Athlone bucked?

[KeepersBall]

http://www.leagueofireland.ie/#!Pres...f24585979fada7

[White Horse]

It doesn't sound good.

[Mr A]

That just raises a lot of questions.... such as:

It looks like the club have signed a squad they already know they can't afford?
Doesn't calling out your inability to attract a main sponsor itself undermine the value of your shirt sponsorship?
What the hell are these people playing at?

[athloneman]

Its well known locally that the current board/associates have ruined the club and havent a clue what they are at! Its alleged that the chairman sacked the youths management team over a year a ago because his son wasnt getting a game and since then the youths have won 6 games in a year and a half! if they are like that with the youths just imagine how the rest of the club is being run!

[Jofspring]

Ya it sounds like they got their budget completely wrong. Assembling a strong squad and then realising one game into the season that the crowds in the first division won't sustain that squad.

You could easily swap Limerick in for Athlone there too. No shirt sponsor here for 3 years now, crowds likely to drop so whether we can afford an already cut budget is yet to be seen.

[nigel-harps1954]

There's another big question to be asked if this is the case with the budget. How did the FAI approve the budget if Athlone knew they weren't going to be able to afford it?

[NeverFeltBetter]

Ah here, why did they assemble "the best squad...in many years" if they didn't have the funds to pay for them without seeking more support beyond a week into the season?

[nigel-harps1954]

Ah here, why did they assemble "the best squad...in many years" if they didn't have the funds to pay for them without seeking more support beyond a week into the season?

Their best squad in many years drew with a Waterford side that signed a handful of players from the Cobh side rooted to the bottom of the division last year in their opening game.

[stann]

Ya it sounds like they got their budget completely wrong. Assembling a strong squad and then realising one game into the season that the crowds in the first division won't sustain that squad.

One away game at that - they'd have no accurate idea yet how much their home gates will be reduced by the drop sure.
Which is why it sounds to me like a little bit of overstating the case to the public, in an effort to drum up some extra support / sponsorship.
We had something similar a few years back with an ill-advised appeal on local radio which did very little, and maybe more harm than good.
Anyway, wouldn't think there's anything there that would suggest the club is in immediate trouble.

[sulywaterfordfc]

Their best squad in many years drew with a Waterford side that signed a handful of players from the Cobh side rooted to the bottom of the division last year in their opening game.

The Waterford 11 contained one former Cobh player. The former player was a big part in Waterford's run to the play off final in 2012 and he only played for Cobh because of a stupid mistake he made following the 2012 season. Your completely underestimating Waterford this year.

And besides that Athlone were very poor against us, and there only clear cut chance came from a misplaced backpass from a Waterford player which was scored. Although the conditions were very poor in the RSC.

[ATFC-1887]

Their best squad in many years drew with a Waterford side that signed a handful of players from the Cobh side rooted to the bottom of the division last year in their opening game.

1. That was referring to last season squad.
2. We were missing 6 starting players last Friday

[Town Legend]

LOI club in financial difficulty.....this all smells of Roddy Collins!

[desaintsno.12]

i'd love to know what the FAI check when they look at the budget of a club for approval. do they have prove funds are there ?
the entire system is obviously flawed massively and i presume clubs like athlone are fiddling it completley.

[Dodge]

Just on the "best squad in years" comment. It's clearly not. Half the player are ex Pats under 19s and none of them are on anything/much

The statement is a shambles

[Town Legend]

When reading the statement about the best squad in years, I took it to mean this years squad as it's worded 'are perhaps the best squad' instead of 'was perhaps the best squad'.

[Macy]

Another season, another ringing endorsement of the licencing system.

[Mr A]

Ack, was going to write another post pointing out the oddness of the statement and questions it raises, but feck it, I just hope they pull through somehow.

[sulywaterfordfc]

1. That was referring to last season squad.
2. We were missing 6 starting players last Friday

Waterford were missing 3/4 as well which includes the team captain. Didn't seem to effect Blues too much.

[ATFC-1887]

Waterford were missing 3/4 as well which includes the team captain. Didn't seem to effect Blues too much.

Yeh couldn't score against a put together back 4 until the last kick of them game

[ATFC-1887]

From what i hear is that its not as bad as its being made out to be. A problem at the moment is that after this week we have 2 away games, so there will be no income for 2 weeks. Its not as if the club is in massive debt. Its just a case of them needing to get a sponsor in to help with the running costs.