Time for change [Archive]

Bosco

24/10/2005, 9:33 PM

I was going to leave this untill the end of the season,as someone said after wales "lets wait till the end of the season and then judge",well as far as im concerned the seasons over.Its been a long time coming but saturday night was the last straw.Alan has brought us fantastic success and many memorable moments,i have always been a supporter/defender of matthews but now i believe it is time to part ways.This season has been a terrible as far as im concerned.Yes,we can try and comfort ourselves with our unbeaten run,but when it comes down to it how many memorable moments have we had this season.We have got by on draws and 1-0 wins all season.Waterford twice and rovers away are the only real great matches i can remember and 3 matches in a whole league season is very very poor.We simply cannot continue with a manager that is disliked by a big majority of our fans most of whom have left us.Town games just simply arn't attractive anymore to people.Even those of us who come out week in week out now find it reasonable to get a crowd of 700 out there.We simply cant progress while the majority of the current squad and management are there.

Dillo

25/10/2005, 12:38 PM

Having watched Eircom League weekly last night I can't help but agree with you there Bosco. Matthews has brought De Town as far as he can in my view. To hear him criticise his players in public after the game was very unprofessional on his part. He branded the performance as "inept" and said that "if the players did not change their mentality then the players will change". As Pat Scully rightly remarked, there is a time and a place to do this but not in public. Very seldom do we hear managers at any level in football issue such threats to their players in the public ear. It is apparent that there is somewhat of a crisis developing at Flancare with Matthews possibly knowing that his time is up. It was a shamblic performance saturday night and the nature of our defending for most of the goals was horrendous. Loosing to Carmarthen 5-1, Rovers 4-2, dumped out of the cup by UCD, even failing to beat a poor Bray outfit (arguably the worst footballing team in the league) at home a couple of weeks ago and now conceeding 5 to bottom of the table Finn Harps, sadly reflect a team in decline. I would like to see Matthews step down at the end of the season. Fair enough, he must be complimented on his cup triumphs which were memorable days but say what you like, Stephen Kenny made this club what it is today. He did the spadework and made LTFC for what it is today. The pedigree of the man is evident from what he has done at Derry this season. As for De Town, if the current management is still in place next season, I predict a red and bleak road ahead.

Macy

25/10/2005, 12:57 PM

Fair enough, he must be complimented on his cup triumphs which were memorable days but say what you like, Stephen Kenny made this club what it is today. He did the spadework and made LTFC for what it is today. The pedigree of the man is evident from what he has done at Derry this season.
:rolleyes: Yeah give Kenny credit for Matthews winning us 3 cups. :rolleyes:

Here we get to the bottom of it - people are still obsessed with Kenny (who left us in the bleeding relegation play off position with a crap team that Lawlor did well to keep up). They're like the sad old drunk in the corner that can't get over the fact his missus has walked out and left him and he just mumbles into his pint about how everything was fine when they were still there.

Whatever about the decisions that have to be made at the end of the season, don't continue to perpertuate this myth that Kenny built everything. It's ignorant to Matthews, the only manager to bring us a senior trophy, never mind the work done by the committee.

Tallanted

25/10/2005, 1:33 PM

kenny got us promoted lawlor kept us up matthews won us cups. its all history forget it. what has happened in this season has been embarrassing. its about what is happening now and that is nothing at the moment. its time we got rid of matthews. his true colours were shown on tv last night. it is unexceptable

Ronnie

25/10/2005, 1:55 PM

Look, Kenny left us , fact, best of luck to the man, 3 great seasons and half a crap one.
Lawlor, did half a season and we sacked him. Other than the win in Ballybofey a bloody disaster.
Matthews has 4 seasons done, this being his worst, but the previous three are our clubs best three seasons ever. Yes changes are needed, this is very much becoming a serious hangover season, but I don't believe the manager needs to be changed. Some here have been calling for his head from his first season in charge! We spent 78 years without winning a senior trophy, the man brings us 3 in 2 years and cause we don't win one the next year we throw him out? Oh yes, and bring in who.....?

Macy

25/10/2005, 1:58 PM

town73

25/10/2005, 3:51 PM

The voice of reason....

Agreed.

Kenny got us promoted, but left a team that was struggling at the time. Lawlor did his best to get us relegated. Had sufficient players to get us out of bother - just.

We won three national trophies - should have been four - during Mathews' seasons in charge with a team built completely by Mathews. Teams have phases, and from time to time they need to be rebuilt. Now is that time, which is what Mathews was referring to in his comments on TV3 on Monday night.

What he said on TV3 should not be taken as a negative comment. It was a warning to players that contracts will not be renewed easily - which he has told them in private. It was a message that he is aware that current form is not good enough. Scully, in true 'Rico' form, misread it completely.

In spite of a team that is performing badly, we're still in with a shout for fourth - although hardly likely - which in my book would be a fantastic achievement. To get rid of our manager now smacks of panic in the extreme.

If you want a reminder of how big our achievement in winning back-to-back FAI Cups was, watch how much Drogheda and Cork will (rightly) make of it.

Bosco

25/10/2005, 9:02 PM

Matthews has done wonders for the club,he brought us from a team battling to stay up to 3 time cup winners and no one is denying that,he is a good manager and would probably be snapt up should he leave,however i believe he has brought us as far as he can.Ok,maybe its just a bad season but lets forget about the league season gone by and focus on other points.Its is not good for a club to have a manager in charge who is disliked and has been disliked for a long time regardless of cup wins.Why is it that he is soo disliked even do he is such a successful manager?Why does the topic of him being sacked come up soo much?Why is it that he has fallen out with soo many players(francis,lavine,murphy,prunty,baker,cawley) ,and his public outburst on saturday is only going to cause more rows.The players have lost confidence in matthews and that is something which should never happen.The players should have a passion to play for their manager and if that is not the case its the manager who should change and not the players.As a defense minded manager,we continuely play an ugly style of football,yes we do occasionally play great football but lets face it,very rarely.The crowds are not coming out to flancare and only a very dramatic change is going to change their mind.A huge clear out is needed,there is a negative vibe around the club and this vibe has not been created by the players alone.It would look very fickle from the outside to sack matthews now,as do he has been sacked as there has been no success this season but from the inside we all know that this has been brewing for a long long time.Where would a replacement come from?I'm not sure but where did matthews and kenny come from?When we went out of the cup,it was not all doom and gloom to me,we were challenging for 3rd and would have kept 4th spot easily but as far as i can see the season ended after the ucd game for the players and management(maybe rico was right).

Bosco

25/10/2005, 9:32 PM

We were unlucky to lose to UCD - the ref' 'did us' by awarding them a peno. in the Flansiro - and he even admitted it !:eek:
We had a million and one chances in UCD, but failed to take 'em. Gough was guilty of a dreadful mistake that led to the second UCD goal - was it Matthew's fault he was about four yards off the defender ???????/
And we were desperately unlucky not to beat Bray - how the ball stayed out of the net I don't know. It was reminiscent of the Camarthen game at home when we could've scored TEN goals, but the ball miraculously stayed out of the net ..........

Luck should not come into it against the likes of UCD,Bray and camarthen.Good teams do not need luck to beat teams they are superior to.

How would you feel being a fan of PAts, Bray, UCD, Rovers, Derry, Drogs ????????????Wouldnt mind being a derry fan.Ucd seem to be having a decent season,LC final and no relegation worries.Bray likewise.Drogs havnt been good enough considering the money that has been put into them and reaching the cup final may save doolin his job.Both rovers and pats have taken massive wage cuts this season and lost players.Rovers have done very well,also taking into account that they have been deducted 8 points.Pats have had an awful season i will admit.

WE ARE JOINT FOURTH IN THE LEAGUE ......................

Or in other words 6th and getting lower:mad:

Wiseguy

26/10/2005, 9:27 AM

Matthews should not be going public with statements like that and i'm sure he regrets it but sacking the man isn't the solution.This season hasn't been a great one and has shown up some players for what they are.Matthews should have another season at it and bring in the right players then we'll see how everything shapes up.As is always the case some people on here are just waiting for the chance to stick the knives in.

observer

26/10/2005, 11:55 AM

The overall picture may get dramatically worse over the coming months. Now that performances and attendances are on a serious downward trend I cannot see Jim Hanley continue to put his time and money into the club. If or when he goes then I can see the club crashing out of the premiership and into serious financial difficulty. Matthews attack on the players was a serious mistake and seems to have signalled the end of his tenure as manager.
It is a pity that the committee of Longford Town did not take issue with Alan over the past few years in relation to his policy not to play young locals. Preferring instead to bring in Dubs who were past their sell by date (eg.Liam Kelly). By accepting this position the committee made it clear to all our promising young locals that they had no future with the club. This has resulted in lack of spirit in team performances, waste of money on larger wage bills, and critically decreasing gates as locals have no players to identify with. No player associated with the team has come through the local youth teams. Gary Murphy played youth football in Athlone and Gary Cassin in Dublin. No doubt the committee will say there were none good enough but how can you know when they were never given the chance.

Xlex

26/10/2005, 12:10 PM

Matthews only said on T.V. what must have been said in the dressing room. And to be honest after losing 5-0 at Finn Park, it isn't a complete shocker...

There is too much negativity around Matthews and the performances for the average supporter to get their asses to games and we are facing an uphill battle with full-time supporters bad mouthing him when when they get a chance.

We need a fresh start, and that begins at management, and it's not all his fault. That's the sad part of it all.

IMO I'd be looking at building a side around Dillo, Barry, Prunty, Deano, Martin and Mooney.

Macy

26/10/2005, 12:11 PM

And who exactly would you get to replace Matthews ?
This is the big question for the Matthews out brigade. We fell on our feet with Matthews being part of Lawlors team and taking his chance as caretaker.

So who the fook will we bring in that is going to turn everything around?

Dillo

26/10/2005, 12:40 PM

[QUOTE=Cop on]Je$us lads will ye get a grip. We were unlucky to lose to UCD - the ref' 'did us' by awarding them a peno. in the Flansiro - and he even admitted it !:eek:
We had a million and one chances in UCD, but failed to take 'em. Gough was guilty of a dreadful mistake that led to the second UCD goal - was it Matthew's fault he was about four yards off the defender ???????/

It's all IFS and BUTS with you cop on. You should do as your Username suggests and COP ON! :rolleyes: We are currently languishing in 6th position in a very poor league with more games played than the teams above us. The gap between the top three and the rest is immense. Luck doesn't come into the equation when playing the likes of Bray and Carmarthen for that matter. Face up to the facts and stop making excuses. I firmly believe we should be our fourth fai cup final this December. UCD should have been beaten and both Bray and Drogs were very reasonable draws had we gone through. As Bosco rightly pointed out, there is a negative vibe at the club and this vibe hasn't been generated by the players alone. Gone are the days of passion and that never say die attitude. Players like Alan Murphy and Vinny Perth epitomised what De Town were about- what they lacked in quality they made up for in endeavour and sheer graft. Longford's recent successes have been based on the defensive side of their game but that also seems to have disappeared. Ferguson and O' Connor are not performing and are always prone to error. Sean Prunty is a shadow of the player he was a few seasons ago. We still haven't found an adequate replacement for Stewy Byrne. A mass flancare exodus might just be on the cards...

Macy

26/10/2005, 12:43 PM

Who would you bring in? I know it's far easier to rant away at Matthews, but it's a simple enough question if you're so ready for a change....

Dillo

26/10/2005, 12:47 PM

Sin an Ceist Macy! We're not exactly blessed with top managers in this country are we?

Macy

26/10/2005, 1:23 PM

Sin an Ceist Macy! We're not exactly blessed with top managers in this country are we?
Yeah well maybe some of you should think about it before demanding Matthews sacking. He is one of the top managers ffs

Bosco

26/10/2005, 8:50 PM

Ah ffs. So he shouldn't have fallen out with a player who was over in England on the pi$$ while he should have been at training. I admire the man's patience with a player who was an absolute disgrace in his unprofessional attitude.
Any manager would have fallen out with lavine,he deserved to go,however the point was not just about him.What about the other 5 players he has fallen out with that we know of and more to come.Oh and you can make that 6 i forgot about adrian murphy.

A huge clear out ?? So you'd get rid of who ?? Kirbs ? Prunty ? Barry ? Dillo ? Paiso ? Deano ? Mooney ? And who exactly would you get to replace them ?
Allmost everyone on this board has admitted that a huge clear out is needed!Do you not agree?So you dont think the players or the management should change?What is your solution then?Why would i get rid of any of the players you mentioned?They are probably the only players who have performed for us + martin.How about getting rid of the likes of cronin,myler,o'connor,gough,even barrett-the players who have not been good enough.To replace them?Thats up to the manager,if it be matthews,he has shown that he is able to find good players(mooney,deano,martin,dillo,paiso,barry)and some not soo good ones.Why not give the youth a chance?Something which alan has shown no interest in.Young paul kelly is a fantastic talent and i would love to see him getting a chance.18 year old mcnicholous signed last year and never got a chance to prove himself and now hes gone.

And who exactly would you get to replace Matthews ?
Thats up to the board should they decide to sack matthews.Kenny and matthews came out of nowhere.Your above quote is the exact same response i gave to people doubhting matthews before when i was defending matthews.Can he be that hard to replace?Our success in the cup was largely down to his defencive style of play.We did not need to go out and win games in the cup as draws kept us in it,in the league drawing games hasnt done the trick.At the moent we habe possibly the most talented squad of players we have ever had but matthews does not get them to play good football on a regular basis.I believe we have a decent squad of players,look at what happened when rico inherited a good squad of players.he wasnt exactly known for being a great manager.If matthews stays and things change then fair enough,i will support that,i am not 100% behind matthews being sacked,but i know something has to change and if it be the management then so be it.

(Seems like you're waiting for someone to walk in out of nowhere. remember Lawlor !!!!)
Remember kenny,remember matthews?

Do you really think a huge clear out will have people streaming into the Flansiro ? A huge clear out no,but a huge clear out with the idea of bringing in some young enthusiastic players who might play for the jersey and not for their wages.People want exctiment and a shake up might bring that,the boring style of football whic alan has our team playing is not exciting nor is getting thumped by the likes of finn harps,camarthen and rovers.Can you see big numbers coming out to flancare next season when we under go our usual terrible start to the season and then try to make up for it in mid season.The average bandwagoner/barstooler is bored of longford town and things need to be freshend up as a club cannot exist with no fans.

Bosco

26/10/2005, 9:00 PM

Ha! HA! This is hilarious. Lads - Matthews ain't going nowhere. The only ones who want Matthews out are the four or five deluded ones who chose to post on this forum. The 'silent majority' have no wish for Matthews to go/be pushed.

What in the name of god are you on about?:confused: .I'll try and respond to a post that doesnt make sense.5 out of 10 who have posted in this thread think matthews should go.Others are hesitant as we may be taking a chance on who should replace him but allmost everyone admits something has to change.Who are the silent majority?????Are they the other 900 odd fans who havn't posted on this thread.Well presuming you have attended alot of town matches this season,im sure you will know that this "majority" havnt been too silent about their views of alan during the season,sometimes they have been harsh in their criticism but now i am sure they will be quick to let people know their views on matthews.

p.s Are unable to make a post without insulting someone??Maybe the cork fans had a point!

Terry Phelan

27/10/2005, 7:54 AM

Pat Dolan

RockofGibraltar

27/10/2005, 11:54 AM

How about getting rid of the likes of cronin,myler,o'connor,gough,even barrett-the players who have not been good enough.

So we should get rid of O'Connor :eek: , who has been 1 of our best defenders this year? And we should get rid of barrett who has played about 10 games this year due to injury?:eek:

Would u ever wake up Bosco:confused:

Bosco

27/10/2005, 12:05 PM

Maybe not get rid of o'connor but he certainly has not been one of our best defenders.He has not lived up to his reputation coming for drogs.During barry and paisleys injury,he has been very shakey at centre back.I take back saying to get rid of him but he certainly hasnt impressed me greatly.Barrett has never got back his from sincehis injury in 2003.It was mentioned on another thread that him going would not e all that bad.Like o'connor,i take back getting rid of barrett.Matthews says the players need to change and the ones mentioned above are just the ones i think/guesssed he was talking about

Bosco

27/10/2005, 12:13 PM

yes, Matthews WILL be that hard to replace because of the nature of his contract. He is PART-TIME remember. We do not have the cash to pay a full time manager - fact - & the best managers available might not be willing to take the job part-time ! (p.s. Matthews is one of the best managers in the league !!)
Good point.

As for the crowds at the Flansiro, I'm afraid 800 or so is the crowd we're going to get. We have a tiny population (less than 10,000 in the Town), most of whom are not Town fanatics. The crowds will not swell significantly no matter who is the manager nor who is in the team - although I'd love to see some local talent out there.
We are a small town but we have a unigueness in that everyone in the town knows about us.We are capable of attracting decent crows as we've seen in the past(and im not just talking about cup finals).The excitement of some local lads may bring the crowds up.

(p.s. Just for the record - it was Adrian Murphy's personal decision not to stay at Longford Town as he wasn't guaranteed a first team start every game. He moved to Athlone in order to get experience. Matthews DID NOT fall out with him - it was a mutual decision ;) )
It was not an entirely mutual decision.Adrian wanted 1st team football,matthews wasnt giving him a chance.Adrian wanted to leave,matthews wanted him to stay.Murphys ego may have had a part in this.Not sure whether they fell out but murphy was certainly bad mouthing matthews when he left."I'll never go back while that ****** is in charge",straight from his mouth.

footballplease

27/10/2005, 12:25 PM

I've been reading this thread and trying not to laugh too hard!!

Lads, where did this superiority complex come from? You are a small club from a small town. Now fair enough you are making huge strides with the stadium ( one of the best in the country i have to say). To say that you would 'not like to be a fan of UCD or Bray or whatever is hilarious!! You were bottom of the first div for so many years and only recently have been up in the premier - you gotta have patience guys. I was in bray in 2001 & 2002 watching bray stuff longford 5-1 and 5-0, football is all about cycles with the smaller clubs.

By the way - the claim that bray are the worst footballing team in the league is another good one - i have NEVER seen longford play any kind of attractive football, especially with that hoofer ( fitzgerald) in the middle - well not since the 2003 season anyway - but that team has changed!

There is huge potential in the town and club - don't ruin it by acting too hasty. Bray did in 2002 and look what happened - its taken us about 3 years to get back on an even keel again. Best of luck for the future!!

monkey magic

27/10/2005, 12:58 PM

Ha! HA! This is hilarious. Lads - Matthews ain't going nowhere. The only ones who want Matthews out are the four or five deluded ones who chose to post on this forum. The 'silent majority' have no wish for Matthews to go/be pushed.

Who would replace him ????????????

in fairness, i would have always been a supporter of matthews, but now feel a change has to be made... this is not based on the harps result, but on our season in general...(and face it its practically over

matthews' moves in the transfer market have been questionable to say the least this year, this accompanied with his appearaent unwillingness to give locals a chance and persistence in following the jack charlton school of football/hoofball is whats made him unpopular with a lot of fans...

a change is needed. we cannot go on with falling attendances and worsening results.... a change at the end of the season would give a new manager a realistic chance to affect change.

and as for possible replacements..... what about pat scully?

Bosco

27/10/2005, 9:43 PM

WRONG. Its a tiny vocal minority - most of whom post here !

Thats totally untrue.The only people who want matthews out are the ones who post on this forum.Im not sure what town fans you associate yourself with but the vast majority that i have come across have at some stage wanted matthews out,i know because i have spent soo much time defending him.Werent we complaining not so long ago about the amount of abuse matthews was recieving from a big enough proportion of the stand.Im not going to name any names but in vaduz in 2004,there was a sizeable amount of people talking about organising some way of putting pressure on the board to get matthews out,whether they intended to follow through,i dought it but they were certainly not to fond of our manager.

Wiseguy

28/10/2005, 9:49 AM

I have never read so much crap in my life.For a starter there are a lot of people who want Alan out and thats a fact.It has been going on in a long time and there are several reasons for this.None of the locals are good enough to play prem division football and to be honest none of them are even close to making the breakthrough.Adrian Murphy left to play 1st team football and you can't blame him for that but he shouldn't of spat his dummy.Where is he now?if he was good enough he'd be playing prem. div. football.Alan needs to get rid of several players and the rest of them need a kick up the hole and buck up their ideas.The ones to go IMO are the following
Paul Keegan
Shane Barrett
Andy Myler
Gary Cronin
Mick Dempsey
Shay Kelly
Stephen Gough
Andy Myler
Next season should be approached with a "keep it on the ground" mentality and entertain so as to try and bring people back through the gates.The team should be IMO as follows
New Keeper
Sean Dillon, Stephen Paisley, Barry Ferguson, Sean Prunty
Alan Kirby, Dean Fitzgerald, Alan Cawley, New Player
Dave Mooney, New Player
Subs:
Danny O Connor
New Sub Keeper
Davy Byrne
New Player
New Player

Maz

28/10/2005, 3:16 PM

Schumi

28/10/2005, 3:22 PM

From what I have heard I dont think Alan Cawley will be around next season, I have heard he has been or will be let go as he is very disruptive in the camp.
He's only on loan anyway isn't he?

Maz

28/10/2005, 4:40 PM

He's only on loan anyway isn't he?
Yeah he is, and thats as far as it will go afaik

Bosco

28/10/2005, 10:39 PM

some superb signings in Mooney, Cawley and Deano which more than make up for his mistakes.

barry,dillo,paisley

Bosco

29/10/2005, 1:34 PM

Next season should be approached with a "keep it on the ground" mentality and entertain so as to try and bring people back through the gates.

Ofcourse it should but do you really believe it will happen and if it does how long will it last.

Macy

01/11/2005, 7:39 AM

Pat Dolan
Please tell me your not serious? Sure fire way to make sure the club is bankrupted and the likes of Dillo disappear abroad for fook all money. Did you not see what happened at Pats and Cork?

Pat Scully obviously has potential, but that's all it is at the moment. Would possibly keep Digger here too as an added bonus. :)

observer

01/11/2005, 3:38 PM

Just to put the record straight on Adrian Murphy. When Adrian left the club it was at the end of pre-season and he had only been given a few minutes in the pre season games. He asked Matthews what the story was and Alan laughed at him and asked did he think he was as good as the players before him. he replied that given a bit of experience and a chance he might be. Alan told him that he had'nt won the cup by playing young players. Adrian then asked if he could be put out on loan and Alan said that he might be able to get him fixed up with a Northern club as no First Division club would want him as he had'nt played international at underage level. At the next training session Adrian asked to be released from the club (which he did not have to do as he only was on a one year contract).
A few days later Arron O'Callaghan (then Athlone manager) rang Adrian to verify if it was true that he had left Longford Town. To Adrian's amazement Arron told him that he had approached Alan Matthews a month earlier to see if he could have him on loan and Alan refused.
Perhaps this might explain the bitterness expressed by Adrian following his departure. Certainly once Arron left Athlone Adrian's performances deteriorated. Perhaps he is one of those players who play well for the local team in front of the home crowd, and heaven forbid we should retain a player like that. Suss it out with Arron if you doubt this story. Jim Hanley is also aware of what really happened.

Wiseguy

01/11/2005, 3:51 PM

At this stage does it really matter,it's in the past so it should be left there.It may not have been the decent thing to do but it's done and that's it.What's the point in dragging these things up again as it has already been discussed.

Bosco

01/11/2005, 9:52 PM

Heard on sat that the board have a name in mind if matthews should leave,however jim hanley has basically said that if matthews leaves he leaves

observer

02/11/2005, 8:51 AM

You are right Wiseguy and I would never have mentioned it only to put the record straight with the misinformation being put about, and no Cop On such a meeting as you describe never took place. Subject closed.
By the way, while I am critical of the lack of flair in Matthews style of football
I agree with the other posters that he should remain as their are not many better floating about for a part time post. Who knows maybe he will try more football next season.

observer

02/11/2005, 1:55 PM

At this stage Jim Hanley is irreplacable. There is no one associated with the club with half the ability and business acumen that Jim has.

Wiseguy

02/11/2005, 4:24 PM

I'd have to agree with what has been posted about Jim Hanley.I know the guy about 10 years and his business skills are second to none.On top of that the guy is a gentleman and represents our club very well.Jim is no fool about Matthews either and if he feels it is the best interest of the club to let him go then it will be done.A lot of people were critical of his decision to sack Lawlor but he was proven right on that one.I can actually remember some well known fans of ours singing "sack the board" at the Bray match following Lawlor's dismissal.What a fickle bunch of fans we can be.This club has never had it so good yet some people still whinge and complain.I'm the same as everyone else, i get annoyed and upset after poor results and performances, some of Alan's decisions baffle me and the football his team plays gets on my wick but he is still our manager and will always get my support.

Macy

03/11/2005, 7:52 AM

What a fickle bunch of fans we can be.
No sh�t sherlock, considering what we were doing this time last year.

Nipper

03/11/2005, 11:42 AM

[QUOTE=Wiseguy]
I can actually remember some well known fans of ours singing "sack the board" at the Bray match following Lawlor's dismissal.What a fickle bunch of fans we can be.QUOTE]

There were a total of two or three misguided people singing that. Everyone else around them was laughing at it. Lawlor was no fan's favourite.

Bosco

03/11/2005, 10:50 PM

Word has it that Jim Hanley and Frank Murtagh are both to step down at the end of the season.Had heard that jim was thinking about stepping down a few months ago but hoped it wasnt true.Take this as a rumour but i believe it could be more than that unfortunately.

De Town

04/11/2005, 12:15 AM

Sonic

04/11/2005, 12:50 PM

(Of course, if the boo boys have their way & Matthews gets pushed, we could have a very different ballgame.)

here you go again what an idiot you are. everyone on this board are entitled to their opinions cop on give it a rest you jester.:mad:

Bosco

04/11/2005, 2:10 PM

Big Jim and Frank to stay for the coming season ;) .

Is the little wink at the end of that comment supposed to indicate that they are definitely staying?Or is it just your opinion?
Either way it must be right:rolleyes:

Maz

04/11/2005, 7:13 PM

I also heard Jim was stepping down at the end of this season, but look nothing is confirmed. Whats the point ranting and raving and thinking you know more than everyone.

gheewhizz

09/11/2005, 4:25 PM

gary murphy played for longford town youths for 2 years and gary cassin played for the town youths for 3 years!!so they did come thru our underage system. there was no under 16 side at the time so they had to play under 16 soccer elsewhere. there are about 4 players from our u21 side who will probably b part of the first team squad next year, as cut backs will have to be made, as the club at present will not be able to sustain current expenditures. Small attendances this season exacerbated the situation more and a financially viable club finishing 7th or 8th in the league next season, is better than trying to spend money to bring silverware at the risk of going out of senior football. the lack of resources and lack of support base means the club have to cut their cloth to suit their measure!!!