2018 to 2020 and Turbulent Seasons at Dundalk FC
In 2019 the new season was to bring new challenges. With the rebuilding season of 2018 behind us, there was hope that we could hold on to our players and add some steel in defense to outpace a rampant Cork City and win the league.. While offers came in for our best players thankfully most decided to remain.
The partnership of Stephen Kenny and coach Vinny Perth obviously played a huge part in their decisions. However the bombshell came on 24th November 2018 with the news that Stephen Kenny was to depart and Vinnie Perth was to take over as manager.
This was the start of what was to eventually become a big decline in the fortunes of Dundalk FC. Although the team managed to win the league in 2019 and five of the squad made it onto the PFAI Team of the year, they were no longer the force that they once were.
The rumored interest from American Investment company Peak six and their retiring Chairman Bill Hullsizer came to fruition and they bought the club. For a time things seemed to improve but after disastrous Champions league performances and managerial discontent, Vinnie Perth left the club. It was becoming apparent that the new owners were losing the respect of the fans and the community.
The life blood of every L.O.I. club is the attachment to their community. While Footballers are earning their living at the game and cannot be faulted for moving on when they consider that the time is right, there is more to a successful club than that.
Dundalk FC has a loyal and devoted fan base that is spread far and wide. The success of the club in recent years has very little to do with Bill Hullsizer or Peak Six. The success of the club is based on the loyalty and attention to detail by all the players, managers and backroom staff and also of great importance is their love and commitment to the club, to the supporters and to the youth of the town.
It now has to be asked if the owners of the club have the interest and future progress of Dundalk FC at heart. We can but hope that the links between the supporters, the town and the club are not further damaged by destroying what has been there for so long.
By 2020 the discontent continued and Covid 19 arrived. The season was shortened and a very disjointed club finished outside the top two for the first time in 7 years. A new manager Filippo Giovagnoli was appointed by Peak six, but although friendly and affable, he lacked the required qualifications, however in spite of this, the team managed to win the FAI cup.
In the off season rumors abounded regarding the non retention of players and poor contracts eventually at least six of the once loyal first team squad moved on. There was little information coming from the club. A new general manager Jim Magilton was appointed to try to rescue the situation. The manager Filippo Giovagnoli returned to his native Italy for a winter break.
