Dundalk FC's preparations for the new season continue apace massively

These are busy times up and down the country, for League of Ireland managers. There are just five weeks to go until the start of the season. The signings and departures of players from clubs has really quickened in the past few weeks.

Former Dundalk player Sean Hoare has moved from Shamrock Rovers to Pats. It seems a big signing for Stephen Kenny and adds credence to their title favourites labelling for next season. But the wages that clubs are paying to players seems to be incredible.

Some players in the top flight are getting as much as 4,000 euro a week. Some may even be getting more. Clubs need to get beyond the group stages of a European competition to break even, if this is the wages they are paying.

In the longer term, they are not doing themselves any favours as the bills will eventually mount up. Dundalk knows this only too well.

I have no idea what the wage bill was like at Oriel. But what I do know is that success brought a huge rise in the cost of running the club.

That's not to say that success will put a club to the point of going out of business. However if a team tastes success as Dundalk has done, the costs must be managed to an appropriate level. I am not saying Dundalk did not do that.

But many of our clubs can waste money unnecessarily. Shelbourne, Bohemians, Drogheda and Dundalk are all examples of how success can eventually bring about a downfall from the top perch of football.

Shelbourne had good success in Europe. Sadly they ended back in Division One after that. Bohemians had good success in Europe.

They were not relegated. But financially they did go through a very lean period following their European success.

Drogheda had success domestically and in Europe under Paul Doolin. They too tasted relegation. Dundalk were possibly the most successful in Europe. In the end, they too were relegated. As we all know they also very nearly went out of business.

The bonuses that have been speculated about that Dundalk players got post some European games were beyond credulity. Turning to Dundalk, of course, I enjoyed all the successes Stephen Kenny had in Europe.

But there was always a grave worry in my mind that in the longer term, the costs would outweigh the revenue and that at some stage the club would be burned financially just as the other clubs above were by their European success.

The number of times the ownership of Dundalk changed hands also played its part in eventual instability at the club financially.

Dundalk are now starting fresh with new owners and a new manager. They will also be a new team. They must start again. But I really think they can get things right.

The owners had a new manager in the bag, even before they knew whether they would still be in existence as they awaited word on the licence.

They got the licence and after that new manager Ciaran Kilduff has been so busy talking to players and building up his squad.

The new Dundalk boss has a great personality and has linked up well with supporters and anybody belonging to the club he has been in contact with. He will be the first Dundalk manager in decades who will have to operate on a strict budget.

This is of course as a result of the mess the club has been in financially over the past three seasons. The new owners rightly made the decision for the club to go part-time again. There was no other choice.

Ciaran Kilduff is full-time. He has to be. He is working twenty-four-seven to get things ready for the new season.

It's the first time in years that Dundalk have been able to begin assembling a squad properly before Christmas.

The signing of Norman Garbett on Christmas day brought to fifteen the number of players that are in the new squad. It is one of youth and experience. But the Dundalk boss intends to continue adding to the panel.

He accepts that his squad is still thin on the ground. He also accepts that Dundalk may be favourites to go straight back up.

He knows that this is nonsense and that his side will face a massive battle to win the division and get the automatic promotion spot.

I spoke to Ciaran in an exclusive interview for the Dundalk Democrat a couple of days into the New Year. Ciaran says that the preparations for the new season continue apace massively.

"We are finally back on the pitch. So it all becomes very real now. Obviously, we have been putting the groundwork in for the past couple of months.

"I am trying to get new players in also and hoping to hang on to the players that want to be around. We are up and running now, but it's non-stop as far as preparations go for the start of the new season.

"There has been a huge amount of work, going into the pre-season so far. Hopefully, it is going to get a bit easier.

"It takes time, especially when you have a lot of new players in the squad and a lot of new members on the coaching squad.

"Bringing in new players and adding our young players to the squad from the academy takes time. Add the new coaching staff and we have a brand new set-up.

"There is a lot of administrative work to be done especially when you are bringing in the new players. That takes time. But the most important thing to be done is the football and the training sessions.

"We have to ensure that we are ready to go for the middle of February. There has been a lot of groundwork put in as I said. But thankfully we are now back on the pitch. That to me is the most important thing.

"I am very happy at the way the squad has been developing so far. I am also delighted with the support the club has given me.

"We still have to bring in a few more players. We are a bit thin on numbers. Obviously, 19 players from last year's squad have moved on.

"It's been hard in getting the transition of new players into the squad. But I am delighted with all of the players we have signed up. We have had a couple of training sessions together.

"I am delighted where we are at, but as I said I still have a few more players to add to the squad. We have managed to put a blend of youth and experience together. That is very important.

"There is a huge opportunity for the younger players to make an impact this year. But it's my job to ensure that we have enough senior players in the dressing room as we do now. The senior players will help the younger players to gain experience along the way.

"The blend of youth and experience is probably the most important thing I get right as a manager this season.

"It's the way we are going to go this season, with a blended team mixed with youth and experience. Hopefully, this will bear fruit for us."

The manager then spoke about some of the players he has on his squad. ''Mayowa is a player who we were delighted he decided to stay. He is brilliant. He is fantastic in training and is a great man to have around the place as well.

"Mayowa is going to have a huge role to play for us as well this season. Being local, it was so important for us to keep Mayowa. I think he knows the role he has with us. He has got to be a leader for us.

"Even though he is so young, he will be able to take it all in his stride. Aodh Dervin is our vice-captain. He will play a massive role for us.

"Aodh is a massive, massive player for us. He is a natural leader. Aodh is aggressive in everything he does. He is so important to have around the place.

"Relegation last season really hurt him. This was even though he only joined the club at the end of June. He was very quick to indicate he wanted to stay. This is because he is so anxious to see the club going forward.

"He wanted to stick with us in this dark time of Dundalk being a First Division Club. He leads with his heart on his sleeve.

"There are parts of his game I look forward to helping him with. Aodh is very coachable. He is also a great player to have around the place.

"Daryl Horgan was an obvious choice as captain. He is someone that I played with here at Dundalk. He is also a player who has given so many years to the club.

"Daryl is very keen to get the good days back to the club. He is still in great shape. He has had such a fantastic career. Daryl will be a great person to have around the young lads.

"Daryl linking in with us as a staff is key. We will have an open connection with Daryl. He is very approachable and a good person to have in the dressing room.

"We are delighted with him. But we are now in the pre-season stage, it's heads down for all of us now. But I am sure that all the leaders will come to the fore.

"As far as goalkeepers are concerned I have Enda Minogue who is a very good keeper. I also have Peter Cherrie signed and young Sammy coming through. Sammy is having an excellent pre-season.

"I have Enda coming in. I obviously saw him with Athlone first-hand last season. He is a really really good goalkeeper. He played with Bohemians at a young age coming through.

"This is a huge opportunity for Enda. He is a very talented goalkeeper as are the other three keepers. I have to say I am delighted with the whole goalkeeping department at the moment.

"Sean Keogh is a very special player. He has nailed down the full-back slot in the Republic of Ireland squad. He is kicking on in his career. Sean is hungry and full of enthusiasm.

"This is half the battle. He is so young but very coachable. He really does have a high ceiling. Sean will be a great asset to the club. He has all the attributes to be a huge mainstay for Dundalk for the coming years.

"On Norman Garbett, I spoke with all players that are coming back and the majority of the ones that have moved on.

"Norman was one that I just had a conversation with. I liked what I heard. He has really different attributes that maybe we do not have upfront.

"He is a player who has raw blistering pace at times. He picked up a bad injury at the end of last season. We had to monitor that injury. He is on the way back now. Norman will be back with us in a week's time from Oriel.

"I think he is one who will relish the opportunity. Norman showed flashes last season of his capabilities and the asset he could be for the group.

"Norman is just so enthusiastic to get back on the pitch. He has a magnificent work rate and will give us such a different dimension on the pitch."

"Gbemi Arubi comes to us from Shelbourne. He comes highly commended. He went back to Waterford. But could not get a place as Padraig Amond was in such great form.

"Gbemi can play centre forward or off the right either. He is both strong and powerful. He has great power in his running.

"He is another exciting player. Add in Leo Gaxha and Dean Ebbe and others we have very exciting and attacking-minded players.

"Conor O'Keeffe comes to us from Galway. He is a brilliant player. Conor also has an A licence from a coaching perspective. He is a really good pro. He has had great experience.

"He has played four years in the First Division with Galway. Conor is a very established accomplished player. I think he really is a player that supporters will really want to get behind.

"He is as honest as the day is long and is very talented. Already you can see that Conor is a senior player in the dressing room. I am delighted with Conor as I am with all the rest of the signings.

"When you are where we are right now, I have spoken to a lot of players and Richie Towell was one of those players. There were conversations between us.

"But again, if I was to tell you all the players I have spoken to I think that it is just the emotional attachment of Richie and Dundalk that got the attention.

"When Richie last played for Dundalk he scored the winner in the cup final that year. We won the double. Richie is a very accomplished player. He has got a lot of miles left in him.

"Richie is a top player, I am on the lookout for any top players that might be attainable. So yes, were there conversations with Richie, the answer is yes.

"But as I said I could probably give you 20 more names I spoke to you that would dilute the story of me talking to Richie. Richie was somebody who I played with as well.

"I know what Richie can offer. I know his qualities. There were conversations. But look it's one of those things you get in football. Whether something happens in regards to Richie coming back to Dundalk I don't know.

"I am not sure right now if there is a possibility that Richie may be coming back. He has gone away to weigh up his options. It has to make sense for all parties.

"Right now I can not give a definite answer about Richie returning yes or no. I have had a definite conversation with Richie in the past. I left it at that. As I said we are back on the training pitch.

"But look, football moves quickly. If something happened with another player, budgets all of these things get priced into the decision-making. So I would only be lying to you if I said nay or yeah about Richie returning.

"It's one of those things that conversations were had with Richie and we have moved on from there. Whether something comes back in the coming weeks and who knows. But right now we only have the players who we have announced and are properly registered.

"On Koen Oostenbrink he is in talks with the club about moving on. It also looks like Jamie Gullan will be moving on.

"Again he is another player who was never obviously under my tenure. The reality is that I believe Jamie will be moving on as well."

I said to Ciaran that in a few week's time, Dundalk will be massive favourites to straight back up. A media friend of mine from Dublin who knows the First Division inside out told me last week that Dundalk will go straight back up.

He said that as there are no Galway or Waterford in the Division this year, Dundalk will be promoted automatically. I disagreed with the reporter and said it's always a massive effort to get out of the First Division.

I said this to Ciaran Kilduff in our interview. He said that of course, it's not going to be easy to get a promotion. The Dundalk boss says that there will be a huge expectation that Dundalk will win Division One.

He says that for his side to do this, It will take one almighty effort. "Four weeks ago we did not even have a licence. Now all of a sudden we are favourites.

"The 19 players moving on from last season, the new management team bringing in players, many of them young will all play its own part as to how we do.

"This just does not happen automatically. We are a brand new entity this season. Everything does not always happen on expectation. And in football, it certainly does not.

"I can not remember and I do not think a team or a club has ever probably ever gone through what we have gone through in the last couple of months and then turned around and had a promotion favourites tag placed on them.

"We have been made favourites by the national media of course because we are Dundalk. We are a massive club. When you look at the history we have had in the last ten years I understand the favourites tag.

"I understand it. I am not trying to get away from it. I think that with the players we have, we will not be far away from promotion.

"But people have got to remember that we are going to have a brand new team. We stripped it back and won't be training in the mornings anymore.

"We are training in the evenings. We are going to have numerous new players, numerous new staff and it's a rebuild right now. Whether we can get promotion I just do not know. I really hope so. The plan is of course to get promotion as quickly as we can.

"But remember there are other teams in this division who are signing and recruiting very well. You look at a new manager in Wexford, new investment in Cobh and Kerry. You look at the players that Athlone are bringing in.

"UCD were second last year and will have Ronan Finn leading a very talented group. There are plenty of really good teams around this Division. We are just one of them.

"I am quite happy to have the favourites tag because it means we are doing something right. But I also think it's right where we are coming from. The amount of changes that have taken place will take time to bed in.

"It's only noise at the moment. When the first football is kicked, we will assess what we have on the pitch. There will be a lot of moving parts. It is such a drastic change for not just the players.

"It will also be the same for the supporters. We are now a First Division club. We will be going down to different grounds where we have never been before. There will be so many new destinations for us to visit. It's just a reality check to where we are.

"The tag of favourites, not favourites does not matter to me. We are giving it our all every day. We will be trying to get back up as quickly as we can. I have not overthought the tag favourites as nobody knows that until the season is up and running.

"We are such a new entity and even you are there asking questions on the new incoming players that you are not 100 percent familiar with. But I am.

"I know what they are capable of and I am just hoping that it all comes out on the pitch that we are a really good team and that the supporters in town can be proud of.

"I do not have any worries about the pitch at Oriel. The reality is that we have to cut our cloth to measure. The pitch is what we have. The pitch is fine. I have not really given it much thought.

"Of course, if we start getting injuries as a direct result of it then it is hard to say it is. If you look at the First Division this season half of our games will be on astro surfaces because half of our games are at home.

"But teams like Cobh Ramblers, Kerry, Athlone, and Bray all play on astro pitches. In fact, the majority of the pitches in the Division are astro. Our pitch has been deemed well enough to play on. So we just get on with it.

"In the meeting with the supporters before Christmas, I thought it was good. I am not going to sugarcoat anything with the supporters.

"I will be as straight as I can be. John Temple has been the same. Since he came in he has told the supporters just as it is.

"It has been straight-talking. There is a lot of hard work going on here. Yesterday you were trying to get me to do this interview. But there is a lot going on behind the scenes, there were just meetings and then training to do on the pitch.

"For me, as manager, I will be bringing all the skills I have to the table to make the team a success. And I will be bringing all my European successes with me to help the younger players."

Ciaran has played 17 games in European competition. He has reached the group stages of the Europa League twice. Once was with Shamrock Rovers. The other was with Dundalk.''

''We have two pre-season games with Shelbourne arranged. We also have the Malone Cup game with Drogheda on the last Friday in January at Oriel. We have two behind-closed-doors games arranged.

"We are playing the Irish Under 19s in a game. Then we are also pencilling in the Leinster Senior Cup games as well. As to the remaining number of players I will bring in depends on a number of factors.

"It will depend on how I feel players are doing and also who becomes available for us. I would not like to put a number on it as it could change drastically either way. I know we will have more players coming in anyway. I just don't know how many there will be yet.

"My choice of player to come in will be methodical. I will not just bring in a player because they become available. But one thing is for sure. There will be more players coming in, yes."

The Irish Sun newspaper has reported that Robbie Benson is looking for "one more taste of success in the Premier Division". He has never been in the situation he is in now, where he is not signed by another club at this stage in January.

Robbie is still only thirty-two. He believes that he still has plenty to offer a club in the Premier Division. He only missed six of Dundalk's games last season.

Robbie told the Sun that that uncertainty and change, not only in football can be a little bit daunting. But that is where he finds himself now.

He says it's just a different experience because he has been fortunate for the majority of his career to know what he was doing the following season.

He says it's the first time he has been in this situation since he left UCD nine years ago. He says he has a couple of things in the works but that nothing has been signed for definite. Robbie says that wherever he goes he will be looking to prove himself. He says he is hungry to compete.

Robbie told the Sun that he is just looking for one more taste of success before the end of his career. He also says he hopes to be at a club where their ambition matches his.

I was hoping Robbie might stay at Oriel. But who can blame him for moving on? He deserves to play in the Premier Division. He is a quality player.

Ciaran Kilduff gave a good insight as to what Dundalk are facing in the First Division next season. He is right. I just looked at what his old club is doing.

Athlone Town have so far brought in eleven new players. All of them are experienced. They are at the right age to cause any team a problem.

Judging by the quality they have signed, I think they will be very much there or thereabouts next season challenging to win the Division One title.

Social media was rife with speculation this week that Oriel Park was to be put up for sale. The rumours which I have no doubt are without foundation, brought it home to me at how important it is for the club's future to have the council to purchase it.

Dalymount Park and Tallaght Stadium have been both bought by their own local authorities. Why can't Louth County Council do the same for Oriel Park? It will ensure the future of the club is guaranteed.

They could also redevelop the stadium as a community facility. This is what has been done for Tallaght Stadium and what is being done for Bohemians.

I would be wary of Dundalk buying the ground under future owners. Who knows a future regime in charge of the club could just sell off Oriel to a developer. It would put the club in a dire situation.

It happened to Shamrock Rovers stadium Glenmalure Park in the 1980s. Rovers were left without a stadium for around forty years until Tallaght Stadium was developed.

Dundalk have Oriel Park on a long-term lease. Even if it was sold off I can not see any new owner being able to do anything about the ground as far as Dundalk are concerned. And no local authority is ever going to rezone Oriel from recreation to building development.

I would just like the council to buy the stadium and with the help of government funding develop the ground into a top-class stadium. I do not believe the rumours that Oriel is for sale.

But we must be on our guard and insist that the local authority buy it to guarantee the long-term future of the club and provide the people of the area with a much-needed community facility.

Bohs have had Dalymount bought by their local authority. On top of that, they have been given 27 million euro to develop it. I say why not Dundalk. 

Have a safe week. Be careful out there. And please remember to be careful out there.