Magners League of Football?

**Charlie Darwin** · 05/11/2010, 1:38 PM

Originally Posted by Adrock

There is the EPL as a whole and then there is Keith Fahey. There are from time to time players such as Fahey or Paul Mcshane who get game time without necessarily appearing to be elite level footballers. Sure they are likely to be good enough as squad players at least for the kind of league I'd envisage but, as with my current British club there are certain players I don't rate that highly or exactly salivate at the prospect of watching but that doesn't put me off watching the team as a whole. Maybe he's just not my kind of player. Give me a (fit) Andy Reid any day.

What's your current British club? And what was the one before that?

**peadar1987** · 05/11/2010, 1:59 PM

Originally Posted by Adrock

No, merely a team of players higher than LOI standard, which is pretty much every league in Europe . If you just set up say five teams on this island you could make up decent sides of players from the Republic or northern ireland, sure some lads like those playing for Man U are likely to stay where they are, but most other players in the prem. Championship or better League 1 teams (Keane and Given included with their current situation) would I'm sure consider it if the ambition was there (probably not the English ones who would have to move to a foreign country) .

Fahey could be sub I suppose...... sorry I just dont particularly rate the guy, most times I've seen him at international or premiership level he's looked out of his depth.

So you want 11+ players better than Keith Fahey, who is, I'm guessing, on €10,000+ a week. That's a players' wage bill of about 5 or 6 million+ euro a year. Between 18 home games, you're looking at needing to take in €400,000-€500,000 per home game. Even if you charge the upper end of the scale for tickets, about €20, you still need to attract 20,000-25,000 people to every single game. At the very minimum. It's just not going to work.

And I've said a thousand times before that a provincial system won't work for Irish football. To attract enough people like you, you'd need instant success in Europe. That means around 20 top quality players, who would cost maybe €10 million each. Multiply that by 5 for your proposed 5 teams, and you're already looking at a billion euro, without paying signing on fees or wages. Then you need stadia, because only Lansdowne is up to standard at the moment, so another few hundred million, and even then, you might get a capacity 55,000 crowd for big games against Celtic and Rangers, but are you going to turn up to watch North Wales Dragons or Kilmarnock? I'm guessing no. So why spend about 1.5 billion on a system that doesn't make sense for this sport, when a tenth of that investment could give the League of Ireland 22 decent stadia, and a top quality marketing campaign, which would go a lot of the way to making the competition sustainable?

**The Fly** · 05/11/2010, 2:24 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

What's your current British club? And what was the one before that?

At some stage in the late 90's I'd say it was Wimbledon/Dublin FC.

**Adrock** · 05/11/2010, 2:28 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

What's your current British club? And what was the one before that?

I meant in the context of as opposed to my future Irish Superleague team (or not as the case is likely to be) though then I suppose I would have split allegiances which would complicate matters because you cant really just stop supporting your club you've grown up with, though you can start supporting a club that didn't previously exist (as ever club at one point didn't)

**Macy** · 05/11/2010, 2:36 PM

When has it ever been "either or"? Most LoI supporters I know would follow a UK club to some degree or another. On the contrary, it's normally people that refuse point blank to take into a game that try to make it an issue.

**gustavo** · 05/11/2010, 2:36 PM

Should your current British club ever endure hardship and be God forbid relegated would you consider switching allegiences rather than have your eyes defiled with the horror of football that isn't 100% aesthetically pleasing?

**Charlie Darwin** · 05/11/2010, 2:45 PM

What if your current British club signed Keith Fahey? League 1 here we come?!?!

**peadar1987** · 05/11/2010, 3:01 PM

Originally Posted by Adrock

I meant in the context of as opposed to my future Irish Superleague team (or not as the case is likely to be) though then I suppose I would have split allegiances which would complicate matters because you cant really just stop supporting your club you've grown up with, though you can start supporting a club that didn't previously exist (as ever club at one point didn't)

I have no problem reconciling supporting Stoke with following Bray, and attending all the games I can. It's a toss-up which club I feel more affinity for. I agree with Macy, it's onlt those looking for excuses who make an issue of this.

**pineapple stu** · 05/11/2010, 3:05 PM

And also, you've family connections with Stoke, yeah?

**geysir** · 05/11/2010, 3:11 PM

I'd say most club members in Norway/Sweden avidly follow the EPL, but it doesn't interfere with them following their club.

**peadar1987** · 05/11/2010, 3:14 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

And also, you've family connections with Stoke, yeah?

Yeah, my dad grew up there, and only came over to Ireland to marry my mum.

**pineapple stu** · 05/11/2010, 3:18 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

I'd say most club members in Norway/Sweden avidly follow the EPL, but it doesn't interfere with them following their club.

When I was in Norway for the Ireland game, I met a group of Norwegians who were singing Liverpool songs in the pub. But when I asked them what team in Norway they followed, every one followed their local team, even if they weren't top flight.

**Adrock** · 05/11/2010, 3:43 PM

Originally Posted by peadar1987

So you want 11+ players better than Keith Fahey, who is, I'm guessing, on �10,000+ a week. That's a players' wage bill of about 5 or 6 million+ euro a year. Between 18 home games, you're looking at needing to take in �400,000-�500,000 per home game. Even if you charge the upper end of the scale for tickets, about �20, you still need to attract 20,000-25,000 people to every single game. At the very minimum. It's just not going to work.

And I've said a thousand times before that a provincial system won't work for Irish football. To attract enough people like you, you'd need instant success in Europe. That means around 20 top quality players, who would cost maybe �10 million each. Multiply that by 5 for your proposed 5 teams, and you're already looking at a billion euro, without paying signing on fees or wages. Then you need stadia, because only Lansdowne is up to standard at the moment, so another few hundred million, and even then, you might get a capacity 55,000 crowd for big games against Celtic and Rangers, but are you going to turn up to watch North Wales Dragons or Kilmarnock? I'm guessing no. So why spend about 1.5 billion on a system that doesn't make sense for this sport, when a tenth of that investment could give the League of Ireland 22 decent stadia, and a top quality marketing campaign, which would go a lot of the way to making the competition sustainable?

Hold your horses I'm not talking about recreating the NFL in Ireland here.....lets not get hysterical .
If we can leave my low opinion of Keith Fahey out of this I am not expecting any new league to be a rival to the EPL or Serie A, I'm merely advocating setting up a few clubs to supplement a few other existing clubs to create a league equivalent perhaps to the top 12 teams in Belgium, Greece or perhaps in the longer term Holland for instance. Given the potential catchment area for these teams this is hardly unrealistic. What other city in Western Europe the size of Dublin for instance doesnt have a more credible football team than Shamrock Rovers?

**Adrock** · 05/11/2010, 3:48 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

What if your current British club signed Keith Fahey? League 1 here we come?!?!

Should your current British club ever endure hardship and be God forbid relegated would you consider switching allegiences rather than have your eyes defiled with the horror of football that isn't 100% aesthetically pleasing?

Lets just say that with my current club either of these scenarios is somewhat more unlikely than Hell hosting the next Winter Olympics and leave it at that.

**pineapple stu** · 05/11/2010, 3:50 PM

Set up a few new clubs? What a wonderful idea! Sure we're just brimming with people looking to get involved with clubs. That's a sure fire winner.

Get off your hole and go to a game and just enjoy it for what it is.

**gustavo** · 05/11/2010, 3:50 PM

Lucky you then in choosing a really big club

**Dodge** · 05/11/2010, 3:51 PM

So who's going to pay for these new league and teams then adrock?

As has been said to you al;ready. If you actually went to games (along with the rest of the football fans who don't go to gamnes in this country) we might be able to achieve what you're looking for

But as long as you wait for money to magic itself into Irish football, we'll make do with your internet potshots

**shaneker** · 05/11/2010, 4:48 PM

Deleted

**Macy** · 05/11/2010, 5:16 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Get off your hole and go to a game and just enjoy it for what it is.

Do or don't, I'm beyond caring and just take the football and attendances for what they are. But stand by the "couldn't be bothered" decision and not come up with bs excuses to justify the "don't" option, and be prepared to accept the consquences that is inevitably a weaker national team.