Rob right to get rid of the part time players?

[Rory H]

in the weekender today its announced that o grady mc namara and flannery have all left rovers because rob wants only full time players and the 3 lads refuse to go full time because of their jobs,is rob right to take this stance?

we'll miss o grady i think..the other 2 are replaceable but im not keen on o grady leaving

[can someone add a poll please]

[SRFCbrothelutd]

Its a absolute disgrace that conor is been aloud to leave the club, he is the life blood of the team, club etc and is an iconic figure to all locals whos also idolised by kids and adults alike. He was offered a two year full time contract but refused as he couldnt leave his job. He loves Sligo Rovers like no one will ever believe and its breaking his heart. Something needs to be done, or some sort of compromise on this situation... Please everyone don,t let this settle untill after xmas as it may be two late. We need to act now to try and resolve this situation for the good of Sligo Rovers Fc!!!

[The Stars]

Thiink he is right in getting all players to go fulltime,and it comes with its downsides,which unfortunetly is O'Gradys situation

[SRFC Head]

Where does Connor work, if he doesn't want to leave his job, where could he play part time? Harps? Galway? both first division sides. Maybe Longford, closer than Galway.

[The Stars]

He works in 3G i think....hopefully he continues to play Eircom League football.

[Redzer]

Well if he has been offered a 2 year contract and refuses it, there is nothing anyone can do. It's his decision.
If he wants a career with Sligo Rovers he has to accept the offer.
I'd hate to see him leave, but the choice is totally his own.
Raf did the same last season, and did we miss him? No.
The manager can not be making special rules for one player, and the rest have to accept different rules.
Conor will have to make up his own mind, what's better for himself.

[Guts&Glory]

If he was offered a two year deal and turned it down then I think thats fair enough by the club.

Its Conor's call to accept or turn it down.

If he has turned it down move on and look to replace him.

He has left us before dont forget.

[showgies]

Its a absolute disgrace that conor is been aloud to leave the club, he is the life blood of the team, club etc and is an iconic figure to all locals whos also idolised by kids and adults alike. He was offered a two year full time contract but refused as he couldnt leave his job. He loves Sligo Rovers like no one will ever believe and its breaking his heart. Something needs to be done, or some sort of compromise on this situation... Please everyone don,t let this settle untill after xmas as it may be two late. We need to act now to try and resolve this situation for the good of Sligo Rovers Fc!!!

Steady on :rolleyes: :eek:

[SRFC Head]

Spot on, the offer was there. Its not easy for the fulltime lads to have to train during the day and then wait around to train again in the evening. They need to be able to manage their time properly and their diets.

The fulltimers will now be able train in the morning and then again in the afternoon. This is a more professional approach and should improve the players and keep them fit.

[Only1Rovers]

O'Grady is an important member of the team because he's local. But has he performed at a high enough level? He's a work horse and will fight all day but we lost so much possession in the middle of the park over the season. His passing was not up to scratch either. Would sooner see him at the club but I think he has to go full time (might improve his game) or find someone whos up to the job.

[gustavo]

O'Grady is an important member of the team because he's local. But has he performed at a high enough level?

He has performed at the highest level in this country.

[Only1Rovers]

He has performed at the highest level in this country.



Do you think he is one of the best central midfielders in the country? As a part-timer I don't think he's good enough.

[gustavo]

Do you think he is one of the best central midfielders in the country? As a part-timer I don't think he's good enough.

Well maybe not in the top bracket of midfielders but certainly in the 2nd tier,

[Only1Rovers]

His distrabution of the ball is poor, I've said it before maybe its the pitch but we need better.

[SRFCbrothelutd]

Lads, will yeh go away and learn something about the game cause yeh havent a clue. He's playing the football of his life & didnt miss a game all season. He had no genuine partner in the middle and had to do the job of two players. But yer all typical of Sligo people if he was black and from england there would be uproar at him been aloud to leave. Jokers all above and McDonald sorry buddy but you have blinkers on for allowing our best player to leave.... He dosent even want to play with any other team ever and may go back playing GAA with McNamara!

Good Luck!

[gustavo]

Its not like they are asking him to leave , The new manager beleives that a fully professional approach is ideal , which he is probably right about . I dont see the relevance about this "black and from England" thing , Its not like he isnt wanted at the club , wasnt he offered a 2 year fully professional deal.

[red bellied]

Its a pity O Grady cant be accomadated but the manager is right to go full time. I presume O Grady was offered a full time contract but refused due to work committments, its a catch 22 situation for him.

After O Hara, he would be the most consistent performer this season. Always gives 110% and gets stuck into everything in the middle of the field. Definitely captain material as well, its him more than often who is doing the shouting and organising on the pitch. Passing isnt the greatest but if he had a decent partner in midfield, him to do the labouring and the running, someone else to pass..... Rovers will miss him next season.

[1 9 2 8]

If Rovers are to move forward we need to go fulltime to get the most out of our players. They were offered good contacts it's up to the players to accept them if the want to play for Rovers. At the end of the day you need to be full time club if you want to win trophies in the league of Ireland

[Red&White Rover]

disappointed about O'Grady leaving definetely, but as for the other two, not really bothered, just annoyed that if Mac goes back ta Gah they'll have an air of supremacy around them cause he rejected a professional deal etc...but thats for another day.

[sligoman]

Rob is right to go for a full time set up but at the same time, theirs no harm in having a couple of players part time too. The youngsters in the squad(Kelly, Curran, Bellew, Mulligan etc.), are hardly all full time, so why stop O'Grady from staying full time?

Any mention of McT been let go at all?:confused:

[Midgit]

If Rob wanted them to stay they would have!!!He obviously wasnt too keen on keeping them!

[red metal]

Mc T! Told me last week if he was let go he would go back playing G.A.A!Because his heart woundnt be in it!

[sligoman]

Mc T! Told me last week if he was let go he would go back playing G.A.A!Because his heart woundnt be in it!Heart wouldn't be in what? Playing for another team?:confused:

[red metal]

Heart wouldn't be in what? Playing for another team?:confused:

ya sorry! He said he wouldnt be able to play against the Rovers!

Time will tell!!!!!!!!!!

[showgies]

Lads, will yeh go away and learn something about the game cause yeh havent a clue. He's playing the football of his life & didnt miss a game all season. He had no genuine partner in the middle and had to do the job of two players. But yer all typical of Sligo people if he was black and from england there would be uproar at him been aloud to leave. Jokers all above and McDonald sorry buddy but you have blinkers on for allowing our best player to leave.... He dosent even want to play with any other team ever and may go back playing GAA with McNamara!

Good Luck!

SRFCbrothelutd nobody can deny that Conor is a very hard working midfielder who had a season which he can be personally proud of. If more of the players throughout the season showed a fraction of the heart Conor did, we would have perhaps broken into the top four. I just thought your description of him as a iconic figure was a little over the top.

I personnally would like Conor and McT to stay, I think they deserve to. I am in two minds about McNamara, I don't feel he was up to Premier football. He has the tendnecy to switch off during games and his concentration lack a bit at times. But maybe a good manager could help change that. Remember we had the 3rd worst defence in the league, this is something that has to be a priority to fix for next season.

[dcfc_1928]

Is McTiernan away?

He was the player that impressed me most in your team - particularly in the 0-0 semi-final game in Sligo.

[Guts&Glory]

Lads, will yeh go away and learn something about the game cause yeh havent a clue. He's playing the football of his life & didnt miss a game all season. He had no genuine partner in the middle and had to do the job of two players. But yer all typical of Sligo people if he was black and from england there would be uproar at him been aloud to leave. Jokers all above and McDonald sorry buddy but you have blinkers on for allowing our best player to leave.... He dosent even want to play with any other team ever and may go back playing GAA with McNamara!

Good Luck!

He is not being allowed to leave, he was offered a contract to go full time and he turned it down - his choice.

If as you believe he is playing the football of his life imagine what he could be like if he went full time.

I would say O'Hara is our player of the season rather than O'Grady.

As for your other comments - Would you ever grow up.

[red_away]

McT wasnt in the original list of leavers at the beginning of the thread?

Is he leaving? is he full time? has he turned down a FT contract?

[Rovers1]

Dissapointed to hear bout McNamara and Conor,especially conor,best central player Rovers have.
heard Mc Tiernan is gone too,whats the story with this does anyone know

[redrov2005]

Here is a quote from Rob from the official site..

" I would love [a squad of] 25. 3 keepers and 22 players preferably over the whole team so there is two right back, two left backs, you know. 100% is the first thing you ask from everybody .I will work on them on the training ground so that everybody understand where I am coming from. We are not taking huge risks. I want some of the youth team to make up that as well."

I was happy when i read that first, but did so on the basis that there would be X amount of pros and the rest part time. We can't seriously be talking about a squad of 25 pros on full time contracts surely ?

If not then where is the cover going to come from ? The Youth squad ? We can't afford to take the attitude that good players be they local or otherwise should go simply because they are not in a position to go full time. Conor O'Grady is an excellent player ( not the greatest midfieler, but certainly more effective than say Adam Hughes ) and i would take McT ahead of Mansaram any time.

It's fine if Rob brings in better players that say O'Grady and McT, but surely its about having strength in depth and isn't it better to have players on your books rather than letting them go ?

[pete]

I think releasing players just because they won't go fulltime is a foolish policy. It is not for me to comment whether those players leaving are good or not. I will use a few examples:

Drogheda dumped Andy Myler & Danny O'Connor in similar policy to one you just starting. Myler while unconventional was proven goal scorer & I think Drogs couldn't buy goals the next season.

Cork City won the league in 2005 with serveral part-time players. Billy Woods was kept as he too old to drop day job in favour of fulltime. He was in our top 5 players this season gone. Colin O'Brien has a day job although it is for the FAI. Neal Horgan was part-time at stages due to his studies. Part-time experienced players can be handy to fill the last 5 places in a squad. Might be difficult to play loads of games but can be used as cover.

[akearins]

have to agree with posts so far , disappointed to see so many local lads released.havinga 100% full time squad will no doubt improve any side but to make such a decision to release players just because they would not surrender their livelihood and probably having only seen them play once is baffling. In this situation I wouild have liked to see Rob sit the players down and say "look lads I want 100% full time pros, I'll be looking to pick my firts 11 from this group but if you want to try and prove to me you can compete as semi pro with the full timers, we'll give it a shot and re-asess the sitaution from both perspectives next season"

The lads in their short time with Rovers are already into their 3rd manager so I can see why they could not take the chance...

I mean if you went to see Rovers as a neutral play just once last season and asked to pick out the part timers, I doubt very much you would pick O'Grady.McT or McNamara , more likely to say Foy and Burns (for carrying excess weight) and maybe Faz for many under par performances.

Releasing John Bellew is also baffling.Developing youth was one of Robs matras, and now we are releasing probably one of the best youth prospects we have seen in quite some time???

Think Rob should have been briefed that releasing local players may have an effect on crowd attendances.

How and ever he is his own man and lets hope he can be successful for the good of the club

[gustavo]

have to agree with posts so far , disappointed to see so many local lads released.havinga 100% fukk time squad will no doubt imporove any side but to make such a decision to release players just because they would not surrender their livelihood and probably haveing only seen them play once is madness. In this situation I wouild have liked to see Rob sit the players down and say "look lads I want 100% full time pros, I'll be looking to pick my firts 11from this group but if you want to try and prove to me you can compete as semi pro with the full timers, we'll give it a shot and re-asess the sitaution from both perspectives next season"

The lads in their short time with Rovers are already into their 3rd manager so I can see why they could not take the chance...

I mean if you went to see Rivers as a neutral just once last season and asked to pick out the part timers, I doubt very much you would pick O'Grady.McT or Mcnamara , more likely to say Foy and Burns (for carrying excess weight) and maybe Faz for many under par performances.

Releasing John bellew is also baffling.Developing youthw as one of Robs matras here we are releasing probably one of the best youth prospects we have sen in quite soem time???

Think Rob should have been briefed that releasing local players may have an effect on crowd attendances.

How and ever he is his own man and lets hope he can be successful for the good of the club

Ah now we need them keeping their focus on football:)

[akearins]

Really need a spell checker...FULL TIME

[gustavo]

But yea i agree with you on the younger players , maybe Rob knows something we dont and we have a huge budget next year!

[Rory H]

But yea i agree with you on the younger players , maybe Rob knows something we dont and we have a huge budget next year!

i doubt it somehow...very strange that he wants to put emphasis on youth and he releases one of our best young players

[Guts&Glory]

Bellew was definately one for next season, could really of made a good impression.

Need to add Assien to the gone list as well since he is off back to Germany and McKenzie back to Scotland.

Unclear if they have gone back for good or will return next season, presume the former.

[The Stars]

Think McKenzie is coming back and Choice said he will be here next season

[Red&White Rover]

and Choice said he will be here next season

AFAIK, he wont...:(