Dundalk takeover latest as new owner issues stark warning and Stephen Kenny reacts to ongoing crisis

New Dundalk owner John Temple says club is "on life support", as ex-Ireland manager Stephen Kenny breaks silence on unfolding crisis

Stephen Kenny is relieved that talk of Dundalk’s demise was premature - at least for now.

And he is hoping his old club - where his son Eoin is a current player - can regain its footing under new owner John Temple.

But Temple painted a stark picture on Thursday and said: "We're far from out of the woods. The club is in serious financial difficulty. We're on life support.

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"If the club is not viable at the end of the season, it's just not viable and the day of truth will set upon us and we say this is it. I've staved off the execution, but the daggers are growing and hanging over the club every hour."

Temple is fronting a consortium that took charge from Brian Ainscough on Tuesday, although the players' wages are being deferred this week.

Temple met the Lilywhites squad for talks on Thursday morning and the players agreed to delay their pay for a week while Temple irons out financial arrangements. He offered assurances that wages will be paid thereafter, and up to the end of November, but warned: "We have very tough times ahead.

"Taking on the wages is one aspect but the creditors are banging down the door every hour and there are emails coming in every second hour, threatening all sorts."

Kenny was the figurehead for Dundalk during their glory days and led them to league titles in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. He also won the FAI Cup in 2015 and 2018 and reached the Europa League group stages in 2016.

Now the St Pat’s manager, Kenny spoke on Thursday of his shock at developments late last week and into Monday that had Dundalk teetering on the brink of extinction.

“I was on the training ground here and there were rumours that the club was being wound up that day,” said Kenny, who still lives in Dundalk. “The finality of it all was so dramatic. I was really shocked. I felt hugely disappointed, but then it wasn't the truth at all. There were plans in place.

“I'm just glad that seems to have been averted and hopefully the club can build on that. It's tough for the manager, the players and all the staff.”

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Asked if he was surprised at how Dundalk have plummeted since he left to become Ireland U21 boss in 2018, and then senior Ireland manager, Kenny said: “I’m out of it a long time. It’s not about me. They had success after I left, they were in the Europa League (group stage in 2020) .

“Obviously the facilities haven't been upgraded but what the actual club means to people in the town is great. All the people that rallied around the club - the supporters - have been terrific. The main thing is that the club is still in existence, and if they stay up it's a bonus.”

Kenny’s son Eoin is one of those Dundalk players who were left fearing the worst at the start of the week, before Temple's group intervened.

Kenny said: “He’s only 18, so he'll be okay. He loves the club because he was six when I took over. He's only really known that club. But I was thinking of all the players who were there when I was there. Robbie Benson, Andy Boyle, Daryl Horgan, John Mountney who now all have children, or soon to have children in one case.”

Kenny has first hand experience of working at a club where players and staff haven’t been paid, so knows what the Dundalk squad and staff were going through.

“'I was at Derry, when I came back from Scotland, and I experienced all that - going months and months without wages, all of the staff and players,” he added. "They played their matches and trained every day, we were full-time, but it was very tough. It was one of the most difficult periods to experience.

“A lot of the clubs in that period experienced something similar, but we haven't heard much of that in the last decade, with any of the sizeable clubs, and it's quite impressive.

“All of the facilities have stood still, which has been a big disappointment - apart from Tallaght Stadium and one or two others. A lot of the clubs have strong bases but it can be quite fragile, no matter how big the club.”

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