Partial full time set up (Article in paper)

The Irish Mail on Sunday has a two thirds page interview with Pete Mahon today. He says the club want to bring in three or four experienced players to be employed full time by the club to carry out our coaching in the community scheme. Martin Russell was also visiting Man United, Middlesborough, West Brom and Oldham to develop links with us. Unfortunately Eddie Wallace has taken up the post of youth development officer in Bray. The article also says Bermingham looks set to move to Stockport at the end of the season, no source or reasoning given. Pete is also talking about how valuable an asset Sammon can be for us financially, so either he hasn't signed up with Derry or something is being kept highly secret.

Just to say, my interpretation of this is that by having four full time players we're talking about four players employed full time by the club between football and coaching kids meaning we can afford to have four relatively highly paid players. This could enable us to hold onto one or two players who are good enough to move to a bigger club but won't be moving onto England or it could allow us to bring in that extra bit of quality that would see us challenging for or at least on the edge of a European or Setanta spot. Obviously I don't think we'll be bringing in your Jason Byrnes or Pat McCourts but we're not competitive in the transfer market at all usually picking up the scraps. Combined with our Dublin location and a slightly more competitive wage Pete might actually get to do what he wants in the window. From the article it sounds like this will take place next season.

Sounds interesting. Think one or two "outside", experienced, players would make a huge difference to us, kind of like having Swan, Mooney and Hanrahan around 2000.

However, the previous "full-time" reports were Pete winding up Setanta, so I wouldn't read too much into it just yet. :p

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Sounds interesting. Think one or two "outside", experienced, players would make a huge difference to us, kind of like having Swan, Mooney and Hanrahan around 2000.

However, the previous "full-time" reports were Pete winding up Setanta, so I wouldn't read too much into it just yet. :p

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It's a reasonably detailed outline of things in the interview and we've heard talk of such developments at the club so I'll take a positive outlook on this one. However, if Peter Hynes turns out to be one of these full time experienced signings I'll burn my season ticket.:p

Excuse my laziness; anyone got a link to this?;)

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Originally Posted by Sniffer

Excuse my laziness; anyone got a link to this?;)

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Get up off your backside and head to your local newsagents.;)

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Originally Posted by Poor Student

Get up off your backside and head to your local newsagents.;)

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He would have to purchase the Mail then. Next you'll be telling him to buy the Sunday Independent. :eek:

It gives better converage to the eL than any non-broadsheet on a Sunday. Could be better than the broadsheets too but I can't open them handy enough while dossing at work.:o

I think we may have tried to set this up for the current season- we attempted to sign Alan Kirby, Gary O'Neill and another high profile player who I can't remember during the close season.

Who wrote the article? Anyone from the club quoted? Sounds similar to what Pete said in his Setanta interview- maybe he'll give more away tomorrow night.;) Agree with what PS is saying- if we can hold onto more of our young players we will consistently challenge for Europe.

Pete's quoted. Article is by Stephen Finn. Pat's fan, I think - usually has a column in their programme.

Any chance of a scan? Bring it along tomorrow if not.

Putting it into the next newsletter -

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Mahon has plans to make his side a more formidable outfit by then (the move to Belfield Bowl). While UCD have long been recognised as a fine production line of young talent, their manager is now planning to bring some experienced heads into the dressing room.
“Quite simply, we’re fed up with being a bottom four club. We want to be top four and to achieve that, I feel we need experience”, he explained. “The plan is to bring in perhaps four experienced players who can combine playing with coaching in the community. They would be full time footballers.
“We feel that we have the resources in place now to be able to bring that sort of experience to our squad. Ultimately we want to be able to develop relationships with local clubs where, with their permission, we can take young players here and develop them.
“The FAI has just confirmed a compensation scheme for domestic clubs so we can feel that we can offer the clubs the security of knowing we won’t be just poaching players. I’ve always operated on the basis of honesty and I think the clubs that I’ve dealt with would always appreciate that.”
Mahon’s assistant Martin Russell spent last week visiting Manchester United, Middlesbrough, West Brom and Oldham Athletic to develop links with the Belfield side. It is all working towards a changing the face of UCD as a club but Mahon acknowledges that the Students will always be associated with producing younger talent.
Three of his players – Darren Quigley, Shane McFaul and Conor Sammon – are in the Irish U-21 squad for Friday’s UEFA Championship qualifier against Portugal.
Left-back Ian Bermingham – who looks set to move to Stockport County at the end of the season – is in Seán McCaffrey’s U-19 squad for two friendlies this week.
“It’s a good sign that so many of our players are getting international recognition. Greg Bolger and Timmy Purcell were capped at U-19 level earlier this year too”, said Mahon. “We’ve had lots of clubs looking at our players but the days of players moving on for £50,000 are numbered.
“Roy O’Donovan is a very good player, but is he ten times better than Conor Sammon? I don’t think so. In a year’s time, with more football under his belt, I’m quite confident that Conor could be a very valuable asset for this club. The question will arise then as to whether it is in our interests to let talented players go or keep them here. If we want to be a top four side, we need to keep our best players.”
Mahon is planning on changing the training week for his squad with morning and afternoon sessions on the agenda, to move as close to a full time set up as possible. The departure of key backroom staff member Eddie Wallace for the youth development officer’s role at Bray Wanderers will have a temporary impact. Mahon insists that it will be all systems go on seeking out the best young players in this country for his club.
“We’ve got strong links with the schoolboy game around the country. I got Ian Bermingham through a former St Francis player of mine, Stephen O’Reilly. That will always make up part of who we are. We’ll still be going to schoolboy matches every Sunday morning but we’re also looking to develop things longer term. I don’t like the word ‘academy’, but it’s certainly in our plans to make sure we can grow the schoolboy side of things from within. That’s where the experienced guys will come in.”

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