Bohemians' millions

[Stuttgart88]

Anyone got any thoughts on how this could impact the national game as a whole?

I'm putting this in the Ireland International section as my main angle of enquiry is to ask if people think the Bohemians windfall could lead to any or all of the following:

Stronger domestic league
Better facilities
Better crowds
Better investment
Better money for better players
Better players staying at home
At least one fully functional academy
Any scope for other clubs to "cash in" on their real estate assets
Stronger representative sides in due course due to any of the above

I wonder how the Kilcoynes feel?

[Emmet]

I don't really follow the Eircome League but really the best thing for the league as a whole, and Irish football as a consequence, has to be to get a team into the Champions League. I'm sure there are better qualified people here than me ... is that a realistic goal for say the next five years?

[Billsthoughts]

they will probably just **** the money away on players and wages.
wasnt the FAI supposed to set up an academy?
I dont understand the "have to get to the champions league group stage" mentality.
I dont see how getting hammered by the likes of chelsea and man u would do the leagues profile any good.did it do anything for shelbournes attendances when they went on their run a couple a years back?
we deffo need to move away from sending all our best plyers to england at a young age.
there just wont be the oppurtunities there used to be with all the foreign players in the premiership.

[Emmet]

I dont understand the "have to get to the champions league group stage" mentality.

Well ... it's got something to do with money and attracting good quality players!! You'll find that every single club team in Europe with any serious ambition wants to get there - it is a measure of a team's / league's quality

[Peadar]

they will probably just **** the money away on players and wages.

By the time Bohs get the money, they will be signing players for a league with a 65% of turnover wages cap. Even if they include the money in their turnover for one year and pay huge wages, they will need to have a vastly improved turnover in order to maintain those wages.

For the league, I think the improved facilities will be the greatest benefit.
This year, drogs had to play their UEFA Cup games in Dalymount because their ground doesn't meet UEFA requirements.
Derry have to play their games in front of a greatly reduced capacity crowd, in order to satisfy UEFA requirements. The alternative was to move to Lansdowne or Windsor.
Cork City FC have a capacity of 5,000 due to redevelopment work at Turners Cross. Had we progressed in the Champions League, we'd have had to move to Lansdowne Road. It's very unfortunate that we don't have any ground in the league suitable for large crowds in UEFA competitions.

What is very significant about our participation in Europe this season, is the progress we've made in terms of rankings. We've moved up 5 places and as a result, the League winners will be seeded in the CL qualifiers next year.

It's progress like this which will bring us closer to the group stages, not the 40 odd million windfall of one club.

[Billsthoughts]

would get money alrite but a couple of bad beatings (and we are talking the best teams in europe here) wouldnt really do the league any good in terms of trying to promote it to the casual fan here in my opinion. might be better off to try and get into uefa cup group stages. as for the "top quality players" I think you are applying factors which effect the top end of the premiership and not a small league in a small country.

[livehead1]

it is also a measure of progression. A side in the champions league will generally be held in high regard. I feel that this is not the next step for irish league clubs, an improvement in facilities will naturally provide better oppurtunites for young irish players to get to a better standard, strengthening the league. Spending money on wages, and foreign players in particular at this stage could be hugely damaging to the structure of irish football.

[Emmet]

Playing against the top teams will allow the players to learn and develop - both in terms of their skills and also in terms of their tactical awareness. It will raise the profile of the league and of the teams playng there which will make it easier to attract bigger name players. Attracting bigger name players will boost interest in the team locally and will create bigger attendences, more support etc. It would also encourage good young Irish players to stay rather than moving to England / Scotland. The team(s) will certainly get the odd hammering to begin with but as the players get more experience and become better players this will cease and things will get better. I understand what you're saying but I think that overall having a team playing in the CL regularly would be a massive boost for Irish football. It sounds as though the faciliaities need to be improved before this can happen but when it does happen I think it will make a big difference for football in Ireland.

[SUB of the day]

As a City fan, I'm delighted for Bohs.If they are to become the Chelsea or Rosenberg of Irish football, so be it.By raising the bar domestically and in Europe, the gypsies have the opportunity to set the standard for other EL clubs to follow.I was in Dalymount the night they beat Glasgow Rangers, pride and passion in a real football atmosphere,where Bohs represented their club , city and country with such distinction .Such nights may again be imminent.A Dublin based club in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League would have the knockon effect of at least giving our exiles and young players an Irish option

[pete]

People are obsessed with the CL but its a problem with event junkies.

[Closed Account 2]

How many other European leagues have yet to have a member reach the group stages...?

Not 100% sure but so far I can think of :-

Wales, Iceland, Belarus, Cyprus, FYR Macedonia, Moldova, Bosnia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Northern Ireland, Albania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbiajan, Kazakhstan and Uzbeckistan.

[Billsthoughts]

Playing against the top teams will allow the players to learn and develop - both in terms of their skills and also in terms of their tactical awareness.THIS IS OVERLY SIMPLISTIC - 6 GAMES A YEAR IS NOT GOING TO MAKE THEM BETTER PLAYERS - ASSUMING THAT IRISH TEAMS WILL REGULARLY BE IN GROUP STAGES WHICH TO HAPPEN WOULD MEAN THEY WOULD HAVE TO GET A VERY FAVOURABLE DRAW IN THE 3RD ROUND EVERY YEAR It will raise the profile of the league WITH WHO??? and of the teams playng there which will make it easier to attract bigger name players.WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY BIGGER NAME PLAYERS? REALISTICLY DO YOU EVER ENVISAGE A DAY WHEN HIGH PROFILE PLAYERS AT THEIR PEAK ARE GOING TO COME TO PLAY IN IRELAND JUST SO THEY CAN PLAY IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE? NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN Attracting bigger name players will boost interest in the team locally and will create bigger attendences, more support etc.MAYBE TO A SMALL EXTENT BUT WE JUST DONT HAVE THE CULTURE OF REGULARLY ATTENDING SPORTING EVENTS IN THIS COUNTRY ON A WEEKLY BASIS It would also encourage good young Irish players to stay rather than moving to England / Scotland. THIS SHOULD BE ONE OF THE AIMS OF THE LEAGUE/FAI IN THIS COUNTRY The team(s) will certainly get the odd hammering to begin with but as the players get more experience and become better players this will cease and things will get better. WHAT COUNTRY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? TEAMS IN ENGLAND/SPAIN/ITALY/GERMANY and THE TOP TWO IN SCOTLAND HAVE VASTLY MORE RESOURCES THAN ANY IRISH TEAM AND THEY STRUGGLE TO COMPETE WITH THE TOP TIER IN EUROPE. I understand what you're saying but I think that overall having a team playing in the CL regularly would be a massive boost for Irish football.IT WOULD BE GREAT ALRITE BUT IT SHOULDNT BE THE YARDSTICK BY WHICH TO JUDGE AN IRISH TEAMS SUCCESS - GETTING TO THIRD QUALIFING ROUND SHOULD BE DEEMED A SUCCESS BUT THEN YOU ARE GIVEN A POX OF A DRAW It sounds as though the faciliaities need to be improved before this can happen but when it does happen I think it will make a big difference for football in Ireland. I DONT THINK THE FACILITIES ARE AS BAS AS EVERYONE SAYS BUT IN TERMS OF EUROPEAN GAMES A DECENT SIZED STADIUM IN DUBLIN WOULDNT GO ASTRAY ALRITE

apologies for the caps....

[Emmet]

Playing against the top teams will allow the players to learn and develop - both in terms of their skills and also in terms of their tactical awareness.THIS IS OVERLY SIMPLISTIC - 6 GAMES A YEAR IS NOT GOING TO MAKE THEM BETTER PLAYERS - ASSUMING THAT IRISH TEAMS WILL REGULARLY BE IN GROUP STAGES WHICH TO HAPPEN WOULD MEAN THEY WOULD HAVE TO GET A VERY FAVOURABLE DRAW IN THE 3RD ROUND EVERY YEAR

Playing in the CL would be hugely beneficial to the players ... do you really think playing against the like of Ronaldinho Kaka Messi Henry etc will have no effect on the players? It might only be for six games but the players will learn lots from those six games!!

It will raise the profile of the league WITH WHO???

With people outside of Ireland.


and of the teams playng there which will make it easier to attract bigger name players.WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY BIGGER NAME PLAYERS? REALISTICLY DO YOU EVER ENVISAGE A DAY WHEN HIGH PROFILE PLAYERS AT THEIR PEAK ARE GOING TO COME TO PLAY IN IRELAND JUST SO THEY CAN PLAY IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE? NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN

Well that's just your opinion ... it is a known fact that players do choose to play for clubs on the strength of whether or not they will be in the CL. Rightly or wrongly they do make that choice. I'm not saying that if Bohemians had qualified this season then Ballack would have gone to them over Chelsea(!) - I am just saying that they will attract better players than they do presently. Your argument seems to hinge on the fact that this is Ireland so therefore we shouldn't have high expectations ... why can that sort of thing not be happening regularly within five - ten years' time? Aside from pessimists saying that it won't I mean!!

Attracting bigger name players will boost interest in the team locally and will create bigger attendences, more support etc.MAYBE TO A SMALL EXTENT BUT WE JUST DONT HAVE THE CULTURE OF REGULARLY ATTENDING SPORTING EVENTS IN THIS COUNTRY ON A WEEKLY BASIS

Again, why can that not change? Ireland has culturally been changing at a rate of knots over the last ten years - why is it not possible for this to change also?

It would also encourage good young Irish players to stay rather than moving to England / Scotland. THIS SHOULD BE ONE OF THE AIMS OF THE LEAGUE/FAI IN THIS COUNTRY

Well - players are motivated mainly by success and money (again, rightly or wrongly). Playing in the CL regularly would give them both to a certain degree. You are right though - it is also the responsibility of the FAI to an extent.


The team(s) will certainly get the odd hammering to begin with but as the players get more experience and become better players this will cease and things will get better. WHAT COUNTRY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? TEAMS IN ENGLAND/SPAIN/ITALY/GERMANY and THE TOP TWO IN SCOTLAND HAVE VASTLY MORE RESOURCES THAN ANY IRISH TEAM AND THEY STRUGGLE TO COMPETE WITH THE TOP TIER IN EUROPE.

Again, low expectations. This does not need to be the way things are for ever ... I'm not saying that we'll have a team that will win the CL in ten years' time - I just think that it is very possible to have at least one club side that competes and holds its head there. Mention Spain England Germany etc by all means - but what about Turkey? What about the Ukraine? There are loads of economically poor countries who have one or two club sides who can compete in the CL and not be disgraced there. Seriously - why should Ireland be any different?

I understand what you're saying but I think that overall having a team playing in the CL regularly would be a massive boost for Irish football.IT WOULD BE GREAT ALRITE BUT IT SHOULDNT BE THE YARDSTICK BY WHICH TO JUDGE AN IRISH TEAMS SUCCESS - GETTING TO THIRD QUALIFING ROUND SHOULD BE DEEMED A SUCCESS BUT THEN YOU ARE GIVEN A POX OF A DRAW

You do get substantially more money for getting to the group stages and that is probably why most teams see the group stages as the main goal. I think that if we want to get better as a footballing country we need to expect a bit more and that means getting past the qualifying rounds and into the CL proper

[pete]

I believe only twice in the history of the CL has a country outside the european top 20 had a representative in the Cl group stages.

If eL clubs can continue recent good progress moving from 39th to 35th could see the eL in 27-28th place in europe in a few years.

I sometimes think some people use non-CL football as an excuse not to support our National football league.

[Dodge]

Personally hope no irish team other than pats reach the group stages of the CL. Will actively support any team they play in the ast prelim round

[SUB of the day]

Personally hope no irish team other than pats reach the group stages of the CL. Will actively support any team they play in the ast prelim round

Tunnel vision? BIGGER picture? Rising Tide?....I suppose losing 10 nil in Europe leaves its scars.....

[eirebhoy]

I have a feeling that the money Bohs are getting will only attract bigger investors into the likes of Shels or Cork. I can see clubs growing hugely within the next decade or so. What investor is going to throw €40m into Shels atm? Nobody. If/When Bohs do really improve and raise the profile of the league it'll become much more attractive for investors. Anderlecht were the whipping boys in Europe for the last 2 seasons but they can still attract decent quality.

Squad changes for 2006/2007 season

In:

* Argentina Lucas Biglia (from Independiente)
* Morocco/Netherlands Mbark Boussoufa (from Gent)
* Egypt Ahmed Hassan (from Beşiktaş)
* Argentina Christian Leiva (from Banfield)
* Argentina Nicolás Pareja (from Argentinos Juniors)
* Belgium Davy Schollen (on loan from Breda)
* Democratic Republic of the Congo Mohammed Tchité (from Standard Liège)
* Belgium Jelle Van Damme (from Werder Bremen via Southampton)

Out:

* Belgium Walter Baseggio (to Treviso)
* Ukraine Oleg Iachtchouk (to Ergotelis)
* Belgium Vincent Kompany (to Hamburger SV)
* Serbia Goran Lovré (to Groningen)
* Belgium Gabriel N'Galula (to Standard Liège)
* France Grégory Pujol (back from loan to FC Nantes)
* Finland Hannu Tihinen (to FC Zürich)
* Burkina Faso Lamine Traore (to Gençlerbirliği)
* Sweden Christian Wilhelmsson (to FC Nantes)
* Sweden Pär Zetterberg (retires as player but enters the staff)
* Poland Michal Zewlakow (to Olympiacos)

[macdermesser]

Personally hope no irish team other than pats reach the group stages of the CL. Will actively support any team they play in the ast prelim round

That is horsesh.it. At least the second part of the sentence "actively support"ing. I know that it would be difficult to stomach Shels doing well and the grin on Ollie Byrnes face ... but still would want them to well from a sporting sense.. and to shut up those voices saying the EL is useless etc etc

[Stuttgart88]

It'd be nice if the Irish public had a Damascan conversion but it ain't going to happen.

CL or high-profile competitive fixtures against well known European sides can only attract more interest. Sure there's a degree of "event junkyism" but I also think that there's an innate yearning for outward recognition in the Irish, hence the euphoria surrounding the national team when they first started qualifying for tournaments. This may not matter to the hard-core loyal eL fans, but it does to those who are potential attendees. This is the only benchmark against which those who persist in their "eL is rubbish" stance can be made to think otherwise.

Through their travels to England, Scotland or wherever watching soccer, watching Ireland play away, or watching Irish rugby sides play abroad, Irish people now have a set minimum standard of facilities that they see as benchmarks. Most Irish soccer venues fall way short.

I think there's a substantial amount of Irish people who are simply sports fans and would regularly attend any event of a particular standard or size if it was available. However, admittedly having grown up in Sth Dublin, I probably fail to recognise just how deeply rooted the GAA is throughout the land and can only really speculate whether ther same applies elsewhere in Ireland.

What'd also help is if the Irish media collectively recognised and repeatedly commented upon just how morally bankrupt & anti-sport the Premiership has become. I'm also sick of reading syndicated match reports of British football in Irish papers barely mentioning the Irish that were in action. There's not ONE mention of Doyle's performance last night in the Irish Times, no mention of Shane Long coming off the bench or no mention of Richard Dunne.

[gustavo]

.

there's an innate yearning for outward recognition in the Irish

If ya ask me its more like an inferiority complex whereby people cant accept anything as being any good unless its given a seal of approval by the UK . Happened with Father Ted , same thing with Aslan I remember Tony Fenton interviewing them saying he heard "This Is" beside Wonderwall and Bittersweet Symphony and put it to them that they should be successful in the UK