Remember Wimbledon for Dublin? Remember those heady days when the then Premiership club was touting itself around like a Galway hooker?
At the time, owner Sam Hamman was over and back to Ireland on a regular basis meeting the movers and shakers he thought would help bring his club to the next level.
Joe Kinnear was manager of the over-achieving ‘Crazy Gang’ and his mate Eamon Dunphy was a central figure, the ‘go to’ guy.
Property developer Owen O’Callaghan was approached (as the recent tribunals have reminded us) and U2 manager Paul McGuinness famously said that Dublin was an audience without a team and Wimbledon was a team without an audience. In other words a perfect fit.
Remember at the time and historically Wimbledon had, sometimes literally, punched above their weight.
FA Cup winners in 1988 when Lawrie Sanchez scored the goal that sank Liverpool at Wembley the Dons continued to produce extraordinary results. Under Kinnear they finished sixth in the top flight and in 1997 reached the semi finals of the F.A. Cup and the League Cup.
Wide boy Vinnie Jones became the symbolic image of the club…’no one likes us, we don’t care’… but over the years they produced plenty of decent, capable, effective players like Dennis Wise, John Scales, Robbie Earle, Warren Barton and John Hartson, all of whom went on to bigger - though not necessarily - better things.
Wimbledon’s attempt to surf the wave of Premiership popularity, especially in Ireland, came to an unhappy end. The whole issue was extremely divisive and polarised public opinion.
Many in Ireland could see the logic. This was Celtic Tiger Ireland, who wouldn’t want to be here?
Irish people loved the big ticket events, the sense of occasion not to mention the revenue a rugby international or a big concert could bring to the capital.
Who wouldn’t want to see an “Oirish” Premiership team play host every second week to Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Spurs?
The move was shot down eventually, mainly because of stadium issues, but despite the potential damage to the domestic game the prospect was gazed upon wistfully by some people involved at the highest level in Irish soccer.
I’m reminded of those Wimbledon days on a week of mixed fortunes for Irish sides in Europe and at a time when the game here could be said to be in crisis, again.
Proposals for an all island, All-Ireland League have been circulated and Fintan Drury’s Platinum One plans are the latest attempt to think outside the box and save Irish soccer.
Interestingly, at the FAI AGM in Castlebar chief executive John Delaney said that he personally was in favour of an All-Ireland league but that it required the backing of both associations and that support was not forthcoming, for the moment at least.
The AGM confirmed one thing though, Lansdowne Road will go ahead and the FAI will stump up their share of the cash.
The importance of the stadium cannot be underestimated.
Going forward the Dublin 4 venue will be the financial engine that drives the association and all the work done to develop and foster football in this country.
So, apart from the rugby and soccer internationals, and the occasional UEFA Cup final, who’s going to use the stadium? Ideally Lansdowne Road should have an anchor tenant, or one each from both codes.
Drogheda got a decent crowd for their Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev, although the attendance was swelled by the presence of home based Ukranians. Spartak Moscow may not be as attractive a proposition were the Boynesiders to advance to the next round.
Saint Patrick’s Athletic reduced their admission prices for their game against JFK Olimps from Latvia but although the crowd was colourful, enthusiastic and satisfied with the progress of the Inchicore outfit was I alone in thinking there would be a much bigger audience for such an important fixture that wasn’t live on the telly?
Pat’s have drawn Elfsborg in the next round and you would hope they have a decent chance of advancing to the first round proper and maybe even the group stages? If that were to happen, and much as I love the atmospheric Inchicore, Richmond Park simply wouldn’t be suitable.
The next step for Irish soccer is to make it to the group stages of either the Champions League, or more likely the UEFA Cup, and until that happens its hard to see where progress can be made.
The potential soccer audience is fractured by sectional, local self interest. Sadly not many neutrals turned up for the European ties this week and what chance do we have when the players with undoubted talent and European pedigree are scattered among the clubs.
Drogheda, in particular, stepped up to the plate this week against a Kiev side that had just spent almost €8 million on ONE player. The pace of the game was exhilarating and the Drogs were brave and well drilled.
However Ollie Cahill, who’s excelled in Europe with Shelbourne, Cork and now Drogheda, was honest enough to say afterwards that the Co Louth side rode their luck.
With what they have it’s just not going to happen is it? Munster can go out and get Doug Howlett or Jim Williams and not just compete but win the European Cup. Twice.
Were Bohemians secretly glad to get the Inter Toto cup out of the way so they could concentrate on doing what Pat Fenlon does best, winning the League of Ireland?
Imagine, without expensive imports, how a team of Barry Ryan of Pat’s in goal and a back four of Neal Horgan (Cork) Graham Gartland (Drogheda) Jamie Harris (Pat’s) and Des Byrne (Pat’s).
A midfield of Richie Baker (Drogs) Keith Fahey (Pat’s) Joe Gamble (Cork) and Ollie Cahill (Drogs) and a strike force of Dave Mooney (Cork) and Mark Quigley (Pat’s)
That starting eleven means Devine, Paisley, Murray, Healy, Kearney and Kudozovic are on the bench and if we were to include Bohemians in this experiment then it would be hard to pass Murphy, Heary, Brennan, Fenn, Byrne and Crowe.
That side would have more than a chance of progressing to the next level and when they get there maybe they’ll find the audience Paul McGuinness was talking about.
For now though, we still haven’t found what we’re looking for.
Tony O’Donoghue is Group Football Correspondent for RTÉ.
