And he's one of Stutts' best mates??
My mate was stirring things if that opening paragraph is anything to go by.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 11/11/2013 at 7:55 PM.
And he's one of Stutts' best mates??
Yep, who likes to stir things.
Hard to credit that not even Emmet Malone was nominated as sportswriter.
There must be some explanation why Curtis, a sack of shít, got the award.
MO'N on Saipan.
http://balls.ie/football/martin-onei...out-in-saipan/
King happy to tease supporters in this article about a player he watched at the weekend. He is hoping to talk to this player next week and then will supposedly reveal all. Reading between the lines, it is probably Callum McManaman. Will Keane and Conor Wickham are also mentioned as targets. King is very upbeat and positive in this article and feels a call from the 'dream team' could bring players onboard. It is good to feel a sense of positivity around Irish football as it's been quite negative of late.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-29745405.html
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-29745395.html
Last edited by gastric; 12/11/2013 at 3:07 AM.
I'd say Malone is considered a regular reporter rather than a columnist or 'sportswriter'?
I hardly ever read Francis. He wrote a good piece on the H Cup stuff recently but I do recall an article post 2011 RWC where he was bemoaning too many tattoos in rugby, and reading between the lines, too many knackers and chavs and not enough doctors and solicitors. I think someone here commented on it.
O'Neill looks like he is ready for the day as a jobber.
You nordies or dubs won't get that.
I wonder does keane buy his own clothes. Nice zip up jacket.
I suddenly feel like crosby87
I listen to the Last Word every evening. For some reason.
Anyway, I always have gotten the impression that he's just the Dunphy of the rugby world. There's no substance to what he says and the amount of times that he gets pulled up by Matt Cooper, Paul Wallace and Emmett Byrne should be embarrasing.
I mean he thought Samoa would run us close...
A chancer.
Tell us what you really think.
Last edited by BonnieShels; 12/11/2013 at 9:59 AM.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
But he had told them to strip and that he had “a good, wicked boar here”. He would then see how manly “these jackeens are”.
I'm a bloke,I'm an ocker
And I really love your knockers,I'm a labourer by day,
I **** up all me pay,Watching footy on TV,
Just feed me more VB,Just pour my beer,And get my smokes, And go away
Last edited by back of the net; 12/11/2013 at 11:33 AM.
I'm just back from Gannon park Malahide. O'Neil invited the fans in to view from the sidelines of the training session. It looked like a very good session, Roy split the squad into 4 teams with Robbie Keane playing Free man playing for each team (could score in either net, still didn't but looked very sharp). Very fast paced games, Roy and Martin taking notes on clip boards and shouting on- 'well played' etc. For me the players to stand out where James McCarthy - he looked so comfortable moving the ball around and scored a couple. Wes Hoolihan - Very small compared to the rest but never lost possession and scored a cracker. Andy Reid never stopped running and fighting for the ball but never looked a threat. Long seemed off form, Doyle played well but no goals. Surprisingly Paul Green looked sharp and Roy was impressed.
O'Neill Shouted 'Dont kick each other, we need you for Friday Night'. Keane kept saying 'Just play as you normally would. There was no direction to pass the ball etc, it seemed like the management team just wanted to see what they have and what needs fixing.
'Martin O'Neill: I won't gag Keane': http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/inter...ont-gag-keane/
Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill has insisted he will not attempt to gag number two Roy Keane.
The 42-year-old former Ireland skipper is due to give his first press conference since being named as O'Neill's assistant on Wednesday with the media eagerly anticipating his appearance.
However, while the manager is adamant that it is he who is in charge, he has no intention of telling Keane what he can and cannot say.
O'Neill said: "I am going to try to clear something up here: I am not Roy's father, absolutely not.
"He can look after himself, he can say what he wants. Seriously, he is under absolutely no gagging at all and I am quite sure I would not even have to have that conversation with him.
"I am not going to sit there saying, 'Don't say this, don't say that'."
The pair met the players for the first time on Monday evening and conducted their opening training session the following morning.
O'Neill admits both parties are still getting to know each other, but he is determined to treat his squad as adults as he sets about the process of stamping his own mark on the team.
Asked about discipline, an issue which often taxed predecessor Giovanni Trapattoni, the 61-year-old said: "Well, you must remember I grew up, I played under one of the most mercurial managers there ever was in Brian Clough.
"Brian Clough would have come down on an evening the night before a game when we were staying, let's say, in London and said, 'Lads, do you want a glass of wine with your meal?'.
"That would have been unheard of. He was so unorthodox, he was off the wall, but he had a philosophy that he was dealing with men and that if they couldn't look after themselves...
"He did not expect if he left the room that these boys would have five glasses of wine. He gave you some leeway. You go across that leeway and he would have cut you in two.
"I don't know, but just hearing the stories, I think Jack [Charlton, former Republic manager] was kind of like that, treating the boys like men. In other words, if you win the game, I will give you some free time.
"I'm kind of like that, and I think John O'Shea would tell you. Winning the games is very, very important. If you've won and you've worked for it, you should be allowed a little bit of time to let your hair down, if that's the case."
Meanwhile, O'Neill confirmed that the Football Association of Ireland is investigating the possibility that England Under-21 striker Connor Wickham could be eligible for the Republic.
He said: "If someone tells me someone is available, particularly someone I have worked with and might have a chance, I would give it some consideration."
O'Neill takes questions from @FAIreland:
I have been impressed with Green in most of his later games in an Ireland jersey, he has settled in better. Its the others like McCarthy i haven't been impressed with. BUt i suppose when you expect nothing and get something its always better than expecting something and getting nothing....
I'm a bloke,I'm an ocker
And I really love your knockers,I'm a labourer by day,
I **** up all me pay,Watching footy on TV,
Just feed me more VB,Just pour my beer,And get my smokes, And go away
McCarthy's doing fine under the circumstances. MOTM against the Faroes and Kazaks. Played very well in Stockholm also. He hasn't set the world on fire but, given the lack of confidence throughout the squad in recent months, I think he has been one of our better performers. He has also been part of the rigid 4-4-2 that everybody agrees put our central pairing under extreme pressure. His poorest game was probably in Vienna and I wouldn't take much notice of his performance in Cologne as he was played out of position. Hopefully in a more confident side with a more compact formation we can begin to see the best of him. Learning your trade alongside Glenn Whelan isn't exactly an ideal intro to international football either. Expectation is a massive factor though I agree but I think Green has been decent regardless, we expect nothing from Whelan and still end up disappointed! McCarthy, on the other hand, has been tipped by Martinez to be a top top player but I would cut him some slack for the time being.
I'm no fan of Francis either, but he did a good piece last year on the negative long term impact of weight training on schoolboy players so they're able to take, and make, bigger hits when they get to the senior side
One point I remember from it was when he went to the World Cup in 1995, there was only a few players in the squad capable of squatting more than 100kg, now most of them can handle over 200! (incidentally my personal best is 112.5kg)
<EDIT>
Found it - http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugb...-28824695.html
this is the part I mentioned above
At the 2007 Rugby World Cup, I came across some of the strength stats that the squad were doing at the time. At the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the best single rep max from our group for a full squat was 150kgs (it wasn't me). Twelve years later, there were four members of the squad who could squat circa 240kgs
Bookmarks