John Delaney

I heard him say it on the phone to Matt Cooper... was surprised to hear it.

It made me think all this sanctimonious bleating will come back to bite him on the ar-se. How many dodgy decisions are made every week in the LOI? When an example of blatant cheating happens in a big game and is caught on camera, what will he say when the floods of protest start coming in? he will look a wee bit hypocritical. What if a similar incident happens in the cup final? would he sanction/order a replay? or no (i.e. this game isnt really all that important and we will let it slide?)

I just pray when the day comes it isnt us! faaaaaaaaarrrrce

Personally i'll see how the off-season goes but this sways my opinion. He has chosen the side of the fence for himself, nothing to do with me. It was a stupid comment to make, and no one can disagree with that. The knives were out for him long before now for him (and i never had one out, i always said he needed the room to operate) but with these type of comments its inevitable. Sod it, i'm not gonna shuffle around this at all ..... i dont like that fact he said it. I wont apologise for it and its just one of the points/events/opinions/whatever that have formed my take on the guy. Thats the way it works and he knew that.

He put his head on the block, he can deal with it. Does he run down junior football that same way?

delaney totally right its not bohs v water ford etc its world cup play off, of couse its more important, jesus some people on here get annoyed over anything, as maribor said if delaney said said sunderland v wigan yis would complain

i wonder if the same thing happened sunday would the FAI replay the game. no!

While not complimentary, I don't think it was a 'kick in the balls' to the league- but rules are rules everywhere and must be universal. Therefore if he thinks a rematch is appropriate in this case, it must be applicable everywhere there is proven injustice. Which is the main reason a replay could never happen anyway. Its incredibly silly reasoning for a 'clutch at straws' whinging request. He is a tw@t.

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Originally Posted by mandrake

delaney totally right its not bohs v water ford etc its world cup play off, of couse its more important, jesus some people on here get annoyed over anything, as maribor said if delaney said said sunderland v wigan yis would complain

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You sir, talk sense, a good quality to have.

Because supporting Ireland is supporting your country instead of your town/city.

Surely thats a little bit more important than your club?

This fool has insulted supporters of League of Ireland and should apologise.


Not only did he quote Bohs v Waterford at his own press conference, he repeated it on Matt Cooper's show an hour later. Listened to it back on the recording and hardly could be described as a slip of the tongue.


What an arrogant git. The LoI clubs rounded together last year because the FAI were more interested in the International scene than the domestic game. Here's further proof.


Following hot on the heels of the the League Director defending the lack of First Div coverage on MNS because 'you don't put your worst suits in the window of Louis Copeland', Mr. Delaney kicks a league that is already on it's knees.


Remember Delaney got a SIX YR CONTRACT extention till 2012 and one of his mantras was the LoI thriving under his strewardship.


In any other business, this chancer would be a dead man walking but not in the cosy FAI circle. Even though he demeans the club, Waterford, which gave him a first route into the corridors of FAI power.

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Originally Posted by Riddickcule

Yeah Roy Keane summed up John Delaney pretty well, such a gormless fellow imo.

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Think it says more about Keane to be honest. Delaney wasn't C.E. at the time of the 2002 World Cup, it was Brendan Menton, so why would Keane be pi$$ed off that he didnt call him. Just sticking his oar in as usual.

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Originally Posted by Riddickcule

Because supporting Ireland is supporting your country instead of your town/city.

Surely thats a little bit more important than your club?

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Eh, no.
A very distant 2nd.

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Originally Posted by Riddickcule

Because supporting Ireland is supporting your country instead of your town/city.

Surely thats a little bit more important than your club?

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No...

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Originally Posted by Riddickcule

Because supporting Ireland is supporting your country instead of your town/city.

Surely thats a little bit more important than your club?

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No, no it isn't.

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Originally Posted by mandrake

delaney totally right its not bohs v water ford etc its world cup play off, of couse its more important, jesus some people on here get annoyed over anything, as maribor said if delaney said said sunderland v wigan yis would complain

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Except Bohs are the best team in the country

I'm not denying that of course it's more important I'm just saying it's disappointing that he's involving the best team in this country as a metric of something unimportant

Had he followed the Premiership example you can be sure he wouldn't have said Manchester United

I've been reading this forum for a number of years primarily to keep an eye on the Sligo Rovers forum but also the Ireland forum.

Prior to this I have not been moved to post a reply to a thread but this thread, for me, typifies the idiotic [MOD EDIT - NOT ON FOOT.IE] that is spouted by alot of League of Ireland fans, of which I am one.

Let's make this clear, Delaneys point was a simple one: this was not a case of cheating in a League of Ireland game where the exposure to such cheating would be confined at most to supporters of both of the clubs. On the contrary, Henry's act of cheating (if you wish to call it that) was carried out on the world stage and therefore the damaging effect to football as a whole was maximised.

And he's 100% correct. Its a valid point - there isn't a soccer fan in the world that hasn't seen the handball incident in the match the other night and it is incredibly damaging to the sport to be seen to allow such things to happen without reprimand or sanction.

Just on Delaney, I've been supporting the League of Ireland since the first Sligo Rovers game I attended in the 1985-86 season against Longford. I was smitten and the League won me over over the following two weeks when we played Bohs and Derry. The latter brought an incredible crowd with them that, to a young fella, seemed to fill the showgrounds. Anyway, the league and the FAI as I've been growing up has been run like a circus. Since Delaney took over I've seen a marked improvement in the administrative structures of the association and he has overseen the implementation of a regulatory structure over the League of Ireland. Sure there have been some fudges but that is inevitable when you are trying to effect change in a political organisation such as the FAI and League of Ireland. But it is my view that if Delaney gets to finish the job he started the league will be a better place. The League this year was fantastic and the most interesting it has been in years.

Delaney has proven commercial experience which I must stress is of paramount importance if you want to run a large organisation such as the FAI. Prior to his appointment we had, for example, sales reps running the show. No offence to all who may get offended but that is a recipe for disaster and it is the reason we had the circus we had for so many years.

So give him a break. He is doing a fairly good job and to be honest lads, he's one of the few people within the game in thsi country with the intellect and desire to run the FAI.

If ye're lucky I will return to make pronouncements in respect of why I think the League of Ireland will never materially grow from the level it is at now.

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Originally Posted by gustavo

Had he followed the Premiership example you can be sure he wouldn't have said Manchester United

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True!

This is simple. In making his point, he was trying to establish a clear contrast between something that is vitally important, on one side, and, on the other, something that everyone would recognise as deeply unimportant.

In that sense, it was a deliberate (he said it twice) slight on Bohs, Waterford -- allegedly his own club -- and the League.

The implication is that a League of Ireland match should be considered or officiated differently to a World Cup play off. That is entirely incorrect. It is disparagging to the League of Ireland. For such a remark to come from the mouth of highest ranking official in Irish Football is mortifying.

what happened last wed was not bohs or waterford but our countries biggiest game in years one that could have and should have had a massive financial and emotional lift for everybody in the country (except the roy keane fanclub).
So he is right on the button and for does who feel hurt ,ring joe duffy

I think its hailarious that Delaney is looking for "fair" treatment and others within the Irish camp bemoaning the fact that big teams get their way, and then turn around and imply it would be easy to dismiss the claims for fairness if it was only a league game

Either you want fairness for all or you don't

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Originally Posted by passerrby

So he is right on the button and for does who feel hurt ,ring joe duffy

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He is NOT right on the button. He could have said - and maybe even meant to say - ''this is not a 5-a-side kickabout after work were talking about, its a world cup playoff..."

but no, without being prompted, the man with ultimate responsibility for stopping this league being a laughing stock further undermines it with a stupid throwaway remark.

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Originally Posted by el punter

but no, without being prompted, the man with ultimate responsibility for stopping this league being a laughing stock further undermines it with a stupid throwaway remark.

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If I had been in his position I would have used a LOI example as well. Why? Because I spend most of my time thinking about the LOI.