The only thing different from when I was playing is that the players are now fulltime and therefore fitter. But looking at it from a quality point of view they are no better than we were. And I'm using Cork as an example because they are our champions. They played in Europe last year yet rather than strengthen their squad they have got much weaker and still talk about competing and making strides. The people going around saying this are deluded and they should shut up because they are doing nobody any favours.

When have you ever heard of a team from here competing with a Leicester or a Plymouth for a player? Never, because it doesn't happen.

Even with us having the added bonus of a soft spot in European competition. The players here, for the most part, are those that failed in England, or weren't good enough to make it over there, just like I was all those years ago so nothing has changed.

The Intertoto is about our level and that will never change unless there are serious changes. And I don't mean another stupid blueprint that seems to come out every year, followed by the same rubbish about this club being the next Rosenberg.

Take the owners of clubs here. They won't move because it's been in the family and they've been putting pennies in the pot for so many years. That's all well and good, fair play to them, but it's time to move on. If you own a pub and have 10 lads sitting at the bar every day and you were losing money you sell the pub or go into liquidation. A few years ago, I brought a multi-millionaire over here, and introduced him to four chairmen. He now owns Gretna because the people here won't get out of the way and move aside. I listened to those four one night on the radio talk about the struggle and the effort and nearly got sick.

This Celtic Tiger has brought so much money into this country and yet people are telling me there isn't a multi-national here that would invest some money, or a Dermot Desmond or whoever. They'd do it if they could buy it lock, stock and barrel but the people who own these clubs want their name associated with it forever to feed their egos. They are doing this while this league is going down the drain and continues to get worse and worse.

The only ones investing money are Drogheda and long may that continue because if they keep it up for about 20 years they might get somewhere. But even they are incestuous. They buy the same players who are within the league and pay them good money when, if they left the country and travelled to Europe and England, for that same money they could get some really good players. But they are wasting their time and money with what they are doing at present.

This is all why I got out of it.

I love football and being involved with football but I just couldn't take the day to day of the Eircom League wondering if you are going to be able to pay this guy and trying to explain to him there's no money this week.

It's rubbish. Dublin City are gone and you don't need me to tell you about 80 per cent of the league is insolvent. Just look at their books.

The vision in this league is blind. You need money in football and there is none here.

Go down to the Phoenix Park and have a look around and see the amount of foreign nationals playing football.

Why do you think none of these people go to an Eircom League match, this is the world's sport after all?

Because they know it is crap.

The government or the FAI or somebody should come in and say that if you're losing money, you have to sell your club. That's it and we can move on. Otherwise don't believe the same garbage you'll hear over and over again about progress.