Life Lesson Learned Through Sport - No. 48513

As is the case in sport, life is full of dilemmas, without having the merest iota as to which road to take.  We take risks and gambles, even when the fate of such decisions lies out of our hands, and their ‘correct-ness’ is in the hands of others.

Take two football stars, decades apart, who made similar decisions with opposite results.  While not in the same league as players, I would argue that Pele of 1975 and David Beckham of 2007 were stars of equal regard in the USA.  They were famous enough to permeate through American society in a market where football is not a leading sport.  Both tried to change that; one was moderately successful, the other not so much.

When he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy four years ago, David Beckham was looking to use his stardom to make the MLS a modern-day NASL.  The extinguished league of the 1970s and 1980s made soccer big in the US, particularly in New York, because of one team – the Cosmos – and their main man.  With Pele starting up front, the Cosmos sold out large stadiums across the country.  Their games were live on network television in a time when even the World Cup Final was.  Warner Brothers, who owned the team, assembled a plethora of stars but it was Pele, who mattered and who put bums in seats.

Beckham tried to emulate him, but despite their best efforts the Galaxy were not to be a twenty-first century Cosmos.  There are many reasons for this – he didn’t score as many goals, he was playing in a time when US fans could easily see that Major League Soccer was not the best league in the world.  However, his move could have worked.  He took a gamble (in spite of circumstances which perhaps meant he had to) which failed, while Pele’s gamble succeeded.  Pele will always be remembered for his success with Santos and Brazil, but unlike David Beckham, his American foray put a pleasant postscript onto his career.  I suspect the same will happen to Robbie Keane.

Both decisions could have been successful.  Both could have failed.  They’re similar gambles, though in different eras.  However, Beckham’s career (while never that of an all-time elite player) is now tarnished because his decision was the wrong one, at least in a sporting sense.

These are the decisions we all face, all the time.  Some are big, some small, but all have consequences, many of which are out of our control.  I can understand why David Beckham’s motives in going L.A.  Money aside, he wished to leave a mark and wanted to be remembered as more than just another very good footballer.  Would he have been better off staying in Europe?  No one will ever know, but that’s the thing about these decisions.  We never know.  We never know if they are right or wrong.  They are what they are.  Dilemmas, confusing, frustrating. 

When faced with these options, when you have no way of knowing what is the right thing to do and what will ultimately be wrong, it’s tough.  It’s difficult, and there are no right answers, at least not now.

That doubt is the worst bit of all.  Trust me.

Home Nations Return Could Spell Ruin For FAI

A report that the Home Nations Championship, last contested over 25 years ago, may be set for a return could spell very bad news for the FAI.

The BBC claims that Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England are set to renew the competition, last contested in 1984, after the four home nations separately agreed to be sponsored by Vauxhall.  The contract with the motoring company, which has yet to be announced but has been mooted for some time now, could be the vehicle through which the tournament, once a mainstay of the football calendar in the British Isles, makes its return.

The English FA is continuing to feel the brunt of the ongoing recession, and the collapse in 2009 of Setanta.  The Irish broadcaster had been paying £150m for its portion of the rights for the FA Cup, a figure which has been reduced by around £70m under the new contract.  ITV, meanwhile, is reportedly paying £275m for FA Cup and England international rights, and this too is expected to fall when their contract comes up for renewal at the end of next season.  Sponsorship revenues have also fallen, while the coffers at Soho Square have also been hit by a poorer-than-anticipated World Cup performance.

Ireland's footballers could be facing further disappointment

Collectively, these factors have brought about what appears to be a change of heart for the bosses of English football.  Initially, they declined the opportunity to appear in what is now the Carling Nations Cup but now, they look set to spearhead this renewed Home Nations Championship, one which could leave the FAI and the Republic of Ireland out in the cold.

Today’s report does state that the Republic may be invited to take part, and for financial certainty going forward, that will need to be the case.  However, the inclusion of a fifth team means that sides will have to play an extra game each, and while this has financial benefits, it will also mean the requirement of two additional international dates in the already congested football calendar,

Therefore, should this competition make it’s suggested return without the Republic of Ireland, then one of two disastrous outcomes appear to be the most likely.  Either the renewed Home Nations competition would exist in tandem with the Carling Nations Cup, or the new tournament between the Celtic nations would be snubbed by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who would swap the Aviva for Wembley Stadium and the extra funds this entauks.  The former appears unlikely at best, as it would lead to a duplication of fixtures for the three other nations, and the latter would mean that one of the FAIs primary revenue streams for the years ahead would be no more, before it had barely begun.

Coming at a time when its own financial situation has come under scrutiny, and, indeed when it has been forced to take corrective action to balance the books, the FAI cannot afford this headache.  Even if it does not transpire, the mere rumblings surrounding this competition have served to undermine the Carling Nations Cup just weeks before it makes its debut.  Should the suggestions become something more concrete, then the FAI must do all it can to get the Republic of Ireland added to the ticket, or else the consequences for Irish football will be much worse than the loss of one friendly competition.

Do Pool Fans Need To Kop On?

All I know is that if I was out there and we got a penalty in the 89th minute to make it 1-1, there’s only one place it’s going. Right in the top corner – of the Kop!

- John Aldridge

John Aldridge is a Liverpool legend, and in the above quote he has expressed the sentiment of many a Liverpool fan ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Chelsea. Many – not all – fans of The Reds would rather watch their team lose at Anfield  then see them win, and as a likely result, likely see Manchester United win the Premier Division title.

Manchester United are seeking their 19th title, which would overtake the record currently shard with and previously held by Liverpool. The Scousers’ place in football’s record books, a place of which their fans have told me they are extremely proud, would be erased making the Chelsea clash so critical. Nonetheless, surely it is sad at best and disgraceful at worst that Liverpool fans, and former players such as Aldo, are looking for their own team to lose when they are still in the hunt for a fourth place finish and a Champions League spot.

If the roles were reversed, I’m not saying that I would always cheer on my own team when the consequences of a win would be so undesirable. However, it is a shame that Liverpool fans are reduced to this. The real disgrace, simply, is that the ‘Pool find themselves in a position where they’re consigned to cheering for the other team, and not getting a chance (yet again) to see their side aim for the title. That is the product of several years of mismanagement at Anfield, with Rafa Benitez as the main culprit.

Should those fans root for a Chelsea win tomorrow, then the financial losses incurred by missing the Champions League, and the potential need to sell the likes of Torres and Gerrard will cost this club even more dearly in the years ahead.

I hope those fans realise what they are really cheering for.

Ireland's World Cup Qualifying History - Part 1, The Dismal Years

Should Ireland win tomorrow, it will of course be the fourth time that we’ll play in football’s showcase. For years, we looked on longingly at the World Cup from the outside. In fact, Ireland’s history of World Cup Qualification makes for depressing reading.

Ireland has entered every World Cup since 1934, when we were placed in a group alongside Belgium and the Netherlands. The highlight was our draw at home against the Belgians, when the great Paddy Moore became the first player to score four goals in a World Cup game in a 4-4 draw. We then lost our second and final game 5-2 against the Netherlands – a one goal defeat would have sent us through.

In 1938 we lost out to Norway with a draw and a defeat while in 1950 we finished ahead of a team for the first time (Finland) but behind Sweden. With only the winners to go through, it looked like that would be that, but when Scotland withdrew we were offered their spot. The FAI, in their infinite wisdom, baulked at the £2700 cost of travel. The tournament was such a success (financially) that they would have made a handsome profit.

In 1954 we lost out to France (hopefully not an omen for tomorrow night), in 1958 England topped our group after getting a 1-1 draw in Dublin and 1962 was probably our worst ever campaign – Ireland lost every single game home and away to Scotland and Czechoslovakia.

With the 1966 World Cup to be held in England, Irish qualification would have given a large travelling support and ex-pat community a chance to roar on the boys in Spain. Drawn in a two-team group, things got off brilliantly with a 1-0 win in Dublin. We then lost 4-1 in Seville and, given that goal difference was not used at this time, both sides were to play a play-off on a neutral site. That game was to be held in London but an agreement was made to move it to Paris, where there was a larger Spanish support. Ireland lost 1-0.

Ireland finished last in their 1970 Qualification group, and second in 1974 (behind the USSR) when we beat France in Dublin, and drew 1-1 in Paris. There was another win over the French in the 1978 Qualification, but that wasn’t enough to prevent them from beating us to the group’s top spot.  We did, however beat them in Dublin thanks to a wonder goal from Liam Brady.

1982 gave us another close call, and again the French were involved. Ireland were also drawn alongside Belgium, Netherlands and Cyprus with two of five teams to reach Spain. The group started well with a win in Cyprus, a win at home to Netherlands (who, remember had been in the 1974 and 1978 finals) and a draw at home to Belgium. Two defeats though, in Paris and in Brussels, were to prove crucial as Ireland finished up with four wins and two draws after our eight matches. Irish fans could then just watch on as France, who still had two games to play, got the wins they needed to overtake us on goal difference.

Ireland again missed out on the 1986 edition of the tournament, as a 4-1 home defeat to Denmark marked the end of Eoin Hand’s time in charge and the introduction of Big Jack Charlton. The man who’d won a World Cup as a player with England was to usher in Ireland’s greatest years on the football field, but I’ll talk more about them tomorrow...

Women's Soccer Catfight

This story has been all over the sports news here in the US for the last two days.
Now, I know that there are dirty players back home, but even Vinnie Jones would be proud of this girl!
New Mexico were playing BYU in the Mountain West Conference Semi-Final, which BYU ended up winning 1-0. But nobody will really care about the score thanks to New Mexico defender, Elizabeth Lambert. Enjoy your 15 minutes Liz!

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Needless to say, she's been suspended indefinitely by the University of New Mexico.

They say women's soccer is popular over here. I've watched a couple of Division 1 college matches, and..... well, trying to describe how awful they are without using profanity wouldn't really be doing it justice. It really is a chore to watch, so this is pretty much the only way they're going to get on television. More power to them!

The Beckham Experiment

"If someone's paying you more than anybody in the league, more than double anybody in the league, the least we expect is that you show up to every game, whether you are suspended or not. Show up and train hard, show up and play hard."

"I don't think that's too much for us to expect.”


They’re the words of one Landon Donovan, speaking, of course, about his L.A. Galaxy teammate David Beckham. Donovan has joined in a chorus of boos and jeers levelled at Goldenballs, a chorus that’s got even louder in recent weeks now that Beckham has actually returned to Los Angeles to play in the MLS.

The fans have turned against the man who proclaimed that he wanted to "take soccer in the US to another level” and “make a difference with the kids." Yet those words now sound hollow, especially after Beckham returned to Europe and A.C. Milan in a move that seemingly was aimed at maintaining his England career. That’s certainly the view of the fans who’ve been involved in two incidents with Beckham and certainly seem to wish that he would return to Italy full-time.



So, where did it all go wrong? That’s the question asked by Grant Wahl in his book, The Beckham Experiment. Wahl is the right man to write this book. As the chief soccer writer for Sports Illustrated magazine, he has been covering the Galaxy, Beckham and MLS throughout recent times and is able to give the fan a neutral, unbiased account of what happened, why, and who to blame. It’s from this book that Donovan’s quotes about Beckham hail. These quotes that are at least part of the reason that the American soccer public have turned against the Englishman and, surprisingly, they’re not even the best part of this book.

It truly is a fascinating read. Wahl details, in an in-depth fashion, where exactly the Galaxy/Beckham saga went wrong and it also explains why. Incompetence on the part of management is revealed, as is the true extent of the influence held by Beckham and his people. It is a book which is fair, if a bit anti-Beckham, but it as good a sporting exposé as I’ve read in a long, long time. And given the unfolding nature of the story, and how the fans are turning against Beckham, Wahl has given us a valuable document that explains what is happening to one of the most famous athletes in the world, and why he’s no longer the golden child of American soccer.

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The Beckham Experiment is available to buy on Amazon, in all good bookshops and in some pretty lousy ones too.

As Irish As Big Jack

Like many of my countrymen, I’m proud to be Irish. Being Irish brings certain traits with it: a general (and abhorrent) dislike of them from across the water, a pride in our arts and heritage, and a devotion to our sports teams. We love being Irish and we love following our sports teams. No matter where we play, there is always a large and vocal presence of Irish people to support our own and while I’m in no doubt that the importance/uniqueness of this is overstated by ourselves, we are a nation of sports lovers.

In return for this devotion, we expect many things in return, most notably pride in the shirt/flag. We want our sports stars to represent Ireland with dignity, honour and most importantly passion because they are representing more than just the island of Ireland; they’re representing the sport mad community that lives here too. Be it rugby, football or Gaelic games, when our men/women represent Ireland, they become an extension of each sports fan in this country.

Yet the essence of this Irish-ness, and indeed of other nationalities, has become weakened in recent times. In athletics we have seen Africans such as Rashid Ramzi, Stephen Chorono (Saif Saaeed Shaheen) and Albert Chepkurui (Ahmad Hassan Abdullah) defect from their home nations and instead compete for Asian countries such as Qatar and Bahrain, often for no reason other than financial reward. We here in Ireland aren’t immune to allegiance switching – who can forget the ‘Oi-rish’ football legends such as John Aldridge, Ray Houghton and Terry Phelan. These are players who were adored by the Green Army for their exploits on the field, as was their English manager, even if their passports and birth certs weren’t from this country.





So does it matter where someone comes from? There are reports that Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni will look to take advantage of new citizenship rules from FIFA and invite players such as Kevin Nolan to line out for Ireland. He’s become available now that FIFA say he and other players are eligible, even if they’ve played for other nations at an underage level, in Nolan’s case England. He qualifies for Ireland under ancestry rules, though oddly he also qualifies to play for the Netherlands. Would the Dutch be happy to see a Scouser called Nolan lining out for them?


In an increasingly globalized world, people’s nationalities have become less defined than they once were. A growing number of athletes will have a choice between two or more countries, as Aldridge and Houghton had in the 1980s. They chose Ireland, and represented us well, so maybe being from this little island isn’t that big a deal after all. Maybe we just want our sports stars to play as if they are one of our own.

The FAI Cup on MNS

It was a Late Late MNS this week as the show was booted from its usual 8:00 p.m. slot by a group game from the most pointless international tournament of them all. Con told us that it was the ‘first Late Late since Pat’s departure’ and that Rico, Pat Morley and Steve’s big brother had all stocked up on the coffee to get them through it. I found beer worked better myself. Con the conman then went on to explain in his online blog that the show was actually pre-recorded so it seems that he was lying to us. TV fakery from Montrose? Surely not.

It’s a shame that this week, of all weeks, was shunted into the wee hours as it was FAI Ford Cup Third Round time, a weekend crammed with more one-sided victories than your average Harlem Globetrotters World Tour. There were some juicy ties though, and to be fair to the MNS crew, they were covered well.

Tony O went Leeside to report on the Cork – Sligo game. Yours truly thought it a bit odd to see the managers interviewed before the game, giving their thoughts before an event that had already happened days previously. Paul Cook told us unequivocally that he didn’t want a draw at Turners Cross, yet we all knew that a 2-2 was on the way. It was like watching a particularly deadly knockout punch for the 12th time on YouTube – you know what’s coming, the victim doesn’t.

Speaking of boxing, it’s clear that Paul Cook’s voice went through a tough 12 rounds during the 90 minutes. Cook’s match day bout of laryngitis is as regular as sunset but the two interviews, either side of the match, shows the battering the genial Liverpudlian puts himself through for the Rovers’ cause. It was as if Stevie G himself had munched on a kitten. Hope there were plenty of Hacks on the team bus home.

It was nice to see a feature on the Tralee Dynamos. Their 2-1 win over Salthill Devon was described as ‘the biggest game in Kerry soccer history’ and no doubt the locals, interviewed before the game, will be happy that the Dynamos are one step closer to picking up the “Heineken Cup, Super 14 trophy or ‘McCarthy’” as they identified one of Irish soccer’s most important trophies.

The match itself seemed to give good entertainment to the 14 or so souls who forgot that there was a game going on in Pairc Uí Chaoimh. Reporter Eamonn Donohue took full advantage of the unusual inclusion of the Dynamos on MNS by using as many tortured puns as possible... a tactic that this reporter thought he had an exclusive hold upon.

To ensure that RTE got their full value from the trip to Kerry as this week’s Karaoke King came from Tralee’s David O’ Leary. If there’s been a more annoying feature on a sports show anywhere in the world, ever, then it would surprise me. This week’s King should be dethroned as soon as possible. Warbling isn’t the word that one should use to describe his version of Sex on Fire from the Kings of Leon. Heck, even Paul Cook sounded better.

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This week's edition of MNS can be seen by clicking here. This article was originally written for the nice folks over at http://www.extratime.ie/

Motor-Mouth Indeed!

Courtesy of the good man Peter (Happy birthday by the way man!) comes a commentator at a Brazilian soccer match who makes Micháel O' Muircheartaigh seem quiet and reserved!

This Week In The League Of Ireland

The big story in the League of Ireland this week has been the sacking of Dundalk defender Dave Rogers in the wake of ‘Arse Gate.’ Rogers was left not too jolly with the decision by the Louth club to terminate his contract for ‘gross misconduct’ after he mooned the travelling Pats support at Oriel Park on Friday night. Unsurprisingly, many in the media were quick to have a bit of craic (or is that crack?) with this one. In fact, the only thing faster than the ‘bum’s rush’ given to Rogers was the rush of hacks and journo’s across the land as they tried to ‘out-pun’ each other.






There were plenty of ‘witty’ headlines in our tabloids about the Rogers’ sacking (‘Moon Walk’ was one of my personal favourites) but the pun-tastic headlines weren’t limited to the red-tops. ‘rogers calls foul play over bum rap’ and ‘hoping shirty conduct will end is asking for the moon’ are both the work of Aiden O’Hara in the Indo. The lack of capitals in these very cheesy headlines may be a mistake, or it may be an attempt at understating the descent into cheddar-ville.


The incident provoked an intense debate on RTE’s Monday Night Soccerball. Eoin “I’m not a prude” Hand says that if he had brought his daughter to the game, and he’d seen Rogers’ actions, that he “would have reacted.” Goodness only knows how... Meanwhile Rico had the counter-argument on the matter, standing up for Scouser. An MNS caption informed us that he once ‘played the bodhrán on an album by Tundra, a folk music group from Kent’ so it’s probably appropriate that it was he who was banging the drum in Rogers’ defence. He mused about possible conspiracy theories (“It makes me think that there’s something else in the background”) before analyzing the incident in detail, telling us that it wasn’t too bad because Rogers “had his briefs on underneath.” Thanks for saving us the bother to take such a close look Rico. “Have we all lost our sense of humour?” he wondered. Well, the journo’s certainly haven’t...


I’ll leave the last word to Neil O’ Riordan. The Irish Sun writer keeps a blog called The Big O in which he recalled an incident involving current Dundalk boss Sean Connor while he was boss at Bohs. According to O’ Riordan, in their preparation for the 2007 League Cup Final, Connor mooned his players as they practiced potentially crucial penalty kicks ‘in a bid to recreate the atmosphere they would face in a shoot-out at The Brandywell.’ ‘It’s worth remembering’ says Statto, ‘that Dalymount is overlooked by a primary school.’ Now that this scandal is in the public domain, should we expect the Dundalk board to sack Connor as swiftly as they booted Rogers out the door? Or will he stay, adding more fuel to the theories of the multi-talented Rico? Only time will tell.

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This article was originally written for and can be seen at the fine website, http://www.extratime.ie

The Premier League - Raging Bull Or Cash Cow?

It's transfer deadline day. Between work this morning (in Spin Southwest) and keeping an eye online since I came home, I've been keeping one eye on it most of the day. Well done the BBC!

The interesting move of the day, for me, is the purchase of Manchester City by a UAE based business group. SKY News say that these guys have ten times the money of Roman Abramovich and judging by the rumours today, they're willing to spend it too. They're just the latest club to be bought up by oligarchs - Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester United and of course Chelsea have all been purchased by owners from foreign lands in recent years.

I don't mind their origin. They can be English or Estonian for all I care. What does worry me is that these are businessmen, with their eyes fixed firmly on the ca$h they can make from these deals. SKY, Setanta (and increasingly foreign TV companies) have boosted the coffers of the Premier League as a whole. That money makes today one of the most fascinating days of the year, when (literally) hundreds of millions of pounds are spent on players from all corners of the world.

I worry about the future though. What happens when the bubble bursts? What happens when the owners pull out? Where will that leave the fans who have been loyal in the dark days of terraces, muddy pitches and All-English XI's? The bubble may not burst for some time - the Champions League etc. mean that the clubs have several sources of income. Yet, this will dry up in time. That's the nature of the market.

Speaking of the market, that very same commercialism has brought about these riches. It is the reason that the League is the strongest in the world. It is the reason that these oligarchs are here and, it is the reason that they cannot simply be banned/removed. The future is bright, for now, but in these times of economic uncertainty clouds will soon gather on the horizon.