The Official Derry City FC thread

[Gnevin]

How many clubs are fully professional now?

Not sure, Bohs, Rovers, Derry, Cork, Sligo, Galway, Dundalk & Fingal off the top of my head.

Basically the top teams in the league table plus one in the first, which is why they are working so hard to keep it full time.

Would you consider these clubs tulips? They can't be getting more than a couple of thousand of people in for most of the 9/15 home games a year.

[dublinfella]

Surely Dundalk were 4-1 as they had f**kl all to play for, and Derry were favourites as they were going for Europe?

Anyhow I am still stunned by West Ham being a billion in debt. Zola's a ledge but what are they paying him? Is Jack Collinson on £200,000 a week???

They are owned by an Icelandic bank....

[dublinfella]

Would you consider these clubs tulips? They can't be getting more than a couple of thousand of people in for most of the 9/15 home games a year.

Derry and Cork yes.

The point is that the rest of the clubs are paying what they can afford, so no.

And to be fair, I think Rovers are getting significantly more than a couple of thousand every week.

[Gnevin]

Would you consider these clubs tulips? They can't be getting more than a couple of thousand of people in for most of the 9/15 home games a year.

Derry and Cork yes.

The point is that the rest of the clubs are paying what they can afford, so no.

And to be fair, I think Rovers are getting significantly more than a couple of thousand every week.

Forgive my ignorance but where is the money coming from ? How much are they paying players.

[longrunsthefox]

I see now Swifts chairman Jarlath Faloon has said in Tyrone Times if Derry are re-enstated to first division Dungannon will seek ruling that they be docked 10 points. Can someone explain to me again how Swifts are not just being vindictive here? can't see how it will help them get the money they are crying about. Also seems by report Swifts get two men and a dog at their games... what goes around comes around   

[stew]

I see now Swifts chairman Jarlath Faloon has said in Tyrone Times if Derry are re-enstated to first division Dungannon will seek ruling that they be docked 10 points. Can someone explain to me again how Swifts are not just being vindictive here? can't see how it will help them get the money they are crying about. Also seems by report Swifts get two men and a dog at their games... what goes around comes around 

The swifts would do well to concentrate  their efforts on getting their money, what happens to derry after that is none of their business and they dont even report to the same governing body, this is starting to smell of vindictiveness.

That said Derry should have paid them and not ignored them when they were calling asking why they had not been paid.

[longrunsthefox]

Derry keeper Quigley alerted FAI 

Darren Quigley is currently on loan with Sporting Fingal
Derry City keeper Darren Quigley has defended going to the FAI in a move which alerted the governing body to alleged unofficial payments to players.
City were expelled from the League of Ireland after the FAI said they broke regulations by holding secondary, unofficial contracts with players.
Quigley went to the FAI after failing to be paid by the Brandywell club.
"I didn't know I had two contracts - I had to go to the FAI. They've got to chase money I'm owed," he said.
Quigley, who is currently on loan with Sporting Fingal, denies he is a 'whistleblower' on Derry.
He added: "I can't understand how any player can alert the FAI that they are on two contracts if they did not know they were on two contracts."

Wasn't that Monaghan boy a whistle blower.... Pat McAnaney...    Ok, I'll get my coat...   

[AFS]

Surely Dundalk were 4-1 as they had f**kl all to play for, and Derry were favourites as they were going for Europe?

It was more the rapid drift out just before the game than the final price.

[orangeman]

BREAKING NEWS :


The players of Derry City Football Club have admitted to the FAI that they signed two contracts at the Brandywell club.

Following a meeting of the FAI and the Derry players at Abbotstown this evening, the FAI confirmed in a statement that: 'Following a meeting in Abbotstown, the players of Derry City Football Club have put on public record the fact that they had signed two contracts, the standard player's contract and a separate contract on club headed paper. 'As of today, the FAI has accepted these players' assurances that they were not personally aware of any financial irregularities at the club.

'The FAI also recognise the difficulties that have been created by the club in not paying players for the last eight/nine weeks at Derry City FC, and the impact that has on each player and his immediate family.

'The FAI has also confirmed that it intends to send a delegation to Derry, on Thursday, with a view to beginning the process of returning the club to stability, now that the Club Chairman has accepted his untenable position.'

The Derry City players also released a statement following the meeting.

The players said: 'The events of the past week have come as major shock and disappointment to the players of Derry City Football Club.

'Until the allegations of 'dual contracts' were made very recently, no player was aware of the existence of a second document, which contained different figures to the one which we had originally agreed.

'The position is that at the beginning of the contract period, each player was presented with a document on Derry City headed paper which contained income amounts which we each individually agreed with the club.

'With only one exception, no player knowingly signed a second document. It now appears that, what the club had misrepresented to us as a blank registration form containing no figures, terms or conditions was, in fact, a second document upon which different figures were subsequently entered and lodged with the league.

'The full terms of this contract were never made available to the players and we fully believed that the wages which we were being paid were disclosed to the league in accordance with normal practice.

'It has transpired that one of the players was aware of the existence of the second document but had ensured that the figures entered on it were identical to those on the original headed paper.

'No other players were aware of a second document.

'As soon as the players became aware of the situation, we have immediately agreed to set the record straight and we wish to have nothing to do with this wrongdoing. We are deeply distressed at this turn of events and we wish to distance ourselves entirely from the board's conduct.

'We recognise that the actions of the club board have compromised the integrity of the league but we wish to make it perfectly clear that we were not knowing participants in this deception.

'We hope that by addressing these issues and by clarifying our position, the club can now move forward and have a future in senior football.'

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Derry City board members resign 

The chairman of Derry City Football Club has resigned along with three of its board members.

Pat McDaid said he would be stepping down along with Joe W Doherty, Peter Leonard and Francis Houston.

Mr McDaid said his relationship with the FAI had now "reached the point of no return".

The club's players also released a statement on Tuesday night which distanced them from what they described as the Derry board's "wrongdoing".

City were expelled from the League of Ireland after the FAI said they broke regulations by holding secondary, unofficial contracts with players.

A statement released on behalf of the Candystripes' players by the Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland, said that the events of the past week had come "as a major shock and disappointment to the players of Derry City Football Club".

"Until the allegations of 'dual contracts' were made very recently, no player was aware of the existence of a second document which contained different figures to the one which we had originally agreed.

"The position is that at the beginning of the contract period, each player was presented with a document on Derry City headed paper which contained income amounts which we each individually agreed with the club.

"With only one exception, no player knowingly signed a second document.

"It now appears that, what the club had misrepresented to us as a blank registration form containing no figures, terms or conditions, was, in fact, a second document upon which different figures were subsequently entered and lodged with the league.

"The full terms of this contract were never made available to the players and we fully believed that the wages which we were being paid were disclosed to the league in accordance with normal practice.

"As soon as the players became aware of the situation, we have immediately agreed to set the record straight and we wish to have nothing to do with this wrongdoing.

"We are deeply distressed at this turn of events and we wish to distance ourselves entirely from the board's conduct."

The Derry players' statement came shortly after the announcement of the resignation of club chairman Pat McDaid and three other directors.

Their move left club vice-chairman Stephen McCarron as sole remaining member of the Derry board.

McDaid said that his decision was "an important step to ensure Derry City return to the League of Ireland".

"It's quite clear my relationship with Mr Delaney and the FAI has reached a point of no return," he said.

Another day of dramatic developments had included Derry goalkeeper Darren Quigley's defence of his decison to contact the FAI which apparently alerted the governing body about the alleged unofficial payments to over 20 Candystripes players.


Darren Quigley is currently on loan with Sporting Fingal
Quigley, currently on loan at Sporting Fingal, went to the FAI after not being paid by the Brandywell club.

"I didn't know I had two contracts - I had to go to the FAI. They've got to chase the money I'm owed."

Quigley denied that he had been the "whistleblower" in the saga.

He added: "I can't understand how any player can alert the FAI that they are on two contracts if they did not know they were on two contracts."

FAI Chief John Delaney claimed on Monday that Derry had withheld details of payments to players over a period of years.

He also warned Derry players to disclose details of their pay or face the prospect of not being registered "at home or abroad" next season.

FAI and League of Ireland officials claim to have uncovered evidence that over 20 Derry players held under-the-table contracts with the club.

Delaney added that in those circumstances, the club would not be awarded its 60,000 Euro prize money for finishing fourth in the league.

He also warned on Monday that Derry's players had until next Thursday to give full financial information about their pay to the FAI or the Player's Union.

Failure to give the information would result in the FAI not registering players at home or abroad next season, Delaney added.

Following news of the resignation of the Derry directors and the players' comments on Tuesday night, the FAI later released a statement saying that it accepted the "players' assurances that they were not personally aware of any financial irregularities at the club".

"The FAI also recognise the difficulties that have been created by the club in not paying players for the last eight/nine weeks at Derry City FC, and the impact that has on each player and his immediate family

"The FAI has also confirmed that it intends to send a delegation to Derry, on Thursday, with a view to beginning the process of returning the club to stability, now that the Club Chairman has accepted his untenable position."

[Main Street]

That puts a bit of a dampener on the board's brave talk of taking legal action against the FAI.

I suppose it's indicative of where the debt laden board are at but it is beyond me how they could have imagined  participating in a court process which would have involved players giving evidence under oath.

Mr McDaid said his relationship with the FAI had now "reached the point of no return".

Even at this stage, does he have the foggiest notion why?

[dublinfella]

Forgive my ignorance but where is the money coming from ? How much are they paying players.

Rovers and Bohs are members clubs so thats €50 a month times 500 fans, plus the punters through the door, plus merchandising, tv money, prize money and in some clubs cases they have bar revenues.

Full timers would get between €500 and €3,000 a week.

[Bensars]

Looks like they had caught out telling porkies.

Two days ago the board said they knew of no second contracts and invited the FAI to Derry to meet them, accountants etc.

Now it appears the players have also done a u turn and are aware of the existance of second contracts.

I would not be suprised if this type of thing wasnt replicated in other clubs

[dublinfella]

Looks like they had caught out telling porkies.

Two days ago the board said they knew of no second contracts and invited the FAI to Derry to meet them, accountants etc.

Now it appears the players have also done a u turn and are aware of the existance of second contracts.

I would not be suprised if this type of thing wasnt replicated in other clubs

Sure they denied that the admitted anythign at the meeting and said no minutes were taken. The minutes are all over the internet. Hard to see what the point of all this tough talk was.

Its my understanding that this is unique to Derry, hence the FAI going so ballistic about it.

[peterquaife]

Looks like they had caught out telling porkies.

Two days ago the board said they knew of no second contracts and invited the FAI to Derry to meet them, accountants etc.

Now it appears the players have also done a u turn and are aware of the existance of second contracts.

I would not be suprised if this type of thing wasnt replicated in other clubs

Sure they denied that the admitted anythign at the meeting and said no minutes were taken. The minutes are all over the internet. Hard to see what the point of all this tough talk was.

Its my understanding that this is unique to Derry, hence the FAI going so ballistic about it.

the FAI are going ballistic because it is Derry.