Dundalk vs Derry City Match Thread

[magspat]

Remember few years ago meeting in city hotel POD said there is only one show in town and that's the Brandwell.

[stevebradley]

Steve,

I'd love nothing more than a modern, fit for purpose new multi-purpose stadium in Templemore. A proper sub-regional stadia project for the northwest. It would pull in crowds from across the City and Donegal. It could also incorporate training facilities and we'd suddenly look like an inviting prospect for future investment and a big money take over. No one is arguing that the concept or the location isn't the ideal solution. We are all on board for that.

Now for the reality check. It's entirely reliant on POD financing the project. The fact he's spending 1m on a new stand for the Brandywell and exploring pitch replacement probably tells you that he has no intention on pivoting away and spending another 20M elsewhere. So, unless you know something the others don't and POD is willing to spill another 20M it's a pipe dream.

If there comes a time that the Brandywell is bursting at the seams and we need more space, ie. another new stand, then that is the time to relocate the doggy men. To do it now is premature and unnecessary. So that is not a serious barrier to future development.

It looks like we're agreed that the club's best future would be served by such a facility. And that POD isn't interested in it. Where we're not agreed on is the asertion that it is entirely dependent upon POD's money I've outlined other sources of funding which combined would help deliver it = council, Stormont, developer contributions, sale of the Brandywell. Other options could also be viable e.g. Shared Island Fuind for a cross-border sports campus.

Things ike this are only a pipe dream if you give up from the very start and believe they're a pipe dream. As Mandela said, it's always impossible until it's done

I firmly believe a time will come in the next 15-20yrs when the Brandywell will no lomger work for our future. It will probably start to happen much sooner if we make progress in Europe and find ourselves having to travel to Tallaght for games even after millions has been spent on the Brsndywell. The pronblem then is that so many of the potential funding sources that could be used now will no longer be available then. And there will be less land available on the Cityside too, and it will be more epxensive.

PS - I've been told by a credible source that POD owns some land on the Buncrana Road.

[stevebradley]

Remember few years ago meeting in city hotel POD said there is only one show in town and that's the Brandwell.

Indeed. I'm convinced that history will show that to have been a very short-sighted outlook.

[TenaciousDee]

Remember few years ago meeting in city hotel POD said there is only one show in town and that's the Brandwell.

That was more than a few years ago magspat, that was after the 2012 final. So many issues brought up from that day still haven't been resolved. I remember Eddie Seydak sat across the table from me telling Phil we needed a base for not only the first team but the youth too. Talked about one lad going over to a Scottish club for a look around with the eye to a move and being overwhelmed by the fact this side had its own training ground. Apparently the facilities wasn't that remarkable but the player remarked he wouldn't have to sit by his mobile phone waiting for a text 30 minutes before training to find out where it was taken place. Here we are, still no further forward.

[marcoloco]

Remember few years ago meeting in city hotel POD said there is only one show in town and that's the Brandwell.

That was more than a few years ago magspat, that was after the 2012 final. So many issues brought up from that day still haven't been resolved. I remember Eddie Seydak sat across the table from me telling Phil we needed a base for not only the first team but the youth too. Talked about one lad going over to a Scottish club for a look around with the eye to a move and being overwhelmed by the fact this side had its own training ground. Apparently the facilities wasn't that remarkable but the player remarked he wouldn't have to sit by his mobile phone waiting for a text 30 minutes before training to find out where it was taken place. Here we are, still no further forward.

100%. The Club structures and player facilities are, in my opinion, basic and more important than a new stadium. Lots of room for improvement in how the club operates and potential for growth. Not much has changed.

[Keyser Soze]

We are basically a very unprofessional professional football club.

[stevebradley]

Look at the below video produced by TNS.

Ignore the muppet with the flags and focus instead on Shrewsbury Town's stadium.

Shrewsbury has a population of 75,000 people and plays in League 1. Yet just look at the stadium they have.

They're currentlyy gettung about 5,000 to games.

https://x.com/tnsfc/status/1849494458263580698

[Keyser Soze]

But I see they have a wage bill of £5mill, and owe £3.6mill to creditors.
Maybe not something to strive for?

https://www.shropshirestar.com/sport/fo ... -accounts/

[stevebradley]

But I see they have a wage bill of £5mill, and owe £3.6mill to creditors.
Maybe not something to strive for?

https://www.shropshirestar.com/sport/fo ... -accounts/

And that reduces the quality of their stadium how ?

[Keyser Soze]

It doesn't affect the quality of the stadium, but perhaps points to an unsustainable club?

Perhaps some of the debt is because of the nice stadium they built? They didn't need such a nice/big stadium?

It'll all count for nothing if they fold.

[stevebradley]

It doesn't affect the quality of the stadium, but perhaps points to an unsustainable club?

Perhaps some of the debt is because of the nice stadium they built? They didn't need such a nice/big stadium?

It'll all count for nothing if they fold.

We've gone bust atv least twice (or is it 3 times - I honestly can't remember) in the last 30-odd years. And we did so without even the benefit of owning a stadium.

To be honest Keyser, it's 'stones in glass houses' stuff for a Derry fan to be talking about anyone else being unsustainable or folding (especilaly when there appears no genuine sign of that re Shrewsbury). Our club is built entirely on sand.

[Keyser Soze]

Good point SB.

[Marty]

A big sense of relief this morning knowing this is over. The disappointment has long left as it has been sucked out of us all year.

Hopefully Higgins is put out to pasture some time today. He’s a proud Derry man who has served the club well, him and the club have been badly let down by those with decision making power. It was very clear game one of this season that this isn’t the job for him, and unfortunately they left him in the hot seat for reasons I will never understand.

Higgins will take the abuse, because he was the person appointed to run the football, but the real fault is those who didn’t make a change.

[Keyser Soze]

I can't see him NOT being in charge for the Cup Final, but I would let him go after last night's turgid final attempt at staying in the battle for the league.

I know the board probably have not considered a replacement yet, and I agree that they are to blame as well for our season. We never looked like winning it, continually dropping great opportunities to capitalise on our rivals failings. I've been saying since the start of the season he was the wrong man for the job.

Last weekend 2 home draws put the final nail in the coffin. Fighting now not to finish 4th and to try to secure a European place.

[magspat]

If Higgins was away tomorrow who would replace him?

[barry]

If Higgins was away tomorrow who would replace him?

This for me is the dilemma. Someone within Ireland or outside? There's not too many candidates about. Few names spring to mind

Baroclough
Reynolds
Paddy McLaughlin
Paddy McCourt
Long
Ollie Horgan/Caulfield
Vinny Perth/ Stevie O'donnell
Tiaran Lynch
Joey OBrien - mastermind behind shels
Oran Kearney

2 outside bets is Rodney NcAree or David Jefferies.

It's a poor man's list but I wouldn't mind someone like Jefferies with his passion and experience (many of our supporters would disagree) or Joey OBrien. Caulfields a winner and w*nker with awful brand of football.

[PauliAlonso]

If Higgins was away tomorrow who would replace him?

This for me is the dilemma. Someone within Ireland or outside? There's not too many candidates about. Few names spring to mind

Baroclough
Reynolds
Paddy McLaughlin
Paddy McCourt
Long
Ollie Horgan/Caulfield
Vinny Perth/ Stevie O'donnell
Tiaran Lynch
Joey OBrien - mastermind behind shels
Oran Kearney

2 outside bets is Rodney NcAree or David Jefferies.

It's a poor man's list but I wouldn't mind someone like Jefferies with his passion and experience (many of our supporters would disagree) or Joey OBrien. Caulfields a winner and w*nker with awful brand of football.

Vinny Perth. Seriously, is it April 1st already?? I'd take Fenlon back before I'd let that numpty anywhere near our club. If he wanted a job cleaning the jacks, I wouldn't let him in.

[barry]

I agree re Perth, likewise alot of those names above aren't an improvement on Higgins imo.

[Marty]

If Higgins was away tomorrow who would replace him?

How about a better manager ?

There are 4 billion people on the world, do you think after a recruitment process we couldn’t find someone better that how we’ve performed this season?

Do you think Paul Cook, or Michael oNiell were obvious choices when they came to their respective clubs ?

Just because you don’t know anyone out of 4 billion people, doesn’t mean there isn’t a better person out there .

[Marty]

If Higgins was away tomorrow who would replace him?

This for me is the dilemma. Someone within Ireland or outside? There's not too many candidates about. Few names spring to mind

Baroclough
Reynolds
Paddy McLaughlin
Paddy McCourt
Long
Ollie Horgan/Caulfield
Vinny Perth/ Stevie O'donnell
Tiaran Lynch
Joey OBrien - mastermind behind shels
Oran Kearney

2 outside bets is Rodney NcAree or David Jefferies.

It's a poor man's list but I wouldn't mind someone like Jefferies with his passion and experience (many of our supporters would disagree) or Joey OBrien. Caulfields a winner and w*nker with awful brand of football.

Vinny Perth. Seriously, is it April 1st already?? I'd take Fenlon back before I'd let that numpty anywhere near our club. If he wanted a job cleaning the jacks, I wouldn't let him in.

And for the record, while i would not want him, i would take fenlon ahead of what we’ve had this season.