Category Archives: Sport

Blitzed!

Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil are about as crumpled as my scoreboard t-shirt after Germany’s October goal-fest in Dublin last Friday. As you can see, I was pretty busy changing scores and was delighted to finally put something under Ireland’s flag after updating the German side half a dozen times. We Irish are renowned for our hospitality to visitors and our football team certainly showed their counterparts the meaning of Gemütlichkeit at the Aviva Stadium. The title of this post refers to the relentless onlaught by the German players on the Irish goal on either side of half time. It’s also the title of a song by The Raveonettes from Demark and is taken from 2007′s Lust, Lust, Lust album. It’s one of their more punkier numbers and the next four songs all have their roots in that genre. The Ramones used the German word for “lightning war” for the title of their 1976 debut single and it was one of the songs The Beautiful South chose to cover on 2004′s Golddiggas, Headnodders & Pholk Songs

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October Fest!

The German football team is coming to Dublin tonight to take on their Irish counterparts as both countries take another step towards automatic qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Germany have won both their games so far and Ireland left it extremely late to take all three points in Kazakhstan in the only match they’ve played. The Germans have a stronger squad and a better qualifying record than Ireland and will start the game as favourites. The Irish team has been further weakened by injuries to some of our more experienced players and I think it’s safe to say that we’d be delighted with a point tonight. I’m making the trip to Dublin today to see the game and the picture above shows the t-shirt that I’ll be wearing at the match. The flags and numbers are attached by velcro strips and can be easily changed to match the score. Unfortunately, I lost some of the numbers on the previous occasion I wore the t-shirt, so I’ll have to use an upside-down seven if the score is 1-1 at any stage. The score of the four songs below sees Ireland comfortably winning by a margin of 3-1

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Good Friday At The Dogs

It’s Good Friday today and yet again all the pubs in Ireland will be closed until just before lunchtime tomorrow. It’s been like this all my life, though I have drank porter in Irish pubs on this day in the past. Two years ago, I did so legally and I’m going to be supping legal pints in a licensed premises this evening as well. Alcohol will actually be available today on trains and at train station bars, but only for people who produce a valid train ticket as proof of travel that day. I’ve no idea why commuters are given this privilege, as travelling by train is the safest form of journey you could take. However, there’s another option available for connoisseurs of drink in four Irish cities today. For some reason, greyhound racing is also exempt from Good Friday restrictions, presumably because it makes the sport more interesting. The four lucky venues are Galway Greyhound Stadium, Limerick Greyhound Stadium, Curraheen Park, Cork, and Harold’s Cross, Dublin. For just under €40, you get a four-course meal, admission & a race programme. You also get a drinks service and someone to take your bets. I was there a few weeks ago and I really enjoyed it, though only two of my dogs won. Hopefully, Jesus can bring me better luck today

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The Comeback Kid

I must admit I was a little bit sceptical about Thierry Henry’s recent return to Arsenal. Undoubtedly, he was one of the finest players to ever wear an Arsenal shirt and is surely one of the greatest players to play in the Premiership. He set all kinds of scoring records during his time in North London and it’s hard to see any of these being broken before too long. As a Gooner, I was always a big fan of the Frenchman and not just for his goals. He created as many chances for his teammates and was always a joy to watch. In particular, I liked it when he would do the unexpected, such as the time he whispered to the referee if it was okay to take a quick free kick while the opposition was setting up its wall. The referee gave his permission and Henry gently placed the ball out of reach of the bemused keeper. As an Irishman, I was just as pissed off as my fellow countrymen when France’s top scorer hoodwinked the match officials by handling the ball twice before setting up William Gallas for the goal that put the French through at the expense of Ireland for a place at the 2010 World Cup. Eventually, I came to forgive this indiscretion, partly due to the entertainment provided by the French squad in South Africa and party due to the realisation that sports stars who play to the highest standard also raise their game when they’re bending the rules

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The Grass Is Always Greener

English Premier League football finally returns later today and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how it’ll all turn out this season. My own team, Arsenal, has been in the news before a ball has been even kicked and it looks like it’s going to be another challenging year for the North London club. The poor results at the end of last season surely convinced the manager that he needed to be busy in the transfer market during the summer. And, certainly, Arsene Wenger has overseen a number of changes at the Emirates over the last few months and he has added a few new faces to the squad. So far, however, rather than going for risk-free, established defensive players in the prime of their careers he has instead gambled on teenage forwards with no experience of English football. Still, there are a couple of weeks remaining in the transfer window and perhaps the manager will surprise everyone by signing experienced defensive players who were born before 1990. At least he shouldn’t be short of a few bob as it looks like the departures from the Emirates will be more significant than the arrivals

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Joxer Goes to Stuttgart

I can think of loads of songs that help me to recall certain people and places, but only one that reminds me of a certain event. Joxer Goes to Stuttgart by Christy Moore is a modern-day folk song about a “day that will be the highlight of many people’s lives.” It’s set in the summer of 1988 and follows a group of Irish football fans as they support Jack Charlton’s Ireland at the European football championships in Germany. In particular, it tells the story of Ireland’s opening match against England in Stuttgart on June 12th. Moore focuses on a fictional group of Dubliners who travel across Europe to be present at Ireland’s first game at a major football tournament. Joxer is the unanimous choice to drive the van and this may be due to his apparent efficiency as he packs jump-leads and a German phrase-book for the trip. Later, he also shows good communication skills as he manages to chat up a German lady who later visits him in Dublin

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Shinners & Losers

The Irish general election came and went last weekend and it delivered its fair share of winners and losers. The biggest losers were the two parties who have been “running” this country for the last four years, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. The Greens lost all six of its representatives while Fianna Fáil’s representation fell by nearly three quarters. The party had been in power with other coalition partners since 1997 and its decline was unsurprising but completely welcome. The biggest winners were the party that’s been in Fianna Fáil’s shadow since Ireland became a republic. Fine Gael won just under half the number of seats on offer and will most likely form a coalition with the Labour party, who also had its best election. The same was true for Sinn Féin, the Socialist Party, People Before Profit and independent candidates, who all won more seats than Fianna Fáil’s solitary one in Dublin. The new government isn’t going to turn the country’s woes around overnight, but at least it’ll bring in a few fresh faces and, hopefully, some new ideas

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Backfield in Motion

I’ve been in training for tomorrow’s Superbowl for a few weeks now. Of course, I won’t be taking part in the game – I’ve been staying up until three or four in the morning so I can watch the game live. The grand finale of the American football season will kick off tomorrow afternoon in Texas, but it’ll be nearly midnight by the time the action gets underway on this side of the pond. Superbowl XLV is, as its name suggests, the 45th instalment of the annual clash between the champions of the AFC and the NFC. The Green Bay Packers will represent the American Football Conference, while the Pittsburgh Steelers will carry the flag of the National Football Conference. It’s the Steelers eight Superbowl appearance and the fifth for the Packers with Pittsburgh leading by six titles to three. The Packers are slight favourites, so hopefully it’ll be a close game with lots of scores

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