European performances

**Steve Bruce** · 06/08/2007, 10:01 AM

If their is an invester coming into the league, it can be a good thing.

But what teams need is an invester, to put money in the infrustucture of the club.

New training facilities
New Youth Facilities
New stands/stadium
Club shop, retail units.
Restuarent
Hotels.

This to me would be more beneficial than coming in spending €500k in one season on players.

Although I do think that it would be wise for an investor to put some money in the team, especially in the first season, but the investor has to run the club in a sustainable way so that if he/she decided to pull out of hte club, the club would be able to sustain itself.

EDIT: Unfortunately at Linfield, we cannot get investors as we are a club and no one person or persons own our club. Our club is made up of members and the members elect the board and then run the club. If Bill Gates wanted to buy Linfield, he would have to get permission off the members(not sure what percentage, but I think 85% of the members have to vote for it)

**TonyD** · 06/08/2007, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Steve Bruce

But what teams need is an invester, to put money in the infrustucture of the club.

New training facilities
New Youth Facilities
New stands/stadium
Club shop, retail units.
Restuarent
Hotels.

Which is pretty much what Kelleher is promising to do at Pats. (well the first 4 anyway) Maybe it's all bull**** and he's taking the supporters for a ride, but there's nothing to suggest this so far. I'm pretty damn sure Brian Kerr wouldn't be on board if this was the case. People comparing it to the Shels situation are missing one vital difference. Kelleher owns Pats and is also the Chairman now. It's not like the situation where Ollie basically mortgaged the clubs future to completely outside interests. Plenty of people here have slaughtered Niall Quinn and his consortium for investing so much money in Sunderland,(and Dermot Desmond at Celtic, Magnier and McManus at Man U) yet when an Irish millionaire does exactly what these people claim they want, i.e invests serious money in an Irish club, somehow that's still not right.

**Steve Bruce** · 06/08/2007, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by TonyD

Which is pretty much what Kelleher is promising to do at Pats. (well the first 4 anyway) Maybe it's all bull**** and he's taking the supporters for a ride, but there's nothing to suggest this so far. I'm pretty damn sure Brian Kerr wouldn't be on board if this was the case. People comparing it to the Shels situation are missing one vital difference. Kelleher owns Pats and is also the Chairman now. It's not like the situation where Ollie basically mortgaged the clubs future to completely outside interests. Plenty of people here have slaughtered Niall Quinn and his consortium for investing so much money in Sunderland,(and Dermot Desmond at Celtic, Magnier and McManus at Man U) yet when an Irish millionaire does exactly what these people claim they want, i.e invests serious money in an Irish club, somehow that's still not right.

If he does that that's great.

I think peoples main problem with some investors is they pump in hundreds of thousands in the football team, run up a massive wage bill and put the future of the club in jeapordy. I'm not saying this is happening at Pats or anywhere else, but it has happened to two clubs recently and clubs with investors need to be more wary of who they have investing.

**Steve Bruce** · 08/08/2007, 8:19 AM

Originally Posted by robbiesdrogs

yeah your right an eternal question and the answer to it involves a complete change in the nations attitude to our leagu,which wont happen of course

No, that is not correct.

What clubs need to do and I'm talking about NIand ROI, is not spend more than they get in.

The problem with Irish Clubs north and south is they spend beyond their means.

A lot of players who are not the best of players still get over the odds wages. irish teams need to cut their cloth to stay financially solvent. Afterall if every club agreed a 20% cut in wages, the players in the league would have to accept it as they wouldn't have anywhere else to go.

**Jerry The Saint** · 08/08/2007, 12:15 PM

Very worrying to hear Pete Mahon tell Setanta that UCD can't continue as they are and are looking to go full-time professional soon with plans to bring in a few new players on big money. No specifics given as to where the money will come from or how UCD plan to keep their inflated wage bill under the new 65% limit. What are the fans doing to prevent this reckless, win-at-all-costs, damn-the-consequences behaviour

**pineapple stu** · 08/08/2007, 5:35 PM

I heard that (well, some of it; I don't recall him talking about bringing in big-money players, for example - he mentioned the possibility of full-time, more success and an academy attracting better players, but don't recall him discussing big wages).

I don't think the manager is required in a five minute interview to go into specifics, but I know there are plans to launch an academy next year in conjunction with, I think, the local council which will help increase income. Pete Mahon has agreed to manage it on a full time basis. There is a detailed five year plan in place (it's what kept us up last year), and evidently there has been a budget put in place, etc. This was all in the media at the start of the season, when Pete turned down the Shels job.

I'd still be surprised if we went full time, though, but it should be noted that with a team of students, it's much easier to go full time as (a) students don't need that much money and (b) they can do lectures on a Monday, and free the rest of their week up. In fact, that last has been in place for a number of years now (Sports Management course for one) and means that in effect, we're full time now bar the couple of more experienced players (Tony Mac, Alan Mahon, Allie Mac), and any switch would be more a reappraisal of how the players spend their time during the day. The manager is obviously an important, and difficult (as he's not a student) person to have full time, but that's sorted now as well.

However, I think your last line hysterics are more suited to a Shels or Drogheda fan, to be honest. Bear in mind that, unlike Drogs, Shels and Pat's, we can't have our ground sold from under us for housing and external profit.

**John83** · 08/08/2007, 6:44 PM

Originally Posted by dfx-

It'll be a safe day on our roads the day when Rovers don't count

I thought it was Bohs fans bricking buses these days?

**John83** · 08/08/2007, 6:45 PM

Originally Posted by Jerry The Saint

Very worrying to hear Pete Mahon tell Setanta that UCD can't continue as they are and are looking to go full-time professional soon with plans to bring in a few new players on big money. No specifics given as to where the money will come from or how UCD plan to keep their inflated wage bill under the new 65% limit. What are the fans doing to prevent this reckless, win-at-all-costs, damn-the-consequences behaviour

We're going to talk to the guys in charge, like we regularly do.

**ndrog** · 09/08/2007, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I heard that (well, some of it; I don't recall him talking about bringing in big-money players, for example - he mentioned the possibility of full-time, more success and an academy attracting better players, but don't recall him discussing big wages).

I don't think the manager is required in a five minute interview to go into specifics, but I know there are plans to launch an academy next year in conjunction with, I think, the local council which will help increase income. Pete Mahon has agreed to manage it on a full time basis. There is a detailed five year plan in place (it's what kept us up last year), and evidently there has been a budget put in place, etc. This was all in the media at the start of the season, when Pete turned down the Shels job.

I'd still be surprised if we went full time, though, but it should be noted that with a team of students, it's much easier to go full time as (a) students don't need that much money and (b) they can do lectures on a Monday, and free the rest of their week up. In fact, that last has been in place for a number of years now (Sports Management course for one) and means that in effect, we're full time now bar the couple of more experienced players (Tony Mac, Alan Mahon, Allie Mac), and any switch would be more a reappraisal of how the players spend their time during the day. The manager is obviously an important, and difficult (as he's not a student) person to have full time, but that's sorted now as well.

However, I think your last line hysterics are more suited to a Shels or Drogheda fan, to be honest. Bear in mind that, unlike Drogs, Shels and Pat's, we can't have our ground sold from under us for housing and external profit.

you do understand that its the club selling the ground and not anyone else .therefore no one is selling the ground from under us .Still with the drogs obsession .Boring . How dare we try and progress and better ourselves .As i said before i would rather the club die and go out of buisness than be a ucd " fan " what ever that is ? Id rather watch local leauge games than heve to suffer ucd and that hell of a ground ,

**bigmac** · 09/08/2007, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by ndrog

As i said before i would rather the club die and go out of buisness than be a ucd " fan " what ever that is ?

Careful what you wish for....

**DmanDmythDledge** · 09/08/2007, 3:50 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

In fact, that last has been in place for a number of years now (Sports Management course for one) and means that in effect, we're full time now bar the couple of more experienced players (Tony Mac, Alan Mahon, Allie Mac), and any switch would be more a reappraisal of how the players spend their time during the day.

How can you say we're basically full time when we only train 4 evenings a week?

**thejollyrodger** · 09/08/2007, 4:30 PM

this year was a diaster. Cant see Drogs progressing past this round. The two other clubs performances were very dismal

**pineapple stu** · 09/08/2007, 5:32 PM

Originally Posted by ndrog

you do understand that its the club selling the ground and not anyone else .therefore no one is selling the ground from under us .

But who owns the club? The shareholders (who are also the directors). Therefore, there's nothing stopping them benefitting in full at the club's expense. That's not the case with UCD, as no-one owns the club.

Anyways, this is going way off topic, and is already being discussed here.