Cork City FC owner Tom Coughlan

[Poison]

What do you make of him?

I am not sure this guy is right for the club at all.

According to some of his comments we will lose most of our best players next season.Great start there Tom.

[Alan Smith]

Wum 0/10

[Poison]

Wum 0/10



???

[Liathroidi Mor]

There's no way he'll pay some knobend E3000 a week to play in turners cross. So yes there will be casualties in this overpaid prima donna bunch

[Poison]

There's no way he'll pay some knobend E3000 a week to play in turners cross. So yes there will be casualties in this overpaid prima donna bunch

I agree no player in this league should be paid that sort of money.But to run a football club he has to be willing to pay good players half decent cash.I am talking 1200 region a week.That would keep some of the better players we have right now.If not why in gods name did he take over the club?

[Echoboy]

http://corkcityfc.ie/gallery/albums/glentoran011108/CCFC_V_Glentoran_45. jpg

[Echoboy]

What do you make of him?

I am not sure this guy is right for the club at all.

According to some of his comments we will lose most of our best players next season.Great start there Tom.

People dont know how lucky we are to still be here. Seriously ..... it was so so close to slipping away from us. Fair play to Coughlan for steadying the ship but it all relies on the fans and Great Cork Sporting Public to invest time and energies and money.

The clubs needs people with a bit of attitude and vision and ambition, Cork is a city that thrives on this and hopefully it will manifest itself through our club. Hopefully we'll see the next Liam Millers, Roy Keanes, Denis Irwins, Stephen Irelands all come through the club ....... and people have a chance to ensure this happens by supporting the club.

For the most part, to the foreign league clubs you are just a source revenue, City needs more than that. It needs your character, belief, obstanance and the 'fawk you ya Dub/Dundalk/Drogs pr!ck" attitude. It needs personailty every single thing that it means to be a supporter standing in the stand shoulder to shoulder.

City needs the people of our city !!

[REMIMUFC]

according to matthews he hasnt a clue whos running the club with coughlan ring any bells!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alan Smith]

1-0 Danny Murphy

[ccfc1984]

I agree no player in this league should be paid that sort of money.But to run a football club he has to be willing to pay good players half decent cash.I am talking 1200 region a week.That would keep some of the better players we have right now.If not why in gods name did he take over the club?

You do realise that City were very close to folding because of over spending by the previous owners, so i think Tom Coughlan is right to have a strict budget and gradually build it up when there's actually money there to pay higher wages. I'd rather have a team of young players on pittance a week than a great squad on huge money which the club can't afford. People need to be patient because there will be a few seasons of rebuilding ahead but i'd rather have that than no club at all.

Also Coughlan has been quiet since taking over, he's just got on with his job unlike the previous owners who were talking about building stadiums and totally unrealistic shit. He knows what he's doing and i hope he'll do well for City.

[MonTheHoops]

You do realise that City were very close to folding because of over spending by the previous owners, so i think Tom Coughlan is right to have a strict budget and gradually build it up when there's actually money there to pay higher wages. I'd rather have a team of young players on pittance a week than a great squad on huge money which the club can't afford. People need to be patient because there will be a few seasons of rebuilding ahead but i'd rather have that than no club at all.

Also Coughlan has been quiet since taking over, he's just got on with his job unlike the previous owners who were talking about building stadiums and totally unrealistic shit. He knows what he's doing and i hope he'll do well for City.

There definitely needs to be a bit of grounding for some supporters. Keeping guys on good money is a thing of the past if the club wants to survive. There's a few guys there who could stay, but they'd need to half their wages.

[Echoboy]

according to matthews he hasnt a clue whos running the club with coughlan ring any bells!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To be fair Matthews is out of turn here. The backroom team is being put together, Matthew shouldn't have spoken about this, media twist everything and he should have seen this coming.

[optimus]

http://farm4.static.flickr. com/3243/2994930221_d35139b0d d_o.jpg



mrs tom coughlan would get it though

[legend76]

obama

[rebelexile]

known locally as Tommy No-bobs

Kinda annoys me that the media portray him as the saviour of city when the real saviours were those on FORAS who worked tirelessly,those who donated money or memorabilia to the cause for auction,those who turned up at games and those season ticket holders that took it upon themselves to pay into games .These are the real people that saved Cork City.
Coughlan will leave at some point in the future and these people will still be there .

Its too early to see how things will go with him.Heart hopes he turns out to be a good thing for the club ,head has me worried .First off ,He'd want to reel yer man Nagle in a bit

[blocker]

Hopefully we'll see the next Liam Millers, Roy Keanes, Denis Irwins, Stephen Irelands all come through the club ....... and people have a chance to ensure this happens by supporting the club.
!!

Another Stephen Ireland??? No thanks!

[Poison]

known locally as Tommy No-bobs

Kinda annoys me that the media portray him as the saviour of city when the real saviours were those on FORAS who worked tirelessly,those who donated money or memorabilia to the cause for auction,those who turned up at games and those season ticket holders that took it upon themselves to pay into games .These are the real people that saved Cork City.
Coughlan will leave at some point in the future and these people will still be there .

Its too early to see how things will go with him.Heart hopes he turns out to be a good thing for the club ,head has me worried .First off ,He'd want to reel yer man Nagle in a bit


Agree with that.It is typical of the majority of Cork City fans that post on forums that you cannot even question a person like Tom Coughlan simply because "he saved the club".He is the new owner and he will be questioned as to where he intends bringing the club in the future.For a long time if you questioned anything about Lennox you would be murdered.There is no harm in it and it does not mean you are against the person or have any secret agenda.

By the way why would Gerry Nagle need to be reeled in?.What has he been up to?

[bumble]

Exclusive Tom Coughlan interview from Friday's Echo

Tom, it's probably hard for you not to get caught up in the whole romance of Cork City right now, particularly after last Saturday's game against Glentoran?

It's just fantastic, I mean you're involved in a football club for two weeks and you're crowned All-Ireland Champions. It's a dream start, it was a magnificent night both for the support and the City it was just marvellous.

You looked like you really enjoyed the game as a fan as oppose to being the owner!

Big time. It was a great occasion and being involved in the club at this level makes it more exciting because I'd be a fan first and foremost.

The lads beat St. Pats on Tuesday night so the Sligo game on Friday night takes on a bigger significance. In fact it's probably a bigger game than the Setanta Cup Final?

It would be yeah! It's effectively our European Cup final because the winners of that game qualify for Europe and with the new format for next year, the Europa league, it allows go directly into a league situation, which will create wonderful streams of revenue and some fabulous nights of European football in Cork. Something to look forward to.

Have the players exceeded your expectations since you took over?

I wouldn't think so, no. They're a very experienced panel of players and I think they're one of the best squads in the country. I mean the squad is depleted at the moment with injuries and so on but in adversity you find resilience. I think the adversity in the period of Examinership with the wage cuts and so on, has brought a stronger sense of resolve for them as a squad. I'm thrilled for them and they themselves have a tighter bond.

[bumble]

A lot of the players, as free agents, could have walked when the wage cuts kicked in, so the fact that they stuck around shows a real allegiance to the club.

In reality, I think we are the biggest football club in Ireland. I think we're the best supported and the best club. It's like leaving Manchester United, if you leave Cork City, there's nowhere else really for you to go. As a Dub, you might not like hearing that but just look at Dan Murray for example. He's probably more Cork now than most Cork people at this stage. He just epitomises the club. It's our intention to make the club more inclusive in terms of trying to create careers for our players after they finish playing in terms of health and sport recreation. In conjunction with the FAI we're running a Kick Start course next month which is a coaching programme for players when they are out of season. So they can do some work with the local clubs but also they can be ambassadors for the club.

Footballers careers are very short and it's a prudent idea.

As a club, we want to be more sustainable and I think we need to look at looking after these people in a more creative way and by creative more long term employment for them be that in coaching or sports management. We've linked up 'Watershed' which is a training institute and we want to work together to develop the footballers.

What is your vision for the club right now?

What I'm looking to try and achieve, along with other people in the City if I can get them on board is a sports entity that is sustainable in the city and that can stand on it's own two feet like any other city that has these fine football stadia along with hotels, convention centres and conference facilities all inside in one unit and that would be one of the prime goals for me that as the Chairman of the club, I could leave some legacy there, through the business community which creates long term streams of revenue going forward. But my real vision is, I want to create a home.

So does that mean you are looking to commercialise Turner's Cross?

Possibly in Turners Cross or possibly somewhere else that will depend on the commercial deal that will be done at the time. The need for growth and the need for decent infrastructure is important but it will definitely be smack bang in the middle of the city. We need commerciality, I mean it was very disappointing what happened with the St. Anne's End last Saturday that we couldn't get our hands on it. The factors leading up to that weren't satisfactory and it won't be our intention to deal with people long term in that kind of situation. We've an obligation to the fans to provide as many seats as possible when we get an opportunity, but we're only 2 or 3 weeks at it now but in future we'll have our homework done and we will have a facility that will cater for a lot more fans.

[bumble]

Is a new stadium part of your plans?

Very much so, but over a five year term. The city needs it, it's definitely going to happen. I've been in the UK and I've seen a couple of set-ups over there but it has to be a multi-functional facility. And also a decent training facility, with astro-turf pitches and a gym and these are things that I want to set out fairly quickly and show people that's our plan.

How soon do you see a stadium being completed?

In this planning world that we live in now I suppose it would be magnificent if we could do it in 6 years.

What capacity will it be?

20,000 – there would be other investors, the hotel would be very important and the convention centre if we could get some conference facilities in there. But it will definitely be a city centre location.

You'll need to invest in a good youth policy also. It's the most cost effective way of recruiting players.


Yes, definitely that's a more immediate concern for me. I want to set up a youth academy and the City Council and FAI have been very helpful in that regard, we're looking at a couple of sites so that we can kick that off immediately. These things haven't happened at the club before but they need to happen now. They're essential for the legacy of the club going forward, long after we're gone. The club has to have assets and land and has to be professionally run.

We're looking for volunteers, like a club patron system, Individuals in the community that can help us in their own areas of expertise. I'm asking you through this article to get people on board, to contact us on volunteer@corkcityfc .ie. If they're in accounts or marketing or coaching or whatever, the reaction so far has been brilliant.

I'm so passionate about sport and I'm very passionate about Cork and I am going to embody that in club. I have fierce faith in Cork people and their ability to perform at any level once given the right opportunity and environment. I'm going to create that environment and let people at it.

Why did you buy the club?

When it got into difficulty somebody had to do something about it. I remember a few years ago when I was involved in politics, Albert Reynolds told me "Opportunities pass for those who pause," so I thought it was an opportunity so we got stuck in.

Was the club good value for money?

It's not a money thing sport isn't about that at all. You can't quantify the value that sport brings, you can't quantify the joy of winning the Setanta Cup. In these difficult times sport can be a beacon of hope and light and you just can't quantify that.

You have to love football to take on a football club but how do protect yourself from becoming an Ollie Byrne?

I don't have deep pockets and I don't think there's anything wrong with becoming an Ollie Byrne. What he did for Shelbourne, alright he suffered because he spent money, perhaps not wisely in the end, but look at what he gave to sport. I wouldn't mind being compared to someone like him.

85% of eircom league players will be out of contract in 2 weeks time and there's a feeling that wages will be reigned in across the board. Will you be doing that?

There's a lot factors. Players have kids, mortgages and commitments and although the drop in interest rates is taking the pressure off a bit, it's still more complicated than walking in and slashing someone's wages. If you want the best performance from somebody, they have to be happy and in the right environment. His personal situation has to be right. I won't be involved in anything that will jeopardise the future of Cork City football club however I will be as ambitious as anyone who has come before me in terms of delivering results. If we have to get the best players, we will get the best players and some of the people we bring in during the off season will show you that. We're not here to sit in the back of the bus.

So does that mean you'll retain the best players that are there at the moment?

Absolutely. Based on their performances over the last few weeks why wouldn't I sit down and thrash it all out with them. I met them after the Pats game and they all know where my heart is on this. We'll sort it all out.

70% of the squad are out of contract in 2 weeks and are worried. Will you be sorting their contracts out soon?

Absolutely, we went for a chat in Kenmare when I came in first and the most important thing to the lads was security. I just didn't want to distract from the Cup final and in fairness Alan Mathews is magnificent so I'll sit down with Alan first and he'll tell me who he wants to keep so we'll do that first. We'll thrash it out and then he'll go away and do his business, it's Alan's football team he's my hero as far as getting the thing done.

[bumble]

So Alan Mathews is definitely part of your plans?

Absolutely, he's been fantastic through the process. I've tick-tacking with him for the last couple of weeks. He comes from a financial background too so he knows bills need to be paid and we are setting the ground rules. We've a great working relationship and I hope that continues.

The wage bill at the moment is in around €30k per week. Is that sustainable going forward?

There are figures being bandied about all the time and fellas are then trying to subtract and divide and work out how much is left for them. It's not going to be like that. Getting back to the Kick Start programme and the coaching, there are other streams of revenue that the players will get wages from apart from just the Cork City thing. If you look at the GAA and the rugby, they've always found a way of paying their best players. It may not all come from the football club, it'll come from associated stuff that the club will be doing so that's why I can't give you a figure.

That's a similar set-up to what Arsenal apply to their women's football team. They employ all the girls as coaches and in admin and PR etc….

Exactly, why be giving it to anybody else. It will give lads a skill they can use after football and makes their wage look more reasonable.

How much work will you have to do to increase attendances at City games?

PR of football in this country is a disaster and we'll have to work hard on that. But I want families coming to the Cross. In today's environment with so much marital breakdown, being a Dad myself, I think going to a football match is a great bonding session. It's therapeutic and can give people a release from the harsh realities of life. We're looking at appointing a Family Liaison Officer and next season we're giving each primary school in Cork 20 season tickets to bring kids along each week. And we'll get a couple of grand from local business people to sponsor them.

Have you a figure in your head as to how much it will cost you to run the club next season?


Yes, I've a commitment made myself as to how much I want to put into it but I don't want to get bogged down in it. I think there's too much talk about money in soccer.

But if you look at the state of the eircom league, it has to be a pertinent issue don't you think?

But if you keep focusing on it, you won't solve it. Rugby and GAA don't talk about it.

What else are you planning?

We'll be setting up a women's football team too, I want the club to be all inclusive and we're relocating the Cork City club shop to a larger premises on Sullivan's Quay in the next two weeks. We're also doing a distribution agreement whereby all sports retailers can sell our jerseys. We're not a retailer, we'll give it to people who know about retailing, we'll be just more of a marketing set-up and we'll be teaming up with 'SHE Therapies' on the quays for that.

We also need a better scouting system, I mean a 15 year old kid went off to Sunderland last week. We shouldn't be letting that happen. We should be encouraging them to stay here and finish their education but have a good enough set-up so that they can compete at a decent level. That's why European football is so important. There's a fantastic opportunity in Ireland to play European football. Unless you're in the top 6 in England you haven't a chance of European football. We have that chance and need to make the most of it. With a fraction of the cost, we can have access to that level of football.

What's your priority right now?

The No.1 priority is to the get the on the pitch sorted. To get the manager, his back room team and the squad all boxed off, hopefully by the end of the month and then I'll look at season ticket sales. The lads can go on holidays then and we'll talk to them after Christmas about pre-season and that. I'm looking forward to it all.

[Jim Comic]

Also Coughlan has been quiet since taking over, he's just got on with his job unlike the previous owners who were talking about building stadiums and totally unrealistic shit. He knows what he's doing and i hope he'll do well for City.

big piece in the echo last night where he hinted about building a new stadium, gym, incorporating a hotel, etc

gotta say i'm a tad worried, the whole chelsea village project was the reason bates had to sell up to abramavich as it didn't work the way he thought it would

the failed bishopstown project proved turners cross is the place for cork city f.c. to be.

[markinmanc]

big piece in the echo last night where he hinted about building a new stadium, gym, incorporating a hotel, etc

gotta say i'm a tad worried, the whole chelsea village project was the reason bates had to sell up to abramavich as it didn't work the way he thought it would

the failed bishopstown project proved turners cross is the place for cork city f.c. to be.

Always look on the bright side, eh? If he was saying how the club would be forever tenants, he'd be rightly accused of lacking ambition.

He seems to have some good ideas. A half decently funded women's teams could create a lot of interest and publicity for the club.

If only City, the IRFU and the GAA would act together to build a decent (multisport) medium sized stadium in the city.

[Jim Comic]

Always look on the bright side, eh? If he was saying how the club would be forever tenants, he'd be rightly accused of lacking ambition.


there's no point building a huge stadium if it's only quarter full half the time and used maybe once every 2 weeks for 8 months of the year, unless other codes are to be tenants too though that might ruin the pitch

[Alan Smith]

there's no point building a huge stadium if it's only quarter full half the time and used maybe once every 2 weeks for 8 months of the year, unless other codes are to be tenants too though that might ruin the pitch

Concerts anyway I'd imagine.

Can't see it happening for a long while to come though and a timeline of 5 years is a bit opporunistic.

[Echoboy]

Fair play he is saying all the right things but let there be no mistake, FORAS is the most viable future for the club. It will be whatever football fans in Cork are able to accomplish. It will reflect exactly what the football community in Cork want it to be.

[markinmanc]

there's no point building a huge stadium if it's only quarter full half the time and used maybe once every 2 weeks for 8 months of the year, unless other codes are to be tenants too though that might ruin the pitch



Concerts anyway I'd imagine.

Can't see it happening for a long while to come though and a timeline of 5 years is a bit opporunistic.

Cork could do with a mutlipurpose venue, one that would hold 10-15,000 - decent ground staff would sort out a pitch.

There's a poverty of ambition around Cork that's astonishing at times.

This is the kind of thing I mean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelredome

Fair play he is saying all the right things but let there be no mistake, FORAS is the most viable future for the club. It will be whatever football fans in Cork are able to accomplish. It will reflect exactly what the football community in Cork want it to be.


I wish FORAS all the best!

[Poison]

Anybody here the latest news on Tom..

Well it seems he has started spoofing already.He told the supporters club members and other City fans last night in the Telecom club that Mathews had signed a new 2 year deal.Mathews denied this today on Redfm.

What sort of a carry on is that?

I have read his interview and i think he is a pure chancer.

[markinmanc]

Anybody here the latest news on Tom..

Well it seems he has started spoofing already.He told the supporters club members and other City fans last night in the Telecom club that Mathews had signed a new 2 year deal.Mathews denied this today on Redfm.

What sort of a carry on is that?

I have read his interview and i think he is a pure chancer.


You're a Waterford fan aren't you - or even worse, from Youghal.

[Poison]

You're a Waterford fan aren't you - or even worse, from Youghal.

Nah Mark.Just not a fool like you and many other City fans that believe every ejit that promises a new stadium.Now where have we heard that before?

But do you know how these chancers just keep getting back to Cork City FC.Ejits like you defending them until it is to late.;)

[Pontipine]

What do you make of him?

I am not sure this guy is right for the club at all.

According to some of his comments we will lose most of our best players next season.Great start there Tom.

Bumpy Bumpy....

[Jim Comic]

I'd never heard of Tom coughlan before he got involved with ccfc.... And I sincerely hope I never hear of him again now he's left ccfc

[Pontipine]

A lot of people would have known him as he was once a PD politician.

If you google it you will be able to get information on how that went belly up.

Anyway hopefully he signs the deal and dissapears.