written by Alan Bradshaw
(a Shels fan and regular contributer to their supporters' club site called Shelsweb)
Date: 10-01-02
After much thinking I have changed my mind and I think that Shelbourne should now accept the FAI ruling. It is not right that a club should be deducted as many as nine points for something so technical and abstract as what Pats did, or rather failed to do. The whole argument is undermining the league and I for one, do not want to see Shels winning the league by default.
We have had enough internecine warfare over the past few years with Pats and I for one am tired of it. Football is not about directors having rows, abstaining from meetings and washing our dirty laundary across the tabloids. Everybody is losing.
I think the best response from Shels is to announce that in the interest of the league, they are willing to accept the judgement however they wish to express their discontentment with the way in which the situation has been managed and suggest that there should be an inquiry into the rule structure of the league and, if necessary (which it clearly is) there should be an overhaul of the rules.
Yes rules are rules but football is also football.
And talk of withdrawing from the league is madness, it would be madness for Shels to do this and it would set back the league decades and nobody further back then Shels. If we are too big and professional for this league then we should be able to prove it in Europe. We haven't yet done this so let us withold this ego until we have actually succeeded, on the pitch. May I also remind Shelbourne fans that for all this talk of us being the biggest club in Ireland, we have only won the league twice in the past ten years, or if you prefer since 1962.
Besides, wouldn't it be nice to get some positive PR for once?
Well that's the view of a real Shels fan, Alan Bradshaw and I'm sure everybody who has the best interests of football at heart will agree with Alan's comments, all fans of every club are now appealing for Ollie Byrne to drop his threat of further legal action on the Marney ruling. Will he hear the call of his own fans? For the good of the league, let's hope he does.
