HARDLY A WEEK, nay a day, seems to go by without another transfer act Derry City, the departures and arrivals this past year making it akin to a mini airports.
Indeed, this reporter can't fly out of the country and word comes through of another surprise development at the Brandywell. The week before last came news of Liam Coyle's return. Something of a homebird. One perhaps sensed he might be a prodigal son one day, but given Coyle's well known differences with manager Felix Healy a timespan of merely six months appeared premature.
Along with Coyle came the Glentoran goalkeeper Declan Devine, in light of which Tony O'Dowd (a year after replacing Dermot O'Neill) was placed on the transfer list. Then last week news filtered through the media pack in Liechtenstein that Paul Doolin was leaving to return to Bohemians, where his enduring career began.
Surely some mistake?
Doolin had been Derry's heartbeat last season, scoring five goals early on and then holding the team together from central midfield in a more withdrawn role, even if the general malaise may have spread to him by the season's end. Easily their best player, I remember Healy exclaiming: "If I had 11 Paul Doolins."
Including Coyle, it now means that all but two of Derry's starting line up in the 1995 Cup final (indeed all but two of the 14 on duty that day) have left the club. Given Derry City had only liquidated the previous company which controlled the club the previous Christmas, thereby starting off with a fresh financial slate, and enjoyed huge home crowds in their agonisingly close pursuit of the double, it was surprising to hear that they cut their cloth to suit their measure last season.
The emphasis was then on developing their own young talent, yet the much vaunted former captain of the Northern Irish schools team Tommy McCallion has since left as well during the close season. Meantime Derry availed of the Bosman ruling to sign several out of contract National League players (a significant outlay nonetheless in signing on fees and wages) most notably Gavin Dykes, Richie Purdy, Tommy Dunne and James Keddy, on top of which came the estimated £40,000 expenditure on Coyle and Devine.
It seems an extraordinary turnover in players, to which Healy responds enigmatically: "It's an extraordinary club."
"That's the way it is at Derry, which is a relatively new club even at that," added Healy. "You are talking about a club which spent money that it didn't have and so last season had to cut its cloth accordingly. Now it is in a far healthier situation than it has been for some time. We are not paying out an awful lot of money and we make better use of what we have."
Healy attributes this in part to the more active, hands on involvement of club chairman Paul Diamond.
This week last year, Derry had just returned from a praiseworthy 2-1 aggregate defeat to Lokomotive Sofia in the Cup Winners Cup, and had won 2-1 at Shelbourne on the opening day of the league.
They still looked the best team in the country. But, according to Healy, under the surface all was not as it seemed. "We had to make serious cuts in wages, otherwise the club would have folded."
Regarding the return of Coyle, Healy admits that his prodigal striker did perceive personal differences between the two men which were partly of Healy's own making. "He now realises there wasn't really a problem. I didn't speak to him at the time because I couldn't reveal the difficulties we had at the club. It was a hard time. The players felt I was very quiet with them, but they didn't take it personally. Liam thought it was personal but it wasn't."
With most of his current squad now contracted for the next two seasons he is optimistic about the future.
The standard bearers, as he sees it, remain St Patrick's Shelbourne and Bohemians. "Our aim is to break into that trio or at least strive to become a top four side." By general consent, Derry are seen as the team most likely to.
To that end, Healy will maintain his credo that football is a simple game. "I find some of the things happening in modern football baffling. The most successful team in Europe over the last few years are AC Milan, who have played 4-4-2. Manchester United have been the best team in England for years, - and they play 4-2. Blackburn won a league playing 4-4-2. Brazil didn't win a World Cup for 20 years, went 4-4-2, and won it."
Different strokes for different folks, and each to their own. But at least some things do remain constant at Derry.
. Newly promoted Bray Wanderers will have new sponsors this season in the form of Hard Metal Machine Tools Ltd.
. Shelbourne's odds as favourites to win this season's Premier Division title have hardened half a point to 3 to 1, while both St Patrick's and Shamrock Rovers have drifted slightly according to Paddy Power bookmakers in the light of last weekend's first round of games. The full odds are: 3 to 1 Shelbourne, 4 to 1 Bohemians, 6 to 1 St Patrick's and Derry, 7/1 Shamrock Rovers, 8 to 1 Dundalk, 10 to 1 Sligo, 12 to 1 Cork, 50 to 1 Bray and UCD, 80 to 1 Home Farm, 150 to 1 Finn Harps.
