Originally Posted by
Nesta99
These wage budget discussions that break out frequesntly are great entertainment. To sum things up Dundalk have a lorry load of kitchen sinks to throw at players and Cork dont have any sinks left. Everyone bar Dundalk and Cork have the 4th highest budget except for the bottom 3 or 4 who pay expenses and some dont bother paying players at all....
Every supporter is likely to inflate other clubs spending, often with a dose of moral outrage at the alleged contract offers, and then underestimate their own level of spending to be upheld as the example of sporting integrity and financial prudence. In reality no supporter knows what is offered to players especially players that sign for rival clubs. It is no doubt rooted in disappointment that a player opts for another club and that has to be to do with money and only money. Mostly it is to do with money but I'm sure there are players that have signed for clubs that havent offered the best terms and for plenty of reasons like the chance to win silverware, play in Europe, play for a hometown club or one a player has grown up supporting.
Sidewayspasser is probably right about the way an 'increase' in European prizemoney is being presented by UEFA. It is more or less CL QR2 money with EL QR2 added give or take 50k. So 800k was a reasonable estimate of the minimum that Cork will get this season. As it was budgeted for already there isnt a significant bonus pot to dip in to now without breaking a budget. JC was clumsy in how he presented that there isnt a significant unexpected additional payment, I can see what he was getting at. There was an increase but via restructuring of the competitions and could be a fairly accurately esitimated minimum before UEFA announcments in May. He was lowering expectation in case supporters thought there was a windfall and would expect the squad to be strengthened. Dundalk in the past made sure that supporters knew the significant lump that came out of European money especially before the 2016 EL, and even then 8mil or whatever that Dundalk got was a gross figure and the net figure while not insignificant was nowhere near the top end of figures bandied about.
Caulfield didnt need to comment on Dundalk's recent outlay in the 2 signings imo, while I dont know what question was asked that led to the huge money comments and that the huge money McEleney was on at Oldham obviously means he is on huge money at Dundalk. He was up to a bit of mischief making by alluding to Dundalk spending 'huge' money but are only 2 points ahead in the league for all the outlay. He was having a bit of a wind up moment there but nothing new in that and is a bit par for the course for JC. The comments could be contrived as deflection, making excuses for possibly not retaining the league etc. I'd have preferred at times that Stephen Kenny hadnt made certain comments, like the awarding of penalties stuff, as I felt it did a disservice to him by making him sound petty. SK is many things but I dont think he is a master of public mind games and so should rise above the petty point scoring efforts. If I were a Cork fan Id be thinking the same about Caulfield as it does come across as thinking too much of whats going on with Dundalk and not just getting on with things in Turners Cross. To use and example, its sounding a bit like (not exactly the same as) the 'as long as we beat England I dont care if we are otherwise muck' type thinking.
