Dublin city friendly?

**dcfcsteve** · 14/07/2008, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Have a wild guess what "money" implies...

Better still - to erase all doubt, why don't you tell us ? And also why it was such a surprise that the game had to be called-off at such short notice ?

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I couldn't give a toss what the South London Press has to say about us.

Unprofessional clubs wouldn't I guess

Doesn't put you in a very good light in Ireland either I'm sure.

**pineapple stu** · 14/07/2008, 11:51 PM

Nobody cares in Ireland either. It's been news for almost a week and you're the first to comment.

I've edited my original post to elaborate on costs.

**dcfcsteve** · 14/07/2008, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Have a wild guess what "money" implies... Our "lofty fiscal expectations" were to break even from the game, and it became apparent that wasn't going to happen.

Oooh - you've edited since my previous response.

How many would you need to have sold to break-even ? I'm not having a pop here - but as we all know UCD has a small active fan-base. Therefore - to break-even at whatever level, you'd have been overly-reliant on travelling Milwall fans and random Dublin punters turning-up (i.e. clubs with a bigger fan-base would be less reliant on this).

I'm therefore surprised that the club thought Milwall-UCD would be such a draw to entice sufficient numbers of either travelling Milwall fans or curious Dubs to the game.

**pineapple stu** · 14/07/2008, 11:57 PM

Operating costs were way higher than were expected.

Way higher.

We've no problems hosting Dundee United or Stockport, but couldn't afford Millwall, for reasons outside our control.

Getting the picture yet?

**dcfcsteve** · 15/07/2008, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Operating costs were way higher than were expected.

Way higher.

We've no problems hosting Dundee United or Stockport, but couldn't afford Millwall, for reasons outside our control.

Getting the picture yet?

Yes.

And it's not a very good image of UCD.....

Why did you arrange a friendly with a club, and then only a week before it was due to happen look to pin down the costs ? Why weren't the terms nailed down ages ago ?

**pineapple stu** · 15/07/2008, 12:03 AM

Nothing to do with the terms. It's to do with us going off, organising the fine details of the game and finding that one particular cost is suddenly gone way up.

Financial prudence. It should paint a very good picture of the club, but maybe we should have gone ahead and run the game at a large loss?

I think Millwall and their fans will get over it. Would doubt there'd be many over for the full week and a half.

But anyway, you go off an write a letter to the South London Press about how unprofessional we are. That'll show us.

**Bald Student** · 15/07/2008, 12:08 AM

Whatever about the South London Press the national news in Ireland today covered a story of 2 eL clubs going into financial meltdown. I agree with Steve that it doesn't look good to cancel a game at short notice but I think that the alternative is worse.

**pineapple stu** · 15/07/2008, 12:14 AM

Probably an over-dramatic way of putting it, but the principle is correct.

I'm fairly sure this isn't the first game ever to be called off with two weeks' notice.

**DmanDmythDledge** · 15/07/2008, 12:53 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Nothing to do with the terms. It's to do with us going off, organising the fine details of the game and finding that one particular cost is suddenly gone way up.

Financial prudence. It should paint a very good picture of the club, but maybe we should have gone ahead and run the game at a large loss?

Unfortunately, due to the actions of the club, all that has happened is that we have painted a poor picture of the club. The only reason made available for cancelling the friendly was:

http://www.millwallfc.premiumtv.co.u...342446,00.html
"I...regret to inform you that UCD AFC will not now be in a position to accept your offer to fulfil the fixture due to the costs involved in hosting the game and the potential financial loss to UCD, a risk the club can ill afford to take."

Such a comment, 11 days before the game, looks as if the club either messed up doing their sums or only bothered to find out the costs of hosting the game then. To make matters worse they kept it quiet and made it look like they had something to hide. An official statement should have been released on the club official website explaining the situation to prevent the bad feeling towards the club and also having the courtesy to inform fans of UCD and others who wished to attend the game that it would not be going ahead rather than have to read about it on another clubs' website as usual. It is difficult to have sympathy for the club if its reputation suffers as a result of this when it could have been so easily avoided.

**dcfcsteve** · 15/07/2008, 1:01 AM

Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

Unfortunately, due to the actions of the club, all that has happened is that we have painted a poor picture of the club. The only reason made available for cancelling the friendly was:

http://www.millwallfc.premiumtv.co.u...342446,00.html
"I...regret to inform you that UCD AFC will not now be in a position to accept your offer to fulfil the fixture due to the costs involved in hosting the game and the potential financial loss to UCD, a risk the club can ill afford to take."

Such a comment, 11 days before the game, looks as if the club either messed up doing their sums or only bothered to find out the costs of hosting the game then. To make matters worse they kept it quiet and made it look like they had something to hide. An official statement should have been released on the club official website explaining the situation to prevent the bad feeling towards the club and also having the courtesy to inform fans of UCD and others who wished to attend the game that it would not be going ahead rather than have to read about it on another clubs' website as usual. It is difficult to have sympathy for the club if its reputation suffers as a result of this when it could have been so easily avoided.

Thanks DMan and Bald Student. Sensible responses to sensible questions

Glad to see that most UCD fans aren't prone to self-delusion amid huffy drama queen outbursts......

**Bald Student** · 15/07/2008, 1:07 AM

Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

Unfortunately, due to the actions of the club, all that has happened is that we have painted a poor picture of the club. The only reason made available for cancelling the friendly was:

http://www.millwallfc.premiumtv.co.u...342446,00.html
"I...regret to inform you that UCD AFC will not now be in a position to accept your offer to fulfil the fixture due to the costs involved in hosting the game and the potential financial loss to UCD, a risk the club can ill afford to take."

Such a comment, 11 days before the game, looks as if the club either messed up doing their sums or only bothered to find out the costs of hosting the game then. To make matters worse they kept it quiet and made it look like they had something to hide. An official statement should have been released on the club official website explaining the situation to prevent the bad feeling towards the club and also having the courtesy to inform fans of UCD and others who wished to attend the game that it would not be going ahead rather than have to read about it on another clubs' website as usual. It is difficult to have sympathy for the club if its reputation suffers as a result of this when it could have been so easily avoided.

I'm only guessing as to which cost it was that UCDD underestimated but sometimes it can be better to not release the actual reason a decision was taken.

**DRDoc** · 15/07/2008, 1:30 AM

Dont understand why Pineapple or others wont actually mention the cost that the club under estimated

Anyone at the Shels game tonight will have a good idea

It seems amazing to me that the club could have overlooked the fact that an unusually high garda and security presence would be required

**Student Mullet** · 15/07/2008, 1:41 AM

Originally Posted by DRDoc

Dont understand why Pineapple or others wont actually mention the cost that the club under estimated

Anyone at the Shels game tonight will have a good idea

We're all worried about what the South London News will say about us.

**DmanDmythDledge** · 15/07/2008, 2:10 AM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

I'm only guessing as to which cost it was that UCDD underestimated but sometimes it can be better to not release the actual reason a decision was taken.

I can see where you're coming from. It could have caused offence if we came out and said the game is cancelled because of higher security costs because we are playing Millwall (kind of implying they're a bunch of hooligans). However, it still would have been better if we had released a statement saying that the game was off due to higher costs than expected/been informed that costs are higher than originally thought.

Originally Posted by DRDoc

Dont understand why Pineapple or others wont actually mention the cost that the club under estimated

Anyone at the Shels game tonight will have a good idea

It seems amazing to me that the club could have overlooked the fact that an unusually high garda and security presence would be required

Thought that pineapple stu had (admitedly subtly) let the cat out of the bag earlier on.

**pineapple stu** · 15/07/2008, 8:44 AM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Thanks DMan and Bald Student. Sensible responses to sensible questions

Glad to see that most UCD fans aren't prone to self-delusion amid huffy drama queen outbursts......

You asked a question, you were answered perfectly correctly. Not quite sure where the self-delusion and huffy drama queen outbursts you allude to were.

Only place I can see delusion and drama queen outbursts is in thinking that a local London newspaper would suddenly pounce on week old news, or that the whole nation would suddenly see the light a week later and somehow plunge the whole eL into some sort of embarrassed crisis.

If it makes you happy, I agree that it's not ideal to call the game off two weeks beforehand, but it's nowhere near as big a deal as you're making out.

**exiled_gufc_fan** · 15/07/2008, 8:48 AM

Setanta Sports News i n the UK also carried the "Dublin City" result - confused the hell out of me last night!

**bigmac** · 15/07/2008, 8:53 AM

Sure all that will happen is that Dublin City will be roundly castigated for cancelling a game against Millwall

**Mr A** · 15/07/2008, 8:58 AM

Sure all that will happen is that Dublin City will be roundly castigated for cancelling a game against Millwall

I can't believe that Millwall organised a game against a defunct club and are now complaining that it isn't going to be fulfilled. It really does portray a very poor image of English football, and I'm sure many fans of English clubs are tearing their hair out at the thought of a local Irish newspaper slagging off one of their clubs for making such an embarrassing error.

**pineapple stu** · 15/07/2008, 8:59 AM

Just wait till the Wicklow News gets a hold of this!!

**osarusan** · 15/07/2008, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

I can't believe that Millwall organised a game against a defunct club and are now complaining that it isn't going to be fulfilled. It really does portray a very poor image of English football, and I'm sure many fans of English clubs are tearing their hair out at the thought of a local Irish newspaper slagging off one of their clubs for making such an embarrassing error.

You already have 3 (I think) potm nominations, 1 from me. If your cup wasn't already running over, I'd nominate this one!