St. Pats whole squad up for sale!

eirebhoy

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/premier/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=12533

St Patrick’s Athletic will listen to offers all its playing staff when the transfer window re-opens at the beginning of August after the Inchicore club decided to call time on the full-time professional set-up at Richmond Park.

The Saints opted to pursue an ambitious professional approach before the start of last season, with players such as Irish under-20 international midfielder Keith Fahey, former West Brom goalkeeper Chris Adamson and ex-Cameroon international Joseph Ndo among those employed on full-time contracts.

It was a move designed to follow the ambitious set-ups at Dublin rivals Shelbourne and Bohemians, but St Patrick’s Athletic will again become a part-time outfit in a major restructuring of the club over the next few months.

Manager John McDonnell, appointed as Eamonn Collins’s successor last month, revealed on Tuesday that each of the club’s players will be put up for sale, which is sure to spark a flurry of activity for the club’s stars,

Drogheda United have already declared their interest in Ndo and Welsh forward Tony Bird, while Cork City, managed by former Saints supremo Pat Dolan, are thought to be ready to make a move for Keith Fahey.

Defenders Colm Foley and Karim el-Khebyr and goalkeeper Adamson are others who are sure to attract plenty of admirers around the league when the transfer window opens on August 1st.

McDonnell told the Irish Sun: “Everyone is available. We have to cut our cloth and start again. The players were told that at the weekend. We have players here earning more than Glen Crowe and Jason Byrne. That’s not their fault but we simply can’t sustain that in our position.”

Terrible news.:( If Ndo decides to stay in Ireland he'll be a big coup for any club. Same for all the other players mentioned in the article.

KdjaCL

Me sobs


Kdjac

DerekD Goldfish

Oh Crap the current team isnt fantastic but without the players listed I dont want to think how bad we will be.

KdjaCL

Hope Cherry Orchard have some good players coming tru

kdjac

gimmick

No doubt SPA will try and pin this on Pat Dolan.

I have no symapthy at all for SPA, simply bevause of their short sightedness. They had just had a very poor season (admittedly with Pat in charge), with some very poor players. Alot of work was needed to rebuild, so what better way to do this? Award said average/poor players with good full time contracts.

They did nothing to try and improve their attendance figures, they employed some ball boy as their new manager, and they constantly moaned about Pat Dolan.

SPA are a very lucky team that there is only one team going down this season.

Bateman

Pat's aren't that lucky there is only one team going down, as it could well be them. Dublin City have a vastly more experienced, and arguably, better (especially if Pat's lose Foley and Fahy) squad. If Fahy and Foley go it will take a miracle to keep Pat's up. A lot of it does come down to Dolan, he left the club a financial wreck. No wonder Cork are making him concentrate on the football side of things. When Pat was at the helm, the club was actually offered a strip of land behind the Shed for around a million quid. Pat declined, thinking it would be financial suicide. We will never know whether they would have been able to raise that money or not, but there are currently two major apartment developments on that land at the moment, which are netting someone a couple of million at least.

Joseph Ndo has been a bit of a failure, he has not been up to the pace, and unless you take the view that his passing has been on a superior wavelength to his team mates, he has not been good enough.

gimmick

Originally posted by Bateman
A lot of it does come down to Dolan, he left the club a financial wreck. No wonder Cork are making him concentrate on the football side of things.

Thats a statement ill never quite understand.

Pat Dolan was employed as Cork City FC 1st team manager, not commercial manager, not PR manager, not marketing manager (though he does the latter 2 by his very being and enthuasiasm). Its not that he is allowed near the financial side, its that he isnt employed to do such. And I know for a fact he has no interest in that side of CCFC.

If Dolan left SPA a financial wreck, well i blame that squarely on Andy O Callaghan, who would have been the man who would have given Dolan the purse strings. Dolan wasnt employed by SPA as a financial guy, but a football guy. if SPA couldnt separate the two, well, thats hardly Dolans fault, now is it???

KdjaCL

Originally posted by gimmick
Thats a statement ill never quite understand.


If Dolan left SPA a financial wreck, well i blame that squarely on Andy O Callaghan, who would have been the man who would have given Dolan the purse strings. Dolan wasnt employed by SPA as a financial guy, but a football guy. if SPA couldnt separate the two, well, thats hardly Dolans fault, now is it???

So is chief exec not a financial role? He took on the team when Kerr left but while Kerr was there he was Chief Exec , when he went back to his role as Chief Exec Buckley came in. Then Buckley left Dolan took over the team again. Until another Bootroom manager was found ,Pats like to use internal managers have done oh for last 5 anyway.

At the time they wanted Kenny but he signed with Bohs(dont blame him) But im sure we will get him one day.

Pats have a decent squad good enough to challenge for the league but the Collins wasnt a very good manager and Mc Donnell is still learning.

Tbh wouldnt bother me if we went down, still get same attds every week and i get to go to Kildares ground never been there.


But Pat Dolan made the club go Pro, theres a lot of Qs still unanswered over financial side of the club.

kdjac

gimmick

Nope, SPA went officially 'pro' just after Dolan left and soome ball boy took charge.

Many of your own fans even questioned was this a wise move. The current sale at SPA now proves that it was short sighted in the extreme to take such a measure.

Pat Dolan made more money for SPA than what he lost for them. Before he was manager, he had them almost as a marketing machine, what with the SuperSaints et al.

Do not blame Dolan. The buck here stops with one man, and that is the SPA chairman, Andy O Callaghan.

Bateman

You are welcome to Stephen Kenny.

Gimmick, Dolan was employed in a financial role at Pats', make no mistake about that. Are you going to give anything other than mentioning the "SuperSaints et al" thing to prove to us that he was doing a decent job. I agree that O 'Callaghan should ship his fair share of the blame for the decline in Inchicore, but in fairness, Dolan was given a lot of freedom, and he didn't use it very wisely. Dolan also negotiated the contracts that currently pay some Pats' players more than Glen Crowe or Jason Byrne. You can blame O Callaghan for giving Dolan such freedom, but frankly it's a bit churlish, as Dolan had EVERYONE conned into thinking he could peform football duties and executive duties at the same time, when in the end it was impossible.

gimmick

Fair enough, but I still think that people in eL circles, esp SPA fans over vilify Dolans role when it came to the oney side.

Perhaps he was just a professional among amatuers???

KdjaCL

Originally posted by gimmick


Perhaps he was just a professional among amatuers???

pssst its an amatuer league


kdjac

gimmick

I reckon Bohs, Shels and Cork City would disagree with you there, not to mention Longford and Drogs, who are both aspiring to go to a pro set up.

Anyway, thats nonsense. Be it a fully pro league, semi pro, or amatuer, people should strive to have a professional attitude. There are many fully amatuer teams in the eL, namely The Team Formerly Known As Home Farm, Waterford, Galway Utd, and Sligo who have very professional attitudes.

Its the people who keep this amatuer attitude are the same people who have held this league back for many a year.

KdjaCL

Originally posted by gimmick

Its the people who keep this amatuer attitude are the same people who have held this league back for many a year.

Yup FAI all the way in that one, but although we all want the same thing there are no clubs that can support themselves sufficently to be a full time pro. There are too many"needs" within the league.

EVERY club should have a fully seated stadium.
The TV deal should have GUARANTEED amount of games covered.
The FAI should activley promote the league and not with that damn annoying "Eircom League" radio ad. Makes me get off bus and go home.
The Under 21 league should be increased to include teams outside the PREM and Div 1 so as to create a higher lever of football for junior/senior players(thats a good league some great games in it).
Clubs should be allowed to initiate the old FAS schemes without penalisation(a word) in tax.
Every club should organise schools free access to the grounds (Pat Dolan started that idea ,worked very well for Pats)








The top 4 teams in EL and Nodry league should enter a cup with no away fans for Class A games. Tv money wahey
Only players who have actually played in ireland at any level ,schoolboy etc: should be allowed to play for Internation team.

Last 2 mine


kdjac

gimmick

No arguing with any of those points KDJAC. One other problem I have with the eL though, and Dubs will disagree, is that there are too many clubs in the Dublin area, and not enough people to support them. Sorry that should read, not enough people to care about them.

The FAI/eL really have to get active in communities. In Cork, we have done a certain level of that, with some of our Pro players going to schools etc to take the teams for training etc. The players mingle among fans and all that.

Anyways, lets bring this back on topic. Andy O Callaghans fault!!;)

KdjaCL

Originally posted by gimmick


Anyways, lets bring this back on topic. Andy O Callaghans fault!!;)

Contribution of poor management, Pat Dolan and Andy O Call.

Poxy thing is we have some good players.


Should be only 4 Dub teams and each should have decent gate, but in last 10 years Pats the only ones with consistent gates. Shels is a joke, Bohs when they winning and Rovers depends on where they playing(they got more at home Tolka then Richmond)
I would love a team outsie the pale to win the league but thats not going to happen for a while. Cork to inconsistent get nose bleeds when they near top of league, Derry well well...umm have issues. Waterford are either at the top or the bottom.
Drogheda should get a nose bleed this week.

kdjac

KdjaCL

Off pats website, either same guy who registrates players is working on website or its a news item.

kdjac