Dundalk boss Stephen O’Donnell says he understands supporters’ concerns over the future direction of the club amid heated debate over a potential buy-out by Hull City. But he insists that neither the ownership of the club, nor an impending court case involving his controversial move from St Patrick’s Athletic to Oriel Park, will affect the dressing room.
The Lilywhites have just one point from two games at the start of the 2023 season and the lead-in to Friday’s game away to Bohemians, a 2-1 loss, was overshadowed by news on a potential investment from Championship side Hull City.
Dundalk issued a lengthy statement to supporters on Friday in the wake of the Hull story, many fans concerned by comments from Hull manager Liam Rosenior which claimed that if their purchase of a majority shareholding in Dundalk came to pass, that Hull would effectively dictate how Dundalk played.
“There's no point us playing in a certain way and Dundalk not playing in that way. Everything is aligned, there's a lot of thought and planning that's gone into that,” Rosenior told local media in Hull, comments which sparked anger and concern among Dundalk’s fan base.
Asked about Rosenior’s comments, O’Donnell said: “I don’t know the backdrop to that or the information he’s been told. I’m not sure about it. I don’t have an opinion on it. When I saw it yesterday it was like ‘We have Bohs tomorrow and we want to get ready for the game’. I haven’t overthought about it one iota,” O’Donnell said.
"Our full focus is the playing side. It’s not my remit but I do have full faith in the owners doing what’s best for the football club. From a fan’s point of view, they obviously want to know what’s going to be the outcome but, from our point of view, it doesn’t really affect us day to day. We’ve enough to concentrate on the football side of it. I haven’t heard one of the players talk about, we haven’t even addressed it, it’s a non-issue in that regard. The full focus is on the training ground and football pitch.”
A hearing is listed in the courts on Monday regarding O’Donnell’s move from St Pat’s to Dundalk. “I’m fully focused on the football side of it. Those sort of distractions won’t interfere with me or disrupt my preparations or thoughts,” he said.
O’Donnell insists his new-look side will gel despite the loss.
“I saw a lot of positive things. It [Dalymount Park] is not an easy place to come, so it’s going to take a little while for us to be cohesive and gel together. It’s a new squad, a new team but I’d be quite excited and optimistic with the talent we can have, it’s just about how much we can gel individually and collectively,” he added.