The Irish in Britain, including those of Irish descent, make up a significant part of the UK population. Here, you will find news, entertainment, events, sports and features from the local Irish Post newspaper.

By David Thorpe

Following a week of turmoil culminating in their relegation and the sacking of manager Roddy Collins, the announcement of Pat Scully’s appointment as Shamrock Rovers’ new boss offered much-needed comfort to the beleaguered fans of Ireland’s most famous football club.

A former Arsenal trainee, 35-year-old Scully is an ex-Hoops player and has enjoyed a successful season in charge of First Division Kilkenny City — his first in management.

The First Division is now where Rovers — once dubbed the Manchester United of Irish soccer — will play next season after the unthinkable happened with their relegation for the first time in their illustrious 104 year history.

Scully’s appointment, coupled to good news about South Dublin County Council’s progressive plans for completing a new stadium in Tallaght by the middle of next year has quickly lifted the doom and gloom surrounding the club.

“It was vitally important that we made an appointment as soon as possible,’’ said Rovers’ chairman Jonathan Roche. “We feel Pat is the ideal man for the job: he’s young, ambitious and has just had a great season at Kilkenny.

“We wanted a message to go out to everyone — especially the fans and the players — that Shamrock Rovers mean business. Next season starts now.’’

Getting back to a permanent home is widely acknowledged as being the only way the club can survive and even think of rising Phoenix-like to re-establish itself as the country’s top team.

There is no little irony in the fact that while the Eircom League has scarcely seen better times with a new-found exuberance around the whole domestic game its greatest club — with a record 15 titles and 24 FAI Cup successes to its name — should be in the doldrums having narrowly avoided extinction just months ago.

It’s been a disastrous season for Rovers. Deducted eight points early on for licensing irregularities (they filed the same accounts two years running), the club, with debts of over €3million, was placed in examinership by the High Court in April.

It was subsequently bought out of examinership by a group of fans — the 400 Club — who introduced a strict budget resulting in the loss of several top players in the July transfer window.

The history of Shamrock Rovers’ decline is all too painfully recent and controversial. It stems back to April 1987 when the last game (an FAI Cup semi-final with Sligo Rovers) was played at Glenmalure Park in Milltown prior to the sale of the beloved ground for housing redevelopment.

It’s been a nomadic existence for Rovers ever since with Dalymount Park, Tolka Park, Richmond Park and Morton Stadium all offering temporary sanctuary.

A stable six seasons at the RDS (1990-96) brought Rovers’ their 15th title, when, under the management of Ray Treacy, they won the league in 1994.

The club eventually acquired a site in Tallaght in 1996 and, after lengthy planning issues, the sod was turned by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2000 amid hope that their ramblings were over.

The structure of the main stand was quickly built but funding issues forced a halt and it has remained an eerie skeleton overshadowing the locality ever since.

Due to the delay in finishing the ground, South Dublin County Council refused to extend planning permission last year but subsequently agreed to finish the stadium themselves as a municipal facility with Rovers as anchor tenants. Plans to complete the ground will now go before the full South Dublin Council in two weeks time.

Shamrock Rovers are set to play at Morton Stadium, Santry next season while work on the new ground in Tallaght is completed.

As their staunch fans sang throughout the latter part of this season: “Shamrock Rovers will never die, we’ll keep the Green flag flying high.”

Following positive news both on and off the field things can only get better.