Minutes of a Bord na gCon meeting held in Cork on 29 October highlight concerns raised by board members.

Chairman Pascal Taggart, who yesterday held a press conference on the continuing controversy at the board, raised what he described as "disappointing" financial figures. Referring to the trackoperating results, he said the level of costs was "unsustainable", while another board member raised concern about increased salaries and wages.

The minutes also show that during a discussion on the level of autonomy that should be given to Shelbourne Park, Aidan Tynan . . . the recently departed chief executive of Bord na gCon . . . said "he could not accept a situation where a subsidiary company would be allowed operate independently from head-office controls".

However, Taggart indicated that he felt "more scope and control on marketing spend should be allocated to local management".

Taggart went on to describe the annual report as "the worst ever produced", adding: "Inexperienced staff were trying to impose their ideas on an industry that is very successful."

While there was praise from Taggart and other board members for the chief executive, Tynan noted that "he required clarification from the board with respect to his role as CEO", adding that he was "unclear that he had an effective mandate to act as CEO".

By the next meeting in December, tensions had heightened considerably and the minutes show some fierce criticism levelled at executives by a number of board members. One board member complained that staff members who knew the industry inside out "were being told what to do by people who are one, two and three years in the business and didn't have a clue what they were talking about".

Another director said he was "frustrated, angry and very displeased at what was happening" and went on to specificially criticise some senior executives. The director also wondered "how the board members would tell the greyhound owners there will be no increase in prize money until 2009 and yet staff are driving company cars worth 50,000, 60,000 and 70,000 euros".

Tynan stressed that it was the intention of the executive "to fulfil the wishes of the board", adding later: "If one were to look at [the] body of work that has been achieved he would say it has been a huge year" and that he respected "frank and open dialogue". He also said that while he respected the points the chairman had made "he did not think individuals should be analysed in detail at a board meeting".

At yesterday's press conference, called against the wishes of the sports minister John O'Donoghue, Taggart strongly defended the Control Committee's decision not to publish the detections of banned substance EPO in two greyhounds.