#Daretodream

#Daretodream is the hashtag which accompanied Northern Ireland’s fantastic result against Finland at the end of March, but should we begin thinking about a funderland in France next summer?

With Michael O’Neill’s men four points clear in second position and only one point of the lead in Group F, no doubt there are many amongst us who are already packing their bags and planning out for an European Championship finals experience. However, with the campaign only half way through it is understandable how some are having sleepless nights already, especially with memories of Black September 2007 fresh in many a mind.

For those of you who are at a loss to the Black September 2007 reference, cast your memory back to that year when Lawrie Sanchez was King of Northern Ireland having taken the scalps of Spain in that historic 3-2 Windsor win and led us on a run of four wins, a draw and a loss in our European Championships campaign. With a similar exuberance as we are feeling now, dreams were in the making for what was believed could be our first visit to the finals of that competition.

Then things began to unravel with Lawrie following the lure of the English Premiership to Fulham and beige Nigel stepping into his shoes.

Everything continued to seem rosy following a comprehensive win against Liechtenstein at the end of August, leaving us three points of the pace with five games remaining and the next two games deemed winnable against Icelandic and Latvian sides who had been struggling. And then disaster struck with Worthington deciding to try and make his mark on the team by dropping Craigan and disrupting a winning formula.

First up came a 1-0 defeat in Riga when Chris Baird scored an own goal to give the home side an unlikely win and just four days later it was Keith Gillespie’s turn to put the ball in his own net, providing Iceland with a 2-1 victory despite being under pressure for the majority of the game.

An excellent draw against Sweden and a victory over Denmark in a rain swept Windsor Park were to follow, however the damage had already been done and it was too much to expect for a victory against Spain away, Sweden to drop points and the tie breaker to fall in our favour. In the end we finished six points behind the Swedes, which indicates how crucial those two lost games in September were.  

Looking at the remaining fixtures list for this campaign, the month of September again looks to play a crucial part in our qualifying hopes, with an away trip to the Faroes on the cards followed by a home tie just three days later against our closest rival Hungary.

It is difficult not to look at the permutations of possible results and while we obviously want to go and win every game, a defeat against Romania in June may not spell gloom, even if it is combined with a Hungary win away to Finland.

That would leave Pál Dárdai’s side one point behind us, however it is the next two games that could be the most significant to Northern Ireland.

A win over the Faroes would put the pressure on Hungary to take all three points against Romania on the same evening, as nothing less will mean that a win for Michael O’Neill’s men on Monday the 7^th September 2015 will see us on our way to France. The scenario being that a win over the Faroes and a point for Hungary will see us going into that Monday three points ahead. A win will send us clear by six points with two games remaining, meaning that the best Hungary could hope for is to draw level with us.

That of course would not be enough for them, as the tie break rules state that if two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the higher number of points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question will be used to separate them.

And could there be a more prefect date for that scenario to unfold and seal our passage to France, with it being ten years to the day that a certain Sir David Healy blasted the ball into the Windsor net to secure one of our most famous victories ever against England?

#Daretodream……it really is hard not to!

Our Wee Country's biggest game in years?

For many ardent Northern Ireland supporters Sunday 29^th March is a date that cannot come around soon enough, with the next six weeks likely to feature a number of sleepless nights as the permutations of the potential results of that evening play out in many a mind.

An unbelievable start to their European Championship Qualifying campaign saw Michael O’Neill’s side take maximum points from their opening three games, recording famous away victories against Greece and Hungary along the way. In their final game of 2014 the 100% start was unfortunately undone with Papp scoring two goals late on as Romania overtook the Ulstermen and went into the break top of the pile.

The Group F table however continues to make pleasant reading for the Green and White Army, with Northern Ireland sitting in second place; two points ahead of nearest rivals Hungary and five head of fourth placed Finland. This becomes even more captivating when one considers that under Michel Platini’s new European Championship structure the group winners, runners-up, and the best third-placed team (with the results against the sixth-placed team discarded) directly qualify to the finals, while the eight remaining third-placed teams contest two-legged play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers for the finals.

So what are the implications of the game in March against Finland that many are tagging as our most important in years?

Without a doubt teams do not generally qualify midway through a campaign, so a win does not mean we should start planning for a trip to France in 2016 just yet. Likewise a defeat will not see our dreams and aspirations of reliving those famous times of 1958, 1982 & 1986 put to bed yet again. However, the following points should provide some interesting food for thought.

•  If we do manage to pull off another famous Windsor victory and beat Finland we will go eight points ahead of the team we drew 3-3 against in Michael O’Neill’s third game in charge back in 2012. Such a gap will effectively rule Mixu Paatelainen’s side out of finishing ahead of us, with them then needing to win three of their last five games, with us picking up no more points in our remaining five games; three of which are at home and two away to the Faroes Islands and Finland. On the flip side however, if the unthinkable happens and we lose the Fins will be right on our tails and only two points behind.

•  On the same evening Hungary take on a Greek side whose disastrous start of three defeats and a draw led to the sacking of Claudio Ranieri. With both sides now under the guidance of new managers it will be hard to call the victor of this fixture, however from an Our Wee Country perspective a draw would be perfect if combined with a victory for us over the Fins. This would send O’Neill’s men four points clear in second place and ten ahead of the Greeks, with four games to play.

• In the final game that evening a win for Romania at home against the Faroes will bring Lars Olsen’s faint hopes of qualification to an end, while a draw or victory for the men from the North Atlantic would turn the fantasy thoughts of Northern Ireland topping the group come October into a potential reality.

In typical Northern Ireland fashion we will no doubt have a number of ups and downs between now and the climax of the campaign, but let us hope that influential players such as Davis, Hughes, McAuley & Lafferty grasp the opportunity of playing in a major finals that has alluded so many of their predecessors with both hands and lead the GAWA onto what will be undoubtedly a journey to be remembered for generations.

Tickets for the Finland game are already sold old, albeit with a reduced capacity due to the ongoing re-development of Windsor, so let us hope that the fans do what they do best and produce an atmosphere that spurs the players on, such as that when England came to town in 2005.

The John Delaney Show and the missing UTV news team

Since the infamous video clip of FAI CEO John Delaney was finally made public, it has been interesting times listening to and reading the various media clips around the scandal that has football fans on both side of the border and further afield looking in intently.

Well that is unless you either tune into UTV (didn’t it previously use to be called Ulster TV?) or subscribe to their website. It’s almost as if the story doesn’t exist or there has been some kind of black out in the Havelock House newsroom.

Now it’s not as if they don’t like a good bit of plain old sectarianism to entertain their viewers. Just think back to the time when a handful of idiots (and that’s a mild name for them) decided to have a sectarian sing-along on the concourse of the Aviva Stadium when Northern Ireland played Scotland in the Carling Cup. One clip caught on a mobile phone lasting a few minutes and placed on Youtube was all it took for those featuring in it to become the headline story on the UTV news programme. Outrage followed, more articles were published on their website and those big, bad old Northern Ireland supporters were castigated from all around.

Only last week Frank Mitchell devoted most of his show on U105, which is owned by UTV, to the England fans who apparently brought shame to their Nation by singing a song that contained the lyrics ‘F*ck the IRA’ on continuous loop. Condemnation flowed, heads were held in shame, apologies flowed from the English blazers, bands were faced with disbandment and the England fans joined the ranks of the Northern Irish in the top of the sectarian tables.

And yet, when probably one of the highest profile figures in Republic of Ireland football was caught on camera singing a song that romances about IRA terrorists, an organisation who have brought pain and suffering to both Catholics & Protestants across the whole of the island of Ireland, the UTV airwaves and press go into silence mode. No airing of the clip, no stories online and in fact not a single reference to it.

Moving on a few days, self-professed publicity shy John Delaney, who permitted a camera team to film him for 6 months for a documentary about himself,  has been busy on every radio station that he could fit in. During these heart felt interviews he went on to tell us that it is not just him who sings songs about republican terrorists, but it is common place on the Republic of Ireland team bus. Yes, you picked that up right. The non-sectarian Republic of Ireland team routinely sing pro-IRA songs on their team bus. A team bus that contains none other than former Northern Ireland captain, Martin O’Neill.

Now we can all speculate as to why UTV have not reported on these stories. Perhaps their news team were all travelling with Delaney on his recent trip abroad that rendered him un-contactable when his (or was it the FAI’s) lawyers were issuing out threats to newspapers and stating categorically that it wasn’t him in the video? Perhaps in the UTV newsroom singing about the IRA doesn’t constitute sectarianism; it’s just a wee ditty about peaceful men who were victimised in their quest for a better life? Perhaps sectarianism can only be attributed to Northern Ireland or England fans? Who knows, but it will be interesting to hear their explanation, although like their reporting on the matter it would probably be best to expect, yes you guessed it, silence.

So for those viewers and readers of UTV who have missed out on the last few episodes of the Delaney sitcom (we can’t yet decide whether he is casting himself as a Father Ted like character or else Gordon Brittas), here’s a quick synopsis of what has had us all glued in over the last week.

Episode 1 saw a video appearing across various social media sites of gentle John, he has made it clear on radio this week that he is against violence, allegedly singing a pro IRA song in a public bar around the corner from the Aviva stadium after the USA fixture. This of course was not John, as pointed out by his (or was it the FAI’s) lawyers who issued threats by stating ‘My client’s position is simply that it is not him singing in the video. If you take the decision to publish legal proceedings will follow as it will undoubtedly cause various issues for my client’.

So that cleared that up then.

Well that was until episode 2, when John decided to go on the airwaves, confirm it was indeed him singing the song about Joe McDonnell and inform us all that it has been sung in his presence many a time. Joe of course was one of life’s good guys whose only crime was firebombing a furniture store and then having a shootout with the RUC after. But as John put it, singing about terrorists in a public bar is ‘a typically Irish thing we do’. Sure it’s all a bit of craic.

Episode 2 continued with John going on to romance about him ‘working closely on cross-border initiatives in football to break down barriers’, as singing about IRA men and pillaging the Northern Ireland youth squads for their best players who attend mass on a Sunday does. John continued by letting us know that ‘Sean South from Garryowen (another IRA man) has been sung on the Irish team bus for years, from the Jack Charlton era, right up to the current era’. With all these barriers John is breaking down there is no doubt that his dream”, which he talked about on the Late Late Show in November 2013, that he would “love to see an All-Ireland team is only round the corner.

With the previous episode barely finished episode 3 was soon upon us, with John and his girlfriend doing the rounds of various radio stations. Now this was a very emotional episode, a real tear jerker that saw John breaking down due to a dramatic twist in the storyline, as it was announced that his partner was the victim of cyber-bullying. And who was the instigator of these vicious posts that appeared? Surprisingly it was not the usual teenage culprits on facebook, twitter or OurWeeCountry, but a couple of posters on the ybig.ie (You Boys in Green) forum.

Now we can all speculate if that was perhaps a ploy to deflect attention away from John D the pacifist and his singing of pro-IRA songs. Absolutely not. Definitely not. 100% not. Seriously, there is no way in the world it could be. Their interviews were to highlight cyber-bullying, which we all of course condemn, as did the moderators of ybig.ie who rapidly removed the couple of offending posts and banned the 1 or 2 culprits.

It should be noted that cyber-bullying is no laughing matter and as John’s partner noted she was extremely distressed about the couple of posts, especially as her children might get to see them. Therefore she took the brave step of taking a screenshot of them and placing them on one of her social media pages in order to highlight the issue of cyber-bullying.

Episode 4 of this dramatic sitcom, which is sure to rival EastEnders in the ratings war this week, then saw the main character John ‘I am open to all criticism’ Delaney start open warfare with the ybig.ie moderators and posters, due to the alleged cyber-bullies on their site.

Again it must be made clear that this was purely to do with the cyber-bullies within the ybig.ie site and not to deflect from John’s traditional Irish singsong in the Bath Pub.

Any talk that his radio rants about ybig.ie are to do with the site members calling for him to be sacked over the Scotland ticket scandal are way of the mark. What would the hundreds of their members who have travelled the length and breadth of Europe following their country, who were unable to obtain any of the hundreds of FAI tickets that went unaccounted for under Delaney’s watch, know?

Indeed, if only they opened their ears and listened to John, who has made it clear that it was all the Scottish FA’s fault for not given the Republic of Ireland fans more tickets than they were entitled to. Not only did John stand up for the Irish fans rights by lambasting the SFA by accusing them of being unprofessional, unlike his good self, but the FAI delegation even boycotted the official SFA hosted pre match functions in Glasgow to show their disgust. Surely that should have made it clear to those ybig’ers?

Obviously it didn’t as they also arranged protests against Delaney, including banners and a singsong (of a non-sectarian nature), at the USA game. As to why the ybig section of the ground was surrounded by Guards and stewards who confiscated any anti-Delaney banners when they attempted to display them, is of course a mystery. Certainly it will be to John, as he has stated time and time again that supporters have the right to protest and if he or the FAI are doing something wrong, he will address the issues. So just to confirm, the events in the Aviva had nothing to do with John. Seriously. Not a chance they had anything to do with him.

But to get back on point and just to make it abundantly clear once again, John’s stance on cyber-bullying is in no way an attempt to deflect from his current situation involving him singing sectarian songs or in relation to the ybig campaign to have him removed due to the Scotland ticketing scandal, amongst other things.

With the season finale of the Delaney show more anticipated that that of Love/Hate, fans of the sitcom were brought back down to earth again when Tony Fitzgerald issued the following statement on behalf of FAI Board.

‘The Board is more than pleased with the way John Delaney is running the Association. He has done an enormous amount for Irish football. In the past year alone the winning of EURO 2020 bid for Dublin adds to a number of very important developments he has helped oversee during his tenure. We recently awarded him a contract extension to 2020 and he is fully deserving of that’.

So there you have it folks, nothing to see here, John’s doing a great job, what sectarian sing song are you talking about, sure we have agreed to pay him a few hundred thousand euro per annum for another 6 years, move along. No seriously, move along or else we will get our lawyers onto you. Or perhaps John will get his lawyers onto you. To hell with it, we don’t know whose lawyers they are and we don’t want to talk about it, so we’ll go back into our bunker with the UTV news team.

Looking forward to the next series, it will of course be interesting to see when the FAI’s communication portal comes back online whether they stumble upon their own rule book.

Without wanting to second guess the plot, a quick flick to Rule 70, which is detailed below, should make for an interesting starting episode, 

1. As the Governing Body of Association Football in Ireland, The Association is responsible for setting standards and values to apply throughout the game at every level. Football belongs to, and should be enjoyed by everyone equally. Our commitment is to confront and eliminate discrimination whether by reason of gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion or disability.

2. The Association is an equal opportunities employer. They are committed to equality of opportunity within the organisation and to encouraging similar commitment for every organisation or individual acting within the game.

4. The FAI shall not tolerate sexual or racially-based harassment or other discriminatory behaviour, whether physical or verbal, and shall work to ensure that such behaviour is met with appropriate disciplinary action in whatever context it occurs.

5. The FAI is committed to the development of a programme of ongoing training and awareness –raising events and activities to promote the eradication of discrimination within its own organisation and, in the wider context within football as a whole.

Fans are already speculating whether Rule 103, which states ‘Any complaint made in writing may be investigated by the Disciplinary Regulations Officer (DRO) and may result in disciplinary sanction if not otherwise provided for’, will feature in any future scenes.

Until then, we all wish the UTV Newsroom the very best in joining us again from their self-imposed exile in the near future. And when they do, let us hope they put the same coverage on the FAI as they did those so called Northern Ireland fans (and I use the term 'fans' loosely for them) who engaged in similar sectarian behaviour as John Delaney practised when singing a pro-IRA song in a public bar.

A statement from Jim Shaw, who according to himself hadn’t heard anything of the controversy, will also be welcomed to provide clarity on the alleged ‘cross-border initiatives in football to break down barriers’ that Delaney claims he was involved in.

Sectarianism – A one way street on the island of Ireland?

The issue of sectarianism within Northern Irish football has long been the talking point on the Island of Ireland, whether it be the avid football supporter, the casual follower or those outside the footballing family, including certain elements of the media.

Despite the Irish FA and its supporters winning numerous awards and commendations from near and far alike in recent years, stories continually are regaled of a fixture that took place over two decades ago when the Republic of Ireland visited Windsor Park in 1993, which is in no thanks to the likes of Marie Jones who exaggerated details of the events that night in order to suit the tale she wanted to tell in her play ‘A Night in November’.

In 2002, over a decade ago, Northern Ireland fans further faced shame as a result of the despicable events that unfolded around Neil Lennon, while in more recent times they have been castigated following the stupidity of a small minority who decided to have a sectarian singsong in the Aviva stadium during the Carling Cup fixture against Scotland.

It is worth noting that in recent times Lennon himself has noted that Northern Ireland fans ’have made the atmosphere at Northern Ireland football games in recent years the envy of Fans across not only Europe but World Football’.

While instances such as those bad times in the history of Northern Irish football listed above are played out time and time again in our local media, the lack of similar stories in regards to the FAI and their supporters would appear to indicate that the problem of sectarianism only exists in Northern Ireland.

A quick search of the internet would appear to show this is not the case however, with various videos showing supporters in Republic of Ireland shirts walking through the streets of Poland during the last European Championships shouting chants in support of the IRA, accompanied by the line ‘F*ck the Queen’.

Inside of the ground the issue of sectarianism has also been evident, not least in the old Lansdowne Road in the year 2000 during a fixture against Scotland, with several Rangers players booed relentlessly each time they touched the ball. Other players to suffer such treatment were Tore Andre Flo, Shota Arveladze and Peter Lovenkrands. Peter Madsen of Denmark also came in for the same persecution, when almost comically he was mistaken by the Republic of Ireland fans for Lovenkrands, due to an error by the stadium announcer when a substitution was made.

Over the last week a story exposing what some would deem as sectarianism at the highest ranks of the FAI itself has been bubbling away quite publicly on various social media outlets, with a video clip appearing allegedly showing the FAI Chief Executive, John Delaney, singing a song glorifying a number of IRA terrorists. This included among them a member of the IRA who has been linked to the Kingmills massacre of 1976, in which 10 Protestant workmen were lined up and murdered.

To the surprise of many the media in the North and South of the border have largely stayed clear of the matter, with the story only breaking today (25^th November), thanks to the Irish Times. Why this has been the case is largely unclear, although it has also been reported that in an attempt to cover up this undoubted embarrassment to them, the FAI through their lawyers had denied it was in fact Delaney and they would begin legal proceedings if the details were published.

As an even further embarrassment to the FAI, Delaney has now acknowledged it was indeed him in the video that took centre stage when belting out the song that is sure to disgust many across the whole island, while rumours are also circulating that former Republic of Ireland internationals Denis Irwin, Kevin Kilbane & Ronnie Whelan were also in attendance at the event in the The Bath public house. There is no suggestion that these players were involved in the singing themselves.

What happens next in terms of the steps the FAI take will be interesting to observe, as many cannot see how the Association can escape with their integrity intact unless Delaney is removed from his position with immediate effect. Indeed, anything less than that will leave the FAI in a difficult position to deal with any hints of further sectarianism by their supporters, if they cannot deal with the issue within their own ranks.

The question will also be left open as to whether the Association is truly open to all sides of the community and whether they are a proponent of the inclusivity that sport on both sides of this island should be seeking to achieve.

From a Northern Ireland supporters’ perspective, it will also be interesting to view the reaction of the Northern Irish media to the events, especially given the coverage the likes of UTV gave to a small subset of the Northern Irish supporters who disgraced their fellow fans when engaging in their sectarian garbage at the Aviva Stadium in the recent past.

Will the pages of the Belfast Telegraph make difficult reading from those within the FAI over the next few days, especially given the approach journalist Amanda Poole took to linking Northern Ireland fans to the so-called ‘death threats’ made on Twitter to James McClean?

What is clear to many however is that if the wider public had just witnessed Patrick Nelson, Delaney’s opposite number in the IFA, performing a rendition glorifying those who caused carnage on the streets of Dublin in 1974, his feet would not touch the ground when being ushered out the back door at Windsor Avenue, with the media ensuring that was the case. 

Who would have thought....a terrier the Leader of the pack?

You couldn’t make it up.  Cost your business almost half a million when the General Secretary is stood down.  Cost your business a further half a million to sack the CEO.  Government asks for your head on a plate.  Reluctantly, eventually, and, with little by way of the Conal McDevitt integrity, you exit stage right in silence.

Fast forward to 2011.  Government request an independent review and article changes reform the Irish FA. They deliver:

• No more Board places based on which part of the game you represent.
• An independent as chair of the Board
• Timescales set to limit how long a person can be on the Board or President
• Get rid of the Treasurer post which is a paper tiger
• No more Senior Clubs Vice President
• And many more reforms…

A race for the Vice Presidency ensues.  The feared County Antrim FA pack puts forward two candidates.  The old dog Terry Pateman and the kingmaker Terrier Martin.  The seniors put in Linfield’s finest – Jack Grundy.  Martin fails the competency as assessed by an independent commission.  The County Antrim FA crown the old dog to warm the bed in the shed leaving Jack to lick his wounds and dream of the new Windsor Kennel.

Fast forward again to 2013.  The Terrier has failed another independent panel.  His loyal pack cries foul again.  The Terrier’s bowl was spiked (not once, not twice but three times).  Honest Jim Shaw is snarled at by the fiercest dogs that County Antrim can unmuzzle.

The IFA Council decide that new articles are needed.  A group is formed.  Blue Jack and

Failed Davy are reunited with common purpose.  Add one President and some Ballymena, North West  and Mid Ulster hounds.  Allow the Board Chair to tag along to cuckold Honest Jim.

Take seven months, twist into it a few ‘consultations’, add some partisan led choreography so that the pups all know which hoops to go through.  Lodge the ‘new’ article changes by the County Antrim FA.  Gently warm at gas mark 7 for four weeks to flush out any opposition.  Terrier Martin takes to the floor at the IFA AGM in June barking out his bidding to Bobbie, Freddie, Merv and Rob who are all freshly groomed in their fine County Antrim collars and, hey presto,  you’ve cooked up a tasty set of articles.

Garnish with a little of the Martin smug grin, sit back, savour and then munch with some Amateur League accompaniments for extra flavour.

What have you got?

• An extra year for the Chairman so he can hold tight to the reins
• Two Deputy President Posts – one must be senior and one must be from the rest of the game.
• No more competency required.
• The meat of the Governance review has been devoured and the bones of the old regime are showing through the carcass.

Mix the end result with DCAL’s millions and watch the dish curdle a tad.

Depose one Pateman.  Frighten the other packs with loud barking and scenting the corners of Windsor Avenue fully.

No opposition. No votes.  Only two dogs emerge. One from the senior game – Blue Jack – no-one really likes him but, bless the old spaniel, he keeps rubbing against your legs and polishing your brogues with his long tongue.  One Deputy President from the rest – The Terrier.  Not even the youngest fiercest dogs dare utter more than a whimper.

Leak the ‘new’ articles and the ‘election’ to DCAL and watch the edges of the tasty dish of stadium millions curl up at the edges.  Watch the cost of the ingredients increase sharply with the threat of the withdrawal of the final Windsor bowl.

Shake with a whiff of protest and quosh that with some Windsor Avenue fairy dust left over from the ghost of Boyce’s past.

Or, put more simply, just how is that Martin is still there?

He wrote, consulted, lodged and presented his own articles which allowed him to come to power without competence.  Each of the members of the Articles Group had the promise of pieces of silver in it for them.  They/he made sure there were no other candidates and no vote required.  He’s elected by acclamation.

Surely the gappy toothed Irish Wolfhound in DCAL will take the Bowl away?  She may not mention the Terrier by name but frankly we all know that dog Davy don’t hunt any more in governance terms.

In summary:

• DM fails three times
• A group chaired by the President cuckolded by the Board Chair carves up a new set of articles
• Competency is removed
• DM presents the article changes from the County Antrim FA
• There are less than 20 votes against the articles at the Annual General Meeting
• Pateman is forced into resignation
• DM runs unopposed

Council ‘elected’ DM unanimously.  That includes all parts of the game – junior, senior, intermediate, ladies, boys, supporters club, schools and referee.  The Board does not have the power to remove him but what exactly are they doing to deal with the situation?  What exactly are they doing to keep the money? 

Football is all about trophies, but not just winning them

I was just watching reruns of the Sopranos and The Wire.  Isn’t it amazing how football has learned lessons from both?

They each had a decoy location to throw the Feds off.  The place where the real business was carried out. A funeral home, an old people’s home or Satriale’s Pork Store – they all provided subterfuge.

A funeral home is too impractical as, to be fair, the casual caller is harder to justify.  Mind you the kind of stiffs in the grey IFA suits from the IFA Council wouldn’t look out of place there either in the boxes or not!

Why not open a trophy business?  It’s the perfect place for people from all sports, including football clubs of course, to come and have a good browse.  Plausible deniability.

What better way for the officials of the Divisional Associations, the Irish FA and lots of wee men from wee clubs to come and have a browse.  There might not be much product on show and the range could change little. A seemingly inoffensive wee man with a smug grin could be on hand to offer sound advice.  Some of it could even relate to trophies!

The front would be so effective that few could guess or even imagine that this might be where the real IFA business was done.  Forget Windsor Avenue, the trophy shop would be the real powerhouse in local football.  All the strategy could be plotted through it.

There could be a long procession of personalities with medals to be inscribed and trophies to be procured.  Trophies fit for kings from a kingmaker could be offered.  Many could choose not even to continue to keep up the charade and simply wrap their little packages of information in pleasantries and depart well stroked and with the promise of future office, longer terms or trips away.

The wee man could collate the info, could compare, could confide

with his sources and could plot a cunning plan to take over the world ….. of football.

So there you have it folks, if you want to be a top man in the governing body.  Open a trophy business and invite everyone over to browse.  You’ll be disappointed that there’s no Tony Soprano on view but the shop has no less urbane charm than Satriale’s and a wire tap like thee ones in the Wire would certainly yield some interesting chats.

David Martin, Windsor Avenue’s very own J.R. Ewing?

What a few weeks it has been for those that follow the goings on at the Irish FA, both on and off the pitch.

A famous victory against Russia, Portugal nearly joining the impressive list of scalps that have been taken at Windsor in the month of September, an embarrassing defeat to European minnows Luxembourg and most concerning, the return of the man who has attempted more comebacks than Audley Harrison, David Martin.

So why is one man causing so much stir in local football, not just in the corridors of power at Windsor Avenue, but also the terraces and more importantly, those that call the funding shots at DCAL?

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer and while some have likened Martin to Baldrick in Blackadder, it would be more appropriate to think of him as a JR Ewing type character.

Indeed minus the oil and sunshine, the Martin story could be lifted straight from the Dallas scriptwriters’ notepads, with tales of manipulation and an egocentric main character determined to gain power, no matter what the cost.

So what is Martin’s history in the IFA?

 

Martin has been in and around the IFA for over three decades, with one supporter noting he had stayed with other IFA Officials in their fans hotel in Salou in 1982.

As former Treasurer of the IFA, Martin oversaw the £500,000 severance package to former General Secretary David Bowen, with Stephen Looney making the following interesting comments in a recent podcast

‘He was Treasurer of the IFA when the accounts were deemed shambolic, when David Bowen said he carried the figures about in his head’.

Despite those damning comments, Martin currently holds the same position within the NAFL, which he qualifies for through his local club Downshire Young Men F.C., who compete in Division 1b of that League.

Elected to the Vice President role in 2007, many were of the belief during that period that Martin was on course to become the new President, with Mark McIntosh reporting that ‘a high-ranking source’ had stated 

“David Martin's stock within the Irish FA has gone up considerably and he is seen as the face of the future”.

It was in 2008 when the name David Martin came to prominence for most supporters however, with the infamous sacking of Howard Wells. This of course ended up not just costing the Irish FA over £500,000, but also resulted in, as the then DCAL Minister put it 

'diverting resources from those who play and support football at all levels’.

That was not the only time Martin’s name had hit the headlines however, with many of the belief that he was the central figure behind the controversial ‘Dunloy’ proposals, which ironically previously almost cost the local game some of the DCAL millions in 2010.

In addition, it was David Martin who chaired the Irish FA Disciplinary Committee back in 2009, which controversially banned Linfield and Glentoran playing each other on public holidays, leading to the Glentoran Chairman at the time, Aubrey Ralph, threatening that Premiership clubs may leave the IFA to form their own league.

Outside of the game Martin is known to run a sports trophy business, although with controversy seemingly following the man from Hillsborough, some have openly questioned on online forums if he supplies the Irish FA and if that causes a conflict of interest. Note, the author is neither suggesting anything untoward nor questioning this relationship, if it does indeed exist.

What was his role in the Wells saga?

 

There are very few who have even a remote interest in Northern Irish Football that would not be aware of the furore that surrounded the game in 2008, when the then Chief Executive Officer, Howard Wells, was sacked following the International sides 2-0 defeat against Slovenia.

While that was enough to get eyebrows twitching, it was the events afterwards that got them really moving up and down, with a subsequent unfair dismissal claim that went onto cost the Association £516,000. Yes, that is right, five hundred and sixteen thousand pounds.

So what hand did Martin play in this?

Well it is hard to say for certainty, as Martin failed to attend two requests to discuss the circumstances that led up to the sacking and only provided written answers for the Sports NI review report.

These replies failed to elaborate and provide any clarification on the role he played, which gives an indication that he is not the Mr. Bean type character that some have built up in their mind about him.

What is known for certain is that Martin was the only Board member in attendance with Raymond Kennedy, when the Irish FA Solicitors advised both gentlemen of the potential circumstances if Wells was fired

Failing to heed that advice, it wasn’t long after that until Kennedy and Martin, waltzed (it cannot be confirmed if they were holding hands at the time) into Wells office and delivered the letter terminating the employment of the CEO, despite not having the authority to do so.

This ultimately led to Wells taking his unfair dismissal to court and subsequently dancing into the horizon, with enough loot to help develop the next breed of International stars or keep most Leagues running for a significant period of time.

Despite the damning report that followed on their roles in the Wells saga and the fears that the Government would not release any Stadium funding, neither Kennedy nor Martin relinquished their roles without a fight.

This is despite of the then Sports Minister, Nelson McCausland, stating

"Significant payouts to former employees have diverted resources from those who play and support football at all levels and as a result has eroded public confidence in the IFA,"

"An extremely damaging independent review into the circumstances surrounding the sacking of the previous IFA chief executive found that the two most senior officers of the Association acted in the knowledge of the financial risk of their actions for the Association.

"I would have great difficulty in placing further public funds in the hands of an organisation where these individuals remained in a senior position.

When Martin and Kennedy did offer their resignation, the Minister went on to state

"I recognise the immediate steps that have been taken today by the IFA to reassure all those with an interest in local football that the first step to progress is being made to address issues within the structure of the Association.

"The IFA is the body responsible for the development of football in Northern Ireland. Deficiencies in the IFA's governance arrangements have resulted in significant payouts, which inevitably diverts resources from those who play and support football at all levels.

"It is important that Government has confidence in the IFA and today's developments represent helpful evidence that our concerns regarding governance arrangements are being acknowledged.

"Given the seriousness of these issues I would expect the IFA to progress this as a matter of urgency in the coming days and weeks”.

The Dunloy proposals

One would think that after the Wells affair, Martin would have had his fair share of controversy; however that was found not to be the case, with the next episode in the drama coming in the form of the ‘Dunloy’ proposals.

To many junior Clubs (where the voting power is held) the call for a reduced eight-man executive with only one independent member meant little and with clubs of that rank due to take a more significant role, due to the reduction of voting strength of the Premiership and Championship clubs, it could only be a good thing for them.

What was a relatively open secret amongst many at the time was that although Billy McIlroy and Robert Fenton were the front men behind a shadowy group behind the scenes, David Martin was heavily involved and pulling the strings from the side lines, as he so often is known to do

Another item the group also kept from those they were asking to vote in line with them, was a letter sent to Mr. McIlroy on the 25^th August 2010 from DCAL. The letter was subsequently leaked and posted on the Irish League Supporters Forum about a month after. An extract of the contents is below

‘In the wake of the report commissioned by Sport Nl at the request of the Minister on the circumstances leading to the dismissal of the former CEO, and other decisions taken at the recent AGM, the IFA assured the Minister that a radical, independent review of its governance arrangements would take place.

Such a review will be essential in re-building the much needed confidence in the IFA.

The Minister has repeatedly made clear that an independent review should precede any structural change and any such proposals, including those from Dunloy Football club, will need to be analysed in the context of this review and benchmarked against best practice in governance and accountability.

When government committed £8m to the Soccer Strategy it was agreed that new structures for governance and accountability would be put in place and this included the recruitment of a number of independent members to the Executive Board.

Any perceived or actual diminution in the role of independent members such as your proposals seem to imply would be regarded by government as a retrograde step in the absence of a full review of the current structures.

To implement any new proposals before the full independent review is complete would be premature. It will be necessary to analyse the problems within the IFA structures and governance before a proper, sustainable solution can be identified and implemented’.

Despite the clear threat to funding in the letter above, such was the desire to push the proposals forward, Robert Fenton, at the time a journalist with the Belfast Telegraph, even took to promoting the proposals in his column within the tele’s ‘The Park’ supplement.

Realising the real threat to funding, in an unusual step for the Amalgamation of the Northern Ireland Supporters (AoNISC), the groups released the following statement just under a week before the vote was due to happen

‘The Irish Football Association will be holding an Extraordinary General Meeting on Thursday 23rd September at the Stormont Hotel in Belfast.

At this meeting, the IFA's member clubs will be asked to support a series of proposals which change the way in which the IFA is structured. Many of these proposals increase the representation for junior football and are worth consideration.

BUT - If these proposals are passed on Thursday, then the Government will not hand over the £23 MILLION needed to upgrade Windsor Park for international matches.

Other funding for football is also at risk, such as Grassroots Coaching programmes which help develop young players in schools and communities across the country.

IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF A FOOTBALL CLUB, THEN YOUR CLUB WILL HAVE A VOTE ON THIS ISSUE. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CLUB'S VOTE IS USED WISELY’.

Despite all this, the ‘Dunloy’ proposers, including Martin, continued with their intention to have the Articles amended at the EGM and they were put to the vote in a room were those present could almost taste the tension.

Fortunately for football in this country, the controversial Articles were withdrawn at the very last minute; however this was not due to Martin and his associates gaining a conscience for what they were about to do.

Thankfully, a gentleman who goes under the online pseudonym ‘Mr. Parker’ spotted a failing in the proposals, causing the articles to fall in a domino effect, leaving the night to end in a complete farce.

How did Martin get back into power?

One answer to that question would be, ‘it hasn’t been for the want of trying’.

Using his knowledge of the Articles, Martin was aware that by getting nominated by his faithful comrades on Council, he could take up a position as Deputy President. To many this is the final stepping stone to what many believe is Martin’s main objective; ultimately taking over the President role,

One thing has previously stood in his way however; the Independent Commission and in particular former Article 11.1, which provided the Commission with…..

 ‘….the remit to assess and approve candidates’ qualification for election or co-option to the Board, including the Office Bearers and to define the process under which such assessments and approvals are made’.

Unknown to a lot of member clubs, Martin had in the past few years failed the suitability assessment on several occasions, so what better way to remove his last remaining obstacle and get rid of the Commission.

And that is exactly what he did, with Article 11 being removed at the 2013 AGM in the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen.

With the Independent Commission now out of the way and no other person prepared to take on Martin in an election, Martin was elected unopposed (and controversially) into the role of Deputy President in September 2013 under Article 9.

Why does he have such a fan base?

Without being a paid up subscriber to the Martin golden circle, it is difficult to know what the exact hold that the man has over Council members.

Indeed, why would any self-respecting person with the good of football at heart be behind him in becoming not only an Irish FA Board member, but holding the esteemed position of Deputy President?

One theory is that by having his voice in so many ears, anyone with any ambition of progressing through the backroom ranks, getting a seat on any of the prestigious Committees, being presented with an Irish FA blazer or, as some are believed to be in it for, taking in a 5-star all expenses trip away, is reluctant to go against him.

By doing so would be akin to hanging the rope in preparation for their own footballing backroom career suicide.

This school of thought is highlighted by Stephen Looney in the recent Social Club NI podcast, when he stated

‘Anyone who speaks out against David Martin is moved against very, very swiftly indeed’

Certainly it will be interesting keeping an eye on any movements within the IFA Board, Council or Committees in the next period, as it might give an indication of whom the decent men/women are there; those with a genuine concern for the game we all love so much.

Is this not a dangerous game for Council members to play?

Previously it wasn’t, as Martin’s powerbase is made up with his ability to manipulate Junior football into voting in line with his agenda.

Most of it went under the radar, as the vast majority of the 900+ members are only concerned with their own club and what is going on around them; not what is happening up around Windsor Avenue.

Indeed, one only has to look back and consider that 14 members of Council did not back a motion of no confidence in then President Raymond Kennedy following his role in the Wells saga, indicating a sense of being untouchable, due to them being ghost like figures to the rank and file members.

The tide is changing however, with more and more clubs beginning to question what is happening and why one man is single handily dragging the reputation of the Association through the gutter yet again.

Will these Council members soon have to become more accountable to the member clubs, who start questioning and becoming more inquisitive of their every move?

Added to that, with DCAL Minister Ní Chuilín recently stating the following in the Assembly in relation to football funding, it won’t be long until Junior clubs begin to realise that Martin’s appointment is jeopardising potential funding that is due to come their way.

"I need to be assured that appropriate governance and accountability structures have been maintained. Until that happens, I can't sign off on any agreement”

If this does happen, and by all accounts it is not just a thinly coated threat, then it will be those Council members who will have to explain to the member clubs why they allowed it to happen under their watch.

As a new wave of membership begin to come through and Martin’s era comes to an end, will their actions in backing him be forgotten?

Perhaps those Council members should remember the words of Bobby Jameson in 2010, when he stated

"There has to be accountability. That is what Raymond promised when he and David Martin approached me to oppose Jim Boyce and support Raymond's bid for presidency in 2007. I accepted his assurances and voted for him and have to say it is much to my regret now."

Is it really a bad thing for Martin to take up the Deputy President role?

Few in the local game are likely to argue against Stephen Looney’s assertion that Martin is a ‘polished administrator’ or has a vast knowledge of the local game. Indeed many would put his ability to manipulate the Articles of Association down to him having drafted many of them.

It also should be acknowledged that this knowledge goes beyond the local game, with the minutes of the 2003 International Football Association Board AGM, held in the Culloden Hotel, noting that he was an attendee alongside a certain Joseph S. Blatter.

However, before answering that question, it would be worth remembering three of the core Association values that Patrick Nelson laid out in the in the 2010/11 Irish FA’s Activity report, namely

‘Professional’ – We must be professional in all we do, meticulous in our planning and execution, leaving no stone unturned and nothing to chance.

‘Caring and Confident’ – The Association must show a duty of care for all involved in the game. It is not good enough to leave it to others, to all players, officials, supporters, referees, administrators – everyone. We must show and be shown care, and concern. Whilst the Association must be confident to believe in that we are doing in all aspects is right and for the right reasons.

‘Honesty’ – Being honest, saying it as it is, not being underhand or devious – honesty and integrity must be watch words for the Irish FA.

Reading through these values, there are few of Martin’s proponents who can honestly say that with knowledge of his misdemeanours in the past, he actively demonstrates and promotes these values.

As examples, can the value of ‘Professional’ be used for a man whose actions, albeit in a joint capacity, previously cost the Association over £500k in the Wells affair? That does not even consider the fact that he failed the Board competency test on more than one occasion.

The value of ‘Caring and Confident’ highlights ‘a duty of care for all involved in the game’.

Does this sound like a characteristic of a man who is potentially putting at risk millions and millions of pounds destined to the Association and the wider members, including senior, junior, boys, ladies and other strands?

For those who argue that this is not the case, they should consider the following comments from the Minister extremely carefully.

 “However the recent changes to the Articles of Association to remove the requirement for those seeking election to senior positions to be approved by an Independent Commission is seen by the Department as a retrograde step and potentially breaches existing funding agreements between the Department and the IFA for development costs associated with the redevelopment of Windsor Park”.

Moving on to ‘honesty’, the way Martin manipulated those around him and the majority of member clubs to amend the Articles to suit his personal ambition, not only highlights how underhand he can be, but also the deviousness he is prepared to employ in order to achieve his goal, no matter what the effect might be to the whole of the wider football community.

To put this in a different light, imagine a company that has a fully functioning Board, which has a vacancy on it. That Board has procedures put in place to ensure that not only does the most suitable person gets the job, but one who meets predefined criteria to ensure the integrity of the Company is upheld, whilst also getting the approval of those trusted onto the interview panel.

A candidate for the position comes along and demonstrates some suitable criteria, however is not deemed as someone suitable under criteria already agreed. Therefore his application is rejected.

The applicant goes away, recharges his batteries and on the next occasion a place comes up on the Board, he reapplies. Again the company follows correct procedure and again finds him unsuitable for the position.

The candidate soon realises that he is not going to get onto the Board by following proper procedure, so he calls in some favours by using some high powered friends, he gets the interview panel sacked, the procedures rewritten and he soon takes up his place.

In the normal world, that Company’s shareholders would be going into meltdown, with share prices falling more quickly than Ashley Young at the edge of the eighteen yard box.

If the member clubs, whether that be a men’s pub team in Ardglass, a ladies football team in Newry or a senior team like Carrick Rangers, think of themselves as those shareholders, then surely they should be extremely concerned at the devious way Martin went about getting his place on the Board.

What is next?

While the above most likely will not sway either Martin or his gang of merry men too much, one would hope that by taking a step back and recognising the damaging and negative effect that his appointment is having on the public view of the Association, they may do the correct thing for football in this country.

That however is probably too much to ask for and therefore it is up to the 900+ member clubs to begin asking questions of their Council representatives, via their Divisional Associations, on the matter.

It is up to those 900+ member Clubs to begin to put pressure on their IFA Council representatives to get Martin to do the decent thing and stand down.

Moving forward, those member Clubs need to begin taking their time to understand what their vote is being used for and the potential consequences; opposed to giving it away by proxy. This can only be achieved by reading the Articles of Association, which are effectively the rules of our Governing body.

Those member Clubs, no matter if they are Senior, Junior, youth, ladies, NI supporters clubs (via the AoNISC) or whatever strand of football, need to realise that they are the shareholders of football in this country and only with them working to get an understanding of what is going on behind the scenes, will football in this country move forward once and for all.