Seán Connor takes Bohs to Court

BOHEMIANS are preparing to mount a stern defence to the case being taken by deposed former manager Sean Connor to the High Court, with the Belfast man arguing they were not entitled to terminate his contract last December.

Connor has brought proceedings challenging the method of his sacking and the case has been adjourned by Mr Justice Frank Clarke for a week to allow the club file a replying affidavit.

Pending the full action, Connor is seeking an injunction requiring the club to allow him remain as manager until the end of next season -- as per the terms of his initial three-year contract -- and to pay his salary from last December up until that point.

Bohemians, by replying to his claim, will be presenting into the public domain the sizeable list of reasons they provided to Connor when ending his one-year stay at Dalymount Park.

In an affidavit, the former Sligo Rovers boss, now back living in Donegal, revealed the terms of his contract which was a salary of €100,000 per annum, plus performance bonuses. The Gypsies also provided him with a mobile phone and a car and had orally agreed to a €3,000 bonus for qualifying for Europe which he claims was not paid despite qualification for the Inter-toto Cup.

Referred

On December 19 last, he had received a letter, dated December 7, from club secretary, Gerry Conway, which referred to a number of matters which had occurred in previous months, including that he had allegedly allowed other staff members to drive the club car with no insurance; that he had brought midfielder Chris Turner to Bohemians training while he was with Sligo Rovers; and that he had allowed a bill of €3,000 to go unattended in DCU.

Conway wrote that no further incidents of that nature could occur without the Board being forced to take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, if the Board took the view any such incident was of a serious nature.

Bohemians were also unhappy at the handling of player contracts at the conclusion of that campaign with matters coming to a head when defender Des Byrne claimed that he had been offered a two-year contract by Connor before the manager subsequently denied any involvement in doing so in a meeting with club president Gerry Cuffe.

Connor strongly refuted the points raised. He said he had understood any car provided by the club would be fully taxed and insured as was the case with his previous employer Sligo Rovers.

Accident

However, after he was involved in a road traffic accident with an innocent third party, to whom he had given insurance details displayed on the insurance disc in the car, he discovered there was no cover in place. He said the club had later settled the third party's claim and deducted it from his wages without his consent.

On the other claims, he said Bohs had not objected to Turner coming to training. The bill for €3,000 at DCU was for players' lunches during training there and for lunches immediately prior to two friendly matches from which Bohemians had earned revenue of some €60,000.

He said the club had told him the cost of the lunches would be deducted from his salary.

Connor said he had discussed proposals for the following season with board members on December 10 but on December 18, he was contacted by a journalist who told him he would be sacked the next day.

Then, on December 19, he was told the club was repudiating his contract for misconduct, that he would be paid until January 17 and had no right of appeal.