You're starting to neglect the site again Sonny.I'd prefer to be reading headlines about Eric Bradley's hat-trick against Sligo than a shambolic performance that took place when Waterford United PLC still had money in the bank!
Finally someone told us wha we already know. Derek Mountfield proclaimed MICK DEVINE as the best keeper in the country!!!!!!!! As if we didnt know that already,he kept me in the job for a while after all.Sorry bout last year lads,am i forgiven
It seems that the current ammount of interest been shown in the blues is paralelled by the interest being shown in this site.I think its time you incorporated some porn Sonny.Seriously it just goes to show how badly the blues need top flight football.It's obvious that the badly needed financial support would arrive from local industry if we were still a top flight team.The geezer in the office (Gerry O Brien?)is asking us all for ideas on how to raise money - but surely this is why he's being paid a wage!I still blame Flanagan for our current predicament!
Waterford United plc. What does the 'plc' stand for - "poor little club" anyone? I'm not going to slag off the players, or the management, who as far as I'm concerned, are performing miracles considering the state of play, off the field, but there is plenty I want to get off my chest about what's going on behind the scenes.
Right, so the two main directors, ie. Johnny Delaney and Mick Finnegan (I'm sure they won't mind being called by their 'street cred' names) are prepared to absorb £100,000 of the current debt. And fair enough, if that helps. However, it looks like being just another short-term solution.
As far as I and many other people are concerned, Waterford United will never make it back into the relative "big time" until they start acting like a business, not a poor relation of the St. Vincent de Paul!
The club's whole approach is all wrong. If we are paying people to play/coach, taking in money at matches, selling sponsorship and shares, then the we need to get PROFESSIONAL. That means getting MANAGEMENT professionals to run the company.
It's grand having football fans at the helm if you're being bankrolled by someone with money to burn. But if things are tight and the club wants to at least break even (dare one even mention a profit being made at some stage along the line!? Isn't that what a company is supposed to do?), then there will have to be changes in its administrative personnel.
I mean, Waterford United Football Club, in the year 2000, has resorted to asking "LOYAL supporters" to take out loans and hand the money over to the Blues for free, ie. with no prospect of repayment of the principal, never mind the extortionate interest your friendly bank will charge you.
Gerry O'Brien is also asking workers to arrange direct debits ("no matter how small" - or big presumably) from their wages each week/month and have them credited to Waterford United.
Does this mean that if the rest of us aren't stupid enough to give away our hard earned income to a club that's losing money faster than its credibility, we are somehow DISLOYAL?
Loyalty, like everything else, such as promotion - and relegation - is earned and usually the hard way. And the 'soft in the head' pleadings the club are making at the moment amounts to nothing short of a shambles.
Are we a football club, or a charity? Going around at home games with cap in hand! Is this for real? The same goes for petitioning supporters with badly produced, ill-worded and misdirected begging letters and sending out hand-written press releases. Jesus, does anybody know how to type in there? There are people on FAS course who would do a vastly superior job.
As for this excuse about every League of Ireland club being in the same situation. Does this make it alright? Surely, we should be viewing this as an opportunity to get our own house in WORKING order now, so that we ultimately end up ahead of the rest and hopefully at, or near, the top of the league.
Have the directors considered that the lack of interest from BIG business in the city and county - ie. Waterford Crystal & co. - is that they are used to working with professional people, with more to offer by way of acquaintance than "please give us your money, we're desperate."
There seems to be an attitude in the boardroom that if we beg loudly enough, maybe someone will hear us. Waterford United Football Club needs an immediate Public Relations overhaul. A persons or team of persons who will portray us in a more positive light, even when things are as rough as they are now. Otherwise no-one with money - or talent - will touch the club with a barge pole.
Consider this as a parting shot. What player (never mind businessperson), would go near Waterford United after the directors' latest public appeal, which basically said there's not a penny in the kitty. Anyone with half a brain would say to himself: "am i guaranteed to get paid if I go there?"
In conclusion, a word to the wise to the Board: Privacy is not secrecy. It's the way to do business.
Are we a football club, or a charity? Going around at home games with cap in hand! Is this for real? The same goes for petitioning supporters with badly produced, ill-worded and misdirected begging letters and sending out hand-written press releases. Jesus, does anybody know how to type in there? There are people on FAS course who would do a vastly superior job.
As for this excuse about every League of Ireland club being in the same situation. Does this make it alright? Surely, we should be viewing this as an opportunity to get our own house in WORKING order now, so that we ultimately end up ahead of the rest and hopefully at, or near, the top of the league.
Have the directors considered that the lack of interest from BIG business in the city and county - ie. Waterford Crystal & co. - is that they are used to working with professional people, with more to offer by way of acquaintance than "please give us your money, we're desperate."
There seems to be an attitude in the boardroom that if we beg loudly enough, maybe someone will hear us. Waterford United Football Club needs an immediate Public Relations overhaul. A persons or team of persons who will portray us in a more positive light, even when things are as rough as they are now. Otherwise no-one with money - or talent - will touch the club with a barge pole.
Consider this as a parting shot. What player (never mind businessperson), would go near Waterford United after the directors' latest public appeal, which basically said there's not a penny in the kitty. Anyone with half a brain would say to himself: "am i guaranteed to get paid if I go there?"
In conclusion, a word to the wise to the Board: Privacy is not secrecy. It's the way to do business.
About time that someone picked up on the crux of the matter with regards to the financial state of affairs. Surely there is a huge credibility problem in the eyes of local business (let alone nationals such as the current season club sponsor who appear to have no interest in providing travel to away games for the loyal away day supporters). How can the club expect cash injections from business interests when the cash goes to a black hole with no one at the club really prepared to let the state of affairs be known. It's not good enough to say that WUFC are 'broke' without admitting to those who may be in a position to help what has happened and what the plans are to avoid that happening again. It goes back to the need for some dedicated professional admin support.
I think the club is got the structure a bit arseways. There seems to be a good structure going in place for the future of the soccer within the club.
But it associated the position that Bob Breen held with Bob Breen himself and what happened. I think the club needs a properly controlled office run, no offence to those their but an office run on a part time basis by helpers gives seriously wrong impressions.
If the club wants to get the business people on board again it needs to have a business plan and a business manager not an 'office secetary' running the day to day bills of the club
The main cause of the financial problems is the expense of bringing in poor players from Dublin and England over the past few years and then getting relegated. The board was too optimistic with their plan to go plc. They should know National League football is financially bankrupt and always will be unless the clubs are realistic about this. I've only gone to 2 games this season and can't see us going up this year on the basis of those two games.
Trev
Supporters like Trev are just what the club don't need at the moment - those who wait for the 2nd round of the FAI cup to come around before they set foot in The RSC
I stand corrected, but is it not true that he charges no fee to the club and voluntarily works for the club. Thats why he asks us for fund raising ideas.He's not paid to do it. Reliable source.
welcome to the league of ireland. i must agree with a lot of what you said but its not only the blues who are broke. there are plenty of clubs with financial difficulties but they are not crying about it. the other question about these other clubs is how many are PLCs ? if we take a look across the pond for example how did wimbledon survive in the premiership for so long on small gates i dont think t.v. money and a few players being sold enabled them to stay solvent maybe the board should ask the people involved there for some tips. there is little money to be made in football at any level and if the board think they are going to recoup any of the money they have invested so far, they are sadly mistaken. remember where the root of all this whinging lies. money sanctioned by the board and given to sheephead to waste on wankers flying them in and out of the country for matches and they have the cheek to come back to supporters with their bleeding hearts. i've said it before and i'll say it again SACK THE BOARD!!!!!!!!!!!
Look I'm fed up to the back teeth of people compaining about this sort of shit
<<<Remember where the root of all this whinging lies. money sanctioned by the board and given to sheephead to waste>>
The only memeber of the board that is left from that fiasco is Finnegan. So lets get this straight the root of this whinging is with people who can't accept that they <the club> made a mistake. You can make great comments like Sack the board ...but that means the club goes completely tits up and in turn leads to going completely amatuer ..next thing you know you'll be starting a campagian to bring back Alfie Hale, Bertie Rogers et al
Come up with a different tune Vinny that maybe worth listening to.....
Try making some constructive criticsm it might bloody help or just join the most of the moaners in this city & county and keep harping on about Flanagan.
About Ger O'Brien not getting paid. Exactly. Pay someone to do a full-time PROFESSIONAL job. Save the money spent renting an office in Parnell Street and stick someone with real administrative know-how in a room out in the RSC (for free - the Corporation would oblige I'm sure), with a computer, internet, printer, fax and a phone instead.
I really don't but I really do think that the day to day running should be taken away from the director(s) and chairman and left to someone to be run as a PLC and a Football team not as some kind of pet for some business men.
Someone who knows Football.
Someone who loves the Blues.
Someone who can run a business.
Someone who it ruthless enough to make changes when they are needed.
I can only think of one man that fits the bill and i'm not sure we want him.
Quote
A)Someone who knows Football.
B)Someone who loves the Blues.
C)Someone who can run a business.
D)Someone who it ruthless enough to make changes when they are needed.
A,C + D are what we need in the person if B) comes later so be it but once they run the club above board and not in a amatuer way as far as office tactics go I believe the club can be turned around.
I hope I'm thinking on the same lines as you Sonny or are both just raving ??? And are we being too realistic for WUFC Plc ???
plc's by their nature are designed to create profits for shareholders. THERE IS NO MONEY IN THE LEAGUE OF IRELAND bottom line.
if i remember the DONS FOR DUBLIN campaign had strong backing from a club "in the south east" according to national newspapers why? money
these people were prepared to sell out for profits
Although they may be gone now (well nearly All)
if someone is to come in they better have deep pockets because they will not not make profits from Waterford United in the state it is in.
the other question to be asked ,
Has the PLC concept run its course with this club?
this is not another scoop but just to inform you all that the Inter-League game between eL u-21 and IL u-21 is off. The IL called it off due to a fixture pile up brought on by the weather.This means that Dave Breen wont get his cahnce to shine. BTID had words with EDDIE FOLEY and AIDAN O'REAGAN after the game read all about it in next months issue if ya want also met up with PAAAT Dolan too.
He left cause he wanted to go home. He couldnt afford to live here. He wanted to save money in the first place. Thats the truth.He asked to leave first and the club agreed. They parted on good terms.
as of tomorrow (saturday) all waterford united players will be on the transfer list BTID fanzine can reveal.
p.s. what did eveyone think of the fanzine
Everyone who got it on the supporters bus home to Dundalk thought it was very good Ian ...
Shame about you having to put players on the list, we went through it and it is a horrible experience. I dunno, you may have to sacrifice promotion this year - painful as it may be cos you'd be livin' outside your means if you went up
People wonder how we've got our debt down from £350,000 to £160,000 and getting smaller by the minute. Well the reason is the main guys running our club now are really experienced shrewd businessmen with good reputations and good contacts. It can be done .. best of luck
Whatever about your money problems I can assure you there is no chance of Waterford ever folding. This is purely sensationalist talk that happens all the time in order to drag more people on board. A club the size of Waterford would never ever be allowed fold and you all know that as well as me - all that will come out of this crisis is perhaps another season in Division One, or else it could happen to you what happened to Derry, which is their plight has sorted them out and made them popular again
Latest news appears to be that the Chairman is appearing on WLRFM on Saturday to talk about all the money and where it's gone. Word has it that the club could fold in the coming weeks. Not to be missed.
By the way - site is far better now, well done to all concerned.
About time too... Who hosts that programme? Ray Scott.
Regardless you can be sure Finnegan will be given an easy ride.
So what questions would you like to ask Finnegan?
About the club folding from what i've heard that's a real possibility, Gerry O'Brien actually hinted at it in the Monaghan home programme.
Michael Finnegan will be on the show on Saturday after 1.00pm. Also coming in is Ger O Brien - By all accounts the situation is very serious so if you have questions call 872248 or email me ray@wlrfm.com. During the programme you can email live at studio@wlrfm.com