Now I'm angry

Right Lads,

I have just heard a rumour from a good source that Dundalk are possibly 4 weeks behind on the payment of wages to their players and Haylock will be soon heading up the north. Now the Drogs were 1 week behind (which was paid) and we got slated from every angle, Sean from Derry wanted displinary action taken against us.

Now you will notice that none of this will appear in the press, the el will not impose sanctions and the players will not threaten to go on strike. But it happen to the Drogs.

I hear also that our new consortium is being held up by some clubs in the el who have vested interests in us staying in trouble. ie Derry and Bray. And Seans (Derry) post this morning ties in very well with Derry putting their spokes in the wheels. Not very fair now is it.

Now like I said I have heard this from a second source and there may very well be some incorrect info but as they say there's no smoke without fire.

On what basis can Derry and Bray object to us taking in some much needed finance?

Surley this cannot be allowed. This smacks of sour grapes.

Like I said before, it seems that other clubs do not respect us and would rather like us to be not in any league at all never mind the preimer division. From what I'venoticed since becoming a Drogs supporter, it seems that we get the raw deal in this league. Why???? What did we do to deserve this???

trying to survive and now we are with the big boys, the league has a bad pres sover the years and now you can see why, its a political jungle.

See the Derry lads on the el message board have taken offense to what I have brought into the spotlight, but one of them is rasing points very similar to the objections I have heard that Derry are raising to our new consortium.

This guy is saying because we have hit finanical trouble we should be made an example of. He's trying to use the point that apparently (because he knows everything that went on in our club) we signed players knowing we couldn't afford them - one point he fails to think about is "why the hell would we do this, as at the time we going well in the league??? why would we knowingly put ourselves in this situ???

So they can gloss it up all they want, simple -point is that we are being used a political football by the bigger boys.

I for one won't forget it and other Drogs shouldn't either.

Yeah agree totally, this will not be forgotten :mad:

Don't Derry remember the sh*t they were in not too long ago. The had to beg Celtic to come and play them to raise cash.

I don't want to start trowing mud in the direction of the Derry fans who said this without reading the comments first.

Sean Drog -Where is this el message board you are refering to?

Here it is, young sir



http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/91456

Lads,

The position of a club in financial difficulties is a very emotional one as we (Derry) fans know only too well.

However I think youse are all a bit paranoid. As far as I know, the only claim that Derry are involved has come from Drogheda fans. We had a shareholder's meeting on Monday and had I known of your claims at this stage I would have raised it but I didn't know of it at the time

Let me asssure you that Sean's post is a personal post and is in now way linked with information he recieved from the club or any other source but I believe that some of the other points that he raised are very relevant.

I remember askign Drogs fans at the opening game at the season how you could afford the setup and they claimed that O2 Park was going to be sold and the revenue of that, combined with the 02 sponsorship was more than enough.

Drogheda don't own 02, and they are behind in ther rent, so how could they claim to sell it?

Money problems don't come about overnight but over a period. Questions have to asked of tose that planned the budget at the start of the seaosn if they believed that they could sustain the finance for the long run. If not, why continue to sign and pay players. If we are talking of reliable sources, I am told that Drogheda are paying 8 full timers and 22 part timers. Compare this to Derry. We have a full time manager and 2 full time players. I am not beginning haughty but we would have a better chance of success that Drogheda.

Therefore, if it is true, I would agree that questions ahev to asked if members of the board continue to remain involved, is there didn't know how to budget at the start of the season I hope they have gained some business acumen over the course of the season.

As for slinging mud, would you ever grow up. Yeah, we were in money problems and it is precisely because of that I personaly would look upon the new consortium with scepticism. Yeah, I want Drogheda to do well but surely they should not be allowed to lurch from liquidation to the next crisis.

Take it that you have to be at UEFA license standards by Nov 2003- the condition of your ground never mind the off the field criteria would seem to be a far off dream at this stage.

Its none of your concern how Drogheda finance the club. That's the whole point of Seàn's claims. As long as we're not selling cocaine to fund the club then it's nobodys business but the board of DUFC.

did Derry supporters become SO interested in off the field activiites in Drogheda United, what business is it of yours who we have in our club, are you the el watchdogs???

The very fact that you come on here with such indept knowledge of the going on's in our club only cements my view that your club is interferring, I follow footie in Ireland and wouldn't have this level of knowledge on any other clubs board room politics, simply because its none of my business.

As for mud slinging - sorry if the truth hurts but Derry nearly went under a few years back and now here you are telling us how to run a club, pardon me if I think thats a bit rich.

One difference between you and us.
1. We dont have a John Hume to organise friendlies with major European powers to help us out.

Quote:

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Originally posted by pconnor
Its none of your concern how Drogheda finance the club.

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Fair enough but then how is it your concern how Dundalk finance themselves?

sorry I said anything about Dundalk, if what I've heard is true then let their supporters bury their heads in the ssand , if its turns out to be false, then I hold my hands up and was misinformed.

Now how does this relate to Derry, one I thought I was doing what was best letting their supporters know what is being said behind closed doors.

I am not trying to prevent Dundalk from sorting their finances out, I,m not trying to claim they have broken league rules.

Big difference do you not think?

Sean

You are saying we are a bit rich?

I believe that in my post I didn't attempt to tell you how to run your club but said that it was in all our interests that Drogheda are a healthy and WELL RUN club.

Any information found in my post was my own information, in no way connected with any information anyone involved with Derry told me.

Your claim that we are intimating that Drogheda broke league rules seems to be without basis- the claim made was to the foolishness of such actions, not the legality of it.

If, and I stress if, Derry are involved in questioning the structure and long term plans of the consortium then I would say fair play to them as the questions have to be asked.

As I said in my last post, what is the point in letting a club like Drogheda slide from one liquidatin- surely you as a support can understand the need for financial prudence rarely than be faced with a crisis every week. Sure it is tempted to have a load of English players over, but where has it got you.

As for differences between us and you, yeah John Hume is a major one but it is not the only one. There are tax implication in terms of rates of tax on players wages in the North which mean that the club has to pay the player a lot more before tax in the North than they would in the South.

Derry fans have stood up and backed the currecnt board, yeah we wish we signed a few more players but if it is the difference between financial ruin or mid table mediocrity then I know which one I would choose

You claim that clubs are trying to prevent your club sorting its finances out? Could you abck that up? Surely by asking for verifiable deadlines for payments and other budgeting issues the BOM(Board of Management) is ensuring that the finances are sorted out and not allow to disintegrate as seems to have occurred this time around

As I said at the beginning, that as a supporter this is a very emotive issue and tempers can become flared.

our point of view.

We have had mismanagement this season leading to difficulties (just like 90% of other clubs in hte last 20yrs), a consortium was formed who are going to put the money in which is required - problem solved. Then we hear that a club which nearly went under a few years back is holding things up. How would you react?

We have no alternative but to go with this consortium, the other option is to go under, we do not have lots of people willing to help the club out, we are a small club with a limited number of investors and when we get people to invest outside people seem to interfer.

How would you feel?