What now for Shelbourne?

[TheOwl]

There is clearly a dire situation brewing up at the club but when all is said and done, we as a club are just going to have to suck it up and deal with the situation best we can. If this means losing our players, we lose our players, if this means we lose our ground, we lose are ground, but the club will live on I have no doubt. We may not be the force we once were, we may not win anything again for years and years, but the club will live on.

When this “inevitable demise” comes to pass some people will no doubt say we gambled and we lost but is this entirely true? League titles, cup victories, and European runs, it has never been a better time to have been a Shelbourne fan than it has been these last 15 years.

Rovers fans talk about how they were royally screwed over and how they had nothing to show for their “mismanagement years”, and they are now flashing out warning signs that the same thing is happening to us.

To those with genuine as opposed to spiteful motives, I appreciate this, and of course you are right - more questions should be asked and more fingers should be pointed.

But why don’t Shelbourne fans do this? Well maybe it because we have been spoilt by all the success we have enjoyed, and I guess it is hard to criticise the way people are running your club, when that “way” has seen your club enjoy by far and away it most successful period, and over a sustained 15-year period at that! (which for a 25 year-old like me who started supporting Shelbourne when I was 12, means my entire lifetime as a Shelbourne fan).

Some people have said they want us to go out of business altogether, well that’s just a disgusting opinion to have in my opinion. Football clubs mean so much to people, they are like an extra family member, and I wouldn’t wish death in any form to even my most despised enemy.

Pray for our demise by all means but not for our destruction, you may have no need or time for Shelbourne, but plenty of honest, decent people do, and your spiteful wishes are the lowest form of pettiness and jealously.

Truly I don’t know the full extent of the current damage at the club, I sense the glory days are about to come to an end, but how far we crash from dreamland back down to earth I do not know, I don’t think anybody does.

However, one thing I am sure of is that the Shelbourne name will live on, even if doomsday arrives (and I pray it won’t) and an AFC Wimbledon situation is the only option left then so be it. People can criticise Shelbourne’s support base all they want, but there will be plenty of people willing to rebuild from the ground up if needs be.

The fact is that we rolled the dice and we lived the dream - Deportivo, a league and cup double, and four league titles already this decade. You can take away our ground, you can take away our players, but you can’t take away our memories.

Shelbourne are dead?

Long Live Shelbourne!

[Bald Student]

Some people have said they want us to go out of business altogether, well that’s just a disgusting opinion to have in my opinion. Football clubs mean so much to people, they are like an extra family member, and I wouldn’t wish death in any form to even my most despised enemy.

Welcome to the club.

[Poor Student]

Here's Platini's take on Shels' style of management from an interview in 2004:

Platini said: “We can’t be running competitions with clubs who are millions in the red alongside others who run their affairs correctly. It’s cheating. And if that means kicking out Real Madrid or Barcelona, then so be it. We can’t allow clubs to get away with murder. We can give them a certain amount of time to get their house in order, but a time will come when we have to stand firm.” Platini was known to be furious when debt-ridden Barcelona signed Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain for £16.8 million last summer and in January, they signed Edgar Davids on loan from Juventus for close to £2m over six months.

“It’s outrageous that a club with massive debts like Barcelona can go and sign top players on big salaries,” Platini said. “They took Ronaldinho from PSG when everyone knew the club was in financial ruins. The way things are going, the winners in this kind of football will be the club which carries out the most fraud.” Although the criticism was aimed directly at some of Europe’s bigger clubs, the sight of so many British clubs going into administration has prompted debate on the licensing scheme which works in France.

The concept that deep-in-debt clubs are “cheating” those who keep a good set of financial criteria in play was behind last weekend’s police raids on Italy’s Serie A and Serie B clubs. Uefa and Fifa want all major clubs to agree to a licensing agreement which would dictate that those who fail to meet the financial criteria, set and monitored by a watchdog, would be banned from participating in competitive games. Platini added: “I’ve always fought for football to be something clean and noble, but the game has become less and less so. But if I can contribute to re-establishing some real values in football, then I will continue and we will see where that will lead me. If I can’t get my message over, then I will leave. I’ll be off.”

[Anto McC]

Shelbourne are dead!

You wish!

[TheOwl]

You wish!

Of course I do not! I will edit it to a question mark though.

[el punter]

Here's Platini's take on Shels' style of management from an interview in 2004:

Platini said: “We can’t be running competitions with clubs who are millions in the red alongside others who run their affairs correctly. It’s cheating. And if that means kicking out Real Madrid or Barcelona, then so be it. We can’t allow clubs to get away with murder. We can give them a certain amount of time to get their house in order, but a time will come when we have to stand firm.” Platini was known to be furious when debt-ridden Barcelona signed Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain for £16.8 million last summer and in January, they signed Edgar Davids on loan from Juventus for close to £2m over six months.

“It’s outrageous that a club with massive debts like Barcelona can go and sign top players on big salaries,” Platini said. “They took Ronaldinho from PSG when everyone knew the club was in financial ruins. The way things are going, the winners in this kind of football will be the club which carries out the most fraud.” Although the criticism was aimed directly at some of Europe’s bigger clubs, the sight of so many British clubs going into administration has prompted debate on the licensing scheme which works in France.

The concept that deep-in-debt clubs are “cheating” those who keep a good set of financial criteria in play was behind last weekend’s police raids on Italy’s Serie A and Serie B clubs. Uefa and Fifa want all major clubs to agree to a licensing agreement which would dictate that those who fail to meet the financial criteria, set and monitored by a watchdog, would be banned from participating in competitive games. Platini added: “I’ve always fought for football to be something clean and noble, but the game has become less and less so. But if I can contribute to re-establishing some real values in football, then I will continue and we will see where that will lead me. If I can’t get my message over, then I will leave. I’ll be off.”

I suspect Barcelona fans are quite pleased that Mr Platini's opinion was not sought by those at the club who secured the Ronaldinho deal.

On a serious note though. Can someone lay it out - what exactly is going on at the club? Someone reading this forum knows for real. Are Shels going to lose a chunk of their squad in the transfer window, or is it much worse than that?

[higgins]

Well said TheOwl...

The last 15 years were not a waste and if it all falls apart I will still thank Ollie Byrne for what he did for Shelbourne FC. I'll always remember the night I stood watching Deportivo v Shelbourne and nobody can tell me that was a waste.

The good days may be over but what up with all this cheating and death?

We have always paid our bills! and as far as I know we still do. IF your rumours prove true then it means we have to cut back and build again. Your all wishing it for the very reasons TheOwl mentions, you have been living in Ollies shadow for years now and you cant stand it.

I can understand your hatred of Shels, Id hate them too if I wasnt a fan but it wont be the end of the world if players have to be let go in the next few weeks, not even close.

[Risteard]

you have been living in Ollies shadow for years now and you cant stand it.

Tell me about it.
Irelands only sunshine in the past decade was when he fecked off to La Coruna for a few days.

[Roverstillidie]

We have always paid our bills! and as far as I know we still do.

tax
printers
wages

in no particular order.

i hate to always refer it back to Rovers, but remember the appaling incident when mclair wouldnt pay the dry cleaning? we as Rovers fans we mortified when we found out and we made no secret to the ***** what we felt about the shambles.

as i presume most fans of most clubs would do.

whats going on with shels fans at the moment is just krazy. the owl gets done by a shels fan on the grounds he wishes that his own club goes tits up?

seriously. get real.

[higgins]

tax
printers
wages

in no particular order.

i hate to always refer it back to Rovers, but remember the appaling incident when mclair wouldnt pay the dry cleaning? we as Rovers fans we mortified when we found out and we made no secret to the ***** what we felt about the shambles.

as i presume most fans of most clubs would do.

whats going on with shels fans at the moment is just krazy. the owl gets done by a shels fan on the grounds he wishes that his own club goes tits up?

seriously. get real.

Can you read?

That tax bill was paid!
all wages were paid!

as for the printers
They will be paid!

Unlike some other clubs Shels aim for the 100% method and not the 4% method...

As for Shels fans doing nothing ???
How the hell would you know what Shels fans are doing?

I know you dont have a clue what Im doing so how in the name of jaysus could you tell what everyone is doing.

[hoopy]

Can Shels fans see a merger with Dublin City on the horizon and 'no neck' taking over the reigns?

[David]

Don't know the ins and outs of this situation but would wish Shelbourne all the best. I sincerely hope they get out of this mess. Their support may not be big but the club still matters to those that do support them. Good luck Shels.

[Raheny Red]

Shels will never die!

This is helped by the fact that the fans team who play in the AFL are now an official part of the club

[Mark Breen]

What know for Shels!

I'll tell you what,

We'll go out and win in the intertwo bob this weekend and then hopefully next weekend too, then we face the Danish side,

after that we have the rest of the league season + the cup's and hopefully some silverware at the end of it all.

[Raheny Red]

And don't forget the Stains, should make an example of them

[Sniffer]

Platini is right, the great man was always accurate in everything he did. As an avid Leeds Utd. fan through the vainglorious Ridsdale /O'Leary years I have lived the nightmare. Owl is right, the club will survive and if Leeds had won the Champions League I would have dug up my granny and contributed her to the cause; this is what is special about fans. We want so much for our team to succeed that we don't give a damn who has or hasn't been paid; we just want to know what the match score is.

[Mr A]

if Leeds had won the Champions League I would have dug up my granny and contributed her to the cause

Much as I admire your commitment, I don't see how that would have helped. If anything it would have made things worse.

[Sniffer]

Point being that for fans success papers over the cracks. of course reality is different, but it's not what your thinking of during a penalty shoot out.

[Roverstillidie]

Can you read?

That tax bill was paid!
all wages were paid!

as for the printers
They will be paid!

Unlike some other clubs Shels aim for the 100% method and not the 4% method...

As for Shels fans doing nothing ???
How the hell would you know what Shels fans are doing?

I know you dont have a clue what Im doing so how in the name of jaysus could you tell what everyone is doing.

the tax bill was paid late, remember the winding up order.

the wages have not been paid.

and the printers not being paid show they were paid?

until you collectivley realise your club is in trouble and at least start asking questions, you will remain regarded as poor fans

[Sniffer]

until you collectivley realise your club is in trouble and at least start asking questions, you will remain regarded as poor fans[/QUOTE]

fans support their team through lean and leaner, they are not owners , directors or sponsors; but fans first and foremost. Their loyalty is unswerving. They are constantly being slaughterd here for bringing 1,000 too a game - that 1,000 should be applauded, it's the others who aren't fans; the ones who didn't turn up.