QuoteI heard that, was just about to post about it! He called the programme eccentric as well!
Anyone hear his weekly piece on RTÉ after the football this evening? Basically, de Salvo (a Bray fan) took in the UCD-Limerick, Harps-Bray and UCD-Dundalk/Longford-Waterford games at the weekend and was talking about random things which happened at them - kind of like Mad Tom, but very interesting!
To paraphrase his experience of the UCD-Limerick game -
'Someone [me, actually] unwisely points out that there's never been a game called off at Belfield Park before. "Not true", says Declan Hughes, the resident UCD statistician, "In 1994..." he goes on, before telling you everything about the game - time, opponents and probably the colour of the referee's eyes if you let him. Meanwhile, his father is regaling me with tales about sailing in stormy weather...'
'The crowd numbers less than 100 [not true, but anyway] - don't the locals know there's a very good footballing team on their doorstep who even have a waterproof main stand? Shame you can't say the same about the press box.'
'And where else but UCD would you get a match programme which gives complete league tables for Pakistan, Moldova and Nigeria? And on that subject, where on earth is Aruba?!' (Cue brief comment in the studio afterwards correctly confirming that Aruba was off the coast of Venezuela and was part of the Netherlands Antilles).
[Later, after the review of the Harps-Bray match] 'It would be nice to see Harps win the First Division after all the heartbreak they've had. While UCD may be the best footballing team in the division, Harps are the most professional.'
'On Sunday, UCD's ladies team won the Cup for the third year in succession. The crowd is sparse, though there are more UCD fans than turned up to watch their male counterparts the previous Friday.'
And then a little bit about general lack of coverage in the First Division despite the eccentric joys which are to be experienced there. Great column, shame I don't get to hear it more often because of UCD games! And you can't buy that advertising!
I heard that, was just about to post about it! He called the programme eccentric as well!
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
Handily enough RTÉ radio longwave is on Sky Digital as RTÉ Europe so I got a good quality listen through my TV. I heard this aswell, nice to hear UCD get a mention. Unfortunately the same locals who don't go to the games will not be listening. Nice for the programme to get a mention too. Dunno why he got the crowd wrong aswell. Apparently Belfield is Jimmy McGee's favourite place to watch soccer.And was there really that many watching the ladies or was he just exaggurating? I have a feeling people want to perpetuate the idea and over exaggurate just how little go to watch UCD.
You see him at matches quite regularly. I hadn't heard about Con Houlihan before though!Originally Posted by Poor Student
Apparently Belfield is Jimmy McGee's favourite place to watch soccer.
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
Where abouts? I read in the paper that Brian Kerr was at the Athlone game a few weeks ago but didn't see him. Does he attend often? I know he was a lab technician at the college years ago.
Jimmy Magee lives out in Kilmacud, so he heads out every now and again. Was talking to him a few weeks back - the game we brought out the Doolin-abusing fanzine, which he bought - and of course he was straight into mentioning how he had Czech money in his pocket at the same time as he was standing beside a person who had represented Czechoslovakia at table tennis in 1937...! The hospitality area is his usual hang-out.
Three doors up from me.
You can't spell failure without FAI
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