Bray statement

**Charlie Darwin** · 04/07/2018, 12:43 AM

Originally Posted by EatYerGreens

You don't need to bluff your way past the FAI. They can't afford to turn any existing clubs away from the league - a 19 club structure would be a farce, and add to the gradual dwindling of senior clubs that's been happening over the last few years. And as we know, there are no clubs beating a path to join the LOI - because it just isn't worth it. So if you apply for a license you'll be waved through by the FAI no matter how unrealistic your application, with Abbotstown just hoping that you can somehow not implode afterwards.

Or deny two clubs a licence.

**Nesta99** · 04/07/2018, 12:55 AM

What about the people that were involved prior when the lock out incident occured. Would pride get in the way of the current lot handing over control to the other faction of that time? They have obviously written off the 100k bond that was lodged with the FAI and the wage bill is hardly so high that it wouldnt go significantly to cover wages for the remaining games. If Russell walks away in the next week or so then it would be curtains for the club, well unless they know the FAI will work things to keep the club in senior football somehow.

**pineapple stu** · 04/07/2018, 7:46 AM

How can you write off a bond?

The bond is already spent

**Seagull** · 04/07/2018, 8:28 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Biggest worry has there's no Plan B for taking over the club it seems. Even Athlone have mobilised to try get rid of the guys in charge there.

Obviously it's not an easy thing to do (couldn't do it at UCD for example), but it has to be a worry. If the current crowd walk away, who picks up the pieces?

Why haven't they walked away though? Denis O'Connor stepped down as chairman but he's still knocking around with his idiot brother. What's in this for Gerry Mulvey? It's looking like the plan all along was to run down the club til nobody cared anymore and then make a development move for the Carlisle Grounds.

**marinobohs** · 05/07/2018, 10:05 AM

Sad to see this debacle AGAIN.Quite simply either licencing does not work or the current 'administrators' are incapable of working it. This cannot be a surprise to anyone and the PFAI statement that the FAI have refused (sorry been 'unavailable') to meet them is nothing short of negligence.
Even for an FAI dripping with distain for its own league, this cannot be allowed to continue. Most LOI fans raised an eyebrow when Brays 'full time' plan was unveiled two years back, and indeed speculated on the REAL reason yet the experts in the FAI appear to have accepted Hans Christen Anderson business proposals as fact. not just once but twice.

In proper football authorities it would be called bringing the game into disrepute

**Mr A** · 05/07/2018, 10:53 AM

The other side of the coin is that up until this point, Bray have actually honoured their commitments. We all know it'll end in tears, but it's difficult for the governing body to use that to punish them- and then very probably leave the league down to 19 teams.

Am as frustrated as the rest of you with these antics but the responsibility is primarily in Bray.

**centre mid** · 05/07/2018, 11:29 AM

Make no mistake - this was always a property play from Mulvey. Hopefully the majority of people and fans that were alienated by the present administration will return when this sorry mess is over.

**pineapple stu** · 05/07/2018, 11:42 AM

Not to take away from that sentiment, but Bray were going bust before Mulvey came onboard. Going back to how it was isn't an option either, unless something drastic changes

**El-Pietro** · 05/07/2018, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by Seagull

Why haven't they walked away though? Denis O'Connor stepped down as chairman but he's still knocking around with his idiot brother. What's in this for Gerry Mulvey? It's looking like the plan all along was to run down the club til nobody cared anymore and then make a development move for the Carlisle Grounds.

Would it not have been easier to do all of this but at the bottom of the first division? Drive away fans through disinterest?

**Lim till i die** · 05/07/2018, 12:41 PM

Club licensing is there for the fai to use as a stick to beat bold clubs it doesn't like. Always was and always will be.

The amount of ****eing on about it that goes on every year. It's freely available to read.

You could count the number of clubs who'd actually get a licence if the criteria was enforced on the fingers of one hand that was half way through a mincer. (Our league champions shouldn't have a premier licence for example.)

As for the PFAI - absolutely no clout. Hence the fai don't have to bother with them. Does mcguinness still have his little office across the hall from Fran? Real agents for positive change there.

**Nesta99** · 05/07/2018, 7:23 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

How can you write off a bond?

The bond is already spent

I was under the impression that 100k was lodged with the FAI in an escrow account, a security bond type thing. I know little about the way these things work but as part of granting a licence that this money was set aside with the FAI in the event of Bray and the people in charge reneging on committments made. What I meant by the bond being written off was that the people behind the bankrolling of Bray have decided that the loss of the bond is acceptable. The FAI can use the 100k in the escrow to try and pay players assuming that they will be a priority eg the FAI wont take Bray's participation fee before employees of the club. get paid How far that 100K will go (probably not very far) will depend on what the level of playing budget that Bray and by extension the FAI via licensing have committed to.

**pineapple stu** · 05/07/2018, 7:26 PM

I believe the bond is spent.

Presumably on April and May wages.

**EatYerGreens** · 05/07/2018, 7:50 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

Or deny two clubs a licence.

But the FAI don't want to see the number of clubs reduced at all, as it reflects badly on them and the general atmosphere in (and viability of) Irish domestic football. Hence why they give licenses out on the basis of hope and fantasy, rather than fact.

**pineapple stu** · 05/07/2018, 7:52 PM

Fran is surely running out of contacts at this stage though?

**Nesta99** · 05/07/2018, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I believe the bond is spent.

Presumably on April and May wages.

Ah ok! So Bray haven't really payed their players out of their season's budget for maybe 3 months. The moneymen were making sure that they got their 100k back in some way by not paying players as they agreed to do so and have the FAI dip in to the escrow. They really have made total fools out of a lot of people in particular the FAI. Why anyone agreed to risk signing for them!?

**pineapple stu** · 06/07/2018, 6:51 AM

Well it was always an escrow, not a bond surely? The money would have been refunded at the end of the season if it wasn't used (or retained for 2019), or else it would have been used. Either way, the money men would never have lost it.

But yeah, you wonder where it's going alright.

**Mr A** · 06/07/2018, 9:49 AM

A Facebook memory popped up today in which I mentioned "the absolute shambles at Bray". It was from 2015.

#GreatestLeagueInTheWorld

**disgruntled** · 06/07/2018, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Club licensing is there for the fai to use as a stick to beat bold clubs it doesn't like. Always was and always will be.

The amount of ****eing on about it that goes on every year. It's freely available to read.

You could count the number of clubs who'd actually get a licence if the criteria was enforced on the fingers of one hand that was half way through a mincer. (Our league champions shouldn't have a premier licence for example.)

As for the PFAI - absolutely no clout. Hence the fai don't have to bother with them. Does mcguinness still have his little office across the hall from Fran? Real agents for positive change there.

Can you explain a little more on that ?