Stephen Kenny, the Dundalk manager, spent yesterday afternoon, his final working day of 2016, frantically trying to persuade the remaining members of his history-making team to re-sign – all the while fearing a domino effect may lead to a player exodus.
Having won their third League of Ireland title in a row – something that has not been achieved by an Irish club since the 1980s – 2016 will be remembered in Dundalk as the best of times.
“Certainly Kenny is annoyed, he rates Finn and didn ‘t want to see him leave — leaving him desperate to acquire new players
Yet the year is ending on a sour note as Dean Shiels and Ronan Finn will join Darren Meenan, Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle in leaving the club: Shiels is heading to Hibs while Finn yesterday signed for Shamrock Rovers.
That Dane Massey opted to sign a new contract offers the Airtricity League champions some consolation but as Kenny frantically tried to secure deals yesterday for the remaining out-of-contract players, more questions than answers were arising.
Namely, why didn’t Dundalk see this coming? Having secured qualification for the Europa League group stages as far back as July, you have to wonder why the club didn’t put a structure in place to secure their players on new deals there and then.
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Instead, by focussing on the short-term issue of getting through a packed fixture schedule, contracts were allowed to run out. And as they did so, other clubs pounced: Preston North End for Horgan and Boyle, Rovers for Meenan and Finn, Hibs for Shiels.
In defence of the club, Meenan and Shiels were bit-part players last season, while neither Horgan nor Boyle were likely to reject as tempting an offer as the one Preston handed them. Nonetheless, they could have been provided with contracts with get-out clauses included. Getting Finn, meanwhile, is a coup for Rovers.
“We have to build a team around Ronan,” Stephen Bradley, the Rovers manager said. “He wants to play for us for the right reasons, not for the money that has been quoted. He wants to play for us because he’s a top player. We have a wage structure here and we’re still within the budget.”
As Rovers seek to build a team in their manager’s image, placing an emphasis on youth, Finn’s experience – he turns 29 today – will be vital to their rebuild. He won a league with the Dublin club on his previous stint there and has already been handed the captaincy for the year ahead.
“It’s going to be a very exciting period for the club. They’ve made smashing signings and, with the lads already here, they have a great group,” Finn said.
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“I know Stephen McPhail personally, and I know that he wouldn’t put his hand to something if it didn’t have great potential. As a footballer, I want to be part of that. I’m at a great age now, I’ve had success at Dundalk, I’m coming back as a better player and I’m looking forward to showing fans. I might have annoyed a few people leaving.”
Certainly Kenny is annoyed. He rates Finn and didn’t want to see him leave. On a family holiday from today, he desperately needs to conduct some Christmas shopping to acquire new players.
So while the west coast of America is the destination for his winter vacation, the lower leagues of England is the place where he will be going to find replacements for the five departed players.
The idea that the 2017 league title has already been won by Dundalk, before a ball has even been kicked, is no longer being spoken about. Finn’s departure is a game-changer in that regard.