Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info I said here recently that Marc Canham was the wrong man for the job as FAI's chief football officer, that I felt sorry for him in the circumstances but he was the wrong man in the wrong position. Now he's moving on and the FAI are on the lookout for a replacement. It all comes back to one word for me. Relatability. Shelbourne's manager Damien Duff was an instant success with the fans and the players - and with pretty much everyone watching the game - for one very good reason. He is relatable. This is a man who doesn't need money, doesn't need prestige, doesn't need pat on the backs. But he has chosen this life and chosen Shelbourne because he has an inner hunger and drive - a genuine love for the game, and maybe even feel a certain responsibility to bring the League of Ireland into a position we all feel it should be. That's the kind of person the LOI needs at the moment. And it goes back to what I said about Marc Canham, who is the opposite of that. Coming to the FAI was a career move for him and he was appointed by a CEO (Jonathan Hill) who didn't want to be here. Now the dominos have fallen and this is an opportunity for the FAI to fix the problem. However, relatability is the last thing that comes into my head when I hear David Courell - the latest FAI CEO - and see him in his best H&M gear. It's all a bit...rugby, isn't it? I'll give him the benefit of the doubt but I'd like to give him some advice. David, please go after Pat Fenlon for the chief football officer job. Just as Shels have Damien Duff, Pat has relatability as someone in Irish football - somebody who has the medals and the kudos but also the respect of the LOI community. He has been there and done it - and continues to do it. He has proved himself to be a success in all branches of the game, from playing to coaching and to managing, and in that higher administrative role he currently has at Bohs. Underneath all of it there is a genuine relatability. I don't know if he wants the job, I don't know what social media is saying in terms of contenders, but that is the calibre of person that we need. Also, David, please stop appointing career oriented suits who have no interest in being here for the long haul. (Image: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan) And to hear the CEO say we are pushing ahead with this Football Pathways plan even though the person who implemented it is walking away? A little bit of cop on is required here. I don't know if the other football 'affiliates' would welcome Pat Fenlon in the role but look, ultimately the LOI is the magic pill for football in this country. As the amount of players going to England continues to dwindle, we're going to have to feed players to the national set-up through the League and there just has to be a strong domestic product. The game can't develop here without it and that's where we have to go. Everything else takes care of itself after that. *************** We're heading towards what I like to call flip flop month - and players shouldn't underestimate the month of May. Take a look at the fixture list, there's going to be a lot of games in May - including two double-header weekends. I'd compare it to moving day in golf. I always remember it as a player for being a psychological mind-bender - and it all comes down to the summer break. Before we get to Friday, May 30 and the two-week break you get this change in the dressing-room environment. It bugged me. You could sense players starting to take their eye off the ball at a time in the season when they should be driving on. Instead, they were looking forward to their time off - there would be chat about where lads were going, there would be haircuts and new sunglasses. It really annoyed me and all I'd say is, don't underestimate the power of May. It could make or break your team's season! ************* The big winners last week were Derry City and Bohs, no doubt about it. Looking at it before last weekend, you certainly felt both clubs were the under performers this season. There has been a lot going on off the pitch with both clubs. Derry have had a lot of investment - a new stand opening behind the goal and the Brandywell really looking the part. (Image: ©INPHO/James Crombie) All that was missing was the team doing its stuff and, before last weekend, I was really wanting them to get back into the picture. Likewise with Bohs, there are three years into full-time football now but there has been a lack of momentum in the club. But last weekend that suddenly changed, especially on the back of the win over Shamrock Rovers, and now they are just five points off the top. It's a huge and welcome swing for both clubs. A strong Bohs and a strong Derry should always be difficult places to go to and that may well be the case now, going into a month that could make or break the whole season. ************** The news that Victor Ozhianvuna will be the League's first €2m player has been a long time coming. Like the big money transfers of Mason Melia and Gavin Bazunu before him, it can only be of benefit for all the LOI clubs. This is what happens when there's a collective sticking out of the chest. What I mean by that is the people in the game here saying no more, we're going to start taking ourselves seriously now. And when you get momentum and confidence coming into the game, this is the result of it. (Image: ©INPHO/Evan Logan) I'd include in that the clubs' decision to go with Virgin Media. They're basically saying, 'we take ourselves seriously and if you don't want to take us seriously, then get stuffed'. So it's fantastic. It's where we need to be and so what we're seeing is big money moves for players. You can go around all the clubs and pick players out who have the potential to be in this bracket - and this is life changing money Surely all of this can only be ammunition for the FAI and the clubs when they're banging on the door for the Government to start taking us seriously and to get their act together for the LOI's infrastructural needs. ************ (Image: ©INPHO/Ciaran Culligan) In fairness to Drogheda, they're not going away after their draws on Friday and Monday. It's not a million miles off what Shels did last year, when they were top of the League and plenty of people said it won't continue. But I do think there's a difference. The big clubs are lining up behind them and there's always a difficult being on top - the crown gets heavier and heavier. I'd hazard a guess that Shels, St Pats and Shamrock Rovers are happy enough to be waiting in the wings at this stage of the season. For Drogheda, it's a matter of sticking with it and digging your studs into the ground. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.