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Ger Dollard was last week 2 years in the top job at the IGB and two years is about right to have a look back and see the progression mader under this man. His first task was to sign off on the sale of harrolds cross to the dept of education, although it was closed down before he was appointed hw would have seen the anger and concerns and dismay at that time of the owners/trainers/breeders . Another very damaging episode was the 3 positives for cocaine of Clonbrien hero, and also happening before he entered the top job, but we are still no nearer sorting this mess as two and a half years later the trainer involved has still not been brought to task. The greyhound folk were of the opinion when Dollard took office he would see the wastage of money that is in renting the property for the call centre in thurles of over e500,000 a year every year, but alas we are still happy to pay this massive dept every year while there is plenty of empty space in HQ at Limerick.We are not privvy to the pressure from the board on this matter. Then we got the bombshell that was the RTE programme ,a tough time indeed for everyone involved in the game, it was Gers time to stand up and back the industry and its owners/trainers/breeders but what we got was silence ,i read in a local paper a few weeks back that he is hoping in a few more weeks it might have blown over ,that's really grabbing the bull by the horns. And now we have the closures of Longford and Lifford, another nail in the coffin, although some tracks aren't making money i don't think that by getting rid of them one by one is the solution, we are left in a situation now that anywhere above Galway is Greyhound free country. There is a trainer that trains out of Lifford who rang the igb and he asked them what was he to do in the future or was he to walk away from the sport, he was told that Dundalk would have plenty of room for extra dogs, the person from IGB got a shock when told that Dundalk was 4 and a half hours away from the man, but this is no surprise. Now the IGB have taken away the breeders incentives as if to agree with the RTE lies ,it's only a matter of time that this is reversed as the tracks won't have many dogs to fill the card with all the people that have left the game and also that 90% of greyhounds in England being Irish bred. We have a board now that have the greyhound industry on a race to the bottom. We had tough years when the greyhound industry went in reverse under Phil Meaney but we now seem to be gone too far for any return of good times. Two interesting years to say the least, if we have another two years like the last we are all doomed and the sport is gone, time to get the finger out Mr. Dollard or get out.
Martin James Ireland (Verified User) Posts 1128 Dogs 5 / Races 0 18 Sep 2019 08:25
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Francis back in the day I brought a lame bitch(sore wrist) to the vet. He took one look at it and said the prognosis for the injury was "almost hopeless" And so it was. In Shelbourne Saturday night overseas visitors on the terraces were occasionally chanting "shame shame shame on you" mimicking the people who shouted at them on the way in.
If they decide to do some research on racing when they go home and if they were to Google "greyhounds blood like treacle"they will find any number of sites carrying this claim. Rte included if I'm not mistaken. Try Irish greyhounds boiled alive in China in the search and there you have it again. Even a simple note to say a Vet is always in attendance at Shelbourne for race meetings would be helpful. We are 6 nil down at half time in the media stakes. Almost hopeless sounds about right.
a yes man, done nothing but manages to get in all photos with an expensive suit there all the same.We are fecked with them educated people making serious money and the doggie man getting little
What a night and what a crowd Saturday night for the Derby final, imagine how much the sport would grow if it was marketed right and had a proactive ceo and board, we could be packing in all the tracks every weekend.
Martin James Ireland (Verified User) Posts 1128 Dogs 5 / Races 0 23 Sep 2019 09:23
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They could always make Pascal Taggart a consultant...After all he has worn the t shirt succesfully Plenty of money for them... Consultants and the like.
PR company on board now. They probably don't want to be named in case their Company gets bad publicity from the antis. How bizarre is that.
A now lads lets be fair to Ger Dollard. Start at the beginning, Minister John O'Donoghue appointed a fellow Kerry man to the Chair of the IGB. Mr Dick O' Sullivan, Mr O' Sullivan also held the post of Managing Director of Punchestown Racecourse. Which of course was a conflict of interest in the first place. Mr. O' Sullivan then set about destroying the Greyhound Industry. He changed the starting times of the Punchestown Festival Meeting from a 2.15 start to a 4.15 start. That kept the Bookmakers from Harolds Cross and Shelbourne Park in Punchestown, as there is more money in 20 runner horse races than 6 dog races. He then decided to build a new stadium in Limerick. The old Markets Field could have been revamped and continued to race to this day. However Dickie had other ideas, he wanted a Stadium that would be the talk of the Industry for years to come. He certainly succeeded in that. The whole world is still talking about it. Unfortunately for different reasons than he originally hoped for. Now add in the CEO MR Adrian Nealon,he fully supported his Chairman's decision. The two of them and their Board members agreed this was a great decision. They proceeded to construct what is now regarded in the Sport as The White Elephant. Decisions were taken by the Board to go against the advice of the Company solicitors. You would think a man coming from a quarry background would want everything written in stone. Now those attending meetings on the Limerick track park their cars on a car park paid for by the IGB but owned by the gentleman whom Dick purchased the land for the track from. That's a nice how do you do. Well of course Dick moved on and Big Phil Hogan the Real Boss of the Minister For Agricultural gave instructions for his and Fine Gael's Election Agent to be appointed to the post of Chairman. Mr. Meaney continued ably assisted by Mr. Nealon to carry on the destruction of the industry. Mr Meaney decided to approach the Minister to break with rules and extend Mr. Nealon's contract. The minister agreed and Mr. Nealons contract as CEO was extended. A short while later Mr. Nealon done a runner to a new post in a Dublin University. Leaving Mr. Meaney with a substantial amount of egg on his face. The man he had sought to keep in the Industry had done a runner. Now we get a Lady as CEO. Miss Geraldine Larkin takes the lead roll in the IGB. At her first Board meeting in Harolds Cross I warned her privately not to trust her Board. Make her own decisions and she may succeed, Follow her Board and when the time came they would hang her out to dry. My exact words. Well the Lady came she tried, she failed. She refused to close Harolds Cross by moving in to clear the place in the middle of the night. She was sent on her way with a large six figure pay off. Now Meaney was left with the task of doing the job on Harolds Cross himself. Gutless as he was he couldn't undertake such as task himself. Then one night he had a brain wave, sure wasn't there a great Cavan man living above in Naas, the one and only Butcher Brady. Sure hadn't he closed the Beet Factory in Phils home county of Carlow. Later to be confirmed in Brussels that the Factories were closed Illegally. he was outside his remit. Not much good to the workers who lost their jobs. Many of these known to Mr. Meaney. However Dr. Sean Brady, known to the Greyhound world as "The Butcher Brady" took up the roll as CEO. In the middle of the night he proceeded to launch the troops and clear traps from the track, the Tote Machines, Kitchen Equipment,Chairs, Tables from the Restaurants. All loaded on to lorry's and placed in storage. I wonder are they still there, with the E Voting machines. So Harold's Cross RIP. Fast Forward to Shelbourne Park. A new CEO is appointed Mr. Ger Dollard ex Clare County Council. Again appointed for his Expertise and Knowledge of the Greyhound Industry. I Joke. In keeping with IGB fashion he knows nothing about Greyhounds, other than they have four legs, a head and a tail. Not alone do we have a CEO but we now have a Deputy CEO Mr. Philip Peake. Ready to step into Mr. Dollard's shoes should he decide to move on to new pastures. Rumors have it there may have been a County Managers job available recently. I hear it was down to three people and a Lady got the job over the Two Male Candidates. So On wards and Up wards as they say. We are where we are. Where are we?
Do you have questions about breeding theories? 
