Byrne deal spells end for 'bargain basement'

**exile** · 13/12/2005, 7:44 AM

indo

Byrne deal spells end for 'bargain basement'
Tuesday December 13th 2005

THE proposed transfer of Jason Byrne to Swedish League champions Djurgardens offers further proof that the stock of the Eircom League is rising.

And, with a fee of up to �600,000 being mentioned it seems that the League's days of being a bargain hunter's dream are about to end.

Already this season we have seen Sunderland and Reading snap up two of the best young strikers in the domestic game for ridiculously low sums.

Reading boss Steve Coppell might joke that he had too many pints of Guinness on the day he first saw Cork City's Kevin Doyle but he was clear-headed when it came to doing the deal.

Steal

The �85,000 he paid for Doyle is set to go down as the steal of the season as the 22-year-old has taken the English Championship by storm with eight goals in 22 league games for table-toppers Reading.

In addition, he was called into the Ireland squad last October for the World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Switzerland and made the bench for the game in Nicosia. When he does eventually play for Ireland, Cork will get �10,000 for his first friendly game and �10,000 for his competitive bow.

Doyle is now valued at over �1m and each goal for Reading adds to the level of frustration on Leeside.

Sunderland spent �100,000 on Waterford striker Daryl Murphy last June and gave him his Premiership debut in October against West Ham. After three further first team games they sent him on loan to Sheffield Wednesday.

Snapping up bargains in Ireland has long been a pastime of English clubs and they have been helped by several factors.

One is the reluctance of clubs to stand in the way of a player's chance to chase his dream of playing in England while the cash-strapped nature of most clubs meant they were rarely in a strong negotiating position.

The part-time nature of the League also weakened the position of negotiating clubs as they were unable to counter the English arguments that they were gambling on an unproven player.

Volumes

The switch to full-time professionalism has certainly negated that argument and five goals in the Champions League this season plus 47 league goals over the past two seasons speaks volumes for Byrne's talent.

While Djurgardens were knocked out of the Champions League by Cork City they still went on to record a league and cup double in Sweden and several members of their squad like Mattias Jonson, Tobias Hysen and Daniel Sjolund will be in Sweden's squad at next summer's World Cup.

British clubs have reaped rich rewards over the years for their shrewdness in the Irish transfer market.

Packie Bonner is rated among the greatest goalkeepers ever to play for Celtic yet he only cost the Glasgow club a couple of football strips when he became Jock Stein's last signing in 1978.

That was the year Nottingham Forest made Trevor Francis the world's first million pound player so it puts into perspective the �30,000 Paul McGrath cost Manchester United when signed from St Patrick's Athletic and the �50,000 Shamrock Rovers got for Jim Beglin in 1982.

One of the best bargains was in 1990 when Nottingham Forest paid Cobh Ramblers �30,000 for a certain Roy Maurice Keane and the Cork club watched in horror three years later when he was sold to Manchester United for a record �3.25 million and they realised their folly in not insisting on a sell-on clause.

Tidy some

One club who did was Dundalk who transfered Steve Staunton to Liverpool in 1986 for �20,000 which was a tidy some given that he hadn't played a first team game for Dundalk.

Dundalk director Enda McGuill insisted on the club getting 10 per cent of any subsequent transfer and his shrewdness earned the Co Louth outfit �111,000.

Cork boss Damien Richardson believes that the amount of money being talked about for Jason Byrne transfer could prove to be a watershed.

"We are now moving in a more realistic direction and it helps that he is a full-time player," said Richardson.

"It can be hard for part-time players to adjust a full-time set up when they are transfered but it won't be any problem for Jason if it does happen.

"Every future transfer will be benchmarked against this and the fact that it is a Swedish club shows how the league is being viewed abroad," he said.

If Byrne does go for the �600,000 figure currently being suggested then we edge closer to the day when somebody comes in and pays �1million for an Eircom League player and it could be sooner than we think.

**thejollyrodger** · 13/12/2005, 8:40 AM

Byrne deal spells end for 'bargain basement'
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independe...issue_id=13406

THE proposed transfer of Jason Byrne to Swedish League champions Djurgardens offers further proof that the stock of the Eircom League is rising.

And, with a fee of up to �600,000 being mentioned it seems that the League's days of being a bargain hunter's dream are about to end.

Already this season we have seen Sunderland and Reading snap up two of the best young strikers in the domestic game for ridiculously low sums.

Reading boss Steve Coppell might joke that he had too many pints of Guinness on the day he first saw Cork City's Kevin Doyle but he was clear-headed when it came to doing the deal.

Steal

The �85,000 he paid for Doyle is set to go down as the steal of the season as the 22-year-old has taken the English Championship by storm with eight goals in 22 league games for table-toppers Reading.

In addition, he was called into the Ireland squad last October for the World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Switzerland and made the bench for the game in Nicosia. When he does eventually play for Ireland, Cork will get �10,000 for his first friendly game and �10,000 for his competitive bow.

Doyle is now valued at over �1m and each goal for Reading adds to the level of frustration on Leeside.

Sunderland spent �100,000 on Waterford striker Daryl Murphy last June and gave him his Premiership debut in October against West Ham. After three further first team games they sent him on loan to Sheffield Wednesday.

Snapping up bargains in Ireland has long been a pastime of English clubs and they have been helped by several factors.

One is the reluctance of clubs to stand in the way of a player's chance to chase his dream of playing in England while the cash-strapped nature of most clubs meant they were rarely in a strong negotiating position.

The part-time nature of the League also weakened the position of negotiating clubs as they were unable to counter the English arguments that they were gambling on an unproven player.

Volumes

The switch to full-time professionalism has certainly negated that argument and five goals in the Champions League this season plus 47 league goals over the past two seasons speaks volumes for Byrne's talent.

While Djurgardens were knocked out of the Champions League by Cork City they still went on to record a league and cup double in Sweden and several members of their squad like Mattias Jonson, Tobias Hysen and Daniel Sjolund will be in Sweden's squad at next summer's World Cup.

British clubs have reaped rich rewards over the years for their shrewdness in the Irish transfer market.

Packie Bonner is rated among the greatest goalkeepers ever to play for Celtic yet he only cost the Glasgow club a couple of football strips when he became Jock Stein's last signing in 1978.

That was the year Nottingham Forest made Trevor Francis the world's first million pound player so it puts into perspective the �30,000 Paul McGrath cost Manchester United when signed from St Patrick's Athletic and the �50,000 Shamrock Rovers got for Jim Beglin in 1982.

One of the best bargains was in 1990 when Nottingham Forest paid Cobh Ramblers �30,000 for a certain Roy Maurice Keane and the Cork club watched in horror three years later when he was sold to Manchester United for a record �3.25 million and they realised their folly in not insisting on a sell-on clause.

Tidy Sum

One club who did was Dundalk who transfered Steve Staunton to Liverpool in 1986 for �20,000 which was a tidy sum given that he hadn't played a first team game for Dundalk.

Dundalk director Enda McGuill insisted on the club getting 10 per cent of any subsequent transfer and his shrewdness earned the Co Louth outfit �111,000.

Cork boss Damien Richardson believes that the amount of money being talked about for Jason Byrne transfer could prove to be a watershed.

"We are now moving in a more realistic direction and it helps that he is a full-time player," said Richardson.

"It can be hard for part-time players to adjust a full-time set up when they are transfered but it won't be any problem for Jason if it does happen.

"Every future transfer will be benchmarked against this and the fact that it is a Swedish club shows how the league is being viewed abroad," he said.

If Byrne does go for the �600,000 figure currently being suggested then we edge closer to the day when somebody comes in and pays �1million for an Eircom League player and it could be sooner than we think.

And about time too I might add. The days of �10,000 transfer fees and shoddy contract should be long gone.

**Hecko** · 13/12/2005, 9:25 AM

Yeah, fair dues to Shels. The only good thing to come out of our mishandling of Doyler is that I think all clubs are now determiend not to let it happen again

**thejollyrodger** · 13/12/2005, 9:29 AM

And about time. The sooner clubs can tighten those things up the better. But at the end of the day, the league that the players play in dictates the price to a large extent. The league will have to continue to make progress for clubs to benefit.

**Block G Raptor** · 13/12/2005, 9:33 AM

Good to see increased fees but be realisitic 600,000 for a player with CL experience you wont get that anywhere else
should be asking for more but as someone else posted "babysteps"

**thejollyrodger** · 13/12/2005, 9:35 AM

when players in the top (full time) clubs are being sold for €1 million euro we will know some serious progress is being made.

**Bald Student** · 13/12/2005, 11:19 AM

but one of my pet hates is to see transfer fees converted into pounds sterling, particularly when neither club involved is in Britain.

**noby** · 13/12/2005, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

but one of my pet hates is to see transfer fees converted into pounds sterling, particularly when neither club involved is in Britain.

Well, there's inflation for you:
From
[quote]with a fee of up to

**Mr A** · 13/12/2005, 11:36 AM

Very shrewd business by Bray as well, if this deal goes through (and I don't think it will) they get half the fee.

**thejollyrodger** · 13/12/2005, 11:38 AM

send the pr1cks an email

independent.letters@unison.independent.ie

they need a kick up the hol�.

**drinkfeckarse** · 13/12/2005, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by Block G Raptor

Good to see increased fees but be realisitic 600,000 for a player with CL experience you wont get that anywhere else
should be asking for more but as someone else posted "babysteps"

I disagree. I think �600,000 is a fair price and reflective of where the Eircom League is atm. He has Champions League "qualifying" experiance not Champions League proper if we're being picky.

**Baker** · 13/12/2005, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

but one of my pet hates is to see transfer fees converted into pounds sterling, particularly when neither club involved is in Britain.

I was under the impression that the 600,000 figure was in euro and not sterling. Is this correct?

The second paragraph mentions �600,000 while the last paragraph says �600,000. So it looks like a typo in one place or the other.

**pete** · 13/12/2005, 3:19 PM

The Indo is particularily poor at failing to convert sterling to euro being an irish paper 'n all.

**NY Hoop** · 13/12/2005, 3:26 PM

Originally Posted by pete

The Indo is particularily poor at failing to convert sterling to euro being an irish paper 'n all.

It's Irish?! When did this happen?

They only want to report on the league when it's bad news. IMO would prefer if they didnt report at all cos the tiny coverage they do give is demeaning.

KOH