Every football club possesses a unique personality.
While we all understand the obvious attributes that pertain to particular clubs, the more indigenous qualities are usually less pronounced and are more often than not based on something quite intangible.
It is something that emanates internally rather than externally, not necessarily something you can see, something that, while it does exists in the real world, its origins emanate from a world within the individual.
In essence a football club is an organisation based on emotion, fuelled by dreams but always subject to the harsh reality of life around it.
The very essence of football dictates that the child in each one of us embarks on a journey of self-exploration, initially sparked by a fascination, a love, for the game itself.
This love is forever at the core of all the involvement one has with the game of football.
Invariably it lasts a lifetime and, even though one may stray away from individual involvement for a period of time, the fascination remains strong and durable, and in the vast majority of cases, very personal.
I cannot stress how personal this fascination may become. I know hundreds, probably thousands, of individuals who love their football club with enormous intensity.
Whether the club is local, national or international in its qualities, the fervour it induces goes way beyond common sense.
At times it enters the realm of fantasy and while fervour will rarely ever be taken for granted, it is nonetheless willing to meander with us along the road of mediocrity knowing that at some time or other, one of two eventualities will occur.
Success or crisis will come the clubs way. Success sees fervour reach to the sky in acclamation while crisis reaches despair deep into the heart of all concerned.
Cork City is such a club. Although only in existence since 1984, City has captured the imagination and the minds of thousands of people. The short history of Cork City reflects the society that surrounds it. Pride and passion are qualities stipulated by the Rebel people. Success is demanded and it should be garnished with expected flair and elegance.
In return, respect, esteem and even reverence are bestowed on the performer.
I witnessed the passion of the Cork City supporters in Turner’s Cross last Friday against Bohemians. Three thousand turned up to support their team, an impressive number of people when one considers the calamitous goings-on of recent weeks.
However, I also felt the frustration of the same supporters, as they finally appeared to have lost patience with the club’s owner. It was just not the banners and the singing that emphasised the disconnection many fans now have with their club.
It was the fury in the voice and the disgust in the eye that offered the complete conviction that this regime has reached its final destination. It is now time for change.
I have already put on record my gratification that Tom Coughlin stepped in to save the club when few, if any others, were of similar mind. Wishing him well, I wanted him to take the club from the very point of decay that the previous administration had hoisted onto the club, and raise it, albeit slowly, to a more acceptable level where mutual respect and common decency between all those involved reigned once again. I cannot emphasise this particular aspect enough.
But you cannot receive respect if you do not show it for others. What the players and supporters of Cork City have been exposed to in recent times is anything but respect, indeed they have been subjected to a great disrespect.
That the players and supporters have retained their dignity and represented their club with enormous pride during these days of profound confusion says much for the character that remains attached to the football club.
I can understand the financial problems attached to Cork City. I can entirely appreciate the difficulty Tom Coughlan has in balancing the financial affairs of the club.
However, I cannot condone the lack of information and respect afforded those who have proven again and again their love for the club. There is no plan or willingness to demonstrate a progressive way forward.
Everything appears to be left until the very last moment and the consequence of this is that the patience of the players and the supporters has finally given way and has been replaced by a deeply rooted dissatisfaction which has now reached a level of cynicism that is potentially ultra destructive.
I watched City obtain a brilliant win over the league leaders Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday evening.
This was a performance that left the 5000 Rovers supporters in no doubt that, despite all the internal difficulties, this football club from the banks of the Lee is still a force to be reckoned with.
The laughter and ridicule that has been poured in the direction of all connected with CCFC over the past months with television pictures showing players being refused entry to the team bus and rushing to banks to check if salary payments had been made, was lessened to a great extent by a show of free flowing football and commitment to the cause that made my heart swell with appreciation.
In many ways it reflected the trials and tribulations Shamrock Rovers players and supporters have experienced since the demise of Milltown.
And in my mind there was a reassuring irony in the fact that this revitalized display from City, this hint of better days to come, occurred at the dazzling new home of The Hoops.
Cork captain Dan Murray has impressed people all around the country with his leadership qualities throughout this crazy period. Like his fellow players and supporters, Murray has handled himself with distinction and dignity and many Rovers fans and members of the media on Tuesday spoke highly of the way he represents his club on and off-the-park.
It is in moments of danger that character shows its true qualities and Murray and his fellow players deserve great commendation for their courage and their conviction.
It is time for chairman Coughlan to come clean or depart.
He must, with great immediacy disclose his plans for the future of Cork City FC and instil confidence in all with imaginative and progressive planning.
He must be able to wipe the slate clean and reintroduce integrity into the club.
Any failure, or delay, to implement a strategy of consequence must be faced up to honestly and the honour of the club should be of paramount importance.
These are the only two options left available for Cork. One of them must be put into practise post haste.
