Crisis at Limerick - unpaid wages and players free to leave

[osarusan]

I suspect that when the transfer window opens Limerick will be looking to trim its wage bill (most likely be required to). No doubt they will look for fees but they wont have the strongest of bargaining positions so unless they can whip up some competition for a particular player(s) they may have to let them go.

We have some players that could get into other teams, but who do we have that anybody will pay a fee for? I doubt there is even one player.

I imagine we will be happy for somebody to agree to sign them without a fee, just so they are off the wage bill.

[Ezeikial]

I suspect that when the transfer window opens Limerick will be looking to trim its wage bill (most likely be required to). No doubt they will look for fees but they wont have the strongest of bargaining positions so unless they can whip up some competition for a particular player(s) they may have to let them go.

Therein lies the difference between "free to leave" and " negotiate with players".

The former assumes no possibility to seek a fee in any circumstance

[ToberonaTornado]

Fran Gavin says everything's grand at Limerick,so it's prob not!

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football/2718433/fais-fran-gavin-believes-limerick-should-be-in-sound-financial-shape-by-the-end-of-the-league-of-ireland-season/

[pineapple stu]

Investors, eh?

[Jofspring]

Fran Gavin says everything's grand at Limerick,so it's prob not!

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football/2718433/fais-fran-gavin-believes-limerick-should-be-in-sound-financial-shape-by-the-end-of-the-league-of-ireland-season/

Sweet jesus. A reduced budget will have zero affect on all the other outstanding debts and running costs. Playing budget is usually the least of most clubs worries and only makes up a fraction of the overall costs.

[NeverFeltBetter]

What was that Windows 8 joke? "Warning, everything is fine!"

[NeverFeltBetter]

Andrew Cuneen on Twitter claims wages are late again: https://mobile.twitter.com/Cunneen92/status/1015359301664296965

[marinobohs]

Andrew Cuneen on Twitter claims wages are late again: https://mobile.twitter.com/Cunneen92/status/1015359301664296965

but....but... Fran said everything was fine

[NeverFeltBetter]

The RTE News article on the Bray strike made mention of a similar outcome being possible at Limerick, but gave no source or basis for such a claim. Things probably not quite as basket-caseish in Limerick, but not too far off it.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Connected to all this, the WNL team, playing in their first season, has had to move their few remaining home games to Hogan Park: https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/sport/328548/limerick-fc-women-s-team-frustrated-with-new-home.html

I remember, at one of the meetings O'Sullivan hosted in Dublin about the club he spent a good long while talking about how he had personally negotiated with the LEDP to get the WNL team into the Market's Field, but he never said how much they had been asked to pay for the privilege. Whatever it was its unsustainable. Indeed, the WNL team itself might be unsustainable.

[Lim till i die]

That's the kind of joined up thinking you have at Limerick this season.

A homeless womens team that no more than a few dozen people care about draining resources.

Meanwhile the senior men's team has about three senior players and was last seen staining the city in dalymount last Friday.

I loved Pats "I done this tour" 2018. I actually commented to one of my mates (I have three) at one of his tour dates that you, me or a dog with a mallet up their arse could negotiate a lease.

Tis paying for the thing becomes a hassle...

[NeverFeltBetter]

I wonder if staying in the Market's Field will be sustainable going forward for the mens team. Relations with the LEDP have never been great, and you know they won't be interested in doing the club a favour, chief tenants or no. If Jackman or Hogan could pass licensing, I could see Limerick going back. If.

[CorribsideSteve]

They (I guess Limerick Co-co) renovated all the dilapidated row of houses along the side of Jackman and what looks like recently painted signs for the entrance to the ground. That area was one of the most run-down neglected areas of the whole city. There are already 300 seats in the existing stand, would there be room for a tent style stand that Bray have? You'd have 1000 seats then, right by the Bus Station. Could do them worse than going back to Jackman.

[Lim till i die]

That area was one of the most run-down neglected areas of the whole city.

Here's a fella who's not that familiar with Limerick city :P

In all seriousness I absolutely think we should play out of the jacks for a year next year. We'll be in the first division so it'll be one of the better grounds.

Let the LEDP have their thrice yearly used schools rugby "stadium". See how long it lasts before they come looking for us.

[TonyD]

Sad to see how things are working out at Limerick. I remember the buzz there seemed to be when they got back into the Premier and then moved back to Markets Field, which is a fine looking ground (haven't been there but it looks well on the box.) The league absolutely needs the bigger provincial teams like Limerick, Waterford, Sligo etc to be strong and well supported. As I said, shame.

[CorribsideSteve]

Here's a fella who's not that familiar with Limerick city :P

In all seriousness I absolutely think we should play out of the jacks for a year next year. We'll be in the first division so it'll be one of the better grounds.

Let the LEDP have their thrice yearly used schools rugby "stadium". See how long it lasts before they come looking for us.

Ha, it's true. Haven't been down there in ages until recently when I was at the Station and it looks a mile better than it used to. I used to watch matches in Jackman from the wall where the busses load up. Looks tough down at the bottom, but ye never know.

[NeverFeltBetter]

In all seriousness I absolutely think we should play out of the jacks for a year next year. We'll be in the first division so it'll be one of the better grounds.

Let the LEDP have their thrice yearly used schools rugby "stadium". See how long it lasts before they come looking for us.

It's an interesting point to consider. If relegated, we absolutely should go to Jackman for as long as we stay in that division - people act like the place is a bomb site, but a small number of improvements and it would be on a par with MF (easier said than done of course) - unless something more reasonable can be worked out with the LEDP (which I would deem unlikely).

But we shouldn't automatically go with the viewpoint of "They need us more than we need them". How many days a year are we actually using MF? 18 league games, a few cup games, the WNL sides matches (for a while anyway). It's not really a gigantic amount. It isn't inconceivable that the LEDP could rent it out to more rugby, more non-LOI soccer, anything they want to fill that gap.

By which I mean, if we do move somewhere else owing to finances, it shouldn't be done on a "Burn all bridges/You'll come crawling back" basis if it can be avoided. If relegated, we'll all be hoping we'll be back in the PD at some point, and then Jackman wouldn't cut it (as far as I am aware it doesn't meet PD licensing requirements still).

Was only home the other week for the first time in a while through the train station, and I saw that row of houses for the first time (Hyde Road is the street) done up. It took so long to do and its a serious improvement. It was such an eyesore, and straight outside one of the major entry-points to the city.

[Dalymountrower]

Here's a fella who's not that familiar with Limerick city :P

In all seriousness I absolutely think we should play out of the jacks for a year next year. We'll be in the first division so it'll be one of the better grounds.

Let the LEDP have their thrice yearly used schools rugby "stadium". See how long it lasts before they come looking for us.

You beat Waterford twice , drew with Cork and apart from the collapse in Daymount last week, there has been nothing between Bohs and Limerick in the other three games. Surely you would be favourites in a play off if you finish second last this season.
A real shame if Limerick went down, a great football history and the friendliest away venue in the league.

[Lim till i die]

Good luck to the LEDP getting anything beyond token rent from junior clubs.

As for the rugby clubs who all have their own grounds with their own bars?!

The thing about the redeveloped Markets Field "stadium" is it is absolutely nothing if not the home of Limerick senior soccer.

This is the perception all over the city and county and this is the attitude that the club should have been taking from day one.

Now that's not to say their isn't wrong on both sides. The timely paying of bills would go a long way towards smoothing out any rough edges in the relationship. But, ultimately, they need us. Much to their annoyance.

On the pitch, with all due respect, any team conceding 5 to that bohs team shouldn't be confident of beating anyone.

Playoff looks like shels drogs or harps. I wouldn't fancy any of them.

We are the type of team that could switch off in an away leg and be down 3 0 after fifteen minutes.

We are also about two injuries/suspensions away from being, not just a first division team, but a bad first division team.

That's before you even get into the licensing circus. Pat O'Sullivan certainly isn't getting one next year (he has no intention of applying I'd say in fairness to the man)

[NeverFeltBetter]

You beat Waterford twice , drew with Cork and apart from the collapse in Daymount last week, there has been nothing between Bohs and Limerick in the other three games. Surely you would be favourites in a play off if you finish second last this season.
A real shame if Limerick went down, a great football history and the friendliest away venue in the league.

That's the thing though, there is no consistency at all. A very hard-fought win against Waterford where most of the team played out of their skin was followed by an abject surrender against Bohs, and before any of those two games took place most people would have thought three points was only possible in the second game. The team is young, easily rattled when things don't go their way, prone to giving up when more than a goal behind, leaks goal (13 consecutive games where they have conceded) and are managed by a guy who, from my own observation, looks increasingly resigned on the sideline. Any of the likely play-off sides should have no fear of Limerick.

And right now even if they stayed up on the field its not unlikely they'll be denied a PD license next year anyway. Unless new investment/owners rear their heads. Survival would help with that I'm sure.

[Mr A]

By which I mean, if we do move somewhere else owing to finances, it shouldn't be done on a "Burn all bridges/You'll come crawling back" basis if it can be avoided.

Am pretty sure it's part of the league rulebook that all LOI clubs must operate on a "Burn every f&*king bridge in sight" basis.

[sbgawa]

That's the thing though, there is no consistency at all. A very hard-fought win against Waterford where most of the team played out of their skin was followed by an abject surrender against Bohs, and before any of those two games took place most people would have thought three points was only possible in the second game. The team is young, easily rattled when things don't go their way, prone to giving up when more than a goal behind, leaks goal (13 consecutive games where they have conceded) and are managed by a guy who, from my own observation, looks increasingly resigned on the sideline. Any of the likely play-off sides should have no fear of Limerick.

And right now even if they stayed up on the field its not unlikely they'll be denied a PD license next year anyway. Unless new investment/owners rear their heads. Survival would help with that I'm sure.

I think your being a little harsh on Barrett . He is operating in a very difficult space , wages were under question at one stage and he has kept Limerick players motivated and in touch. The Bohs result was a disaster but also not consistant with recent matches, I would reckon they would be better than any of the 1st divison teams.

[NeverFeltBetter]

I mean just in terms of his demeanor on the sideline, I don't think anyone can question the difficulty of Barrett's position. As the goals were going in during the second half in Dalymount he looked completely resigned to what was happening by goal three, and there was no sense from the bench of any attempt to get a handle on the situation, it was like "Might as well just play it out now". Whether the players are motivated or not is a different question; I would say they are, but only as long as they aren't a goal behind.

As for if the result wasn't consistent, our last blow-out was the 4-0 to Dundalk in June, but we've conceded three or more goals in seven matches this season (a quarter of our games so far, albeit we won one of those), and lost six of our last ten league games (won 2, drew 2 otherwise). The 5-0 scoreline reflected a terrible final half-hour's performance specifically, but it shouldn't be treated as some chance aberration in form.

[Lim till i die]

Take bray and rudderless, clown managed, waterford out of the equation and we have picked up 9 (nine) points all season.

Seven of those were against bohs and sligo. Both of whom are pretty terrible.

Make no mistake. This is a really, really, bad Limerick side. That has gotten much worse in the last month.

I'm not knocking them. Just dealing in facts.

And like I said we're in a position now where one or two injuries or suspensions and we're wexford.

We will have a chance in a plpayoff because the first division is an awful league full of awful teams.

But I wouldn't have us favourites.

[sbgawa]

I don't see a huge gap in ability between yourselves, Sligo or Bohs (against anyone but us).
I've been to a few first division matches this season and couldn't see any of the play off candidates living with Limerick.................Que for Drogs to knock Rovers out tonight :(