MariborKev

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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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 ...

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 ...

’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 ...