Governance of the FAI

“ In 2012/13, 30 Irishmen played 44,205 minutes in the top five European leagues. Last season, 16 Irish players registered 9,818 minutes between them at that elite level.”

I also wonder to what extent that’s about our inability to convince players from England, Northern Ireland and Scotland who would have previously been inclined to play for us.

Am I right in thinking that of our current squad, only Josh Cullen (and to a very minor extent Nathan Fraser) are guys who grew up outside the system and played in the top flight. In another world, all of Declan Rice, Jack Grealish, Conor Bradley and Andy Robertson are contributing to that number.

The likes of Gibson, McClean, Duffy, McCarthy, McGeady, Walters, Westwood, Cox would have all contributed to those numbers since 2012 and at least as far as i can see we’ve got significantly worse at converting irish eligible players to playing for the national team.

I know it’s just one element but I don’t think it’s insignificant

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by elatedscum

In another world, all of Declan Rice, Jack Grealish, Conor Bradley and Andy Robertson are contributing to that number.

---

I don't think there's any world where that's happening to be honest.

When you compare them to the capped dual national players you list (plus McClean, which is a bit strange!) the gap in ability is huge. Who was the last English player to play for us who was genuinely good enough to play regularly for England for example?

And should you not factor in similar players who were playing in 2012/13, which would re-open the gap between the two years?

Ciaran Clark is usually the answer to that. Capped, and captained, England at every underage level up to U20 before switching allegiance to Ireland

Good example I think, but he was never really in the same grouping as Robertson, Grealish and Rice. (Too early to tell with Bradley I think). I'm not sure he'd ever have been capped by England tbh. Never even played for their 21s

If that's the best example, then I think it backs up my point

He didn't play for their U21s because he'd changed allegiance when he was in the U20s
I'm not saying he'd have gotten 30+ caps, but he probably would have gotten a few caps before Villa were relegated, or while he was still with Newcastle

Remember meeting Clark and his family in a pub in Letterkenny a few years back. His alliegance was never in question, and a family that seemed properly proud of their Irish roots.

During a time when England were struggling a little with centre backs, he would almost certainly have got a few caps there. I think he was a consistently under-rated player for us and done very well when called upon. It's a pity his career has nose-dived a little in recent seasons.

Interview with Gareth Farrelly on the42
https://www.the42.ie/gareth-farrelly...74415-May2024/

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soc...stown-33025625

Guessing most of you have seen Minister of Sport Thomas Byrne on OTB yesterday about the FAI pitch for development monies but for those who haven't, it got this response, so far.

Probably the worst possible time for football to be looking for money at the moment, just coming out of the Olympics. Every second minority sport in the country is at it's highest profile point in the four year olympic cycle right now and has it's hands up looking for cash. Remember that right now our Olympians are "heroes", and our footballers are "overpaid failures".

Government spending on sport in total is the real issue, no? We rank near bottom in the EU.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statis...s&oldid=637614

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eirambler

Probably the worst possible time for football to be looking for money at the moment, just coming out of the Olympics. Every second minority sport in the country is at it's highest profile point in the four year olympic cycle right now and has it's hands up looking for cash. Remember that right now our Olympians are "heroes", and our footballers are "overpaid failures".

---

There's never going to be a good time though.
It remains a valid request based on participation and potential employment, at any stage, whether else is going on. The manager search extended farce shedding a CEO & what looks very like an absolute charlatan remaining in situ are just as damaging.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

There's never going to be a good time though.
It remains a valid request based on participation and potential employment, at any stage, whether else is going on. The manager search extended farce shedding a CEO & what looks very like an absolute charlatan remaining in situ are just as damaging.

---

Id imagine that the absolute farce of the last year or so is the biggest factor in Governments attitude to the FAI right now. On the day that they were supposed to present their case to the Oireachtas Committee for a increase in government funds they got bogged down with the farce of the redacted emails and never even had time to move on to the reason they were there in the first place. Now we have a situation where they CEO recruitment might take as long as the manager hunt, but at least the Interim CEO continues to "airgap" as necessary.

I hate the amount of money that goes to Greyhounds etc, but right now the FAI need to get their own house in order before they can quibble about the Governments attitude towards them.

D McD reporting that Canham was promoted to stave off interest from the UK. Personally I'd have booked him a first class flight to the nearest airport to whatever city the supposed interest came from, but it seems the suits on the board actually rate the man.

When the manager search was ongoing Canham said the following “I think as part of the process, we do want a coach who will come in and work with us in partnership and create that coaching team around it”. https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...265339996.html

Was thinking the new role Canham has given himself had something to do with this partnership vision. Unclear what his ultimate personal ambitions within the FAI are.

However, looking at his Linkedin, his new role Chief Football Officer is “Leadership and responsibility of all Football Development from Grassroots through to our Senior International Teams across the Men’s and Women’s game. Providing leadership of all Football related strategies to maximise our potential and grow pathways for all at every level of the game.”

His previous role as Director of Football was “Responsible for Irish Football Development, creating pathways for all from Grassroots through to International across the Men’s and Women’s game.”

It’s basically the same responsibilities, no? Except the addition of word leadership. Note when first appointed by the FAI his job description was very much leadership intended https://www.fai.ie/latest/fai-appoin...football-role/
The words leader or leadership are used 7 times in that FAI press release.

So can only conclude, it’s not a promotion per se – but a title change, and this, and supposed interest from the UK, is being used as a justification for a pay increase.

I wouldn't put much stock in what people write on linkedin. CEO is a well defined role in corporate governance. He'll have broader responsibilities in terms of the commercial side of the organization. All of the other C-suite people now report to him. It's more than a pay bump. It's significantly more responsibility than Chief anything else.

He's not the CEO. His new title is Chief Football Officer which I believe is a new title within the FAI's corporate structure. Maybe he has more responsibility now than before, not sure where.

I misread something there, all right. So he's gone from Director of Football to Chief Football Officer. The difference there seems murky as you say.

For some reason Chief Wiggum is coming in to my mind !

I was thinking Judean People's Front v People's Front of Judea