Sligo Rovers v Rapid Vienna Thurs 23rd July

[Guts&Glory]

the reality here is that we need to sell all 2500 tickets( 200 for vip etc) to cover the cost of travelling to the away leg. there is absolutely no money to be made by sligo rovers from this game. if we fill all the seats we will be lucky to break even. remember e50k had to be spent in upgrading the ground
(new seating, the pitch has being improved & a tv gantry has to go in place in the next few days, also the girders in the old stand had to be specially painted, all costing money) i for one will be very dissapointed if we do not sell the game complete & to prove "avenalaugh" estimates incorrect. i can understand kevin lydons idea of trying to drum up support cause from what i hear we are a good deal away yet from filling the ground but hopefully there will be a late surge. so i think it is every genuine supporters responsibility to promote the game as there are a lot of luke warm people out there and money is very tight. i just pray to god that the people of sligo give this game the support it deserves.

TV gantry to be put in place - presumably there will be some TV money forthcoming so which should counteract some costs related to it.

Girders in the old stand had to be specially painted ??? With what ?

As for 200 tickets for VIP's - what VIP's ? If they dont go to games regularly they dont deserve the tickets and I for one dont want to be subsidisng their tickets.

Re The Pitch - There has been little or no work to the pitch - as stated previously on here by many it needs a fundamental overhaul - completely dug out and replaced from base level to reseeding - so any remedial work would be superficial and of little benefit.

The club did get a Euro qualifier grant fom the FAI at the start of the season which could and should have been used towards this - question is was it or was it diverted elsewhere to pay for ongoing bills etc as the clubs are not advised by the FAI that they must use it for a particular reason.

[Rovers1]

Maybe if you came to one of the 'clean-up' days and gave a hand G&G you would know?

Pretty much the whole ground had to be re-painted, and paint is not cheap, neither are the new seats which were installed, the brackets that are holding them up, or the screws that fix them to the ground. I don't know how much the club recieved, or what they did with it but even if it is 70K, at a LoI club, it doesn't last long.

As for the pitch, it needs to be ripped up and started again, but where do we get the money or 'non-playing time' for that? It's bumpy and un-even but we have to live with it, and do the best we can with it. I was in the ground on Thursday last, and around the players tunnel, the Tracey, and Jinks Avenue were painted, and it makes the ground look alot better. There's 1 or 2 men (and a few volunteers along the way), who are in The Showgrounds every day leading up to this Vllaznia game, doing their best to make sure the ground looks its best on Thursday evening, on a very very tight budget.

[Kevin L]

A Couple of Quick things-

We do indeed get €70,000 for the first round but we dont actually get the money until November but have to spend the money on improvements now.

There is no TV money for the first round but it is part of our UEFA Licence that we have one so up it goes.

As for VIPS there wont be anywhere near 200.
You will have the usual suspects eg the mayor, sponsors etc and we will also have representatives from all Sligo Leitrim Junior League winners this season plus the Youths.

[rob mcdonald]

Roddy Collins getting the job with Floriana in Malta whom we beat last time in Europe is a sign from the gods. Its meant to be......
Are we putting these boys in the clarance hotel like we did to Floriana and the nite club thumpin...

[sligoman]

TV gantry to be put in place - presumably there will be some TV money forthcoming so which should counteract some costs related to it.

Girders in the old stand had to be specially painted ??? With what ?

As for 200 tickets for VIP's - what VIP's ? If they dont go to games regularly they dont deserve the tickets and I for one dont want to be subsidisng their tickets.

Re The Pitch - There has been little or no work to the pitch - as stated previously on here by many it needs a fundamental overhaul - completely dug out and replaced from base level to reseeding - so any remedial work would be superficial and of little benefit.

The club did get a Euro qualifier grant fom the FAI at the start of the season which could and should have been used towards this - question is was it or was it diverted elsewhere to pay for ongoing bills etc as the clubs are not advised by the FAI that they must use it for a particular reason.

Seriously, you'd need to check a few facts before you post on here. There's help needed in the Showgrounds all week, go up to it if yer around but there's no point coming on here complaining about stuff you obviously don't know about.

[red arrow]

well g&g it shows that you know dam all about whats going on at the showgrounds. there are a small very dedicated hard working crew in the showgrounds doing their best for the last few months to get the ground ready for the game on thursday.your statement about the pitch is way off the mark
because resident in the showgrounds on three ocassions for the past three weeks giving his expert advise has being non other than one of the top groundsman from an english premier division club. george mullen ( a sligo man)
who is director of a company which lays football pitches all over europe was kind enough to help rovers out and this gentleman kindly is giving his advise on an ongoing basis. he has flown into sligo on three occasions &and the results will be there for all to see come thursday.

[Guts&Glory]

well g&g it shows that you know dam all about whats going on at the showgrounds. there are a small very dedicated hard working crew in the showgrounds doing their best for the last few months to get the ground ready for the game on thursday.your statement about the pitch is way off the mark
because resident in the showgrounds on three ocassions for the past three weeks giving his expert advise has being non other than one of the top groundsman from an english premier division club. george mullen ( a sligo man)
who is director of a company which lays football pitches all over europe was kind enough to help rovers out and this gentleman kindly is giving his advise on an ongoing basis. he has flown into sligo on three occasions &and the results will be there for all to see come thursday.

Sligoman, red arrow, Rovers 1 -

Good to know you can ask questions here lads without being attacked.

I know of George Mullen and his work - the Trust had him over last season and paid for some samples to be tested and it was he who said the ground needed to be ripped up and started again at that time with an estimate of
€ 200k to €250k costing put on it to get it right once and for all.

My point was - if you read it as it was intended - that it needs to be ripped up and started again as was mentioned at the Collaney get together.

My question on the paint was a case of what special paint that red arrow mentioned was needed for the girders - fire retardent ? It was not a slant on any work being done but querying what UEFA request was on the special paint needed........but sure why read the questions when you can take any query as an attack.


Kevin L thanks for clearing some matters without the need to attack as others did.

The FAI maintain they paid us (and other euro qualifiers) monies at the start the start of the season which can be used in any avenue the club seems fit - a point made again by Richie Sadler on MNS last Monday (22/06) when Alan Kearins query on the topic was read out.


Red Arrow you claim I need to check my facts yet you attack Keith O'Dwyer claiming he needs to play a more active role or to be pushing the game more in the locality as its apparently not in peoples faces.......must be living in a different town to me then.

Keith has been pushing the club and game in schools, businesses and the press insesintly over the last number of months and visited over 60 schools in promoting the club

also as Kevin L pointed out your claim of 200 VIPS is way off the mark.........check your facts.

[Red&White Rover]

If you saw the pitch recently, it is absolutely immaculate atm.

[Rovers1]

In fairness G&G, if you read your post again, it does seem as if you're having a go.

[The Midget Gem]

I know of George Mullen and his work - the Trust had him over last season and paid for some samples to be tested and it was he who said the ground needed to be ripped up and started again at that time with an estimate of :
€ 200k to €250k costing put on it to get it right once and for all.

My point was - if you read it as it was intended - that it needs to be ripped up and started again as was mentioned at the Collaney get together.

Even if the pitch was absolute muck i don't think anyone would be stupid enough to splash 250k on the pitch risking putting the club out of business atm. Don't forget we barely raised 300k last year to save the club from extinction and your asking us to splash it on a pitch. By the time its installed we wouldn't even be around to play on it.
This isn't an attack on you G&G, i just think that kind of money could be used to much better affect elsewhere at the moment.

[red arrow]

me thinks you live in dublin?

[Redie]

The club did get a Euro qualifier grant fom the FAI at the start of the season which could and should have been used towards this - question is was it or was it diverted elsewhere to pay for ongoing bills etc as the clubs are not advised by the FAI that they must use it for a particular reason.[/QUOTE]

Foghorn Leghorn could not have put that question better himself!

[Rovers Maniac]

Wrong thread.