A LOOTOF NONSENSE
Cork boss bats away talk Rebels have financial muscle to go toe-to-toe & says Dundalk still enjoy a big advantage
JOHN CAULFIELD claims Cork City’s supporters have been “misled” into thinking that the club has hit the financial jackpot.
The Cork boss insists his club can’t compete in the financial stakes with close rivals Dundalk, who leapfrogged the Leesiders at the top of the Premier Division last Friday.
Caulfield believes that there is a wrong perception out there that Cork are cash-rich on the back of their Champions League qualification – because they can only pick up their €800,000 reward once.
“It’s unfortunate, even our own supporters, that they have all got misled by information of the UEFA money,” said Caulfield, whose side face Legia Warsaw in Europe next Tuesday..
“The €800,000 figure going around, that’s the same money we were planning for since we got the league title, which you don’t get until September.
“The pot hasn’t changed, it’s just the information that has come out recently has given the impression that the club are getting more money again. “That’s not the case. It’s misleading. “We’re owned by the supporters. We work off the budget and don’t have the money to go out and compete like other clubs do.”
Reminded that City bought Kieran Sadlier last year, Caulfield pointed out that Sean Maguire and Kevin O’connor were sold to Preston North End – freeing up some money for signings.
More recently, Damien Delaney was signed because Michael Howard and Tobi Adebayorowling have left.
Caulfield said he fully abided by the principles set down by FORAS, the supporters group that owns the club.
“You work off the club’s budget which has been the way the club has been set up,” he said.
“It’s not a situation where we can go out and buy players or compete with other clubs at the level wages wise. We’re not in that market.”
Dundalk snapped up UCD striker Georgie Kelly as the July transfer window opened, along with former playmaker Patrick Mceleney from Oldham Athletic.
Caulfield insisted that the Lilywhites are working off a different financial model.
“The financial packages were huge,” he claimed. “UCD got a serious transfer fee because Georgie Kelly was a professional, I believe.
“Patrick Mceleney got a serious package because he was on big money in Oldham, and we believe some money changed hands. We’re not in that market.
“You try to compete for players you get out of contract, but at the moment we’re not in any market because we don’t have any budget to pay [extra] wages.
“In the big picture it never concerns me because this club, we run it in a very strict way.
“That’s the way FORAS want it. I’ve bought into the principles of it and that’s the way we do it.
“And we’re just two points off the top with these bunch of boys. We have to make sure we don’t lose focus.”
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