An open letter from W.U.O.S.C

[Tis-smeee]

This was posted on BTID.NET apparently the FAI are doing their nut over this and are threatening Waterford United with sanctions even though they had no prior knowledge that it was being sent,its a sad day when the fans cant make a point to the powers that be


Dear Sir

On behalf of Waterford United Official Supporters Club I am deeply disappointed and upset that Waterford United have been forced to play a midweek game away to Derry City.

This is totally unfair on everyone connected with the club and indeed to supporters who were wishing to travel to the game.

Waterford United are a part time outfit and in order to fulfil this fixture many of the players will have to take time off work at their own expense. Waterford United may even have players unavailable for selection as a direct result of the ridiculous timing of this fixture.

Also it is grossly unfair to ask fans to travel such a distance in midweek. Again many will have to take time off work at their own expense to try and make the journey. This is hardly encouraging people to travel, especially at a time when the FAI are trying so hard to increase attendances in the league.

With just a little thought and consideration an alternative fixture could have been arranged for this date such as home or away to Cork City. Where the journey time would have been much less for all involved and would have suited both players and supporters from both clubs.

The fact that Waterford United were giving just three weeks to prepare for this seasons premier league already puts the club and the management at a huge disadvantage. But to ask them to try and prepare for a game in midweek that is literally at the other end of the country is just unfair.

With regards to this seasons fixtures how much were they altered after Shelbourne were relegated. Have Waterford United just been giving Shelbourne’s fixtures or is there some other reason for this fixture calamity.

Also after our recent league fixture against Shamrock Rovers was abandoned it is fair to say that this is yet another fixture that will have to be fixed for midweek. With that in mind and bearing the fact that this will be a second midweek fixture that our players and fans will have to endure. Would it be possible for supporters who make the return journey for the refixed Shamrock rovers match to be entitled to free admission. I feel that this is the very least that the league can do on this particular matter.




Yours




_____________________
Andrew Quealy
Chairman W.U.O.S.C.

[hoops1]

Where is my violin? Who cares if you cant hack it get out of the league.
If they had a survey of which date and time suited every single Waterford fan you would still only get 20 at that game max

[Mr A]

No great sympathy for Waterford on this one- that's just life in the eircom League.

Still, if it annoys the FAI it's not all bad.

[Risteard]

Rightly or wrongly, the new FAI-run league won't be giving much consideration to players getting off work.
Not in the premier division anyway.

[Tis-smeee]

Or the fans apparently

[stann]

No great sympathy for Waterford on this one- that's just life in the eircom League.

Still, if it annoys the FAI it's not all bad.

It is, but it's a bit more difficult for ourselves, Cork, Derry, Harps, Cobh and the Yoofs for these fixtures. Ye middle of the country fellas can't really appreciate that when ye've already half a country head start to get to the extremities. :D

Don't think it warranted a letter meself (except with regard to your last line), just that it wouldn't have taken a lot not to have had this situation pertain. Be different for a refixed game, or if there were a few midweek series scheduled.

[Tis-smeee]

The point being that they purposely fixed it midweek, which prohibits any fans traveling

[Mr A]

Not really purposely in fairness- they just gave you Shels' fixtures and that's the way the cookie crumbled.

[Risteard]

I dunno. If it was the City fans and it got moved at this early stage of the season, i believe it wouldn't really matter as it would be the same 30 City fan students who would be free on a Friday anyway.
Would be different towards the end of the season but how many were ye really expecting to travel?

[Philly]

Kildare County got two away fixtures, midweek.

Away to Finn Harps and Cobh - what are the ****ing odds??

These lads are part-time and half to take a day off work to travel that far. It wouldn't be expected of GAA players, or players in any code actually. The FAI have no logic though. We have also never started nor finished a season at home.

[Tis-smeee]

Not really purposely in fairness- they just gave you Shels' fixtures and that's the way the cookie crumbled.

Exactly the point which the fai denied doing at the start of the season, and if they didnt then they purposely put Waterford United away to Derry Midweek

[Patrick Dunne]

Amateur rubbish from Waterford. Instead of posting open letters on the internet, would it not have made more sense for someone from the club to have looked at the fixture list in February, and objected then, to what in fairness is a ridiculous fixture.

[Tis-smeee]

They did and got no give, it aint the clubs open letter its the supporters

[Dr.Nightdub]

Can't see what difference it makes the fact that it's midweek rather than a Friday, when Derry normally play at home - Waterford fans would still have to take a half day for that. Same for the majority of Waterford's away games. Same for fans of any team bar Cork who are away to Waterford.

Waterford fans would want to start praying they never get into the Setanta.

[MojoPin]

Kildare County got two away fixtures, midweek.

Away to Finn Harps and Cobh - what are the ****ing odds??

.

away to cobh for you is a three hour drive tops and even less on the way home your players/supporters could get a half day or even a few hours off from work wednesday drive down play/watch the match and drive home. youd be home no later than half 1 at the very latest.. a waterford fan playing harps would have to leave home at 8 in the morinig assuming its an 10hour drive ? im not sure.,.. and if he wanted to go to work the next day hed have to drive from ballybofey straight to work... so dont me complaining about ur long haul trips ha ha

should waterford not approach derry city to have the game rescheduled? cobh have arrangments with dundalk to play games at convenient times....

[khoop]

This was posted on BTID.NET apparently the FAI are doing their nut over this

The FAI couldn't give a damn about some pointless, whingey letter in the internet. Stop flattering yourself.

[OneRedArmy]

Agree that midweek games should try to be scheduled for derbies or generally avoiding excessive travel, but its worth pointing out you don't bring that many fans to Derry on a Friday anyway (15-20?).

As for getting 3 weeks to prepare for the Premier, there's an obvious answer to that....

Fairly pathetic stuff tbh.

[gael353]

The point being that they purposely fixed it midweek, which prohibits any fans traveling


Dundalk play all their home games on Thursday nights, rarely if ever an away fan gets to go there.

[Tis-smeee]

Suppose Derry do agree to a change the only available space would be a midweek game, If im driving to cobh its a two hour drive max where are you going? via limerick, and there was copies of the letter posted to John Delaney, Micheal Hayes ,Fran Gavin

[GavinZac]

fairly pathetic lads, the league isnt going to rearrange fixtures for 10 of ye and bringing the clubs semi-pro status into it just reflects badly on everyone. as someone said, if you cant hack it, theres always the munster senior league

[paul_oshea]

that fella if he is chairman should have someone proof-read his letters. its hard to read that and take it seriously.

[sligored]

when waterford played sligo a few weeks ago on a saturday there was a maximum of 15 waterford fans at the game. considering it would take 2 hours less to drive to sligo compared to derry i dont think this is a realistic argument

[DvB]

As for the piece referring to Waterford fans getting into the replayed Rovers game for free, are you having a laugh!? They've some gall to demand this of any club! Even (for example) if this was offered by SRFC i'd imagine proof of attendance at the first game would be required, otherwise that away support could suddenly triple in number!

As for travelling to away games midweek, tough luck lads, we have Cork & Derry away twice, all on fridays, requiring time off work for travelling supporters & in our case (part time, just like the blues) players also, okay derry is a tad further from waterford but the principle is the same! Hardly worthy of whinging to the FAI about it at this stage i'd have thought!

Koh

[Raheny Red]

Kildare County got two away fixtures, midweek.

Away to Finn Harps and Cobh - what are the ****ing odds??

.


324/1 I think :confused::D:o

[pineapple stu]

The fact that Waterford United were giving just three weeks to prepare for this seasons premier league already puts the club and the management at a huge disadvantage.
Leaving aside the issue about free entry to the rescheduled Rovers game which, as DvB has pointed out has absolutely nothing to do with the FAI, the above line makes no sense. Waterford were given the option of entering the Premier or the First Division. They chose to enter the Premier. They can't now complain about the hardships their own choice caused them.

I've no problems with winding up the FAI over little things, but I'd have to agree with the view of the letter of most of the people on this thread.

[John83]

I don't think the Waterford fans have much cause for complaint here.


The FAI couldn't give a damn about some pointless, whingey letter in the internet. Stop flattering yourself.
You'd be shocked what the FAI give a damn about (e.g. http://www.derrycityweb.net/index.php?blog=2&p=27&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more27)

[Bald Student]

It was never going to affect this game but if the letter makes the FAI think twice about arranging long trips on weekday evenings it'll have served a purpose.

[passerrby]

It was never going to affect this game but if the letter makes the FAI think twice about arranging long trips on weekday evenings it'll have served a purpose.

in order to think twice one has to think in the first place

[Pablo]

we had to play in DErry on a Monday night. Boo Hoo.

get on with it FFS

[Stato]

Could they not fly up to Derry? ........ whoops! :D

I've some sympathy for them but then players at every club have to take a half day for Friday night matches. At the start of the season Pats had to travel to Longford on a Saturday night then Cork on the following Monday. And Pats do have part-time players (Colm Foley, Darragh Maguire, Dave Mulcahy to name just three).

[brendy_éire]

Could they not fly up to Derry? ........ whoops! :D

From midnight they can. :)

Feel sorry for Longford but that's just the way the fixtures turn out.

We're away to Cobh midweek sure. Longest possible trip in the league.

[noby]

Longford?

Anyway, I'm not a member of the OSC, and this thread was the first I heard of the letter.
My view: It's no harm for a supporters group to write a letter to the FAI when they feel aggrieved. Bringing the status of the club into the letter was a mistake, IMO, and a letter like this should only hignlight the concern of the supporter (no matter how big or small that support may be).
Thankfully, the club seems to be acting a little more professional than the letter implies, as they travelled to Monaghan yesterday, to try to prepare as much as possible for the game.