avvenalaf
06/01/2006, 4:09 PM
Sligo Rovers, newly promoted to the Premier League, have had their pre- season plans thrown into disarray with the news that Birmingham City have invoked a clause in the inter club agreement and are poised to take six Sligo Rovers players on loan until the end of the English Premiership season. The players in question are believed to be goalkeeper John O'Hara, defenders Michael McNamara and Liam Burns, mid-fielder Conor O'Grady and strikers Paul McTiernan and Sean Flannery.
Rovers Chairman, Michael Toolan, while slow to elaborate on the news until final confirmation was received stated that Rovers were aware that a clause allowing the loans was in the inter club agreement but that he was stunned that Birmingham should seek to invoke that clause. 'While it is great news for the players' he said ' it creates havoc for Sean Connor and the club and we are making immediate arrangements to have Gareth Gorman and Gerry Carr re-registered as players'.
Birmingham owner, David Sullivan was more forthcoming on the reasoning behind the move. Look' he said ' this ain't rocket science as we have at our club players who have forgotten how to win and Sligo have players who have forgotten how to lose. We expect that the injection of their attitude will result in our climbing the table and possibly winning the FA Cup. We do feel sorry for Sligo but an agreement is an agreement and we are not stepping outside the laws of football in this. We have agreed personal terms with all the Sligo footballers and we expect them to be with us for training on Tuesday morning'.
Sullivan added ' I understand that Sligo has both a Burger King and a McDonalds so, now that we have signed Chris Sutton, we will send them Emile Heskey until the end of the season.
Rovers Chairman, Michael Toolan, while slow to elaborate on the news until final confirmation was received stated that Rovers were aware that a clause allowing the loans was in the inter club agreement but that he was stunned that Birmingham should seek to invoke that clause. 'While it is great news for the players' he said ' it creates havoc for Sean Connor and the club and we are making immediate arrangements to have Gareth Gorman and Gerry Carr re-registered as players'.
Birmingham owner, David Sullivan was more forthcoming on the reasoning behind the move. Look' he said ' this ain't rocket science as we have at our club players who have forgotten how to win and Sligo have players who have forgotten how to lose. We expect that the injection of their attitude will result in our climbing the table and possibly winning the FA Cup. We do feel sorry for Sligo but an agreement is an agreement and we are not stepping outside the laws of football in this. We have agreed personal terms with all the Sligo footballers and we expect them to be with us for training on Tuesday morning'.
Sullivan added ' I understand that Sligo has both a Burger King and a McDonalds so, now that we have signed Chris Sutton, we will send them Emile Heskey until the end of the season.