Back page The transfer window is a roller coaster ride in any league in the world at the best of times but if you are a follower of the domestic league in Ireland, you will know thrills and spills that go with this period in the calendar better than most.
Over the past few days, media reports all seed to point towards the immediate arrival of Mark Quigley at United Park, however, reports emerged yesterday that the striker may be pricing himself out of such a move.
Often described as the League of Ireland’s most mercurial striker, Quigley has endured a torrid time of things since leaving Sligo Rovers for the apparently greener fields of Tallaght.
However, never was the old cliché of ”the grass isn’t always greener on the other side” more true as the former St.Pat’s and Dundalk man simply failed to make any sort of impact with the seventeen time league winners.
It was hoped that a move back to former employers, St Pats at the start of 2014, would reignite Quigley’s career but once again there was little or no spark from the boots of Quigley with talk of an early retirement even being touted in some newspapers as the Dubliner’s frustration threatened to boil over as it has many times throughout his controversial career.
However, Drogheda United have answered the call and wish to give, the former under 23 international, another shot at redemption by offering him a deal. The ”Drogs” were thrown into turmoil only weeks ago when manager, Damien Richardson declined the chance to return to the hot seat while board room issues looked set to financially affect the former league champions.
Fast forward and the County Louth club have a new management team in place and look secure both on and off the field, albeit perhaps lacking some star-studded quality having lost the likes of Gavin Hoolahan, Declan ”Fabio” O’Brien and Gary O’Neill. This is where Quigley comes into the equation.
Mark Quigley is a temperamental player, one not hard to find within the modern game, and as a result his best football has always come when the striker has been given a staring role and been the centre of attention for all intents and purposes.
This was never more evident than during his time at Sligo Rovers, when an injury to front man, Danny North saw a largely ineffective Quigley, up until that point, asked to carry the burden as the title race reached a crucial stage.
The rest is history as they say, with Quigley going on to score big goal after big goal, including a league winning penalty, against none other than St.Pat’s, with the number 10 being named PFAI player of the year for 2012.
The year previous to that glorious achievement was also a good one for Quigley, as he scored 15 goals in an extremely poor Dundalk side who finished 7th, in a 10 team division at the time.
While Quigley had the privilege of playing alongside League of Ireland legend, Jason Byrne, the veteran had to be used carefully by the ”Lillywhites” and that often left Quigley as the shining star in a far from dazzling squad.
Should Quigley complete a move to Boyneside, his arrival would be sure to excite followers of the ”Drogs”, despite his links to arch rivals, Dundalk FC. That enthusiasm and star man status would help bring the best out of the 29-year-old and if he was to get back to his scoring ways as per 2011 and 2012, then who would back against Quigley returning to Dublin in the near future, where he has played for almost all of his League of Ireland career.
So while Mark Quigley needs to think about his and his families financial security, if at all possible to pull off, perhaps he should consider giving Johnny McDonnell’s men the chance to bring him back to footballing life.
