You Can't Please Everyone

MUCH has been made of the FAI's decision to oblige a request to wear black armbands during the Euro 2012 fixture against Italy on June 18th.

To re-cap, the FAI have agreed to wear black armbands to commemorate the victims of the Loughinisland massacre at the request of the bereaved. There is a rationale behind the request - the game against Italy in June this year, falls on the exact date that Ireland played Italy in the 1994 World Cup, when the massacre occurred. The solicitor of the families, Niall Murphy, said that it was a warm source of comfort that there was an opportunity for such a tribute to happen on such a "poignant day".

This small and admirable gesture has, nevertheless, sparked a latent bitterness towards the FAI. Most recently, that rabid anti-Sinn Féiner Eoghan Harris has branded the move "foolish". Mr Harris is critical of the FAI's supposed decision to single out the suffering of one community and asks whether the FAI will also commemorate the suffering of those from 'the other side'.

He then places this act by the FAI within the wider political context and, specifically, if somewhat strangely, alongside the efforts of Sinn Féin (as though the FAI were linked to the party) as Ireland approaches the centenary of the 1916 Rising.

However, Mr Harris' brazen objection is ultimately superfluous, since the FAI CEO John Delaney has gone on record to say that the commemoration is an "opportunity to remember all those who lost their lives in the troubles". While it may be erroneously construed as favouring one community, Delaney's statement demonstrates that there is clearly an unwillingness within the FAI to favour one "side" or the other.

Even the question of which "side" those who were massacred were on is, in itself, an insulting one as it requires the spectator to carelessly guess, as Mr Harris has done, as to the spiritual and political beliefs of the victims. It was, in actual fact, such callous guesswork which led to the slaughter of Adrian Rogan, Malcolm Jenkinson, Barney Greene, Patrick O'Hare, Daniel McCreanor and Eamon Byrne who were 'chosen' because of the perverted assumption that those who would be watching the Republic of Ireland play Italy inside the bar would be Catholic.

Mr Harris' insistence that the FAI adhere to some kind of base tit-for-tat approach to commemoration is misguided and it imposes the typical tribal political parameters on the association. In reality, the FAI have agreed to facilitate the wishes of the family because of the connection of the tragic event to the Republic of Ireland football team as well as the coincidental date and opposition of the upcoming fixture. That John Delaney stressed that it also presents an opportunity to remember all victims of the Troubles seems to have been conveniently missed by many agitated protestors.

Occupy Galway Forcibly Removed from Eyre Square

AT 4:30 AM on Wednesday the 16th of May, members of the Occupy Galway movement were forcibly removed from their position at Eyre Square in Galway City Centre. It had been the last remaining "Occupy" encampment in Ireland.

Galway City Council have since issued a statement in defence of their actions:

‘An Garda Síochána with the support of Galway City Council staff took action to remove the Occupy Galway encampment because it had been erected without the Council’s consent and, despite being requested to do so, the occupiers had refused to leave voluntarily. The occupation was therefore illegal. The Elected Members of the Council had also called for the ending of the occupation.

Members of the wider public have been denied the use of part of a public amenity by this occupation for several months. Structures erected on the plaza in Eyre Square created a risk to the safety of the occupiers themselves and to others.

Galway City Council fully respects the right of any person or group to engage in lawful protest. City Council has facilitated, and will continue to facilitate, groups who wish to protest lawfully at Eyre Square. The Occupy Now encampment was an occupation of a public amenity that is not permitted under the law.’

The Occupy Galway movement will meet at a later date to discuss strategy.

Can Devine Atone for Setanta Loss?

WHEN Derry City lost the Setanta Cup final on penalties to Crusaders at the Oval in Belfast, the general consensus had it that the Candystripes didn't deserve to win anyway. They had played poorly, fans claimed, and deservedly succumbed to the hungrier team.

And while it may be true that Crusaders displayed much more passion and focus than Derry to win on the day, Declan Devine's men have every right to feel aggrieved.

It is often said that the mark of a successful team comes when you can win games despite not playing particularly well, or dazzling the opposition.

So, although they did not take a hold of the game by the scruff of the neck it is true that Derry City were on course to win the game with 4 minutes to go.

That is, of course, until wily attacker David Rainey bulldozed goalkeeper Ger Doherty to the ground, leaving Crusaders' captain Colin Coates with a wide open net to head into, ensuring extra-time was needed.

Derry City players erupted in disbelief as the referee and linesman deemed the collision between Rainey and Doherty legitimate and allowed the goal.

In another game, on another day, the goal would have been disallowed and Derry would have lifted the all-Ireland trophy for the first time in their history.

The implications of the cup final defeat have yet to register but, having invested so much into the competition and to come away empty handed, it is sure to have negative effects on team morale.

After the game, Declan Devine put on a brave face when an interviewer quizzed him as to how difficult a job it will be to resurrect Derry's season.

“Well, it's my job,” he stated sternly, “there's a very flat dressing room in there at the minute and it's my job to get them ready for the game in Gortakeegan [against Monaghan] in three days” concluded Devine.

Derry have now lost four games in the league and find themselves in eighth position, and in Monaghan, they are due to face a team that is rooted at the bottom of the table.

However, a major concern for City fans is the utterly abysmal run of form that the club has been experiencing, which won't be aided by the manner of defeat on Saturday evening.

Following the Setanta Cup final defeat, Derry have not won in five games and they have not won a game in the league since the home victory over Cork - towards the end of March.

Roddy Collins' team has yet to win a game at home this season but if they are to get anything from the game, the Derry players will need to put their Setanta woes behind them when they travel to Gortakeegan on Tuesday.

The YBIG Football Show

As much passion as Signor Trapattoni

EARLIER this week I was invited on to the You Boys in Green (YBIG) Football Show by Mr Dave O'Grady to give my views on Trapattoni's squad selection for the European Championships and also, the sickening abuse received by James McClean on Twitter.

The show can be heard by clicking on this link: "The Team that Trap Built"

Also guest on the show was Daniel Collins, football writer and author of Player Eligibility in the Context of Ireland, as well as football writer Willie Gannon, John O'Neill and Joe from the famous Irish Abroad website.

Check it out! Well worth a listen!

Derry's Season Hinges on Setanta Success

EVER since he took over as manager of the Candystripes, Declan Devine has had a hard time of it.

As if the weight of expectation when taking hold of the reins of the Brandywell club after someone like Stephen Kenny wasn't enough pressure in itself, the fact that the club has been ravaged by injuries compounds matters.

With that in mind, ahead of the Setanta Cup final at the Oval on Saturday May 12, Declan Devine will be keen to rally his troops and take the trophy home after the club's dismal league form of late.

But it might prove to be a difficult task. The Derry manager received the news that his skipper, Kevin Deery, would be ruled out for three months after he suffered the horrific injury of a dislocated knee cap. You have to feel for Deery, he barely got a chance after returning from his injury earlier in the season.

The Creggan man yet again joins a growing number on the sidelines, which includes senior centre back Stewart Greacen, striker Mark Farren, while others such as senior Northern Ireland international Rory Patterson, and young stars Stephen McLaughlin and Simon Madden are all playing with injuries.

Derry have now lost four games in the league and are well and truly chasing the pack. With 10 games played, they've lost to Drogheda and Shelbourne away.

Devine's men suffered defeat to second-from-bottom Dundalk at home and were completely outclassed at the Brandywell by St. Pat's last Friday. With such a thin squad, it seems that the injuries are finally catching up with Derry in terms of form.

And Crusaders will not be as easy an opponent as some might expect. The Belfast side have been strong in recent seasons, finishing runners up in the Irish League last season before dropping to fifth this season. However, they also won the Irish League Cup, beating a strong Coleraine team in the final.

They have among their ranks senior Northern Ireland internationals Colin Coates, Jordan Owens and Stuart Dallas, while goalkeeper Sean O'Neill was a prominent under-age international.

In the semi-final, Stephen Baxter's team performed excellently against Sligo Rovers, both home and away, eclipsing the Airtricity League leaders to get to the final.

It's a massive game for Declan Devine and his team. To win silverware early in the season would be an enormous boost to morale. However, should they lose, the league table will appear like a serious mountain to climb.

Will threats against Irish players continue?

WHEN the Ireland squad for Euro 2012 was officially announced and his name was read out by Giovanni Trapattoni, James McClean voiced his pride through his Twitter account. He told his 50-odd-thousand “followers” that he was honoured to be chosen to represent his country at a major international tournament. He was not alone: Leicester defender Sean St. Ledger, Simon Cox and Shay Given also expressed how happy and proud they were to be among the 23 boarding the plane to Poland for the tournament.

However, only McClean received death threats.

That's interesting. Or is it? Let us not forget that McClean is not the first football player from Northern Ireland to have threats issued against his life. There is an odd tendency towards sweeping it under the carpet, but it is undeniable that Neil Lennon, Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt each have been the recipient of grisly death-threats.

In the past, perhaps unfairly, these incidents have brought the collective reputation of Northern Ireland football fans into disrepute – but the reputation of Northern Ireland fans was shrouded in controversy by extremists long before Neil Lennon, Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt and it's those honest, reasonable fans in the middle that suffer for it. Nevertheless the gruesome underbelly simply needs to be exposed and rebuked as robustly as possible.

 It is immaterial whether the messages spewing forth hatred came from a 16 year old or a 60 year old, the sentiment remains the same and it must be treated seriously, otherwise more will follow suit. Likewise, the quantity of threats is irrelevant. I was shocked to hear some recklessly claiming that the public reaction exaggerates the threats, by pointing out that there were “only” a small number directed at the Derry footballer. Only a few, that's right – no; one threat is one too many.

The other outrageous suggestion that was proffered was that the 23-year old athlete brought such threats upon himself by taunting Northern Ireland fans. Comparatively however, McClean's tweets, if ill-advised, are quite tame. Yesterday his message of pride was no different to that of other Ireland squad members, yet McClean was faced with a mountain of negative reactions. It's because he is a Derry man playing for the Republic of Ireland instead of Northern Ireland.

A potent cocktail of ignorant, sectarian cretins with a football-gang ethos believing that it is absolutely fine and acceptable to insult, abuse and intimidate individuals whose otherwise innocuous actions (or even state of being) grate with them, is what is at play here.

McClean was instantly metamorphosed into a hate-figure among extremists in the Northern Ireland support when he opted to declare for the Football Association of Ireland. Branding him a “Judas”, they howled and growled at almost anything McClean said or tweeted. Outrage ensued when McClean corrected BBC sports presenter Colin Murray for describing him as “Northern Irish”, rather than “Irish”.

Yet more followed when he expressed his joy at receiving his first cap for Ireland in February 2012. Aggressively telling McClean what nationality he was and what country was in fact “his”, they scoffed at the notion of the player being proud of his identity – a legitimate identity which simply diverged from their own.

Will this madness continue? More importantly, will it be allowed to?

The Unfulfilled Promise of "The Next Maldini"

 

 

HAVING made his debut for the Azzurri in the summer of 2009 at the tender age of 18, Portomaggiore native Davide Santon was already seen as a player of great promise. However, now plying his trade in the English Premier League at Newcastle United he has struggled to live up to expectations.

Santon joined the Nerazzurri as a 14-year-old, rising through the ranks at an astonishing rate. It was under the tutelage of the inimitable José Mourinho that the lanky full-back made his breakthrough at the San Siro.

Thrust into action at the beginning of 2009 in a Coppa Italia encounter with AS Roma, Santon rewarded the trust that Mourinho had placed in him by producing remarkably mature displays against some of the finest teams in Italy and beyond.

Indeed, following a Champions League tie with Inter at the San Siro for Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo revealed his admiration for the young defender, stating that he was impressed by his performance.

Further praise ensued, as then-Italy coach Marcello Lippi placed the heavy title of "heir to Maldini" on the young man's shoulders and handed him his senior debut in a friendly against Northern Ireland in Pisa.

However, due to a spate of injuries and a loss of form, the career trajectory of Davide Santon has unfortunately veered erratically away from that of Milan and Italy colossus Paolo Maldini.

Maldini was introduced to the senior international at around the same age as Santon, having similarly made the breakthrough at his club.

By the time he was 22, Maldini had 28 caps for Italy. He was a key player in Euro 88 and the 1990 World Cup and amazingly he was even named to each tournament's respective "Team of the Tournament."

Maldini quickly established himself as a linchpin in the Milan defence and went on to lead a glittering and trophy-laden career with the Rossoneri.

Santon, however, has yet to play for Italy in a major competition. At 21 years of age, he has just seven senior caps to his name and has recently been demoted to the Italian under-21 team, where, despite being handed the captain's armband, he has featured only intermittently.

His career at Inter faltered after the departure of José Mourinho and the player who had once been heralded as the future of Italian football even found himself on loan at newly promoted, but relatively lowly, Cesena in 2011.

Santon now finds himself at Newcastle United, joining for a fee of £5 million in the summer of 2011. And after a stop-start beginning to his career in England, he has cemented his place in the squad, in the process reigniting the hope that had once been placed in him by Marcello Lippi.

However, even at this early stage, such a comparison only serves to reveal the chasm in quality between the two players and ultimately highlights the dangerously premature nature of Marcello Lippi's premonition.

This article was originally published on Bleacher Report and can be viewed here

FAI: youth game in north requires IFA permission

Rep. Ireland youth game at the Brandywell?

SPEAKING to Dave O'Grady on the You Boys in Green Football Show, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney responded to a number of questions from Republic of Ireland football fans. It was put to Mr Delaney that, considering the amount of players currently in FAI teams hailing from the north of Ireland, particularly Derry, and the tendency to scatter youth games around Ireland, would the association ever consider staging an under-age international at the Brandywell, the home of League of Ireland side Derry City.

Delaney's response was characterised by a noticeable depth of feeling. The emotion was palpable as he recalled his memories of Derry City entering theLeague of Ireland in the late 1980s and the day that the Football Association of Ireland won their landmark case at the Court ofArbitration for Sport (CAS) in the summer of 2010. “I was pleased,” said Delaney of the CAS verdict, “because it gave the players a right of choice.”

However, the FAI CEO conceded that, while he may personally be in favour of the idea of holding a youth international game in Northern Ireland, it would ultimately rely on permission from the Belfast-based IFA and such is the sensitivity of the eligibility topic within IFA circles, that permission would probably not be forthcoming. “I think you've got to respect that it might be seen as going 'a bridge too far' by the IFA, who actually run football in the north of Ireland”, mused Delaney diplomatically.

The only impediment, then, may come in the form of protest from the IFA. As Delaney notes, the IFA might possibly see it as a further insult to the integrity of their autonomy as the governing body of football in Northern Ireland. Delaney suggests that it would be difficult considering how sensitive the IFA are to the eligibility debate but, despite the occasional overflow of discontent from disgruntled Northern Ireland fans, that debate is settled and this is a separate idea – merely one of playing a game in the north. Naturally enough, certain areas in Northern Ireland would be more open to the idea of having a Republic of Ireland match staged in their neighbourhood.

One expects that there would be little difficulty in staging a game at the Brandywell in Derry, for example. The Brandywell is, after all, the home of a club which plies its trade in the FAI's domestic league. Add to that the fact that several current Ireland internationals, such as Darron Gibson, James McClean and Shane Duffy all hail from Derry, while some current and former Ireland youth internationals make up the Derry City squad.

And with so many people in the north already supporting the Republic of Ireland rather than Northern Ireland, would staging the odd youth game (perhaps even just one) in Derry really make much of a difference to that reality? Probably not.