What hope for change?

[thischarmingman]

They're related, and you don't ususally have one without having the other, but they're not the same.

This was what I meant. Surely a football team can't do one without the other?

[pineapple stu]

Surely a football team can't make a plan without making a budget to ensure it has money for said plan?

What planet have you been living on the last, ooh, five years?

Plan - sell our ground and qualify for the Champions' League and take over the world!

Budget - Duhhh.

[thischarmingman]

But if that were the case then teams like Shelbourne, Drog- oh...oh...I see.

[MariborKev]

Just want to note that we're probably more accurately described as 'all but' full-time. Most of our players are on full-time contracts, most of our staff aren't.

This is dragging the thread off topic but that's incorrect. I'd say one part time staff member of about 10.

Macy- they aren't prepared to envisage a bond scheme, it was asked at the Fans Forum.

[Rovers Maniac]

Yes, isn't it?

This is getting rather silly young man, you are trying to say a plan and a budget are the same thing, grow up and take your oil and admit you misread my post

Or else go and read a dictionary and compare and contrast both

[pineapple stu]

But if that were the case then teams like Shelbourne, Drog- oh...oh...I see.

Sligo are different though. They just are.

[thischarmingman]

This is dragging the thread off topic but that's incorrect. I'd say one part time staff member of about 10.

Fair 'nuff.

[Student Mullet]

"He subsequently repeated the claim that eight of the 22 clubs will make a profit this year, but conceded the point made privately by a number of clubs: that the association includes among the clubs described as profitable even those that make substantial trading losses which are then covered by owners or other benefactors. "If somebody wants to put their own money without any recourse then that's something that they're entitled to do," he said."

This reminds me a lot of the government's approach to the recession and the Banks' problems. They must know themselves that things aren't right but bringing in the big changes that are needed would force them to admit that they were wrong in the past. They're afraid that admitting that would put their own jobs at risk so instead we get much smaller adjustments in the hope that the problems will eventually fix themselves.

[El-Pietro]

clubs need to relaise that putting everything into teh football team will only get them so far. Longer term plans need to be put in place so that we are no longer living from hand to mouth.
Players will move on sooner or later, paying 100% of income, and in a lot of cases more than 100% of income to players is foolish at best, facilities and structures need to be put in place to secure the long term future of our clubs and our leagues. I thought that was the point of the 65% rule. So we could focus on other aspects of our football clubs.

[passerrby]

this is silly if you have a plan then it folllows that you have a budget otherwise your plan will....fall....apart .. ive just realised where the clubs have gone wrong

[pete]

Players will move on sooner or later, paying 100% of income, and in a lot of cases more than 100% of income to players is foolish at best, facilities and structures need to be put in place to secure the long term future of our clubs and our leagues. I thought that was the point of the 65% rule. So we could focus on other aspects of our football clubs.

Not wanting to pick on Drogs in particular but if they spent their 12m on facilities they would have something to build on for the future - they could have probably built the stadium without the need for houses. Instead they had a few good years & some trophies but nothing left now.

[Mr A]

What hope for change?

Sod change, sure don't we have the most entertaining league in the world? Seriously, there's never a dull moment

[MariborKev]

They have to move to a bond system - the two high profile financial bombs were somebody putting their own money in and then just pulling the plug. They have to take their own wage cap seriously - from what Delaney is saying they've no intention of going that route.

This was asked at the Fans Forum. They are against a bond as apparently it may turn away further investment. My view would be if the investors aren't prepared to commit to a bond then they may not be the right type of investors. People may claim that beggars can be chosers etc, but we have to draw the line somewhere.

Whilst ultimately it is the clubs fault for over spending, surely the reasoning behind licencing is that the clubs have to be run properly. So it is back to the FAI as the licencing body.

My view is that they have the wage cap is a bit like licensing, another " Look sure don't we have this". Both of them are completely useless if they are not implemented. If the association don't take them seriously then the clubs think they don't have to.

We are rapidly running out of investors and fans to save the clubs, and the general populous are becoming more and more disinterested in the League of Ireland. European success is not attracting the crowds back. We need to get the domestic game in order, particularly in terms of infrastructure, and then try and build again though.

However if we never get honesty from all the stakeholders, we'll be in a constant tailspin until the next implosion.

[HarpoJoyce]

Continue the marginalisation of football fans who don't have the best interest's of the LoI at heart.

[sonofstan]

I guess optimism in the face of the facts is a prerequisite for supporting a club in this league, but maybe this close season might be the first chance in a while for a little sanity to return to the scene. Only one club, as far as I can see, can budget without regard to possible current income for next season (Pats). We're in limbo, some unguessable place between a return - probably not next year, though - to semi-pro status, and modest prosperity; Cork and Derry will survive as pro- or largely pro- set ups but won't be paying silly money to anyone. As a consequence, the 100 or so players out of contract and looking for new deals will not have the same bargaining power as they have had an any time since the turn of the century, since only one club will be able to meet extravagant wage demands, and even Johnny Mac doesn't need 100 players to win the league. Once they cherry pick whoever they want, the rest will be faced with short and relatively unlucrative deals, or going abroad - some will, obviously, but the majority will have to settle for what they can get. It might be boring for a while, but maybe - as with the economy in general - the bubble has finally burst.....

[mrtndvn]

Not wanting to pick on Drogs in particular but if they spent their 12m on facilities they would have something to build on for the future - they could have probably built the stadium without the need for houses. Instead they had a few good years & some trophies but nothing left now.

100% true. If they really cared about drogs thats what they would have done.

Another case of a bunch of clowns running a club.

[MariborKev]

It might be boring for a while, but maybe - as with the economy in general - the bubble has finally burst.....

Agreed.

The chance was there for Delaney to outline that the clubs are having a very tough time, there are going to have to be serious changes, that we need to start of scratch again, refocuse on reducing cost base.

Talk any speech by any reasonable business figure in the last six months, replace the relevant sector with the League of Ireland and you've the template.

No, instead he bumbles on regardless. The rest of the country thinks the game here is a joke, most of us accept that it is on its last legs. At what point will the FAI agree with us and start the change required?

[sligoman]

Interesting thing from rte.ie

Have a look,its a good listen.Troubled Times In eircom League

Theres also this
No Title Sponsor For League


And this This Week: eircom League difficulties

And......The State of Irish Soccer: Panel Discussion

None of those links work.

[John83]

Wouldn't trust the paper they are written on. only after a proper audit could these accounts be classified as reliable.

Damned untrustworthy paper. It's the real cause of the LoI's problems, you know.