Coughlan – The truth is out there !
From last night's "I was out there once !" fanzine.
The truth,* they say,* will always be revealed.* As someone who works in the media industry and is a* Cork* City fan,* I beg to differ.* Many of us have spent recent months explaining to the ordinary non-League of Ireland Joe Soaps of this world just how exactly Cork City have found themselves in a mess so quickly after surviving the last one.* Answers vary:* leftover mess not dealt with properly,* the recession,* players wages bring too high,* a chairman who doesn’t know what he’s doing...* and the player factor apart,* it has probably been a mixture of the three others.*
However,* what is both alarming and frustrating in equal measure is the amount of people out there who believe our chairman is still* Cork* City’s white knight,* the man recently credited with* “saving*” Cork City Football Club.* The biggest factor in* Cork* City surviving examinership,* as stated in the High Court at the time,* was the efforts of FORAS,* the independent Supporters Trust,* and a letter* -* written by one of its members* -* of how ending the club’s existence would have a detrimental effect on the community.* Tom Coughlan was hailed as the saviour of City at the recent pre-Celtic match luncheon and judging by the speeches and praise that followed,* there is a healthy core of influential people in this city who believe just that despite some glaring counter arguments.*
I believe that Coughlan went into this adventure* (surely it must have been considered asuch by the man himself as everyone knows there’s no money to be made in Irish football*) with the intention of trying to help and get the club back on its feet.* However,* the moment he tried to play hard ball with the revenue and gambled the club’s survival on his ability to win that particular argument,* he lost my support.*
So I address these questions to those that are too busy doing PR for our chairman than trying to discover the frightening reality of the situation...*
How did a debt of* 400k in tax liabilities alone build up in the first place*?
Why were additional players signed at the start of the season*?
Why has our chairman repeatedly taken an aggressive stance towards FORAS and made misleading accusations about its membership*?
Why are FORAS volunteers no longer needed on match night having been a vital part of the cost saving initiatives at the beginning of the season*?
Why did the club go back on its initial intention to have FORAS actively involved in the club*?
If he is in this to ensure Cork City’s survival,* then why did he not walk away when a consortium offered to pay the tax bill and the rest of the debt which has surely mounted in the last couple of months*?
How are we going to pay the players everything they are owed until the end of their contracts*?
Why were Shamrock Rovers away supporters allowed pay cash on the gate and then issued no ticket at the recent league game at Turner’s Cross*?
Why are certain players and members of staff not paid at the same time of others*?
Why hasn’t Gareth Farrelly been paid his due after he won his case against the club*?
How much will the club be liable for following the decision to dismiss Alan Mathews just days before Christmas last year*?
Where exactly is the land in Little Island that the chairman claimed to have purchased for training facilities*?
Why are the youth teams being asked to pay their own way*?
How can we believe a word that is being uttered by someone who has proven incorrect over several matters already*?
Supporters have tried to raise these issues in public arenas in recent weeks only to be accused to creating additional negative publicity for the club.* And yet how much worse can it get if the club has broken workers rights,* gone back on promises made to players and staff and lost the respect of the* Cork community and wider footballing community in* Ireland*? News has filtered through that the club faces another winding up order in the near future* -* Gareth Farrelly is,* as he is entitled to,* following up on the money he is owed* -* and yet this merits only a brief mention in* Cork’s main local newspaper having made national headlines when it was issued with its first.*
The newspaper does,* of course,* have commercial deals with the club but if this prevents them from reporting* (never mind digging for*) the truth,* then in the interest of the public,* any arrangement should be ended.* It still amazes me that there are members of the public out there that believe everything they read in print.* Once you’ve seen the inside of the industry,* you become more of a cynic...* as there are more limitations and restrictions on reporting and what is printed nowadays than ever before.* But it is for the sake of those that read newsprint or listen to the presenter’s voice of authority and question what they are being told that we must ensure that the uncomfortable questions continue to be asked.*
If you practice truth,* then there is nothing to fear.* (ccfcchick)
