Galway United

fergiesfolly

Whereas I think what happened with the Galway United/ Salthill Devon fiasco was beneath contempt, I don't think you can call the efforts of an honest football club trying to improve itself a disgrace. Whether you agree or not with the FAIs treatment of football and its followers in Galway, this club are entitled to give it a shot. Its probably the dream of most junior clubs in the country to play at the top level and you can't begrudge them their chance. Its not like they're trying to hoodwink the public into thinking they're something they're not.

civis_liberalis

It costs money to run a club in the League of Ireland.

Ordinary members are being stung to subsidise it.

My comment was more about how much was there vs how much the Mervue United P.R.O. would pretend was there in his completely unbiased report for extratime.ie. 274 is what was claimed.

sword of light

civis_liberalis wrote: »

It costs money to run a club in the League of Ireland.

Ordinary members are being stung to subsidise it.

My comment was more about how much was there vs how much the Mervue United P.R.O. would pretend was there in his completely unbiased report for extratime.ie. 274 is what was claimed.

Any evidence to prove this is how people feel? Or are you just purporting to champion the imaginary cause of the plight of folks at Mervue to try and validate your point? Come on now. We understand, GUST is grieving. Salthill have robbed your grave and ye're right to be annoyed about the whole thing.It's a disgrace, albeit an orchestrated one. The posts on here though,  are frequently tainted with a bitterness that eventually is going to come back to haunt the efforts of what GUST is trying to achieve. Ye should be using this thread to keep the club in people's minds, remind them of the good times and give updates on the youth team/fundraising. Slagging the other clubs off relentlessly is not a good idea. I mean Devon fair enough, but Mervue? Did they try and get Terryland? No. Did they try a stick "Galway" into their team name somewhere? No. The subtleness in the colour difference makes a jersey switch irrelevant, but would they have changed their jersey colours to mimic yours? I doubt it very much. Mervue  are doing exactly what Rovers did in the 70's and have accepted the chance to better themselves. It was a longtime before United made any serious inroads in the League incidentally.

You're right about the attendances though, they're not fooling anyone. Especially when whoever they are playing are quick to rubbish their figures. At the end of the day the football on the pitch should do the talking, but this season they're not doing it. That's another thread altogether.....

celty

So right about the 'false attendances'. Mervue claimed there were over 300 at their first game, I have heard from a reliable source that there were barely 100 there.

I'd be more inclined to believe a neutral than the club's PRO.

Salthill were also unhappy with the figure in The Sentinel, I believe, in the reporting of their first game.

Unlike the GAA, who routinely 'underestimate' their gates (perhaps with an eye on the taxman), our current LOI representatives might be the first in Irish sporting history to claim to have a lot more supporters paying in at the gate than actually do so.

Not that the taxman is going to be rushing after them just yet ....!:D

Paddyfield

I am a Galway United supporter and will be till the day I die, even if Galway United is dead before me.

That said, can we please end this bitch fest about attendances. It will accomplish nothing.

Robbo

Paddyfield wrote: »

I am a Galway United supporter and will be till the day I die, even if Galway United is dead before me.

That said, can we please end this bitch fest about attendances. It will accomplish nothing.

Some of them are still fighting the war.

As an outsider, can I ask the GUST heads this, as the information received here has been either hilariously one-eyed or dismissed as Mervue/Salthill propganda.

The company running Galway United was insolvent, Leeson (I can't believe people fell for this to begin with) was fingered for running up massive debts, players were let go, results took a turn for the worse, relegation form happened.

The Trust stepped in.

Now, I'm unclear as to what happened here, spin-free.

Were the board replaced wholesale? Were shares assumed by the trust and some arrangement arrived at with the historical debts? Did the trust seek some arrangement for indemnification against the historical debts? Were shadow directors in place through the trust who continued to run an insolvent company?

I acknowledge than LOI clubs are generally run as insolvent enterprises and the litigation that occurs thereafter is usually both tragic and hilarious (viz Bohs and their "redevelopment" and Limerick seeking an injunction *stopping the league from actually starting*) in equal measures.

If I had any real stake in this, I'd be on the blower to Paul Applebly for the short time he remains in office.

celty

Paddyfield wrote: »

I am a Galway United supporter and will be till the day I die, even if Galway United is dead before me.

That said, can we please end this bitch fest about attendances. It will accomplish nothing.

Paddy,

I understand where you are coming from, but I think in the overall context of what's been a long thread the attendances at SDG and Mervue games is of relevance now that we are into the 2012 season.

1. The FAI really wanted a 'Galway' team in the league and when they refused the licence to GUST Salthill somehow fit the bill. They had no problems changing their name and jerseys.

2. There had been a debate here for some time (I think I've even won a 100eu bet) over whether or not United fans would transfer their affections by going to Mervue or, especially, Salthill games. Those who are in the negative have been proved right.

3. The city's two remaining clubs, for whatever reason, seem to be 'massaging' their attendance figures. I know that there were 'officially' 300 at a Mervue game whereas anyone in the ground could not have counted more than 100, because that's all that was there.

It is perhaps, as you say, pointless in the longer scheme of things and GUST have a long and tough task ahead of them if they are to get a 'Galway United' team back into the League.

But is certainly relevant that the team which endured a record run of defeats last year still attracted 600 to Terryland every week, in the midst of such an awful run, and about 1,400 (I think) for the relegation play-off game .... while the other two clubs can hardly get 300 if you put their combined attendances together.

So some of us cynics have been proved right and I think it's a matter worth highlighting.

beeintheknow

Can this thread please be locked as Galway United no longer exists and the guys who tried to save the club are embarrassing themselves?

Mr_A

They still have an U19 team, so they certainly do still exist.

backspacer

To be fair Galway United U-19 squad is still active in the U-19 league the thread is still relevant for the moment

beeintheknow

Mr_A wrote: »

They still have an U19 team, so they certainly do still exist.

What sort of attendances are they getting?

backspacer

I can't imagine it would be much worse than what the two Galway clubs are getting at the moment.

bensweeney

This thread is bringing great shame on Galway football. Please lock it.

civis_liberalis

This thread is enlightening people about the current situation.

People with vested interests or blinkers don't seem to like that. Strange.

civis_liberalis

beeintheknow wrote: »

What sort of attendances are they getting?

You're gonna try and use the attendance of an u19 game to back up your point are you? Cop on.

beeintheknow

Shirley all the rabid fanatics of TAFKAGUFC are going along to support the u 19s as 'itz arrrr club, representin da local communiteeee not lyke dat monstrozzzittteee SDgolliwog, or whateva dey arrrr callin demselvz'

not everyone who can't see the point of Galway United has a 'vested interest or blinkers', whatever you mean by that.

civis_liberalis

beeintheknow wrote: »

not everyone who can't see the point of Galway United has a 'vested interest or blinkers', whatever you mean by that.

The lack of people bothered going to see Salthill Devon or Mervue shows that far more people fail to see the point in them playing the LOI.

beeintheknow

civis_liberalis wrote: »

The lack of people bothered going to see Salthill Devon or Mervue shows that far more people fail to see the point in them playing the LOI.

Have you been to see the u19s?

civis_liberalis

beeintheknow wrote: »

Have you been to see the u19s?

Yes and I fail to see what that has to do with anything.

ben.schlomo

beeintheknow wrote: »

Shirley all the rabid fanatics of TAFKAGUFC are going along to support the u 19s as 'itz arrrr club, representin da local communiteeee not lyke dat monstrozzzittteee SDgolliwog, or whateva dey arrrr callin demselvz'

not everyone who can't see the point of Galway United has a 'vested interest or blinkers', whatever you mean by that.

Troll much!!

celty

civis_liberalis wrote: »

The lack of people bothered going to see Salthill Devon or Mervue shows that far more people fail to see the point in them playing the LOI.

... and also shows how misguided the FAI were when they thought they could just replace Galway United with 'SD Galway' and the Terryland faithful would flock to support the 'new' Salthill club.

I have nothing against Salthill or Mervue. But I felt the FAI were crazy to invite both into the League when Galway was struggling to support one team. Now, I'm sure of it.

civis_liberalis

celty wrote: »

I have nothing against Salthill or Mervue.

And I don't think anyone else here does either. It is the people in charge of Devon and the Salthill man in the FAI supporting them specifically that are responsible for the disgrace that is SD "Galway".

We have nothing against the memberships of Salthill Devon or Mervue United. They are the sort of people that are the lifeblood of Galway football. The others are a cancer on society.

biko

It's the end of an era.
RIP Galway United Football Club (seniors).

You can still advertise the matches in the What's On thread and but general player/manager/... discussion - please use the soccer forum.