its hard to see what the angle is for any investor?
If the club does own the ground I suppose there is probably a property play.

[Duggie]

I think by "whatever reason" he meant what does it matter what the reason is............. how could the club be any worse off?.
Who owns the ground btw ? if the club don't then its hard to see what the angle is for any investor?
If the club does own the ground I suppose there is probably a property play.
Exactly. Who gives a sh1t what the reasons are. If its helping athlone to better themselves then who cares. To quote a famous actor...if ya got nothing you got nothing to lose. Ya get me.

[Longfordian]

So if ISIS decided they fancied financing Sligo that'd be fine? Of course you have to question what your club is being used for.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

So if ISIS decided they fancied financing Sligo that'd be fine? Of course you have to question what your club is being used for.

There's a few hoping they take out Robertson

[Duggie]

So if ISIS decided they fancied financing Sligo that'd be fine? Of course you have to question what your club is being used for.

ya thats a good comparison alright. maybe athlone should just go back to begging to survive. might be happier.

[Battery Rover]

ya thats a good comparison alright. maybe athlone should just go back to begging to survive. might be happier.

Many of us believe we can build a club from the ground up as a club without community is nothing.

[Longfordian]

ya thats a good comparison alright. maybe athlone should just go back to begging to survive. might be happier.

The point is we don't know anything about the investor or whether any questions have been asked about them, by Athlone or ideally by the FAI.

[EatYerGreens]

Exactly. Who gives a sh1t what the reasons are. If its helping athlone to better themselves then who cares. To quote a famous actor...if ya got nothing you got nothing to lose. Ya get me.

This is pretty naïve stuff tbh.

Athlone have a lot to lose. They could end up going bust, losing their ground and leaving senior football. That's the sort of thing that isn't unfeasible when a bunch of unknowns rock up at a club looking to splash money around 'for whatever reason'. You can be sure that if it all falls apart they'll be long gone and it'll be Athlone who'll be the worse off.

Irish (and indeed world) football is scattered with enough footballing corpses for people to not be blind about this sort of thing. I remember fans of teams like Gretna thinking everything was great and people were being rainclouds to raise issues.

[sbgawa]

This is pretty naïve stuff tbh.

Athlone have a lot to lose. They could end up going bust, losing their ground and leaving senior football. That's the sort of thing that isn't unfeasible when a bunch of unknowns rock up at a club looking to splash money around 'for whatever reason'. You can be sure that if it all falls apart they'll be long gone and it'll be Athlone who'll be the worse off.

Irish (and indeed world) football is scattered with enough footballing corpses for people to not be blind about this sort of thing. I remember fans of teams like Gretna thinking everything was great and people were being rainclouds to raise issues.

That was a question I asked earlier ...Do Athlone own the ground .........if they do they have something to lose if they don't , then they have nothing to lose.
Going bust didn't prevent Wexford or (there was another I'm sure ) taking their place in the league.

[EatYerGreens]

That was a question I asked earlier ...Do Athlone own the ground .........if they do they have something to lose if they don't , then they have nothing to lose.
Going bust didn't prevent Wexford or (there was another I'm sure ) taking their place in the league.

Even if Athlone don't own the ground, they'd lose the lease on it if they went bust. And the owner might prefer to develop the site or use it for other purposes rather than let a 'new' version of Athlone lease it back - particularly if there was unpaid rent when they went bust.

Though what use is a ground without a club to play in it anyway ?

More senior clubs have come and gone in the city of Cork alone than their are teams in the LOI First Division currently FFS. That's just in one town, with a large population, where sport is generally well-supported. It is naïve in the extreme to think that there is nothing that could go wrong for Athlone here.

The Wexford situation was different, as Wallace (understanding both property and his own precarious finances) separated the stadium to protect it. There's still probably a good chance that Wexford will disappear from the senior game at some future point though - just like Kilkenny City, Monaghan United, Drumcondra, Cork Hibernians, Cork United (twice), St James's Gate (twice), Dolphin, Brideville, Thurles Town, Newcastle West, Bray Unknowns, Cork Albert, Brooklyn, Dublin City, St Francis, Frankfort, Kildare County, Home Farm and its various guises, Sporting Fingal, Mervue United, Salthill Devon, and I could go on.... . Because Wexford haven't really developed a fanbase and a sustainable club to guarantee longer term survival. They could be the next Kilkenny, Monaghan or Kildare.

[Battery Rover]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/financial-backing-media-blackouts-and-foreign-imports-fai-keeping-close-eye-on-new-athlone-mystery-owners-35532542.html

[Longfordian]

Pleased to see the extensive due diligence was carried out. "We met with the new investors, we're not sure what they want".

[JC_GUFC]

Does anyone know the other clubs these investors are involved in? I saw a Lithuanian club who finished bottom of the league with a GD of about -140. It looks like they had a lot of Italian players drafted in for that season...

[Battery Rover]

Does anyone know the other clubs these investors are involved in? I saw a Lithuanian club who finished bottom of the league with a GD of about -140. It looks like they had a lot of Italian players drafted in for that season...

They first team operations manager was involved in FC Dainava in Lithuania. The manager was previously with Fatima, Sofia Farmer in some intermediate club in the north and FC Barreirense. You can check his record if you can call it that.

Not a lot of info on 1st team operations manager Marc Formeaux other than the disaster in Lithuania and that he is a player agent.. Also a denial that he is Eden Hazards agent.

[Philosophizer]

Also a denial that he is Eden Hazards agent.

While the Hazard lads (I there may be 3 or possibly even 4 of them in the family who are all professional players) might have 1 or 2 advisors I'm fairly sure their father is their agent. The Father is a former professional himself.

[Battery Rover]

Official Facebook page seems to be blocking people and removing posts now for asking questions and being critical of posts.

[outspoken]

Official Facebook page seems to be blocking people and removing posts now for asking questions and being critical of posts.

Sounds like our admin has taken over it