Season 2001-2002

21/03 3 Points Deducted
This week after an objection by Dublin City, about the registration of Noel Hunt, Waterford United were deducted 3 points. They said that Hunt was not properly registered for the match as his Loan spell had to be reviewed monthly. Does this mean that Waterford United should have re-registered him just before the game in Whitehall? We are none the clearer as to when we registered him first and also he returned to Rovers to play a League Cup match against Longford and because of this should he have been signed again. Whatever teh outcome I am just delighted that these 3 points don't matter to us. Imagine if we were now top of the table and looking at gaining second place and for this bombshell to be dropped on us. The whole position of League registration must now come into question after the Marney affair, now Hunt and Livingston from St. Pats. Is anyone able to do paperwork within the league.

16/01 Encouragement
With only eight games remaining in the league campaign, the blues have signed Kelvin Flanagan and Alan Myler, as well as securing the services of Colin O'Brien and Noel Hunt until the end of the season. Along with this we have appointed former Blues legend Jimmy McGeough as manager until the end of the season. Everyone assoicated with Waterford United can look forward to the rest of the season and feel that maybe this is our year. We came so close last season it would be devastating for the players and fans if we couldn't at least secure the playoff spot this term. We have the players to win this division but with every game a cup final from here on in its up to the players to perform at their best week in week out. We need a big push and lots of support in the RSC. This season the dream could become reality and finally we may be able to build for the future we all want.

22/08 Disapointed
Last nights defeat in Limerick (along with Bray Wanderers match Tommy Lynch era), was one of the most embarrassing nights I had watching Waterford United. Last season we had the meanest defence in the league and this year we have already conceeded 10 goals in three games. The goalkeeper and defenders are the same, midfield we have David Moore who looked in pre season to he better than Kirby for defending and working back, up front we have Ian Barry instead of Aaron Moroney who is a better player. So from losing one player we have turned into a struggling outfit. I do not believe that this is the case, but we have to stop the rot or this will be a long hard season. When you hear the fans shouting during the first half of the match to change the system to 4-4-2 things need to be looked at quickly. When PP has gone 4-4-2 we look solid and treatening, this was the case in Drogheda when we scraped a draw and in Limerick before Frosty got sent off, early in the second half.

18/08 PP Team Selection
After this poor display, PP has to look at the formation he is playing, and also where he plays every player. How in pre-season friendlies you play 4-4-2 and do well then change to 5-3-2 in league matches and your team looks totally out of shape and conceed 6 goals in two games. We have the same defence as last season and suddenly they cannot mark or defend against average strikers. Frosty and O'Brien are defenders not wing backs. David Whittle is a centre half who fights for every ball like Big Brendan can they play together? Breen has to rule not be overshadowed by Rea. David Moore is a right sided player not left.

10/07 Delaney FAI Treasurer
With the withdrawl of John's only opponent in a race to the Treasurer's position in the FAI, Delaney will be instated into his new role on Saturday in Cork at the FAI AGM. While this is great news for John and his family as his father Joe previously held this position, it leaves Waterford United with only one director Gerry O'Brien, as John has to cut all ties with the Blues. This must now mean Gerry has to go out and beg business men to get involved with the club. Who can we attract? More importantly what can they offer? Things were tight last season but now the club and its supporters have to dig deep.

17/06 FINNEGAN GONE.
With the departure of two key players Alan Kirby and Alan Reynolds last week, we now hear that Chairman Michael Finnegan has resigned from the Board of Directors. Where does this leave the Blues, as John Delaney is favourite to land the Treasurers role of the FAI and would then have to resign his position on the Board, as you cnnot hold a officers role and a position within a Nationl League Club. This leaves Gerry O'Brien as the only director to run the club. Surely now we have to round up the directors, who left the club two years ago and get down on bended knee to ask them back. Otherwise is it the end of Waterford United in the National League? In Waterford we always find ourselves in difficult suituations and this season even though it has not yet started problems are arising again.

Season 2000-2001

15/05 DISAPPOINTMENT IN ATHLONE
After a long hard season we travelled to St. Mels Park in search of three points to sneak into a playoff spot. After a thrilling 90 minutes and a no score draw, the faces of the players and supporters summed up our season, so near but yet so far away. On the way up I asked the driver to turn on WLRfm to hear lets talk sport which was the wrong decision to make (not the first one I made this year). PP came on live and said to our disgust that he didn't want to be promoted. A fifty three seater bus with Blues fans abroad hoping to play the big boys next year in the premier division and 5 hours before kick off our manager said he didn't want to win. The gasps of shock from supporters was bad but the bus driver just laughed saying "why are you going lads?" PP is our manager but surely this was not the right thing to say in the situation. With 80 minutes gone in the game, I looked across at PP standing shouting and urging his troops on as if his life depended on it. So why say these things and act totally different? The public's impression was taken from the radio and only three hundred blues fans saw the real PP. PP next season please think of others who paid hundreds of pounds supporting you during the season. An average away trip will cost you £60.00 and to hear you say I don't want to win is really hard to take.

8/04 PROMOTION STILL A POSSIBILITY ?
After this weekends results and the blues win in John Hyland Park the we are now just three points off the top of the table. I know every team around us has games in hand but we still have to play Dundalk, Sligo Rovers and Athlone Town in the final weeks of the season. Questions still has to be asked Are we good enough to go up? Have we the money to go up? Can we improve our squad? Does the manger want us to go up? I think that you'd agree serious questions for a team in fourth place. Tubby says "WE MUST GO UP" Only one team down next season. Bigger matches bigger gates. Find out if players we have are good enough. The better the surface the better we play (Belfield our best performance). We competed against UCD, St Pats and Cork City so far this season and even though these games were cup matches and its hard to perform week in week out at that level why not try. 5 matches left, 4 wins needed.

10/02 UNABLE TO RAISE THE GAME
Again the old problem raised its wicked head on Saturday night in Whitehall as the Blues played to the level of the opposition. There is no doubt that our team is far better than Home Farm, but we were unable to dictate the pace of the game. Last week we played UCD off the pitch in Belfield and then six days latter only a few miles up the road we put in possibly the worst performance of the season. We had four changes in personnel but in games like this we expect our experienced players to "roll up their sleeves" and work hard for victory. This unfortunately did not happen. A comment which I cannot take credit for summed up the blues "if only we could play AC Milan we could see how good we really are." Why Oh Why do we fall to level of the opposition? Results this season show this Limerick, St. Francis, Home Farm Fingal are the weakest links in this Division and if we cannot beat them consistently we will be a first Division team for some years to come.

8/2 LEAGUE MATCHES THICK AND FAST
The Blues must play three league matches within a week Home Farm (away), Athlone Town (home) and Cobh Ramblers (home). After these three games the Blues fans will surely know if we can hold on to 3rd position in the league and play UCD in the