League in Chaos

**Macy** · 27/01/2004, 11:17 AM

Originally posted by dean02
Eddie Cox, commercial manager quitely goes away from Merrion Square. Mr. Cox had his name on many commercial deals - whose name is on them now?

Dillon and Allen resign - these guys served Irish football and seemed to be highly respected - why force them out? The eircom league is one of the biggest recipients of funds!

If the commercial manager was so good, why is the association relatively broke?

What exactly did Dillon and Allen do for the league? Bar manage another fixture fiasco at the end of the season....

The eL fans section at internationals may be a sop, but it's better than what we got previously. More prize money would give more rewards to the league, and if the millon that was spent of wages can be freed up by a merger so be it.

At the moment, the FAI and the eL suffer because there's too many chiefs - if it takes Rooney, whatever his motives, to do change this so be it.

**dean02** · 27/01/2004, 1:08 PM

No, CEO has not done anything to me personally!

Just signed up and and am trying to contribute my views. I'm worried but I hope I'm wrong. If Dillon, who I believe is a seasoned football adminstrator expressed concern over the package, then I think it is not irrelevant - where does the money come from?

Agreed, recent football package announced is good, especially looking forward to seeing Brazil. Prices are set to guarantee a full house, but I hear that the Brazil match may only break even. So perhaps thats now to keep the fans happy but what about the all important revenue?

As for scaring the government, I don't think Bertie and the gang are that suseptable. It did scare me however. If FIFA never made such a decision why threaten the fans, who are the bread and butter? This one really hurts.

Point taken, about tidying up work space etc., but one of the rules of the FAI was that when the CEO is away, there needs to be an acting CEO/head man - this makes sense. I believe Fahy was that man at the time, whether good or bad and I believe the door to the office was locked when Fahy went to fulfil his FAI duties. The point I was making was that CEO quoted that he had an open door policy, to me that means he's available for consultation, the tone is inclusive and that there exists an air of transparency - when from what we saw a couple a weeks ago it seems to me he clearly has not been available, inclusive or perhaps Dillon and Allen are telling us pork pies.

As I said, I hope I'm wrong, I really do hope he does a good job. A purge was required and he started that, I just hope that the guy is beyond reproach and holds the office with the utmost integrity.

Remember football belongs to you and me, we're trusting the CEO with future of our game. What I'm reading into the situation is that there may be other usual and old FAI Blazer motives at play, namely money and power. Hopefully he is above that, that he is the saviour of irish football, and that he creates an excellent organisation but if he's not where does that leave us?

By the way which domestic teams did he play for?

**dean02** · 27/01/2004, 1:21 PM

Originally posted by Macy
If the commercial manager was so good, why is the association relatively broke?

What exactly did Dillon and Allen do for the league? Bar manage another fixture fiasco at the end of the season....

The eL fans section at internationals may be a sop, but it's better than what we got previously. More prize money would give more rewards to the league, and if the millon that was spent of wages can be freed up by a merger so be it.

At the moment, the FAI and the eL suffer because there's too many chiefs - if it takes Rooney, whatever his motives, to do change this so be it.

You hit the nail on the head. I can only assume the Blazer brigade got the FAI into a relatively broke situation. I don't really know how good the commercial manager was but perhaps there is a limit to the money available to FAI through its commercial relationships? We haven't qualified for Portugal so extra revenues from that are non-existent, who is going to provide more money? If Lansdowne gets the nod the FAI will have to cough up �80 million.

I agree that more rewards to the league would be good but is it really sustainable? Did running the eL cost that much that merging it would allow for it to be run by the FAI and save enough to allow a prizefund of a million a year? Whoever runs the eL, it will still cost probably a similar amount to what was being spent already.

I don't really know about what Dillon has done for the eL (and yeah the fixture thing was a bit of a joke). I did read that he was well respected by the eircom league clubs - so he must have been allright at some stage - anyone out there know more about Dillon?

**Schumi** · 27/01/2004, 1:29 PM

Originally posted by dean02
I hear that the Brazil match may only break even. So perhaps thats now to keep the fans happy but what about the all important revenue?

Revenue comes from the other two matches having much lower costs and also being sold out due to the way the tickets are being sold.

**dean02** · 27/01/2004, 1:53 PM

Originally posted by Schumi
Revenue comes from the other two matches having much lower costs and also being sold out due to the way the tickets are being sold.

Fair enough, any idea on what sort of money are we talking about for each game?

**Robinski** · 27/01/2004, 2:02 PM

Originally posted by dean02

By the way which domestic teams did he play for?

Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic. Home Farm in the Leinster Senior League.

**dean02** · 27/01/2004, 3:38 PM

Originally posted by Robinski
Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic. Home Farm in the Leinster Senior League.

Your kidding me! Sounds like he was a seasoned journeyman. At what level? and what era? Any takers? Anyone play with him?

**Robinski** · 27/01/2004, 3:54 PM

I think he finished playing in 1998/1999.

**TommyT** · 27/01/2004, 4:00 PM

I agree with macy.

And taking into account the views of ''seasoned football administrators'' doesn't wash with me, these cnuts have a culture of incompetance, political play acting and sleaze. **** em all out.

**dean02** · 27/01/2004, 4:24 PM

Originally posted by Robinski
I think he finished playing in 1998/1999.

He must be in his fifties? If so, he then finished playing in mid/late forties -from a league of ireland perspective perhaps same era as Noel King (Rovers)?, Dermot Keely (Rovers)? Jameson (Bohs)? - how come we haven't heard of him? Any takers? Rovers Fans? Bohs fans? Home Farm fans?

**Robinski** · 27/01/2004, 4:43 PM

Originally posted by dean02
He must be in his fifties? If so, he then finished playing in mid/late forties -from a league of ireland perspective perhaps same era as Noel King (Rovers)?, Dermot Keely (Rovers)? Jameson (Bohs)? - how come we haven't heard of him? Any takers? Rovers Fans? Bohs fans? Home Farm fans?

He's in his late forties, so I guess that means he finished playing in his early forties. I think this was due to his commitments to Baltimore than anything else.

I thought all this was all well documented when his appointment was announced last year.

Is anyone else surprised at this information?

**pineapple stu** · 27/01/2004, 4:48 PM

Originally posted by dean02
Anyone out there know more about Dillon?

He's been involved with us for 20 years - I have a programme from Everton-UCD in 1984 where it mentions the students putting in work behind the scenes, and he's one. Ran the Superleague in UCD as well, but had to leave the club to take up his position. He's a solicitor, so I presume he wasn't afraid of having a few arguments with Rooney if the need arose!

**dean02** · 27/01/2004, 4:51 PM

Originally posted by Robinski
He's in his late forties, so I guess that means he finished playing in his early forties. I think this was due to his commitments to Baltimore than anything else.

I thought all this was all well documented when his appointment was announced last year.

Is anyone else surprised at this information?

hey Robinski, your badge is a Bohs one, can you not tell me his Bohs history?

**Macy** · 28/01/2004, 7:52 AM

Originally posted by dean02
how come we haven't heard of him? Any takers? Rovers Fans? Bohs fans? Home Farm fans?

Never saw him play, but possibly because he wasn't that good?

**dean02** · 28/01/2004, 9:33 AM

Originally posted by Macy
Never saw him play, but possibly because he wasn't that good?

Quite Possible - Just don't know, ex Shamrock Rovers, ex Bohs etc sort of has a certain spin to it though? and this is what is worrying me. All the spin!

**drummerboy** · 28/01/2004, 9:58 AM

It was before my time but Fran Rooney managed Drumcondra in the 80s for a short time, in the Amateur League.

**Robinski** · 28/01/2004, 10:19 AM

He managed the Irish Women�s team for a while too.

He was well before my time in Bohs and I never really bothered to look into it, but if you want more info, come down to Dalymount tonight and ask the man yourself. He's doing a Q&A session down there from 8.30pm this evening and admission is free and open to all.

**pete** · 28/01/2004, 10:31 AM

Rooneys threat about playing international matches abroad was a brilliant media campaign to force the governments hand on the stadium issue. IMO he wasn't lying & not really telling the truth either but really embarished the govt into a decision & was about time the FAI used its clout similiar to the GAA.

The eL is a complete shambles, the FAI could hardly do a worse job.

I heard recently the eL gets 1 million or something sponsorship from eircom yet prize money probably 50-100k for the whole league. Anyone want to try list the number of fulltime employees of the league paid for by the sponsorship money? Does the league really need those people? Surely a lot of those roles could be combined with FAI roles?

**dean02** · 30/01/2004, 4:42 PM

Originally posted by Robinski
He managed the Irish Women�s team for a while too.

He was well before my time in Bohs and I never really bothered to look into it, but if you want more info, come down to Dalymount tonight and ask the man yourself. He's doing a Q&A session down there from 8.30pm this evening and admission is free and open to all.

Couldn't get there (but thanks for the offer) - how did it go?