Originally Posted by
barney
How can the FAI be held responsible for Shels and Dublin City? Should the responsibility not have been on the clubs themselves? Shels lived beyond their means and took a big gamble on making the European breakthrough. It backfired. You don't hear many people in England taking a pop at the FA over Leeds United. You don't see the head of the Spanish FA being held accountable because Real Madrid overspent by tens of millions and had to be bailed out by the government. That's because they dug their own hole like Shels. When the FAI had to take action they did and relegated Shels this season. It was something most people here said they were too spineless to do.
Dublin City was unsustainable due to their lack of infrastructure and support. That isn't the FAI's fault. Perhaps they shouldn't have been given a license to play last season but is that exclusively the fault of the FAI? What about the eircom League. Again, I'm only asking coz I'm not all that familiar with the process. In England clubs go into administration all the time (and occasionally fold) but the head of the FA is not held accountable, because it is seen primarily as the club's responsibility to ensure that they are sustainable.
Look at Longford this season. The FAI have potentially saved them with the firm but fair way that they have dealt with them. They deducted them 6 points and warned them that they'd be out if they didn't sort themselves out. Longford seem to have gotten the message.
They licensing process is new and, like anything new, surely there will be teething problems. The situation now is surely better than it was 5-10 years ago?
In net terms are they putting more money in than before? If so, at least it shows a commitment to investing in the game. If what you say is true, and I have no doubt that it is, then I believe, like you, that they could distribute it better. Has anyone asked the FAI for the reasons they have chosen to divide the money up like this and if so what was the reply?
I know little of the Genesis report to be honest. What goal do you think Delaney may have had in mind? Did he implement its recommendations or not (someone else said he didn't on this thread)? What could and should have been done differently?
Not really. He hired the wrong man and gave him too long of a contract. Fair enough. Maybe he saw van Basten and Klinsmann and thought Stan the Plank could do something similar. He said he'd deliver a 'world class' manager and clearly didn't.
But who was the alternative? Dalglish, Venables, Kerr, Aldridge, Stapleton, Burley? All has beens or never weres and they were the names bandied about at the time. They probably all would have done better than than Stan but would hardly have been world class either.
If he sacks Stan now, who comes in? It costs the FAI a million to pay Stan off and then fork out another big(ger) wage to get a new man in (coz the new man couldn't be a 'rinky dink' manager.) Then there is no guarantee that the new man will get us to the World Cup. So the FAI would be forking out millions to be essentially in the same position. Would that be responsible use of the Association's funds?
If that was true and could be proven then yes there is a case to answer.
I'm not trying to say John Delaney is some sort of great fella or anything. Obviously he isn't but people are just looking for a pound of flesh here. How would the game here improve if Delaney resigned? If things are that bad, then is it not the structure of the FAI that needs changing. From what I understand, they have made massive changes in the last twelve months, and these things need time to bed in.