fromthePressBox

one of the omst amazing pieces of 'perfromace theatre'? I've ever seen....

Hw come the japanese are so creative llike this and it makes it to TV while we have to watch The Rose of Tralee and Winning Streak.....????

Live at Three eat your heart out!

I've decided to go to Munich for Celtic's first Champions League (CL) game in September and I plan to blog from the home of beer while there.

This will be dependent on the location of wi-fi centres or internet cafes so it may not be as good as i hoped.. however having written for my newspaper on the UEFA Cup final in Seville I'm sure it;s a good source of tales and humour.

Celtic have already requested 15,000 tickets for the Olypiastadion something which has baffled the Munich executives. They have admitted that it's something 'we did not think possible'.

Anyhow, the trip is planned for September 15 so watch this space...

Right I've decided to make my selection public so you can gawk open-eyed and wonder at the sheer lack of insight a soccer writer has into the game, or otherwise :)

Today is a good day to do this...so I'm being a bit cheeky.
My strike force of Henrik Larsson and James McFadden scored 3 and 2 respectively so I think the only way is down from here on in...
However that positve haul from my forwards was balanced by Alan Stubbs and Everton's poor defensive performance against Liverpool...
For the record the fantasy football is in the Glasgow Herald newspaper and available online.
Here's the link.

http://britishfantasyfootball.theherald.co.uk

And here's my team - named ApeBhoys - A moniker I 'may' explain in the future if offered financial rewards :)

Well it seems like Ireland will have more Man U fans than ever before come October 21.... the night the Red Devils take on Glasgow Rangers. It is indeed, no doubt, the draw of this year's CHampions League, although I'm not so sure many people know of the lack of quality in the Glasgow squad.

In 1992 rangers beat then English champions Leeds United home and away, but this year I can see that easily being reversed.

Rangers, quite simply are on a downward slope and with financial problems eating away at the team and in turn, the squad, it's hard to see a side with the all over quality of Man United struggling to hammer them..

Of course the old 'Battle of Britain' title will be placed upon the tie, but the old Anglo-Caledonian clash wil not be as the media hope.

While Man U are hardly brimming with native talent and Rangers much the same for its dwindling scottish contingent, the game wpnt mean as much to the players as it will the fans.

Even then the reception given the scottish side should be intereesting given the rapport between United and Celtic, as shown on many occasions, especially the regular mutual support for testimonials...

In other MORE important news, Celtic have been drawn with Bayern Munich, Olympique Lyonnais and Anderlecht in Group A.

At first glance I was very happy with this group, knowing as i did that we'd avoided group F with Real Madrid and Porto in it!

i have booked flights to Germany already for the opening game to one of the most enchanting stadiums in world soccer and cannot wait to taste the atmosphere in the Olmypiastadion.

Lyon, French league winners last season will be no push over and have signed Giovanni Elber (formerly of Minchen) this summer and alreay boast players like Vikash Dhorasoo and Gregory Coupet.. but it will not be a trip Celtic fear.

Anderlecht are the unknowns of the group, and finished only second in the Belgian league, a league that has gone rapidly downhill in recent years.

Three home wins should be enough to guarantee qualification from this group, and should Celtic perform to their ability that should not be above them, given their very strong home record in recent times.

The last time the lost a European game at home (in 90 mons) was against Ajax in 2000.

John Toshack says it as we all thought someone would do by now.....


Former Madrid boss Tosh, 52, said: “It’s very difficult for Beckham to play in the centre. I think he’s very limited there, especially at the highest level.

“I feel that his best form of contributing — and his only form of contributing at the highest level — is wide on the right.”

Tyrone booked their place in the first ever all-Ulster All-Ireland football final today

But maybe Ian Paisley will like to sit with his fellow 'countrymen' in five weeks time when they face off for the first time in history in an all-ulster All-Ireland football final.

Today Tyrone beat the Kerrymen with a truly horrible display of Italian-style catenaccio Gaelic- football.

Tyrone have already won the Ulster title and the national league this season and one worries about the possibility of a Tyrone Armagh final, which could be like the Champions League final of last year, given the defensive line ups of both sides.

Either way it's a tribute to the position ond importance of the GAA in northern society and something the rest of the country could take note of when they speak of the province in disparaging terms.

A lot of the GAA clubs in said area puit up with a lot throughout the year and the last 30 years to play the sport we can claim as our own, and it';s about time we repaid their perseverance in promoting, nay preserving Irish culture in Ulster instead of the ignorance with which 'southerners' tend to treat these people.

When Tyrone's footballer's and their fellow Ulster opponents take the field on Sept 28th they will stand for Amhran na BhFiann and observe the tricolour as myself or anyone else in the 26 counties would do, let's not forget this counts for the hundreds of thousands of ordinary 'Ulster' men who live under foreign rule without so much as a nod from us...

Martin O'Neill must have been delighted with his side's display at home yesterday, especially given that he played for probably the first time in a competitive match in 2 1/2 years without Neil Lennon or Paul Lambert.,

M O'N must have been reading this site... as earlier below I said he should drop Lennon and play Miller. Thats what happened and I firmly believe the young irishman will be a star in the near future.

The result was also a boost for the fans, who after the club revealed poor financial results for the last season, were in bad form going into the club's first home game of the season: normally a celebration.

A good note however is O Neill;s claimn that money really doesnt Bother him that much...

using the MS Word spellchecker, I have formulated the new Celtic XI as Bill Gates sees them :)

I particularly like Johan's name given the Irish link to Celtic, and of course you have to admire Neil Lennon and Alan Thompson's consistency...


Rab Douglas ------------- Rabbi Douglas
Bobo Balde ---------- Booboo Blade
Johan Mjallby ---------- Johan Malloy
Joos Valgaeren --------- José Voltaire
Didier Agathe ----------- Didier Agates
Neil Lennon -------- Neil Lennon
Bobby Petta ----------- Bobby Petal
Stilian Petrov --------------- Stalin Patron
Alan Thompson -------------- Alan Thompson
Henrik Larsson ------------ Henry Larsson
John Hartson ------------- John Harrison

dod you think she has a thing against Neil Warnock?

hopefully something to put an end to that clap-trap...

A decent new website has been set up to voice the disapproval of Celtic and Ireland fans with the 'racist' tag being given top them recently by FAI Chief Executive Fran Rooney, in the light of booing of Rangers players in Lansdowne Road.

I have to say that I welcome this site, because even though I work in the Irish media, there has been a distince lack of opposing voices visible in this 'debate'.

For Fran Rooney to call this booing 'racist' or 'sectarian' is a gross abuse of his position and an even more embarrasing display of ignorance... especially coming as it was from someone who was in Seville at the UEFA Cup Final.

Hopefuly this site will help push some common sense into the public sphere =over this issue.

Boo-hoo

Footnote- Ireland play australia on Tuesday in Lansdowne Road with two Rangers players likely to figure, Kevin Muscat and Craig Moore.
The irony is that these two players were likely to be booed even if they played for Rotherham as they are two hackers, intent on injury every time they take to the field. Hopefull an early bad tackle will give ALL LR fan good reason to boo messrs Moore and Muscat. :)

it's already sold 430,000 copies in Italy this summer, thus becoming the summer smash hit of the literary circles, and it's about a footballer.

However, it's not a revealing biography or a kiss and tell, it's a joke book, extracting the urine from Roma pretty-boy Francesco Totti.

It's not particularly funny, but all the profits are going to uNicef, so when in Rome....

The three hardest years for Totti? Class one in elementary school

UEFA Cup Finalists, the best -selling replica jersey in history, more season-tickets sold than any team outside Man U in Britain, guaranteed £10m stg from Champions League income, yet still Celtic chairmain Brian Quinn states that Martin O Neill has to sell before he buys.

Can anyone make sense of this? I have seen and read the club's financial report (a £4.3m loss) but still fail to comprehend how the club's board could manage to lose money last season. No major investments were made in the squad and as far as I know there is no outstanding monies on players bought.

Quinn states that the large contracts of some players are hurting the club, contracts they 'signed' in better times. Now, that to me is one of two things.

1) - Quinn should be happy to have secured Henrik Larsson even if you had to pay a large amount of money, for if not, Celtic would not have made it to the UEFA Cup final.

or

2)- Quinn is pissed off that some players are getting a lot of money (perhaps he feels they don't deserve it) and he wants to get rid of them.

And here's the rub. ONeill has bought quite a few players that are NOT coveted by any other clubs. Somehow, he manages this on a regularly basis.

Look at the squad, who could Celtic sell to rake in any decent amount of money?
Agathe? Thompson? Balde? Sutton, Hartson and Petrov would all commandd interest of some sort, but how much would we het for them in this day and age, unless Chelseas bid?

And then, if they are sold, the team is badly hurt and it would be difficult to replace them with better players for the same money.

The emphasis will have to be right now, on loan deals (if they can afford the wages!) and youth.

Get Martin on the phone to Sam Allardyce and Steve Bruce (who have shown how to deal shrewdly in the loan market).

Or sell Neil Lennon and give Liam Miller a run.

Biscuit Quinn

And what of the future, now that the vulnerability has been made clearer than ever?

A Frontline/Pbs show two years ago highlighted the possibility of yesterday's event, but added a more sinister angle...terrorism -

"What I fear is a campaign that holds down the entire power grid for a long period of time. You bring down the power grid, you bring down every other infrastructure. You bring down water. You bring down transportation. And once you do that, the whole fabric of our society is decayed significantly. And it's not clear how we, as a society, would survive a two-month downtime of our power grid. That would be a significant event. That is the nightmare scenario that I am worried about."
O. Sami Saydjari, President , Cyber Defense Agency.

Power Grid vulnerability

the blackout in Manhattan has given the locals a feeling of how it was for the tousands of Celtic fans that went rough in Spain lat May>

Sleepless in Manhattan

Old Firm to join British League in 'three days'

"We had players coming back from injury - against a team of Arsenal's quality and strength in depth you need the strongest team available to you "

Alex McLeish
Rangers manager

result Rangers 0-3 Arsenal

With Rangers fielding a near full strenght side of -

Klos, Ross, Moore, Malcolm, Ball, Ferguson, Arteta, Nerlinger, de Boer, Thompson, Lovenkrands.

Meanwhile, Celtic draw 1-1 without Sutton, Hartson, Thompson or Larsson, with lambert and Agathe only featuring in the second half.

It doesn't hide the fact that Celtic need to strengthen their squad but a positive sign nonetheless...

only minutes after 'Chelsea agree £6.6m fee for Joe Cole' headline, the sky sports content editor has to write another one!

expect 'Chelsea agree £15.2m fee for Veron' any minute now....

update!

UPDATE
even the chelsea fans are caught out this time! thinkin they were clever predicting a move for Cole if Veron doesn't materialise, Abramovich outmanouveres them! It must be great fun in the south of London right now!

Only COle?

one shocked blue

thanks to Drew Peacock form the Huddleboard for the link

rangers

Here's a link to a new craze in american sports circles... the Babooshka...

Explained by NY Times columnist Vincent Mallozzi, these are the anglicised names for the russian babuska dolls... or troika's.

He mention s that some of them are selling on eBay for up to $75 ....

I managed to get my hands on a Celtic babooskha in Prague recèntly - how much am i offered!?

for the record it's made of 5 dolls - Henrik Larsson, John Hartson, Rab Douglas, Chris Suttona and Tom Boyd (i know!)

Babooskha!

Mike Tyson was a man with the ultimate primal talent; an ability to punch another human into submission.

Thankfully for him this came to light in an age where this kind of ability can be valuable, to the extent where one man can amass a fortune of up to half a billion dollars.

The future may not be so profitable for such a bloodthirsty 'sport', or perhaps it will grow in lucre, either way the future would be better off without another like Tyson.

Estimate put his personal fortune at anywhere between $300 and $500 million. Days ago it was revealed that he filed for bankruptcy. 20 years, $400million years later, and Tyson is still no less better off than he was were he employed in a fast food restaurant for that timespan.

At least not on a personal level.

Many people around him; friends, leeches and 'advisors' have benefited from his poundings, but the man suffering in the ring has not. In fact he has become less happy as time progresses and proven the old adage that 'money cant buy love', especially not love for onself.

Tyson has commented that he hates himself more than anyone else could hate him, and this is perhaps the root of his downfall. But maybe society and it's exorbitant value on watching two men beat each other has something to do with it.

Either way if this was to give a negative impression of the life lead by Tyson and turn some more of today;s youth away from boxing then it will be good news.

More to worry about than money

"One tip for aspiring footballers?
Never eat yellow snow"

some great stuff from partick Thistle striker Gerry Britton...



radio rental!

Not only is my money being wasted on Cabin Fever, where a gang of plebs sit in a boat hoping to win a few quid, now it's paying for thousands of people to sit in another sinking vessel singing about how they hate the Irish.

Yes RTE are paying to show Rangers games Live from scotland.

It is hard to understand the reasoning behind this, as the Rangers support in the 26-counties is comparable to a small cult.

I admit, I will watch the games, just as i did when they are on Setanta's PPV service, mostly in the hope of an upset, and it is much more fun than watching say, Juventus v Borussia Dortmund, where one does not necessarily have a favourite.

However, I doubt that RTE have thought of this venture with this logic and have merely been sold the whole package by BBC Scotland for an extra few shillings.

"No Rangers games, No Celtic games" they said....

and so here i am, in the land of the Celts, a nation that has begun to turn on the club set up to provide for the fledgling poor of ireland, and I'm paying to have probably the only anti-irish soccer club and it's vile supporters beamed into my living room.

Well done Bob Collins.

Postscript: what would onbe expect from a corportation which has 'Dame' Mary Peters on the Authority (board)??

Irish?

Dermot Desmond, so-called 'billionaire' and major share holder in Celtic FC is off to fantasy/arrogant land again with his Celtic to Premiership story.

I'm not totally against the idea of Celtic competing in that competition, it's just that i don't see Desmond acting with any interests,other than selfish ones.

Putting your money into a football club (Outwith Man U and Real) is an admission of either foolishnes or passion for a team, from which you don't hope to profit financially - a la Mr Chelsea, Roman Abramovich a real 'billionaire'.

However Desmond is happy to sit in Celtic Park preening his comic-book magnate-moustache, looking at the dwindling value of his shares, and spend £1m on a round of golf with Tiger Woods, while Chelsea's owner spends more money in a fortnight than Desmond has in four years.

His latest outburst is against those in control of the Premiership in England, or more specifially their lack of intention to allow Celtic into their competition.

Let me make my position clear - I would like to see Celtic in this competition, for the money that it would bring, more than anything else.

I don't like the idea of travelling to West Brom, Birmingham, Villa, Blackburn, Leeds etc or to possible opponents like Milwall and Cardiff.

I also don't like the idea that if Celtic win the league they will be the english representative's in Europe, although that will be secondary i'm sure to the actual competition and would ware off should they be successful.

Finally I don't think Desmond is in it for anything other than the money either. Read on...

"Desmond,has hit out at clubs, broadcasters and administrators, claiming a cartel is thwarting competition both north and south of the border.

He wants to see Celtic and Rangers admitted to the Barclaycard Premiership, claiming there would be benefits for the game south of the border and also claims the current television rights system is illegal.

In an interview to be broadcast on BBC Radio Five Live Desmond claimed: "The Premier League clubs - the smaller ones that is, have issued a mandate to the executive that they don't want Celtic and Rangers in the Premiership because they might undermine their position in the league, so the Premier league executive are under guidance from those majority of clubs, and again I don't think that is competition and I don't think that's in the interests of football."

- NOW, Is it just me or do the fans of the smaller clubs have a right to protect themselves? I would not be happy if i was a birmingham fan for example, and two Scottish clubs bumped me out of the league my team has worked hard for years to be in.
Only because they have more fans. If that was the way football worked, Ireland would be given a spot in every World Cup.


"Do you take Real Madrid and Barcelona and Juventus out of the European championship because people don't want to play them because they are too good? "

NO of course you don't but that competition is sepcifially cross-border whereas the english league is the english league and the scotttish is the socttish...

The european cup is set up to pit the best of each nation against the best, domestic competition is to find the best, as per regional borders.

I get the impression that Desmond is the type that wants a British Ice -hockey team in Dublin,m because it would be good 'for competition' - i.e. would make a lot of money.

Bottom line, If Celtic want to go to the premiership, something that is not prohibited by FIFA, UEFA, the SFA or the FA incidentally, they should have to qualify from the bottom division.

Celtic drew 1-1 with Arsenal today, but it should be a game remembered more for the performance of a certain Cork man, rather than the result.

It's not the first time that a Cork-man has come out on top iin a battle with Patrick Vieira but since the Frenchman was coming back from injury we'll let him off...

Liam Miller is the new great Irish hope in Glasgow, following the departure of COlin Healy to the mighty Sunderland (beaten 4-2 by Kilmarnock today). However, Healy is unlikley top be missed at all since Miller has shown to have as much as his compatriot and a little bit more.

His touch, vision, quick feet and scoring ability were all on display again today and if the irish under-21 captain does not make a break-through this season, Martin O'Neill should be deservedly condemned.

Miller has faced Man United, Boca Juniors and now Arsenal in pre-season and has not looked out of place in any game. Certainly he can add to his strength but his balance and poise is what the Celtic midfield could do with.

Patience is required from the fans who will no doubt expect something special from Miller everytime he takes the field, but I for one, expect the captain's armband round this man's arm in the not too distant future.

MIller's Gunner get you

The (Edinburgh) Festival Cup seems, on the surface, a good idea and a decent way to hype the season...

However, when the clubs play each other in competitive action only two weeks later, the pre-season game doesn't really work.

HIbernian and Hearts are the Edinburgh equivalent of Celtic and Rangers, but could you imagine that pair hosting a pre-season Old Firm derby!? Of course not, and i think that having the poor neighbours in Edingburgh meeting at least 5-times a season (they hope to hold the festival Cup annually) is a poor idea in a league where familiarity is breeding contempt.

Already the club's have been holding discussions in order to try and enlarge the Division to 14 clubs, so perhaps this has not been thought out properly by Hibs or Hearts.

Heart's not in it

The us media, already intent on hounding the Red Devils out of the states, for their 'wimpness', will surely latch onto this 'revelation' and (hopefully) peer behind the glossy facade of the club.

it's a fix

Real meanwhile cannot do wrong, and if you needed any further confirmation that Beckham was bought for his image above all else, check out today's friendly in China. 45,000 are expected to turn out for the game, well not the game really, but just for
Bek-ohm, as they like to call him.


Chinese whisper

Waterford United do it again... Rovers 0 - Waterford 1

Promoted from the First Division only last year, Waterford United have been the big shock in this year's Premier division.

After a 4-0 hammering on the opening day to Shelbourne, they were everyone's favourites to go down, however they have rallied incredibly and now sit 3 points off first place.

Despite 5 losses, 4 more than leaders Shels, and conceding 30 goals (more than any other team in the league) it is United's attack that has kept them in the hunt.

TOnight their goalscorer was ex-Celtic u-21 player Vinny Sullivan but despite their goalscoring exploits, their top-scorer is Daryl Murphy, with only 5!

However, tonight they sent Shamrock Rovers to their fifth loss in a row, and gave Sullivan his third goal of the campaign.

It may not be enough to get him back to Celtic, but there is no doubt that there is greater interest in the domestic league now, especially since summer soccer began.

Falkirk boss John 'Yogi' Hughes told me the other day of his club's attempts to sign up three irish based players and his hope of scouting Ireland on a more regular basis.

That, combined with the returning talent (from cash strapped english clubs) can only help Irish soccer and the fledgling summer league.

Bohemians good showing in Europe will be given more coverage next week after the away leg in Trondheim.

In other games UCD recorded their second victory of the season against the inconsistent Drogheda United. RObbie Griffin scored the only goal to extend the Students' unbeaten run to four games - their best run all season.

Cork City came from a goal behind to draw with Derry CIty at home and avoid their second home defeat in a week. It was Derry City boss Dermot Keely's first league points in charge of the northern club.

Combined with UCD's win, the result leaves Derry only 6 points above the relegation spot.

Keano, Scholesy, Buttsy, Sutts, Lenny, Carso, Thommo.....

Nicknames in English soccer tend to be ready made for players, many often known by fans before the player themselves.

Created, like many a free-kick routine, on the training ground but lacking the innovation of same.

Generally the pattern followed is to end the moniker with a -y sound or an -o sound, as illustrated above...

But one man avoids these generic names, and fittingly has a name that sounds like a duvet manufacturer....


The Duffer....


Again today, as posted below, the Chelsea man showed just how out of water this sleepy fish is, at the club's huge press conference.

"How are you feeling after your £17million move to Chelsea Damien?? "

"I'm Grand..."

Grand? Would Thommo or Sholesy have said 'Grand?' I doubt it... but then Duffer is as excitable as a three-toed sloth.

If football were any longer than 90 minuntes I seriously have my doubts that he'd be interested.

But Champions League football may yet wake the Ballyboden man up. His move away from Blackburn was inevitable, and it was always going to be to a team in the CL. Shame really that he didn't make it to Glasgow..

But that wouldn't be too sleepy would it Lenny!?





Duff would love Celtic move

ok i know the whole -ski additions are tiresome by now but i'm too tired to come up with anything else...

but here's a nice little snippet from the 6-county-tv website... especially for irish soccer fans...

Glen Crowski

The Champions World series tour where Man U, Celtic, Barca, Juve, Boca Juniors and Club America show the Yanks what it's all about has been proclaimed a wonderful success.

Huge crowds, Bobby Charlton and Ryan Giggs feted at Ground Zero, and Phil Neville banners in Seattle...

If you read the papers this side of the pond, that's the apparent concensus - but not in America.

According to the USA Today, in a column that is either tongue in cheek or the most ill-informed article in history, Man U didn't face an MLS side because they're, well a little limpwristed lat's say:

"Manchester United - wimps, cowards, pretty boys taking the easy road like a champion boxer ducking the top contender.

"Can you imagine the headlines if they made a Beatles- style landing in New York and then lost to the MetroStars? Perhaps they figure it'll be easier to explain a loss to a mysterious Mexican team (United actually won 3-1) than - gasp - a bunch of Americans. And so they duck.

"Ruud van Nistelrooy knows he can't put any shots past Kevin Hartman and Adin Brown. These aren't the second-rate Scandinavian goalkeepers he faces in England, where the only star is the former MLS player Brad Friedel (???). And the Neville brothers would rather shank the ball into the third row 20 times a game than try to contain Carlos Ruiz or Taylor Twellman."

Yup that's what i was just thinking too!!

Well, the summer has been particularly quiet from a transfer market point of view with less signings made this year than ever before since the bosman ruling came to effect.

However there has been one notable exception, Chelsea FC. Perennial bridesmaids and occasional cup winners, the London club have plunged into the market with great vigour thanks to a comic-book Billionaire chairman from Russia.

Roman Abramovich, the post-soviet 'Oligarch' with billions under his matress has already spent over stg£40m on players

And like any high-flyer who has spent a lot of money he put them all on show today for SKY Sports Tv. In a bizarre press-conference where the players sat side by side at a long table, with bemused manager Claudio Ranieri at one end, it was a real show of strength from the club, who hope to capture the title this season.

But it's not going to happen.

Money can buy you many things, and while the Beatles sang 'Can't buy me love', they only chose that title because 'the premiership' has more syllables than 'Love'.

Damien Duff is the most expensive signing (so far) and in Geremi, Wayne Bridge and Glen Johnson they have more talented players, but i don't think it can possibly work in the first season.

Bridge is a good player but left-backs don't win titles. Duff is an exraordinary talent but he will probably be out injured by November and Glen Johnson is nothing more than an investment in the future. Geremi is a talent but until Chelsea buy a player that Madrid don't want to sell they won;t be up there with Madrid.

HOwever, despite my pessimism, the Abramovich revolution will undoubtedly make the premiership a more exciting place this year, and heaven knows it needs it.

Welcome to my blog.

About me: I'm 25 years old, living in Dublin, Ireland and work as a freelance writer, broadcaster and sports commentator.

I hope to use this site as a vehicle for some articles, tales and general observations accross the spectrum of sports, football, Celtic fc, politics, travel and so on.