Setanta Cup final - Cork City v Glentoran

[MW]

Anyone watching on TV, or even going?

Should be a great occasion and promises to be a good contest between what look like two closely matched teams.

[ziggysego]

Don't have Setanta. Things seem slightly favoured in the Cork direction. How'd did they manage to get the final at home? Are they Crossmaglen in disguise?

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Mainly disappointed Derry didn;t make it to the final. How have the Glens fans taken the fact that its in Cork? Was it due for the South this year? Still woulda thought Dublin was the most likely though Cork's financial problems probably had an effect.

Cork's a great city for a trip if its any consolation!

[MW]

Glentoran fans and Glentoran FC have reacted in a very angry and disappointed manner to the annoucement that the final was in Cork. The Glens chairman Aubry Ralph said it was "disgraceful" and said Glentoran were being treated with contempt, and had some angry words with Milo Corcoran of the FAI. Basically all of us were saying it should have been in Dublin.

Seems the Setanta Cup organising committee voted to hold in in Cork because the FAI were due to host the final, and they thought they'd get a bigger crowd in Cork (also I think the authorities own Turners Cross and don't own anywhere in Dublin so it saves them some dough) - even though it meant giving Cork City home advantage and landing a 500 mile journey on the Glens players and fans. The FAI managed to get this through since the IFA only bothered their arses sending four reps instead of two.

I was close to advocating we pull out - but being realistic, we need the prize money. This was the official Glentoran reaction:

Setanta Sports Cup Final to be held in Cork
Wednesday 15th October 
The Board of Directors are disappointed to officially announce, that despite protesting in the strongest terms possible, the Setanta Sports Cup organising committee have decided to ask our opponents Cork City to host the match at their Turner's Cross Stadium on Saturday 1st November.
Whilst recognising that it is the FAI's 'turn' to host the final, we are bemused by their refusal to even consider a Dublin venue. We believe that this goes against the sporting spirit of the competition and the Board are acutely aware that this decision will mean that a large proportion of our travelling support will be unable to attend. We feel sure that this will diminish what could and should have been a real showpiece event for the whole of football on the island of Ireland.

The extra burden placed upon one set of players regarding travel and the extra expenses incurred by one club have not swayed their decision.

Glentoran FC are nevertheless looking forward to our first ever visit to Cork City and the excellent facilities on offer at Turner's Cross. As a club we are proud to represent the IFA in our first ever Setanta Sports Cup Final.

Should we ultimately be successful, no one will be able to claim we did it the easy way!

We would like to thank both the IFA and IFAP representatives on the Setanta Sports Cup organising committee whose common sense approach and efforts to intervene on our behalf fell on deaf ears.

Ticket information will follow as soon as we are provided with it

It's got even worse this week - one of the stands at Turners Cross will be closed as the Munster FA haven't kept their promise to Cork City to complete work on it. 200 Glentoran fans have got tickets which are now invalid.

Glentoran's reaction to that development...

Setanta Sports Cup Final
A Letter from Chairman Aubry Ralph
Thursday 30th October 
Below is the response written from Glentoran Chairman Aubry Ralph to Milo Corcoran and Michael Hayes following the decision not to open the St Anne's Stand for Saturday's Setanta Sports Cup Final.

Dear Michael/Milo
I write to lodge the strongest possible protest on behalf of Glentoran FC at the shambolic arrangements surrounding the Setanta Sports Cup Final this Saturday

The treatment of Glentoran FC and its supporters is quite frankly disgraceful and disrespectful

We originally requested 1500 tickets which was agreed and now find our allocation has been slashed to 1100
Whilst we understand the rationale behind the decision from a Health and Safety point of view it does pose very serious questions as to why Turners Cross was chosen as the Venue in the first place as it is clearly not fit to host the Final

We would also seriously question why these decisions were made 48 hours in advance of the final and not at a much earlier time in order that supporters expectations could have been better managed

We now face the ridiculous situation where one of the most prestigious games on the Island will take place in front of an empty stand with genuine supporters being denied the ability to follow their team.

In the current economic crisis Supporters cannot afford to forfeit deposits and payments for accommodation and we have grave concerns that Supporters without tickets will travel regardless

We will be calling for an independent enquiry and review into the circumstances surrounding this debacle.

With respect I think you two gentlemen in particular should be considering your positions and the part that you have played in this disgraceful situation

Yours in disgust

Aubry Ralph
Chairman
Glentoran FC

And a statement by FORAS, the Cork City Supporters' Trust:

PRESS RELEASE

Setanta Cup Final, an own goal before a ball is kicked.


"To promote, foster and develop, in all its branches, the game of Association Football in Ireland. To develop the game and make it accessible are the underlying aims of Football in Ireland"

The above commitment is made on the official website of the FAI, however it is one that has been greatly undermined by the uncertainty surrounding this year's Setanta Cup Final.

The controversy surrounding the showpiece final and the closure of the St.Anne's end of Turner's Cross has done nothing to promote, foster or develop the game of Football on this island. Instead thousands of supporters are left ticketless. At a time when Irish Football is going through unprecedented changes and challenges, the above commitment must be paramount in every decision the FAI takes.

The Setanta Cup Final offered the Association the opportunity to showcase domestic Football to an International audience. This final had all of the ingredients needed to promote, foster and develop Irish Football. A spectacle capable of rivaling anything that can be found elsewhere in Europe, with it's bringing together teams from two distinct football associations.

This final should have been about two clubs from either end of the island, two clubs with numerous vocal supporters committed to the support of their local football club through good times and bad times, played in a stadium the envy of so many cross channel clubs. It provided an opportunity to show that football is a game that unites people from diverse religious, political, social and cultural backgrounds.

Instead this final will only strengthen the widely held belief that domestic football is an afterthought among the controlling bodies of the sport in Ireland. This Showcase Cup Final could add to the considerable damage done to the image of domestic football on this island in what has already been the most damaging year in living memory.

At a time when genuine football supporters are organising and developing supporters' trusts to ensure the guardianship of football in Ireland, questions need to be asked about the priority our league is given.

Clarification needs to be provided by the FAI and the MFA. FORAS, as a supporters' trust, whose aim is to ensure the guardianship of Cork City Football Club and promote our domestic game in our communities,are seeking an immediate meeting with representatives of both the FAI and the MFA.

At this meeting we propose to ask the questions that are on the minds of all Cork City and Glentoran supporters this week.
Why has no action been taken to ensure that the St. Anne's End stand was open for the Cup Final since the final was awarded to Turner's Cross?
Why has there been no statement from the FAI or the MFA on the issue of the 2,800-seat stand?
Why were repeated offers of help, which would have guaranteed at least partial availability of the stand, turned down?
Will Cork City FC and Glentoran FC receive compensation for the loss of revenue from ticket sales?
What procedures are being put in place to ensure that this never happens again?
These are questions FORAS feel must be addressed so that the FAI, MFA, Cork City FC, FORAS and all football supporters can work together to ensure the reputation of our sport in the region and that of it's flagship team and stadium.

Regards,

FORAS Steering Committee

http://www.forastrust.ie/

Irish football authorities North and South seem to share an amazing capacity to shoot themselves in the foot

[MW]

But anyway, now we're on the eve of the cup final I'm looking forward to the game and some craic and banter with the Cork fans.

And our third All-Ireland title

Think it'll be a close game, Cork will be favourites as they are full-time and have home advantage, but the Glens have built a good team and are going pretty well (currently top of the IFA Premiership).

[ziggysego]

A bit of a slap in the face for Glentoran alright. Dublin would have made more sense all round. Or at least some other neutral soccer grounds in the midlands.

I don't think pulling out of the competition would do Glentoran any good. Linfield are threating to pull out, to me which seems petty reasons. Glentorn could have been lumped with them.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

A bit of a slap in the face for Glentoran alright. Dublin would have made more sense all round. Or at least some other neutral soccer grounds in the midlands.

I don't think pulling out of the competition would do Glentoran any good. Linfield are threating to pull out, to me which seems petty reasons. Glentorn could have been lumped with them.

The irony is that Linfield are using the proposal to play matches on a Saturday as a reason to pull out when it was their manager who first came up with the suggestion

[MW]

A bit of a slap in the face for Glentoran alright. Dublin would have made more sense all round. Or at least some other neutral soccer grounds in the midlands.

I don't think pulling out of the competition would do Glentoran any good. Linfield are threating to pull out, to me which seems petty reasons. Glentorn could have been lumped with them.

It's created a lot of anger, but the Glens support has adopted a "don't let the bastards grind us down" kind of approach. I think you're right that pulling out would have been a bad idea - even pragmatically, we need the money. I think the viewers on Setanta may hear what we think of Milo Corcoran

The competition has caught the imagination of Glens fans in the last month or two now we've finally started doing something in it and taking it seriously. Previously, we'd put second-string teams out and mainly got duffed. We were all but dead and buried then made it through the first round groups after beating Linfield and St Pats. Then a great battling win against the odds in the semi away to Drogheda - a match we finished with nine men.

The semi also saw one of the worst refereeing performances I've ever seen - two Cork players allowed to stay off the pitch when they shouldn't have been, and Glens captain Paul Leeman sent off for a challenge that was debateably not a foul at all, and certainly not a professional foul as the ref adjudged. The Glens appealed against this, and the organising committee ignored their cast-iron case and not only upheld Leeman's suspension from the final but banned him for a total of three games for having the temerity to appeal.

The authorities seem to be doing their best to kill the Glens fans' new-found enthusiasm for the Setanta Cup

[ziggysego]

So you're a Glens man then? Well I've no affiliation with Cork, so I guess I've found a team to cheer on tomorrow.

Good Luck MW and I hope you have been of celebration to do after the game

[MW]

So you're a Glens man then? Well I've no affiliation with Cork, so I guess I've found a team to cheer on tomorrow.

Good Luck MW and I hope you have been of celebration to do after the game

Cheers! A few pints in Cork city after the match methinks, hopefully toasting a Glens win

[his holiness nb]

I rarely agree with MW but surely playing that match in Cork is a joke??

[ONeill]

Can't see the Glens getting any fair play down there from the ref.

3-1 Cork.

[stiffler]

What time is this game on at?

I might watch a bit if it doesnt clash with the Liverpool game. Bit of a joke playing the final in cork, the venue for the venue should be announced before the start if the tournament IMO.

What is the prizemoney for winning this competition? I have heard rumours from €50,000 to €500,000.

Hamilton first scorer, Cork to win 2-1 

[Onlooker]

I am not a big soccer fan, but Glentoran certainly appear to have been very badly treated in this final.  It is not the fault of Cork City, but the FAI officials have made a mess of things as usual.  It would only be justice if Glentoran were to win the game.

[magickingdom]

going to watch it on the box mw. its a disgrace the way glentoran have been treated, imagine having a stand inspected a few days before the game imagine having the stand fail . hope the glens stuff em 3 or 4 nil will do nicely