Games Weekend 8th and 9th Sept

[joey B]

I dont see Rodgers not being there next season.....However long he lasts next season is another question.....

[legendz]

First Division

Friday 8th
Bray 1-4 Galway
Kerry 0-0 Longford
Treaty 1-2 Wexford
Finn Harps 0-4 Waterford

Saturday 9th
Cobh 1-0 Athlone

Cobh are 10 points clear of 6th with 6 games to go. Bray and Treaty seem to be out of contention for the playoffs. Both play next Friday. A win for either will keep faint hopes alive.

[Nesta99]

Rodgers would be stupid to do any kind of deal, how in earth he managed to get Harps to give him a long term contract (whether 4, 6, whatever) is beyond me but when they sack him (and they will have to) he should take them for the entire contract. Not his fault someone stupid enough to agree to that.

4 years with options to extend - the validity of such options are to be tested in a pending employment law case supposedly. Any updates on that, patsdad? I'm not totally having sly dig here, it is potentially a precedent case that impacts on the wider game and Mr 10 point plan Rogers.

[D24Saint]

Surprising that Longford haven't issued their own statement yet, unless they feel it would be inappropriate to comment in the circumstances?

https://ltfc.ie/2023/09/club-statement/

Hot off the press.

[legendz]

https://ltfc.ie/2023/09/club-statement/

Hot off the press.

Club Statement

Longford Town FC is aware of an alleged incident at our recent game against Kerry FC at Mounthawk Park last Friday 8th September.

After conducting our own investigation and speaking with players and staff, Longford Town FC is extremely confident that the alleged incident did not occur and we are fully behind the individual in question.

We will work with the relevant authorities to establish the facts of the matter.

Longford Town FC condemns all types of discrimination and racism.

The club will be making no further comment at this time.

[2 Year Contract]

That statement absolutely stinks without revealing any detail whatsoever about how they can be "extremely confident that the alleged incident did not occur"

[Longfordian]

Christ's sake. What good does that statement do anyone?

[Shearer]

The victim has no reason to make it up, the perpetrator has every reason to deny it.

Longford should have kept their mouth shut and said they'd comply with the investigation and comment then. A brainwave from their outspoken employee no doubt.

[total hoofball]

I still wonder exactly when was the alleged incident claimed to have occurred, was it around the scuffle at the 90th minute as I suspect or was it after the final whistle?

Longford would want to be more than extremely confident more like 100% confident in the witness statements of their own players and staff

[Martinho II]

The victim has no reason to make it up, the perpetrator has every reason to deny it.

Longford should have kept their mouth shut and said they'd comply with the investigation and comment then. A brainwave from their outspoken employee no doubt.

I know quite well who wrote that statement its a certain town committee member who I have had major issues with in the past. I have left Section O messager group and Longford Town FC Supporters club cos he was on it. I wont mention his name as I dont have proof but it has an air of arrogance about it and the certain town committee member accused one of the Section O lads of being a racist earlier in the season when it was never the case. Me and another Section O member were witnesses to this and all he said was blind *** not black ***.

Whats the idea about alleged twice mentioned? Why did they not hire a legal professional to draft that statement?
Im never being so ashamed to be a Longford Town fan tonight!

[Martinho II]

I still wonder exactly when was the alleged incident claimed to have occurred, was it around the scuffle at the 90th minute as I suspect or was it after the final whistle?

Longford would want to be more than extremely confident more like 100% confident in the witness statements of their own players and staff

from what I heard tonight it was during the game..

[Olander]

The idiot that was accused of making the racist remark during the game also did this to an 18 year old - https://twitter.com/DOL17/status/1701267862520824207

He should receive a lengthy ban.

Embarrassing that Longford have come out backing the player and sticking their head in the sand, especially considering they have a few black players in their squad also. I wonder how they feel.

[De Town]

Bit of an overreaction to the statement online for me, but that’s the way things are these days. Outrage must occur over everything.

If something was said, then I hope the culprit is punished accordingly by the LOI/Gardai and sacked by the club.

However, I’d have thought that it’s going to be almost impossible to prove anything has happened. As mentioned, our squad is quite multicultural itself. If our own players were not happy or witnessed/heard anything then I’m sure they’d have said it. The club definitely aren’t releasing this statement on a whim. I fully believe their own investigations were thorough (hence the wait until Monday for them to say anything), and they’re satisfied that the player is innocent.

Could the statement have been worded better? Of course it could.

Do I think there’s anything wrong with the club backing the player if they truly believe he’s innocent having interviewed the rest of the squad/coaching staff? Absolutely not.

As for the video circulating of the stamp/attempted headbutt and the subsequent whinging about that…

Do people watch football with their eyes closed these days or what? This kind of stuff happens on a regular basis during games, by players from all teams. You’re absolutely deluded if you follow any team and think that one of your players has never done such a thing. Also, judging a player on a 10-15 second clip is laughable stuff. I wasn’t at the game or didn’t watch it but you’re off your rocker if you think that all just happened completely out of the blue. Of course, it’s vitally important for the online judges to come to a conclusion from the very short clip going around. I’m not sure why your man’s age has anything to do with it either.

Anyway, that’s my 2c on the whole situation…

[Shearer]

Bit of an overreaction to the statement online for me, but that’s the way things are these days. Outrage must occur over everything.

If something was said, then I hope the culprit is punished accordingly by the LOI/Gardai and sacked by the club.

However, I’d have thought that it’s going to be almost impossible to prove anything has happened. As mentioned, our squad is quite multicultural itself. If our own players were not happy or witnessed/heard anything then I’m sure they’d have said it. The club definitely aren’t releasing this statement on a whim. I fully believe their own investigations were thorough (hence the wait until Monday for them to say anything), and they’re satisfied that the player is innocent.

Could the statement have been worded better? Of course it could.

Do I think there’s anything wrong with the club backing the player if they truly believe he’s innocent having interviewed the rest of the squad/coaching staff? Absolutely not.

All they had to do was acknowledge the investigation and say nothing. Conducting their own investigation and clearing themselves of any wrong doing is the equivalent of a parent telling a teacher that their child is an angel who wouldn't do anything wrong.

The perpetrator has every reason to deny it, the victim has no reason to lie. Let the guards decide what happened rather than picking a side.

Considering Longford Town's social media and associated media are quick to jump down the throat of club volunteers it is wild how they took this long to say anything and then the statement they did release is a dumpster fire.

[Olander]

Bit of an overreaction to the statement online for me, but that’s the way things are these days. Outrage must occur over everything.

If something was said, then I hope the culprit is punished accordingly by the LOI/Gardai and sacked by the club.

However, I’d have thought that it’s going to be almost impossible to prove anything has happened. As mentioned, our squad is quite multicultural itself. If our own players were not happy or witnessed/heard anything then I’m sure they’d have said it. The club definitely aren’t releasing this statement on a whim. I fully believe their own investigations were thorough (hence the wait until Monday for them to say anything), and they’re satisfied that the player is innocent.

Could the statement have been worded better? Of course it could.

Do I think there’s anything wrong with the club backing the player if they truly believe he’s innocent having interviewed the rest of the squad/coaching staff? Absolutely not.

As for the video circulating of the stamp/attempted headbutt and the subsequent whinging about that…

Do people watch football with their eyes closed these days or what? This kind of stuff happens on a regular basis during games, by players from all teams. You’re absolutely deluded if you follow any team and think that one of your players has never done such a thing. Also, judging a player on a 10-15 second clip is laughable stuff. I wasn’t at the game or didn’t watch it but you’re off your rocker if you think that all just happened completely out of the blue. Of course, it’s vitally important for the online judges to come to a conclusion from the very short clip going around. I’m not sure why your man’s age has anything to do with it either.

Anyway, that’s my 2c on the whole situation…

The statement which comes out and says that the internal investigation they completed on themselves found no wrong-doing... yeah, what a surprise that people don't think much of that.

I watch football every week and funnily enough it's not very often that I see players headbutting other players... I'd say that's not a very usual occurrence in football actually, but perhaps it happens more in Longford games.

[pineapple stu]

The perpetrator has every reason to deny it, the victim has no reason to lie.

I'd be a little bit wary of over-simplifying like this. A couple of years ago, the PSG v Istanbulspor Champions League game was abandoned when a couple of (black) Istanbulspor people (one coach and one player) walked off, citing racist abuse from the referee. The rest of the team walked off with them. It turned out (a) they'd mis-heard a word the referee had spoken in Romanian and inferred a completely different meaning to it to that which was intended and (b) they ref was sending one of them off for calling the Romanian linesman a gypsy ***** all game, so going on the attack was a way of deflecting from that.

So I don't think your statement here is entirely true. I do agree with the rest though - let the guards look into it, and let Longford keep quiet because all their statement does is bring attention to themselves.

[osarusan]

It reminds me a bit of the Man United statement that they'd conducted their own investigation and concluded Mason Greenwood didn't do what he was alleged to have done.

Longford are not the ones to do the investigations and come to conclusions - just say they are supporting/will support anybody in any investigation and leave it at that.

[culloty82]

I'd be a little bit wary of over-simplifying like this. A couple of years ago, the PSG v Istanbulspor Champions League game was abandoned when a couple of (black) Istanbulspor people (one coach and one player) walked off, citing racist abuse from the referee. The rest of the team walked off with them. It turned out (a) they'd mis-heard a word the referee had spoken in Romanian and inferred a completely different meaning to it to that which was intended and (b) they ref was sending one of them off for calling the Romanian linesman a gypsy ***** all game, so going on the attack was a way of deflecting from that.

So I don't think your statement here is entirely true. I do agree with the rest though - let the guards look into it, and let Longford keep quiet because all their statement does is bring attention to themselves.

Perhaps, but as the LOITV footage showed, the player accused was physically aggressive towards Kennedy, so in that context, it wouldn't be surprising if words were exchanged.

[Longfordian]

It reminds me a bit of the Man United statement that they'd conducted their own investigation and concluded Mason Greenwood didn't do what he was alleged to have done.

Longford are not the ones to do the investigations and come to conclusions - just say they are supporting/will support anybody in any investigation and leave it at that.

I agree with that. By all means do your own investigation as well but you have to wait and see what the external investigation concludes before you pronounce publicly how "extremely confident" you are.

[legendz]

Stephen Henderson has released a personal statement on twitter.
https://twitter.com/stevehendo07/sta...1wf82aePg&s=19