Question:In relation, just to keep in on track with what you are talking about there darren, the genisis report what impact is that going to have on your position and will there be real acountability at the top, and i mean at the very top/ I’m talking about micheal hyland, the president of the league. The chairman of the league.. is he going to be answerable because I mean after the shambles we had last season, we nearly got into it again this season……. After the meeting that gave longford got their 9 points back and then walked out the door and didn’t answer any questions from any journalists.. sure whats the fans want is professionalism and accountability at the top?
Darren Bernstein: that’s what I want aswell. Aaaam what the genisis report really was about the world cup but I think what we need to take is the direction and the real theme of that report which for the fai says their was a lack of mamagement a lack of structures etc etc I think for the league, the league needs to maybe have genisis 2 or something like that , that really says well as the fai as a governing body are changing you have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that the people who have power to change will this time embrace that change the league needs to say well if the wind of change is going to happen we get in the middle of that and like you say be more pro-active, more professional , more accountable, hopefully this is a small start to becoming more accountable because if you don’t see people and talk to people you cant be accountable so I would agree with you. I hope the genisis report changes the leagues outlook and therole it needs to play in football in ireland
A face in the crowd; do you think the clubs are doing like to progress the league you know in light of the current situation with the genisis and you know the different advances that are being made you know to bring on the league. Do you think the clubs, the premier division and the first division are doing enough?
Darren Bernstein; no
A face; not at all?
DB; no.I think clubs in general for far to long have come to the eircom league or national league or league of ireland whichever you would like to call it, they’ve come with a begging bowl, they’ve come saying what are you going to do for us and yesterday I had a marketing seminar and I learnt from it as well because I wasn’t doing any of the talking it was all people from outside. The 1 thing I took from .. it was a mantra I will hold with me now as long as I am in this job it was ’ be part of the solution, not part of the problem’ we know we have a problem, we know it, theres no point in denying it but if everyone says oh no we cant do anything about it we’re not going to do anything we know what the problem is that’s the start, now lets go find the solution. I can hopefully offer what the solutions are but I don’t run 1 individual club the clubs must take those solutions and implement them.
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Stephen; on the licensing situation I’ve had a brief look at a couple of points in the licensing they were talking about the 10 team premier division as it is. Having taken a glance through the licensing requirements we could end up with a 4 team premier division if they were all to be implemented as they are written down. do you think this licensing thing is implementable in the current form its there. Or does it have to be implemented in that the clubs have no choice, because the history of clubs in the league of ireland, I certainly couldn’t see many of them ending up in a couple of years time with a postitive assets situation and stuff like that based on history. Whats your feeling on that?
DB: You always have a choice. The clubs have a choice, they have a choice whether they want to strive to be a well run professional club or whether they just want to survive, and you know if they are happy to survive, Well then. I know from brian cork city arent just happy to survive cork want to play in europe, and if you want to play I n europe you have to get the uefa licensing it’s as simple as that.now I know they may be some clubs in the league willin to sit at the table but they are not doing he fans a service they are not doiung the league a service becayuse you know its holding back clubs like cork city because cork are investing and you know if other te4ams arent investing and they don’t want to accelerate like cork city then it means then some of cork city’s investiment is being lost. The uefa licensing isnt trying to kick clubs out of the league. its trying to improve the standard and wuality of it andi odnt thine there is anythign wrong with that its not just us who are doing this its other clubs and leagues across europe we’re in a very good position in relation to say wales or northern ireland I think in terms of having positive equity that’s not actually true. As long as you are not actually in debt to other football clubs. If you don’t ower any money for transfers or to people then you are fine. So you know as long as cork have paid all their players and have paid all their transfers then you know they could be a million euro’s in debt, it doesn’t really matter
Brian Lennox; the price of chips are going up.
-Laughs-
DB: its nothing to be worried about. If the club wants to attain this they will. The benefits are that they will play in europe you have a standard that every club in europe will have. Man united have to reach the same standard as cork city, all that differs is the quantities, because they’ve got a bigger stadium, once you’ve passed this minimum standard you know theres not one rule for one and one rule for the other.
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Scotty; can I change the point for 2 minutes. You never answered the question I asked. Would you break the bank for john o flynn to stay.
Bl;; I’ll do the very best I can.
Scotty, cheers. Thanks.
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Stephen; right darren you are 9 months into the job. 1 thing that appears to me as a league of ireland supporter for more years now then I care to remember, 40 even this year, is one of the major problems in the league, I don’t know how you find it but there definitely seems to be a lack of co-operation between the clubs themselves to promote the league. In that everyone is looking after their own patc, and I’m all right and I don’t care about anyone else. Have you found that or would that be a reasonable point?
Db; every minute of every day of my life.
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