Champagne Football

**redobit** · 23/09/2020, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by Nesta99

Well as both a word of warning and a challange to see how far readers get before being p!ssed off - I made it as far as P2 of the Prologue before feeling a bit nauseated (p1 rolling of eyes). By p3 I seriously wanted to puke - regardless of who footed the bill for that 50th birthday party it was the cheesiest load of bull sh*t. Pukeworthy in its faux celebrity and self importantce. Dunno how i will get through the bits that had a direct and lasting impact on the game. Anything throwable is out of reach!! It's a super read and even with the dodgy copies mentioned doing the rounds, the bookshop said they were on their 3rd delivery of copies in 2 days and that they were all on order and not able to meet general demand.

Absolutely, read the prologue and started the 1st Chapter but stopped straight away. Couldn't read too much of that in one sitting. You'd be way too p1ssed off otherwise.

**wexfordned** · 25/09/2020, 9:21 PM

Originally Posted by colonelwest

There is absolutely a very good reason why the first chapter is called "Sins Of The Father" as it was Delaney's primary motivation for getting into the higher echelons of the FAI initially. The "I'll show them" mentality and settling grudges and scores as he was 100% adamant his auld lad was screwed over, which of course he wasn't. It wasn't just the tickets from USA 94 that did Delaney snr in in the night of the long knives.

Was rared on being told first hand experience of a lot of the FAI stories over the years, just bear in mind when reading that what's on paper in the book are only those that cleared legal before publishing!

Delaney didn't take any legal proceedings against anything that the boys wanted to publish in the book. There were no more major stories left out. It's a great read and yet a depressing read as well.

You'd like to think Irish soccer fans are embarrassed at their fawning over JD down the years, but most of them probably will pretend it was only a minority who chanted his name in bars before/after games.

Bonner/Kerr seemed to have really been screwed by Delaney. Shocking treatment of two lads who gave so much to Irish football

**Nesta99** · 28/09/2020, 10:39 PM

One error in the book of note "Dundalk, managed by Stephen Kenny, had become the first LoI club to qualify for the Europa League group stages...".

**Charlie Darwin** · 29/09/2020, 1:47 AM

I've already burned my copy, thanks for the heads-up Nesta.

**Mr A** · 29/09/2020, 12:33 PM

Saw that mentioned online and Tighe said it was fixed in 2nd print run.

One thing that jumps out about the whole thing is the JD was so staggeringly incompetent. The accounts of negotiations again and again portrayed a man who was terrible at the job. From throwing Mick a bonus out of the blue to announcing Kerr before finalizing the deal to negotiating for Waterford and paying more than 3 times what UCD hoped for for a player- everyone was a winner with JD. Not the league though. Oh hell no.

**John83** · 29/09/2020, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

One thing that jumps out about the whole thing is the JD was so staggeringly incompetent. The accounts of negotiations again and again portrayed a man who was terrible at the job. From throwing Mick a bonus out of the blue to announcing Kerr before finalizing the deal to negotiating for Waterford and paying more than 3 times what UCD hoped for for a player- everyone was a winner with JD. Not the league though. Oh hell no.

I read that a little differently. It seemed to me like his priorities were:
(1) promote JD.
(2) See (1).
To that end, arranging a huge bonus for Mick made him the good guy with McCarthy (and all the drinking stories suggest it's very important to him to be liked), and simultaneously made trouble for the guys ahead of him in the organisation.

Prematurely announcing Kerr screwed over the FAI in contract negotiations, but it provided a distraction when awkward questions were being asked.

In every case, it seems like he was prepared to waste the organisation's money if it was to his personal advantage.

The negotiation with Dillan was funny though. He just ****ed up there.

**sbgawa** · 29/09/2020, 1:11 PM

I almost felt sorry for him in the book when they were describing him on the plane when he thought he was being pushed out and was completely freaking out.
It wasn't just potentially losing his job he was worried about (which would freak any of us out) but the prospect of all the plates coming crashing down once he wasn't there to spin them anymore.
Remember he was still spinning the debt free by 2020 story and he knew there was a 50million hole that was hidden and was bullet proof as far as he was concerned.

Not sorry for him in the sense he got what he deserved but the sheer scale of the **** storm coming must have been unbelievable to deal with........ I did say almost

**Mr A** · 29/09/2020, 1:51 PM

Originally Posted by John83

I read that a little differently. It seemed to me like his priorities were:
(1) promote JD.
(2) See (1).
To that end, arranging a huge bonus for Mick made him the good guy with McCarthy (and all the drinking stories suggest it's very important to him to be liked), and simultaneously made trouble for the guys ahead of him in the organisation.

Prematurely announcing Kerr screwed over the FAI in contract negotiations, but it provided a distraction when awkward questions were being asked.

In every case, it seems like he was prepared to waste the organisation's money if it was to his personal advantage.

The negotiation with Dillan was funny though. He just ****ed up there.

Fair point- certainly it's very clear that FAI money was used to buy (or attempt to buy) favour. But the UCD example also indicates that he was useless at this sort of thing anyway. Not the best combination for Irish football.

**pineapple stu** · 29/09/2020, 2:00 PM

I know it's something that's been mentioned before, but it does sound like the Board of Directors need to all be banned from ever being a director again. That's literally what they're there for. They're getting off fairly lightly in all this. That schoolboys numpty who said he wasn't going to resign because he was good at schoolboy football and sure he wasn't great with the aul numbers but he trusted JD - sounded like an entire Board of Healy-Raes.

Edit - oh, and let's not forget Deloitte, the auditors. Another right shower. Would really make you wonder what the point of an audit is.

So I guess the point is that while JD is the head honcho in all this, he couldn't have done it without his supporting cast...

**EatYerGreens** · 29/09/2020, 2:10 PM

Originally Posted by sbgawa

I almost felt sorry for him in the book when they were describing him on the plane when he thought he was being pushed out and was completely freaking out.
It wasn't just potentially losing his job he was worried about (which would freak any of us out) but the prospect of all the plates coming crashing down once he wasn't there to spin them anymore.
Remember he was still spinning the debt free by 2020 story and he knew there was a 50million hole that was hidden and was bullet proof as far as he was concerned.

Not sorry for him in the sense he got what he deserved but the sheer scale of the **** storm coming must have been unbelievable to deal with........ I did say almost

I'm surprised he didn't have a breakdown tbh. It's a situation that would really damage/burden many better people than himself.

I wonder how Delaney sees and articulates everything to himself in his own mind now. To what extent he accepts that he fcuked things up, acted the complete ******, and only has himself to blame for his circumstances. Given that ego was at the root of a lot of the problems he caused, I fear he will have his own unique view of everything that happened and his own innocence within it. He moved so quickly into alternative employment in London that it's unlikely he had time for much serious self-reflection over it all.

**sbgawa** · 29/09/2020, 3:08 PM

His pals would point to the 5m he screwed out of FIFA over the Henry handball and the 10+m he got out of O Brien as being enough to offset his own personal enrichment.
There is an element of truth in that as well if he had just couldn't applied himmself to the job honestly and be upfront about stuff rather than create a dictatorship.
For example if he had turned around and said we got the ticket prices wrong but we are in a global recession so fair enough people would have accepted that , it was all the cover ups that killed him in the end.

My policy in life is when someone abuses their position in anyway you can assume it isn't the only way .....has never let me down.
The people who were around him especially the Board have gotten away very lightly, he is the fall guy for all of them...deserves everything he gets btw

**Calcio Jack** · 29/09/2020, 3:10 PM

Originally Posted by EatYerGreens

I'm surprised he didn't have a breakdown tbh. It's a situation that would really damage/burden many better people than himself.

I wonder how Delaney sees and articulates everything to himself in his own mind now. To what extent he accepts that he fcuked things up, acted the complete ******, and only has himself to blame for his circumstances. Given that ego was at the root of a lot of the problems he caused, I fear he will have his own unique view of everything that happened and his own innocence within it. He moved so quickly into alternative employment in London that it's unlikely he had time for much serious self-reflection over it all.

I’d say he has little difficulty articulating it to himself , all he needs to do is remind himself of the millions in salary and expenses he ‘earned’ - people like him don’t ever consider they are the problem/cause but act in a Trump like manner of believing they are above the little people and deserving of Everything they can take

**Nesta99** · 29/09/2020, 3:48 PM

My reading between the lines was that of JD being a very very insecure individual that needed to flaunt his clout. He started off by doing people 'favours' eg the bonus to McCarthy that he never asked for. Curried favour by even being willing to pay over the odds for a UCD player in a 'look how well we are doing, making the club a PLC, sure Im so great at this job I can afford to be billy bigballs with other peoples cash. He should be studied by psychologists on how he didnt implode under the pressure of his own spin. Delusions that he could sort out a fix give time, paranoia, self esteem issues, lies to big himself up, believing his own hype, the neediness with the girlfriend English and the ott public displays of affection, private security trailing him and the missus, feeling entitled to spend money that wasnt his on personal items etc etc - they all, and more, fit in to criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder. I thought narcissism, maybe psychopathy was the root of his behaviour but the very obvious awkwardness and lack of awareness he showed in public would have been there with a narcissistic personality. Add in the sheer number of work relaionships soured. He was never very good, but he got worse when he seemed to be impressing the lady and losing out there when he was exposed would have been a tough one for him to take. He made his bed etc so no sympathy. The rule by fear, intimidation, and keeping other FAI officials in little bubbles where info was witheld from each little cell is classic manipulation. Many of them were weak and naive - but JD also had them manipulated in to knots and when anyone came close to outing him he destroyed them. Lots of egg on face stuff for politicians and cronies! It wouldnt surprise me at all if he is currently plotting a way back in to the public eye, he probably had/has any eye on running in a general election!!

**Martinho II** · 29/09/2020, 5:13 PM

The thing with JD though which I havent heard answered yet is could he face charges for the sins against Irish football? In other words could he go to prison for such criminal behaviour?!

**Nesta99** · 29/09/2020, 6:09 PM

Could he? Maybe, but highly unlikely. That John Tracey said he couldnt release some of the forensic audits to the public as the files were given to Na Gardaí must mean there is a case to answer and for maybe more than JD also. The OCED investigation has been untertaken by Gardaí under secondment and is still ongoing also. Some board members at the FAI wanted him sacked so there may have been a case for that but it would have been protracted and expensive so the FAI took the safe option in paying him off. There is still some rope left in this story so ye never know. Its more a personal matter for JD and family but if he duped family court on his income and hence skimped on his financial support to family, wouldnt that be some sort of contempt.

This book is made for a TV drama! Who'd play Delaney? Aidan Gillen did a fine job of playing that other scoundrel CJH!

**pineapple stu** · 29/09/2020, 6:20 PM

I think he definitely could, although we've not been great at cracking down on white-collar crime typically (ask the bankers!) It'd take time to put a case together, so silence wouldn't mean nothing's happening. There's some serious numbers being talked about, and surely - even though the FAI got hit with some of the tax - he'd have tax issues anyway, on top of the ongoing ODCE and garda investigation.