SOCCER: Brian Kerr yesterday urged those running Eircom League clubs to restore financial stability to the game here by putting a halt to the spiralling costs that have hit the Irish game in recent years.

The Ireland manager, speaking at the official launch of the new season, which starts on Thursday night, said he was shocked in particular by the rapid increase in players' wages at a time when revenues were growing much more slowly.

"When I'm talking to managers some of the younger ones would tell me what players are on," he said. "They're shocked by it and when I hear some of the numbers I'm shocked too. The best players now seem to be on four or five times what the best were on just a few years ago but the fact is that gates haven't risen four- or fivefold and while clubs have become more imaginative in the way they raise money they're not raising that much more than was the case when I was at St Pat's."

Kerr recalled that when he managed the Inchicore side to the league title in 1990 the wage bill, including the team's backroom staff, was roughly £1,100 (punts) each week. Six years later the figure had risen to £2,300, still a fraction of what is spent by the leading clubs these days.

"I don't blame the players because obviously they are going to take what they can get but somewhere along the line somebody seems to have started the whole thing spiralling and it hasn't stopped since. It just doesn't seem to be rational."

Asked about the ongoing speculation Bolton midfielder Kevin Nolan and a number of other players might declare for Ireland in the wake of changes by FIFA to the international eligibility rules, Kerr hinted he requires a greater show of commitment from players than vague suggestions they might consider a call-up.

"I approached Kevin two or three years ago and he's played for England since then," he said. "I haven't heard anything since to the effect that he wants to play for us and, anyway, I'm not so sure that he's better than what we have. There's no point in everyone getting excited because he's suddenly eligible; he has to be better than what we have.

"There has been talk about a few lads opting for us since the rules changed but the reality is that Kevin Gallen is the only one to have got in touch to clarify the situation," he continued. "He wrote me a very nice letter explaining how he qualifies and that he would like to be considered. He said when he was selected to play for England at underage level the club told him how good it would be for him and he accepted that.

"Since then we've looked at him a couple of times and he's playing well at the top end of the second division, but again I'm not convinced that at the moment he is better than what we already have."

Kerr would have the ideal opportunity to bring new blood into the squad if the proposed trip to the US comes to pass and he said yesterday he expects a final decision about the tour soon.

"It's very close to being tidied up, I think. It would be a good thing for us if we got three decent games out of it but there have been some problems with establishing exactly who was going to be there and to be honest we wouldn't want to do it if none of the games were going to be against teams of any relevance to us."

If the tour falls through, he said, the intention is to set something up closer to home in order to use the time with the players.

It is, of course, doubtful how many of the squad's best players would go to the States but several, including Damien Duff, have indicated willingness to travel.

Graham Kavanagh, meanwhile, has also said he hopes to make the trip despite admitting over the weekend he needs surgery on the ankle injury he picked up in Ireland's friendly game with Canada before Christmas.

"It's been sore and bothering him since," said Kerr. "It mightn't keep him out for the rest of the season but it's not looking good given that it's so late now."