YOU could have the best players in the world and the worst manager — and you’d win nothing.

That is what springs to mind when I hear John Delaney talk about League of Ireland clubs ­having strategic plans.

3 FAI chief executive John Delaney

Because I see no leadership from the FAI.

Delaney has rarely done press in recent times so when I saw two pages with him talking about the league in The Irish Sun last week, I was interested to learn his opinion.

But then I read it and it was just PR spin with nothing to back it up.

3 The Aviva Stadium will host friendlies involving Manchester United and Liverpool

It seems to be all about the clubs sorting out their strategic plans and then the FAI will take it from there.

Government funding? After they get the plans. More sponsorship? After they get the plans. Increased prize money? Ditto.

So while the clubs are asked to devise their plans, does the FAI currently have an all-encompassing strategy?

It doesn’t sound like there is one. Everything is off the table until the long-term plans are in.

Those blueprints are no bad thing but we also have to be realistic. For some clubs, a long-term plan is really about next month rather than the next decade.

Delaney says that the clubs have to do things themselves. And in fairness, many clubs are doing ­terrific work.

I live in Dundalk and when you walk around the town, nine out of ten kids are wearing Dundalk shirts rather than Manchester United or Liverpool jerseys.

It should be a stated aim of the FAI to ensure that it’s like that all across Ireland — rather than Delaney saying that it is great for kids to see Manchester United at the Aviva Stadium in August.

They are playing Sampdoria — who those same kids probably think is a chipper in Coolock — so it’s hardly a great game to go and watch.

3 All clubs should be getting the support Dundalk are attracting

I was fuming when that was announced. You’d need to be on €360,000 a year to think hosting such a game would not have an impact on attendance if an Irish club had a European game.

Granted, all four Irish clubs could be out of Europe by that week. But if they are, can fans paying €40 to watch United also afford to go to a Cork or a Dundalk game?

Throw in the fact that there is a second game in the Aviva that week — ­Liverpool v Athletic Bilbao — and it makes things harder.

My view of barstoolers means I am not the best face to sell the league to them but the FAI needs to do more.

The barstoolers have nothing to watch this week so where is the promotion of Dundalk, Cork who are currently flying, Bray’s unknowns and Derry going well and Rovers being Rovers?

The FAI say this is a league worth watching and they are right. But it is up to them to take leadership and tell ­people about it.

Clubs can promote ­themselves — and some do. But the FAI are the owners of it all. They must do it too.

Otherwise, do barstoolers even know the games are on?

Or will they just save their money for Manchester United and Liverpool?