Recession/Credit Crunch

I was going to post this in the financial news/rumours thread, but this post isn’t either.

With the credit crunch in Northern Ireland & the Recession in the Republic of Ireland, what implications does this really have on the LOI?

You have managed to negotiate good sponsorship with good prize money, you regulary have live football on tv, your crowds have been increasing each year, as have your ticket prices and club sponsorship. Not to mention ever increasing wages for the players.

Do you think that these things will dramatically change? Do you think the average support across the league will fall sharply? What about the sponsorship, with Eircom decided to withdraw their support?

From where I am sitting, the outside looking in, things are starting to look very shakey, where as before things looked very good and bright and to be honest the IL could only look onto the LOI in envy.

With teams going back to part-time, where are the top players in the league going to play? Will they stick around for half the current wages, or will there be a new Shelbourne/Drogheda/Cork waiting and willing to pounce and give them another hefty contract and buy short-term success?

I’m no expert on LOI football (as most of you can probably tell) but because of the Setanta cup, I have had an increasing interest in the league.

If you feel I’m wide off the mark in a few things or I have missed out let me know. If it comes across as if I’m being a WUM, that is not the case, I’m genuinely interested in the events happening down south.

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Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

With teams going back to part-time, where are the top players in the league going to play? Will they stick around for half the current wages, or will there be a new Shelbourne/Drogheda/Cork waiting and willing to pounce and give them another hefty contract and buy short-term success?

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The top players will get roughlly the sme money. Its the mid to lower level players who'll get less.

Every team in the premier division will have some full time professionals

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Every team in the premier division will have some full time professionals

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I am not too sure about that one Dodge . If United stay up we would have only two full timers and both of them would not be with next season mark my words .:(

Claret.. Who do you reckon we'll be keeping FT next year? Jesper (jury still out) Fitzy (god help us!) Rodgers (hmmm) Lester (deffo worth keeping) O' Shea (will be sold I assume) McCullogh (deffo worth keeping) I'd try to keep Jay, Johnny Lester, McCollough and maybe Jorengengengensensen (whatever) and the core of local lads Conneely, Foley, 2 x Keanes, Davoren, Russell etc. I'd deffo go looking for a new keeper, Rodgers is not bad but he's a bit nervy and his distributions only so-so a decent part-time keeper might save us a bit of cash.

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Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

You have managed to negotiate good sponsorship with good prize money, you regulary have live football on tv, your crowds have been increasing each year, as have your ticket prices and club sponsorship.

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I would dispute the crowd increasing theory.

SS we will only have Jay and Rodgers who have a contract for another year , every other player we have their contract ends on the 15th of November , now if we get to the FAI cup they will be keep for another couple of weeks .
We are part time next season and I would say that would be the whole staff .

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Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

You have managed to negotiate good sponsorship

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I'd be more worried about individual club sponsorship to be honest. People feeling the pinch, and suddenly the grand or so they usually throw the club, - the table they book at the club dinner or the ad in the programme or whatever it is - is a cost which can be cut. That could add up fairly quickly.

I'd also dispute the increasing crowds, as well as the idea that a couple of years ago, the league looked "good and bright".

With both Cork and Drogheda likely to go semi professional with small professional squads wages are very likely to come down with 80 players out of contract. Low wages can only be good for the league.

NI teams should never allow their wages go up either

Obviously there has to be a correlation between the wanton ways of the Celtic tiger and the wanton budgets of clubs. To the wider disinterested world spending money like there was no next week wasn't frowned upon. Everything will tighten up now; John 83 has a valid point - it will certainly be tougher to prise open those businessmen's wallets now for what can only be seen as an unnecessary indulgence. The warranted bad press surrounding the financial woes of clubs proffers a tailormade excuse for sidestepping any kind of investment in the league at the minute.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

The top players will get roughlly the sme money.

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I don't think they will Dodge.
Who's going to give it to them?
Pat's only need 20 players, no one else has money to sustain the wages that have been spiralling out of control over the last few years.

I don't think the top wages can be continued at any one but Pats & maybe Bohs (will know more in coming weeks). I would guess City operating at something like 50% of 2008 budget next year. The end of 2k a week is in sight.

No one at Pats is on 2k a week

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Originally Posted by Dodge

No one at Pats is on 2k a week

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Thats what all these over-spending clubs seem to say.

The problem isn't paying top dollar for Fahey or Gamble or Heary, it's paying 80% plus of that for mediocre squad players. Players will be paid something more closely approximating to their market value for a few years, that's all.

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Originally Posted by Rovers Maniac

Thats what all these over-spending clubs seem to say.

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I've been saying we've been overspending for the last couple of years

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Originally Posted by Dodge

No one at Pats is on 2k a week

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It wasn't directed at Pats but I take your point.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

No one at Pats is on 2k a week

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what would Fahey be on as he is the best player in the LOI IMO

A little under that.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

The top players will get roughlly the sme money. Its the mid to lower level players who'll get less.

Every team in the premier division will have some full time professionals

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Is there a survey of what the players get paid?
I recall a newsppaer article a year or two back when Rivers were in lower division. Weekly wage bill is 28k (may have been inaccurate..no surprise)

For clusb like Kildare etc, what do they pay players?

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Originally Posted by Dodge

No one at Pats is on 2k a week

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You talking about over 2k too ? ;)

Wasn't they lad you sacked for being fat on over 3K ?