John Fallon: Another FAI wishlist off to a false start
We're approaching 20 years since Packie Bonner gritted his teeth — Italian '90 style — and rejoiced at the FAI delivering its first technical plan.
Ireland's legendary goalkeeper was by then their technical director in succession to Brian Kerr and took pride in unfurling a four-year blueprint designed to produce a deeper stream of players.
Back in 2004, Ireland's team was packed with Premier League players while the youth teams were not only qualifying for tournaments but medalling on a consistent basis.
The main takeaway from Bonner's manuscript at the Burlington Hotel was the birth of the emerging talent programme, a nationwide curriculum whereby FAI coaches gained access to teens for two hours one night per week to concentrate on specific skillsets.
Further shiny green documents were produced around player development by the governing body — these anaemic strategy booklets are prerequisites for grant applications — but it wasn't until 2015 that Ruud Dokter's Player Development Plan (PDP) that anything of substance emerged.
He was the second Dutchman John Delaney recruited to the role Bonner was let go from in 2010 and his philosophy around grouping the "best with the best" exposed the delicate fractures inside the game.
Continuing the move towards League of Ireland clubs taking ownership of the youth development function from traditional schoolboy clubs, he lowered the age-groups to U15 level. Equally contentious within his doctrine was a switch to summer football.
Much of Dokter's vision remained just that by never getting off the ground. Fanciful notions of regional leagues were never embraced and his perseverance in overhauling the season backfired by clubs within leagues voting overwhelmingly to
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