Waterford FC Thread

scout353

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118241148#Comment_118241148

Bircham went on Talksport last Thursday and said that the two big issues were the dispute with the academy over players being made available to him as well as the owner's gripe about his son being left on the bench all season.

He felt he had to make a stand and in a text exchange the owner and himself were arguing which culminated in his suspension and when he tweeted a statement about it on Tuesday morning, the suspension turned into a termination!

Obviously we'll probably never know the real story but if Bircham had been in the dugout on Friday night would the result have been any different?

The owner has gone from being a prolific tweeter to a mute and the silence is deafening!!!!

Some sort of a statement should come from the club as soon as possible!

That First Division could be more competitive than the Premier next season with Cork, Longford, Waterford, Treaty and now that new combo of Bray and Cabinteely!

joeysoap

And Galway.

PTH2009

Rumours of Shamrock Rovers II making a return with the extra place opening up because of the Bray/Cabinteely merger

hardybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118244615#Comment_118244615

The PR battle is all one way traffic at the moment, but Bircham would probably be better to shut up now and move on. To be honest I didn't like him turning up on Friday night either, I thought it was very self-serving and a further distraction which we didn't need.

Whatever club statement that followed now would only draw more attention to the whole fiasco and prompt further debate. Better to draw a line under it and move on.

In a normal business/club you'd expect that the key stakeholders would meet over the next few days to review the season and reflect on what could be done better. However I'd have absolutely zero faith in anything like that happening in Waterford.

Deisegodeo

What happens next is anyone's guess but there is little doubt but that the owner is seen as the villain, fans chanting Birchams name and queuing up for photos with him at half time last Friday night says a lot.

So unless we get more information, which doesn't seem likely right now, then we have a situation where the owner of the club is regarded by many as being bad for the club, putting it mildly. So will he stick around in those circumstances? It would seem doubtful and his lack of any rallying cry since relegation isn't a great sign. But who would take over if he did walk away ?

Crusty Blaa

Let's face it - you can't sack a manager via social media 3 days before a huge game and not come out with some form of an explanation. That official "statement" was a joke. As Brian Murphy confirmed, it came completely out of the blue for the players and it did affect their preparation for the game.

The post game silence is worrying. Having seen the fallout, would Forrest & Sons really want to stay around in Waterford? Honeymoon period well and truly over. Wouldn't surprise me if he's trying to do a quick cut price sale behind the scenes.

Jerry Atrick

What happened Cian Kavanagh...could of done with him Friday instead of Halford up top

Smell the glove

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118247309#Comment_118247309

Bircham fell out with him. Refused to play him.

scout353

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118246229#Comment_118246229

Have to agree on all counts there.

But the longer that Forrest stays quiet the higher the moral ground for Bircham. He was back in Waterford on Saturday too and met a few around the town.

Whatever about a statement on that situation, a statement of intent for going forward is urgently required. There's already 4 WFC players on the PFAI Transfer list - M Connor, A Wordsworth, T Sobowale and K Ferguson. I'm sure there's more to follow. Realistically, it is going to be very difficult for a manager to persuade players to come to Waterford to play in the FD. Also, I wonder if we will revert back to part time again??

hardybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118249518#Comment_118249518

Any estimates as to the type of budget Waterford might have had in the Premier, and what they'd probably drop to in the FD? You'd probably need to burn though a serious pile of cash in the FD to sustain first team football unless the fans kept turning up in similar numbers to what we saw towards the end of the season.

I wouldn't be so pessimistic about the type of player that would be available. Shelbourne signed the St Pat's goalkeeper last year when they were relegated, and the guy had just won player of the season with Pat's. They also have a few ex-Waterford lads.

However the reputation of the club is rock bottom, absolutely septic. That's probably the biggest hurdle to overcome in terms of attracting players and future managers.

PTH2009

Would not surprise me to see Bircham with another LOI club

Bit of a managerial roundabout going on atm. St Pats manager going to Dundalk, Drogheda manager going to St Pats

Starting to hit home now the calibre of clubs we won't be playing next season

Crusty Blaa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118250766#Comment_118250766

It'll be interesting to see if Ian Morris gets snapped up after leaving Shels. He'd be a super fit for Waterford in my opinion. Only 34 but has experience in assembling a squad to get promoted.

I think another overseas manager could be a disaster in the 1st Division.

hardybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118250905#Comment_118250905

The Shelbourne fans seemed to absolutely hate him while he was there. Turgid style of football.

I agree on avoiding picking another English coach unless it's someone who is a genuinely top up and coming candidate who wants to come over here and cut their teeth.

We should definitely be looking at the participants of the FAI Pro Licence courses. A lot of LOI coaches come through that, and also a lot of past players - people like John O'Shea, Andy Reid and Damian Duff.

Crusty Blaa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251872#Comment_118251872

I'd take muck football for a season or two if it meant getting out of the 1st Division relatively quickly. Doesn't need to be pretty in that league. Longer you're in it, the harder it is to get out as we have proven.

skaface

We'll be in the graveyard a lot longer thsn one or two seasons if the new owner doesn't stay..

I don't like the silence from him at the moment.. No talk of him backing up all he said earlier in the season.. No manager sorted, no other players being offered contracts, no new players being signed.. All the other clubs are going about their business and we're doing fcuk all.. The only way forward is to get the poison out of the club.. Invest plenty of money wisely on a manager and players to guarantee we get straight back up to the Premier.. The owner keeps referencing to us being a sleeping giant.. Time for him to wake it up.. Starting with staying out of the football side of it and concentrate on the business side of it.. Rant over #BLUES 💙

Deisegodeo

Alan Reynolds has been announced as Derry assistant manager. All best to Rennie, I'd like to see him back with the blues someday but it won't be now anyway.

scout353

Think John O Shea would be some appointment - would certainly get the town behind the club again.

Not sure if he is prepared to return to Waterford yet though.

hardybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118256696#Comment_118256696

I'd say there's a very remote chance of him doing that. Duffer has been heavily involved with Shamrock Rovers and now Shelbourne, but I don't get the impression that John would want the hassle which a Waterford FC role would entail.

decies

The Daryl Murphy experiment went well

decies

Deisegodeo

So Richard Forrest has made a statement to say he is committed to the club and we will be operating as a full time club in the first division next season. Good to hear this but we will have to see who is appointed manager and what players we retain and bring in.

scout353

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118259194#Comment_118259194

He was carrying an injury and as far as I know he got Covid very badly and has not fully recovered.

scout353

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118261341#Comment_118261341

Good to see him finally break his silence and that the club will remain full time. A quick appointment is vital here and signings completed quickly. He says season tickets will be out before Christmas too which is a good thing.

https://waterford-news.ie/2021/12/02/forrest-eager-to-lead-blues-back-to-premier-promised-land/

hardybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118261615#Comment_118261615

In fairness to him he's making the right noises. In fairness the Chairman's father owns a club as well so he's surely got some idea of how to run things.

BuildTheWall

We should go fan owned like Rovers.

skaface

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118267205#Comment_118267205

Easier said than done, but I'd agree with that 100%..Definitely the way to go down the line and will have to happen sooner rather than later with the **** show that unfolded near the end of the season IMO...

Deiselurker

Rovers aren't just fan owned. They have had significant private investment too and Dermot Desmond owns a stake in them. Being fan owned hasn't worked out long term for Cork City. I do think fans should have a greater say in clubs and having one man making decisions isn't good.

hardybuck

I've advocated for a shared ownership model like Germany.

If members were willing to pay a small premium for club membership it'd make a huge contribution towards running costs.

Running it like a traditional club (as opposed to a business owned by one person but called a club) it'd allow for a formation of a board that'd reduce the risk of a mad owner taking mad decisions.

Dunmoreroader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118246229#Comment_118246229

Good point about Bircham turning up at Richmond Park, I felt like going up to him and asking "why are you here?"

I can't remember ever seeing a sacked manager turning up at his former teams next match in any league anywhere. Bizarre.

Cape Clear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271399#Comment_118271399

Pat Dolan did the same.