Pragmatism, Not Idealism.

Fabio Capello's decision not to call up Michael Owen to a depleted English squad is further evidence of the pragmatic rational approach he has brought to the circus which usually surrounds the England team. Maybe there was too much of it made in the English media. It is pretty obvious that Michael Owen isn't fit. He never really has been all since Capello took charge and indeed he has only played 45 minutes under the Italian.

A fit Michael Owen would be in the squad but why take a chance on a player who will more than likely be unavailable for key matches when you can give a younger player a chance. Capello has managed England properly. Unlike Steve Maclaren, he was confident enough not to have to make any rash decisions to stamp his authority.

Capello understands the usefulness of David Beckham as a dead ball specialist and someone with the experience to deal with the pressures which come with being in the England squad. He is a good man to have around. There was never any pressure to play him but injuries to Walcott and the failure of either David Bentley and Aaron Lennon to make any impact have given Beckham the opportunity. At least Beckham did something in football before it went to his head.

Capello's approach is in contrast to his compatriot on this side of the water. Trapatonni has taken an practical approach to tactics but not to personnel. He, like Capello has set up his team to play to their strengths (which let's face it, was never ball retention) but where Capello has embraced the players who were needed and showed no sentiment in leaving out the players who weren't, Trap's stubborness has not been as beneficial to the team.

Our squad is small and pool of players shallow yet we go Bari without the Andy O'Brien, Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid. When you add the names of Duff and McGeady to this list, it makes for very grim reading. Even if McGeady does play, he won't be fully fit. Trap's priority on taking charge should have been to ensure a full squad was available to him. Whatever system is in place, the better players you have the more effectively it can be implemented.

Had we beaten the Bulgarians 2-0 which was very possible considering McGeady missed a gilt edged chance to double our lead just before Kilbane was exposed for the equaliser, we would be going to Italy thinking we could keep a clean sheet and that we might even sneak a goal. The temerity of the 1-1 draw has us thinking that not only will the Italians score but it is almost certain that we will not.

It's amazing how the whole campaign can turn on those few minutes between McGeady's miss and Kilbane's own goal. The confidence of the team is sure to have been rocked which will make us even more cautious tomorrow night. We were so desperate to get a point against Montenegro that we barely attacked at all. I would think tomorrow night will be worse.

No doubt it will be hailed as an improved performance and Andy Keogh will be trumpeted for his efforts but that will be no good if we come away with a moral victory and an actual defeat. The players sitting at home mean that we are not giving ourselves every chance to qualify for South Africa and this is what is most disappointing. Capello has the luxury of being able to call up an £18 million striker (albeit Darren Bent), we have Anthony Stokes.

I hope and pray that we can get at least a point against Italy but going there with a weakened team and low on confidence isn't going to do our chances any good.

Not the End of the World.

Chin Up Lads.

As disappointing as Ireland's draw against Bulgaria was last night, it is not the end of the world. All the same if are going to qualify we will have to get an unexpectedly good result. We need to beat either Italy or Bulgaria. Defeat to either of these teams will probably see us consigned to 3rd place. The current campaign isn't too dissimilar to that of Brian Kerr a couple of years ago. In that campaign we played OK and got a lot of draws. The games against Israel were particularly disappointing where we drew both from winning positions against inferior opposition. I fear that Bulgaria could be our Israel in this group. At that time, the results against Israel seemed to knock the confidence completely out of Kerr's teams and we finished the campaign very limply with a a defeat to the French and a home draw to the Swiss (which suited them).

Trap has cut out a much of the indiscipline and flakiness of the Staunton era but he seems to have overlooked the shortcomings which led to the demise of Brian Kerr. Essentially it is the same group of players. There is little emphasis on retention of the ball unless as happened last night and against Georgia we are in real need of a goal. Would it be too much to ask that we play with this sort of urgency for the 90 minutes without sacrificing our defensive responsibilities.

In the latter days of Kerr's management, Ireland looked devoid of ideas. No one was willing to take responsibility and the team looked happy to take a 0-0 even if a win was what was required. Last night Doyle and Keane were often isolated in possession. They were not supported by the midfield. I presume that Trapatonni has instructed his midfield not to get forward so as we don't be exposed if our attacks breakdown.

It also means that we give the ball away a lot and show no ambition to create chances from advanced attacking positions. It's not all gloom and doom (as Bill O'Herlihy would say). We should have won the game last night. In every game under Trap the team has created about 3 good scoring chances per game. It's not a lot but we should have scored the ones that were presented to us last night. McGeady had a golden opportunity to double our lead while Kevin Doyle should have won it for us in the last minute. Our failure to take these chances cost us the game more than our caution.

The RTE panel's criticism's of Trap have been reasonable (for a change). Indeed they are obvious to most observers. It seems strange that the manager has not addressed him. Stephen Ireland might be a difficult customer but he is a player we need and the management have not done enough to get him back.

If we think of Stephen Ireland as a woman (difficult, awkward, irrational) who has broken up with her boyfriend (Ireland) who has since changed and the factors leading to their break-up no longer exist. Frankly I don't think Ireland have done enough to win her back. We have done a certain amount but there is no passion or love. Tell a bird that she has your number, the door is always open for her to come back and see where it gets you. Stephen Ireland like women, for all their faults have qualities the Irish football supporters cannot live without and we need them more than they need us.

The Andy Reid situation is puzzling as well. There hasn't been a single rational argument against him being in the squad. There is no objective justification for his exclusion. Trap picks the squad and it is his prerogative but surely our squad is too small and too short on quality to warrant his exclusion. He is not the best player in the world but he is better than players in the team ahead of him. He would help the squad and make us more likely to qualify. Isn't that what we want?

Trapatonni is stubborn which is which is fine when you're manager of Juventus but for a team like Ireland we need everyone on board especially when the incentives to play for Ireland are not as great as they once were.

We should be more adventurous at home. Brian Kerr was pilloried for bringing on Graham Kavanagh in place of the injured Robbie Keane in the home game against Israel. At least there was some rationale to his thinking. Surely he could have expected the team to see out a 2-0 lead at home Israel. Letting Bulgaria have so much of the ball gave them more opportunities to create chances. There again maybe we just don't have the players to retain possession but then neither do Bulgaria. They are not exactly world beaters themselves. I think the Irish players were instructed to put their defensive roles before ball retention.

Losing Duffers was a blow but it wouldn't have been so significant if we'd been able to call on Reid or Ireland. I assume we'll produce a similar performance against the Italians. I just hope we're not trying to defend a lead because if we do that we'll lose.

Celebtrity Bainisteoir- Still Keeping It Real!

A new season of Celebrity Bainisteoir has begun in earnest containing a load of people I either don't know or dislike and a few old guys that are occasionally on the telly (No Ray D'Arcy, you are not in this latter category). Even so the programme is sure to be a success. It's popularity I think, lies not with the "celebrities" but the teams themselves. The television viewing public appear to have an insatiable appetite for reality shows which double up as competitions as the success of You're a Star and Ireland's Got Talent have proven.

The only thing better than watching people perform under pressure is watching them prepare for battle. The celebrities are a useful conduit through which the audience can get to know the protagonists and when they get to know them, their success means just as much to the viewer. The audience are made to feel part of the action. The programme is put together very well with a steady build up of tension leading up to the game as the players begin to feel the nerves and even the ineptness of the managers is a source of schadenfreude.

The show works because there is so much riding on it for the players involved. I think the prize money last year was in the region of €10,000.00 which would go a long in any rural provincial club. When that sort of cash is put on the table, it quickly focuses the mind. The show would be an absolute disaster if it wasn't for the money because the players wouldn't take it seriously. The celebrity Bainisteoir's don't need to motivate the players with their personalities because motivation is already provided courtesy of the cash prize.

Most of all, whatever the motivation I admire the show because it is successful. It more or less makes money across the board and everyone's a winner (except perhaps the losers but at least they got the chance). Keith Duggan writing in the Irish Times last Saturday is less convinced. I usually more of a Tom Humphries man but I was on the toilet and had nothing else to read.

According to Duggan, Celebrity Bainisteoir "boils down to yet another exercise in Paddy-Vanity and one cannot help being somewhat dubious about the motives of the celebrities involved". It is probably that the real reason the celebrities choose to embarrass themselves by appearing on the show is because of the need of recognition and self-promotion but then all of them do make a living out of being "personalities" in some form or another so I think it is perfectly understandable that they would want to make themselves better known and more popular to further their careers. That is the nature of the industry.


Who needs celebrity when you've got politics.

Mary O'Rourke was the only celebrity (I'm going to dispense with the inverted commas now, I think you get the message) to decide she didn't need the hassle but then she was an unelected Senator suckling away on that very fat cash cow which pays our policitians so she hardly needed either the cash or the publicity. Unless she felt she could do more going around filling all of Westmeath's letterboxes full of spam and junk mail from the last election.

The rest of them needed the press and Celebrity Bainisteoir is a great way of getting it. The winning manager gets something like €10,000.00 as well to give to a charity of their choice but I don't think anyone really cares about that. Keith Duggan thinks it's unbecoming to raise money in such a way but that is how society works. How many charity balls were held during the boom? Loads and how many poor people did you ever see at them? None.

The donation to charity is a happy side effect to everyone else winning. It makes the exposure more palatable otherwise it might be seen that all the managers were getting free publicity. By using charity in this way, it makes the show less likely to be ridiculed by all the journo's and media whores who didn't get the gig (initially at least).

If the show didn't have the ratings to pay for itself, it wouldn't exist and that is the real reason it is beyond criticism. The barometer for bad television is that no one will watch it. If Keith Duggan had his way there would be no shows about anything. We would probably still be watching re-runs of the 1932 Eucharistic Counsel. Celebrity is an economy and an industry in itself. People promote themselves, magazines sell and everyone is happy. It's an industry which should be encouraged because it is not in any way state funded (the RTE question aside but that's for another day) and it is entirely self sufficient. There aren't too many industries that can say now are there?

If you don't like it, you can always switch it off. The great thing about Celebrity Bainisteoir is that it is not just a bit of fun. It's a serious competition, played by serious teams for an excellent cash prize. That's at the heart of it's success but the celebrities shouldn't be ridiculed in all of this, they are just trying to make an honest buck. I wish we had a few more people like that in this country.

A Grand Team

I wanted to write this report on Irelands six nations triumph before today but I’ve been exhausted. The easiest way for me to assess the campaign would be to print a long list of superlatives but this has been done to death. The win has been called monumental, dawn of a new era, inspirational, the players legends, immortals and so on.

Tommy bowe making Shane Williams look slow!

This win has been described as one of the greatest achievements in irish sport but let me be clear as far as I am concerned this is the greatest achievement by any irish team in modern times. We have had great victories in tournaments before, we have beaten superior teams before and we have tasted disappointment on many occasions. What made this six nations win different was that even though few would admit it until last week, we have been on for the grand slam since the day we beat France.

After that game it became clear that the ghosts of the rugby world cup and last years six nations had been exorcised and this is in no small part due to the arrival of Declan Kidney. The man himself brought no ego or pretence with his arrival. He promised nothing in his first few weeks in charge but behind closed doors he has worked tirelessly to bring a much-needed sense of unity to the team.

An ecstatic Declan Kidney

He also surrounded himself

with a world class coaching staff. He made sure the players bonded by rotating who they shared rooms with, they were given jobs within the squad, Donncha O’Callaghan for example is in charge of dishing out the fines for indiscipline. Apparently Brian O’Driscolls punishment for being late for training was to mention the word tomato in his press conference before the England game. Jaime Heaslip had to sing karaoke at the post match ball in front of the English team.

These reports were coming out from the Irish over the past few weeks and hearing them the impression I got was that these guys are enjoying themselves. This is a team that is stable that is willing to work hard for each other. There have never been any rumours of fighting or bad blood from the squad, which is exactly the way it should be.

The unity in this squad also comes from the fact that all but 2 of the team that played yesterday live in Ireland. They are all local guys who you see regularly in Limerick, Cork or Dublin. Guys like Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald and Denis Leamy have all played for their local Gaa teams, so all these guys who are now superstars of world rugby keep themselves remarkably well grounded. Is this they key to their success well that and some great talent.

This grand slam win was a tremendous team effort but I have to give special mention to the two leading men on the team. Paul O’Connell has been his usual immense self for the past 8 weeks. Against Wales I don’t ever remember him taking a step back it was constant forward momentum from Irelands talismanic battering ram. He’s a certain starter for the Lions tour to South Africa.

Brian O’Driscoll at the same time has found his old form. He has led by example throughout the campaign. Any question marks over his leadership credentials were answered by bruising performance against England that would have made most heavyweight boxers wince in agony. This coupled with his 4 tries and his impressive handling of the media should also cement his place as Lions Captain.

Everything has been said on the matter but I want to say it again. Ireland won the grand slam, it took them 61 years to do it again. We should enjoy this. it’s given the country a much needed boost but there is still more to come from this team.

Also I just realised I didn’t have to make this article so long all I had to write is; Ireland Grand Slam Champions 2009 and Thanks lads for a great six nations.

The Title Is There To Be Won.

The title race has swung wide open which is not something I expected to be saying after Liverpool went down 2-0 to Middlesborough at the Riverside just three short weeks ago. That result is all forgotten about now, an irrelevant blip as Liverpool fans wake up this morning to very real prospect of winning a League and Champions League Double for the first time since 1984. The momentum is very much with Liverpool as Manchester United struggle to cope with injuries, suspensions and a clogged up fixture list going into the final two months of the season.

United's sudden downturn must be as surprising to Alex Ferguson as the world's one has been to the rest of us though that's not to say that he will be worried. The destination of the title is still very much in United's hands. They have been in this position many times before, most recently last season when they held their nerve to win the Premier League (and the Champions League) at Chelsea's expense. Liverpool are more used to winding down at this time of year and focusing their efforts on the latter stages of the Champions League. It's a whole new ball game for Liverpool where how they handle the weight of expectation and history will be as crucial a factor as their fitness and form on the pitch.

Rafa doesn't look too fazed by any of this. It's all very to be an expert in hindsight but I'm not sure if Ferguson didn't lose focus himself to a degree and possibly even saw the game at Old Trafford as a chance to really stick it to Benitez and showcase United's dominance. There were signs of arrogance all over Old Trafford that day starting in the stands with placards saying "Rafa's cracking up" everywhere to be seen. Ferguson criticised Benitez beforehand saying that he doesn't celebrate goals and therefore doesn't understand the passion which is so much part of the English game.

When Ronaldo scored the penalty, it looked to me that Ferguson exaggerated his own celebration to highlight his superiority to Benitez as a football manager and emotional human being. Rafa tends not to get caught up in such drama.

Rafa made his "it is a fact" speech to show what Ferguson and Manchester United have been getting away with for years. He wanted to put pressure on the FA so that they would be scrutinised when it came to dealing with Manchester United's requests in the run in. It should at least achieve a more even playing field between now and the end of the season (in Rafa's head least, if there was any doubt in the first place). I can't see how it would have effected the player's performances on the pitch.

Ferguson's lack of focus or belief in their own press could well have filtered down through the squad. Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand both came out recently to say that the United players would not be getting complacent or carried away by what was written about them in the press but by even addressing the issue they showed that they were reading it and taking notice.


It would have been difficult for them not to have gotten carried away. Since the defeat at Arsenal, they had gone on such an amazing run that it would have been hard not to have written about them in such glowing terms. Of course it's easy to say now that Ronaldo isn't the same player, Berbatov is lazy, Scholes and Giggs are too old. Vidic is too slow. Van der Sar is overrated and Wayne Rooney is controlled too much by his emotions. One thing that is for sure is that this team is fallible and while they are still in the driving seat, they will be a truly great team if they can hold on and retain the title and the Champions League from this position.

Wayne Rooney: Not a Happy Bunny Just Now.

Equally it will be unjust if Liverpool get nothing out of this season having put in such top class performances against the very best teams in Europe. The season is coming into the home straight and the Premier League title is still there to be won. Liverpool may not get a better chance again.

But Why Robbie Keane?

In spite of what I said the decision to offer Rafa Beneitez a 5 year contract is a good one and that he accepted suggests the deal wasn't half bad either. From what I've read in the trusty tabloids, the stumbling blocks to Rafa's signature had been assurances that he would be responsible for the buying and selling of players and presumably that there would be money available to buy the ones he wants.

Whatever you might say about them, Tom Hicks and George Gillett have spent prudently since they have come to Anfield. It is clear that they have no intention of bankrupting either themselves, the club or further bankrupting whatever bankrupt bank put up the cash to make the purchase in the first place. Spending will be determined by the money Rafa brings in from selling players together with whatever cash can be generated from Champions League qualification, sponsorship, gate receipts and the Sky deal, less the day to day expenses of running the club. The great thing about this recession is that it really forces people to justify all facets of expenditure and it all of a sudden has to balance with income. I love when things match up.

Unfortunately for Rafa this means he will have less money to spend than Alex Ferguson because Old Trafford has almost twice the capacity of Anfield and the Manchester United brand is far more lucrative the world over than Liverpool's. Luckily, money isn't everything as Real Madrid would have found out to their cost had their £80 million summer bid for Ronaldo been successful. It is perhaps more important to spend wisely.

By and large Beneitez has shown himself to be responsbile in the transfer market. The capture of Fernando Torres was a masterstroke bearing in mind that he rightfully belongs in a team which at least challenges for titles. Reina, Arbelo, Skrtel, Agger, Aurelio, Mascherano, Alonso, Reira, Kuyt, Benayoun have all proven themselves worthy of their transfer fees. There has been the odd cock-up such as Lucas and Mark Gonzalez but in the scheme of things, these are very minor blips.

Rafa has never been rash or extravagant when it comes to transfers. His famous caution expressing itself off the pitch as much as on it. He generally gives players time which makes the signing of Robbie Keane all the more baffling. I can't believe the speculation that Keane was actually Rick Parry's signing. I can't imagine for a second that Rafa would stand for that.

Benetiz is stubborn at the best of times so for him to have allowed Rick Parry to blow the best part of Liverpool's summer budget on a player he didn't even want is highly unlikely. The Americans would hardly have deferred to Ricky Parry on player purchases. What does he know about football? Surely no one would give Ricky Parry £20 million to spend on a player.

All the same there is evidence to support for the proposition. Robbie was sold in January at a £6 million loss and Parry followed soon after. Rafa's attitude towards right from the very beginning suggested he wasn't comfortable with the Irish Captain in his squad. Robbie's own attitude might well have contributed to this as well it must be said.

Bad and all as Lucas is, you never see him trudging his way off the pitch or posturing on his number being shown. Robbie didn't do much of it either. He was quite professional about his treatment but it was clear he was unhappy all the same. I don't think Rafa liked the focus been taken off his team ethic by the cameras constantly focusing on an unhappy Robbie Keane, especially when there was no Fernando Torres to marvel at or three points to make you forget about everything else.

It strikes me that having sold Peter Crouch out of necessity for the player was more at home in a nightclub than he was on the Liverpool substitutes bench, Rafa found himself with a sum of money and a squad which needed to be strenghtened.

Maybe it is time to give Rick Parry some credit here. Perhaps he is the man who informed Rafa that spending £18 million on Gareth Barry is a waste of money because Xabi Alonso is in fact a far superior player. Why not keep just Alonso and bring in Albert Reira to do a job on the left, Parry may have suggested. Problem solved. This has been Alonso's best season for Liverpool and perhaps it took the speculation during the summer to motivate him to produce these performances.

Anyone off but Gerrard. Crouchy gets an early start on the dancefloor.

Either way, that's how it worked out and presumably Benetiz then turned his attention to a forward but why Robbie Keane? Bearing in mind Rafa's preferred tactical set up of one main striker with Steven Gerrard and two wingers anchored by two defensive midfielders, it was always likely a second centre forward to going to be getting a lot of bench time.

If Rafa wanted a centre forward, paying £20 million for Robbie is insane. For another 5, he would have stood a decent chance of signing David Villa, the second best striker in Europe from flat broke Valencia but then you couldn't possibly keep a player like Villa on the bench.

Steven Gerrard's inability to play anywhere except behind the centre forward and in front of two defensive midfielders is the source of all these problems. He won't play on the right, even though he scored 21 goals from there in the 05/06 season. Any attempt to do so would cause serious ructions among the British media and Gerrard himself which would amount to a distraction, Rafa calculated to be just not worth it. Equally Gerrard lacks the discipline and intelligence to play in the centre of midfield. His inadequacies in this department are all the more obvious when seen alongside the calmness of Alonso and the precision of his passing.

He can't be played as a second striker either because according to Steven Gerrard, he is a central midfielder and as the darling of the press and inane Liverpool supporters, Gerrard gets what he wants. Remember this is a man who was all set to leave the club for Chelsea in 2005, where was his loyalty then? All Gerrard has in his locker is pace and power and although he has these qualities in abundance, they are not much use when Hull are breaking through the midfield at Anfield as if they are Brazil.

The Gerrard Conundrum meant that Rafa couldn't sign a second world class centre forward because he knew he wouldn't be able to play him. Gerrard would have to be indulged. Robbie Keane was possibly his only option as a boyhood Liverpool fan desperate to join the club but not even he could handle being left out and Rafa decided it was safer with just David Ngog in reserve.

It's not Ashley Cole's Fault, It's Cheryl's!

Cheryl on another one of her Charity Junkets. Is there no end to her benevolence?

Ya, ya we all got the story. Cheryl Cole was climbing Mount Kilmanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief while Ashley was being arrested for abusing police officers and photographers in the early hours after a night out on the lash. I think it's quite clear who the villian of this piece is.

What was Ashley supposed to do exactly? Go home on his todd and cook up a microwave dinner of pasta and rice or whatever it is that forms the staple diet of footballers these days and go to bed or in the alternative go out with the lads. It's a no brainer.

Ashley, off the leash possibly for the first time since getting sick on and having sex with the hairdresser, was bound to cut loose yet again. He is only young and had I just beaten Juventus in the Champions League, I would probably have cut loose myself. This is perfectly normal behaviour and indeed I would expect nothing less, for the only thing worse than being so privileged is not taking liberties that come with it. What's the point if you can't use them?

Ashley Cole being a world famous footballer runs into difficulties on a night out which most other males, married or otherwise do not. This allows gossip magazines and by implication the entire world media to sympathise with Cheryl on having such a difficult husband and tell their readers that they should count lucky themselves not to have such troublesome partners.

The problem is that when Ashley goes out, he encounters paparazzi because of who he is married to who will not let the guy have a few drinks in peace. They are only desperate to to get a picture of him on the lock thereby inducing more Cheryl sympathy among Jonathon Ross and the general public.

The second problem uncommon to the Average Joe that Ashley faces on a night is girls queueing up to have sex with him. God knows why they choose Ashley (possibly because of who he is married to) but it definitely happens. There have even been televisions programmes about it. While I am firm believer in true love, I also believe if men are allowed to roam free while consuming alcohol, they will have sex with a woman if it is offered often enough in the absense of an alternative.

That is why he slipped up with the hairdresser. Picture the scene. Ashley is out with his friends. Cheryl is off off in Hong Kong or somewhere promoting her band while simultaneously raising money for charity, advising the Prime Minister on childcare, foreign policy and so on. Ashley gets drunk and as the night wares on he begins to miss Cheryl. At this point most men resort to the drunken text/ phone call in the hope that she will bore you to sleep thereby keeping you out of trouble.

Ashley picks a spot on the wall to stop his eye from wandering.

Unfortunately for Ashley Cole, when he gets drunk a queue of chavs line up to try to shag him, with a view perhaps to selling the story to a Sunday paper. He probably doesn't even get a chance to make the drunken dial with all the attention his fame and fortune alone bring. Bearing in mind that this happens to the guy everytime he goes out, I think he can be forgiven for the odd lapse. Exactly the reason why it is unwise to let him out on his own.

In any case Cheryl has no one to blame but herself. If she wasn't galavanting off around the world, none of this would be happening to poor old Ashley because the mere presence of his wife would keep him on the straight and narrow. Instead of that Ashley is left to his own devices on these nights out with photographers bugging him and women throwing themselves at him. It's no wonder he caves once in a while when there is nothing stopping him.

It's kind of ironic (in an Alainis Morrissette way and therefore not really ironic at all) that Ashley's talent allows him to get away with these misdemeanours because he is indispensible to his team who reward him handsomely for his abilities while Cheryl's lack of talent mean that any such behaviour would leave her career in ruins. It is only her image which has made her successful, yet it is her tireless promotion of herself which has allowed Ashley run riot thereby causing her the most embarrassment and potential damage to her earning potential. To take it further one might say that Cheryl's lifestyle and absences have also put his career in jepoardy.

Ashley is the real hero of this tale. The man with true talent earning his keep as the world's best full back. His missus meanwhile remains determined to stay in the public eye no matter what the consequences. Ashley is simply reacting the way any geezer would if he was left alone for too long, given the advantages he has. I'm sure it's difficult to maintain a relationship when you are a trying to be a pop star, philantropist and talent show judge all at the same time but that's her choice so she really shouldn't complain when one suffers for the benefit of the other. As for Ashley, well he plays about 50 games a season, trains for 3 hours a day, earns around £70,000.00 a week which leaves him a lot of free time and money to play around with. Probably best to keep an eye on him don't you think?

Has Trap done enough to get Stephen Ireland back?

Trap and Marco look to be happy enough without him.

If you thought the Cork hurling dispute was tedious, the Stephen Ireland saga is surely worse. All the same, for those of us whose only desire in life is that the Irish soccer team qualify for the World Cup, it is still a matter of great importance. There was a time not so long ago when to hold such an ambition was not all that unusual. Those were the Charlton years when the whole country was firmly caught in the grip of football hysteria and it was the sport to which all others deferred when it came to making the backpage headlines. That is no longer the case and today it is the national rugby team which is the darling of the media and the transient glory hunter.

Unfortunately that makes us die hard football fans look like weirdos, crustys, loners, bitter and twisted individuals jealous of the wealth and success of the rugby fraternity, still caught up in the rights and wrongs of Saipan and most sadly of all still debating the rights and wrongs of Stephen Ireland's self-imposed international exile. "Get a life and go shopping in Brown Thomas" I'm sure the rugby crowd was tell us disgusted I'm sure that we would still be interested in the fortunes of something as passe as the Irish Soccer team. We might as well be listening to Bagatelle, drinking pints of Harp (I still do), wearing mullets (I wish I still had the hair) and eating out of a chip van.

The Stephen Ireland question remains pertinent all the same. Trapattoni's one and only meeting with the Bald One came ten months ago when Trap first took over. They haven't met since and even though Trap was at Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the Man City game, he made no effort to meet the midfielder after this match. Trap's logic was that Ireland had given an interview on the Saturday in which he stated he still wasn't ready to return to the fold, thereby rendering the purpose of any meeting obsolete.

The efforts made by the Irish management (an extraordinarily well paid management team at that) to convince Ireland to return over the last year have been minimal at best. There have been no further meetings though text messages have apparently been sent to Ireland including one by Trapattoni wishing him a "happy Christmas". What are these guys, teenagers? How unprofessional and impersonal is it to send text messages. The message it gives to me is that they don't really want him back. If they did, there would be meetings or at least a phone call. It appears to me that Trap doesn't really want him back or is at best indifferent. If this is the case, that's fine so long as the results keep going our way and we qualify for South Africa.

Chippy got narky at a press conference before the Georgia game when it was suggested that perhaps more could be done to have convinced Ireland to return. The Irish management team have taken the view that the ball is firmly in Stephen Ireland's court which is all well and good but it just means that he will not be coming back.

Chippy Brady- narky or just unhappy to see me?

I get the feeling that if a serious effort was made, he could be convinced to come back. The truth is that we need Stephen Ireland a whole lot more than he needs us. He is quite happy playing away at City making his tens and thousands of euros a week, plodding away in a midtable team entirely devoid of any stress whatsoever. He doesn't really need the extra hassle (for which there will be no financial reward) of playing for Ireland.

His return is however key to our qualification bid. If available he would be the best player in the squad which is the main reason he is worth the effort. His own comments in that interview on Saturday suggest that he would have returned had more of an effort been made to get him back. He said that no direct contact had been made with him since that first meeting adding that he still didn't feel ready to return.

Trap's only task is to qualify, anything after that is a bonus but surely part of his brief is ensuring that our best players are available and happy to play. He hasn't gone far enough with Ireland. Trap and Tardelli have nothing to be doing besides meeting Stephen Ireland and convincing him to come back. Even Roy Keane could be coaxed out of international retirement, anyone can.

The truth is that this is not Animal Farm and not all players are equal. Some are better and therefore more important than others. The retirements and sulkiness of Andy O'Brien and Joey O'Brien are insignificant because we don't need these players. We do need Stephen Ireland and that is why EVERY EFFORT should have been made to get him back. I think people can be convinced of anything if we try hard enough. Trap hasn't which leads me to believe that perhaps he doesn't really want him which is fine and just so long as we qualify there will be no problem with that.

It's still your fault Rafa

Liverpool's superb and thrilling victory at Old Trafford today proves only one thing; that it's Rafa Benetiz's fault that Liverpool have not put up a better title challenge this season. Alex Ferguson won't worry too much, I'm sure he'll be happy to take a four point lead with a game in hand and ten games to play.

Man for man Liverpool's first eleven is actually better than Manchester United's and it's Benetiz's refusal to play this team week in, week out which has caused them to be out of the title race in March despite beating the Champions home and away. Just for the record, United's previous defeat in the league came against Arsenal in November and in spite of what Benetiz might tell you, it is as unlikely that United will drop 7 points between now and the end of the season as it is that Liverpool will get maximum points.

Liverpool's first eleven means that they should be closer if not ahead of United at this stage of the season. The draws, the draws, the draws. Let's look at the teams first of all. Reina is better than Van der Saar who is too old and overrated but goalkeepers aren't so important for these teams. Skrtel and Carragher are the equal of Ferdinand and Vidic. What Carragher lacks in pace, he more than makes for in heart and intelligence. Aurelio and Arbeloa have improved with each season and Aurelio's much touted dead ball expertise is finally starting to show it on the pitch.

Evra is still excellent going forward but he has been caught out defensively several times this season, not least today. Josh seems to have established himself at right back and he won't let you down as long as United's match winners paper over the cracks which they have done this season. More than anything the Liverpool back four have been consistent and it's further up the field that the differences between the teams are most apparent.

Alonso and Mascherano are probably the best centre midfield pairing in the Premier League even if it is only recently that Benetiz seems to have accepted this. Unfortunately Rafa has seen fit to rest these players for the inclusion of Lucas who still looks out of his depth even in a 4-1 win at Old Trafford. On the wings, Reira and Kuyt have delivered solid performances all season providing cover to the defence and service to the attack. They are exactly the kind of unspectacular, industrious players that Rafa loves so much.

They do a similar job now to what Park, Giggs and Anderson for United. Carrick and Scholes are outstanding footballlers but they are no better than Liverpool's pairing. Up front both teams have match winners, it's just that United have more of them.

Fernando Torres is the best player in Europe by a distance. He proved it last season, he is proving it this season despite the injuries and he proved it during Euro 2008 when all the best players came to the fore. Ronaldo was nowhere during Europe's most prestigious tournamen. Steven Gerrard was on holidays.

The blame rests with Benetiz because he failed to build a squad which could compete with United's. He signed Robbie Keane during the summer for £20 million only to sell him on in January without giving him a chance or having a replacement lined up. The consequence of this terrible piece of business is that Liverpool have had no one to stand in when Torres suffered those inevitable injuries. Manchester United have both Tevez and Berbatov to choose from.

Liverpool have no recognised striker in reserve, let alone players in the class of United's reserves. A second striker, be it Robbie Keane or someone else would also have solved liverpool's problems in the event of an injury to their other match winner Gerrard. A second striker would have allowed Liverpool to revert to a 4-4-2 if Gerrard was injured. Kuyt has consistently proven him unworthy to be called a Liverpool striker, so much so that he has had to reinvent himself as a defensive winger in the mould of Kevin Kilbane.

If Robbie Keane was not to Benetiz's tastes, then Andrei Arshavin for one, was also available during the summer. Benetiz's lack of faith in Robbie Keane and his subsequent failure to replace him are the reasons Liverpool have drawn so many games in which United have picked up all three points.

There is no question over the ability of this Liverpool team who might well go on to win the Champions League but maybe if they had a more pragmatic manager willing to play his strongest team they wouldn't have drawn so many matches against inferior opposition.

The self-inflicted shallowness of Liverpool's squad means that while they might well enjoy great days such as today and last Wednesday's demolition of Real with their first eleven, they won't win the title because they haven't got the squad to turnover Middlesborough, Hull, Manchester City, West Ham, Hull, Fulham, Stoke et al every week and for that Mr. Benetiz, you are to blame.

Raul- A Footballing Genius

For a guy who's not particularly tall or quick, you've got to say the RAUL Gonzalez of Real Madrid is quite a phenomenal footballer. I saw him in the flesh recently in Madrid's 10th consecutive league win when they beat Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago. I was looking at him all through the game and I was wondering what exactly it is that this man does to still be the linchpin of Real Madrid.

Granted we had terrible seats and if I'm being honest I was still a bit gatty having tanked up on Mojitos all day in an Irish bar off Las Ramblas before the game. What could I do? It was happy hour all day. It was the only way I could sit through watching the Rugby and subsequently much of the football match was a bit of a blur. It didn't help that we were seated behind the goals and part of a very large running track (it was after all the Olympic running track). The Real Madrid fans in our section didn't seem to mind and no one complained so neither did I. In fact we saw ourselves later on the television when the camera flashed to the Madrid crowd after Guti scored the free kick.

In any case it didn't look to me like Raul was doing very much. He wasn't afraid to drop back, make tackles and get stuck in. There was something very English in his approach but he wasn't making any impact but then none of the Madrid players were and it didn't look like they were going to win the game until Guti benefited from a goalkeeping error to give Madrid the lead in the 68th minute. Another routine 3 points inevitably followed but not before the genius intervention of the maestro himself.

Taking a pass on the edge of the D, Raul stroked the ball into the bottom corner of the net just out of reach of an admittedly bumbling goalkeeper. The shot much like the man himself was executed with the minimum of fuss. One touch was all he needed and with such an economy of power that it was just his awareness and accuracy to which it past the goalkeeper.

Raul has been doing this throughout his career. He has always found himself in the right places and he is surely one of the greatest finishers of the modern game. It is his ability to find the space and apply the desired finish to whatever chances come his way are what have been such a great and durable footballer at the top level. The Madridistas know and appreciate this fact.

Madrid fans have never been slow to criticise players they don't believe are fit to wear the famous all white shirt but they will never criticise Raul, partly I suppose because he is the embodiment of Real Madrid shown in his industry and unwillingness to be anything less than number 1 but he is also revered simply because he is such a deadly finisher.

His stats speak for themselves. He has won six La Liga titles, three Champions League Finals. He is Real Madrid's all time top scorer with 312 goals as well as the all time top scorer in the Champions League with 64 goals. He also holds the national record of 44 goals for Spain. There comes a time when the excuse that he happened to play on good teams just starts to wear a bit thin. As if that wasn't enough, even now at the age of 31, he is still the top scorer in La Liga while in 1994 he became Real Madrid's youngest ever player at the age of 17.

There is a distinct lack of appreciation for the likes of Raul in a modern game where Dirk Kuyt and his ilk are considered indispensable. I am certain that Raul is suffering more than anyone over last Wednesday night's defeat at Anfield but what price do Liverpool pay for such victories. As long as Benetiz is in charge, no local player in the mould of Raul will ever get a chance. Had Raul been a Liverpudlian, he would never have lasted at Anfield.

He would have been shipped off to places like Leeds and Cardiff City long ago just like another great finisher of modern times, Robbie Fowler. Raul wouldn't even make a top Premier League side today because he wouldn't be considered fast enough or strong enough but remember this: while Liverpool fans thrill themselves at the sight of Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel, Real Madrid still have Raul Gonzalez- The Greatest Finisher of our Time.

We're not there yet but we're getting there.

Irish rugby is well and truly out of it's winter of discontent and into a springtime of hope and victories. We are entering the penultimate stage of this year's six nations and so far so good. It's 3 wins from 3 games and we are on track for a first grand slam title of modern times. Obviously I say this with a bit of caution, although Ireland have put the English and French to the sword, who are traditionally the competitions two strongest teams, their toughest games lie ahead.

It’s a return to Murrayfield this weekend to face a Scottish team buoyed by their victory over the Italians. Its fair to the say the Scots have been poor so far this year but no matter how bad a state this team seems to be in they are always a tough team for Ireland to beat. Apart from last years comprehensive win in Croke Park, the previous two meetings were close encounters. Like the Italian game it will be a tough physical battle with plenty of in your face antics and don’t be surprised to see a few handbags been thrown at some stage. Scotland are a team not short of experience. Their talisman full back Chris Patterson has been recalled to the side. This could be a reaction by Frank Hadden to the dismal kicking display of Ronan O’Gara the last day against England. His plan may be to slow the game down entirely, not give the Irish backs any space to run. By doing this the game could be reduced to a battle between the two kickers and if Ronan hasn’t brought his kicking boots Ireland would be in trouble.

I think we’ve seen enough now to be confident that Declan Kidney will not let this happen. Ireland are now a team that are playing with confidence and are patient enough to play a game their way and not let the opposition set the pace. Also Declan is not afraid to make changes when they are needed this is evident by this weekends selection. The addition of Stringer, Leamy, Darcy and Best is refreshing to see. Its adding experience to the side and it is further proof of the depth of this squad. None of the players these 4 are replacing had played badly against England but at this stage in the competition a bit of experience is needed to keep the ship steady.

Having Stringer back in the side shows a more attack minded approach is on the cards, he certainly will deliver quicker ball then O’Leary and don’t even dare question his commitment, this guy will give his life for the team.

Gordon Darcy is the natural partner for O’Driscoll in the centre and is back to his best form. Paddy Wallace is a great passer and his defence work has been outstanding but Darcy is a line breaker and is what’s needed to release the scoring potential of the backs.

Scotland themselves are not short of possible match winners, the Evans brothers are the hot new property at the moment and Hadden seems to give them free reign to run at the opposition. Ulsters’ Simon Danielli had a decent game against the Italians but he won’t have the same kind of space against Ireland, still these three should be closely watched.

Ultimately Ireland will have the edge and will win but it will be a tough physical battle much like the Ireland V Italy game. Ireland will have more space to run the ball and expect to see plenty of tough tackling and old scores settled.

These are two teams that despite the addition of many new young faces know each other well and we may well see a few yellow cards flashed in the 80 minutes.
As I said I should be cautious I don’t want to jinx this but if we win this game and look forward to next Sunday in Cardiff, It’ll be set up for a monumental showdown. And why not be confident we have the players, we have the coach and Lord knows we need something to be positive about.

An Open Letter to a Colleague- Where does this leave Limerick FC?

I have mixed emotions towards the Facebook monster as well. The image of modern life is sitting around watching telly over the top of a lap top, people are going out less and socialising less. God be with the days when you actually had to leave the house to meet people.

Football is a bit depressing at the moment. The Premier league is over, the Champions League is boring and I too am seriously considering the sense of my Sky Sports subscription. Thank God for Trap and the Irish team. Imperfect and all as it is, at least some respect has been restored.

The divisions in Irish football are hilarious, don't you think? There is a lot of nose cutting/face spiting going on. An All-Ireland league for example is a fine idea which makes perfect sense fiscally and for the quality of both competitions yet it has failed to materialise because of very petty and small minded opposition (albeit mostly from the Northern side I admit). I hate the way good ideas (such as moving Wimbledon to Dublin) are constantly shot down by the domestic soccer crowd. In fairness to Rugby and GAA solutions are found and deals are done, even if they are achieved in a roundabout way. In soccer in this country at least, the solution is that nothing happens.

To a point I can actually understand why clubs took the chance in bankrupting themselves to try to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League because the financial rewards are so great if you get there and in fairness, Irish clubs did get close on a number of occasions. Ultimately though they failed and now they have to deal with the consequences. To my mind this would involve the FAI taking over the clubs and designing a competitive league rather than having all the clubs cutting each others throats by competing against each other. Wexford Youths and the GAA inter county structure are two models which should be considered. Mick Wallace doesn't pay players. Why? Because they don't generate any money. Other clubs pay players extraordinary amounts of money even though they don't generate any money either. This latter policy is unsustainable as has been becoming more and more apparent.

Mick Wallace has invested in building a decent stadium. The idea being (I presume) that if you have a good stadium, people will come to watch games which will generate income. Richmond Park (Stadium of Light or whatever you call it) is one of the most depressing and awful grounds I've ever been in, yet last year St. Pat's were one of the highest paying clubs. The attendances were tiny (relative to the size of the ground at least) and they are rightly suffering accordingly this year.

If the FAI want to develop a decent league, they need to stop paying players first of all. The money simply isn't there to do that. Work on developing respectable, comfortable grounds which will not offend people wishing to go to a game. I've been to the memorial stadium in Bristrol, 5 or 6 regional league grounds in Germany all of which are better than anything in the League of Ireland, Ferrycarrig Park aside perhaps.

Where does this leave Limerick FC? Jack McCarthy has pumped in over €300,000.00 since he took over the reigns at the club. He must be wondering what the hell he's doing. Last year the club paid at least one player over €10,000.00. GAA clubs get bigger crowds and their players get nothing. It's all very well paying players but you have to be able to justify it. There is no justification for Limerick FC paying that kind of a sum to one player. There is undoubtedly an appetite for football in Limerick but they will need to be a bit smarter in how they can make the game palatable enough for people to come along.

It is true that the Junior clubs are more popular in Limerick City which I just see as another example of the kind of small minded parochial thinking which is leaving soccer in this country well and truly behind while rugby and GAA go from strength to strength. People in Limerick are actually proud of the fact that their Junior clubs are better than Limerick FC. They think they're great because they win the FAI Junior Cup every few years when the only reason they do so is that in every other city the best players are playing for the League of Ireland side. I'm just bitter because I think Limerick deserve to be a top League of Ireland side at least on a par with Derry City and I couldn't care less about the fortunes of Pike Rovers, Ballynanty Rangers or Mungret Bloody Regional.

I'm getting positive vibes from the club in Limerick about what they are trying to achieve. I think it will take time and patience though. I'm just think that Jack McCarthy might well be running out of both.

It's not all doom and gloom mind. There is plenty of scope for Irish clubs attracting bigger attendances and improving the product (you probably hate it being called that). I think John Delaney does a good job in that regard. I think we just need to start looking at football in this country more as a business than a branch of tribal warfare and an outlet for small minded pettiness.

What started out there Shane as a friendly email appears to have morphed into a potential blog. I shall have another look. I haven't posted in a couple of weeks for two reasons. 1. I was out in Spain for 10 days and wanted to write about Raul and what he stands for, I also wanted to write about Athletic Bilbao but I was finding it hard to get started (I don't really know that much about either). 2. I've been stuck in a raft of interviews for jobs I either won't get or don't exist which at least has been keeping me busy though good old fashioned emigration is looking a more and more likely possibility.

I hope this email hasn't made things worse. It's not meant to be negative, in fact my frustration is essentially borne out of a failure of the League of Ireland (and indeed myself) to make the most of the great potential we possess.

I will be at the Limerick game Friday night by the way if you want me to cover it for the site, that would be great!