November 2011

Proposed Fixture List Change for GAA Season

I wanted to cut the club league in half – but how could I take so many games away from the salt of our sport; from the competition in which the biggest numbers participate? I even wanted to begin the season in September and have it end in June/July and I still think this is a very viable option but for this coming season, it clearly wouldn’t be an alternative and is probably too drastic to consider at this current stage. Nonetheless, something needs to change so we can properly address player burnout and so our sport can have more cohesion and communication about it – the winter training ban is in … Continue reading →

A Weekend of Central Midfielders

I’ve continuously moaned on and on about how we, in Great Britain and Ireland, are ignoring the gaping need to address our lack of technical football on these isles. We seemingly want to turn a blind eye to the matter and hope it goes away – but sooner or later we are never too far away from being reminded just how far we’re behind. Having criticised players like Michael Carrick in the past, I thought I would take a closer look at what Alex Ferguson is seeing that I am not. The United central midfielder attempted 44 passes over the course of Saturday’s draw with Newcastle – playing second-fiddle to the evergreen … Continue reading →

Gary Speed: The Role Model

Today a dark cloud looms over football as the talented, hardworking, strong and athletic Welsh footballer Gary Speed has passed away. Images of his former team mate Shay Given in tears during a game that should never have gone ahead (Swansea vs Aston Villa) filled me with great sadness. It hit home just how great the loss of Gary Speed is. One of Wales most gifted players Gary had an international career spanning over 14 years and had 85 caps to his name. News filtered through to me as I stood watching my friend Brian Devine shout instructions to his young u-12 Tristar Boys football team. People speak of poignant moments, well … Continue reading →

Exclusive Images: Darron Gibson – The History Maker

Before my incredible adventure to Hong Kong myself and fellow colleague Ciaran Roddy had been working hard on the Ulster Sporting Heroes exhibition at the Tower Museum. On 9th November, the exhibition was launched and thus far it has been a roaring success. Little did I know what was to greet me upon my return. 1 x Premier League winners’ medal 1 x FIFA Club World Cup medal 2 x Carling Cup medals Needless to say, shivers tingled down my spine. Darron Gibson had kindly loaned us his haul of incredible medals for the exhibition. Holding the Premier League medal in my hand brought to mind a flood of childhood dreams that … Continue reading →

The Ultimate ‘Social’ Game Day

It’s 5am and my alarm goes off. I spring out of bed and prepare myself for a special day…derby day. This was the last Liverpool FC game I went to. It was in January 2011, with my brother, to see them play local rivals Everton. There was a special buzz around that day as it was the Anfield return of manager and legend, Kenny Dalglish. It’s hard to beat the electricity of a live football crowd, the atmosphere that makes hairs stand on the back of your neck. The match finished 2-2, and even though the result was slightly disappointing, I still enjoyed being there. I left Anfield reflecting on the event, … Continue reading →

Winter Training Ban Solves Nothing

Has anyone ever caught Brian O’Driscoll sporting an Ireland or Leinster jersey in June, July, or August? Usain Bolt last competed in September and has nothing on his winter schedule for the remainder of the year. Every sport has an off-season: a chance for players to recuperate, coaches to reorganise, organisations to refresh. They call it the “silly season” across in the English Premier League because their summer downtime consists of nothing more than ludicrous transfer rumours and crass gossip of infidelity. On this island, however, it is difficult to decipher a unanimous close season within the GAA – in fact, it is impossible. Rule 6.43 was devised to outlaw any communal … Continue reading →

Liverpool FC will finish in the top 4: Yes or No?

Having spent the last two seasons in top 5 exile, Liverpool have been averaging over 25 points less than that infamous 08/09 title charge when Rafa Benitez guided them to 2nd in the table. Now, challenging 5 genuine Champions League contenders filled with top quality, we’re asking whether Dalglish and his charges have enough to displace 2 of them and claim a spot amongst the holy grail of modern day football: the top 4. Conan “Which Liverpool is which? That’s what I want to know. When I first heard that we were debating this issue, I prematurely scoffed at the thought of Dalglish guiding this current Liverpool team to the highest echelons … Continue reading →

Gary Neville – The Best Sky Sports Has Had to Offer, Ever.

Intelligent, insightful, meticulous, articulate, objective – some of the adjectives I would use to describe Gary Neville’s analysis on Sky Sports. After the famous turn of events that saw Richard Keys and Andy Gray revert from their seemingly untouchable and institutional position at Sky Sports to the exile of Talk Sport, many, including myself, thought that Sky Sports’ football coverage had changed for the worse. I was wrong. Looking back it seems that the powers that be at Sky Sports and Managing Director, Barney Francis, were very astute in their belief that Gary Neville was the man to remodel the nature of football analysis, and his slot on Monday Night Football along … Continue reading →

Interview: Martin McCann and Spain’s Footballing Philosophy

Those of you who watched the England v Spain game on Saturday past would have been disappointed that the performance of the World Champions did not reach the heights that we have become accustomed to in recent years. One thing was firmly intact however, the philosophy. Spain, and many Spanish teams in general deploy a tactic that has become colloquially known as tiqui-taca. This style has become commonly considered to be the epitome of good football. The Spanish footballing ideal has not developed overnight, but it has been product of many years of structural development and devotion to key principles. Recently, University of Ulster’s Martin McCann travelled to visit four clubs (Villarreal … Continue reading →

Twitter For Athletes

Last week Twitter released official guidelines for athletes using Twitter. The guidelines include ‘using hashtags, replying to followers and ask questions, mentioning your teammates, breaking news, live tweet events, posting pictures and giving your followers access’.  The document also included a video by ESPN looking at NFL players’ use of Twitter in 2011. When I joined Twitter, I followed all the celebs and sports stars and found it exciting having this inside scoop into their lives. Then, I realized sometimes their lives really aren’t all that exciting…and I eventually un-followed some of them. That is my personal thoughts on it, but a lot of other people love every bit of info, every … Continue reading →