The Sideline Report

Are Football fans Colourblind?

2011-11-17T06:16:00.001-08:00

Is anyone really surprised by Sepp Blatters recent comments? It's definetly very dissapointing that FIFA president Sepp Blatters reaction to the football's problem with racism is to simply dismiss it. To think that shaking hands after a racial slur is an acceptable apology for an appaling and hurtful action is shocking but from Sepp should anything really surprise us anymore. The 'Kick It Out' organisation that is runs the 'Kick Racism Out of Football' campaign has condemned his recent comments. Is the funding of the Campaign by Footballs World Governing body just a waste of time? Are FIFA just paying lip service to those who are subjected to racial abuse on an ongoing basis? It certainly gives off that impression.

In any other major organisation Blatter would have resigned already. His views on Women's Football in the past has shown his sexist viewpoints. He has angered many by his comments last year recommending 'gays to refrain from any sexual activity while in Qatar in 2022'. Now he shows a lack of respect to any player that has been racially abused. Where does it end for Sepp?, yet despite all this his place as head of World Football is as secure as it has ever been. Is it no wonder then that such intollerence seems to pervay throughout the game when Football is so rife with ignorance from the very top.

It has become blatantly apparent lately how colourblind football fans can be also. The recent racism debates that have been going on for the past few weeks since the Saurez/Evra and Terry/Ferdinand incidents has caused some level headed football fans to act in manner that many would not expect in the 21st century.

Depending on who you support seems to have divided peoples opinions on the matter. If your a Liverpool or Chelsea supporter your player is completely innocent without any shadow of a doubt and any suggestion otherwise is a malicious witch hunt against their player. In both cases the accuser has faced a backlash of abuse from fans in online chat rooms and from the terraces. Chelsea fans misguided chants at Anton Ferdinand's expense is inexcusable whether Terry is guilty of a racial slur or not. To racially abuse a player from the terrace is not only insulting to the player in question but also to players in your own team.

What has really annoyed me though is some of the nonsense that has been posted on the internet. It has become all too easy for someone in the comfort and confines of their own home to anonymously post inflammatory comments on the internet. Manchester United fans have branded Saurez a racist without any concrete evidence other than Patrice Evra's word while Liverpool fans have cast aspersions about Patrice Evra's character accusing him of being a liar also without any proof. One post on twitter of a video of Evra swearing as proof that he does not mind racial slurs baffled me last night from a person who should know better. Other debates questioning whether a racial slur is actually offensive or another debate asking is a person really a racist of he makes a racist comment leave me somewhat perplexed. It seems hard to find a subjective opinion from either set of fans which in this day and age is rather disappointing. All clubs involved have backed their players 100% as would be expected. Liverpool have got right behind their multi million pound investment Luis Saurez. Like any other club they want to protect their asset. As have Chelsea, Manchester United and QPR.

Wouldn't it be a breath of fresh air if one club came out and said that they had proof of their players actions and that in the interest of fairness and morality that they would not stand by any racist actions by their player and that he should be punished accordingly. That I'm afraid will never happen and along with the departure of Mr Blatter from his throne at FIFA is only wishful thinking.

Pressed 2 Run: Oh My Knees!

2011-11-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

Pressed 2 Run: Oh My Knees!: It's been a hectic few weeks. The kids have been sick and things have been busy at work so I haven't had a chance to update this blog. On th...

Next Man Up

2011-10-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Chicago 24-18 Tampa Bay

Week 7 and the Defenses are starting to catch up with the Offenses. After the lockout the scoring has been crazy so far with new records being broken for scoring almost each week. Finally a bit of normality seems to have returned to the NFL with some more dour, low scoring games. Monday nights game between Baltimore and Jacksonville being case and point. 12-7 to the Jaguars was the shock of the week. Joe Flacco's poor form this season is becoming a worrying factor for a Ravens team that has probably the best Defense in the league.

Nobody told Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints about the change in scoring trends as they ran up 62 points against the win less Colts. It's hard to imagine that these two teams were in a Super Bowl together only 2 seasons ago. Indianapolis without Payton Manning look hopeless and the truth is that without Manning for the rest of this year the Colts will probably end up with the first pick in next years draft.

The NFL came to the UK this week and despite not much time to sell tickets there were over 70,000 in Wembley to witness Matt Forte and the Bears beat Tampa Bay. The most encouraging news from the weekend was Commissioner Goodell's commitment to return to the UK for the next few years with the hope of increasing the amount of games played on this side of the water. The hope of a game in Croke Park, Dublin is still alive and I for one would love to see that.

Go Bucs

And like Tim Tebow I leave the best for last. Tebow time has arrived in the NFL and in true dramatic fashion he rallied Denver from a 15 point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Miami 18-15. He may have played awful for three quarters but Tebow's leadership qualities came to the fore in the final quarter as somehow he managed to level the scoring, running in a two point conversion himself to make it 15-15. All it took was a match winning field goal from Matt Prater to win the game. Tebow has been labelled a winner all his life and somehow without playing well he has managed to win again. Now with Carson Palmer at Oakland, San Diego's Philip Rivers misfiring and a resurgent Kansas City in their division, the AFC West is becoming a must watch division for the first time in years. With Tim Tebow in Denver life will never be boring.

You can follow my American Football blog Next Man Up by following the link at the top of the page to keep up with all things NFL.

Pressed 2 Run

2011-10-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Check out my new Running blog 'Pressed 2 Run'. In a half-mad notion to run a marathon in the next year, I have decided to chart my progress in a blog. Follow the link at the top of the page or click on the link below and see my first post,

The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.

The End of An Era?

2011-10-08T03:55:00.000-07:00

Ireland's defeat to Wales in the quarter final of the World Cup will possibly be the end for many of our greatest Rugby stars. This has been the greatest generation of Irish Rugby players and now it appears to be coming to an end. Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and Ronan O'Gara are just some of Irish Rugby greatest servants and one must now wonder how much longer they are willing or able to carry on in an Irish shirt.

Gordon D'Arcy is another great Irish Centre who has nothing left to prove in the game. Most of the team have Triple Crown, Grand Slam & Heineken Cup medals and the only major medal they have failed to achieve is a World Cup medal. Although it was always unlikely that they would ever win a World Cup, this was their greatest chance of a run into the later stages and unfortunately they just didn't seem to have the legs to pull out another big performance like the one against Australia two weeks ago.

It's time for Irish Rugby to move on. Jonathon Sexton & Conor Murray are Ireland's future now. Time will tell if any other players can grow to the levels of O'Driscoll or O'Connell, but one thing is for sure, those giants of Irish Rugby will cast a long shadow and will be sorely missed if they do decide to retire.

Carlos Tevez: Soldier of Fortune

2011-09-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

As a West Ham fan it pains me then to watch the antics of Carlos Tevez over these past few weeks. When he left Upton Park it was to play Champions league football, win countless trophies and get the recognition his undoubted talents deserve. In the past four seasons since his move to Manchester he has won two league titles, the Champions league, the F.A Cup and a League Cup winners medal. Where did it all go wrong?

In hindsight, it now looks like a wise move by Alex Ferguson to pass on the signing of Carlos to a full contract. As Tevez tore the premier league apart with outstanding performances for the last two years Sir Alex was the butt of every one's jokes for letting Tevez go to their City rivals. Maybe Ferguson had already seen the trouble the Argentine striker brings with him and got shot of him before he caused any problems for the Red Devils. His current actions have to be causing some problems in the Manchester City dressing room. This was their Captain up until a few months ago, leading them to an F.A Cup victory. With City on the brink of making a major breakthrough to becoming a title challenging side this is an unwanted distraction for Mancini.

How Mancini handles this could make or break their season. This time last season Sir Alex Ferguson was in a similar position with Wayne Rooney, who threatened to quit Manchester. With United looking like they would fall apart, Ferguson managed to get an apology from his star player, win the league and now has Rooney playing the football of his life. All this in just 12 months. Time will tell if Mancini will even have a job this time next year. Where Carlos will be is any ones guess, but it's safe to say it won't be Manchester.

So where would Carlos be happy. He will have to wait until January for a transfer. City have suspended him for two weeks, but could extend that to six weeks. After that they will have to pay him his quarter of a million a week wages until they can sell him. When they do sell him who is going to take a chance on a player who has serious loyalty issues? Wherever he has played he has been a fan favourite but has never stayed longer than three seasons. Corinthians may show interest in re-signing him again but will more than likely be offering considerably less than they were willing to pay in the summer knowing that City will be desperate to get rid of their former Captain.

There is always Limavady. The Northern Ireland club made an audacious offer to take him on loan to ease Mancini's worries. Unless there is a lot of excellent South American restaurants in Derry it doesn't look like he'll be lining out against Linfield or Glentoran this season.

He could of course always re-join West Ham on loan. He will always have a place in the hearts of Hammers fans after his relegation saving goal against Man United on the last day of the 06/07 season. I for one would accept him with open arms. When my wedding anniversary rolls around each year I immediately think of Carlos Tevez. It's not what your thinking. I don't have a crush on El Apache, or any kind of homo-erotic fantasy about the Argentine Caveman. You see, I was married on the 12th of May 2007, the day before he scored the all important winner at Old Trafford. It was the best wedding present I got, to see West Ham stay up and prolong our premiership agony for a few more seasons.

So Carlos, if in the unlikely event your reading this, forget City. Come on home. Big Sam has the air of a South American dictator about him that should make you feel right at home. You would be closer to your family, albeit only by a couple of miles. And you could always move in with Kevin Nolan. He is great for taking in stray strikers who lose their way. And after a few months when you get us promoted you can take your mercenary ass and head off to some other side for a season or two. There you can make up some other far fetched excuse why you don't want to play for them and ignore their loyal fans, like those at City, too.

A Moment in History

2011-09-22T13:08:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday morning is one I will never forget as a sports fan. It was an epic display that only occurs once every 10 years or so that we are lucky to witness. I am of course referring to Ireland's momentous victory in the World Cup over Australia.

This rugby team has given us Irish supporters some great days before, winning triple crowns and a historic grand slam. The victory over England in Croke Park when foreign games came to the GAA ground for the first time was memorable also but nothing this side has done can compare to last Saturday.

Finally Ireland had come to a World Cup and delivered. Our greatest display prior to this was a valiant defeat in Dublin to the Aussies back in '91. It was great not to be celebrating another heroic defeat against a southern hemisphere side but instead a victory over one of the pre tournament favourites.

The game itself was nail biting stuff. It's been some time since I spent an entire match so enthralled in every tackle and every kick. Tommy Bowe's interception and subsequent run up to the Wallaby 5 yard line brought back memories of Gordon Hamilton's run years ago to score against Australia. This time there was no score but a better result.

The World Cup has come alive and for this generation of Irish Rugby fans. This teams greatest moment may not be last Saturday. History could be made in the coming weeks as the quarter finals approach and greatness beckons.

The Fall & Rise of Shamrock Rovers F.C

2011-09-17T04:40:00.000-07:00

As Shamrock Rovers fans left after the home sides 3-0 defeat to Russian side Rubin Kazan, their was a mixture of disappointment and excitement. Dissapointment from their sides defeat to a far superior opposition but excitement that the Hoops have already achieved so much in this years Europa League that will set the club up financially for some time to come.

Despite being Irelands most succesful club, it was not that long ago that Shamrock Rovers nearly went out of existence. In 2005 the club was in Court facing debts of nearly €2.4million. Like many other League of Ireland sides they suffered from mismanagement and overspending and were on the brink of a winding up order. They also had no home ground having sold their home in Miltown in the late 80's. The clubs owners had sold Glenmalure Parkto developers in the hope of buying a new home ground. This however never happened and they soon found they could not afford a new stadium. As a new appartment complex replaced their old ground, Shamrock Rovers were like football nomads going from ground to ground, playing in almost every corner of Dublin looking for a new home.

Hope of a new home came at the turn of the Millenium with the building of the new ground on Council property in Tallaght. A supporters trust was set up to try and help with the funding of the new stadium. They called themselves the 400 club, being 400 members each paying €40 a month into the fund. As time passed it became evident that the money the supporters were raising was not being used for it's intended purposes as the new ground development hit a snag and the lands were taken back by the council. The club spiraled into debt, owing the Revenue Commisioner half a million in unpaid taxes. That was enough to call in the examiner.

Now was the time for Shamrock Rovers loyal fans to stand up and be counted. The 400 club offered to finance the club and take over it's day to day running. Rovers were relegated from the top flight for the first time in their history as a result of it's mismanagement and the future didn't look too bright. By the Courts order they became a members run club. The 400 club now became the Shamrock Rovers Members Club who democratically own and run all of the sides operations. For €50 a month you can own a share in Irelands most succesful domestic side, winners of a record 16 league titles and 24 F.A.I cups.

At the start of the 2006 season Rovers were at their lowest point. Playing second tier football, still homeless and on shaky financial ground. Slowly they got back on their feet winning promotion to the premier league at the first attempt. Financially they became more secure and with sound investment and proper management they have become one of the best run clubs in Ireland.

The league of Ireland operates a Salary protocol that requires teams to only spent 65% of earnings on wages. This has caused problems for many sides. Successive league champions have reinvested their prize money on players only to struggle the following seasons and find themselves overspending with no guarantee of substantial income.

Rovers have been cautious despite recent successes on and off the field. Under manager Michael O'Neill they have returned to winning ways finishing runners up in the league in 2009. It was an important season for the club as they finally moved into their new home with Dublin City Council granting them use of the newly finished Tallaght Stadium. This could not have been achieved without the members club tireless efforts and hard work to get Rovers back on their feet.

Having qualified for the Europa League they faced Juventus in front of 10,000 home supporters in the second round going out 3-0 on aggregate. The club remained cautious in their spending despite financial windfalls. 2010 saw Rovers win their first League title for 16 years and qualification for the Champions league. After a victory over Estonian side Flora Tallinn they were knocked out by Danish champions F.C Copenhagen. This set up a famous tie with Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League play off round. Victory over the Serbs saw an Irish side qualify for a European competition group stage for the first time.

Shamrock Rovers fans are under no illusion. They know they will be the doormat in their group alongside Russians Rubin Kazan, Greeks PAOK and Tottenham Hotspurs. Their position in European football was highlighted within three minutes of their opening tie with Rubin Kazan when the side who had previously beaten Barcelona in the champions league took the lead. Former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins scored the opener. The Nigerian striker cost the Russians €17 million, which dwarfs Rovers debt that almost saw them go out of business a few years previous. It also makes the TV money teams earned for reaching the group stages look like peanuts. To the Rovers fans it is much more important as they will net €1 million for just getting this far. That will pay Martins wages for the season but it will more importantly safeguard the Irish sides future for some time. Along with full houses for the visits of Spurs and PAOK coupled with the sale of left back Enda Stevens to Aston Villa for €250,000, Rovers have gone from bust to boom in a short space of time. As long as they continue to operate in a cautious manner their stability is secured. The Rovers fans who support and own their club know only too well the dangers their new found success will bring. Fellow Dubliners St Patrick's Athletic had their players threaten strike action ahead of a Europa League tie earlier this year because of unpaid bonuses. Success and money can bring it's own problems if not properly managed.

It is exciting times for Rovers fans, who can look forward to a trip to White Hart Lane in the coming weeks. They are an example to all small clubs that member run clubs, with solid local investment, is the only way forward. For football to survive communities must take a stand. Shamrock Rovers will never be on the same financial standing as Tottenham Hotspurs but for one brief spell they will stand with them as equals on the European football stage. For the Rovers fans who pumped their hard earned money to keep the club alive it's more they could have hoped to dream for but only a fraction of what they truly deserve.

The Ballad of Richard Dunne

2011-09-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

via whoateallthepies.tv

We live in an era where many footballers see wearing the jersey of their national team as a burden, with many turning their back on International football entirely to focus on their club careers. One man however takes his job much more seriously, weather he is wearing a proper jersey or not.

I had a dream the other night that they made a remake of Sergio Leone's Spagetti Western "A Fistful of Dollars". The called it "A Few Euro Qualification Points More" and instead of Clint Eastwood as 'The Man with No Name' the star of the show was Richard Dunne, 'The Man with No Jersey'. Like Eastwood's character, Dunne has become somewhat of a folk hero. His heroics in an Irish shirt, and his performance against Russia especially on September 6th 2011, will go down in legend.

With Irish backs to the wall throughout the 90 minutes in Moscow, Dunne gave one of his finest displays as an Irish international. He held the back four together throughout, keeping the other defenders in line. He was commanding in the air and made one impossible goal line block to stop what would have been a certain goal.

But with less than 20 minutes left in the game things took a turn for the worse when Ireland's influential center half skinned his face on the running track. Requiring stitches and a new jersey Dunne had to leave the field.

It being the Football Association of Ireland however things never run so smoothly. Instead of having a spare set of shirts with numbers printed on the back, they had a blank shirt to cover such an incident. I can only imagine what Roy Keane's response would have have been to such a lack of organisation. To be fair there is nothing in the rules that state you have to have numbers on your replacement shirts but referee Felix Berdych insisted Dunne could not come back on without a number to identify him. How the german official could mistake the player Everton fans affectionaltly dubbed "The Honey Monster" is anyones guess. It was up to quick thinking Goalkeeper coach Alan Kelly to do what all 10 year olds were thinking at home, draw on the number with a marker.

As a kid I didn't have the luxury of getting my favourite players name and number printed on my favourite teams shirt at a local club shop. That was for another generation. I made one failed effort of getting an iron on number that I bought on mail order off an add in Shoot magazine. I got my mother to iron it on but it peeled off soon after. It was then I had the brainwave so many other kids before and after me came up with. I got a marker and I proudly went for a kick around with my mates sporting a makeshift number 8 on the back of my Wesr Ham shirt in honour of Frank McAvennie. Like a kid at the local park Richard Dunne resumed his role at the heart of the Irish defense with his makeshift shirt.

And it's almost with a boyhood innocence that Dunne plays for Ireland. As a kid I dreamed of playing for Ireland and never imagined that anyone could possibly turn down a chance to represent your country. I could not, and at times still fail to, understand the attitude of players like Stephen Ireland, who refuses to play for his country or James McCarthy who turns up for Irish games when he feels like it. Instead Dunne shares the passion that all those loyal fans who spent their hard earned money to travel to Moscow have and he displayed that running around like a Sherman tank getting in the way of every Russian attacker for the remainder of the game.

Following the game Dunne's performance quickly garnered rave reviews with former Irish legend Paul McGrath desribing his efforts as

"the best performance I have seen from an Irish centre half and that includes myself."

That's high praise coming from the man who almost single handedly beat the Italians in the '94 World Cup. Richard was trending worldwide on Twitter after the game with the hashtag #BelievableRichardDunneLies adding to his folklore. My favorite,

Richard Dunne is ranked above Ireland in the FIFA Ranking #BelievableRichardDunneLies @rubot

Dunne should be nobody's hero, having the unenvieable record of top own goal scoprer in the premier league. He also has a high red card count, looks a little overwieght and was once reprimanded by a manager for turning up for training the worse for wear after a heavy session the night before. His club form has at times been inconsistent yet despite all his faults he remains a fans favourite winning Manchester City's player of the year four years in a row. When he became surplus to requirements as soon the big money came to Eastlands, none of the top four sides came sniffing. Instead he departed for Aston Villa.

His club form didn't warrant a signing by one of the top clubs yet his performances at International level far exceed those of any other premier league defender. Neither John Terry nor Rio Ferdinand have had the string of outstanding games for their country that Dunne has had over the past few seasons. Is it the fact then that Richard Dunne is the rare breed of footballer who actually takes more pride in playing for his country than playing for his club. Unlike Gary Neville he does not see playing for his country as a waste of time.

Many of us watching from the stands would love to play for our country if we had half the ability of any professional footballer. It's refreshing and a joy to watch someone of Richard Dunnes immense abilities give his all every time he goes across the white line on our behalf. They will write songs in Dublin about his heroics. The ballad of Richard Dunne should be sung so young and old can remember that you can take pride from wearing your national jersey, with or without a number.

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A Man's Game

2011-09-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

You know Hurling is truly a man's game when even the referee gets his nose busted. Are you watching Paul Alcock....

Brian Gavin
(image via thejournal.ie)

Brian Galvin, referee in Sundays All-Ireland Hurling showed that hurling is not a game for the faint hearted. The game played at blistering pace takes no prisoners and Sunday was no different when Kilkenny came out on top against last years champions Tipperary.

If a fight breaks out in any sport injuries can occur but in hurling where 30 men are effectively running around with sticks in their hands anything can happen. Midway through the first half as referee Brian Gavin tried to break up a minor brawl in front of Hill 16 he was accidentally struck in the face by Kilkenny wing back Tommy Walsh. Who Tommy meant to accidentally hit still isn't clear but nonetheless the ref felt the full force of Tommy's wild swing.
Gavin emerged with blood streaming from his nose and required treatment from the Tipp and Kilkenny medical staff. They patched him up quickly, stuck a big white plaster across his face and sent him back into action. To his eternal credit he shrugged it off. The game resumed within three minutes and Tommy got away without even a warning, although I don't think the Offaly referee really knew what had happened.

Speaking after the game he laughed it off saying "If I had seen who had done it, he was in trouble." He went on to add that he felt it was a pure accident and with everyone pulling at each others arms and hurls nobody was to blame. He also said how he was a little shaken for a minute by the blow which must be the understatement of the week. A blow to the nose will not only stop you in your tracks but will definitely cause a banging pain in the head and possible blurred vision. It is because of this we must credit Brian Gavin, as he never let the incident affect his performance one jot.

Alcock goes down
(image via dailymail.co.uk)

This stands in contrast however to another incident were a player and a referee clashed which springs to mind. In September 1998 Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday players came to blows in ill tempered premier league match which went down in infamy. Referee Paul Alcock dealt with the situation by sending off Martin Keown and Paolo Di Canio. Paolo however did not take the sending off too well and pushed Alcock, albeit without much force in the chest. Alcock then proceeded to do his Bambi on ice impersonation and staggered theatrically backwards before throwing himself to the ground. One wonders what his reaction would have been had he met the full force of Tommy Walsh's hurl. Alcock's amateur dramatics resulted in Di Canio getting an 11 game ban, Brian Gavin's get on with it attitude got the All-Ireland final back on quickly and no fuss created as a result.

Hurling remains a man's game where even the officials take the knocks and get on with the game. Other sports should take note.