is now on live on rte's website, sports section. apologies if mentioned elsewhere
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is now on live on rte's website, sports section. apologies if mentioned elsewhere
Webchat with Liam Brady
Liam Brady
The 2006 Champions League final pits Arsene Wenger's dashing Arsenal side against the Ronaldinho-inspired Spanish champions, Barcelona.
On the eve of the final, Arsenal and Republic of Ireland legend Liam Brady will be online for a webchat on Tuesday 16 May from 1.30pm.
You can submit your questions now.
Ciaran Brady: Arsenal have a good record of giving young players a chance. Obviously they still have to be good enough. How much is their progression down to you as youth team director?
Liam: They have to come through the various teams, the ones that i'm responsible for, the youth team, and even younger teams before that if they're English. I've quite a bit to do with it but someone like Fabregas was promoted pretty much straight away.
Brendan Kelly: Liam - The first game i ever attended (as a 6 year old) was your first game for ireland vs. USSR at Dalymount. How much do you remember about that classic game
Liam: Best game for me ever, up there with Cup final of '79. We got off to a great start and played brilliantly. Givens got a great hat-trick and it was a day I'll never forget.
Aidan Gallagher: Hi Liam, its been said that you believe Ireland and Celtic player Aiden McGeady has the ability to become as good as Ceas Fabregas. How highly do you rate McGeady and do you think he will play a key role in the Euro 08 Qualifiers for Ireland.
Liam: His technical abilities were obvious from the start but I do worry about his physical ability - whether he'll be strong enough or big enough to make it to the very top.
Neville Jenkins: Whose the better player, and whose the beter pundit. Johnny Giles or Eamon Dunphy
Liam: Johnny Giles! Johnny is cool and calculated, just as he was as a footballer.
Peter McCarthy: Will you ever go into management again? A lot of the Arsenal team has come through your coaching and you deserve a lot of credit?
Liam: Never say never!
Peter McCarthy: Who was the best player you ever played with? What was your experience in Juventus like?
Liam: I played with alot of great players. Alan Ball, O'Leary, Stapleton, Giles. In Italy I played with a lot of team that won the '82 World Cup. But Rumenigge was probably the best I played with.
Pat Thomas: How are the Irish lads at Arsenal? Is Stokes the real deal?
Liam: Stokes has a great chance. At 17 he has to be patient but really he's way ahead of schedule.
paulie: which current irish player can join you,keane,giles and mcgrath among the all time greats?
Liam: Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, and Shay Given is probably the best goalkeeper that we've ever had, that I can remember.
Finbar Lehane: Do you think Cesc Fabregas will play much of a role in the Spanish team during the World Cup?
Liam: If his manager has any sense he will! Fabregas has been very influential in getting Arsenal to the final. Last time around Spain lacked a midfielder like Fabregas so he should fit into that position.
Gordon in NYC: Liam, I've been an unwavering fan of yours since the 1979 FA Cup Final. How does that game rate in the list of your best games to have played in ?
Liam: The '79 final against Man United is on a par with the Russia game in '74 and winning the Italian leage with Juventus in the last game in 1981. The '79 final was really a dream come true.
Irial: Hi Liam, as an Irishman living in Italy, I was wondering what you thought of the crisis that is currently gripping Italian football.
Liam: I think it's disgraceful, and I think the people responsible should have the book thrown at them. A great, great club is being dragged through the mud to guarantee success. It's absolutely diabolical behaviour from the people involved and i just hope Juventus can come out the other end. The fans don't deserve that.
Fergus Dowd: Do you believe that the outcome of the match from an Arsenal point of view will determine Thierry Henry's future at the club i.e. If Arsenal lose he will leave?
Liam: No. You could say if they win he'll want to stay or that he would leave with a clear conscience. I wouldn't say it's going to have any influence on his decision.
John Deasy: What's the mood of the team coming up to this game ?
Liam: Very positive. The second half of the season has been excellent and I think they go into it very, very confident. They had a serious bout of nerves in the second Villareal game but apart from that their form has been very impressive.
john keyes: other than ronaldinho's unwillingness to track back,what other weaknesses do you think arrsenal can expose in barca on wednesday?
Liam: The left-back is left quite isolated at times and I think Arsenal could exploit that. I also think the goalkeeper is not top notch and we have the better keeper on the night.
Éanna: Should there be a cap on player's wages?
Liam: No, it has never worked.
Des: Apart from 1 or 2 Arsenal players is there the potential for serious stage-fright amongst the younger Arsenal players?
Liam: No I don't think so. We were so anxious to get to the final that there was some of that against Villareal. But a big big plus for Arsenal is the fact that they've already qualified for the Champions League next year. I don't expect them to have any nerves at all.
Wilson, Dublin: How did it feel to win to score the penalty that won Juventus the Scudetto, knowing that it would be essentially the last ball you ever kicked for the club?
Liam: It was seriously satisfying in one way, and a bit hard to comprehend in another way. I was told that somebody else was going to come in and take my place and i don't think that would have happened in england. I did feel hard done by.
mick: Who was the greatest player you've played against?
Liam: Maradonna.
Harry: If you could play alongside three players from the current game who would they be?
Liam: Vieira, Henry and Ronaldinho.
Ian McCarthy: What soccer team did you support as a young lad?
Liam: Probably Man U but once i went to Arsenal at 13 I became an Arsenal supporter.
Eamonn: Is Arsenal's defence good enough to cope with Ronaldino, deco and co???
Liam: They'll have their work cut out. It's going to be an open game!
DJ: Would you agree that RTE's football analysis is the best in the business? How do you compare it to the BBC and Sky's coverage? Is being based in Ireland an advantage in that you can afford to be more critical than the British-based media?
Liam: I don't see why the British media can't be. I think it's very contrived on English TV and I think ours is better for that reason.
Éanna: Who is your favourite co-pundit?
Liam: I get on well with both and there's good chemistry between the three of us.
nick: Were you emotional when Highbury staged its last match Liam?
Liam: Very. I probably will be even more so when I see that it's turned into flats.
Brady is right about his international debut, best ever by mile for us I reckon. Nice comment about Stokes.
I wonder if Liam would have had any comment to make on the Brady comparison curse?
What does Liam give back to Irish football?
Would it be unfair for some people to say that he has failed Irish football?
Yes. He owes us nothing. He played as well as he could for as long as he was wanted, then he retired. Most people don't give even that much.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
Unfair would be too mild a word to describe that question. Maybe there is one thing, which Liam admitted to, he always regretted that he was a one footed player, couldn't play with his right.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face