The Undertones Choose Derry City

Just brilliant :)

Independent: Derry Stood For More Than Football

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/derry-stood-for-more-than-football-1944007.html://

"Fine them, take points from them, relegate them but don't throw them out of the league. If you do, the league will be the losers. Two and a half decades on, it's once more time for the hand of friendship.
I'm biased because I greatly admire Derry and what the city and the club stand for. Now I'm hoping John Delaney feels the same way."

Frankly, from his statements over the past week or two, I think he does.

Taking Unfair Advantage

There's been plenty said by now I agree with regarding the financial situation at Derry. There was one particular issue I wanted to highlight though.

I personally know plenty of hard-working people who aren't exactly flush with cash at the minute, who have donated money over the past few months, and especially the last few weeks because they were convinced that it would help the club. In the pub a few weeks ago there was a 'lively' debate about it where I said that I wanted to know how much we owed before I'd throw good money after bad, and these fans who had been supporting Derry City since the 1960's, refused to countenance anything other than digging deep to help the team they love regardless of circumstances.

On 30th October we had a campaign for season ticket holders to leave their ticket at home for the final game of the season and pay their way in. A board member "who did not wish to be named" was quoted in the Derry Journal as saying, "I would make a public appeal for anyone with any interest in Derry City Football Club to support tonight's game, our final performance at home this year.

"I would also appeal to our loyal and commitment season ticket holders to leave their season tickets at home and purchase a ticket for the match in an effort to help the club. I would also ask those who attend to support our Programme and Half-Time Draw Committees who continue to work voluntarily in an effort to keep our club afloat." http://www.derryjournal.com/derry-sport/39PIZZA39-SIGNS-OFF.5781334.jp (Derry Journal)

Now think of all of those fans who queued up to pay because it was 'the right thing to do' and because the club had simply asked them to do so. Some gave £10, others £20, others even gave double that. And these aren't rich businessmen we're talking about, but ordinary working class people, people who'd already paid for a season ticket, and a programme, and a shirt; people who in their very enthusiasm, were among the club's best ambassadors and recruiters. People who were happy to give what they could, in the middle of a recession, weeks from Christmas, in an area with sky-high unemployment and equally high job uncertainty.

Fast forward just 5 days and we are told, "It’s thought the club’s current debts could be well in the region of £450,000, with around half of that debt owed to players and staff members."(http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/local/derry-city-not-going-to-the-wall-mcdaid-14548734.html Belfast Telegraph, among others) How the hell did anyone think that the money that came in at that last home game would make any sort of dent in the debts that we owed? The club's board relied entirely on the goodwill of those fans who put money into the club each and every week and used them to squeeze as much as they could out of them, knowing a certain hardcore fan base would always respond if asked to.

I think the fact that we were kept in the dark for so long about the scale of the situation we were in and the fact that the board continued to lie about our position to be deeply troubling, but the fact that they then continued to solicit money from those they knew would give because of their love for the club and the advantage they took from those people is utterly unforgivable. Good riddance to them.