Things to make you go hmm.......

[A N Mouse]

but is it not the last bit that caused the problem

Yep - in an effort to raise some much needed revenue Bohs entered a load of teams in the competition in the sun.

Unfortunately they didn't win anything. This was attributed to Pat Fenlon, who was picking all the teams. Unable, due to a strict spending cap, to sign all the best players for one team he was further hampered by his inability to spot promising young players going on the cheap.

[Ezeikial]

The Board of Directors of Dundalk FC would like to inform our supporters that there has been a very positive outcome to a meeting between the Board and the players this afternoon (Tuesday) regarding our request to the squad to take a paycut for the remainder of the season. The Board have not been in a position to make any public comments on this situation due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, but a more general and detailed statement will be released by the club tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks Dunny. I would like to hear Ezeikial and Black and Whites take on this matter. Theyve been very silent over the last week or so.

I’ll take you at your word SkStu, but if you are anticipating an unqualified defence of the Dundalk board here, I think you might be disappointed!

Gerry Mathews, the Dundalk CEO. has been a strong advocate of the club not having an end-of-season deficit. Part of the “checks and balances” system that he has installed has been the requirement that he and another director sign off on each individual player contract, and therefore each of the July signings was approved by the board.

The players signed during the transfer window were mostly replacements for players off-loaded previously (O’Callaghan, Singh, Rogers, O’Brien, and Sinott) – with little change in the original wage budget. The belief was that these signings were a necessity in order to maintain a competitive squad of circa 17-18 players.

Significantly, there are a number of events which have adversely affected Dundalk’s financial situation since the transfer window opened
Postponement of Barcelona and Celtic friendly matches,
Lower then anticipated gate for Atletico match.
Dave Rogers award
Elimination from FAI Cup

In my view, most of these factors could and should have been considered in the context of new player contracts during the transfer window, and the existing players should have been consulted about the possibility of wage cuts, prior to making these signings. Additionally it is wrong to offer contracts to new players without reference to possible pay cuts.

That said, it is not unreasonable to ask staff to take voluntary pay cuts where the employer is facing a financial deficit, and it is to the players credit if they have agreed to play their part in cutting costs.

The clubs statement due later today should provide further clarification

[White Horse]

The clubs statement due later today should provide further clarification

The Board of Directors of Dundalk FC can confirm that the squad have agreed to take a reduction in salary for the remainder of the season. The club greatly appreciate this and would commend the players for their attitude and thank them for the huge commitment they have shown to Dundalk FC. We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sean Connor, Joe Miller and the players, and everybody involved with the team, for the performances they have produced to date and we wish them continued success.

We also want to acknowledge the stewards and the staff in the club who have been a great help to us and who have also agreed to a reduction in their salary.

This is obviously not a move that we wanted to take, but in the end we had no choice. The main reason for this is the shortfall we have found in sponsorship, which is €195,000 down on last year. This season, we felt going into the Premier Division, with bigger support, that we could maintain the figure that we had in the First Division. In an attempt to make up a large part of this shortfall, we were perhaps naïve in dealings with certain parties - in particular, the Barcelona friendly.

However, while we acknowledge that we may have made some mistakes, we are ambitious for this football club, and have undertaken with the Trust to reduce this shortfall to a minimum. The Board will then work together to deal with that shortfall at the end of the year while still remaining committed to retaining a strong squad for the new season. We have already started an extensive review of all areas of the club, i.e. ticketing, merchandise and fundraisers. We would ask people to come forward and help in different areas of the club, including fundraising and matchday help, because the team that we will be supporting next year depends on the support we receive. The Board can only do a certain amount and we need your help to keep the club progressing to where we want to go.

We would also like to thank the Trust. They have offered to get behind the club in a number of major fundraisers over the next couple of months. We appreciate their continued support, especially at a time like this. We would also thank fans for their support and we would ask that they get behind the Trust and the Board for the sake of the club. If people do not wish to be a part of a committee, they might have friends who they can work with to do some fundraising, as every little bit helps. In addition, the players, as part of the talks, have agreed to participate in fundraising events, and they will receive an agreed percentage to help with the reduction in their salary.

While the shortfall is significant, it is not insurmountable, and we can assure fans that we are still a very strong club. However, perhaps we can look at this as a wake-up call that the Board, fans and townspeople must keep working hard to keep this club at the top of football in Ireland.

Yours in sport,
Dundalk FC Board.