The Sporting Year 2006

**Gareth** · 16/12/2006, 10:46 PM

2 seconds of Eircom League coverage. Eamonn Dunphy stating Soccer is Dead as RTE decide to give Eircom League 2 more seconds coverage by showing Pat Fenlons head after Dunphy gets depressed. They cover English Football before Irish. In NO OTHER sport did they do that on the programme.

I'm not surprised but christ, talk about not even pretending to give a crap. The Johnny Giles chat after on the year in soccer didn't mention one item of Eircom League?

I missed the start of the programme though, so did they show Derry, Shels, Cork and Drogheda in Europe? If they didn't RTE should be ashamed.

**TheBoss** · 16/12/2006, 11:18 PM

I did not see it, but English football should not be mentioned other than the Best Irish proformances. It was possibly the best league in a long time since 4 teams were challenging and that should have given it more credit than previous years

**A face** · 17/12/2006, 12:14 AM

The FAI dont care enough to try and turn the tide ..... and if they dont care then where are ya? fans, players, clubs, officals will not do this on their own, it needs leadership to direct any change. The FAI dont look like stepping up to the plate anytime soon.

RTE and other media outlets are allowed to attack the domestic game and depict in a bad light like they do, there is a deafening silence from the FAI on this issue. In all my time supporting the domestic league i have never seen them openly defend the domestic game on any level on this 'reporting' by domestic media on the National game.

**pete** · 17/12/2006, 12:28 AM

I had it on in the background (last minute christmas web shopping) & to be honest wasn't paying too much attention. I did see them showing Fenlon - surely Staunton was there to be picked on?

Reading 'Who Stole our Game' at the moment & Dunphy is a bitter spiteful little man. You'd think he could drop the LOI grudge after 30 years? I know he had a bad time but 30 years later he still bitter

RTE did not even have highlights coverage of the indoor athletics which Derval O'Rourke won goal but jumped on the bandwagon as quick as they could & make their footage look like they actually covered.

The sporting year is cringeworthy. I did not see the BBC programme but I thought the jibe towards them was pathetic. They were accused of celebrating mediocrity yet we give (no disrespect intended) best sports person to a domestic sports star.

**Metrostars** · 17/12/2006, 3:53 AM

I don't know if it happens there but in the US, ESPN who bought the rights to the US National Team coverage had to also agree to show a specified number of MLS games and include MLS coverage in their Sportscenter daily highlights show. FAI should do the same now that there is competition from Setanta, Sky etc.

**bohs til i die** · 17/12/2006, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by TheBoss

I did not see it, but English football should not be mentioned other than the Best Irish proformances. It was possibly the best league in a long time since 4 teams were challenging and that should have given it more credit than previous years

League champiosn hit with 3 winding up orders
The league champions of last year hit with 1 winding up order
The McGuinness-gate fiasco
The Dublin City fiasco
The Hargan fiasco
The FAI

Im glad they didnt mention it because there is nothing to be proud of about the eircom league. European results are only papering over the huge cracks that exist within the league.

**bohs til i die** · 17/12/2006, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Gareth

2 seconds of Eircom League coverage. Eamonn Dunphy stating Soccer is Dead as RTE decide to give Eircom League 2 more seconds coverage by showing Pat Fenlons head after Dunphy gets depressed. They cover English Football before Irish. In NO OTHER sport did they do that on the programme.

I'm not surprised but christ, talk about not even pretending to give a crap. The Johnny Giles chat after on the year in soccer didn't mention one item of Eircom League?

I missed the start of the programme though, so did they show Derry, Shels, Cork and Drogheda in Europe? If they didn't RTE should be ashamed.

Eamon Dunphy was 100% correct in what he said last night.

**OneRedArmy** · 17/12/2006, 11:34 AM

I thought about posting about this last night and then I thought why should we be surprised?

The majority of punters in the country can't see the amusement/hypocracy/inset your favourite word in our national broadcaster showing highlights of a foreign league in a show celebrating the Irish Sporting Year. They even put the Premiership before the World Cup.

The domestic bit was (this is verbatim) "in the Eircom League Shelbourne won the League on goal difference and Derry won just about everything else".

BTID I tend to agree with your point regarding the League not having the best year off the pitch, but its chicken and egg, how well can we do when we are ignored by our national media?

The panel spoke about how rugby has managed to transform itself from a marginal sport to capturing the interest of whole parts of the country in less than ten years. Rugby had it easier as attracted fans with no existing affiliations in the sport, so they didn't have to wean people off watching Leicester, Bath and the other English club sides.

I also agree with Dunphy's point about football being in terminal decline in the developed world, but I would view this as a positive for Irish domestic football. The Premiership, Champions League etc have had their day in the sun.

**A face** · 17/12/2006, 1:02 PM

Is there footage of what Dunphy said anywhere?

**Monkfish** · 17/12/2006, 1:52 PM

He slates footballing standards in western europe and praises Messi and Ronaldinho, the latter of which he critisised during the world cup

obviously he doesnt rate Lampard, Terry, Henry, Xavi, Rooney, Gerrard, ect... It seems to me like hes just whinging for the sake of it. Take the Man utd/Befica game, Ronaldo clips his own foot, falls, gets straight back up. after the game Dunphy highlights the 'dive' even though it wasent (shock!) and slates poor ronny

Even Bill and Liam defended Ronaldo but dunphy was having none of it. Oh ya Ted Walsh says he doesnt like soccer because of cheats, horse racing is of course the cleanist of all sports!!!

**pete** · 17/12/2006, 2:01 PM

Originally Posted by Monkfish

Oh ya Ted Walsh says he doesnt like soccer because of cheats, horse racing is of course the cleanist of all sports!!!

Good point. Fallon suspended for suspected race fixing & then failing drug test. Was this discussed in the programme? AFAIK Fallon is like the Ronaldhino of racing?

Dunphy makes his living from football analysis yet he moans constantly about it.

I know she came 2nd but O'Rourke should ahve got sports person as she is in individual international sport & not often female athletes get recognition in Ireland. Why did Shevlin win it?

**OneRedArmy** · 17/12/2006, 2:11 PM

Dunphy and Hook, the two biggest loudmouths in Ireland, were both on the panel and were trying to outdo each other with outlandish attention grabbing statements.

Hook went for the "won't someone please think of the children" approach of saying that women get no recognition in sport. This left Dunphy having to say something really off the wall to outdo Hook, which he duely delivered.

Except, when you take away the "football is dead" line, what he said was absolutely correct. Irish kids aren't going over to England much anymore, we haven't been pursuing people under the granny rule until Stan came and there is a fundamentally flawed approach to European coaching methods which coaches out natural skill in favour of "team skills", which is why many of the most skillful players are coming from "poor" countries where football is played on the street.

**bohs til i die** · 17/12/2006, 3:06 PM

Originally Posted by Monkfish

He slates footballing standards in western europe and praises Messi and Ronaldinho, the latter of which he critisised during the world cup

obviously he doesnt rate Lampard, Terry, Henry, Xavi, Rooney, Gerrard, ect... It seems to me like hes just whinging for the sake of it. Take the Man utd/Befica game, Ronaldo clips his own foot, falls, gets straight back up. after the game Dunphy highlights the 'dive' even though it wasent (shock!) and slates poor ronny

Even Bill and Liam defended Ronaldo but dunphy was having none of it. Oh ya Ted Walsh says he doesnt like soccer because of cheats, horse racing is of course the cleanist of all sports!!!

Dunphy was talking about footballers coming through now, not estalished stars like you mentionned. He was talking about footballers who were just over-coached replica's of one another trained and coached to do a specific job. There is very very few footballers coming through in Europe who play football with a liberal role in a team. Its all negative tactics and win at all costs because the way the money situation has gone with football.

The national broadcaster has far from neglected the national soccer league this year. There was a record number of live games, I think 34 games were shown throughout the year across three stations.

**pete** · 17/12/2006, 3:48 PM

Originally Posted by bohs til i die

The national broadcaster has far from neglected the national soccer league this year. There was a record number of live games, I think 34 games were shown throughout the year across three stations.

There were approx 45 live games shown. Setanta had 12-13 in their Cup so when add other games would easily at 20. RTE & TG4 showed at most 25 games with RTE probably close to 10.