PCA League Proposal

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Members association in representing the views of their members only SHOCKER.

The idea of the vast majority of league clubs having anything of any value to bring to discussions with the FAI is insulting to the intelligence of anyone who follows the league. Poor clubs left without a voice my aras.

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So what clubs do you feel should have a vote and which shouldn't?

Have you ever been at a gathering of different clubs? My experience is that the vast majority of clubs have things they do very well and that the others can learn from. If we do need a league with at least two tiers (and I've never seen the UEFA rule that says this in fairness) then all clubs are needed to keep it working even at its current level. Focussing just on the top has been what has always been done and has got us nowhere, except a league of diminishing numbers. All very easy to take cheap shots and slag off clubs- but just keeping a senior club going is a hell of an undertaking and survival is an achievement in itself.

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Originally Posted by Mr A

So what clubs do you feel should have a vote and which shouldn't?

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Within the Premier Clubs Association??

Whoever they deem fit as members. Probably be some Premier Clubs..

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Have you ever been at a gathering of different clubs? My experience is that the vast majority of clubs have things they do very well and that the others can learn from. If we do need a league with at least two tiers (and I've never seen the UEFA rule that says this in fairness) then all clubs are needed to keep it working even at its current level. Focussing just on the top has been what has always been done and has got us nowhere, except a league of diminishing numbers. All very easy to take cheap shots and slag off clubs- but just keeping a senior club going is a hell of an undertaking and survival is an achievement in itself.

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This is all completely off the point.

If clubs want to talk to one another about the various daily minutiae of running clubs (which I'd be far too familiar with for my own good) then that's great. More power to them all.

That is completely different to a group advocating to the FAI. Which is what the PCA is.

And I'm not slagging anyone or taking any cheap shots.

What I will say is that you're either being disengenuous or naive.

Because I maintain that it's an insult to anyone's intelligence to suggest that the vast majority of league clubs have anything to offer in any discussions with the FAI.

Because in the vast majority of cases the opinion of the club will be whatever opinion the FAI have told them to have.

Because the vast majority of clubs are bought and paid for or over a barrell.

Is the Finn Harps delegate (and I'm only using harps as an example because your a harps man) going to go up to abbotstown and put it up to John and Fran?? He is in his hole.

You've a load of people on here howling about being excluded from something their clubs boards would run a thousand miles from.

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Within the Premier Clubs Association??

Whoever they deem fit as members. Probably be some Premier Clubs..



This is all completely off the point.

If clubs want to talk to one another about the various daily minutiae of running clubs (which I'd be far too familiar with for my own good) then that's great. More power to them all.

That is completely different to a group advocating to the FAI. Which is what the PCA is.

And I'm not slagging anyone or taking any cheap shots.

What I will say is that you're either being disengenuous or naive.

Because I maintain that it's an insult to anyone's intelligence to suggest that the vast majority of league clubs have anything to offer in any discussions with the FAI.

Because in the vast majority of cases the opinion of the club will be whatever opinion the FAI have told them to have.

Because the vast majority of clubs are bought and paid for or over a barrell.

Is the Finn Harps delegate (and I'm only using harps as an example because your a harps man) going to go up to abbotstown and put it up to John and Fran?? He is in his hole.

You've a load of people on here howling about being excluded from something their clubs boards would run a thousand miles from.

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Sure that could be said for 99% of the LOI clubs. Bar pats and Derry who rejected the 5k, what clubs have realistically put up any sort of challenge to the FAI? Even limerick gave in eventually over the Barcelona friendly fiasco.

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

in the vast majority of cases the opinion of the club will be whatever opinion the FAI have told them to have.

Because the vast majority of clubs are bought and paid for or over a barrell.

Is the Finn Harps delegate (and I'm only using harps as an example because your a harps man) going to go up to abbotstown and put it up to John and Fran?? He is in his hole.

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That's exactly the reason why their should be an alliance for all the league clubs - so somebody like Michael Cush can act as a representative of all the clubs. The clubs would all be in a much stronger position to negotiate with the FAI if they were all together and represented by a third party. That way, the FAI wouldn't be able to use their 'divide and conquer' strategies that they've been using for the last 10 yrs.

But unfortunately it looks like a handful of elite clubs (Dundalk, Cork, Rovers, Pats) are looking after their own self interest, to the detriment of all the other clubs and the league as a whole. Pity.

And when Fran did a ring around and told clubs back off and Mr. Cush was left standing with his **** in his hand??

Because that's what would happen in that scenario.

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Originally Posted by outspoken

Sure that could be said for 99% of the LOI clubs. Bar pats and Derry who rejected the 5k, what clubs have realistically put up any sort of challenge to the FAI? Even limerick gave in eventually over the Barcelona friendly fiasco.

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We went a hell of a lot further than anyone I have seen including Pats and Derry and we came out with a deal we were ok with in the end. The fact it could be said for 99% of clubs would back up LTIDs point anyway.

That is certainly a problem- clubs are terrified of the governing body. But that doesn't mean clubs don't have a contribution to make to policy related to the league. But unless the clubs can achieve some sort of unity that isn't going to change because we'll all hang separately. The FAI seem to be treating the PCA as if it represents the clubs, which is wrong because it clearly doesn't. It looks like the PCA has allowed itself to be used as a patsy here, so I would question whether there is any worth in that body unless seriously reformed.

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Originally Posted by Mr A

That is certainly a problem- clubs are terrified of the governing body. But that doesn't mean clubs don't have a contribution to make to policy related to the league. But unless the clubs can achieve some sort of unity that isn't going to change because we'll all hang separately. The FAI seem to be treating the PCA as if it represents the clubs, which is wrong because it clearly doesn't. It looks like the PCA has allowed itself to be used as a patsy here, so I would question whether there is any worth in that body unless seriously reformed.

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Totally agree it should be dissolved now in my opinion if the elite clubs want to push their own agendas let them do so themselves. The PCA does not represent the clubs at all.

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Originally Posted by Philosophizer

But unfortunately it looks like a handful of elite clubs (Dundalk, Cork, Rovers, Pats) are looking after their own self interest, to the detriment of all the other clubs and the league as a whole. Pity.

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Nothing new there then. Its always been that way.

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Originally Posted by Philosophizer

That's exactly the reason why their should be an alliance for all the league clubs - so somebody like Michael Cush can act as a representative of all the clubs. The clubs would all be in a much stronger position to negotiate with the FAI if they were all together and represented by a third party. That way, the FAI wouldn't be able to use their 'divide and conquer' strategies that they've been using for the last 10 yrs.

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The PCA should represent every League of Ireland club whether Premier or 1st Div.
I can't think of a single good reason why that shouldn't happen.

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Originally Posted by outspoken

Totally agree it should be dissolved now in my opinion if the elite clubs want to push their own agendas let them do so themselves. The PCA does not represent the clubs at all.

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The PCA should be restructured to represent all League of Ireland clubs.
If the PCA is dissolved then that will be it for the League of Ireland. Any chance of change will be gone for another 20 years & the LOI will lurch from one disaster to another like it always has.

Incidentally I don't think either Dundalk or Cork were in favour of the ten team league.

Cork City "voted" against it.

The only thing worse than a League of Ireland run by the FAI is one run by the clubs themselves.

So until a third party - probably commercial - organisation comes along with a big bag of money to lure the clubs away to a new structure, we're stuck with the clown show at Abbotstown.

I read somewhere it was Dundalk, Derry, Pat's and Shamrock Rovers that were for it.

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Originally Posted by MattB11

I read somewhere it was Dundalk, Derry, Pat's and Shamrock Rovers that were for it.

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I listened to an interview with Bohs president online on 98 fm and he confirmd their opposition to it. other Dublin clubs in top flight were asked by 98 fm what way they voted and they refused to give an answer so that sounds right. But why are Derry and Pats going for ten teamflight after them rejecting the €5k grant from the FAI?

The Bohs president's interview on 98FM is an interesting listen: http://www.98fm.com/podcasts/Now_Tha...l_Sport/56241/

The PCA have flat out refused to represent the First Division clubs but have graciously agreed to talk to them twice a year according to The Sun.

Does anyone know the full background to the PCA ?

- When was it set up ?
- Who made it happen, and what was the catalyst ?
- How does it run itself ?

It's right that clubs should have a voice vis-à-vis the FAI, but the PCA seems to be a very imperfect way of going about that.

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Originally Posted by Martinho II

I listened to an interview with Bohs president online on 98 fm and he confirmd their opposition to it. other Dublin clubs in top flight were asked by 98 fm what way they voted and they refused to give an answer so that sounds right. But why are Derry and Pats going for ten teamflight after them rejecting the €5k grant from the FAI?

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Exactly ,if you ask me Delaney has achieved what he set out to do.Split the clubs

The clubs were always split, the top teams don't see themselves as the same as the division 1 teams. If bohs were I'm their hay day they would vote in favour lickedy split