Bray statement

[Philosophizer]

If every person in the country who supports a foreign team followed their closest LOI side then we'd have a pretty well supported league

While that's true, it's no use thinking hypothetically about what our league could be if people moved en-masse from the EPL to watch LOI. It's just never gonna happen. A few will move over here and there, but there will never be a mass migration.

[redarmyfaction]

To be honest even when we were in abbeycartron our crowds were the same. Longford has never been a town for league of Ireland soccer and will never will be.
Abbeycartron had a certain charm, you could tickle the armpits of a player making a throw with one hand and milk a cow in the field behind with the other.

[mcgonigle]

While that's true, it's no use thinking hypothetically about what our league could be if people moved en-masse from the EPL to watch LOI. It's just never gonna happen. A few will move over here and there, but there will never be a mass migration.

My point was in reply to Longfordian who suggested that even if the whole county supported Longford they would not be viable. Which isn't true, they'd be very well supported then. I don't for a second think it is going to happen

[Weatherman]

If Bray did get a stadium like Tallaght stadium out of this deal it would be great but wud have a reverse affect on the club in my opinion. The location of the Carlisle Grounds is key and it needs to be upgraded which i feel can be achievable. Moving the club to "west of the n11" would kill attendances. Yes new supporters will emerge from the area of stepaside and kilternan but not everyone drives and with the location a distance away from the town it wouldn't be ideal. Bray could only get 500 down for a match against finn harps so what would be the point of a 5,000 or 10,000 seater stadium?

[redobit]

If Bray did get a stadium like Tallaght stadium out of this deal it would be great but wud have a reverse affect on the club in my opinion. The location of the Carlisle Grounds is key and it needs to be upgraded which i feel can be achievable. Moving the club to "west of the n11" would kill attendances. Yes new supporters will emerge from the area of stepaside and kilternan but not everyone drives and with the location a distance away from the town it wouldn't be ideal. Bray could only get 500 down for a match against finn harps so what would be the point of a 5,000 or 10,000 seater stadium?

Wicklow Wanderers!

[Philosophizer]

My point was in reply to Longfordian who suggested that even if the whole county supported Longford they would not be viable. Which isn't true, they'd be very well supported then. I don't for a second think it is going to happen

Research (http://extratime.ie/newsdesk/articles/14182/the-hidden-world-of-airtricity-league-attendances/) shows that approximately 3% of an area's population will attend matches of a local professional team. Longford county has a population of 41k, so 3% of that would be 1224 people. An average attendance of 1224 still probably wouldn't even be enough to run a professional LOI team, without the help of a financial investor.

[Martinho II]

Carrick on Shannon is more Sligo rovers friendly considering I worked there for years and even though Longford is closer to carrick than Sligo its the Connacht influence that works for them!

[Dove]

And that's a valid point. Though an out-of-town ground that is regularly visited for reasons other than Bray Wanderers matches could generate far more community focus than the Carlisle. (And I think that would separate it from Wexford or Longford's grounds)

Again, all in theory. All I'm saying is that "The ground is central, therefore it's the best-located in the league" is far too simplistic.



Would this be what you're thinking of (http://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklowpeople/sport/other-sports/wanderers-finally-get-green-light-for-plans-to-redevelop-carlisle-grounds-27820791.html)? Going back to 2002; just found it by googling.

I've a vague notion John Deering was also looking to redevelop the grounds a few years back as well; I think he mentioned it in some interview around the time he went into the CRO and illegally appointed himself director. But as you say, the stories can kind of merge into one after a while.


http://www.independent.ie/regionals/braypeople/news/resolution-found-in-bray-wanderers-court-action-31410191.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/national-league/shareholders-to-challenge-bid-to-buy-bray-wanderers-1.2274490


I have checked on John Deering from two years ago.
It seems that perhaps he had good reason to remove O'Connor and clan from the Board.
As it was Bray Wanderers that brought the High Court injunction, why did they not pursue John Deering.
Of course the first thing the Judge would have seen in the evidence is that this character O'Conner has history of telling lies to High Court tribunals.
It seems the judge said nothing to John Deering.

Then you have the second article where John Deering had made a counter offer, higher than Milway Dawn.
So the question that needs asking, are Milway Dawn legal owners.
I remember an interview at the time that John Deering wanted to keep Bray in the Carlisle and develop the stadium.
No wonder he came to blows with O'Connor.
I recall John Deering did mention a Supporters Trust to take over and run the club, which he offered to back.

So 2 years ago it was pretty clear, O'Connor wanted out of the Carlisle, and in with apartments.
As he was the choice and proxy of Philip Hannigan, then the obvious question that now needs clarity, is Philp Hannigan behind the O'Connor/Mulvey team.

There is only one way to kill this, once and for all: WCC needs to vote to maintain the lease as it currently stands.

To all members of WICKLOW CC, do you support 400 apartments at the Carlisle, or for Bray Wanderers to stay in an enhanced stadium. The choice is yours.

[sbgawa]

The council will take the third option....do nothing

[pineapple stu]

Bray did pursue Deering though? Your link confirms it. Rightly too; what he did was quite, quite illegal. It doesn't matter if he had good reason; you don't misrepresent yourself on legal documents like that. Deering seems like a bit of a nuttet.

Found this thread in the Bray forum from four years ago too - http://foot.ie/threads/171653-Where-to-now-for-Bray-Wanderers

Seems sadly similar to this one. Undercurrents of property plays, internal strife, calls for a Supporters' Trust and offers of help from Mr A. Four years on and little has changed it seems, other than the cast.

Seems like Bray as a club have a few good men but more than their share of nutters, and a lot of talkers but no doers.

Obviously a shame to see any club like this.

[Mr A]

FAI statement:

Statement on Bray Wanderers FC

Bray Wanderers FC has provided the Football Association of Ireland with documentation which demonstrates that the club has secured sufficient funds for the remainder of the 2017 SSE Airtricity League season.

The FAI has been in ongoing communications with the club regarding its funding issues and would like to acknowledge the club's cooperation throughout the process.

[Doom]

Was the documentation in a suspiciously thick brown envelope?

[outspoken]

Carrick on Shannon is more Sligo rovers friendly considering I worked there for years and even though Longford is closer to carrick than Sligo its the Connacht influence that works for them!

Plus Sligo rovers go around and put posters up in businesses in carrick.

[EatYerGreens]

Carrick on Shannon is more Sligo rovers friendly considering I worked there for years and even though Longford is closer to carrick than Sligo its the Connacht influence that works for them!

People in Carrick have always looked more towards Sligo than Longford. Sligo is much bigger, is in the same province, and on the same train line as well.

Plus Sligo Rovers have been in the league a lot longer than Longford.

[Mr A]

It seems like forever since Bray did something mental. It's all gone quiet. Maybe even too quiet.

[El-Pietro]

They are asking City fans to buy tickets online in advance, which makes me wonder whats going on. They have never done that before. It could just be that they expect a large crowd and aren't really equipped to sell tickets quickly (as we found out on our last trip) or it could be something more sinister.

[dublinwanderer]

They are asking City fans to buy tickets online in advance, which makes me wonder whats going on. They have never done that before. It could just be that they expect a large crowd and aren't really equipped to sell tickets quickly (as we found out on our last trip) or it could be something more sinister.

They do that for EVERY game!

[El-Pietro]

They do that for EVERY game!
Really? They didn't target us specifically last time around, or maybe our club wasn't retweeting it. If it were any other club I'd pay no notice to it.

[gufcfan]

People in Carrick have always looked more towards Sligo than Longford. Sligo is much bigger, is in the same province, and on the same train line as well.

Longford don't seem to give a toss about promotion. The people calling the shots, not the fans. It's a bit sad to see a provincial club that has won a couple of trophies in the not too distant past and had a few European cameos, in a county that's unlikely to challenge in other spectator sports, with such (apparently self-inflicted) apathy towards it.

[Longfordian]

Wouldn't disagree tbh, assuming you mean promotion in a marketing sense as opposed to playing as the latter has been a priority. It's been a while since I've had any insight as to how the club is run, I don't live in Longford and I don't get down to games often enough. When I was closer to it I saw what those involved had to do and had to give up, which I'll be honest makes it hard for me to slate those currently involved without the knowledge of what's happening. I will say that there are a lot of things that from the outside wouldn't require much investment that aren't being done such as posters, media etc.

[redobit]

People in Carrick have always looked more towards Sligo than Longford. Sligo is much bigger, is in the same province, and on the same train line as well.

Plus Sligo Rovers have been in the league a lot longer than Longford.

Seeing as its the Sligo Leitrim District League for underage and junior teams would also mean Leitrim teams play regularly in Sligo. A lot of Sligo townies and Rovers fans moved out to Leitrim during the Celtic tiger when they couldn't afford houses in Sligo.

[Mr A]

Jilian Godsil speaks on the Pundit Arena podcast this week: https://twitter.com/jilliangodsil/status/895614697126350849

Starts about half way through.

[outspoken]

Longford don't seem to give a toss about promotion. The people calling the shots, not the fans. It's a bit sad to see a provincial club that has won a couple of trophies in the not too distant past and had a few European cameos, in a county that's unlikely to challenge in other spectator sports, with such (apparently self-inflicted) apathy towards it.

I was very disappointed with the lack of promotion for Saturday's game V Sligo. You had neale Fenn and Gary Cronin calling for the entire county to turn out in interviews yet the club never used those quotes once, why not do up a poster with those quotes on it and share the hell out of it. The fact people seem happy with a crowd of 667 says a lot, yes it's double our usual crowd bud 250 of that was Sligo fans so in truth there was only a small increase if any increase at all for our biggest game of the season. If promoted properly no reason we shouldn't have been aiming for 1000 there on Saturday. Club just took a large away support for granted and were happy with that.

[Martinho II]

I was very disappointed with the lack of promotion for Saturday's game V Sligo. You had neale Fenn and Gary Cronin calling for the entire county to turn out in interviews yet the club never used those quotes once, why not do up a poster with those quotes on it and share the hell out of it. The fact people seem happy with a crowd of 667 says a lot, yes it's double our usual crowd bud 250 of that was Sligo fans so in truth there was only a small increase if any increase at all for our biggest game of the season. If promoted properly no reason we shouldn't have been aiming for 1000 there on Saturday. Club just took a large away support for granted and were happy with that.

Sligo away fans considerably down on last season when they had 75% of the crowd in ccs

[Martinho II]

I was very disappointed with the lack of promotion for Saturday's game V Sligo. You had neale Fenn and Gary Cronin calling for the entire county to turn out in interviews yet the club never used those quotes once, why not do up a poster with those quotes on it and share the hell out of it. The fact people seem happy with a crowd of 667 says a lot, yes it's double our usual crowd bud 250 of that was Sligo fans so in truth there was only a small increase if any increase at all for our biggest game of the season. If promoted properly no reason we shouldn't have been aiming for 1000 there on Saturday. Club just took a large away support for granted and were happy with that.

Sligo away fans considerably down on last season when they had 75% of the crowd in ccs

[outspoken]

Sligo away fans considerably down on last season when they had 75% of the crowd in ccs

Yet still made up almost 50% of the crowd on Saturday. Attendances have improved simply through word of mouth that Fenn's team are playing brilliant football, imagine if the club actually put some effort in. Drive from one end of town to other youl see maybe 2 posters. We need to start putting posters in shop windows, getting into the school, go in and help St.Christophers or the attic out for a day, be seen around the community. Facebook live post match interviews, video or audio interviews during the week in the build up to matches. So much we can be doing that would cost absolutely nothing.

[Mr A]

Nothing stopping fans from taking the initiative and doing a bit themselves rather than giving out about the people who already do everything. And everything costs something- even if its people's time and expertise.

Will get back to splitting this thread out later hopefully.

[EatYerGreens]

There's a page in the latest When Saturday Comes magazine about the Bray debacle.

It's as much about how the FAI runs the league as it is about the specific Bray situation.

[greywanderer]

Article in local paper "Wicklow voice" 5/10/ about Ardmore rovers planning a 42 acre sports complex in fassaroe, is this the same plan bray wanderers have.

[Martinho II]

Article in local paper "Wicklow voice" 5/10/ about Ardmore rovers planning a 42 acre sports complex in fassaroe, is this the same plan bray wanderers have.

think so...

[Joe Strummer]

Article in local paper "Wicklow voice" 5/10/ about Ardmore rovers planning a 42 acre sports complex in fassaroe, is this the same plan bray wanderers have.

Do Bray not want to build up in Carrickmines just down from the Golden Ball where they have a academy at the moment??

[sbgawa]

Bray don't have an Acadamy they let joey's play a team called st joephs bray

[Joe Strummer]

Bray don't have an Acadamy they let joey's play a team called st joephs bray

But they have land that they use in Carrickmines that that team play out of

[Charlie Darwin]

But they have land that they use in Carrickmines that that team play out of
Bective Rangers own it, Bray just lease it.

[Mr A]

Bray players "summoned to FAI" http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/bray-wanderers-players-summoned-fai-11392788

[nigel-harps1954]

Then it's sorted. Both Bray and Waterford were involved in match fixing and Bray should be demoted while Waterford stripped of their title and stay where they are. Harps and Galway to stay up.

[sbgawa]

You need to win your last two matches to get ahead of Galway to stay up Nigel.....
Big match tonight to start with

[Partizan]

Then it's sorted. Both Bray and Waterford were involved in match fixing and Bray should be demoted while Waterford stripped of their title and stay where they are. Harps and Galway to stay up.

Relegate them all so we have only one division. Cáwkies as well for allowing the Derrynane to blow down. No excuses.

[littlebray]

Bray players "summoned to FAI" http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/bray-wanderers-players-summoned-fai-11392788

Handed correspondence before a League match?

The FAI (or its solicitors/messengers) are no strangers to warming up, preparation for matches etc.

Was this deliberate, anyone?

[Dalymountrower]

"They as a group are clueless..." referring to the Bray players, is about as insightful a comment that Mr Gillooley of the PFAI has ever made. Pity that he added"about the allegations".
Inspired them to beat Rovers despite the shock of getting the letters, what were the odds on that!

[sbgawa]

Could be the second last match for a few of them for a long time

[outspoken]

Had Ger O’Brien on Between the Stripes LOI podcast last night, interesting to hear him talk about how Bray beat Pats to a number of targets in pre season by offering silly money. It seems to irk him quite a bit.
Audioboom:https://goo.gl/U79QMY
ITUNES: https://goo.gl/31YqMm

[greywanderer]

Talk of Paul Doolin or Johnny McDonnell take over at the wanderers, hopefully they can convince players to join up now.

[pineapple stu]

Is Doolin not still the Ireland U-19 manager?

[nigel-harps1954]

Is Doolin not still the Ireland U-19 manager?

Tom Mohan is in charge of the Ireland under-19s now.

[sbgawa]

Jonny has had his day. Old school old scene

[Bray Head]

Is Doolin not still the Ireland U-19 manager?

Not anymore and apparently trying to get back into the LOI. Would be a decent choice.

[Bray Head]

Jonny has had his day. Old school old scene

Agree. Need new blood in LOI management circle.

[greywanderer]

Article in Fora.ie announcing that "Johnny Rohan "as the person pushing for the apartments in Bray wanderers.

Pity they can't find a new manager.

[Martinho II]

what is fora.ie as got that notification on my mobile? its Johnny Ronan. didnt think he was a loi man at all!