QuoteThe club is a shell of its former self.Originally Posted by Buile Shuibhne
Shells heads,
I know something that you dont
You don't seem to know that Shels is spelt with one l.
A transient, horrible, fantastic dream,
Wherein is nothing yet all things do seem:
From which we're wakened by a friendly nudge
Of our bedfellow Death, and cry: "O fudge!"
Ambrose Bierce
The club is a shell of its former self.
Its gone over your head hasnt it
Buckley has only fooled himself blowing money on wages and living beyond way their means the past few years.
If he is serious about building a club from the bottom club up, then he should slash it back to an amateur set-up untill he has the ground facilities in place.
The whole thing stinks and it will all end in tears as usual for clubs here living beyond their means!
They'll only be living beyond their means if/when Gannon pulls the plug. As long as they've a backer pumping money into the club with no expectation of return, they are living within their means.
But that will be coming to am abrupt end soon. Though the FAI will find a way to sort it out so everything will be just fine.
Last edited by BonnieShels; 10/11/2010 at 11:18 PM. Reason: android
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Do you have know something we don't etc.
Have Fingal invested any money into facilities?
They need a home and to see through their plans for a stadium in Lusk. I don't think so much money should have been going into player wages when they have all that to sort out.
Sporting Fingal think that the laws of economics do not apply to them.
If they pull it off, it will be a remarkable achievement.
You have a good point there. If Fingal had started out amateur in the First Division and not signed the players they did could they possibly be in a better position off the field than they are now(not implying they are in an awful position off the field just that they might be in a better one). How much has Gannon spent on wages over the last 3 years? Surely enough to have put serious money into facilities or a new ground. Fair enough they might be still in the First Division with no FAI Cup but it could help insure they would be around for a long time with a good base.
Would it not have been better to build and progress rather than shoot up the league and now risk going in the opposite direction. Why do Irish clubs continue to want success immediately when it never works out?
Buckley has been praised for what he has done at Fingal but surely with the money he has spent most decent LOI managers would have done a similar job to him.
There is way too much switching an swapping in our league between divisions for one reason or another.
Next years first division and what teams have won over the last 10 or so years:
Cork City (Premier Champions 2005)
Shelbourne (Premier Champions 1999-2000, 2001-2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, FAI Cup 2000)
Drogheda United (Premier Champions 2007, FAI Cup 2005)
Longford Town (FAI Cup 2003, 2004)
Add into that Derry City last season (FAI Cup 2002, 2006)
Its shocking reading. A big bulk of trophys over the last 10 years have been won by teams now in the first division. How other clubs still haven't noticed this and seem to want instant success is beyond me.
Because Irish fans expect every club to immediately be like their sainted Manchester U-****ing-nited, and won't even consider getting off their holes to support them if they're not.
After the way Buckley and Fingal shafted my local club to get the use of Morton Stadium, I will not shed any tears if they go belly up. Drums spent 15 years playing there and had no problem sharing the facility, like they did with Shamrock Rovers and Dublin City in the past. But SF were having none of it and insisted Fingal Co Co dump the club out.
Always look on the bright side of life
That was how Sporting Fingal were meant to start off. The initital plan from Fingal County Council was to have a team of local players participate in the A Championship and gradually grow the club, squad and facilities as they progressed up the ranks. The problem started when Buckley sold the idea to the league of ireland football illiterates on the Council that if they invested a load of cash in the Sporting Fingal project that the club could become just like Rosenborg, who had similar local demographics and community involvement. Buckley, John O'Brien and a delegation from the Council even went to Norway on a junket to sell the Rosenborg vision to the Council. Idea was sold and then they got Gannon/Anglo Irish Bank and Keelings to fund them. Instead of gathering up a squad of local players as initially planned they then offered a number of established LOI players such as Steve Williams and Davy Byrne big bucks to play in the A Championship and the spending just excellerated from there onwards.
Gannon has to have put in at least 2 million into Fingal by now. http://www.fingalcoco.ie/minutes/mee....aspx?id=31986 - According to this from March 2008 Fingal's sponsorship package was 800k per season for 5 years. In 2008 Keelings sponsorship was 250k, Gannon presumably making up the shortfall of around 500k. Gannon's investment increased to 750k last season and was certainly the same this year.How much has Gannon spent on wages over the last 3 years? Surely enough to have put serious money into facilities or a new ground. Fair enough they might be still in the First Division with no FAI Cup but it could help insure they would be around for a long time with a good base.
The Leinster Senior League needs a strong Bohemians
I probably do but I feel that jumping to conclusions and conjecture are way more important in this thread. Hard financial facts have no place here
I asked pages ago did the Fingal fans have any information re the budgets next season and they "ganged up" on me trying to defend their club. Still no more the wiser despite since then a pantomime of "I know something you don't know" has gone on.
Reading total hoofball's post and looking at that council reply makes me shudder.
What always galled me about this whole project it was the complete lack of a need for the club. Bohs have long considered the move to the suburbs (eg. Blanchardstown or up to Harristown) which would have put them within the Fungal's area and they could have replicated the sort of structure that Shams have in Tallaght. And then there's ourselves as well so it's not as if North Dublin needed a club or had two clubs that could've become the community beacons that Fingal CoCo so badly wanted. I know the debt of the 2 clubs may have been a problem but that could have been dealt with I'm sure.
I think it's their existence and how they came into being that really rubs a lot of people up the wrong way
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Some really good and valid points there from posters tbh. I was starting to think myself about how some of the money could have been put into facilities for the club rather than spending it on higher wages (hindsight is a wonderful thing).
Dont get me wrong iv loved what has happened over the last 3 years, FAI Cup, Promotion and getting in the various players but if it means the club will get into difficulty then it aint worth it. I was always willing to watch the club in the A-championship and I was just excited to have a club that represented our region of Dublin. I then heard we would have decent backing and thought great we can start to compete straight away. Which is fine in my eyes because all fans want their team to be successfull but not at any cost.
I think the club (Liam Buckley) spent big on players because they assumed the faclilities would be put in place regardless and they never seen the recession coming. Now when it was more and more obvious that money would have been tight, then cut backs could and possible should have been made in order to use the money elsewhere. I dont know where because maybe they where not allowed to do anything with the money in Lusk. I dont know.
Originally the idea being Stadium built by Fingal CC and Team financed by Gannon/Keelings/Anglo. The recession has put a major dent in the idea unfortunately but has the club responded sensibly to the change in the economy? Im not sure yet and time will tell.
As I said Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I still think the club can continue and return to what the original idea was if needs be and I for one will still be the first in line for my season ticket.
It's not hindsight if the point was being made ages ago.
Bonnie first off nobody ganged up on you so relax the histrionics. Secondly, you where told by me that we didnt know about the finances so how could we answer. Thirdly stop using what one poster said to tar all. The lep is just having a laugh. I dont blame him for not wanting to repeat the same arguments over and over, so he chooses to joke
And you will fogive me if I dont take what you are saying as anything more than sour grapes especially when trying to make a point and you cant help but say fungal. It detracts from your argument and I one tune out when the bitterness has entered the argument. There is a need for my club, we have a small following but that doesnt matter because the club matters to everysingle one of our supporters. As long as there are fans going to games then the club matters.
Last edited by Lamper.sffc; 11/11/2010 at 1:05 PM.
Its my hindsight. Im trying to be as honest as I can about what is going on, thats all.
Iv never said that what fingal where doing would definitely work. I always said lets just wait and see and Im still of that opinion.
Last edited by Lamper.sffc; 11/11/2010 at 12:50 PM.
I admire the love and enthusiasm you have for your club.
However, it will be very difficult to engender public enthusiasm for Sporting Fingal if you have to start competing as an amateur club in the A championship.
I just think their main problem will be they have set the bar too high for themselves. There is already a lot of expectation from them after what they have achieved so far. If that success is gone. So are at least 50% of the fans.
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