Only days ago in this space, mention was afforded to the fact that, at the time of typing, there’s still one game of the club soccer season still to be played – the Champions League Final – yet other clubs like Barcelona and Manchester United are already engaging in prep work for next term with the signings of Anthony Gordon and Ederson respectively.
Also in the previous column, it was pondered as to what sort of message the sale of Gordon sends to Magpies manager Eddie Howe and what it means for his future.
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Now, on top of all of the above, there were a plethora of International friendlies played over the last week or so. The majority of which, you’d imagine, were warm ups for the forthcoming World Cup. In Ireland’s case, their outing against Qatar was completely pointless.
In a sporting sense at least. The unfortunate thing about it is that the match was highjacked for political point scoring by way of protests related to Heimir Halgrimsson’s side’s forthcoming fixtures against war mongers Israel.
Though it pains me to say the following because I hate to see any sport disrupted, the protesters were and are well within rights and 100% right to highlight the cowardly lack of leadership from both the FAI and the Irish Government in relation to the Israel matches.
The tired old line that it would be ‘self defeating’ to refuse to play the fixtures. Why? What would be lost? F*ck all, that’s what. But there could be much gained from growing a pair of balls and doing the right thing. What’s seldom is wonderful.
We should have no truck or dealings with Israel. But you see the cold skin ruining the soup is the never ending need to be seen to be licking American arse.
I mean, it’s utterly laughable to prattle on about Irish neutrality etc, while at the same time letting American millitary aircraft use Shannon Airport as a truck stop.
Look, nobody disputes that peace in Northern Ireland never would have come about were it not for the influence of Ted Kennedy and George Mitchell and, most importantly, the great Bill Clinton.
But all of the above shouldn’t mean we have to lick their boot straps for eternity. Especially not with the bloated gasbag gangster that’s tarnishing the history of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at the minute.
Seldom if ever do I agree with Sinn Fein’s stance on anything – outside of a United Ireland that is – but Mary Lou et al are to be commended for being gutsy enough to dodge the tricoloured jingoism junket that distracts from reality every March.
No secret has ever been made of the fact one is very proud to be able to call An Taoiseach Micheal Martin TD a personal friend for many years now. Nor indeed are thoughts of the personal tragedies which have befallen Micheal, his wife Mary and their family, but, politically, there’d be more guts in a dead bullock.
Not having the cajones to go into coalition with Sinn Fein is one thing, but, allowing onesself to be led around by the nose lets himself, the Government and, by extension, the Irish people, down.
Whether that be blindly going along with Tony Houlihan’s dictats at the time of the Covid-19 chaos or not having the balls to advocate doing the right thing, in other words, on the FAI’s behalf, refusing to play the forthcoming fixtures against Israel.
But sure it’s far more important to keep the big, bad wolves in either Brussells, the White House or both, placated. Anyway, to return to actual fundamental matters regarding the kicking of a football, it’s hard to know what’s to be gained from a battery of matches at this time of year.
Apart, that is, obviously, for the players who were/will be awarded their first senior International caps in this block of games. Our own Josh Keeley among them, the Luton Town stoppoer playing the second half of Ireland’s recent 5-0 win over Grenada.
No more than any other type of match I suppose, but more profoundly, these post season, pre-tournament friendlies are laced with risk. Just ask poor Billy Gilmour. The Scottish midfielder suffering a catastrophic knee injury the night before the Tartan Army headed Stateside. Sometimes less is more.
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