A GAME OF MONOPOLY
JOHN CAULFIELD claims Dundalk’s ‘monopoly’ approach means they are signing players they ‘don’t really need’.
But going into Sunday’s FAI Cup final, the Cork City boss is adamant he does not envy his arch rivals and their American-backed investment.
The Rebels fell short in their league title defence after three costly defeats on the bounce in September, leaving Dundalk to romp home.
For Caulfield, it’s a case of money talks, citing Norwegian powerhouse Rosenborg as an example.
“Financially, we’re not near their (Dundalk’s) market,” he said.
“They have decided they are monopolising the Dublin market.
“They are even buying players they don’t really need, which is their choice because they have the money.
“With their new investors, they’re being clever because they just want to monopolise it.
“They have said it themselves, they want to do a Rosenborg.
“They can see if they get all the best players out of Dublin, then the chances are that they’re going to dominate.”
It is widely believed that Cork City must slash their budget next season although Caulfield refused to confirm this yesterday.
He said speculation of €500,000 cuts were “rubbish” and insisted the Rebels would still be challengers next season as the club has always run a tight ship.
“There’s a lot of sensationalism out there about ‘you’re going to lose this or whatever’,” he said.
“Where we are next year is where we’ll be. That’s the way we’ve always done it. Financially we have to run our own show.
“You can get caught watching other teams.
“But Dundalk can bring Patrick Mceleney back from England and give him a very good contract. They were one of the very few clubs that could do that.”
Cork signed a Premier League player in Damien Delaney but Caulfield continued: “We wouldn’t be in that market, so we have to see if we can bring our own guys through.
“We have to see if we can be clever and bring free transfers in.
“Do we need new players for next year? We do. Will some players leave? Absolutely. There are some areas where we have to trim but I’d expect we’ll be up there next year challenging all the way through.”
Caulfield admits his opposite number Stephen Kenny is in an “ideal position” with the club’s American investors on board but claims: “I don’t envy it at all.
“I don’t look at other clubs because we’re doing it the way we need to do it – we’re running it well.
“But as we’re seeing across the world, if a team invests heavily and hugely, the chances are they’re going to dominate.
“We don’t take outside investment and that’s fine.
“What we’ve got to do is keep overachieving, get into Europe and keep our wheels going.” up in