Drogheda in trouble?

[MickNolan]

Lads heard a humor that the backers of DUFC are going to pull out is any of this true?

[SMorgan]

Its a story that's certainly doing the rounds. Whether its true or not is anyother thing. Much depends on whether they get planning permission for their development and whether the guys with the money are prepared to wait for the decision.

It must be a very worrying time for the Drogs. My own feeling is that the party's over.

[Celdrog]

Lads heard a humor that the backers of DUFC are going to pull out is any of this true?:rolleyes:
Getting old at this stage.

Its not a rumour, its a fact, if we don't get our stadium. Where have you been living for the last twelve months?:D

[SMorgan]

Is there anybody in Drogheda working on a Plan B?

[Celdrog]

Is there anybody in Drogheda working on a Plan B?Yes, apparently Oliver Plunkett is doing the plan B.

If the NRA bugger off, then we should be strong for years to come. If they don't I would expect us to go back to where we were five years ago, being semi-pro.

However Vincent Hoey is a Drog through and through, always has been and I suspect always will be. This is not a plaything for him (a la Abramovich) or a property deal (a la Sunderland). This is his passion and he will go all the way to keep the club going. There is no fear of us doing a Cork (or Shels).

[crowlos]

get the business post tomorrow ...big story on the stadium being printed

[SeanDrog]

Yeah got a DUFC text alert telling people to get Sunday Bus Post for full story on stadium & club and also to listen to LMFM on Mon morning between 9.30 and 10am.

Since this alert is from the club I can only assume its good news.

[SMorgan]

the post story is much to do about nothing. it appears to me to be moaning by people that didn't get their own way. no good news there.

[SeanDrog]

just read it - planning rows etc but nothing about the NRA or anything about the club etc.

[bohs til i die]

http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=NEWS-qqqs=news-qqqid=35569-qqqx=1.asp

Not necessarily good news. I spoke to someone today who knows a bit about this area and thinks if the review goes ahead it could be a few years before Drogheda would get any sort of decision, but his view was based solely on this artile. Either way if I was a Drogheda fan I'd be worried about this because it causes a lot of uncertainty, in uncertain times

This paragraph is particularily worrying for Drogheda fans ......

McEntee believes there has been a pattern of worrying decisions and said the proposed Local Area Plan would scupper ‘‘the chances of Drogheda United building a new 10,000 seater state-of-the-art stadium in east Meath, as planned. What has been going on is a disgrace,’’ McEntee said.

[Longfordian]

This doesn't make particularly good reading for Drogheda fans. Is it just scare tactics by any chance or is there a very real chance of the club going under?

http://www.drogheda-independent.ie/sport/soccer/future-of-drogs-in-serious-doubt-1469604.html

[DmanDmythDledge]

This doesn't make particularly good reading for Drogheda fans. Is it just scare tactics by any chance or is there a very real chance of the club going under?

http://www.drogheda-independent.ie/sport/soccer/future-of-drogs-in-serious-doubt-1469604.html
No, just look at the last paragraph.

Drogheda United sources say the club investors have spent €12 million in the past four years ‘on the basis that they would have a self supporting stadium by 2008. Time and money are now running out.’ Meanwhile Vincent Hoey is ‘not interested’ in getting involved in a planning controversy. ‘I am trying to repair the damage and save the club,’ he stressed.

They banked completely on getting the stadium. Hoey said before the start of last season that the club would fold if they didn't get it.

[SeanDrog]

No, just look at the last paragraph.

Drogheda United sources say the club investors have spent €12 million in the past four years ‘on the basis that they would have a self supporting stadium by 2008. Time and money are now running out.’ Meanwhile Vincent Hoey is ‘not interested’ in getting involved in a planning controversy. ‘I am trying to repair the damage and save the club,’ he stressed.

They banked completely on getting the stadium. Hoey said before the start of last season that the club would fold if they didn't get it.

You hit the nail on the head, Vincent Hoey et al, have held this line for a few years now, every Drog is fully aware that if this stadium doesn't go ahead soon then we are finished.

It would appear at the moment to be very ominous.

[chipsahoy]

this is probably the worst thing that can happen to loi football if we do lose out on the stadium (which we have done, it just needs to be made public ). we could have set a benchmark for other clubs to strive to and if this fails its hard to see a healthy future for domestic football in this country. i know we're all well aware of the issues facing domestic football but the time has come (IMO) where either this country sinks or swims as regards its domestic game

[pete]

I know about our own financial situation but 12m in 4 years if true is insanity. Why wasn't the stadium pursued without spending massive sums on the pitch? From what I can tell the success on the pitch hasn't really improved the crowds - possibly due to United Park unattractiveness.

:confused:

[DmanDmythDledge]

I know about our own financial situation but 12m in 4 years if true is insanity. Why wasn't the stadium pursued without spending massive sums on the pitch? From what I can tell the success on the pitch hasn't really improved the crowds - possibly due to United Park unattractiveness.

:confused:
Doesn't make sense to me either. Presumably they wanted to have built a succesful team by the time the stadium was ready in hope that the support would then be there to support it but they would have been better off doing what Rovers/Athlone are doing and built it in stages.

Will Hoey et al finance enough of the debt for DUFC to survive in the First Division?

Are there any plans for a supporters trust to try and raise some sort of finance?

[White Horse]

There will be lots of people saying "I told you so". However, the Drogheda plan could have worked if it went ahead a few years ago. I don't understand why the stadium was delayed so long and why the directors decided to spend money they have not yet earned.

It was a reckless gamble that looks unlikely to pay off. The housing market is dead and the effect is particularly strong in commuter towns like Drogheda. Even if planning permission was granted (which seems unlikely), has the developer the cash to build houses no one wants.

I fear that Hoey is right when he says that he is trying "to save the club".

[pineapple stu]

Doesn't make sense to me either. Presumably they wanted to have built a succesful team by the time the stadium was ready in hope that the support would then be there to support it but they would have been better off doing what Rovers/Athlone are doing and built it in stages.
Maybe it sounded better in the pitch to have a successful club playing European football in Drogheda instead of 400 souls watching a mid-table First Division tie.


Are there any plans for a supporters trust to try and raise some sort of finance?
I mentioned that on their forum about a year ago; got one person replying saying Drogheda fans weren't really in for that sort of thing. The sentiment has been echoed a few times on their board in the past week. Given that, unlike other clubs (such as us) they have a vaguely decent home support, that's a fairly poor attitude, I would have thought. Rovers' crowds are almost half Drogs', but they managed it.


I fear that Hoey is right when he says that he is trying "to save the club".
Possibly, but surely he got the club into its current predicament in the first place?

[DmanDmythDledge]

Maybe it sounded better in the pitch to have a successful club playing European football in Drogheda instead of 400 souls watching a mid-table First Division tie.
There is a balance somewhere in between which should have been used.

[pineapple stu]

Not in Ireland. It's all or nothing. 24000 against Depor but 1500 for a title winning campaign. That's Ireland for you.

(I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying it as it is...)

[DmanDmythDledge]

Seeing as you mention it could you post their average attendences since 2003 please?

[pineapple stu]

Not from this computer. It's on the attendances thread though. From memory, it's been stable at around 1700.

[wonder88]

The Drogheda plan is nearly certain to fail even if they get the planning to build. If a title wining team can't attract more than 1500 on average it does not matter how great the stadium is. Its ok for them to gamble their own existence away, but what about the damage they have cause to the league by paying crazy wages, a la Shelbourne and Bohes at present. How can any club justify paying someone of english conference standard over two grand a week, its the same delusion that claims that Joe Gamble is anything other than a very ordinary LOI player.

[Celdrog]

The Drogheda plan is nearly certain to fail even if they get the planning to build. If a title wining team can't attract more than 1500 on average it does not matter how great the stadium is. Its ok for them to gamble their own existence away, but what about the damage they have cause to the league by paying crazy wages, a la Shelbourne and Bohes at present. How can any club justify paying someone of english conference standard over two grand a week, its the same delusion that claims that Joe Gamble is anything other than a very ordinary LOI player.
I take it you know nothing about what the planning application actually entailed or what the business model was to be?

DMDMDL - what debt do Drogheda United have?

[DmanDmythDledge]

DMDMDL - what debt do Drogheda United have?
Debt may have been the wrong choice of word but it is still obvious what I meant. Maybe you could enlighten us if there is any debt.

I'll put the question differently for you anyway. Going by that article Drogs are making a loss of around €3m a year, which the directors are paying. They have said that his can't continue. So how much will they be willing to put into the club now that the stadium plans seem to be out the window?

[Celdrog]

Debt may have been the wrong choice of word but it is still obvious what I meant. Maybe you could enlighten us if there is any debt.
How could debt have been the wrong word? It wasn't obvious to me what you meant. If you were not a UCD fan then perhaps I might have taken if differently.
I have no idea what the debt is - that is why I asked.
Stu - you normally have a good handle on this. Think you posted it somewhere before. Is the debt low and the lads money is virtually unrecoverable?


I'll put the question differently for you anyway. Going by that article Drogs are making a loss of around €3m a year, which the directors are paying. They have said that his can't continue. So how much will they be willing to put into the club now that the stadium plans seem to be out the window?
As I've posted somewhere else I do not believe the club could be losing €3M per year. This may be the total ougoings (I'd say a lot of expenditure has gone on the new stadium plans), again I stand to be corrected.
I also have no idea how much they are willing to put into the club after this, a fraction I would guess.
Again Stu - you are the psychic when it comes to Drogheda united.

[crowlos]

The planning application and site costs etc have all been covered by Doyle Developments.The overall stadium cost was close to 55m if the road is included.
The lads(Byrne,Hoey and O Conner )had a 3 year plan...they are now in year 5.
The NRA decision to go to the board is likely to put the stadium back to at least Feb.Time the club dosnt have.
A few people said to me recently "what about the Champions League money"..they got 150k for facing Kiev but had to spend 120k on a charter flight to Kiev...football doesnt pay!

[pineapple stu]

I have no idea what the debt is - that is why I asked.
Stu - you normally have a good handle on this. Think you posted it somewhere before. Is the debt low and the lads money is virtually unrecoverable?

As I've posted somewhere else I do not believe the club could be losing €3M per year. This may be the total ougoings (I'd say a lot of expenditure has gone on the new stadium plans), again I stand to be corrected.

You don't think that maybe, in a time when your club appears to be in serious trouble, you might try and find these thigns out for yourselves?

The club lost E2m last year. If the boys pull out and anything like that sort of cost structure is still in place, you're in serious trouble.

Debts are harder to call as the last accounts are only up to last November. The parent company's accounts haven't been submitted yet. The club is borderline solvent as all the losses (E5m to date) are covered by shares issued to the parent company. But there's E400k of debts in there.

It actually surprised me how ignorant of your own club's runnings you are. Maybe you all jumped on the success bandwagon and didn't care how it came about?

And none of that has to do with benig psychic. It just involved five minutes' research. But hey, not my club.

[jinxy lilywhite]

Article in the Indo about Hoey & Byrne ready to pull the plug on Drogs.

€4m a year is a effin joke. How can they sleep at night

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/eircom-league/drogs-stadium-plans-in-tatters-as-top-brass-eye-exit-door-1472088.html

[Celdrog]

You don't think that maybe, in a time when your club appears to be in serious trouble, you might try and find these thigns out for yourselves?Not when I can call on you to provide me with the info, its the quickest and cheapest way. I don't know anyone as obsessed about the Drogs as you.
We all know its simple. No stadium = unsustainable professional club. I don't need any facts from this.

All I have done is to get you to prove to the other UCD fan that he was ignorant of the level of debt that Drogheda United is carrying.



The losses (E5m to date) are covered by shares issued to the parent company.Yeah - didn't think they had lost €12M



Maybe you all jumped on the success bandwagon and didn't care how it came about?We all know where it came from. And bandwagon, trust me I was going to Belfield before you were even in secondary school, never mind in Uni, at a time when a draw was a good result for us.;)

[sligoman]

The club lost E2m last year.

The club is borderline solvent as all the losses (E5m to date) are covered by shares issued to the parent company. But there's E400k of debts in there.Please provide a link to those facts.

[SMorgan]

Sligoman - goto www.cro.ie (http://www.cro.ie)


The parent company's accounts haven't been submitted yet. ..


Pineapple, is the Parent Company Hinge Trading?

[pineapple stu]

Please provide a link to those facts.
:rolleyes:
You're not upset I gave out to your Sligo fan friend for unsubstantiated allegations, are you? Thought it was quite clear I was referring to the company's filed accounts.


Pineapple, is the Parent Company Hinge Trading?
Nope, Hinge Trading is the club. Parent company is Drogheda United (O2) Limited.


All I have done is to get you to prove to the other UCD fan that he was ignorant of the level of debt that Drogheda United is carrying.
That's a relief. For a moment there I thought you'd done something constructive to save your club. Oh well.

[sligoman]

:rolleyes:
You're not upset I gave out to your Sligo fan friend for unsubstantiated allegations, are you? Thought it was quite clear I was referring to the company's filed accounts.No, just wanted proof of your statement.

[stamullendrog]

:rolleyes:
You're not upset I gave out to your Sligo fan friend for unsubstantiated allegations, are you? Thought it was quite clear I was referring to the company's filed accounts.


Nope, Hinge Trading is the club. Parent company is Drogheda United (O2) Limited.


That's a relief. For a moment there I thought you'd done something constructive to save your club. Oh well.


arent you the great one you were over on the sporting page slagging them for relying on shels and dundalk to bring them in big gates.you really do love sticking your nose into other clubs with your smart remarks and haughty attitude.well stick to our club and maybe you should do the same with yours.just because stuff aint out in the open doenst mean we will just sit back and let our club die.no doubt you will be looking for us to tell you what we are going to do but like i said well stick to our own club thanks

[Celdrog]

no doubt you will be looking for us to tell you what we are going to do but like i said well stick to our own club thanksWell we can't have the business model of UCD unless we are going to get a large university in Drogheda, never mind the fact that we have too many fans, so Stu won't be able to help us.
Don't know about you StamullenDrog, but I'll depend on Vincent Hoey, if he asks for help I do whatever I can. He hasn't let us down in 46 years.

[stamullendrog]

Well we can't have the business model of UCD unless we are going to get a large university in Drogheda, never mind the fact that we have too many fans, so Stu won't be able to help us.
Don't know about you StamullenDrog, but I'll depend on Vincent Hoey, if he asks for help I do whatever I can. He hasn't let us down in 46 years.

prefer the mons business model myself run it all off the bar i think there fan base is a bit higher than ucd's celdrog.think were in good hands with vincent to be fair loves the club and been there for years.

[Student Mullet]

I think the both Mons' and UCD's business models are based on the same fundamental principle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr1nzilLtkA

[Celdrog]

And still they come................

UCD lads - get over the fact that Paul Doolin wanted to go to a proper club and win trophies.

[pineapple stu]

never mind the fact that we have too many fans, so Stu won't be able to help us.
Suppose that's why you could only get five fans down to the ground for a piece with the local paper (http://www.irishfootienetwork.com/viewtopic.php?t=11354), is it?

Adds a whole new meaning to "Famous 4 5 ultras"

[ndrog]

Suppose that's why you could only get five fans down to the ground for a piece with the local paper (http://www.irishfootienetwork.com/viewtopic.php?t=11354), is it?

Adds a whole new meaning to "Famous 4 5 ultras"

Failing miserably there again ucd boy .5 16 year old lads who are passionate about there local club wrote letters in to the local paper and were asked to pose for some photos at the last min by the paper .Whats your point then ? A large protest was/is planned but we were asked by the club to wait for more details from them before we go ahead .Lots of things going on behind the scenes that the likes of you no nothing about .You seem to be absolutely chuffed that real football clubs are in trouble .Even if we do end up going bust at least we will have experienced what its like to win a leauge and had some great days out in europe etc .Something you and the rest of the ucd muppets on here will never get :confused:

[John83]

And still they come................

UCD lads - get over the fact that Paul Doolin wanted to go to a proper club and win trophies.
Ah, now. We don't mind that he left. We were bloody delighted he left. One of the club officials has even gone so far as to say that we'd happily have paid Drogheda to take him off our hands, as it saved us a fairly expensive sacking.

We'd have forgotten him by now if it wasn't for the fact that he's refused to accept that he left the club in ruins (can you actually imagine a UCD unable to field an U21 side?), with a good squad umpteen points adrift of safety. We can see him for what he is - an arrogant, s*** manager who can only achieve anything at a club running millions in the red each year.

[pineapple stu]

One of the club officials has even gone so far as to say that we'd happily have paid Drogheda to take him off our hands, as it saved us a fairly expensive sacking.
Actually, we did pay Drogheda to take him off our hands.


Don't know about you StamullenDrog, but I'll depend on Vincent Hoey, if he asks for help I do whatever I can. He hasn't let us down in 46 years.
Exactly what Shels fans said about Ollie Byrne.


5 16 year old lads who are passionate about there local club wrote letters in to the local paper and were asked to pose for some photos at the last min by the paper
Nope; cosmo was one to send a letter in, for example, and I know he's not 16. :p

And by the way, I'm as jealous of youz as I am of Shels. It's just pathetic that people continually focus on short term gains, think they're doing great things for the league and having some sort of superiority complex and reckoning everyone's jealous of them and anyone who criticises them is just bitter while all they're donig is trading their club's future for one small bite of success while doing nothing to prepare for the inevitable bump.

[pete]

Any chance ye could take a break from the usual UCD-Drogs bickering?

Have Drogs offered contracts to players for next season? Are many players still out of contract at the end of the season?

[Celdrog]

Any chance ye could take a break from the usual UCD-Drogs bickering?
Have Drogs offered contracts to players for next season? Are many players still out of contract at the end of the season?In fairness Pete - its a Drogs forum - its not like we are going to a UCD one (if it exists) and acting the maggot. I don't see any other clubs fans coming on here and revelling on the difficulty of a club. How would you like if we went to the Cork forum and started spouting ****e about hoping no buyer is found, all your players are released and your club folds. Think you'll find the vast majority of Drogs fans hope Cork are as strong at the start of next season as they were at the start of this season. Imagine four from Bohs, Derry, Cork, Pats and Drogs in Europe next year, all as strong as ever. Imagine then if we let UCD back into Europe????

Some players are not out of contract - not sure who, but I think its a lot. Adam Hughes and Faz obviously. Ollie and Robbo signed new deals a few weeks ago.

[John83]

In fairness Pete - its a Drogs forum - its not like we are going to a UCD one (if it exists) and acting the maggot. I don't see any other clubs fans coming on here and revelling on the difficulty of a club. How would you like if we went to the Cork forum and started spouting ****e about hoping no buyer is found, all your players are released and your club folds. Think you'll find the vast majority of Drogs fans hope Cork are as strong at the start of next season as they were at the start of this season. Imagine four from Bohs, Derry, Cork, Pats and Drogs in Europe next year, all as strong as ever. Imagine then if we let UCD back into Europe????
Nice strawman there. Read the posts from UCD fans here. Not one of them expresses an opinion along the lines of "hoping no buyer is found, all your players are released and your club folds." Most of us are curious about the state of the league (and yes, the league champions possibly going tits up is pretty relevant to that) and a little irked that the same old pattern of overspend and bust is still in place, for all the FAI promises. In return, we get jibes about our attendences.

Actually, I just read the thread again. I've been slightly misleading here. It's just Celdrog stirring ****. Sorry Drogs fans, for tarring you all with the same brush.

[pineapple stu]

How would you like if we went to the Cork forum and started spouting ****e about hoping no buyer is found, all your players are released and your club folds.
Show me where anyone said that.


Imagine four from Bohs, Derry, Cork, Pats and Drogs in Europe next year, all as strong as ever.
See, this is the overall problem. I'd love if teams that strong could compete in Europe on a regular basis. The problem is that all those clubs (Derry to a much lesser extent) are completely and utterly unsustainable. People have gotten a taste for European success and getting to touching distance of the group stages in Europe and now think that the league as it stands has a right to expect that. That's all nonsense. Structurally, the league has no more suddenly improved than the Irish economy did in the late 70s/early 80s, and we all know what happened next. Anyone who thinks it's wrong to point that out, preferring to believe that what we have will remain unchanged (like your post I've just quoted), is a fool.

[Celdrog]

Show me where anyone said that.What have we here? - an accountant who cannot read. I never said UCD fans were saying you hoped we went bang. What I said was that you were revelling in the difficulties we have. Read a few of your posts and then get someone to explain it to them.
Stu, if you think its funny that I am not doing anything to save the club, read this and you might see where I'm coming from.
http://www.droghedaunited.ie/news/single/id/1448
I'd point you to a few of your posts on DrogsWeb, but of course, you were banned almost twelve months ago for being a wum and persistent personal abuse towards Drogs posters

And John83, if you think I'm **** stirring and don't like it then **** off away from a Drogs forum.

Pity there is no ignore button on here.:p

[pineapple stu]

All is (http://www.shelbournefc.ie/news.php?id=468) well... (http://www.shelbournefc.com/news.php?id=327)

I'm not revelling in Drogheda's problems; I'm dismayed that no-one's doing anything to stop the next embarrassment to the league.

Mod hat - try discuss things without resorting to telling people to **** off.

[Celdrog]

All is (http://www.shelbournefc.ie/news.php?id=468) well... (http://www.shelbournefc.com/news.php?id=327)

I'm not revelling in Drogheda's problems; I'm dismayed that no-one's doing anything to stop the next embarrassment to the league.

Mod hat - try discuss things without resorting to telling people to **** off.Fair point, ok for a UCD fan to accuse me of **** stirring, though.

Giovanni di Stefano attempting to buy Shels is a long way from Vincent Hoey pursuing plan B. One is a lifelong fan and chairman of a club in his heart, never mind close to it, the other is, well, di Stefano. Shels had to get to the group stage sof the CL, we have to get a stadium built.
So you need not be dismayed, as we keep telling you Vincent Hoey (and Chris and Eugene) are trying to find a solution. They are better placed than any of us.

And - are you seriously a mod? :rolleyes: