Breaking News - Dolan to Retake Reins at St Pat's
Ousted Cork City supremo Pat Dolan will tomorrow launch a sensational bid to take control of former club St Patrick's Athletic in a deal which could net the Inchicore club up to €5 million. Builder and developer Mick Wallace and, incredibly, Shelbourne Honorary Secretary Ollie Byrne are involved in a bid which will see a massive cash injection into the cash-starved Inchicore club, along with a groundshare with Shelbourne at Tolka Park and the selling off of Richmond Park, the ground Dolan christened "The Stadium of Light."
Dolan has decided to reveal his plans through the fan's website foot.ie and gave an exclusive interview. "It's important that the fans hear it first, not journalists and editors who couldn't care less for Irish football."
Dolan, who was ousted from the "Rebel Army" in the close season following boardroom rows, has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Wexford-born Wallace, whose construction and property development companies have allegedly had their eye on the Inchicore site of Richmond Park for some time now. But Dolan's relationship with Byrne has always been tenuous, and was particularly enflamed during the infamous 2001-02 "Marneygate" season, when Dolan's St Pat's team were denied the League Championship due to an administrative punishment pushed for by Byrne.
Nevertheless, the two men are understood to have grown close since Dolan's departure from Turner's Cross and have embarked on Dolan's latest project to consolidate his position in Irish football.
Under the deal, Wallace will part-finance a deal which will make Dolan Chief Shareholder at St Pat's and within a year move the entire Pat's outfit from Inchicore to Tolka Park. Wallace's company will then take part in a rejuvenation of Tolka Park, adding much-needed capacity. The proposal is understood to include the building of new offices to accommodate the arrival of the Southside club.
The deal has the backing of Shels' Ollie Byrne, who is now seeking to convince the Reds' shareholders that a proposed move to North County Dublin will now not be in the best interest of the club. Wallace and Dolan, meanwhile, are expected to make the Richmond Park site available for building, in line with the recent spate of apartments lining the banks of the River Camac. Dolan will act as both on-field and off-field supremo, although hopes to retain much of the current staff.
"This deal will mark a new beginning for Pat Dolan, for St Patrick's Athletic Football Club and for Irish football. It will put St Pat's back where they belong. St Patrick's Athletic FC have the potential to become the biggest club in the country and my aim is to make that happen.”
“I loved the Rebel Army but this is the challenge I needed. We may not have a full-time set up like Shels and Drogheda but within a few months I want people to look around and say the SuperSaints are a full time professional football club."
“My preference will be for local-based Dublin players and players who want to play for the shirt.” Dolan added. “I will have to assess the playing and background staff but I’d be foolish not to bring in people I have worked with and trust.”
His time in Cork has, Dolan feels, made him a "better manager, better communicator, and better person" and he retains a strong interest in the club. "Here's one for the journalists out there - I don't like the Rebel Army. I Love the Rebel Army!"
He is expected to ask current Saints boss John McDonnell to remain as his assistant but the move may yet backfire on Dolan due to the concerns of Pat's Chairman Andy O'Callaghan and the anti-Dolan sentiment amongst radical fans group Independent Saints.
Other concerns with the deal are the dual stumbling blocks of Dublin City, who are currently renting Tolka Park for their First Division home games, and Dublin City Council, the landlords at Tolka Park. But with the launch of his plan tomorrow, Dolan claims that with the backing of Wallace, Byrne and a strong heritage at his former club, April 1st will mark a new beginning for all concerned.
