Soccer Writers of Ireland

Bateman · 30-01-2007 1:14am #1

Soccer Writers Association of Ireland annual dinner was last week. Below is the text of the speech by president Neil O'Riordan that was deemed so controversial it has sparked a full on propaganda war from John Delaney's spin machine;

On behalf of the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland, I would like to welcome you all to our Annual Banquet in the Park Inn Dundalk.

First of all, I thank you for making the effort to attend our evening. In particular, I would like to welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, representatives from UEFA Rene Eberle and Ernest Walker, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney and President David Blood, IFA Chief Executive Howard Wells and President Jim Boyce, PFAI Acting General Secretary Stephen McGuinness, Michael Kennedy and Pádraig Corkery from eircom and our guest speaker Ronnie Whelan. I would like to welcome a friend from across the water, Chris Davies, who has covered more Ireland games than many of us.

I would also like to thank our sponsors. We have had a strong and enduring relationship with eircom whom have given us unstinting support - both financial and otherwise - for a number of years. Without them, this night would not be possible. I would also like to thank Carlsberg for sponsoring our drinks reception. I thank Owen Cowzer for organising the night as I know what a time-consuming task it can be and our Master of Ceremonies John Kenny.

This is only the second time that the event has been held outside Dublin. Having been in Cork two years ago, it was only right that we chose somewhere north of the capital this time around. We are also glad that its location has enabled many of our northern friends to attend. For the first time, we have invited managers, captains and officials of the Irish League clubs participating in the Setanta Sports Cup to this event and I am delighted to see representatives from Linfield and Glentoran here. I think anyone who wishes to see the game to progress on this island will acknowledge the importance of closer cross-border co-operation.

In another way, Dundalk was an obvious choice given the town’s rich soccer tradition. While they may not have won the right to be in the new-look Premier Division next season, they remain the most successful provincial club in Ireland. Furthermore, our current national team manager hails from here of course. It’s a pity he cannot be with us tonight but, on his 38th birthday, I would like to wish him many happy returns.

It is fair to say that 2006 has been a steep learning curve for Steve Staunton. He has experienced the high of a thrilling 3-0 win over Sweden in his first game in charge an the low of a 5-2 defeat in Cyprus. I am sure everyone in this room will hope there are better times ahead in 2007. While he may not believe it, the members of our association want a successful international team just as much as he does. Believe me, our lives are a lot easier when we are writing about success rather than failure.

But, much like players, club football is our bread and butter and perhaps of more importance than a successful international team is a vibrant league. 2006 saw the merger of the eircom League and the FAI and it is to be hoped that this will be the catalyst for the further development of domestic football. Let there be no mistake that the League is at a crossroads. Last year, your average person was familiar with the name Sean Hargan not because he scored the winning goal against a club which had twice won the UEFA Cup but because of the league’s failure to properly deal with a suspension which he was due to serve which ultimately could have decided the title race. As it was, it was difficult for anyone to take any great satisfaction from Shelbourne being crowned champions.

The licensing system and the new-look League are part of a drive for better standards off the pitch. While undoubtedly well-intentioned, their credibility has been somewhat undermined by the fact that one licensed club went out of business mid-season while another went on to win the league title but was unable to pay its players. To the players and backroom staff at Shels, I extend my congratulations – as I do to the other winners of silverware Drogheda United, Derry City and Shamrock Rovers – for their success in extremely trying circumstances. But that a club can be crowned champions when they cannot fulfil the basic requirement of paying their employees is deeply worrying. Shels, of course, have not been the only offenders in this regard but the extent of the problems at Tolka Park was simply shocking.

The instability of clubs goes some way to help explain why David Forde, Danny Murphy, George O’Callaghan, Stephen Ward, Pat Kavanagh, Paul Keegan, Trevor Molloy, Sean Dillon, Bobby Ryan and Jason Byrne - not to mention manager Stephen Kenny - all chose to leave these shores to ply their trade abroad. It has yet to be proven that full-time football is sustainable in this country. In fact, an objective assessment at this juncture would probably conclude that it is not. That is not to say that we should not have the ambition to have a fully professional league in this country but it is imperative that we proceed with caution and prudence because, as has been painfully experienced by players at Shelbourne, livelihoods are at stake.

A wage cap of 65 per cent of a club’s turnover, once it is properly enforced, is to be welcomed. It may well result in more players may opting for the route chosen by those I just mentioned. If that happens so be it. Better that they leave for higher wages than because they are not being paid at all.

But I would like to end on an upbeat note before the eircom League’s new Director Fran Gavin hits the bottle, wondering what he has let himself in for. It’s not all doom and gloom. For the first time ever, all of our teams which competed in Europe progressed through at least one round in. Our ranking is now 35th in Europe. That not might sound very good but it is the highest yet. And, when you look at the winners, the nominees for our two awards tonight and indeed around the room, you realise that there are both managers and players of real talent operating within our League who, if nurtured in the correct manager, can achieve great things. To you and to all of our guests, I raise a toast and hope that you enjoy the night.

No url source on the above unfortunately, but that's the full text of the speech.

Raises a few issues about the way that the FAI are going to run their league. The plan is obviously to sweep any issues firmly under the carpet resting against the threat of fines and other sanctions, some of which we saw last season.

The FAI's vested interest in taking over the league, would seem to be a simple issue of power and the separation of power, with superficial positives like increased prize money providing scant evidence that things are about to drastically change for the better. Delaney's legacy is centralisation of power. Anyone who can't see at this stage just how much of an egotistical power-monger he is must ether be on his payroll or, quite frankly, blind.

While everyone is watching the Shelbourne situation closely insofar as it affects Shelbourne as a club, and as an entity, the manner in which the FAI treats the club is going to be of interest. The eircom League no longer exists as a separate entity from the FAI, remember. The senior domestic league is now fully in the hands of the FAI, and how the association handles this utter farce, not to mention dangerous crisis, will speak volumes for how it will handle future issues, and how much faith and confidence its famous "stakeholders" can have in the association. Interesting times ahead.