Or it could be wolf-crying. Again. It's hard to take what many clubs say seriously.
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Or it could be wolf-crying. Again. It's hard to take what many clubs say seriously.
Possible Stu. But if so, it is a very dangerous strategy for any LOI club especially one that has depended so recently on the generosity of its fan base (and beyond). Even by LOI clubs standard (not saying much ) such short term thinking would be crazy.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Shock as LoI club maybe engages in stupid strategy.
A lot of people at the meeting on Tuesday were very surprised by a slide showing examples of some of the fixed costs....ref fees, phones/heat, pitch maintenance, security (event controller required under licensing), floodlight maintenance, insurance, medical (physio, hospital, scans, ops etc) and a 3 or 4 more. They totalled 130K roughly. And they were just some of them. We were told there were plenty of others such as rent to the FAI, travelling costs etc. I know the pitch for example required a lot of work this season due to drainage problems. We were told that the most optimistic projected shortfall was 150K and pessimistic around 200K but the realistic figure was 185K. Of course it should be possible to shave off bits and pieces here and there once people can negotiate better deals with suppliers etc. The main thing seems to be that the income figures this year fell so far short of everyone's worst expectations that the income side for 2011 has to be virtually nil (slight exaggeration obviously but you get my drift). So huge fixed costs on one side and beyond pessimistic income on the other and there's your gap, be it 50K, 100K, 150K or 200K. Doesn't really alter the fact that there's no one there to underwrite it whatever it is. The message really was that the lads now running it need to have security of funds in order to try and put proper structures in place that ultimately will save the club money in the long-term. Can't really understand the scepticism on here myself given that it is supporters who are setting the budget and who have been given full access to the club's finances for quite a while now because the idea since last year was that they would take over the club.
The scepticism is because there are clubs smaller than Drogheda not looking at optimistic E150k shortfalls next season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Horus
They are in trouble of not getting a licence for the "budget of € 250,000 to € 300,000 for 2011". That is not the same as being in trouble of getting a licence.Quote:
Originally Posted by marinobohs
So again I ask, is it about getting a licence or about getting a licence for a budget that they reckon they can push for promotion with?
From the Drawda Indent article on page 2 -Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
Quote:
The club says it hopes to operate with a budget [...] which would allow Bobby Browne put together a squad capable of making a credible push for an immediate return to the Premier Division.
In fairness there's probably only a difference of 80 grand max between surviving in the first and pushing for promotion, nothing like the shortfall being talked about here.
Also as you reduce expenses on the playing side, projected income will fall on the other side.
I'm guessing the letter of comfort and no ones willingness to sign it is the main issue here.
And I'm sure that the FAI will enlighten the lads if there's some magic formula that they are missing in Hunky Dorys Park. However, it's probably not the best idea to compare clubs that have a) grounds provided by councils or universities and thus no associated maintenance costs or b) all-weather pitches that are by their very nature generating additional income with Drogheda's situation where they pay rent and are also responsible for all maintenance costs. If there are other direct comparisions with first division clubs, discussions with the FAI will unearth where savings can be made. Hopefully they can be. That's what everyone would want.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Limerick and Cork are two off the top of my head.
Also "all mainenance costs". What are we talking here??
Where we have a ground maintained by the college (though I'm not sure of the exact agreement there), ye have a club bar (which we can't have by virtue of our association with the college) and a ground sponsor. Swings and roundabouts there. And I'd say the maintenance bill at United Park is very small given the state of it at the best of times. (Yes, I like the away terrace, but the jacks for example have hardly had a penny spent on cleaning since I first visited ten years ago)
I thought that was exactly how they did clean them. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji-cT58rgNcQuote:
Originally Posted by Schumi
but surley clubs who own their ground have as much costs as a club who rents theres, as someone said its swings and roundabouts
Also bear in mind Drogheda have considerable income from weekday use of the car-park at United Park thanks to the adjacent hospital - at least €25,000 and thats a conservative estimate. Income from mobile phone companies for allowing antannae to be placed on the floodlight pylons, the weekly bingo (according to the guy that runs it) brings in €40,000, Billboard income from billboards at the rear of the away shed ,not tomention pitchside advertising boards. Lotto sales etc ....
All adds up to a tidy sum.
It's funny too to think that just two years ago Drogheda, Galway, Bohs, Cork and Derry were among the teams holding meetings to set up an All-Ireland League. The proposed league was praised by several journalists who should have known better as a potential saviour for Irish soccer, though the All-Ireland component of it consisted of a mere two Irish League teams, Glentoran and Linfield, the Belfast giants being the only clubs north of the border with sizeable support.
Odder still was the fact that this league, all of whose teams would consist of full-time professionals, could find no place for such traditional powers as Sligo Rovers and Dundalk, although it did propose to admit perennial underachievers Limerick 37 from the First Division.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...s-2466492.html
It is important not to forget the damage clubs like Drogheda tried to do to the league. Imagine the mess that would have been created had they got their way and tore the LOI apart chasing their Celtig Virus vision.
While many fans rightly feel empathy towards their fans, let's not forget that they were a malevolent influence in the league.
Or maybe they could see what was coming for them and shock horror but they tried to get changes that may have helped them survive. Glad they didn't get their wish coz agree it would have done a lot of harm but you can't blame them for wanting what they perceived to be best for their club.
People will have a view on an All-Ireland league, for or against. Anything that is a closed shop is not a good idea in my book. If a league had been formed without Sligo and Dundalk, it'd have been a disgrace.
Thankfully Drogheda and others did not get their way with that. It would have been a terrible mess.
I wouldn't bash the Drog's only for that though. There was a group of clubs looking for the Celtic Virus vision.
Everytime I look and hear about Drogheda's plight, I can't help but think about that late miss away to Dynamo Kiev. How the ball was shot over the bar when it was easier to score late on, I will never forget. The small margins in football games that can change a lot of things. I suppose that was the gamble they took with the casino like finacial gambling model and they were out of luck.
Agreed, there'd probably still be some sort of loss as income would drop, but at least there'd still be a club.Quote:
Originally Posted by White Horse
More about in the Sunday Indo today
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...s-2466492.html
Spot the Difference:
http://www.munsterlit.ie/Writer%20im...,%20Eamonn.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cuYgxkBtpK...Waffle+Pic.gif
Tis a tricky one, don't beat yourself up if you can't get it.
Ha ha!! ;)
Its actually a very funny set-up with Drogheda , people involed with the club are saying that the board have stepped down and the club is being run by the claret&blue club. New people are running day-to-day things up there and yet any c&b member (who are keeping the club afloat) will tell you that they had no say or vote on whats going on.:confused:
Old habits remain.
Not a very interesting article - more a Sligo "gloat" over the wrong of not including them in the proposed All Ireland League (author writing with his Sligo hat on and not a LOI one). Nothing of any significance and, given previous difficulties at Sligo they are hardly text book model financially either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Paddyfield
Would like to see Mr Sweeney write more positive articles on the LOI he professes to care about (if that is allowed at the Indo :o)
I agree with you on the point about the article been a gloat aboout Sligo but in fairness his articles over the years have been generally positive for the League.Quote:
Originally Posted by marinobohs
I have a lot of time for Eamon Sweeney after reading his excellent book on Sligo Rovers but his newspaper pieces are hit and miss. marinobohs has it spot on here.
He usually writes some great stuff, but thought his comment on the 'tradtional powers of Sligo and Dundalk' was a bit strange, more so for Sligo, last lge titles was in 1977 for them & 1995 for Dundalk (and trust me, will be a long time until the next one too !)
Agree Cuyahoga, excellent writer and his book about supporting Sligo was class but think its a great loss when any real LOI fan with media access writes "knocking" the League - apart from the fact its so easy :rolleyes:. Enjoyed his piece around the FAI Cup Final but not so this more recent effort.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuyahoga
LMFM radio sportsnews tonight reported that Drogs may have to go with an all amateur side for this year, with little hope of raising the money needed. I didnt hear the start of the report, so does this imply they wont even be in the FD next year ? I wouldn't like to see them drop out of the league, as any chance they have to re-build from the FD will be virtually gone if they depart senior football.
Will they drop to the A championship?
I take it Salthill and Mervue are all amateur sides so i don't see why Drogheda couldn't play First Division if these clubs can.
Sounds eerily familiar.Quote:
Originally Posted by iceman
Wexford have pretty much kept themselves amateur and have been developing little by little. It may be a state of play where an expanded Premier is pro or semi-pro, while the new 1st is only amateur. The same happens in many of the German leagues where payments are strictly forbidden (outside of expenses) and rules are rigidly enforced. It was certainly this way before the re-structuring of the leagues a while back, 1 club in the Hessenliga was thrown out for paying more than the allowed amount, it was a small difference but there was no leeway given.
There's no need for the first to be totally amateur - we just need licencing enforced (same as the premier) so clubs don't overspend. It appears to be more an issue in the premier division anyway - most first division clubs appear to be, or have, restructured their budgets to sustainable amounts. Drogheda just need to join this club!
You've a point, especially in terms of licence monitors, though a blind eye is turned too often to clubs behaving irresponsibly and this is more than just poor management. It's down to, "ah sure, the lads will sort if out." It's easy for the FAI to go after those out of favour (Big Tom being a prime example), though stopping under the table payments is one thing that would ensure clubs can at least compete on a level playing field. I await with no sense of hope the first player or official to be honest enough to step forward with the information that will put an end to a practice we all know and tolerate (especially when it's your own club and you want it to be successful). It'll take a scenario like The Untouchables to have it happen, though Kevin Costner hasn't the energy and Sean Connery doesn't much care for football.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
Latest on the Drogheda forum is that the club are going cap-in-hand to the fans again.
This time they want 100 fans to come up with €2000 each (€200,000).
Cant see them getting it.
that plan seems a bitQuote:
Latest on the Drogheda forum is that the club are going cap-in-hand to the fans again.
This time they want 100 fans to come up with €2000 each (€200,000).
Cant see them getting it.
http://rosemaryrowe.typepad.com/crea...Sky%5B4%5D.jpg
Can't see them finding 100 fans with that kind of cash to throw away. Will the fans get anything back in return barr a slightly better team fielded or is this money purely for the running of the club?
Drogheda need to just face up to facts it seems and have a squad of all amateurs. If this means struggling for the season then so be it but they have to start again from the looks of it and not try come back as competitive straight away.
Not until the second game of the season at least.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jofspring
They've launched it anyway. Really don't understand why they need (as opposed to want) that kind of money.