Fenlon hits out over Cork delay
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With the new League of Ireland season due to kick off in two weeks' time, Bohemians boss Pat Fenlon thinks it is about time that the situation regarding Cork City's future is sorted out.
Since the 2009 campaign was brought to a close, the trials and tribulations of both Derry City and Cork have not been far from the headlines. However, in recent weeks the latter has been the one that has garnered the most attention, with their winding-up order and a possible takeover by Quintas sparking much debate amongst the Irish soccer fraternity.
Everyone has their opinions on this issue, and it is yet another bad news story that the FAI and the league could do without. But Fenlon did express hope that the current problems could be resolved soon and then the league can once again start moving forward.
"It's very hard, because to comment on it you don't want to be too critical. The situation is that there are rules there, and they should be abided to. I don't know the full ins and outs of the story of what's going on," said Fenlon.
"You feel sorry for the likes of Bray, who are in a sort of limbo situation, not knowing if they're in the Premier Division or the First Division. Like I said before, and I've been critical of the FAI, there's good people in there working to try and resolve the issues. A lot of these problems have probably been over a period of time, and they're coming to a head now.
"Hopefully, once they're resolved and put to bed, then we can move on as a league, because we don't need the situation we're in at the moment.
"We need people looking outside to come into the game, you know there's people in the game, who have a love of the game, but we need to be getting people who don't know too much about the league, and need to get them into the grounds. The more negative stories there are, that doesn't help things."
In relation to the issue of the proposed takeover by Cork, Fenlon doesn't believe that should make any difference to the decision that is made about their future, and he also feels that there should be more inclusive talk with the people who are involved in the day-to-day running of the football club, so that there can be greater transparency going forward.
“I think there's a date set for it and it should have been adhered to. I don't think that [the takeover] makes a difference," he stated.
"If someone wants to take over a club, that's well and good, if the club has met the criteria for the league. You know, the league should make a decision on what league they're in, and then see if people are interested in taking over.
"I think there has to be more inclusive talk within the game, on the coalface of the game. I've said that long enough, we need to be spoken to in relation to what's going on. We're the people running teams, all the stuff that's going on on a day-to-day basis, and I believes we've a lot to offer.
"It seems they're reluctant to get people involved, whether it be managers or coaches, or even players or those running clubs, to find out what their opinions are.
"There's a lot of good people in the game at the moment in the league, a lot of the coaches and the managers have improved the game from a football perspective. Obviously, there is stuff being done in relation to the stadium, it needs a lot more than is being done, but there's good people there, who need to be brought into the equation."
Since the 2009 campaign was brought to a close, the trials and tribulations of both Derry City and Cork have not been far from the headlines. However, in recent weeks the latter has been the one that has garnered the most attention, with their winding-up order and a possible takeover by Quintas sparking much debate amongst the Irish soccer fraternity.
Everyone has their opinions on this issue, and it is yet another bad news story that the FAI and the league could do without. But Fenlon did express hope that the current problems could be resolved soon and then the league can once again start moving forward.
"It's very hard, because to comment on it you don't want to be too critical. The situation is that there are rules there, and they should be abided to. I don't know the full ins and outs of the story of what's going on," said Fenlon.
"You feel sorry for the likes of Bray, who are in a sort of limbo situation, not knowing if they're in the Premier Division or the First Division. Like I said before, and I've been critical of the FAI, there's good people in there working to try and resolve the issues. A lot of these problems have probably been over a period of time, and they're coming to a head now.
"Hopefully, once they're resolved and put to bed, then we can move on as a league, because we don't need the situation we're in at the moment.
"We need people looking outside to come into the game, you know there's people in the game, who have a love of the game, but we need to be getting people who don't know too much about the league, and need to get them into the grounds. The more negative stories there are, that doesn't help things."
In relation to the issue of the proposed takeover by Cork, Fenlon doesn't believe that should make any difference to the decision that is made about their future, and he also feels that there should be more inclusive talk with the people who are involved in the day-to-day running of the football club, so that there can be greater transparency going forward.
“I think there's a date set for it and it should have been adhered to. I don't think that [the takeover] makes a difference," he stated.
"If someone wants to take over a club, that's well and good, if the club has met the criteria for the league. You know, the league should make a decision on what league they're in, and then see if people are interested in taking over.
"I think there has to be more inclusive talk within the game, on the coalface of the game. I've said that long enough, we need to be spoken to in relation to what's going on. We're the people running teams, all the stuff that's going on on a day-to-day basis, and I believes we've a lot to offer.
"It seems they're reluctant to get people involved, whether it be managers or coaches, or even players or those running clubs, to find out what their opinions are.
"There's a lot of good people in the game at the moment in the league, a lot of the coaches and the managers have improved the game from a football perspective. Obviously, there is stuff being done in relation to the stadium, it needs a lot more than is being done, but there's good people there, who need to be brought into the equation."
About Daire Walsh
Daire Walsh began reporting for Extratime in 2009, when he covered Kildare County's games in the League Of Ireland First Division. He currently reports on games involving the league's Dublin sides and also Bray Wanderers. … View Full Profile