Liverpool not hanging around
Just a short time ago (Thursday evening), former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola was officially unveiled as the new manager of Liverpool FC. Thus completing one of the quickest pieces of football business seen in a very long time.
So fast was it, in fact, one does wonder had the wheels of the transaction been put in motion before it perhaps should have.
Now, the point could be made that there was absolutely no need for the Anfield outfit to defenestrate Arne Slot at all. To go from annexing a league title a year ago to the dole queue at the minute plainly doesn’t make sense.
What’s more, there’s no guarantee that a change in the dugout will bring about the desired effect. They will certainly need to reinforce their playing resources.
Certainly with Mo Salah and Henri Konsa definitely gone and Virgil Van Dijk likely to follow them, the incoming boss certainly has a full in-tray to deal with.
World Cup Of Darts Draw
Another societal barrier will be broken at the forthcoming World Cup of Darts when Derry’s Mickey Mansell will team up with Willie O’Connor from Limerick as the Coleraine man represents the Republic Of Ireland for the first time.
The irony being that Northern Ireland – fielding Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney – are the defending World Cup champions!
Anyway, the two lads will debut as a combination in a group which also includes Singapore and Uganda. An Irish derby at the darts? A prediction that might be on the Bulls Eye!
McCall misfortune must call into question cause of cruciate curse
Unfortunately, worst fears pertaining to the injury sustained by Monaghan’s Bobby McCall were confirmed as it emerged the exciting talent from the Aughnamullen club had indeed ruptured his ACL for the second time in 14 months.
So obvious was it that the burgeoning, bustling full forward had sustained a catastrophic setback in chasing a ball out to the sideline against Mayo that neither broadcaster showed replays of the incident in its aftermath.
Aside from the fact that is a heartbreaking setback for the young lad himself, his family, his county and most importantly his club, surely at some point the question be asked why sports most dreaded diagnosis is more common now than ever?
Does it not fly in the face of advances in sports science and technology? So rare was it at the time Colm O’Rourke suffered the same fate 50 years ago that it was only through assistance from then Manchester United manager Dave Sexton that he was able to begin his road to recovery.
It seems to defy logic that such horrendous injuries are more common now rather than less so. It would make a fascinating case study or topic for a book. If anybidy has any interest in working with yours truly on same please do get in touch.
Past the point of rescue?
“Is no word from you at all the best that you can do”? The above are the pivotal lines in the chorus of the song with the same title as this paragraph, written by Mick Hanly and performed (mainly) by Mary Black and Hal Katchum.
Those invested in Dublin GAA would be quite entitled to fire the quoted lines at GAA President Jarlath Burns. Because his credibility now fits perfectly with title of the song.
Examples of why that is so could populate a list stretching from Croke Park to Silverbridge. Rivalry is one of the great things about the GAA, but, no matter where anyone’s loyalties lie, don’t spread bullshit and call it air freshner.
The scandalous disparity in how disciplinary matters involving the three most high profile teams in Gaelic football would be hillarious if it wasn’t such an embarrasment. If, as is my understanding, the rule states “Striking or attemping to strike” Donegal’s Michael Murphy absolutely should have got gate in the League Final. As should David Clifford in the rematch in Killarney.
However, in relation to the farce regarding the Dublin and Donegal managers, you wouldn’t need to be as much into conspiracy theories as Jessie Ventura to see a pattern.
Now, in my view, neither Ger Brennan or Jim McGuinness should have been even considered for any sanction. Handbags at 20 paces would overhype both ‘incidents’. However, for anybody to put any faith in what the policy makers do ever again, it had to be either both men suspended or neither. But, even from the viewpoint of somebody with no direct skin in the issue, the most annoying thing around the whole mess was the contemptuous bullshit which Burns tried to fob people off with.
“The referee’s report is sacrosanct”. Oh really? So why was Graham Geragthy suspended on the say-so of linesman Paddy Russell after the drawn 2000 NFL Final?
(b) Why were there 14 players suspended after the row with Meath and Mayo in 1996 when there were only two sent off?
(c) How can it be with any credibility be clalmed Sean Hurson dealt with the McGuinness incident when he plainly didn’t. Neither taking the name of the Donegal boss or Diarmuid O’Connor or showing either a card?
(d) How can no action being taken against David Clifford for a blatant elbow to a Donegal defender’s face be explained?
(e) Have the referee or his assistants been held to account for doing Monaghan out of a clear and obvious point?
(f) When are the GAA going to address the blatant unfairness of two inter county grounds having HawkEye technology and the rest not?
Surely with something as fundamentally important to the fair discharge of our games, it has to be all grounds or none?
Those are the type of matters Mr Burns should be trying to sort, not poking his oar into how individual units do their business.
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