Kelly happy if players drop out

SOCCER AIRTRICITY LEAGUE:AS HE named his squad for the Fifpro Winter Tournament in Norway this Friday, PFAI team manager Liam Kelly admitted to finding himself in the unusual position of wanting to lose players between now and Thursday morning's flight for Oslo.

The event is aimed at showcasing the talents of unemployed players from the summer leagues in Norway, Ireland, Sweden and Finland and while Kelly is hoping his side does well in the one-day tournament, he hasn’t been at all unhappy, he insists, to lose players who have signed new deals.

“We were due to have Jason McGuinness and Greg Bolger coming with us but now it looks like they might be going to Sporting Fingal – but that’s great,” says Kelly. “It might be the tournament coming up has nudged Liam Buckley into talking to a few lads a little earlier than he would have otherwise for fear of them getting offers and if that’s the case then it’s already doing some good.”

Around 120 managers and coaches from clubs across Europe will attend the tournament in the Valhalla Arena in Oslo. The shortened games will be staged on a full size pitch with live TV coverage locally and internet broadcasts of all the action within two hours.

Ireland kick-off against Finland, with the winners going on to take on either Norway and Sweden. The other teams are comprised of players with their clubs until just before Christmas but the Irish have been training together at the AUL complex since December 12th and after three friendly games there is confidence they will do themselves justice.

Not travelling are Ken Oman and Paul Keegan, who are staying put while the contractual problems at Bohemians rumble on. Eamon Zayed, who is in Saudi Arabia having talks with a number of clubs, is also a doubt, although he has told Kelly he expects to be back in Dublin tomorrow.

Expected to be on the plane are league winners Aidan Price and Mark Rossiter, who have made it clear they will consider any offer that comes in from a foreign club.

“I see it as an opportunity,” says Price, who helped Shamrock Rovers to the title just a few weeks ago. “I’ve had people here looking for my number and asking if I’d be interested in different things but not one conversation that I could tell you was going to lead to anything; so, sure, if the right offer came along I’d be more than happy to consider it.”

Stuart Gilhooly, the solicitor representing two Bohemians players who have threatened to petition to have the club wound up if their contractual dispute is not settled by today, says he will take instructions from his clients this afternoon.

PFAI Squad: Goalkeepers: Brennan (most recently of UCD), Shanahan (Longford Town), Defenders: Burns (Dundalk), Kelly (Limerick), Gartland (Monaghan Utd), Rossiter and Shelley (both Bohemians), Price (Shamrock Rovers), Kelly (Dundalk), Marshall (Athlone Town), Midfielders: Meenan (Drogheda Utd), Ryan (Limerick), Byrne (St Patrick’s Ath), Forwards: Leech (Shelbourne), Zayed (Sporting Fingal), Kavanagh (Waterford Utd), Fitzpatrick (Drogheda Utd), Moore (UCD).