http://foot.ie/blogs/21-MariborKev News, blogs and discussion forums for Eircom League and Ireland fans. en Sun, 19 May 2013 11:15:39 GMT vBulletin 60 http://foot.ie/images/misc/rss.jpg http://foot.ie/blogs/21-MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/196-Will-be-the-revolution-be-televised Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:28:37 GMT I attended the Soccerex European Forum in Manchester in April and hope to bring you a series of... I attended the Soccerex European Forum in Manchester in April and hope to bring you a series of pieces on some of the takeways for the Irish game from the week.

Gianni Infantino, UEFA General Secretary, revealed at the conference that UEFA had agreed a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (“EBU”) for the televised rights for the Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 qualifiers. Interesting, but what is the relevance for Irish football fans?

RTÉ is one of over thirty national broadcasters which form part of the EBU and therefore this means that games will remain on free to air television in Ireland for the foreseeable future. The broadcaster was keen to publicise the fact, with an article appearing on their website that evening. The main quote, in the article and repeated elsewhere in the media coverage which followed came from Ryle Nugent, Head of Sport.

“RTÉ is proud to be able to secure coverage of our national side in these major international fixtures which guarantees that Irish fans will be able to follow their team’s journey to qualify for these key tournaments free-to-air.”

Televised rights of these games is a departure for UEFA as it marks the first cycle of “centralised TV rights”, such that the rights were bundled and sold by UEFA as a package, rather than each federation being free to negotiate their own rights independently. The general consensus was that the approach would be more lucrative, and whilst we have yet to see the breakdown on how the money will be distributed to each federation, the top line figure certainly looks impressive.

The proposed financial uplift from centralised TV rights was included as part of the recent RTÉ Primetime piece into FAI finances. Leaving aside the shortcomings of that piece, which deserve an article of its own, the programme noted that the FAI expect to receive a minimum of €40m for these rights. Once again this no firm basis for this, but John Delaney was widely quoted guaranteeing that the FAI would achieve this when the concept was passed back in 2009.

So we will all have guaranteed access to the qualifiers on free to air for the next two campaigns. All good news. We’ll also potentially have the option to watch other sides in action, as the “week of football” concept also kicks in, with games spread over several days.

All in all it seems good news for the association, but where now for the League of Ireland? The previous deal with RTÉ was signed in 2009 for the 2010-2014 period and thus expires at the end of this season. A key tenet of this deal with the increased provision of League of Ireland coverage in the form of live games and the Monday Night Soccer (“MNS”) which is now a staple in the viewing habits of the League of Ireland faithful.

Whilst far from perfect, most LOI fans see the programme as a significant improvement from the lack of coverage in previous years and the commitment to live games has seen one live game a week for the current season. It was the first time that domestic fans had access to a dedicated highlights programme in primetime with goals and action from every game shown. Whilst TV3 had previously dipped their toe in the market with “Eircom League Weekly”, the scheduling of the show and the fact that not all goals were shown mean that it was little more than a piecemeal provision.

In the previous deal the FAI “bundled” international rights with the domestic rights and this was the reason that the League was about to obtain the highlights programme and the commitment to live games. As the rights are now negotiated central, there is no opportunity to the FAI to leverage the international rights in order to secure a continued level of coverage. This is not an isolated issue for federations, and the English FA bundled FA Cup coverage with their TV rights for English internationals. Indeed the fears of the FA were such that they were very reticent to sign up to the centralised rights concept, until they received financial guarantees of over €100m per cycle. The FAI were keen to trumpet the increased coverage that they had secured for the domestic game under the last deal. In the changed landscape of TV rights, where does this leave the League of Ireland?

On an analytical level, one has to question the commercial proposition of televised League football for RTÉ. The provision of live games mean that they commit several hours of schedule to the game over the weekend. Crowds, on the most part, are disappointing and whilst one could argue all day on the quality or otherwise on the on field product, there is little doubt that empty stands do little to encourage neutrals or casual fans to watch. The viewing figures for the first season of MNS were believed to be a disappointment, with media reports of the time reporting that an average audiences were around 60,000. In comparison, in the same season, RTÉ were achieving 200,000+ viewing for regular Champions League group games.
In addition, at the EU Conference on Sustainable Finance in Sport, held in Dublin earlier in the year Ryle Nugent, Head of Sport, revealed that the Director General of the organisation had stated that they had to reduce the amounts paid for rights by 25% by 2016. In considering the commercial landscape and it looks a bleak view for domestic football fans. With a reduced budget, RTÉ will surely seek to secure the “crown jewels” in terms of football, GAA and rugby both in terms of club and national competitions.

In a football context, these are likely to be the international fixtures, Champions League and highlights of the Premier League. These are the commercial propositions which the broadcaster can use in order to drive in terms of commercial revenues, as these are the audiences are. The state broadcaster has seen commercial revenues fall by 35% in four years and thus one would assume that the strategy would be to focus of the key competitions and events in order to ensure the viability of the sports department.

One could argue where the value is being derived when John Giles freely admits that once again he doesn’t really know anything about the teams or Dunphy compares Messi to Shefflin. However those are the “water cooler” moments and those are the reason that people watch, and thus which sponsors are attracted to. We shall wait and see how the future unfolds, but as a League of Ireland fan I’ll be taking “each live game as it comes” to paraphrase the cliché, as we may not see the likes of it again. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/196-Will-be-the-revolution-be-televised http://foot.ie/entries/151-Home-is-where-the-heart-is Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:20:28 GMT Piece I wrote for Cityweb, the Derry programme We wish James McClean all the very best in his... Piece I wrote for Cityweb, the Derry programme

We wish James McClean all the very best in his move to Sunderland and he follows a rich line of left wingers to have left the club for greater things in recent years. However the transfer has nearly been overshadowed by James’ decision to withdraw from the Northern Ireland squad and declare that he sees his international future with the Republic.

Trappatoni has clearly stated that he doesn’t rate the League of Ireland and James obviously feels that with a move to Sunderland, his chances of selection to the Republic of Ireland side have increased. As the player himself said this week “However, it’s always been my dream to play for the Republic and hopefully that will become a reality now that I’m going to be a Sunderland player.”

The decision to switch allegiances has provoked the usual howls from the Northern Ireland support and some fairly hostile media coverage from the Northern Ireland media. To most Northern Ireland fans they would have been saying “James who?” before this week, but now to many he is a traitor and a turncoat.

The whole of issue of player eligibility is a complex one, and for anyone that wants to get an understanding of it, I’d direct your attention to the superb article on the issue by Daniel Collins(who is from Derry), which can be found at http://bit.ly/lzaGtv. I am not afforded the same space, or indeed have the time to describe the issue in as much detail as that article does. However for anyone that wants to get the facts on the matter, which are commonly lacking or incorrect in the mainstream media, then that article is the comprehensive guide.

Returning to the issue in hand though, as James says it was his dream to play for the Republic. The only issue I would have with the behaviour of the player is that if that was his dream to play for the Republic of Ireland, then the best course of action would have been to withdraw from the Northern Ireland squad as soon as the call up was announced, or to reject the call up prior to the squad announcement. Shane Ferguson, another Derry native, who is on the books at Newcastle United, has asked for time to consider his options in relations to his international future, and has opted out of a number of Northern Ireland squads.

As it is, the late withdrawal will smack of opportunism to those who wish to paint James as some sort of traitor. Now, I doubt that was James’ intention but the timeline certainly gives the critics the ammunition; that he may have been using the call up to leverage attention and then switch horses when he got his move. To paraphrase the quote that has launched Joey Barton into further infamy recently “telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act”. James has come out and stated his desire is to play for the Republic of Ireland, and that has cast him as some sort of enemy of Northern Ireland in certain quarters.

How many times have the IFA watched the eligible Derry players this season? Compare that to the regular appearances at home and away games by Republic of Ireland technical staff. It is as easy for an IFA scout to drive over Glenshane as it is for Noel King to hop in the car and come North to take in a game. We had a number of players in season and playing very well, yet Nigel Worthington opted to call up a number of Irish League players for the recent Carling Cup. Subliminal or not, the message that out of season players from a lower ranked European League transmits its own message. Also, you could argue that the Belfast media ignore Derry City players for most of the time, only to become interested in stories such as this one.

I think most inside the Brandywell this evening would find that their affinity lies with the national side from Lansdowne Road, rather than the one in Windsor Park. Therefore most will consider James’ decision the right one, and there will be general comments of “Sure ye couldn’t play for that shower up there”. Due to our unique playing situation, irrespective of the political connotations, most of us find ourselves more at home at the Irish setup. To me, that’s the crux of the issue; the wider societal issues means that few of us dream of growing up to play for Northern Ireland.

Niall McGinn, who turns out with pride for Northern Ireland tweeted that he was delighted to get Robbie Keane’s shirt after the recent defeat as he is a Republic of Ireland fan. His punishment for publicising this on Twitter? An avalanche of abuse. Players should not be punished for responding to society norms, and until the IFA and those generating the media criticism decide to concentrate on the wider trends, the issue is going to remain the same.

I’ve no hostility towards Northern Ireland fans, players, or the IFA. I’ve been in Windsor plenty of times and we had a block booking for one qualifying campaign in the 90s. However, try as I might it is not “my” team, and the anthem and all is not “mine”. I don’t feel threatened by it, but I didn’t feel at home in the atmosphere either. The last game I was at was a friendly against Serbia in 2005 and the atmosphere had certainly improved greatly since I was first there in the 90s. However I still didn’t feel a part of it the way I do when I take my seats in Lansdowne or travel round following Republic of Ireland.

Perhaps that’s to do with our unique position, club wise, which means that I know more fans from the Republic setup than I do from the Northern Irish set up. Add to that the fact that my first foreign holiday was the World Cup in Italy in 1990 and I was probably also going to be cheering for “You Boys in Green” rather than “Our Wee Country”. That’s not to say there aren’t clowns in the Irish support that you would be embarrassed by. I was deeply uncomfortable about the verbal abuse in my section of Lansdowne at the Carling Cup games, some of it from people not old enough to have any understanding of the issues, and some of it from people who really should know better.

However whilst people still grow up dreaming to play for the Republic of Ireland, then you will continue to get Northern Irish born players declaring for the Republic. Perhaps a generation of “normalisation” here, a new stadium/anthem, or Northern Ireland qualifying for a tournament and the resultant “bandwagon” effect, may begin to change hearts and minds of people.

The IFA needs to forget about appealing to CAS, the ruling has been set as regards the right of players to play for the Republic of Ireland. The IFA, but many others, have to work at changing the atmosphere so that future players are saying “It is my dream to play for Northern Ireland”. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/151-Home-is-where-the-heart-is http://foot.ie/entries/129-Footballing-Blogosphere-IBWM Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:45:18 GMT In what hopefully will be the first in a recurring series, I’ll be taking a look at the best of... In what hopefully will be the first in a recurring series, I’ll be taking a look at the best of what’s out there in the blogsphere for the football fan.

In Bed with Maradona

In Bed With Maradona, or IBWM as it is also known as, has become a firm favourite of mine. The Guardian sings its praises from the rooftops claiming “an outstanding variety of football stories from around the world and throughout the ages are told here”. High praise indeed.

You won’t find news stories or transfer gossip here. Nor will you find any pictures of WAGs or recycled stories from Sky Sports News. In fact, that is probably why I enjoy the site. The content is off beat, breathlessly switching from an article onthe McDonaldization of football to an investigation into Roger Milla’s career after football, with a homage to Jacques Derrida somewhere in the middle.

Content is king online and IBWM is absolutely brimming with it. The site operates a free submission model where if your piece is good enough, then it goes up. It appears to have become a lightning conductor for this type of quirky football writing and the site is teaming with articles you could just spend a day passing the time with.

For anyone with a interest in the game beyond the confines of the pitch, I would thoroughly recommend jumping into bed with Maradona here. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/129-Footballing-Blogosphere-IBWM http://foot.ie/entries/124-European-Dreams-so-hard-to-beat Sun, 02 Jan 2011 22:03:56 GMT Gods and Mortal, Paul Keane, 2010 This book reminded me of the classic League of Ireland... Gods and Mortal, Paul Keane, 2010

This book reminded me of the classic League of Ireland European trips. Tall tales, great stories, heroic losses and the feeling that in the end it was over all too soon and you are really looking forward to the next one.

The book is presented in a one game, one chapter linear format which suits the very nature of the games as occasions in the history of the club. There has been plenty of debate on internet forums about other games that may have justified inclusion and it may provide material for a topic that surely deserves a second volume.

For keen League of Ireland watchers it may appear as if this book seeks to combine and rehash stories which many are very familiar with but the plethora of anecdotes and quotes from those involved, backed up with little details you may have long forgotten serve to ensure that the pages keep on turning on this one. The fact that the games stretch over six decades mean that there are games to interest fans of varying vintages and this helps to broaden the appeal.

The fact that in the goldfish bowl that is the League of Ireland interviewees who feature as players in the earlier chapters have reappeared in the League as managers in later stages means that whilst you mightn’t know the names as players, you have certainly heard of most of them.

The book weaves between descriptions of the games and goals to the memories of those who were involved be they players to directors. Half the time the stories relating to events off the pitch are as interesting as those on the pitch. From AC Milan mistaking St Mels to a training pitch to Limerick’s catastrophic decision to switch their game to Dublin there are enough high jinx to keep even the casual reader entertained.

Keane has assembled an impressive cast of interviewees with names ranging from Eamon Dunphy to Tony Ward reminiscing on their memories of the famous nights in question. In truth, it is the stories of those involved that make the book what it is. This isn’t a revionist view of the games, based on match reports and statistics. The stories are what gives the book it’s colour and it is eminantely readable as a result. Maybe because as a fan of the League the majority of names are familiar this colours my opinion of the book but it is the interviewees which make the book.

Keane doesn’t seek to add additional reportage or gravitas to the events. He sets the scene, provides the backdrop and then let’s those involved speak. The only weakness I found was the repetition of the material about Manchester United and Munich which popped up in both chapters which features them.

There are some some cracking stories in the book from the story of how Real Madrid conceded four goals on their way to the final the year they played Limerick, and that three of them were scored by a player called Kennedy(two by the Limerick player and one from Liverpool’s Ray) to Rico resting players in a League decider just to play them in the Cup final.

I have to declare my hand and say that the aul lad(from whom I bought the book at Christmas) was on the board at Derry at the time of the Benfica game so I probably took the least from that chapter as I knew most of the stories. Eusebio’s fondness for Black Bush doesn’t make it into the book though.. ……

However that probably gave me a different insight into the book as I would have a more pramatic view on things like swapping venues etc. A consistent theme throughout the book is the view of the players that swapping the game was tantamount to admitting defeat and if they had played them in Tolka/Limerick/ wherever then they would have beaten them.

I would have the much less romantic view of the financial needs must and that you had to go where the chance to maximise the money was the greatest. Romantic now, but Shels playing Deportivo in Lansdowne probably keep the club afloat from at least a year and at the end of the day that is as important.

There are tales of heroic failure pervade the book and it would have been nice to have included one of the big games where an Irish side triumphed. Keane tries to assuage this feeling by includes details of the wins on the way to the “big draw”. However one could argue that Derry dumping out IFK Gothenburg(former UEFA Cup Winners) with victories in both legs as bigger than some of the games features.

The Galway United v Gronigen game appears a particular anachronism, as Groningen where never a big side in European teams. I suspect that game was selected as there had already been a TG4 documentary on the game(owing the fact it was played in the Gaeltacht and the argument of the pitch to be used). Again, having seen that documentary I didn’t find any particular insight in that one, but it was still an enjoyable read. Perhaps that is the strength of the book, you still ending up reading about games that you already think you know everything about.

I came away from the book, not the first time, wishing that European competition would revert to the days before seeded draws and co-efficient, back to the days of open draw. Then we may have many more games of Gods v Mortals. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/124-European-Dreams-so-hard-to-beat http://foot.ie/entries/123-A-cold-dark-and-backwards-step Mon, 06 Dec 2010 23:07:01 GMT I haven't found time to articulate my feelings on the lunancy of a return of winter football but as I look out on what used to be a garden, covered in snow for the guts of ten days now it seems an apt time to get something down on it.

As with most serious items in the League of Ireland, the news of a possible return came first from whispers, then rumours and finally a few carefully leaked press articles where if you can accurately read between the lines you can nearly work out which club official the journalist was talking to. The Daily Mail was the first paper to explicitly state that a return to winter football was on the table as an options(along with the normal deck chair rearranging of changing the number of sides in the top flight).

Normally if you are making a major change you try and find the pros and cons, weigh them up and try and come down on the consensus that reflect the best decision in the bigger picture. In my view this decision has to be considered in the light of the following criteria

• Playing Quality
• Finances
• European Competition
• Spectators
• Facilities
• Crowds

Playing Quality: There has been no doubt that there has been an improvement in playing quality since the introduction of summer football. There are the odd exceptions, such as the "beach" at Terryland but there has been a marked improvement in all the playing surfaces. This has allowed players to showcase the best of their talents on the best surfaces. No, you think players play better in sub zero conditions?

European Competition: Again, the facts speak for themselves on this one. Since the switch we've probably enjoyed more consistent success that for the decades before. Of course there have been blips but can you argue that the likes of Derry, Cork, Shels etc would have been able to defeat superior opposition if, like them, we had been in pre-season? Indeed there was such heady optimism at one stage that there was an argument for switching back to winter football in order to facilitate competitive action for those sides that might qualify for the group stages of compeition. One word answers the doubters here: Co-efficient. Albeit that might be of no comfort to the likes of Bray, Athlone etc but remember bigger picture

Finances: Ah, the old "crowds were better under winter football" chesnut. Crowds were better in the 1960s as well, so we get the FAI to invest in a time machine and we can go back to then. The fact is that the game, and the world has changed since we last played winter football. Back then inter-provincial rugby was still a minority sport and people still regarded half strength English sides as a reason to pack a ground for a friendly.

If clubs want better crowds, then they have to work harder to get them. Winter football, as I'll explain in depth, will not bring people back. We've always heard this mythical argument about crowds being affected by the Championship in the summer. The truth is that the majority of clubs in the League are from urban areas, areas that are traditionally the least affected by the "call of the parish".

The country is about to enter an economic depression that we won't see the light out of for the guts of a decade, maybe more. If we couldn't keep control on our finance when people had money to burn, how is switching back to a winter season going to change this?

Businesses will ask, "what can you do for me?". The issue is that the vast majority of clubs take the sponsorship money and have no contact with that sponsor until the next time they come looking for more money. Do clubs make their sponsors an integral part of their model? Do they jack. Irish people will support things they can see the value in and they will support things that are successful.

Spectators & Facilities: These two are intrinsically linked and therefore are considered as such. We are now nearly a decade into the summer football "experiment" and therefore we have young fans who have no experience of playing a match in Buckley Park in -3 conditions, with the freezing fog so bad that you can't see the far side of the pitch. Of driving half way down the country only to find that your game has been called off an hour before kick off. All joking aside about the Irish weather, the majority of the season is playing in temperate conditions where you can get away with a raincoat. Standing in Drom on a balmy evening in July is a slightly difference proposition to a game there in late January.

On a personal level, getting in a car to drive home from the likes of Limerick or Waterford in mid summer is a lot less stressful than having to navigate ice/frost/fog and all that comes with it these at this time of year.

All of which would still be acceptable, if we had first class facilities. With a few notable exceptions we don't. We have a majority of grounds where you can still end up cold, wet and miserable and with substandard catering facilites.

None of this matter to us, we're fanatics. I'll stand on the slope in Jackman and I don't care if I fall down 15 times in the muck. However we don't need to attract people like me to the game, we need to attract new fans. How are we going to do this if we playing games at the worst time of the year? How often does a child want to go back, and you want to take them back, if there is no cover and it is cold and wet every time you go.

Leisure habits have changed since 2002. People have an entire online world, they have consoles where they can play people anyone in the world. They have massive TVs where it appears as if the match is being played in the room that you're sitting in. Never mind going to the game, people don't even need to bother going to the pub to watch it now. Whereas it used to be a massive "treat" to be taken to England to see a game with cheap flights it can now be achieved a few times a years without a massive expense.

As a parent you have a choice, you can take your child to the cinema/swimming pool/leisure park/bowling alley. However unattractive the League of Ireland is at the best of times on that list, it is twice as unattractive if it is teaming with rain outside and you know you're going to end up soaked an hunger as at the majority of grounds.

Crowds: Having mentioned the facilities and spectators we have to consider why the clubs want to go back to winter football? One has to believe that some fantastists believe that they can replicate the crowds they once got in the winter time round. I'd love to see any clever evidence of this happening apart from the "Sure we used to get 4,000 against Rovers in the 90s". It smacks of that line in the Platnium One report about crowds increasing by 100% in the first year, with absolutely no explanation as to how this would be done.

People will not come back if there is winter football. People will come if you are winning games.

So up against the most hyped League in the world we're going to put our League in direct competition? A marketing assistant at Sky probably earns more than the players in this League but these fools somehow think that we can beat these people at their own game?

At the start of the piece I mentioned the normal decision making process which weighs up the pros and cons of an action and then settles on a course of action, based on what is the best decision in the overall context. For those advocating a return to winter football where are the positives to a return? The majority of those currently following the game are against it, there is no clamour amongst neutrals "I'd love to go, if only they played in January", there appears to be no economic rationale. One fears that it is the typical League of Ireland response of it something doesn't immediately fix all our problems then we must return to the way it was in the old days.

In the old days we were a backwards country which was being left behind by the rest of Europe and a general luaghing stock. Now......oh wait.

The League of Ireland will never be a mainstream popular event here. At best we can hope for a well run League where the clubs get enough crowds to stay afloat and continue to provide high and lows to those lucky enough to support the sides that play in it.

However a return to winter football appears to a classic case of the club deciding they would rather have one hand tied behind their back and they face the challenges ahead.

At times the sheer pig headed attitudes of the clubs would make you feel like packing it in. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/123-A-cold-dark-and-backwards-step http://foot.ie/entries/119-Young-hearts-be-free Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:25:17 GMT Tomorrow night sees the culmination of the 2010 Airtricity First Division and all being well it... Tomorrow night sees the culmination of the 2010 Airtricity First Division and all being well it will end with a Derry player picking up the trophy. It appears a far cry from last Friday night in the Social Club, never mind the first game of the season.

There was a very sombre mood last week, as many fans believed that City had blown their cushion and would head to Monaghan with at best, a one point margin. The feeling was “here we go again” as the spectre of Athlone and Cork loomed large in the memory. In a certain way the players were somewhat sheltered from that, as many of them are too young to remember the emotion trauma of those occasions. If you are a fan however, you’ll never forget those games.

Come Saturday night thought, it was party time. We were at home watching the International Rules and I was checking livescore every so often on the phone. When Monaghan equalised to make it 1-1 I assumed that the chance was gone. To be fair to me da, he kept saying that he was happier that Mervue had scored as it showed they could. However, no one could have believed the goal that handed City promotion in the end. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here Talk about a gift! Final whistle and all roads led to the Social Club. It was an absolutely cracking night, to the extent that I was barely recovered come the Monday evening of the bank holiday.

The week’s build up to Monaghan has meant plenty of time for reflection on the season. It’s been quite a journey from the huge turnout and opening draw to Cork, all the way to the huge crowd and draw at home to Harps last week. Along the way, we’ve seen City score for fun and then be unable to buy a winfor a few weeks. We seen bookies pay out early and then City move from odds on favourites to the outsiders for the League title.

I’ve been fortunate to get to the vast majority of games this season, despite working in Dublin. I missed one away game all year, away to Mervue and only a smattering of home games. Early in the season I was keeping a track on the miles travelled watching Derry this season but with only one game in Dublin this season I’d dread to think what my total miles watching League of Ireland football this season.

I’ve seen some great performances and seen games which would make you tear your hair out. In the opening weeks of the season we lost away in Waterford and my final analysis on the radio was very downbeat. Waterford, one of the pre-season favourites appeared better than us all over the field and more crucially, they appeared hungered. The same side then went on an unbelievable run, steamrolling all in front of them. At that stage it looked as if the League would be over weeks before the end.

The Cups, usually a happy hunting ground for City no matter how poor their League form weren’t so easy for the Candystripes. Having dispatched Harps in the League Cup, Rovers beat Derry in the Brandywell in the nextr round. City struggled against Bray in the Brandywell in the FAI Cup, relying on a late Vinny Sweeney equaliser to force an equaliser. Defensive kamikaze by City in the Carlisle Grounds meant that no even a wonder strike by Patrick McEleney could keep City in the cup. This was the start of the “wobble” as City slumped following the mid season break. Battered by Finn Harps at Finn Park, City scrapped for a few points in August and September as the lead shrank and form deserted us. A vital three points in Limerick keep the Mons from the door, but it was far from certain at this stage.

Indeed for a time it appeared certain that City were going to throw away the League. They lost the top spot and it appeared Monaghan were in the driving seat. I’d say when we were well clear that if we didn’t win the League we wouldn’t be in the playoffs as it would have meant that we’d have collapsed completely. It looked for a while as if that was going to happen.

But that’s the beauty of football. A crazy goal such as that Mervue one and immediately you’re on top of the world. I don’t think I could have handled another final day showdown. As it stands, we can go to Bray and have a party. An entire generation of City fans will see their side win a League. Cups and European runs are great, but a League is a different.

A few of us were determined to enjoy the season and we decided that with this being the “Discover Ireland” we have tired at least one overnight in every location. We’ve had great nights(Limerick), ****e nights(Wexford), mad nights(Galway) and generally had a ball. Yes, it’s easy to enough yourself when your sides winning but still. As we were memorably told a few weeks back “Youse won 5-1, cheer up”. The lot of an League of Ireland fan is not that of easy one, as even in the cosy glow of victory you are always expecting the next disaster to befall.

We’ll never have a season like this again. One game in Dublin the entire year, and what was probably one of our best performances to deny our old rivals with a late late 2-1 win. I checked myself out of hospital to get to that one, but it was worth it and more to get one over them in the last minute. Trips to the like of Drom and Ferrycarraig have been a pleasant change from what felt like the fortnightly games against a Dublin side(which is great if you live in Dublin, less so when you don’t). We scored five, six and seven in games this season. We’ve beaten Shels, three times. We’ve seen an entire side emerge from the car crash of last season. Players such as James McClean, Patrick McEleney, Ruairi Harkin and the like have become the new stars of the Brandywell. Would have seen their likes if Stephen hadn’t been forced to start from scratch again?

So get along to Monaghan tomorrow and enjoy it. Don’t worry about performances or points. We’re going up, we’ll be League Champions and that is an occasion worth celebrating. Did I think in 97 that I’d be waiting till now to celebrate another League title? Never. So wherever you are in the world, crack open your tipple of choice and drink it up.

We’re finishing our season with another overnight and the Champagne has been stockpiled. All season we’ve been revelling in an 80s theme, and this wee beaut for the last game of the season



I’ll be back midweek-ish for a bit of post match reaction……. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/119-Young-hearts-be-free http://foot.ie/entries/117-Nightmare-on-the-Clones-Road Sat, 23 Oct 2010 16:38:41 GMT It may be Halloween next week but you can forget "Nightmare on Elm Street" if you are looking for a fright next week. Saturday night in Monahan promises to be 90 minutes of unadulterated terror for City fans. Next week runs the risk of turning into a nightmare on Clones Road, as City travel to Monaghan needing to match the result of the home side. We've been here before, and it hasn't ended well.



In 1995 and a decade later in 2005, City led the division entering the final series of game only to ended up empty handed on both occasions. Those events probably have more on the bearing on supporters, psychologically scarred by the two occasions than on the fresh faced squad representing the Candystripes this season.

There are worrying signs for City, who have stuttering and stumbled over the second half of the season having swept all before them in the early games. Monaghan have gradually crept up in the title race and hit the front a few weeks back. They've had their own mini stumble, but barring more dropped points tonight it looks as if the title will be a final day shoot out between the first and second placed sides.

Honours have been even so far this season between the two sides, with both sides recording away victories. It looks like next week will be a "winner takes all" encounter, with the prize the First Division title and the automatic promotion spot. At this stage, Waterford retain the mathematical prossibilty of winning the League, but they have to very much be considers the outsiders in the race.

The worry for City fans is that in the games where the side have been asked to stand up and counted there have been questions asked. Last night the stage was set for City to ensure that they carried a three point lead into the final game. They were met by a Finn Harps side with nothing to play for, but who showed heart and desire to frustrate and deny City for the 90 minutes. In the last game at Finn Park we were outfought and outbattled in the second half by the same side. There have been other worrying games, such as dropped points at the likes of Ferrycarraig Park.

I said at the the start of the season that given the budget and resources that SK has that we should at least be in the playoff. That has been confirmed at this stage but having led the League by 12 points at one stage, it is only human nature for expectations to rise and to assume that we could go on and win the League. Maybe the expecations of the players rose as well. I blogged a few weeks ago after draw in Wexford that I couldn't see how we'd win all of our remaining games. We seemed to get back on track, inparticular the impressive victory over Shelbourne in the Brandywell. However everyone knew that Harps would be won up for last night. We'd seen the way they roared back at us in the second half in Finn Park and the same was expected last night.

Whatever happens, we'll go to Monaghan a point clear. I'm a natural pessimist at the best of times so this is a nightmare. I see vision of the game level at 0-0 and then Monagahan scoring with a few minutes left. To be honest, even thinking about it has already got me stomach churning.

So, I'm going to have to think that we can do it. That we will do it. To banish the nightmare of 95 and 05 we are going to have to win a title by winning a League on the final game of the season. This is the season to do it. Can we do it? ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/117-Nightmare-on-the-Clones-Road http://foot.ie/entries/113-It-s-all-over-now-baby-blue Sat, 02 Oct 2010 12:50:48 GMT There a film a few years back "How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days",your typically flaky chick flick. However it seems as if City are determined to star in their own sequel, how to lose the League in ten games. For me, last night was the final nail in the coffin of the hopes for automatic promotion as it showed that City don't have the mental strength or the confidence to get over the line.

It was set up perfectly for them to push on and pile the pressure on the rivals. A confidence boosting 6-0 victory last week, playing a side we have scored 14 goals against in three games. Elsewhere Monaghan were up against Waterford and the hope was for dropped points in that one. The sun was shining, the pitch looked immaculate and Derry had a full panel to choose from. What could go wrong? The chat pre match in the bar was that we didn't care about goals, it was all about the fact of just getting the three points, putting back to back wins together and putting the pressure on the chasing pack.

It all started so well, with the Candystripes dominant and McClean scoring another goal of the highest order to get City off to a flyer. The rest of the half was dominated by the visitors and although there were only a couple of clear cut chances, they were chances none the less. Parkhouse with a header wide, Wolfe with a couple of great blocks to deny Farren, Holden with a lucky save to deny Parkhouse. Youths were reduced to the odd breakaway, with Sheahan looking lively upfront with what snippets of possession he had.

However the second half was to follow the unfortunately now predictable collapse by Derry. Right from the whistle Wexford nearly equalised when Furlong was clear in the box but he couldnt finish. City, who looked so assured in the first half we now looking edgy and nervous. We'd seen it in Finn Park,seen in Longford and it was evident last night as well.

Maybe the side were a bit like me and were affected by the cold. I had naively forgot to bring my coat and as the temperature plummeted I was definitely feeling the cold. The whole scenario wasn't helped by the people round us ignoring the fact that I was trying to do live commentary and asking me about the scores in the other matches every five minutes. If you were wondering what some of the odd silences or me getting flustered during the commenary were about, that partially explains it. Being a ****e commentator doesn't help either. I'd say this will be my one and only season in the commentary box, back to the terraces for me for the 2011 season.

Fifteen minutes into second half and Wexford were level. McEleney gifted possession to Sheahan, he danced across the face of goal and then let fly with a bullet that left Doherty no chance. Same old, same old. From then on we had plenty of possession, but only really one clear chance to get back in the lead. Parky had a looping header(think Ray Houghton in Euro 88) but instead of dropping into the net, it crashed off the bar and clear.

Once again some of the substitutions provoked some bewilderment. Not least to me, when I reckoned Harkin ahd come on about ten minutes before he did. Not one of my finest hours. When he did enter the fray it was in the unfamiliar, and frankly ineffective, right wing slot with Fats called ashore. It was also very franatic, throw the kitchen sink at them stuff at the end and Holden was reduced to merely plucking over hit passes out of the air.

I'm not going to go into a personal attack on players but an arrogance and lack of work ethic by players can be hard to take. To see players laughing and joking in a top hotel hours before a game and then to see them being outfought by a side with nothing to play for? Hard to stomach. There are notable exceptions of course and people who were listening last night will have a fair idea of who I am referring to.

The game wound down to what has become a boringly repetitive climax of missed opportunities and what might have been. When the whistle blew the mood was certainly that this was the night that the League was lost. The general consensus was that if we can only play for 45 minutes then we don't deserve to go up. Can anyone think of a decent second half performance where we've had to do the business? Shels away, possibly Limerick away a few weeks back but apart from that they have been few and far between.

The mood was very somber when we got back to Wexford Town and wasn't helped to find that the hotel was packed with middle aged culchies enjoying the delights of a country music festival. As the performance was dissected and the post mortem conducted, we were routinely interrupted by red faced middle aged men asking us "What was the score in the soccer lads?". A few of them then proceeded to give their own analysis. This was a bit like those every popular vox pops where people are asked about some polticial or economic issue. Boring, cringeworthy and frankly you know the people haven't a clue. The same was true last night, you'll just lost the league you don't need some clown who is half cut telling you what went wrong.

The fact that it appears as if the League will now be won by a side boasting a strike force of Philly Hughes and Karl Bermingham is a damning indictment of the failure of the most natural talented side in the division to realise their potential.

We've leave it with the prophetic words of Ian Curtis, as with the results last night we have indeed lost control
http://[youtube=http://www.youtube.c...v=QVc29bYIvCM] ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/113-It-s-all-over-now-baby-blue http://foot.ie/entries/99-Show-me-the-way-to-go-home Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:59:17 GMT There’s no feeling like going home. Tomorrow night sees the return of international football to... There’s no feeling like going home. Tomorrow night sees the return of international football to Lansdowne 2.0 as Ireland take on Argentina, sadly no longer led by Maradona. It may only be a friendly but I can’t wait to get back. Last week’s game was nothing more than a fundraising charade and whilst we will only see real intensity come the qualifiers, it will be a nice warm up game.

Croker was grand, but watching football on a gaelic pitch doesn’t work. It is like seeing a mini game for kids on a full sized pitch. Seats on the hill and gaps on the hill doesn’t really create an intimidating atmosphere. Sure we have had some decent nights there, but most would admit that the atmosphere only really got going for the last ten against Italy and at the start of the French match. It crackled and fizzed at other times but nearly truly caught alight.

The rugby lads have the game against England, and the subsequent demolition of the Old Enemy to look back on. Throw in the likes of the games between Munster and Leinster and there are more than a few fond memories, as the side experienced a golden era being played out on the Northside.

As a football fan, the picture is a bit more mixed. Sure, we had Brazil, Germany, Italy and France in the ground but only the last two meant anything. We had the forgettable Staunton era which started brightly in Stuttgart and then fell into rancour amongst recrimination on and off the pitch. The appointment of Trap brought excitement back, but expectation was low. As the campaign progressed the attitude gradually changed and just as the new stadium began to show it’s shiny new face to the world, so the team began to inspire the support again.

The vastness of Croker appeared to swallow people up and whilst the new singing section tried to bring noise back to the games, most of the stadium were still only raised from their slumber for small interludes. The Polish game saw the migrant working population take over the Northside and there great noise that night. Pity it was for the away side.

Lansdowne 2.0 won’t be perfect either, as the 10,000 premium ticket holders will be hard to raise into a frenzy, but the challenge is there. Tomorrow night will no doubt be an occasion, as people pose for photos and get their first look around the new surroundings. No doubt there will be plenty of substitutions during the game and it is still a friendly, but it is still a special friendly.

Lansdowne rightly had a reputation and the infrastructure is irrelevant to that. Ergonomic seats and plentiful toilet facilities do not make a stadium, the fans do. However we all know that when you get home, it feels as if you have never been away. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/99-Show-me-the-way-to-go-home http://foot.ie/entries/96-Are-you-Tony-Sheridan Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:23:14 GMT ’m a big fan of podcasts, none more so that those produced by RTÉ, so I was intrigued when I saw a... ’m a big fan of podcasts, none more so that those produced by RTÉ, so I was intrigued when I saw a podcast called “Are you Tony Sheridan?” appear on the list of Documentary on One list.

As a League of Ireland fan, I immediately though of the mercurial Shelbourne legend of the mid nineties but unfortunately it turned about that the programmes was dedicated to another interesting Tony Sheridan, whom the Beatles were a backing band. You can find out about “the other Tony Sheridan” and you can listen to the programme here.

The real Tony Sheridan was the feature of the MNS “Cult Heroes” segment this season and was a player who left a real impression on me. I was in my early teens when Sheridan returned to play in the League and his ridiculous talent, coupled with the Britpop image meant that he was a real hero to me.

I always remember a wonderful mazy run that Sheridan set off on during a game in Tolka in the 96/97. Ten years later Paddy McCourt showed the same skill as he ghosted past people. However as a teenager Sheridan was class to watch, he had a seemingly “don’t give a ****” attitude to the game. He developed a shaggy haircut, pulled his sleeves down but when he got the ball it could be magic to watch.

As a Derry fan I have been lucky enough to watch the talents of players like Coyle and McCourt. Indeed fans of every club may have a “legend”, a players whose very talent leaves you wanting more. Damien Richardson once called Sheridan the most technically gifted player ever to turn out in the League of Ireland. Surely a player of that talent deserves a RTÉ Radio 1 show all of their own….. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/96-Are-you-Tony-Sheridan http://foot.ie/entries/94-88th-minute-winner-in-Tolka-Just-say-yes! Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:34:25 GMT The slogan for the winning City of Culture bid had been "Just Say Yes!". Derry had been announced as the winning city on Thursday night and there was general euphoria home and abroad.

Friday dawned and it was the first trip of the season and a visit to a familiar haunting ground, Tolka Park. Working in Dublin now, this is particular a home game for me now! I spent the early morning in the dentist's chair, but unfortunately not in a Paul Gascoigne side, being filled full of lidocaine instead of alcohol. After that it was back to bed to make up for some of the sleep I'd missed out for the last week.

However I would had to have been in some state to miss out on Friday night's game. It really brought home the geographical spread of the first division that we are now into July and this was City's first visit to Dublin this season. The game had been designated as the "Beachwear Away Trip" and the travelling contingent descended on the Upper Drumcondra Road in a swathe of Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and flip flops. As I headed for Fagans to meet a few mates, there was a surreal scene of Derry lads heading into Tesco with full inflated paddling pools and lilos.

There was no sign of the esteemed Mr Ahern in his local, but sure even if he was there he could probably claim that he has no memory of seeing 100 odds football fans in a collage of Hawaiian gear and replica shirts.

I was on commentary duty and was joined for the night by James O'Toole. The presence of a co-commentator really takes the pressure off, and also increases the craic during the commentary. We got set up and had a quick chat to Paul Doolin, who was there to cast his eyes over potential recruits for the U-23 setup. The youthful face of the Derry side coupled with their outstanding performances in the second tier means that there are more than a few who are in with a shout of selection.

Given all that, the game could hardly have started worse for City. First corner of the game, Molloy misses a routine clearance, Coburn slams it home to make it 1-0. Alan Matthews, two minutes into his reign as Shelbourne boss, must have been wondering if it was all going to be as easy as this.

City struggled to adapt to a competitive and aggressive Shels side who battled and disrupted the attempts of the visitors to try and settle into the game and build a rhythm. I've always been a fan of David Cassidy since he had a great game in the Brandywell with Shamrock Rovers. He may have spent time with Dundalk and now have moved onto Shels but I still think he is a cut above most midfielder in the division. Colin O'Brien and Philip Gorman where the other Shels players who impressed. Gorman dropped deep out of the front line and saw a lot of the ball and O'Brien with his weaving runs down the right was a real threat.

However as the first half wound down, City gradually began to force their way back into the game and managed to create a few chances. A long ball from Doherty was chased down by McDaid who kept the ball in, cutting it back to Harkin. Harkin, a real creative presence this season fed Farren in the box but the striker, coming across the defenders was unable to keep his strike on target. Then just before the break, Shane McEleney flashed a header a couple of yards wide from a corner.

City were being to show green shoots of recovery, but it was far from certain at this stage that they were going to force their way back into the game. Indeed the pessimists amongst us were discussing that if we lost this evening we weren't going to be too badly affected as most of the rest of the promotional challengers were also losing.

Shels started the second half with plenty of momentum and had a couple of chances to double their lead. "Gilt edged" is an term used all to often by football journalists, but McGill had an absolute solid gold chance midway through the half. He charged onto a through ball, bustled his way through two defenders and left himself with only Doherty to beat. The midfielder opted for power as he tried to drive it low past the Derry keeper. However an absolute wonder save by Doherty saw him stick out a leg and parry the ball away and out of danger.

Football is such a dynamic game that is is lazy to speak of turning points, but within two minutes of that save and Doherty was the architect of the equaliser. A long punt down the field from a goal kick, Coburn appeared to lose the flight of the ball in the air and Farren raced it on. One bounce, Farren rifles it home to make it 1-1.

The celebrations were suitably jubilant but ended with two players requiring treatment! Mark Farren collapsed in a heap at the corner flag, whilst Emmett Friars went to ground inside his own half. Our own celebrations in the commentary booth, causing a few of the Shels fans to launch a bit of abuse in our direction. A few suitable hand signals(no, not what your might be signals), saw us convey to them that they could be quiet, it was 1-1 now.

After getting back on level terms, it was now the team in blue and black that was causing more of a threat. McBride, who had been a very busy presence throughout the game appeared to be finding more and more space and pushing City up the field. City went 4-4-2 in search of a winner, a real sign of intent from Stephen Kenny in a game where most fans would have taken a point.

The fantastic four of P McEleney, McLean, Harkin and McDaid have been an absolute joy to watch this season and whilst McLean was missing and McEleney retired hurt, Harkin and McDaid took up the slack. McDaid is a carbon copy of Mark Farren's early years, an absolute bundle of energy who never gives up. Harkin is in my view the find of the season for City. Playing behind a lone striker in a 4-4-1-1 he is the creative fulcrum on which City are at their most effective.

As City gradually increased the tempo, the home side appeared to struggle with the intensity. Every break in play saw several Shelbourne players head to the dug out to take on liquid. It was a pleasant night in Dublin but certainly not abnormally warm of humid that would indicate the need for such vigorous rehydration.

Stephen Kenny utilised his bench, throwing on McCrudden and Lafferty for their debuts following the acquisition of both players midweek. And Lafferty was to play a crucial role in the winner. The bustling McBride intercepted a Shelbourne and spread the ball out towards Harkin on the near touchline. Harkin, showing the instinct of the player maker showed great awareness to help the ball on via a backheel to Lafferty. The ex Celtic man put the afterburners on to leave the full back for dead and whip in a dangerous ball across the 18 yard line. The ball fell to McDaid but his first touch appear to take the ball wide. However rather than try and win a corner, McDaid twisted on the ball on the endline and hooked it over Coburn.

Out of nowhere McBride advanced on the dropping ball. Would he blast it or place it? No, the midfielder went with his head, back across the scrambling Dean Delaney and into the empty half of the next. Delirium. Morrissey sang of panic of the streets of Carlisle, Dublin, Dundee and Humberside. There was no panic, just complete madness as Hawaiian shirts were discarded and a mass of pale white torsos tumbled down the steps of the Riverside to celebrate.

As someone suggested afterwards, City's travelling support could do with the advice of Gok Wan about looking good naked, but when you've just scored a winner in Tolka, who cares? It was all about clock watching at this point but in truth Shelbourne hadn't seriously threatened since the McGill chance and the three additional minutes provided no real further threat.

The final whistle was greeted with celebration in the press box amongst the Derry contingent, never mind the terraces. The scenes were reminiscent of the title challenges of 2005 and 2006 as the City players converged on the City support to celebrate a big victory at Tolka Park. Four years to the day after the famous win over IFK Gothenburg it was another big win. It may not have achieved the same shock waves around the world that victory had, but for City fans it was just as satisfactory.

We'll leave you with the strains of New Order and a song title which ever football fan understands

]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/94-88th-minute-winner-in-Tolka-Just-say-yes! http://foot.ie/entries/90-4-3-1-2-No-way-that’s-a-4-2-2-2-if-I-ever-saw-one! Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:57:02 GMT Admitting you’re a football fan that likes statistics used to be akin to an admission that you were... Admitting you’re a football fan that likes statistics used to be akin to an admission that you were quite partial to a bit of weekend train spotting. To many people, statistics will always be an irrelevance and something which can be disregarded by studio analysis. Whilst those pundits throw out the argument that they have “played the game at the highest level”, to disregard statistical analysis appears to be nothing more than laziness.

Arrigo Sacchi enjoyed plenty of success with Milan and the Italian national side but wasn’t much of a player. In the early stages of his career he battled to establish credibility as a manager by saying “I never realised that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first”. Sacchi was a believer in a scientific approach to the game, right to the establish of the “Milan Lab” which many players credit with extending their careers by several seasons. In recent season, the revolutionary “Moneyball” was a revelation in baseball as it showed that by looking at new statistics, the Oakland A were about to recruit talent which others had disregarded as worthless and turn them into winners.

There hasn’t been a “Moneyball moment” in football yet, but there is definitely a heightened interest in the technical side of the game. From books such as “Inverting the Pyramid” and “Why England Lose” and the increased use of the likes of Opta stats, some are trying to apply a mathematical analysis to the game. I read an article about the new Sky cycling team recently and the job title of one of those interviewed was the “Head of Marginal Gains”. The theory was that this individual was responsible for achieving 1-2% improvements in a range of areas and that if this was achieved then the cumulative gains would take Sky beyond their rivals. As progressive managers seek to maximise the performances from their players, some are seeking these same marginal gains in order to drive improvement.

Some decry the scrolling sidebar of stats as an Americanisation of the game, but for those with an interest in that side of the game the World Cup has been a rich hunting ground. From the brilliant Zonal Marking all the way up to the monolith that is fifa.com, the stats are there. If you want to dip your toe in the water, check out the introduction by FIFA here. Whether it is passing statistics all the way up to the heat map there is something there for everyone.

At the end of the day, no amount of statistics is going to replace the raw talent but to the canny management team they can be another tool. In saying that, Brian Kerr found out to his cost that players can be very resistant to sitting down to watch DVD analysis of your opponents. The manager has to be sure of the players will be receptive to the stats. To the supporters, it just a bit more information to while away the time between games with. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/90-4-3-1-2-No-way-that’s-a-4-2-2-2-if-I-ever-saw-one! http://foot.ie/entries/87-Nostalgia-ain-t-what-it-used-to-be Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:40:22 GMT The common theme through the first week of the World Cup is that the media, and by extension the... The common theme through the first week of the World Cup is that the media, and by extension the great unwashed, were waiting for the World Cup to "explode into life". I ask myself why?

The majority of football fans know that if you follow a team home and away in a season, there will be a number of games that will be completely forgettable. That goes without saying. The expectation of a raft of "classic games" is built on a generation who have grown up watching highlights of World Cup.

For every Brazil 1970 video that got worn out from overuse, there were supermarkets bargain basements spilling over with "England's highlights from Spain 82" which never saw the light of day. The fact is that in a huge tournament it is unrealistic to expect that every game will be a classic. The media have only themselves to blame on this.

If we take our near neighbours, the English Premier League. Every weekend there are a few games which are quite frankly, rubbish. No-one's fault, the two sides cancelled each other out, the strikers were off form, whatever the reason. If you go to the game, you see this and you sit through the 90 minutes because it is your team. However for the rest of the country, this dull game is reduced to a 30 second package on MOTD2 where the lack of action is deflected by the humourless Kevin Day jabbering over the top of it. People become immune to the concept of having to watch 90 minutes of a poor game.

In recent seasons there has been a popular movement to slag off the group stages of the Champions League as being short on quality and to eulogise the belief that the "competition only gets going in the knock out stages". So why not just go back to the straight knock out competition then? As the big clubs need the money from all these games against the "poor teams".

The World Cup grants people the opporunity to sit down and probably watch a greater variety of live football that they do for the intervening four years. Then people are somehow surprised when the action somehow doesn't match up to a highlights reel? Lesser teams will be defensive, they will seek to frustrate and pick up a point, or to just hit their opponents on the counter attack.

Why shouldn't they? The beauty of the World Cup is the underdog getting a big result or even better going on a crazy run to the latter stages of the competition. Sure it is great seeing the traditional powers of the game, but there is great joy is seeing the likes of Korea dump out Italy, Portugal and Spain.

I heard the "Worst World Cup ever" line already. Idiocy from armchair pundits. Name any World Cup and you can find plenty of games that are not memorable whatsoever.

Group stages encourage defensive football as teams seek not to play themselves out of contention in the opening rounds. The amazing thing is that people are surprised every time it happens. ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/87-Nostalgia-ain-t-what-it-used-to-be http://foot.ie/entries/86-I-think-we-re-in-Athlone-now Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:23:34 GMT If you're a Derry fan over a certain age, then the very mention of Athlone Town is enough to recall the deep psychological trauma of the 95 season. A few of us were chatting about the game that lost us the League a few weeks back and as one said "I felt sick for about a week". However with the trip to Lissywollen the last game before the break and me keen to escape the looming deadline of a set of accountancy exams, we hit the road on Tuesday afternoon.

The general rule of thumb is that you can either go to Athlone via Sligo or through Enniskillen. We opted for the west coast route and made decent time, until we hit the turn off for Boyle. After that it was 70km of hard driving between there and Lissywollen, We had Today FM on in the car and by pure coincidence the Matt Cooper Show was coming from the Sheraton in Athlone. Cooper had some mentalist on who was objecting to €3m being spent on Athlone Castle. Apparently as it had been occupied by the British army at one point, we were throwing away taxpayer's money to tart up somewhere which had been a symbol of the oppression of the Irish for hundreds of years. Bizarre to say the least!

We hit Athlone at half six and decided that a spot of food might be in order. The Sheraton in Athlone proved to be handiest spot and we got the normal horrendously overpriced and underwhelming bar food menu. We ended up arguing over the bill as they tried to charge us twice for the food, which ended with us having to produce the receipt for the bill we have already paid. Ireland, the country of a thousand welcomes..........

This delayed us and the multistorey was locked when we got back to the car. This meant another delay, as we tried to negotiate our way out of locked gate. Eventually we managed to get our way of the car park but with the match kicking off at 7.45pm and it was not 7.34pm. We horsed the car pack to ground and then I legged in, up to press box and onto the air. Thanks to Packie the set up was all ready to go, but once again with no working phone lines I was forced to commentate on the mobile.

The first half wasn't anything memorable, as City struggle to break down an Athlone side that put most of their side behind the ball and just lumped it back down the pitch. A centre midfield of Caffrey and Place was never going to be the most creative force, but Athlone's plan appeared to be to get the ball as far away from their own net as possible. City huffed and puffed in the opening stages and gradually began to turn their screw as the superior class of the Candystripes began to show.

The first goal was a thing of real beauty in a game that was woefully short of it. Farren knocked the ball down in the centre circle and then half vollyed the ball crossfield twoards McClean. His first touch was heavy, but inadvertently this aided him as it wrongfooted Sullivan and allowed the winger to get by him. With arces of space in front of him, McClean put the head down and drove forward. He whipped a great ball into the box, and it was meant by a flash of red as a diving Mark Farren powered it home past a helpless Bennion.

With the cushion of the goal City grew in confidence and began to push the ball away. Molloy's passing has been much maligned this season but there was a marked improvement on Tuesday. Short passes were finding there man, and as his confidence grew he was trying ever more ambitious balls to both wingers. In the second half the referee decided to go into "arbitary decision" mode, with 20 minutes of giving everything to the home side followed by 10 minutes of giving everything to Derry. It ended up with Deery picking up a booking for dissent after he challenged the referee's decision. It is an element which has crept into our game in recent weeks and let's hope it is stamped out before it ends up costing us players through suspension.

Deery hit back brilliantly when he lashed one home from 25 yards. McEleney slipped the ball into him and he whipped the ball past Bennion to make it two. The referee went running over to Deery and reached for his pocket, causing me to speculate that Deery was going to get himself sent off. It appears as if the ref was in fact just looking to record the scorer, which led to a flood of people who were listening to the commentary texting me to give me stick about it. The third was simplicity itself, Athlone made a hash of the corner, a long ball found Deery on a 2v1 breakout. He drew the player to him, then slipped it into Farren. He rounded the keeper and rolled it him. Job done.

Athlone did get one back when O'Hanlon dispossessed McEleney, played a great ball through to the lively Skelly and he finished brilliantly past Doherty. Once again question may have to be asked about Scoltock's marking, but these will be considerations for the team to work on over the break. City closed out the victory and maintained there seven point lead.

We opted to head home via Cavan. This was a favour to Boyler, who wanted to stop in Cavan in order to complete the task of having had a pint in every county in Ireland. Reaching Cavan town we jsut stopped in a random pub, Brady's, on the main street. When we went in there was just a few other people in but that didn't limit the madness which was to follow. It started when we got chatting to the bar owner, who turned out to a United fan(who'd have thought it). We were treated to his thoughts on the Glaziers, Ferguson, Mourinho. We didn't particularly ask for them, but we got them.

It then moved on to him telling us about "men who made €70m ina wet weekend" during the boom. We were asking him about Quinn, but he claimed that there was no Quinn offices in the town, despite the fact we passed one on the way in. We were getting increasingly sceptical at this point, but the best was yet to come. Two elderly couples came in and one of the women said she had just got a text from her daughter who had heard that Brian Lenihan was dead. She asked if the barman could stick on Aertel to check. There was no mention of it, but this just caused her husband to go off on wan, as we'd say in Derry.

He claimed that the news was being surpressed so as to protect the Euro and to ensure that the markets didn't collapse. He moved on to decrying the ECB for making the man stay on when he clearly wasn't well. I had checked the internet on my phone at this point and there was no mention, but this was comedy gold. They then theorised that they would release the news on the day the banking reports came out as then the criticism would be lost in the sympathy.

As this conversation continued unabated, we started chatting about GAA with the barman. Cavan play Fermanagh this weekend and talk turned to the much disputed Ulster final when Cavan beat Derry after a hotly disputed point. However with Derry already out of the main draw we could only wish them the best of luck as we hit the road again. As we entered Enniskillen we were stopped by the cops who couldn't quite believe we were down in Athlone to watch a game on football and let us head on. A quick **** stop at St Angelo airport and then another encounter with the cops as we were tailed by them between Strabane and Derry, to the soundtrack of "Don't pay the ferryman" by Chris de Burgh.

10 counties. 7 point lead. 4 goals. 3 points. Plenty of stories. Classic ingredients for an away trip. I'll leave you with the classic "I think alone now" by Tiffany which has been reworded to record the heartbreak of 95......(usually sung by certain Derry fans when took much drink is taken)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826PTEuHKhE&hl=en_GB&fs=1&] ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/86-I-think-we-re-in-Athlone-now http://foot.ie/entries/85-Cardon-dating-via-the-medium-of-World-Cups Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:34:18 GMT Decent article in WSC today(read here (http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5433/38/)) about how you... Decent article in WSC today(read here) about how you can date your live on the basis of World Cup tournaments. That definately rings true for me as I can exactly date times in my life on the basis of major football tournaments.

Italia 90: I was just out of hospital from one of my leg break when we hit the road for Italy. Massive excitement from the sticker books from months before to the news we were going, which was only delivered when we were at the airport.

USA 94: I was just finished Primary School, still have some of the t-shirts from that tournament. As a Nordie, the “night in November” was massive and the buildup seemed to stretch all the way from there. The result against the Italians, the heat in Orlando, poor Tommy Coyne, wondering if it was possible for polyester to melt in your skin.

France 98: We were in fourth year in school and rented a house between Toulouse and Bordeaux. The fiasco of the ticket booking line. Heading to Toulouse for Holland against the Yugoslavs, and me da nearly causing an international incident when he assets that it was right the Croats were free. Hanging out the windows of the hire car as we drive round the local village when Thuram scored those goals in the semi-final.

Japan 02: I had just finished what was a fairly unhappy year at UCD and I couldn’t wait to get away to that tournament. The whole Saipan disaster did detract from it, but all the travelling support were four square behind Mick and the players. Magical experience in Japan and Korea all the way from the train up to Niigata, all the way back to the flight home. From the Japanese karaoke bars to the bizarre Korean brothel/hotel disaster, from Ibaraki to Suwon, it is right up there with Italy as the best world cup for me.

Germany 06: I was just finished Queens and was planning a round the world trip. Fan parks and Avery John in the World Cup! The story of the trip goes to my mates who went to the Italy semi final, ended up driving up a tram track and having to sleep in a Ford Fiesta in a campsite in the middle of nowhere.

South Africa 2010: Up to extra time in the Stade de France it was looking great. If we had got through there is no doubt in my mind I’d have sacked the job and headed. As it is, I’m stuck studying for a batch of accoutancy exams as we wonder what might have been.

How do people who don’t love the world cup work out when things happened in their lives? ]]> MariborKev http://foot.ie/entries/85-Cardon-dating-via-the-medium-of-World-Cups