Sporting Fingal FC Supporters' Thread - IMPORTANT: Read Post #1

Lamper.sffc

Dodge wrote: »

Has it any assets that may be liquidated?

I could think of a few id like to see liquidated

Lamper.sffc

fingalgooner wrote: »

3 years gone. 3 years remembered:

I remember the night we played Athlone in our first season. It was pissing rain, and the wind was cutting the legs off me in the stand. Only 250 people at the match and that night I knew I was a supporter.

The first game against Pats in the cup, we wanted to know what we would be like against a Premier league club. I remember walking up to the stadium and just the buzz of playing against a big club. It was magic. And sitting there as we were staring at a defeat. People started leaving and I swore that night I would never leave our team no matter what the score. And then to be rewarded with a Colm James penalty, which he slotted home perfectly, quality.

The away game at Bray for promotion. A great night and what an ending, their keeper went from hero, scoring at our end, to zero by coming out wide of his box, for no good reason and us getting the goal to send us up. And also the absolute gentleman at the Bray turnstiles, who welcomed us in that night and was talking to us about the cup final that was yet to come, and as we left he shook hands with any Fingal fans he came across and wished us well. A legend that any club would be proud of.

Our first Premier league game away to Bohs, great ground! The whole atmosphere was electric. And Viper standing up with the drum, A DRUM! Surely we must have arrived if we had a drum with an insignia on it! The night was amazing. We were robbed


All the draws with Ross [only kidding mate] the first home game against Rovers in the Premier league. Meeting up at the Swiss, or as my esteemed colleague once said 'in the Swiss' great atmosphere. Great craic. We were robbed

The away game to Rovers in the second round of games. Coming up them steps to see a wall of Rovers supporters over the far side roaring cheering and chanting. I remember saying to the lad beside me. Now that's football! Thinking in 20 years we might get something like that...
The game was one of the best games to be at. What a come back. What a finish. Glen Crowe and Gary O'Niell, super day. We weren't

The away game against Pats in the cup. Whoop whoop whoop. Bleeding laugh. We lost. We were robbed

The European night against Maritimo. The Porterhouse for scoop-a-rooneys. The crowds the atmosphere. I got a Maritimo scarf. The players coming back out and signing anything and everything for the young lads. Scoops back in the Porterhouse. Ross...and his Bodhran... great night great craic.


Lorcan Fitzgerald's cross/come strike. And the dance that followed.

Freddie on a bicycle! Freddie doin the moon walk. Freddie with the Lion, think it was against Limerick in our second season. Go on Freddddddiiiiieeee

And the cup final. What a fookin match. Early scoops in the Collins in Rush. Cans on the bus, that the club had hired, real football hooligans loike. Pinties in the Maldron surrounded by Sligo Fans. Great. The game. The cold :eek:. Their goal Our penalty:D Screaming at Bucko to get Bayley off The cross:) The Goal:P The after match champagne in the Collins. Wot a bleedin' day.

Dave Rogers. Robbie(Robbie) Doyle. Brian Gannon. Peter Hynes (Hynesie for Ireland). Aidan Collins. Fiachra (Fi-Fi) Mc Cardle. Alan Kirby. Ger O'Brien. Colm James. Shaun Williams. Shane Mc Faul. Ronan Finn. Gary O'Niell. Lorcan Fitzgerald. Shaun Maher. Kenny Browne. Darren Quigley or Brendan Clarke...they both look the same. Conan Byrne. I roared for you all. You boys gave me some memorable moments on freezing cold nights. I hope you all find clubs, I would like to see you all play again.

I will never follow another club. It is over. I hope one day Fingal County Council will look back and remember that the idea was a sound one. Just do it in a different manner. We will come back and watch again. No matter what league we are in. I loved our club. I loved our football.

I will still support the League of Ireland. But it ain't never gonna be the same...never.

"The shmile on your face lets me know..."

If I could thank this ten times more I would

Pineapple stu

Its the price we paid for trying to be competative.

fingalgooner

It's the price we paid for negligence.

Paulw

Dodge wrote: »

Has it any assets that may be liquidated?

No, to the best of my knowledge, the club has no assets.

ViperGTS

I know its 3.45am (no I'm not drunk ) and I know what's done is done. I'm not gonna sit here and talk about what was or could have been. I'll just say I'm at a loss this past week and quite honestly depressed. What a fantastic year and a bit ive had with this club, my 1st ever in LOI football. I am privelaged to have met anyone and everyone that has considered themselves a fan of Fingal. Here's to many a friendship and great memory. It's goodnight from Viper and his drum. Let's hear it once more for our best reporters, Liama Liamo and good oul Freddie. "Say goodbye Freddie" "Goodbye Freddie"

santry_goonshow

I am actually fighting back the tears writing this

Sporting Fingal was great for our area, especially Santry. I personnally made it along to about half the games because I was away a lot in 2009.

What I think happened the club [not contradicting more connected people] was that the main investor couldnt or wouldnt continue but some of the people around the management wouldnt or couldnt pare their expectations back. Fans want success but you have to build success on the Community stuff. I knew a few people involved in this and it never really got off the ground in the way it should.

Opportunities to make a couple of player sales should have been taken and werent because they were trying to hold the team together. That smacks of the usual struggle b/t the people who count the money at the end of the day and the people who ran the team. Not that the Board was above blame - Lousy timing and a mid stream switch from yerman Corr as commercial head to this other guy from St Pats looks like the biggest self inflicted banana skin ever in the history of the world.

To all who were involved I wish them well. Especially the players and the River Valley lads. Some of those guys put heart, sole and bone into the club.

To all the bitter, bitter, bitter LOI team fans who said it should never happen - well it did. And SFFC proved that there was space in Dublin for another team. I wouldnt be joining in with Shels or Bohs now - I would rather watch amateur Drogheda as there fans are more like ours even if they have Louthy accents.

Paulw

santry_goonshow wrote: »

Opportunities to make a couple of player sales should have been taken and werent because they were trying to hold the team together. That smacks of the usual struggle b/t the people who count the money at the end of the day and the people who ran the team. Not that the Board was above blame - Lousy timing and a mid stream switch from yerman Corr as commercial head to this other guy from St Pats looks like the biggest self inflicted banana skin ever in the history of the world.

3 commercial managers in 3 years. I wouldn't put any blame at all on Joe Corr. He left back in Dec.

Yes, there were many struggles in the club. The club was ambitious, and probably over ambitious with the funds they had. It just wasn't fully backed by money.

I've heard so much, from many in the club and involved with the club. Bottom line - it's a done deal now. We burst on to the scene, played brilliant football, won the cup and got promotion. Some brilliant games.

Finally - the last ever Sporting Fingal match images - here.

It was brilliant while it lasted, and it's still a shame.

santry_goonshow

Paulw wrote: »

3 commercial managers in 3 years. I wouldn't put any blame at all on Joe Corr. He left back in Dec.

Yes, there were many struggles in the club. The club was ambitious, and probably over ambitious with the funds they had. It just wasn't fully backed by money.

I've heard so much, from many in the club and involved with the club. Bottom line - it's a done deal now. We burst on to the scene, played brilliant football, won the cup and got promotion. Some brilliant games.

Finally - the last ever Sporting Fingal match images - here.

It was brilliant while it lasted, and it's still a shame.

Paul, you are spot on. What you said is what I've been told. However, just correct you on one thing. I wasnt blaming Joe Corr. I was trying to say it was idiocy that he was allowed go or be pushed or whatever happened just when we knew that the main man was going to give his more of his biscuits to Nama. I think you would want to be a deaf/blind aged buffalo not to sense the inevitability. At the fans meeting people were worried about this but didnt say much.

Lesson no 1 in the LOI: ambition will kill you if achieving your ambition involves money. We forgot that somewhere along the line.

Luttrell1975

There is something puzzling about the role of the Council in this. What I mean is I thought the Council was meant to set SF up and ease away. But even though it couldnt fund SF it should have done a better job of controlling the spending that seemed to go on.


I know two people who work for the Council Dublin and Fingal and they have access to financial analysis second to none. The Dogs in the street could see Gannon's financial noose is tightening and theres scrutinising of his missus holding properties and 1.3 billion of debt: http://tinyurl.com/5se45ze why wud any1be surprized to see Gannon pull out??????

The Council issued this (reposted) http://tinyurl.com/4gf9nsp

Its a shame. I watched the team 5 times including the FAI cup game in Tallaght in the lashings of rain

billyhead

Is anyone else going to revert to following an alternative LOI side. I suppose the neareat would be Shels so I might start taking an interest in them, even though its the first division

born2bwild

billyhead wrote: »

Is anyone else going to revert to following an alternative LOI side. I suppose the neareat would be Shels so I might start taking an interest in them, even though its the first division

Well, the thing about Fingal was that they played, or tried to play football as it should be played: passing, making space, keeping possession. Apart from anything else, this has to be stressed.
No other LOI team played as well as SFFC and of all of the positives about the club, this is the one that kills me the most now that they've been mismanaged into oblivion. Like every other SF fan, I am appalled by what has happened. The rest of the LOI should be too. We went out on the pitch and showed them how it should be done. Ronan Finn's goals in July and October against Dundalk away were legendary and an example of what the whole league needs more of if it is to attract larger crowds.
I used to go go to a lot of LOI matches before I started following Fingal at the end of 09-10 and it was mostly kick and rush, head tennis and badly executed set pieces.
How can we go back to that?:mad:

Paulw

If I was to follow any other club, it would be UCD. At least they try to play football, and were a good squad for Sporting Fingal to harvest from (Conan, McFaul, Finn, etc, etc)

Shels?? You gotta be joking.

Dodge

Paulw wrote: »

If I was to follow any other club, it would be UCD. At least they try to play football

Clubs don't play football. managers and players play football.

Every club in Ireland has at various stages had lovely footballing teams, and horrible footballing teams; UCD included.

last season, Sligo were the best footballing side.

dsmythy

After the amount of stick we took off Shels they'd be the last team I'd go to. Also since they put so much emphasis on history they're a southside team anyway :P

Bohs are the most logical choice but whether it would feel the same supporting anyone else, I don't know. Still hoping for some form of new Fingal team starting at the bottom once more.

Dodge

Plenty of sides from that area in the LSL

santry_goonshow

If lessons were learned from this they should be

This area needs a LOI team and asking people to track down into the city to watch Skulls or Bow-es is not an option for most of the fanbase.

Any new club should be happy to stay in the lower reaches of the league and build slowly with its fanbase (not the egos).

Sell players to Celtic when they come knocking - its the LOI ffs.

Dub XV

santry_goonshow wrote: »

If lessons were learned from this they should be

This area needs a LOI team and asking people to track down into the city to watch Skulls or Bow-es is not an option for most of the fanbase.

This area as in Ballymun? You would closer to Dalymount than Swords or even Lusk, no?

Paulw

Dodge wrote: »

Clubs don't play football. managers and players play football.

last season, Sligo were the best footballing side.

Well, if you want to be that specific, managers don't play football, they advise the players on how to play football.

Yes, Sligo, Sporting Fingal, and UCD were the best teams in the league last year for playing quality football that was well worth watching. You say that Sligo were the best, but the TV pundits all claimed that Sporting Fingal played the most attractive football. I'd have to agree with them.

TangyZizzle

Had the misfortune of informing one of my little brothers mates that Fingal is no more, little lad couldnt handle it.. broke down cryin and all. Apparently hes got his room decked out with posters of the Fingal lads. Poor kid.

Luttrell1975

santry_goonshow wrote: »

If lessons were learned from this they should be

Well if you want to mention lessons learned read this from the Indo today:

Cautionary tale of Fingal's demise an all too familiar one

The sheer lunacy of Sporting's business venture was so tragic it defied logic even by Irish standards, writes John O'Brien


By John O'Brien

Sunday February 13 2011

As far as we know Mick Wallace wasn't one of those sounded out about the new party that was going to take the 31st Dail by storm. Perhaps his left-leaning, heart-on-sleeve brand of political expression counted against him.
Maybe it was the simple, unfussy way he has gone about his business as a builder and football manager for the past two decades. Wallace has never been a man for the casual soundbite. He carries no instant celebrity appeal.
Instead he will run as an independent candidate in his own Wexford constituency hoping his track record stands to him on two fronts: the rare achievement of being a developer with a conscience and the inspiration behind a football club founded on something deeper than personal vanity or a misguided ambition of making a quick splash into the big-time. Like the Italian wines that are his passion, Wallace's schemes take time to mature.
Perhaps singularly among his generation of developers, Wallace always recognised his good fortune. The country's insatiable rush to build and keep building made him rich, of course, but Wallace wasn't interested in buying up half of London or in vulgar projects that had no social context. His wealth was a lightning rod for his wildest and most basic dream. His vision of building a lasting monument to his first love, football, in his native town could be realised.
Wallace has pumped millions into the pristine facilities that Wexford Youths enjoy in Crossabeg a few miles outside the town. The figure widely reported is €5m. And while the good times are gone now and he is said to be in the red to the tune of €40m, the club isn't liable for any of that debt. Their future is as bright as it gets. Wallace has always said if he were gone today, Wexford Youths would be there tomorrow.
You could, of course, glance at the League table and wonder at those words. Wexford Youths have finished seventh, ninth and seventh in Division One in the past three seasons, dismally uninspiring statistics until you realise they are exactly the kind of figures a fledgling club seeking to find its feet should be posting. Late last year they reaped a reported €100,000 from the sale of talented winger Jimmy Keohane to Bristol City, the sort of business Irish clubs need to be doing to secure a vibrant future.
It is timely to remember that Wexford Youths joined the League in 2007 following the demise of Dublin City, a club so out of control that it was losing €20,000 a week. Yet the notion that Irish football was getting its house in order was undermined a year later when the modest but thoroughly admirable institution that was Kilkenny City bit the dust and, in their place, came the moneyed men of Sporting Fingal. The splurge was quickly back in fashion.
It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the inception of the club. The words used by Wallace to describe Wexford Youths -- "social project" -- were also bandied about by Fingal County Council who took such a keen interest in Sporting Fingal's creation. Speaking about the Health Service Executive last week, a senior surgeon explained that there was nothing wrong with the theory. The problem lay in the lousy execution. So it was with Sporting Fingal.
Fingal County Council taking a healthy interest in establishing a football club in its area wasn't a bad thing. They had seen how their south Dublin counterparts had helped Shamrock Rovers bed into Tallaght and wondered if they couldn't go a step further themselves. Sporting Fingal would be a beacon around which the people of north Dublin would rally and, in time, move to a purpose-built facility in Lusk. All very laudable and above board.
Yet over the past few weeks the sheer lunacy of the venture was laid bare. They had known that Gerry Gannon's money was on a temporary basis from the beginning, yet there's little evidence that any contingency plans were put in place. When Gannon hit the skids last year, the club proceeded on the basis that new investment would appear from somewhere. Anywhere. Last month Liam Buckley was still signing new players. Two weeks ago a commercial director was appointed. What strain of madness had gripped them? While they believed they were close to signing a sponsorship deal with a UK-based firm that would net them €170,000 a year, that would merely have put a small dent in an annual budget believed to be in excess of €750,000. How did they envisage meeting the shortfall? By filling Dalymount Park every home game? Perhaps they fancied a sustained, lucrative run in the Europa League? Over the previous three seasons Gannon had ploughed €2m into the club. Without that money, Sporting Fingal were goosed. The equation was as simple as that.
Why the farce was allowed to continue as long as it did is an indictment not just of those who ran the club, but of the Council that facilitated them. From the evidence of Fingal Council meetings it is clear that the close relationship between the Council and the club was a source of unease to several councillors and questions about it popped up on a regular basis.
When Buckley initially floated the idea of Sporting Fingal to the Council in 2007, it was on the basis that they would join the 'A' Championship, the third tier of Irish football, and lay a foundation for future growth. Then Gannon was brought on board as majority shareholder and Anglo Irish Bank appeared as main sponsors. You would laugh if the consequences weren't so grim.
Both the money men and the politicians failed them. That was Sporting Fingal's sad fate. The Council kept a 26 per cent shareholding and had two places on the club's board. Fat lot of good it did. In March 2008, a Council meeting was informed that their presence on the board would "ensure that the Club continues to act in a financially prudent and responsible manner". As if it ever started. From the wreckage what is there to gleam? A cautionary tale, perhaps, but Irish football is already littered with them. When the memory fades and the money circulates again, others will follow their path and get burned. Do they really deserve to be mourned?

Pineapple stu

Every time i see a post from the indo all that comes up is Blah,blah,blah blah ,blah blah, waffle, waffle, waffle.

Dodge

Paulw wrote: »

but the TV pundits all claimed that Sporting Fingal played the most attractive football. I'd have to agree with them.

A combination of selective hearing and gob****e pundits

Dub XV

Pineapple stu wrote: »

Every time i see a post from the indo all that comes up is Blah,blah,blah blah ,blah blah, waffle, waffle, waffle.

Must be you're anti-virus software

Paulw

No surprise that the Indo got facts wrong again.

Interesting though - the writer - John O'Brien.

Lamper.sffc

I have to say and as a Fingal fan it hurts, but a lot of what is said in that article rings true. (Not a fan of the last line personally). As fans we shouldnt ignore the fact the club made major mistakes and for the most part that article points them out. It doesnt matter if you like the indo or not. It matters whether what is being said is right or wrong and from where im standing a lot of it rings true.
We as fingal fans should not ignore and somehow try and justify what the people in charge did to our club. As fans we should wonder why this happend, how it happened and if there is ever another club in fingal, make sure it never happens again. Learn from past mistakes and hopefully dont make them again.

Lamper.sffc

TangyZizzle wrote: »

Had the misfortune of informing one of my little brothers mates that Fingal is no more, little lad couldnt handle it.. broke down cryin and all. Apparently hes got his room decked out with posters of the Fingal lads. Poor kid.

It was getting the young kids into LOI, where our club did its best work. They would have been the future of the club. Out of them a more substantial fan base would have grown over time. Sad really.

I still have hope that the club can be resurrected in some form.

LeoB

A few questions for the fans,

• Is there a supporters club?
• Is it still going?
• If so, Are ye going to have a meeting?
• Do you just roll over and let this project die?

I am no big soccer fan but you supporters seem to agree on many things that went wrong. So why not start from scratch? Something like a 5 year plan. Leinster senior league and maybe in time a another crack a LOI.

The idea behind the club was good and the experience might benefit a new club in the future. There is a base there however big or small its a starting point and it is quite possible within 2 or 3 years Sporting Fingal could be playing in F.A.I cup as a Leinster league side. Crawl, walk, jog run......... Little steps

Lamper PaulW et al IT CAN BE KEPT GOING

So dont take it as a done deal that Sporting Fingal is dead. The whole thinking behind Sporting Fingal and what it was doijng for the community it is way to important to let go.

Lamper.sffc

There is a supporters club in swords in Rivervalley. They have been going since day one and they are having a meeting on wednesday at 8 I think. Someone else may correct me on this.

As far as I know Conan Byrne will be at this. Hopefully to answer a few of the fans questions. Fair play to him. From day one this guy has done nothing else but play his heart out for our club and work extremely hard behind the scenes to promote us.

FINGAL FAN

I'm involved in the supporters club in Rivervalley and as Lamper says there is a farewell do in the Rivervalley Community Centre starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Conan Byrne wishes to attend to give the players slant on events. All welcome .
We have also been discussing the idea of our fanbase supporting another team this season.We will take soundings on the idea on Wednesday or on here if anyone has any views.