Silly Soccer: the importance of focus in football

 Rooney and Giggs argue with official

Soon after Sylvain Distin's terrible back-pass error which gifted Luis Suárez a goal in the 2012 FA Cup Semi Final, Séamus Coleman entered the fray, having been intensely briefed by David Moyes as to his role on the right wing. Presumably, Moyes must have felt that an injection of the Irishman's boundless energy would have lifted his team's lethargic performance and carried them to an historic victory, but unfortunately it was to be an atrocious display by the Donegal man, and one which demonstrates exactly why a player must always stay focused during every minute of every game – not least one as high-profile as a cup semi-final.

Coleman was not long on the pitch before he was shown a yellow card for a piece of utterly frantic defending outside the Everton box,which saw the 23 year old desperately attempt to grab the ball. Then, with just four minutes remaining, he committed a foul on Steven Gerrard near the corner of the pitch and should really have been given an early bath for his troubles. More importantly, however, Andy Carroll scored from the resultant free-kick and Everton's hopes of an FA Cup final appearance were cruelly extinguished.

Everton's captain Phil Neville took to Twitter to express his feeling of devastation at the result, saying that no individual can take the blame for the result, but it was, in fact, a game which hinged upon individual errors, something which was readily admitted by both Distin and Coleman, once again via the medium of Twitter, after the game.

In Ireland the evening before the semi-final, Derry City played Sligo Rovers in the Sligo Showgrounds and a number of Derry's players similarly exhibited an alarming lack of focus. Midway through the second half, with the score precariously at 1-1, Derry's 19 year old prodigy Patrick McEleney gave away what can only be described as a lazy foul in the Derry half. As Sligo prepared the free-kick, instead of concentrating on defending, McEleney was much more concerned with berating the referee for his decision. As the young attacker was giving the referee an earful, Sligo took the free-kick quickly, passing the ball straight past McEleney, who with his back turned to the ball, was not paying attention.

Luckily it did not cost the Candystripes the game. Nevertheless, it could have, and manager Declan Devine will probably have had some stern words with the City players in the dressing room after the game.

Football really is a mind game; get your head in the game.

No Easy Draws

European Championships Trophy

The Republic of Ireland will learn its Euro 2012 fate tomorrow as the group-stage draw takes place at the Palace of Arts in Kyiv, Ukraine. Below is a run down of the seedings.

Pot 1: Poland (A1)*, Spain, Netherlands, Ukraine (D1)*
Pot 2: Germany, Italy, England, Russia
Pot 3: Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden
Pot 4: Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Rep. of Ireland

At this stage of the competition, there are no easy draws. Those of you who consider Poland or Ukraine as an easy draw are mistaken; as Trapattoni noted, pointing to his experience against South Korea in World Cup 2002, home teams tend to have a slight edge.

If you don't believe him you need only look to the precedent of Spain 1964, Italy 1968 and France 1984.

Then of course there's the precedent of Uruguay 1930, Italy 1934, England 1966, West Germany 1974, Argentina 1978, and France 1998 all of whom won the World Cup trophy in their own backyard.

It would be interesting if Ireland drew Germany and/or Sweden, as a precursor to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, but either of those teams would be very tough. Or even England à la Stuttgart 1988. Regardless of who we draw, we will face a stern test. But even so, I'll fire ahead and posit my perfect draw.

From Pot 1, I'd like Poland, thank you. If we can avoid Germany in Pot 2 and Portugal in Pot 3, I am confident we can beat or at least draw with any of the remaining teams.

*Poland will be seeded in Group A and Ukraine will be seeded in Group D.

Gary McAllister and the Letter to the FAI

FAI causing "Apartheid" according to the AONISC

After overcoming Estonia over the two legs, Ireland have made it to the final stages of the European Championships. On Tuesday night, the result of 1-1 was irrelevant and the carnival atmosphere was king; the Lansdowne Roar is back.

The celebrations carried on well into the night and no doubt there were quite a few suffering yesterday as a result, FAI CEO John Delaney probably among them. I wonder, then, what he thought when he received a hand-delivered letter from Gary McAllister, the Chairman of the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters' Clubs, asking him not to select northern born Irish nationals?

I'd say the letter still hasn't got to him, but if and when it does, he'll probably dismiss it, along with the other inane ramblings of Northern Ireland fans against the FAI. The letter apparently refers to an “ongoing situation” that is supposedly “immoral in footballing [sic] terms” and calls upon the FAI “to enter into a new, bi-lateral agreement with the Irish Football Association on the matter”.

Playing on Delaney's response to the acrimonious nature of elimination from the 2010 World Cup, Mr McAllister pleaded for the FAI Chief Executive “to apply the same principles of integrity which he himself had advocated when the Republic of Ireland fell victim to the infamous hand-ball elimination aganist France in 2009”.

What would such a bi-lateral agreement look like, I wonder? The Northern Ireland fans are proposing that the two associations reach an agreement that is not mutually beneficial: it suits the IFA only. If this is indeed a fan-driven incentive, I would suggest that FAI fans also have a say before any agreement is even considered. That would make things interesting, don't you think?

Furthermore, not only is the issue of player eligibility not "ongoing" having been settled since the autumn of 2010 when the IFA resoundingly lost their Court of Arbitration case, but to describe a northern born Irish national's decision to play for his country as “immoral” is outrageous. It is an insult. To accuse the FAI of encouraging a type of "Football Apartheid" is also utterly ludicrous. Sheer unbridled sensationalist tripe, is what it is. What about the fact that Northern Ireland fans insist on dividing the island into two teams, while other sports continue playing on an all-Ireland basis, could that be considered "Apartheid"? No, no. The FAI and players who look to Dublin rather than London (or even Belfast) are the bad guys here.

Thankfully I'm not the only one who considers these charges against the FAI and players who wish to play for their country as outrageously insulting; FAI CEO John Delaney has repeatedly made it known that he is extremely pleased that Irish nationals have the choice to play for their country - I'm sure he'll be keen to defend that choice, in the interests of protecting the integrity of national identity.

The Gag that keeps on Giving

Steve Beaglehole

It seems that the "eligibility row" is the gag that keeps on giving in Irish football these days.

This time, it's Northern Ireland's under-21 manager Steve Beaglehole who has once again waded in with his insight, suggesting that more players will switch association now that Ireland have qualified for the 2012 European Championships and that he would like to see compensation introduced.

Taking the shine away from Ireland's qualification for Euro 2012, Beaglehole complained that, because the FAI has more money than the IFA and, of course, is more successful, more players within the Northern Ireland youth teams will declare for Ireland.

"The FAI are spending more money on recruitment, on scouting, they go away three or four days earlier than we do when they meet up and they put them in top hotels. Now they will have even more money and their budget will go up again. Northern Ireland not qualifying means our budget remains the same or even goes down. For them that can mean extra training days or a couple of new members of staff. And in terms of the attractiveness of playing for the Republic, it's something their recruitment people can use. They can say 'look at at us. look at the success we've had'. It's like the academy system in club football: if your first team is doing well it's easier to keep people and get others to come."

Fair enough, the IFA struggle to compete when it comes to the hearts and minds of players from a nationalist background, that's a reality, but to whinge about the fact that the FAI now has quite a bit more money than the IFA, is desperate. Does he want to FAI to work within the same budget as the IFA, or what? Will he be calling for FIFA to make sure each association has the exact same amount of money?

Leaving that aside, Beaglehole's perception is fundamentally flawed. His summation of the situation completely diminishes the importance of national identity to the players who opt to play for the Republic of Ireland rather than Northern Ireland, flippantly putting their decisions down to the allure of success. He also implies, like so many delusional Northern Ireland fans, that the FAI is "poaching" players when he talks of recruitment. To date most, if not all, of the players who have declared for the FAI have done so of their own volition, the FAI apparently practising a policy whereby players from the North would have to make their intentions known to them - a policy I disagree with. Why should an Irish national from the north be treated differently to any other Irish national?

Interestingly, Beaglehole admitted that, were he in the position of the FAI, he would also select northern born Irish nationals:

"I don't blame the Republic for wanting to look at Paul George or Shane Duffy. If I was working for them I would want to because they would improve the team"

He also believes that a system of compensation should be in place for scenarios where a player might switch association, but such a system could be extremely problematic, not to mention taxing on the IFA who have several players in their teams who played for other associations, including the FAI. As he said, his own employers simply don't possess the financial muscle to cope with it.

For more information on the "eligibility row", including the pitfalls of introducing a compensation scheme, I strongly urge you to see 'FIFA Player Eligibility in the Context of Ireland' by Daniel Collins.

Don't tell British Associations what to do FIFA

Nothing political to see here

So after much consternation and brouhaha, the English and Welsh FAs have been granted a compromise by FIFA which will see them wear an armband with a poppy rather than a poppy on the front of the shirt.


Bravo, victory for the British associations. To think that FIFA were actually trying to tell the English FA what to do! Do they not know that England invented the game? The cheek!

FIFA eventually relented from their previous position when the political figures Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote to FIFA, presumably telling FIFA how it was wrong to prohibit the poppy and that there was absolutely nothing political about it.

Nothing political... right.

The Royal British Legion said the dispute was not between itself and FIFA, nor even the English FA and FIFA, but the British public and FIFA. How's that, eh? Indeed, the British media has already described FIFA as having "backed down" and yielding to the "demands" of the English FA. But in reality, it's more like a tired parent granting a petulant child one sweet rather than the whole bag.

The world governing body of football expressly forbids the flaunting of political, religious or commercial messages on the shirts of their member associations. That seems fair enough to me. International sport is political enough without encouraging aggressively partisan advertisements.

Ah, but being told what to do doesn't sit right with some. The whole affair reminded me of the time when another British association, namely the Irish FA, took FIFA - and the Football Association of Ireland - to the Court of Arbitration for Sport with the complaint that FIFA were interpreting their own eligibility rules wrongly, to the detriment of the IFA. Yes, really. Read that back to yourself again.

I'm slightly disappointed with FIFA's decision. They granted a compromise after an unremitting media storm, coupled with British politicians flexing their political muscle.

But if the English FA and the British public feel like honouring members of a force whose purpose often involves murder, by creating a shameful fuss about wearing a poppy on their shirts at a football game, essentially diminishing the whole thing to a fashion statement, they can knock themselves out.

A Load of Poppycock!

The Poppy on England jacket

After a wave of media reportage on the issue, British Prime Minister David Cameron has also issued a scathing attack on FIFA after the world football governing body remained steadfast in its decision to prohibit the English national team from wearing poppies on their shirts for the upcoming game against Spain.


Cameron said:

"This seems outrageous. The idea that wearing a poppy to remember those who have given their lives for our freedom is a political act is absurd. Wearing a poppy is an act of huge respect and national pride. I hope that FIFA will reconsider."

Wow. What rhetorical nonsense. Cameron fails to see the irony of a politician playing down the political symbolism of the poppy. Downplaying politics in international sport is in itself futile, since international sport is inherently political, nations representing states and whatnot.


Wearing the poppy might be an act of respect to some, but it also glorifies war in an overtly triumphalist manner. Creating such a bluster over the manner is unneccessary and counterproductive. A cynic might say it demonstrates the obstinacy of the English FA.


Calm down lads, it's only a poppy. You can pay your respects in other, less ostentatious ways.


You might even have a bit of class.

Once in Six, our luck has to change

Below is an article which appeared on SportsNews Ireland on 9/11/11.

Since 1965, the Republic of Ireland have competed in 6 play-offs for qualification to the final stages of major tournaments and only once, have they been successful; a remarkable statistic indeed.

It is often said that Ireland never make things easy and it is true that following the fortunes of the Irish national team can be an emotionally tasking endeavour: wherever Ireland go, drama is not far behind. This is especially true of play-off games.

Eamon Dunphy

World Cup 1966 – Spain 1-0 Ireland (Stade Colombes*, Paris, 1965)
Interesting circumstances led to Ireland playing Spain three times in the qualifying stage for the 1966 World Cup. The withdrawal of Syria from the competition meant that there remained only two teams in the group. While Ireland triumphed 1-0 over Spain at Dalymount Park, Spain responded by trouncing Ireland 4-1 in Seville leading to a “best two out of three” play-off to decide the group winner. The game was played at a “neutral” ground, in France, although London had also been considered as a venue. However, Stade Colombes turned out to be less neutral than anticipated, as the Spanish diaspora in France swarmed the ground, roaring the La Roja on to a 1-0 victory, thwarting Irish hopes of qualification.

Patrick Kluivert

Euro 1996 – Ireland 0-2 Holland (Anfield, Liverpool 1995)
Just over thirty years after the defeat to Spain in France, Ireland found themselves on the cusp of qualification for Euro ’96, with the mighty Dutch Oranje standing in their way. During the period between 1986 and 1995, Ireland had experienced their most successful period under the stewardship of Jack Charlton. Prior to this fixture, the affable Englishman had guided the Boys in Green to three major tournaments, missing out only on Euro ’92. However, with several key players unavailable, including midfield general Roy Keane and target man Niall Quinn, an ageing Ireland team struggled to impose their will on the Dutch and Patrick Kluivert, who had earlier that year scored the goal that clinched the first European Cup for Ajax since the days of Cruyff, scored two goals to condemn Ireland’s qualification hopes. After just under a decade, it proved to be Jack Charlton’s final game as Ireland manager.

Denis Irwin

World Cup 1998 – Ireland 1-1 Belgium (Lansdowne Road, Dublin, 1997); Belgium 2-1 Ireland (Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels 1997)
The end of the Charlton-era saw the appointment of Mick McCarthy as Ireland manager. McCarthy had been a bustling centre half, captaining Ireland in major games, and following in the footsteps of Jack Charlton, the expectations of him were high. Nevertheless, while McCarthy’s men struggled through qualification for the 1998 World Cup, they secured a play-off fixture against Belgium. The first leg finished 1-1, with Denis Irwin scoring. The result meant Ireland needed to score in Brussels to cancel out the Belgian away goal. However, it was the Belgians who took the lead mid-way through the first half. Ray Houghton scored a skilful header to equalise, but luck was not with the Irish in Brussels, as the Belgians scored a goal resulting from a dubiously awarded throw in in the Irish half. It finished 3-2 on aggregate and once again, Ireland failed to qualify.

Euro 2000 – Ireland 1-1 Turkey (Lansdowne Road, Dublin 1999); Turkey 0-0 Ireland (Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Bursa 1999)
After failing to qualify for France ’98, Mick McCarthy was hopeful of securing qualification to Euro 2000, which was hosted by former foes Belgium and Netherlands. Indeed, Ireland could have won automatic qualification in this campaign had they defeated Macedonia in Skopje, but, once again, it was not one for the faint of heart, as Goran Stavreski scored an equaliser in the final minute of the game to make it finish 1-1. Ireland were instead drawn against Turkey in the play off and despite the heartbreak of missing out in the last minute, McCarthy’s men remained optimistic. Robbie Keane scored in the 79th minute to give Ireland the lead, but his goal was cancelled out 5 minutes later, as Lee Carsley gave away a penalty, which was coolly converted by Tayfur Havutçu. Havutçu’s penalty proved to be the decisive blow for Ireland, as the away tie ended 0-0 and Ireland were dumped out of the competition by an away goal. It was a highly charged affair and the emotions spilled over at the end of the game, when Tony Cascarino found himself embroiled in post-match conflict involving a few Turkish players and riot police. Then FAI president Pat Quigley branded the scenes “unacceptable”, but it was the failure to qualify that Irish fans found to be unacceptable.

Azadi Stadium

World Cup 2002 – Ireland 2-0 Iran (Lansdowne Road, Dublin 2001); Iran 1-0 Ireland (Azadi Stadium, Tehran)
Things continued to improve after the disappointment of 1999 and in spite of being drawn in arguably one of the most daunting qualifying groups, Ireland managed a truly commendable feat by finishing the group unbeaten and level on points at the top of the table with Portugal. Jason McAteer scored the winning goal against Holland at Lansdowne Road in a moment which will live forever in the minds of the Irish support. Only goal difference separated Ireland and Portugal and Ireland were drawn against Iran in the play off. Brimming with confidence and keen to succeed, Ireland eventually overcame the nerves and cruised to a 2-0 victory in the home tie, before braving the utterly intimidating atmosphere of the Azadi Stadium in Tehran. Faced with the vitriol of 100,000 odd supporters, Ireland held on to win 2-1 on aggregate and Mick McCarthy became the first Irish manager to win a play off.

"Thief of St. Denis"

World Cup 2010 – Ireland 0-1 France (Croke Park, Dublin 2009); France 1-1 Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis 2009)
Undoubtedly the most dramatic of Ireland’s play offs, the World Cup 2010 play off was marred by the controversial hand-ball incident involving Thierry Henry, the “Thief of St. Denis”, as George Hamilton would say. The fixture was actually marked by controversy from the beginning, as the powers-that-be decided to seed the draw, eliciting criticism from the smaller associations who had made the playoff. Amazingly, Trapattoni’s men had passed through the group stage unbeaten, but a deflected Nicolas Anelka shot dipped over Shay Given to grant the French victory at Croke Park. Despite efforts by the fans to “Turn Croke Park Green” and to create an electrifying atmosphere in the ground, the Irish team found it difficult against the French and many fans became pessimistic about the away tie. Yet, it happened to be a fantastic performance, lauded by pundits and commentators as the best Irish performance in years. Captain Robbie Keane and veteran winger Damien Duff admirably led the charges and took the game to France. Keane scored a wonderfully worked goal and Ireland created a mountain of chances, but failed to make them count as William Gallas, aided by the hand of Henry, knocked the ball into the Irish net in extra time. It finished 2-1 on aggregate and Trapattoni and his men were sent back to the drawing board to contemplate another campaign.

*There is conflicting information regarding the stadium, with some stating that Parc des Princes was the venue.

'Round and 'Round the Merry-Go-Round goes...

And the merry-go-round goes ‘round and ‘round. No sign of stopping, it seems.

The indignation expressed by many Northern Ireland fans regarding the so-called ‘Eligibility Row’ shows no signs of waning and it will only be to the detriment of the IFA. In an age where the internet pervades almost every aspect of our lives, the anger can, perhaps, be most loudly heard on online forums, social-networking sites and blogs. The target of this outrage is primarily the Football Association of Ireland, but the players who have made the switch from the IFA to the FAI have also found themselves denounced.

The FAI has been ludicrously portrayed as a sort of sinister child-catching agency, luring naïve young men from football pitches around Northern Ireland in a bid to ensure that the IFA’s team becomes exclusively Protestant. Please, hold the laughter. Players, meanwhile, have had their characters denigrated with all sorts of accusations being thrown their way. Sectarian mercenaries, is what most are being called. All this for legitimately, and one would think reasonably, opting to play for their national team - nothing too serious, right?

Preston North End player Adam Barton is the latest in a line of players who have switched to the FAI from the IFA and, as such, he has been the hot-topic for fans to discuss. However, when the whole affair came to the fore in the Spring of 2010, it was Shane Duffy who became the target for criticism. When it was announced that Duffy would rather play for the FAI, the then 18 year old was branded a sectarian ‘Judas’ by Northern Ireland fans. Just over a year later it seems that the sour taste has yet to be washed away.

The social-networking website, Twitter, has allowed footballers and all kinds of celebrities greater interaction with their fans. Fans revel in this access and even a cursory glance at some pages is enough to demonstrate the excitement that fans get when their favourite player replies to their comments. However, it isn’t always nice, as Shane Duffy was to find. While he was taking part in preparations for a game, Duffy was subject to a tirade from an evidently incensed Northern Ireland fan, who stated that the 19 year old was a ’prick’ who did not deserve to play for his country. When Duffy replied, informing the fellow that he didn’t know what he was talking about, he was subject to further harassment. I feel that the angry fan’s words should be quoted verbatim in order to expose the pettiness (if you can, try to look past the poor grammar, spelling and punctuation - I’m sure it was difficult for the man to find clarity when embarking on a good old rant).

“lol… Im not your mate. U turned your back on your country. If u wanted to play for eire why did u ever play for ni at school boy level? Some other lad could have played in your place, prob would have given their right arm to do so. Anyhow u wouldnt have got on… Once everton release u and u don’t get off da bench for eire u will wake up and say, “shane, I made a mistake. I was a silly little boy”

Granted, this was the only occurrence of this kind of harassment on Duffy‘s personal Twitter page, but it undoubtedly reflects a view that has been expressed vehemently by a number of Northern Ireland fans on a variety of internet forums. Those who hold such views often protest that they are entitled to their opinion, but the simple fact is that such short-sightedness is a certain hindrance to the IFA, as it will discourage more players from wanting to play for them in the future.


In Duffy’s case, Northern Ireland fans seem to take offence at the fact that in an interview with the Irish Times shortly after his switch to the FAI, Duffy remarked that everyone in the Northern Ireland set-up had known that he was a Catholic and that he wanted to play for Ireland. The comment itself, from a naïve 18 year-old no less, was harmless, but there is a section of the Northern Ireland support who are intent on the vilification of Duffy, by twisting his words to present the kid as opportunistic, sinister and sectarian. Of course, it’s probably easier for those fans to engage in such disparagement than to look at the reasons why a young player might not have such a strong desire to play for the IFA. Indeed anyone familiar with football and society in Northern Ireland would have known Duffy was from such a background - at under-age games, his head, along with many others’, would be bowed low during the playing of the divisive anthem, ‘God Save the Queen’. Such a sight must surely cause severe embarrassment among the IFA chiefs and fans, yet there is still no sign of a change. Duffy had also shown indications that he wanted to switch the FAI from the ages of 16 and 17, but was persuaded to stick around by his coaches and Nigel Worthington, who offered him ‘carrot-caps’ as an incentive - tactical capping, as it is now known.

Duffy declared for the FAI at the ripe age of 18. That’s right, eighteen. And this after having played for the IFA representative teams for little over two years. It is now over a year later. It’s time for the IFA and its fans to wise up and move on.