Losing Bertie

[Shedender81]

All jokes aside , What if any affect will it on the FAI and the game in Ireland with a new man in power in Govt Buildings..

In the last 11 years we have seen massive change in sport in Ireland and serious govt backing for a lot of football clubs..

For those who dont think it will have any... Think of this have you ever seen Enda Kenny at a League of Ireland ground...

The FAI dont have the lobby the GAA and to a lesser extent the IRFU (has the media , 10 pages on the AIL I mean who watches it or plays it)

[GavinZac]

All jokes aside , What if any affect will it on the FAI and the game in Ireland with a new man in power in Govt Buildings..

In the last 11 years we have seen massive change in sport in Ireland and serious govt backing for a lot of football clubs..

For those who dont think it will have any... Think of this have you ever seen Enda Kenny at a League of Ireland ground...

The FAI dont have the lobby the GAA and to a lesser extent the IRFU (has the media , 10 pages on the AIL I mean who watches it or plays it)

Perhaps our premier will choose to be seen at more LoI games than ManYoo ones.

[finnpark]

All jokes aside , What if any affect will it on the FAI and the game in Ireland with a new man in power in Govt Buildings..

In the last 11 years we have seen massive change in sport in Ireland and serious govt backing for a lot of football clubs..

For those who dont think it will have any... Think of this have you ever seen Enda Kenny at a League of Ireland ground...

The FAI dont have the lobby the GAA and to a lesser extent the IRFU (has the media , 10 pages on the AIL I mean who watches it or plays it)

Good riddence. He has done absolutely nothing for Irish soccer apart from destroying the FAI's Eircom Park.

Leader of Ireland supporting a british football team, says it all really. Won't be missed :mad:

[noby]

Perhaps our premier will choose to be seen at more LoI games than ManYoo ones.


Is LoI big in Offaly?

[Schumi]

have you ever seen Enda Kenny at a League of Ireland ground...As often as Bertie.

[finnpark]

Is LoI big in Offaly?

Tullamore are in the A Championship now :D

Don't worry the GAA money machine will get an increase to line the pockets of the GAA knobs exploiting the "amateur" association :( Soccer is a distance 2nd or 3rd, especially the LOI

[Shedender81]

As often as Bertie.

Bertie was regular in Dalymount PK in the ;late 80s and even if he did jon the bandwagon at least it was the "SOCCER" one

[L37Ultra]

All jokes aside , What if any affect will it on the FAI and the game in Ireland with a new man in power in Govt Buildings..

In the last 11 years we have seen massive change in sport in Ireland and serious govt backing for a lot of football clubs..

For those who dont think it will have any... Think of this have you ever seen Enda Kenny at a League of Ireland ground...

The FAI dont have the lobby the GAA and to a lesser extent the IRFU (has the media , 10 pages on the AIL I mean who watches it or plays it)


The only time I have seen Bertie Ahern at a Eircom League ground was once they were playing a English Club.

[ifk101]

Bertie has stated that he was a fan of Drumcondra. That's the only thing I've heard him say about LOI football.

[finnpark]

Can anyone guess who the FF head is on this thread? :D

Bung bung :D

[tetsujin1979]

Idiot You petty anti British crap is last century

On Jason McAteer

Did i say it was the same game... the mere fact we are mentioning so few incidents backs up the feeling he was overrated . over used and was in fact basically a footballing gypo who to be honest would have rather played for England


Pot. Kettle. Black.

[Dr. Ogba]

Bertie was regular in Dalymount PK in the ;late 80s and even if he did jon the bandwagon at least it was the "SOCCER" one

er how do you know this? as ifk stated he was a fan of Drumcondra (according to himself) back in the day. has he ever been in tolka or dalyer to see bohs or shels since the 70's/80's? Only club matches he has been seen at in recent times has been Man United matches....

[bohsRap]

You petty anti British crap is last century

How is anything he said anti-british? He wasn't giving out about any british team or about anything british.

You're quote about Enda Kenny and the LOI is irrelevant also because Bertie is rarely seen at games.

[Shedender81]

How is anything he said anti-british? He wasn't giving out about any british team or about anything british.

You're quote about Enda Kenny and the LOI is irrelevant also because Bertie is rarely seen at games.



FACTS ARE REGARDLESS OF YOUR PERSONAL VIEWS... HAVE THE FAI BEEN BETTER OFF DURING HIS TIME IN POWER

[Dr. Ogba]

FACTS ARE REGARDLESS OF YOUR PERSONAL VIEWS... HAVE THE FAI BEEN BETTER OFF DURING HIS TIME IN POWER


calm down Bertie

[BradyIsMyHero]

In fairness to Bertie, he regularly referred to the FAI as "the crowd who think they run soccer in this country"

[Block G Raptor]

In fairness to Bertie, he regularly referred to the FAI as "the crowd who think they run soccer in this country"

So at least he had a shred of honesty in him ;)

[kingdom hoop]

I don't think it makes much difference in practice as the most important issues (such as lobbying for grants at grass-roots level) are more about local politics - which is largely why GAA clubs seem to get more money; more votes to be bought. But I'll put the can-opener away for now. :)

Anyway, if speaking nationally, the debate should be more about what Seamus Brennan is doing/not doing that John O'Donoghue did, or what any sports minister should do for football here. No doubt it would've been a great publicity boon if Bertie was a Bohs, or whoever, fan, but of course it wouldn't have much practical significance.

[drummerboy]

Good man to replace Delaney

[paul_oshea]

In fairness to Bertie, he regularly referred to the FAI as "the crowd who think they run soccer in this country"

And that my friend says everything about the LOI fans.

[paul_oshea]

Anyway we all know politics is a popularity contest anyhow :)

[bohsRap]

FACTS ARE REGARDLESS OF YOUR PERSONAL VIEWS... HAVE THE FAI BEEN BETTER OFF DURING HIS TIME IN POWER

Thats doesn't make sense. I didn't mention my personal views in my post, only facts.

Personally I'm not too sure a change of taoiseach will have much bearing on the FAI or our national team.

[holidaysong]

If Dermot Ahern was the next Taoiseach then we'd be sorted!

[pete]

TBH I could little if leader of the country is a sports fan or not. Funding for sport is not dependent on attending events. Enda Kenny attended the Cork City v Drogs FAI Cup final in 2005 & was sitting next to City fan in VIP section. Funding has increased due to greater state funds available. I don't know if Bertie was there too.

Bertie picks Drumcondra as it is convenient. If he was honest he would admit he not a big football supporter. For a lot of people Manchester United is entertainment like going to the cinema so doesn't necessarily make anyone a football supporter. It is obvious he is a Dubs GAA fan though.

In sporting terms Bertie gave us the Bertie Bowl (at a guess a 200m+ white elephant. As mentioned above it was his decision to kill Eircom Park. Who knows if it would have been completed as costs were rising but so also was the wealth of the FAI & the country. His governments also subsidise the Horse & Dog Racing industry but 50m a year including pay half all prize money. As a GAA fan his government have agreed to pay amateur GAA players which for unknown reasons make them more special than all other amateur sports people.

[Soper]

Ireland really held their own against Cyprus...their own todgers

[back of the net]

Is LoI big in Offaly?

it soon will be - go on tullamore

[ramsfan]

remember reading the paper after rugby world cup some reporter said about stan, eddie osullivan and bertie, he said they the media had pushed stan out eddie was in the process of being pushed and then bertie would be houndy until he left, how right he was, but who will they go after next................

[pete]

Moderator: Off Topic posts from ciaran & replies moved to rubbish. Keep it on topic.

[Junior]

and who says politics and sport dont mix eh?:rolleyes:

[livehead1]

.

As a GAA fan his government have agreed to pay amateur GAA players which for unknown reasons make them more special than all other amateur sports people.

Come of it; if your a GAA fan you'll be well aware that there are only amateur in the sense that they don't get a wage from the sport they dedicate their lives to. If you can find me many other amateur sports that attracts millions of viewers on TV and 80,000 in the stradiums then I'd like to see it. Untill then, there much more 'special' than all other amateur sports people.

[Macy]

As has been said, the FAI (for good or ill) would've had it's own ground by now if it wasn't for Ahern and his non-existant Bowl. Would've meant far less funding from Government than they're putting into Lansdowne too.

His Government clearly favoured other sports, such as Horse Racing and Dog Racing and the GAA more than football (or a range of other sports).

And the vast majority of the money is lottery money anyway, not from Government coffers, it's just how they spin it.

[Dodge]

And that my friend says everything about the LOI fans.

How so? Its a comment by a non LOI an on people with no interest in the LOI?

i await your explanation

[Schumi]

Come of it; if your a GAA fan you'll be well aware that there are only amateur in the sense that they don't get a wage from the sport they dedicate their lives to. If you can find me many other amateur sports that attracts millions of viewers on TV and 80,000 in the stradiums then I'd like to see it. Untill then, there much more 'special' than all other amateur sports people.So they deserve government funding because their organisation has more money than any other amateur sport? :confused:

[finnpark]

His Government clearly favoured other sports, such as Horse Racing and Dog Racing and the GAA more than football (or a range of other sports).

That goes back to the days of Haughey and carries on today. Did you know that jockeys and trainers pay no tax on their winnings and bookmakers' betting tax was abolished. Millionaires paying no tax. If the FAI bribed them too, soccer in this country would be in a very healthy state ;) Of course we are the fools,, its all coming out of our pockets at the end of the day.

[Bluebeard]

As has been said, the FAI (for good or ill) would've had it's own ground by now if it wasn't for Ahern and his non-existant Bowl. Would've meant far less funding from Government than they're putting into Lansdowne too.

His Government clearly favoured other sports, such as Horse Racing and Dog Racing and the GAA more than football (or a range of other sports).

And the vast majority of the money is lottery money anyway, not from Government coffers, it's just how they spin it.

I agree completely, but, at the risk of defending defending them, prior to player "Assistance" the GAA has received very little in comparison to the horses and dogs. Even the £60m for Croker was over three years. In the same budget, I seem to recall something like £157m to horses in various ways, while £90m went to the dogs*. While the GAA are doing better than the FAI, they are really not the "enemy as regards funding.

Then, look at cycling, volleyball, etc. What do they ever get. Ireland had two of the most collossal cyclists in the 80s, Kelly certainly worthy of a place among the greatest ever. CJH jumped that bandwagon. What about Cycling in Ireland now - what funding is it receiving? Did anyone know we sent David O'Loughlin to the world track championships where he finished 6 in his discipline? Had we a velodrome, how might he have done? I had a friend who was among the top Irish Volleyball players and she was quitting at the age od 26 because she couildn't continue - there was funding enough only for a men's or a women's team, plus a few voluntary coaches and to keep the office going.

While football is treated as second cousin to Gaelic (don't get me start about the way hurling is treated), we are way better off than other sports, and the GAA are in the poor house compared to the dogs and the horses. Decisions about funding of sports should be removed from the government, and put in the hands of an independent body with a view to the general health, wellbeing and development of sports participation and sports development in Ireland.

Vote for me at the party congress next month, and I promise you-

* these figures are rough memory - anyone can correct them, brilliant, please show me the error of my ways!

[Macy]

And the capital grants to GAA clubs compared to the football clubs? (and seriously not having a go at the GAA here, but at the Government allocation).

[Shedender81]

I agree completely, but, at the risk of defending defending them, prior to player "Assistance" the GAA has received very little in comparison to the horses and dogs. Even the £60m for Croker was over three years. In the same budget, I seem to recall something like £157m to horses in various ways, while £90m went to the dogs*. While the GAA are doing better than the FAI, they are really not the "enemy as regards funding.

Then, look at cycling, volleyball, etc. What do they ever get. Ireland had two of the most collossal cyclists in the 80s, Kelly certainly worthy of a place among the greatest ever. CJH jumped that bandwagon. What about Cycling in Ireland now - what funding is it receiving? Did anyone know we sent David O'Loughlin to the world track championships where he finished 6 in his discipline? Had we a velodrome, how might he have done? I had a friend who was among the top Irish Volleyball players and she was quitting at the age od 26 because she couildn't continue - there was funding enough only for a men's or a women's team, plus a few voluntary coaches and to keep the office going.

While football is treated as second cousin to Gaelic (don't get me start about the way hurling is treated), we are way better off than other sports, and the GAA are in the poor house compared to the dogs and the horses. Decisions about funding of sports should be removed from the government, and put in the hands of an independent body with a view to the general health, wellbeing and development of sports participation and sports development in Ireland.

Vote for me at the party congress next month, and I promise you-

* these figures are rough memory - anyone can correct them, brilliant, please show me the error of my ways!


I dont disagree with you.. but the plain fact is we the soccer family got more out his govt than we ever did before


As for the cycling... Funding may have something to do with how clean the sport is.....

Andrew Bree... really an over the counter deconjestant ;-)))

[Dodge]

As for the cycling... Funding may have something to do with how clean the sport is.....


name one track cyclist who's been found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs

[kingdom hoop]

Good post Bluebeard. I think a more independent body, extricated from the political realm and the associative baggage, for divying up sports grants would be a great leap forward. (Interestingly, as it happens, Ireland has the highest rate of proliferation in regulatory agencies in the developed world!)

[Bluebeard]

And the capital grants to GAA clubs compared to the football clubs? (and seriously not having a go at the GAA here, but at the Government allocation).

Again, I don't disagree, but the fact is that while we have been cavilling about the GAA and what they got, (and other sports about us), the government cleverly played divide and conquer, so we got caught up rowing with the GAA, while the greyhounds and horses got Zimbabwean figures of money. End result? Football and GAA fans fight among each other drowning out the demands of the smaller sports, who need the money even more to develop, while the biggest funders of the party see money flow into what interests them without anyone kicking up a fuss becasue they are too caught up with the "But if he got that, why did I only get this?" QED.

[Ash]

Heard Bertstrom on the radio earlier today and he said when he steps down he
can look forward to attending more games instead of just having to settle for
watching the highlights on telly.

Don't think he was referring to LoI/eL and MNS!

[John83]

Again, I don't disagree, but the fact is that while we have been cavilling about the GAA and what they got, (and other sports about us), the government cleverly played divide and conquer, so we got caught up rowing with the GAA, while the greyhounds and horses got Zimbabwean figures of money. End result? Football and GAA fans fight among each other drowning out the demands of the smaller sports, who need the money even more to develop, while the biggest funders of the party see money flow into what interests them without anyone kicking up a fuss becasue they are too caught up with the "But if he got that, why did I only get this?" QED.
The disproportionate amount of money shovelled at dog and horse racing was examined here: http://stigonline.com/misc/si_funding.htm

[all drogged up]

bertie's a gimp and now he'll soon be gone

if soccer got more money under him than previously it's only cos we were up to our tits in cash while he happened to be in the hot seat - he's a lucky pr!ck but nothing more really than a parish pump politician.

The Government should be encouraging sport at every level cos what you pay out in grants for sports facilities (grass roots to top end) you get back ten fold in a healthy population and less chance of young lads hanging round streets with nothing to do but stab hard working immigratns in the head with a screwdriver

Soccer in this country has more registered members than any other sport and would therefore be in line for a decent payout if things were done properly. Totally agree that tax breaks to the horsey fraternity is unbelievable. Money is like gravity though and attracts more money and seeing as though soccer seems to be a poor man's game in this country then you can see why we get no money. Don't agree with Govt funding ELoI clubs directly - more youth structures which the FAI and the clubs should channel towards the clubs.

[Superhoops]

name one track cyclist who's been found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs

Britain's Rob Hayles and some dutch guy were banned from last week's world championships because of blood test irregularities.

[jbyrne]

Good riddence. He has done absolutely nothing for Irish soccer apart from destroying the FAI's Eircom Park.


but delivered on the far better and more realistic lansdowne road. cant fault the man for having the ambition of an 80k national stadium that abbotstown would have been.

eircom park would never have happened. the projected costs alone was about 50% what it would have ended up being and it was in an awful location

[Superhoops]

.....Totally agree that tax breaks to the horsey fraternity is unbelievable......

I am not condoning or defending it, but isn't there a different between football which is a sport and the 'bloodstock industry' which is more of a business which generates jobs etc. Horse racing itself is the sports end of the bloodstock industry. I may be wrong, but I don't think that jockeys and trainers have any different taxation status on their winnings than any other professional Irish sportsman, like say Padraig Harrington.

[Macy]

Britain's Rob Hayles and some dutch guy were banned from last week's world championships because of blood test irregularities.
A two week ban until he's retested. Hayles didn't fail a drugs test.

[Dodge]

Britain's Rob Hayles and some dutch guy were banned from last week's world championships because of blood test irregularities.

I was asking him to do it, trying to prove a point about lazy generalisms

No sport with a proper testing regime is 100% clean

[Bluebeard]

The disproportionate amount of money shovelled at dog and horse racing was examined here: http://stigonline.com/misc/si_funding.htm

Very good article, inspire me to use the link at the bottom and gawk at previous budgets. I zoned in on 2001 which I would put as being the centre of the "Celtic tiger boom" - pre-foot & mouth, and after four years of Fianna Fail "stability". It also comes the year before the Olympics, and World Cup.

The "Budget Newspaper (http://www.budget.gov.ie/2001/default.asp)" on the site suggests almost £118m being given to sport (roughly €150.8m).

Of this £2.5m (€3.2m) to given to GAA, FAI, IRFU between them.
£745,000 (€952,000) to be given to special club capital development projects incl Tolka Rovers, GAA in Dungarvan, Young Munster, and four other multi-sport venues including Phoenix Park.
£65.37m (€83.55m) to Sports Campus Ireland (AKA The Bertie Bowl)

Cannot find stats on horses or dogs at the mo, but look there at the money spent on Sports Campus Ireland. According to the DAST, over €119m will need to be spent on the first phase of the project in Abbotstown which was only given the go ahead for in Nov 2005, with a 5-7 year delivery schedule.

Perhaps I am a suspicious type, but there seems to be a lot of unconnected threads hanging off the end of Fianna Fail's Sports Shorts as regards this.

[Block G Raptor]

Perhaps I am a suspicious type, but there seems to be a lot of unconnected threads hanging off the end of Fianna Fail's Sports Shorts as regards this.

That's more than a little sus alright. Bluebeard: foot.ie's answer to Elliott Ness