Indo Sport podcast: The Football Show Why nobody likes the Club World Cup
Dan covers Duff's recent anger towards the Shamrock Rovers boss as well as Drogheda missing out on Europe due to a UEFA ruling.
Jonathan then explains why Gianni Infantino's club competition isn't drawing the crowds he would have liked in its early stages
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The Irish Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Drogheda United's owners can't blame FAI or anyone else for European mess, the responsibility was Trivela's
THE TIMES reported on Tuesday that Liverpool are looking to buy LaLiga outfit Getafe. Manchester City are top of the City Football Group, Chelsea and Strasbourg have the same parent company and then there is Red Bull. 2 Kevin Doherty guided Drogheda United to an unlikely FAI Cup triumph last season 2 Board member Conor Hoey spoke to SunSport this week about the club's dilemma The energy drink group also has a minority stake in Leeds United. And the individual who chairs their largest shareholder is also part of Glasgow Rangers' ownership. Then you have Manchester United minority owner There are reports that Newcastle United's owners will buy it if he sells. There are also owner links between Crystal Palace and Lyon, Brighton and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Aston Villa and Vitoria Guimaraes plus PSG and SC Braga. Read More On Irish Football And of course, Last season, Manchester City and Girona, and Manchester United and Nice, were all passed to play in Europe after doing the legal bits necessary to satisfy Uefa. And this year, Nottingham Forest were put in a blind trust by Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis for that same reason before Forest fell short on the pitch. But they did write to Uefa Most read in Football So the worms have long since crawled out of the can when it comes to multi-club ownership and that is not going to change. Just as members made way for rich benefactors, who were replaced by richer benefactors, oligarchs, investment vehicles and wealth funds, football finds a way to find more money. Watch Messi score stunning free-kick as Inter Miami stun Porto 2-1m We can question the pros and cons of them all, but the only truly bad owners are the chancers who leave a club high and dry when the funds run out. When the owners fund the good days, little else matters as James Montague's book 'Engulfed' highlighted in chapters talking to many Newcastle United fans. And it is why Drogheda United members voted 90-1 for their sale to Walsall's owners Trivela in 2023. And while the story of the Drogs since then will centre around Kevin Doherty's management and their players, it was made possible because of Trivela. The Drogs' FAI Cup victory as a part-time club was a fairytale last year. But it was only possible due to Trivela's largesse. Accounts on the club's website show Drogheda made a net loss of €792,848 last season, and total liabilities exceed total assets by €1,042,185. It is why board member Conor Hoey — who led the search for the investment that saw Trivela take over — is sure their expulsion from Europe under multi-club rules is just a blip. He told me this week: 'This changes nothing. Trivela are still the right owner. We won the Cup because of their investment in our players and management. 'Of course we're hugely disappointed, particularly for the players and supporters, but Uefa won't break us.' LOOK INWARDS The club can argue Uefa gave them a raw deal, and cite previous examples where they say clubs were given more time. And one of the three arbitrators at the Court of Arbitration in Sport agreed with the grounds of their appeal. They can also question the FAI on why they did not forward on the relevant rule changes regarding multi-club ownership to Drogheda. Everyone in the league can wonder why no club had their arm twisted to apply for a European licence in case Drogs were expelled. But just as clubs bear responsibility for fielding ineligible players after the FAI compounded clubs' registration mistakes, clubs should not rely on others to hold their hand. And Trivela's first statement on the Drogs in 2023 promised 'to increase investment in the club's front-office operations' before it mentioned football or fans. Club chairperson Ben Boycott said this week when he did list grievances, 'accountability falls on us at DUFC and at Trivela Group'. The problem is not that there was no leeway for Drogheda, but that it was hoped there would be leeway when the issue was spotted. Because while multi-club models are probably here to stay, it is up to clubs to navigate it. After all, Silkeborg's qualification for Europe should not have been a surprise given they had done so twice in the previous three years.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Alan Reynolds: 'I was happy the fans vented at me rather than them'
Fifty league games into his spell as Bohemians manager and Alan Reynolds couldn't be happier. Second in the Premier Division table, technically they could join leaders Shamrock Rovers at the summit by beating the Hoops next Monday and winning their two games in hand. Delivering a first league title to Dalymount Park since 2008 is a vision Reynolds refuses to countenance. He's not lacking in ambition, merely couched in the reality of the game's fickleness. Bohemians travel to his hometown club Waterford on Friday as the Premier Division's in-form team. They're riding high from winning five of their last six yet it's not long since the manager was facing the boo-boys. Losing six of the opening nine games conflated with a whimpering eight-placed finish last term. The outlook was bleak when on Easter Monday his own fans chimed with the Rovers chorus of 'you're getting sacked in the morning'. Bohs were trailing the best team in the country 2-0 in Tallaght until a seasonal resurrection of three late goals engineered a comeback win. It served to reignite their campaign, easing the pressure on a manager the Gypsies faithful have been slow in warming to. The temperature has changed from ice-cold to moderate and will likely require a trophy to emit heat but that's not his craving. At times, the stick was deeply personal. On occasions, it stretched beyond the confines of league grounds, with the authorities getting involved. Reynolds has been in management since Waterford appointed him as player-coach at 29. Most of his career was spent as No 2 to the likes of Stephen Kenny, Ruaidhrí Higgins, Keith Long, Jim Crawford, Liam Buckley and John Caulfield. Being in the frontline is a different animal. He's ultimately responsible and, as cutting as the flak was, he was prepared to be the punchbag instead of players. And yet never did he entertain the thought of quitting. Read More FAI to be hauled before State's Oireachtas Sport Committee 'Without a doubt, it was the most difficult stage of my managerial career,' he reflects on the barrage of abuse. 'It was tough at times for the players in Dalymount but I was happy the fans vented at me rather than them. 'It wasn't nice but I was glad to be the one taking it. That wasn't something that was said in the dressing room but it was clear. 'I'm glad I got the stick at this stage where I was able to dust myself down, saying 'right, let's crack on with this'. 'Not for a minute did I consider walking away. If the people above wanted to make that decision, so be it. 'Dalymount is known as a tough place to come but it became a tough place for us to play. That's now swung around.' He's just over 14 months in the job. The one plea made during last year's underwhelming opening campaign was for the patience of three transfer windows. Two of those are completed and he doesn't foresee much business required in the upcoming one, such is the contentment with his personnel. Crystal Palace have recalled his centre-back Seán Grehan from a loan deal but into his squad place will come Cian Byrne returning from a temporary stint at Galway United. 'We were impressed with our signings, and despite it being hard going early, I always believed in what we were doing,' he reasoned about moulding his team. 'Results have been good and so have the displays. 'People say things about the summer break but we worked really hard when we came back last week. 'We needed a break from seeing each other. They're young lads, have families and enjoyed the break, even if they had fitness programme results to submit. 'I felt the first-half performance at Cork City last Friday was the best since I've come in. We were 2-0 up but should have been out of sight. 'Nobody gave us a chance after the early results and it's hard to say we're eying the title. Still, we're within touching distance.' Their tilt will be strengthened by the returns from injury of former English Premier League striker Lys Mousset and Connor Parsons. Options will be expanded if the right contender arises after July 1. 'I always said three windows were required but after the first series of matches I thought I'd need more,' Rennie said, jokingly. 'I feel you need to improve in all windows. We'll see if something pops up but you'd want to be a good player to get into our squad. 'We like our group. All they lacked was a bit of confidence.' Read More Kylian Mbappe admitted to hospital with acute gastroenteritis
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Ger Nash seeking response from 'hurt' Cork City
Come 10pm last Saturday night, Cork City found themselves in the lonely position of 10th in the Premier Division table. City's defeat to Bohemians on Friday night, coupled with Sligo Rovers one-nil win over Waterford the following day ensured exactly that. The momentum built from a positive performance against Shelbourne prior to the mid-season break - albeit without the much-needed three points - was taken away in that loss to Alan Reynolds' Bohs, as City boss Ger Nash illustrated on Thursday. "I think we were hurt by Friday night, that's important to say," Nash said. "We felt we had built a little bit of momentum after the performance against Shels. I think it's probably the first time I've seen that confidence be affected, and that's something we had to address, we had to talk about." Stephen Bradley's Shamrock Rovers are next up on Friday night, with the visit of high-flying Drogheda and St Pat's to come next week. "I'm looking for a response on Friday night, we've spent a lot of time with the players this week - on the grass, off the grass - and I went to watch Drogheda and Shamrock Rovers on Monday, so we're prepared as well as we can be, and it's time for us to put in a performance now over the next week. It's imperative." A response is what is wanted by Nash and assistant David Meyler, and a response is what they so badly need. That response, for Nash, needs to consist of being defensively resolute, and having the bravery to play football as they did against Shels and during parts of the defeats to St Pat's and Galway United. "We have to be confident in who we are and what we are about," the 38-year-old said. "That's maybe something we didn't do in the Bohemians game in the first half-hour, where I think we were rocked a little bit. "As much as we are up against a really difficult opponent (in Shamrock Rovers), I think we really need to focus on us, and be the best version of us and give the fans the best version of us. "I think we showed that against Shelbourne in some aspects, and we need to get back to that level of performance, but importantly, we need to put a huge emphasis on getting points on the board over the next eight days, with three games to play." He added: "We need to stand tall, puff our chests out and represent this great club. As much as we're going to play a tough team, it has to be about us and what we are going to do to get ourselves out of the situation that we are in." Dutch winger Malik Dijksteel - who has been working his way back to full fitness after a lengthy injury absence - may feature more prominently on Friday after a number of appearances off the bench. Midfielder Rio Shipston will not make the clash with the table toppers, nor will Matty Kiernan, who is sitting his Leaving Cert. "Malik is one who has stepped up... he's in a better place than he was two weeks ago, so he's one that will be able to have more football."
