London Irish RFC

[Slipper1]

London Irish have called a press conference for tomorrow where they are expected to announce a takeover by an 'Irish businessman'.
Thats via Nick Heath, a rugby journalist in the UK.

[Logorrhea]

and so we begin to join the PRL, except we do it their way. We buy our way in.

[Alternative Ulster]

Perhaps they will join the Rabo if the Welsh Regions Join the Premiership

[Slipper1]

Some chap called Mick Crossan apparently, already well established with the club.

[offshorerules]

Any chance of his saying he will play in the HEC next year?

[blockhead]

Though details of the takeover have not been made public, the Daily Mail reports that Irishman Mick Crossan, chairman of recycling and waste management company Powerday, is at the forefront of the bid

Wasn't that Tony Sopranos business too?
Is Mick gonna make the PRL an offer they can't refuse?

[Flash Gordon]

London Irish look set to be taken over by a consortium, led by Irish businessman Mick Crossan.

A special press conference will be held at the club's training ground in Sunbury tomorrow morning, but details of the announcemeent have yet to be disclosed.

Crossan is chairman of recycling and waste management company Powerday, who have been the team's headline sponsor since 2011 and also employ former skipper Bob Casey.

The club currently has 840 shareholders, with a group of 35-40 large shareholders controlling the club.

One of the big issues for the new owners will be whether to move away from their home at Madejski Stadium.

The Exiles have been playing at Reading FC's ground since 2000 but have struggled to fill the 24,161 capacity, registering an average attendance of just over 9,000 last season.

Irish are currently six years into a contract that lasts until the end of the 2025-26 season.

In the past the club have been linked with a possible ground-sharing arrangement with Brentford FC, who were recently given the go-ahead to leave Griffin Park and move to a new 20,000-seat stadium.

Brentford's new ground, which will be situated on Lionel Road - between Kew Bridge station and the M4, should be ready for the new 2016-17 season.

Based in London, Crossan plans a recruitment drive to reaffirm the club’s Irish identity.

Munster second row Donnacha Ryan is on the list of possible targets and Ireland international Tom Court was added to the ranks last week.

Court is reported to have told the Daily Mail: "They’re recruiting hard and want to get a good strong Irish element in their team again.

"They mentioned that there was maybe a change in management of the board, but to be honest I didn’t make a lot of it."

Irish recently shocked the rugby world by signing Australia international James O'Connor and any new cash injection would improve their chances of holding onto him and England winger Marland Yarde, whose contract expires in the summer.

[TerenureJim]

How are you feeling about the takeover Flash? Have to say I'm sort of excited to see London Irish at least get back to being ya'know Irish. Can we see the "Come On You Irish" and all it's associated plasticness dropped as well now perhaps.

Hopefully in addition to bringing Irish players to the club they can foster some form of informal relationship with the IRFU, yes it's a private business but it could be mutually beneficial to see players who don't make it into a provincial academey given a shot over there and exiles who don't want to necessarily return to a province having someplace where they can be in a quasi-Irish set up and maybe be in the shop window for the national management as given enough of a concentration of Irish players the club will stay on Joe's radar.

[CiaranIrl]

If they want to push the Irish connection, they could do a lot worse than brining in Eddie O'Sullivan to be head coach.

[blockhead]

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-union ... for-exiles

He half irish anyway.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

If they want to push the Irish connection, they could do a lot worse than brining in Eddie O'Sullivan to be head coach.

Brilliant idea. Still think Connacht would be a good move if Lam doesn't turn things around quickly but LI would be even better. Unfortunately for him they seem to have turned a bit of a corner though so doubt they'd be looking for a change unless things take a drastic turn.

Really is such a waste, can't understand why he's been shunned apart from the US job. You'd have to think he's finished as a coach if he doesn't get a job by the start of next season.

Can't believe LI are wasting their time with CJ. He's been useless whenever I've seen him since his Leinster days. More players like him and they'll put in performances like the one Racing put in the other day.

Obviously this depends on which young players they can hang on to but would love if LI gave TOH (who actually plays a bit like JOC when he's in form) and Conway a shot. That's from a Leinster/Irish perspective. From theirs I think they should target Darren Cave. He's exactly the type of classy footballer that a lot of English teams lack in midfield and should be highly sought after over there IMO. Donnacha Ryan might be a good signing but he's very injury prone so not sure I'd bother.

[The Doc]

Really is such a waste, can't understand why he's been shunned apart from the US job. You'd have to think he's finished as a coach if he doesn't get a job by the start of next season.

I think it may be something to do with the fact that he left the US, Ireland and Connacht jobs under a bit of a cloud and some suggestions he had pissed his employers off in some way. Am sure it's more complex than that but if you are out looking to fill any position, a rumour of previous difficulties is probably not something you have top of your list

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Obviously there were issues with Ireland but wasn't actually aware of that about the US and Connacht.

Even so though, you see guys like Henson and Cipriani get chances having done much much worse and yet nobody is willing to take on a coach who did really well apart from a total c~*k up at one tournament. I just don't get it. Not saying he's not flawed but when you look at the mess some teams have gotten into, he seems like the perfect antidote to that in my eyes.

[cormac]

How are you feeling about the takeover Flash? Have to say I'm sort of excited to see London Irish at least get back to being ya'know Irish. Can we see the "Come On You Irish" and all it's associated plasticness dropped as well now perhaps.

Hopefully in addition to bringing Irish players to the club they can foster some form of informal relationship with the IRFU, yes it's a private business but it could be mutually beneficial to see players who don't make it into a provincial academey given a shot over there and exiles who don't want to necessarily return to a province having someplace where they can be in a quasi-Irish set up and maybe be in the shop window for the national management as given enough of a concentration of Irish players the club will stay on Joe's radar.

They can't push the Irish angle too far or it will cost them funding from the RFU.

[simonokeeffe]

Darren Cave's face mightnt fit at London irish

[TerenureJim]

How are you feeling about the takeover Flash? Have to say I'm sort of excited to see London Irish at least get back to being ya'know Irish. Can we see the "Come On You Irish" and all it's associated plasticness dropped as well now perhaps.

Hopefully in addition to bringing Irish players to the club they can foster some form of informal relationship with the IRFU, yes it's a private business but it could be mutually beneficial to see players who don't make it into a provincial academey given a shot over there and exiles who don't want to necessarily return to a province having someplace where they can be in a quasi-Irish set up and maybe be in the shop window for the national management as given enough of a concentration of Irish players the club will stay on Joe's radar.

They can't push the Irish angle too far or it will cost them funding from the RFU.

Why would you need that when you have the filthy BT lucre!

[IanD]

Tom Court must be gutted not to be a big name.


Exiles aim to land name Irish player

London Irish want to sign an established Irish international as they seek to re-establish links to Ireland.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/european/ ... sh-player/

[Flash Gordon]

How are you feeling about the takeover Flash? Have to say I'm sort of excited to see London Irish at least get back to being ya'know Irish. Can we see the "Come On You Irish" and all it's associated plasticness dropped as well now perhaps.

Hopefully in addition to bringing Irish players to the club they can foster some form of informal relationship with the IRFU, yes it's a private business but it could be mutually beneficial to see players who don't make it into a provincial academey given a shot over there and exiles who don't want to necessarily return to a province having someplace where they can be in a quasi-Irish set up and maybe be in the shop window for the national management as given enough of a concentration of Irish players the club will stay on Joe's radar.

Very happy about it mate, it'll hopefully restore the soul of the club. Interestingly, if you go down to the amateur club you really feel the Irish identity - in the mini's section, I'd say 70-80% of the accents on the sideline cheering on the kids are Irish. However, as you say, at Reading the paddywackery is just embarassing. The "come on you Irish" isn't even the worse of of it, the Leprachaun on the bicycle I saw at the last match I was at marked a new low........Absolutely on the relationship. If they could get to a situation where Irish players knew that they had a shot at the national team playing there, that'd be a recruitment plus and if they could get a coach tuned in and connected to what Joe was trying to do with Ireland it'd be a huge boost. In that scenario, players like Nick Kennedy, Shane Geraghty, Declan Dannaher who were Irish qualified elected to play for England because of the perceived selection criteria (not saying they would have played, but they were available) would add a bit more depth to our player pool.

[Peg Leg]

How are you feeling about the takeover Flash? Have to say I'm sort of excited to see London Irish at least get back to being ya'know Irish. Can we see the "Come On You Irish" and all it's associated plasticness dropped as well now perhaps.

Hopefully in addition to bringing Irish players to the club they can foster some form of informal relationship with the IRFU, yes it's a private business but it could be mutually beneficial to see players who don't make it into a provincial academey given a shot over there and exiles who don't want to necessarily return to a province having someplace where they can be in a quasi-Irish set up and maybe be in the shop window for the national management as given enough of a concentration of Irish players the club will stay on Joe's radar.

Very happy about it mate, it'll hopefully restore the soul of the club. Interestingly, if you go down to the amateur club you really feel the Irish identity - in the mini's section, I'd say 70-80% of the accents on the sideline cheering on the kids are Irish. However, as you say, at Reading the paddywackery is just embarassing. The "come on you Irish" isn't even the worse of of it, the Leprachaun on the bicycle I saw at the last match I was at marked a new low........Absolutely on the relationship. If they could get to a situation where Irish players knew that they had a shot at the national team playing there, that'd be a recruitment plus and if they could get a coach tuned in and connected to what Joe was trying to do with Ireland it'd be a huge boost. In that scenario, players like Nick Kennedy, Shane Geraghty, Declan Dannaher who were Irish qualified elected to play for England because of the perceived selection criteria (not saying they would have played, but they were available) would add a bit more depth to our player pool.

Nothing like a bit of money to restore the soul!

[Flash Gordon]

If they want to push the Irish connection, they could do a lot worse than brining in Eddie O'Sullivan to be head coach.

Brilliant idea. Still think Connacht would be a good move if Lam doesn't turn things around quickly but LI would be even better. Unfortunately for him they seem to have turned a bit of a corner though so doubt they'd be looking for a change unless things take a drastic turn.

Really is such a waste, can't understand why he's been shunned apart from the US job. You'd have to think he's finished as a coach if he doesn't get a job by the start of next season.

Can't believe LI are wasting their time with CJ. He's been useless whenever I've seen him since his Leinster days. More players like him and they'll put in performances like the one Racing put in the other day.

Obviously this depends on which young players they can hang on to but would love if LI gave TOH (who actually plays a bit like JOC when he's in form) and Conway a shot. That's from a Leinster/Irish perspective. From theirs I think they should target Darren Cave. He's exactly the type of classy footballer that a lot of English teams lack in midfield and should be highly sought after over there IMO. Donnacha Ryan might be a good signing but he's very injury prone so not sure I'd bother.

In fairness, the current coach has 9 caps for Ireland, so there is a connection. I do agree that Eddie's isolation is a loss to rugby, he is a decent coach. The issue with Eddie has never been his technical ability rather his paranoid and controlling personality. People simply can't work with him.