Rooney resigns as FAI boss

From the Irish Times

Rooney resigns as FAI boss





03/11/2004: FAI Chief Executive Fran Rooney has become the latest boss of football’s governing body to leave the post having agreed a severance package last night. Following negotiations over the last few days the former Baltimore Technologies chief executive made the decision to leave the post and it is believed he will receive a six figure compensation package for the remaining 18 months of his three year contract.

Rooney made the decision to quit when he did not receive support at a meeting of the National Council of the FAI last Friday night.

At that meeting it was decided to set up a three man sub-committee headed by FAI vice-president David Blood to investigate the allegations made by senior management at Merrion Square against Rooney.

The complaints related to Rooney’s style of management and his alleged failure to satisfactorily fulfil his duties as chief executive.

They were outlined in a recent nine-page letter sent to FAI president Milo Corcoran, signed by Peter Buckley (the FAI's financial accountant), Pat Costello (press officer) and Tadhg O'Halloran (human resources manager).

It is expected that the FAI will make a formal announcement on the matter this morning.

Terrible news.

Would that shower of pr!cks ever fcuk off and leave the likes of Rooney get on with it!

Agree completely with Colm. They seem intent on alienating all but the hardcore EL fans. I for one am not half as enthusiastic about Irish soccer as I was 7/8 years ago. Put simply, I don't feel that as the life blood of the game (I play competitive junior football too btw) we are not treated with enough respect. In fact we are not treated with respect at all. This can be said about most EL clubs also, and until the recent regime change I would have included city in that too. Those in charge are quite happy to maintain the status quo in their own interests rather than risk loosing control for the good of the game. Shower of self centred ****ers.

The fact that the so called leadership of the F.A.I. are a shower of useless timeservers does not mean that Rooney was right for the job - it's beginning to become apparent that he most certainly was not the right appointment....................................whi ch leads neatly to the question: who appointed him? and will those people now do the honourable thing?

"it is believed he will receive a six figure compensation package for the remaining 18 months of his three year contract."

Yet more criminal waste of scarce resources. This money would make such a huge difference to many clubs in this country, and now its going straight out of the association, lost to soccer.
Corcoran, Delaney et al should be f*cked off the nearest tall building......:mad:

This is so frustrating. I don't know if Rooney was any good. The list of achievements in a previous thread is not exactly an earth-shattering list, but that's beside the point. The point is that yet another FAI big-wig gets pushed out the door with a big compo package: Byrne -£250,000, Dooney £75,000 and now Rooney with I'd say €300,000 minimum (250,000 p.a. times 18 months left on his contract plus pension and ancilliary perks - can't see him going for less than 300k, probably more). Meanwhile, love them or hate them, Shamrock Rovers face going to the wall.
(Mind you, it's all a drop in the ocean compared with Charlie's €450M leaving present to his horsey and doggy chums)

tbh It's getting harder and harder to support Irish football.... From the top down it's rotten to the core. I'm one of this Governments biggest critics, and particularly the clear GAH/Horsey set bias in funding, but in all honestly when we have w@nkers like these "controlling" football is it any wonder?

It's time for a revolution, as these cúnting blazers are dragging to/keeping us in the gutter of Irish sport.

Whether Rooney was a spoofer or not (I'm undecided), I'm sick and tired of these power struggles doing everyone connected with Irish Football down. He was castigated by both sides - management style and refusing to keep the status quo from one side, not moving fast enough by the other, when he was trying to implement the Genesis Report.

Maybe it's time for some fans direct action - not over Rooney per se, but over the whole FAI/eL?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Macy

Maybe it's time for some fans direct action - not over Rooney per se, but over the whole FAI/eL?

---

How?
What can we actually do?

Patsh - we can make an absolute nuisance of ourselves by people who dont want to be in the public eye - the thing about messers delaney and co - is they effectively OWN and run soccer in this country - it suits them to appoint farcical CEO's with no effective power than pay them off and sign up the next gobsh;te - the simple fact tis they always REMAIN in power - in the background

they've so many committes and sub committees they ensure that no one knows what the hell is goin on and who really is callin the shots - case in point - the eircom league board of control issued a statement castigating rooney last week - the press took thi up as meaning the eircom league clubs - as far as anyone can make out the eircom league board of control is three blazers from the league office (hyland used to be on it) who are clearly not representative of the eircom league - the only league club that publicly spoke on the matter was cork city and they backed rooney


they love anonymity


a fans campaign against these people would achiev nothing specific but it would shed a spotlight on the real chancers and make life uncomfortable for them


they dont want to be in the public eye or have their real dealings and motives discussed hence all these phoney wars with rooney

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wws

Patsh - we can make an absolute nuisance of ourselves by people who dont want to be in the public eye
..................
a fans campaign against these people would achiev nothing specific but it would shed a spotlight on the real chancers and make life uncomfortable for them

---

OK, but what can you actually do?

off the top of my head a vehicle for dissent already exists:

the ireland eircom league ticket grouping

every club in the scheme has a lead contact - these people should join up - and agree a basic platform - the simpler the better

once agreed they should form under a flag of convenience - Fans For Change and hit the media organisations with a plethora of info on wots actually goin on and how the game is being criminnally neglected by those in power

everybody these days have public interest and lobby groups and fans who are so active in their clubs and who love the game here should be no different - these ppl only get away with it cos no-one - and i mean no one puts a contrary viewpoint consistently and articulately in the public eye

The FAI have gone beyond a joke at this stage.

The sheer incompetence and waste of money beggars belief.

It is genuinely depressing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Macy

tbh It's getting harder and harder to support Irish football.... From the top down it's rotten to the core. I'm one of this Governments biggest critics, and particularly the clear GAH/Horsey set bias in funding, but in all honestly when we have w@nkers like these "controlling" football is it any wonder?

It's time for a revolution, as these cúnting blazers are dragging to/keeping us in the gutter of Irish sport.

Whether Rooney was a spoofer or not (I'm undecided), I'm sick and tired of these power struggles doing everyone connected with Irish Football down. He was castigated by both sides - management style and refusing to keep the status quo from one side, not moving fast enough by the other, when he was trying to implement the Genesis Report.

Maybe it's time for some fans direct action - not over Rooney per se, but over the whole FAI/eL?

---

Is Rooney a spoofer?

Unquestionably.

Ask the gullible Baltimore shareholders (not including jim thankfully)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jimhacker

Is Rooney a spoofer?

Unquestionably.

Ask the gullible Baltimore shareholders (not including jim thankfully)

---

It's really beside the point. He was screwed for trying to actually advertise a job when the blazer's wanted a fellow blazer to be installed without competition.

The sad aspect of Rooney accepting a packet is that there will not be any investigation now into the background to this whole affair. We will not find out whether it was in fact his failings as a chief executive, or his failure to appoint Delaneys nominee to the finance portfolio, which led to his downfall.
Let us hope that the Government/John Tracey will insist on an independant inquiry to establish the true facts of the debacle. :mad:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Macy

It's really beside the point. He was screwed for trying to actually advertise a job when the blazer's wanted a fellow blazer to be installed without competition.

---

Agree totally with you Macy. Everything else is a smokescreen to discredit Rooney. What you will hear next is that Genesis is a flawed document and should be kicked into touch … then a new committee will be set up (funded by government) to look at the way forward for Irish football … in the meantime it will be back to the status quo and the blazers will carry on dishing out free holidays to wherever there is an Irish team playing whether it will be u15, amateur or senior, the blazers will trod along. The Amateur team is off to Bosnia at the weekend for a week, I wonder how many blazers are going.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by drummerboy

Agree totally with you Macy. Everything else is a smokescreen to discredit Rooney. What you will hear next is that Genesis is a flawed document and should be kicked into touch … then a new committee will be set up (funded by government) to look at the way forward for Irish football … in the meantime it will be back to the status quo and the blazers will carry on dishing out free holidays to wherever there is an Irish team playing whether it will be u15, amateur or senior, the blazers will trod along. The Amateur team is off to Bosnia at the weekend for a week, I wonder how many blazers are going.

---

Actually a trip to Bosnia sounds like it might not be a bad idea for the blazers - one way of course!

You know what the funniest thing is? That I've heard Bernard O'Byrne is being lined up to take charge of the 'full implementation' of the Genesis report.

disgraceful.. the man was pushed out

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Macy

It's really beside the point. He was screwed for trying to actually advertise a job when the blazer's wanted a fellow blazer to be installed without competition.

---

You're right Macy. The actions beg the question. Why did they want their own man in.

An independent inquirey is the only way forward. If there isn't we can all fold our tent. The whole lot of them, including all those grassroots members who abstained on the "Rooney Inquirey " vote are nothing but a shower of self serving fcuks. :mad:

It's unfair. It's hard enough to force change in a football club. But a national association is impossible. wws' suggestions are all well and good but will anyone act on them? To cause ripples in a national association requires very broad organising and fighting.

Here's an idea.

We are divided on or views on Rooney.

Yet we are, from what I have seen, united in our views on Delaney and Corcoran.

How's about then for the last fortnight of the season (bit late for this week's games) WE THE EIRCOM LEAGUE FANS show unity with banners in club colours with the words "Fans against Delaney and Corcoran" written on them.

If we could get one for every club, or even most of them, we could get a bit of interest. We mightn't be able to do much but every little we do increases the strength of our hand.

Fans who support Rooney would obviously be free to make their own statement but something like this would be both peaceful and get our message across.

I dunno if Rooney was the messiah some made him out to be but the manner of his dismissal has been pathetic. I think he was on 250k a year + bonus which means they probably had to pay him off with anopther 350k+ for last 18 months of contract.

Sadest thing about the FAI is those guys are elected as delegates by the various football clubs or organisations around the country.

:(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pete

I dunno if Rooney was the messiah some made him out to be but the manner of his dismissal has been pathetic. I think he was on 250k a year + bonus which means they probably had to pay him off with anopther 350k+ for last 18 months of contract.

Sadest thing about the FAI is those guys are elected as delegates by the various football clubs or organisations around the country.

:(

---

pete - a pay off is the absolute norm in the case of any contract that ends before term - the fact that he resigned and is still paid out his remainder indicates that he would have contested and prob won any compo claim for unfair dismissal

:mad:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

Here's an idea.

We are divided on or views on Rooney.

Yet we are, from what I have seen, united in our views on Delaney and Corcoran.

How's about then for the last fortnight of the season (bit late for this week's games) WE THE EIRCOM LEAGUE FANS show unity with banners in club colours with the words "Fans against Delaney and Corcoran" written on them.

If we could get one for every club, or even most of them, we could get a bit of interest. We mightn't be able to do much but every little we do increases the strength of our hand.

Fans who support Rooney would obviously be free to make their own statement but something like this would be both peaceful and get our message across.

---

Yes, I'd also bring all the banners to the next (ex-patriots) National team game in Lansdown; protest outside & boycot the game! - hit them where they hurt - in their pockets :mad:

Would actually recommend doing such an action inside the ground as it would be more likely to get covered that way. Also boycott of any sort would be less obvious at friendly games because of terracing (and the only way for it to work at competitive games would be to buy the tickets and then not take the seats en masse).

I feel this would be effective in the run in, especially at the decisive games in the decisive championship/relegation games in the Premier and at the decisive title/promotion games in the first.

Have run this by a couple of UCD fans already and they seem keen. Come on guys we have to act before they appoint Delaney. Once he's in it will be a lot harder to get him out.

Rooney was no angel but he's not in the same league as this pair, so let us agree to differ on Rooney and focus our attentions on the root problem in our game.

Yes, I'd also bring all the banners to the next (ex-patriots) National team game in Lansdown; protest outside & boycot the game! - hit them where they hurt - in their pockets :mad:[/QUOTE]

We'd only be leaving more seats for the Hooray Henry's (have you been to the Lansdowne Road lately. No not the rugby. The Soccer, the atmospheres even better than the rugby.) Better to protest inside. Get on the TV. If any of us know a few of the Press Photographers we could wire them off.

Pretty much what I was saying. A boycott would just see other guys get the tickets.