Dark clouds of uncertainty have been hovering over Cork City Football Club for a couple of years now. While most onlookers would be of the view that this depression has been brought about by the clubs inability to behave in an orderly manner with its creditors, the reality is somewhat different.
Money has not been the root of all the recent evils at Cork City FC. No! It is leadership, or, to be more precise, the distinct lack of leadership, that has been at the very heart of this most unwelcome situation.
I am not altogether sure what it is that can so completely convince a certain type of individual that he is a leader of men when it is patently obvious that he is not. What in blue blazes is it about some men that they possess the magical quality to lead others to the 'Promised Land', when the reality is that they simply go round and round in ever decreasing circles?
Is it simple naivety? Is it ego? Whatever it is that finds its way into the heads of such misguided individuals, it sets in place an unrestrictive set of circumstances that are extraordinarily capable of creating confusion and devastation and ultimately chaos.
Even if Cork City are led out of this week's wilderness by the miraculous appearance of €200,000 it will alter little, simply because we all know and accept that another crisis will be waiting around the next corner.
Another unfortunate set of circumstances will prevail that will further underline the inefficiency not of the club, but of some the individuals who have attached themselves to it since 2007, and there have been quite a few.
Most of the public attention this week has been focused on the financial tribulations attached to the football club. While I accept that the essentially job of a journalist is to report facts I would have liked to have heard some more enlightened offerings on the cause or causes of the tribulations rather than just the effects.
Many journalists appeared, like rabbits in headlights, fixated with the glare of the adverse financial occurrence, rather than seeking the truth, the very simply truth, that lies beyond the initial glare. I did admire though, Tony O’Donoghue’s determination to get behind the story. Tony's reporting style is reflective of the way he plays football, he never lets the opponent settle on the ball.
In 2007 Brian Lennox sold Cork City to the Arkaga Group because he did not possess the financial clout to take the club to the next level. I experienced a personal difficulty as manager of Cork City when I was told in December 2005 that there was no possibility of Brian investing further in the team that had just won the eircom League of Ireland title.
I had assured him that even a reasonable investment in that team would produce golden returns. Even the contentious loss of Kevin Doyle and Shane Long to Reading had not been allowed to obstruct the progression of a team that had enormous potential.
I must admit here and now that despite this personal setback I still retained a great respect for Brian Lennox. He had employed me, giving me a free hand in all football matters and ritually kept me informed with all that was going on in all areas of the club while at the same time, because he is a worrier by nature, always being on tenterhooks.
Because I was always sure that his intentions were completely focused on what was best for the football club I could concentrate on my job without having to become part of the political game that goes on in the background of the majority of sports clubs in Ireland. My previous tenure as manager of Cork City FC had been brought to a premature end on account of my refusal to participate in the childish games that are all too often part and parcel of Irish sport.
This spirit of cooperation that pervaded the club meant it was an especially enjoyable environment in which to work. The Rebel Army bought into this and a great sense of rapport and expectation grew between players and supporters. The small army of volunteers that worked in Turner's Cross on match days reflected totally the wonderful feeling of camaraderie that is an absolute essential aspect of any successful sports club. The common factor here was of course experience, experience of running a top professional football club.
However, when the club was taken over by the Arkaga Group this experience was cast to the wind. There was some confusion almost from the word go as, in quick succession, several different people appeared to represent the group culminating in one Aidan Tynan being eventually handed control of the day to day running of club affairs.
The lack of understanding of what the club stood for and the resulting alterations to the tried and trusted methods of running the club combined to dramatically change the personality of the club in an amazingly short period of time. Much of what the club stood for was jettisoned, salaries increased dramatically and bizarre bonus schemes increased the sense of surrealism and pretty soon the club was forced into administration.
With the future of the club in serious doubt Tom Coughlan came galloping over the horizon. Like many other people I was very happy when Tom saved the club and like sports people all over the island of Ireland I looked forward to the regeneration of Cork City.
Unfortunately, Tom Coughlan, no matter how well intentioned he was, lacked the experience and expertise necessary to run one of the countries top professional clubs. I was surprised he did not bring knowledgeable people into the club to guide him through the quagmire that was Cork City at that time.
Aidan Tynan and Tom Coughlan have demonstrated the profound difficulty in becoming a leader of any significance when one has little or no experience of the field one is operating in. In such a situation it is eminently sensible to use someone else's knowledge and experience to see you through the difficult period of acclimatisation.
The increasing difficulties experienced by Tom, culminating in the possible closure of the club, highlights the one indispensable and irrefutable aspect of professional football management, which is that nothing of positive consequence ever happens by accident.
To obtain success the progressions along the way must be based on coordinated and consistent planning. The implementation of such a process demands good leadership as a priority and without this essential factor a club becomes nothing more than a collection of individuals.
Under the circumstances it has to be accepted that the team has done well to be in third spot. Team captain Dan Murray epitomises perfectly the tremendous integrity associated with all the clubs professional footballers. Under normal conditions, I expected the team, made up as it is of an experienced manager and talented players, to challenge all the way for the League title. However, survival has now become the immediate priority and it is the team that has become the best illustration of the present difficulties attached to Cork City.
It is impossible to have a successful team, or commercial department for that matter, if there is a lack of experienced and vibrant leadership at the club. The motivation that emanates from strong leadership is the thread that binds the collection of individuals on and off the pitch, into a unit of consequence.
Everybody buys into this and especially so the players and supporters. To me this is the tragedy of the past two years and the cause of the current situation that grips the club. The financial state of affairs, so central to media attention, is merely another effect of this.
Finally to finish on a positive note, my congratulations to St Patrick’s Athletic for their magnificent second-half performance on Thursday evening, which led to their momentous victory over Krylya Sovetov.
It was especially pleasing to hear the Pat's supporters rediscover their passion as they literally roared their team through the nail biting latter stages of the game.
Derry City also deserve enormous credit for a very commendable display in Sofia. While both Irish clubs still have demanding second legs to come the immense sense of pride generated by these two performances is a timely reminder of the quality that resides in the League of Ireland.
