Sporting Fingal and the golden circle

SectionF

Gerry Gannon. Sporting Fingal's backer, is named by the Sunday Times today as one of 10 lent €451m by Anglo Irish Bank to buy shares in Anglo Irish Bank.

Anto McC

I must say, i'm not suprised to be honest. I can't wait til he ****s off and Franchise shut up shop just like Continuity Home Farm Dublin City Everton. John Delaneys Franchise league takes a step back.

applehunter

Very strange club.

Come in from knowhere and suddenly are taking top premier players down to the graveyard.,

therecklessone

Mod note:

I will be watching this thread very carefully, I've already had to delete one very questionable comment, so I'd like posters to be very mindful of making statements that are likely to land boards.ie in trouble.

There is also a current debate in the politics forum re. the "Golden Circle", so please steer your discussion on this forum towards the sporting implications of this.

Any problems with that PM me, do not post on thread

kerash

So... What are the sporting implications of this? (if any?)

SectionF

Sporting implications are that an additional club that LoI football in the Dublin region needs like a hole in the head is even more unworthy of support from ordinary people.
In Ireland, commerce and politics, as we have seen, are uncomfortably close to one another, and now, via this artificially-created council-developer franchise, those two are uncomfortably close to sport.

delta_bravo

SectionF wrote: »

Sporting implications are that an additional club that LoI football in the Dublin region needs like a hole in the head is even more unworthy of support from ordinary people.
In Ireland, commerce and politics, as we have seen, are uncomfortably close to one another, and now, via this artificially-created council-developer franchise, those two are uncomfortably close to sport.

I see what you mean about an abundance of clubs in Dublin but the area of Fingal probably has a population of about 200,000 so there was a niche there for a team.
What team were also vying for the first division spot along with Fingal?

SectionF

delta_bravo wrote: »

I see what you mean about an abundance of clubs in Dublin but the area of Fingal probably has a population of about 200,000 so there was a niche there for a team.
What team were also vying for the first division spot along with Fingal?

Fingal is in Dublin, and Dublin already has far too many LoI clubs.

I don't know what teams will offer a challenge to Fingal this season. Probably none, at the rate SP are spending on the back of their support from Gannon.

So we are facing the possibility of a Gannon-owned setup coming from nowhere and, if enough moolah is put into it, possibly challenging for the title next year.

At current pathetic rates of football support in Dublin, with an already overcrowded scene, there is no natural call for another club in the region. If anything, left to its own devices, competition would probably cull one soon. So the idea of a new club with a vast hinterland of ready supporters driving its success is a distortion.

SP is entirely the creature of Gannon's fabulous wealth and local boosterism (I believe spearheaded by a Green) in a place called Fingal that for the most part exists as a bureaucratic entity.

therecklessone

I've been asked to clarify the comment I made in my earlier post re. elements of this discussion taking place on the Politics forum.

I've amended the mod note above, my point being that there is an ongoing discussion on the politics forum re. the wider implications of this subject. That discussion is not specifically about Gerry Gannon and his involvement with Sporting Fingal.

My apologies for any confusion caused.

DSB

Would anyone REALLY be bothered if Fingal shut up shop?

dreamers75

therecklessone wrote: »

I've been asked to clarify the comment I made in my earlier post re. elements of this discussion taking place on the Politics forum.

I've amended the mod note above, my point being that there is an ongoing discussion on the politics forum re. the wider implications of this subject. That discussion is not specifically about Gerry Gannon and his involvement with Sporting Fingal.

My apologies for any confusion caused.

What about the other possible golden circle members?

therecklessone

Lads, seriously...I feel really uncomfortable with any reference to who may or may not be one of this Golden Circle, so hinting at who might be named is not a good idea.

dreamers75

thanks saved me from reading a thread on politics board

Benedict XVI

SectionF wrote: »

So we are facing the possibility of a Gannon-owned setup coming from nowhere and, if enough moolah is put into it, possibly challenging for the title next year.

Another Drogheda then, some people will never learn.

SectionF

I don't think there was any Anglo-Irish-type scenario with Drogheda.

therecklessone

SectionF wrote: »

I don't think there was any Anglo-Irish-type scenario with Drogheda.

And in terms of the comparison Benedict made is that relevant?

shane86

SectionF wrote: »

Sporting implications are that an additional club that LoI football in the Dublin region needs like a hole in the head is even more unworthy of support from ordinary people.
In Ireland, commerce and politics, as we have seen, are uncomfortably close to one another, and now, via this artificially-created council-developer franchise, those two are uncomfortably close to sport.

Whatever happened to "support your local team" jazz? We have a list of clubs more legitimate than others now? What is the EL lads problem with it? All I ever see here s franchise and thisthatandtheother without any details.

A bit like the "Brian Kerr was shafted by the FAI" nonsense.

I intended to take a look at Fingal when they started up seeing as Im local but its all the way out in Swords or Santry IIRC, which must be 9 odd quid round on Urbus. Blanch is the epicentre of Fingal ffs

CiaranC

shane86 wrote: »

I intended to take a look at Fingal when they started up seeing as Im local but its all the way out in Swords or Santry IIRC, which must be 9 odd quid round on Urbus.

lol

shane86

CiaranC wrote: »

lol

FYI I have never spent 300 on a weekend to Sunderland, seeing as I can imagine it was implied :rolleyes:

I did go on the lash to Prague where we tried and failed to get tickets, but that is because I can easily support the team despite, shock horror, none of them currently live in Ireland.

pablomakaveli

My biggest problem with Fingal is that another Dublin club was'nt needed. They would have been better off getting a club from a region in the country that did'nt have one (Kerry or Tipp for example.)

They just seem to me like a replacement for Dublin City who were another unecessary Dublin club.

Benedict XVI

SectionF wrote: »

I don't think there was any Anglo-Irish-type scenario with Drogheda.

Nothing to do with Anglo-Irish

The comparison is the following 6 step plan for disaster

1. Team spend big in Div 1
2. Gets promoted
3. Spends big in Prem
4. Wins Perm
5. Runs into money problems (Backer pulls out, backer goes bust etc.)
6. Examinership.....

Some people will never learn that ploughing money into 'small' club is not sustainable.

SectionF

shane86 wrote: »

FYI I have never spent 300 on a weekend to Sunderland, seeing as I can imagine it was implied :rolleyes:

I did go on the lash to Prague where we tried and failed to get tickets, but that is because I can easily support the team despite, shock horror, none of them currently live in Ireland.

What on earth are you talking about?

stovelid

Benedict XVI wrote: »

1. Team spend big in Div 1
2. Gets promoted
3. Spends big in Prem
4. Wins Perm
5. Runs into money problems (Backer pulls out, backer goes bust etc.)
6. Examinership.....
7. Receives premier division license

fyp

Lamper.sffc

DSB wrote: »

Would anyone REALLY be bothered if Fingal shut up shop?

Me:( and you. because you will have fek all to post about if we where gone

stovelid

SectionF wrote: »

What on earth are you talking about?

He was going to support Fingal, but the Byzantine and treacherous trek across the outlands of North Dublin from Blanch to Santry finally put paid to it.

SectionF

stovelid wrote: »

He was going to support Fingal, but the Byzantine and treacherous trek across the outlands of North Dublin from Blanch to Santry finally put paid to it.

I see. A rather extreme case of getting one's retaliation in first!
This may be of assistance: http://www.dublinbus.ie/your_journey/viewer.asp?placeName=Phibsboro

Anto McC

pablomakaveli wrote: »

My biggest problem with Fingal is that another Dublin club was'nt needed. They would have been better off getting a club from a region in the country that did'nt have one (Kerry or Tipp for example.)

I agree with you on this one Pablo. A team form either the Kerry League or Mayo League would have been a much better addition in the interest of regionalising.

They just seem to me like a replacement for Dublin City who were another unecessary Dublin club.

You're wrong on this one though, they were a replacement for Shels, who the FAI were certain would go the wall. Instead they had to wait until Kilkenny city did to justify bringing Fingal in.

SectionF

Anto McC wrote: »

I agree with you on this one Pablo. A team form either the Kerry League or Mayo League would have been a much better addition in the interest of regionalising.



You're wrong on this one though, they were a replacement for Shels, who the FAI were certain would go the wall. Instead they had to wait until Kilkenny city did to justify bringing Fingal in.

It that's the case, then thanks to the FAI's cute-hoorism, which is entirely in keeping with the cronyism rife elsewhere, they may yet be a replacement for Shels.

Paulw

There are many clubs in Dublin for sure. Yes, more country clubs would probably be better for the league in general.

More than anything, the LOI need to do something to attract crowds - investing money alone is not going to do a single good thing. You need a club that has a good fan base, and a good regular crowd to attend, and keep it going.

But, we'll have to wait and see what happens this season.

DSB

Lamper.sffc wrote: »

Me:( and you. because you will have fek all to post about if we where gone

Oh man, you've got me all wrong. I'll always find something to moan about. Fingal just give me something LEGITIMATE to moan about.

Lamper.sffc

DSB wrote: »

Oh man, you've got me all wrong. I'll always find something to moan about. Fingal just give me something LEGITIMATE to moan about.

SectionF

Dermot Keely says people who think Shels (f. 1895) can outspend Gannon Franchise (dreamt up last year) are 'in never-never land'. (extratime.ie)
Not sure if it's Keely or extratime describing Franchise as having a 'ridiculously strong' squad.

Given the bookies ridiculously short odds and Sporting Fingal’s ridiculously strong squad, Keely said that they were “rightfully” favourites for the title....

However, Keely rubbished claims that Shels’ were offering bigger money than their rivals to attract talent. Keely said people should be in “never-never land” if they believe such claims. “Everybody in the club took a wage cut, everybody,” added Keely.