Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Scotcha!
Well, what can be said about Scotland's victory that hasn't already been written in the 45 page special in Monday's Scottish Daily Record?
An incredible result, it equalled Ireland's fantastic victory over the same spolied Dutch stars in 2001, but unfortunately not with the same timing as the Irish.
The problem is that, while Ireland beat Holland after drawing 2-2 in Amsterdam, the Dutch did not have a chance of revenge four days later as they do on this occasion.
Sure Lee Wilkie pulled off one of his once in a blue moon blue chip performances to keep RVN off the scoresheet, and Christian Dailly had a stormer in an unusual midfield role.
Darren Fletcher and James MCFadden also gave the Hampden crowd some genuine cheer for the first time in years, BUt there has to be a but.
Cna anyone, Even the scots, see RVN going 180 minutes against Douglas, Wilkie, Pressley et al without scoring??
I honestly can't and one man that agrees with me is Douglas' team mate Neil Lennon.
Having been in his company on SAturday while the irish team had lunch in Portmarnock Links hotel in Dublin, we both watched Rab mess up a cross and Lenny said 'there's Rab up to his old tricks!" - as he flapped his hands over his head...
Unfortunately I fear Rab will flap a little too often , Wilkie wil have a more usual nose bleed, McFadden will be taken out of the game, and RVN and Davids will run the show.
I also expect Rafael Van De Vaart to steal the show, if and when given the chance, in his home ground.
An incredible result, it equalled Ireland's fantastic victory over the same spolied Dutch stars in 2001, but unfortunately not with the same timing as the Irish.
The problem is that, while Ireland beat Holland after drawing 2-2 in Amsterdam, the Dutch did not have a chance of revenge four days later as they do on this occasion.
Sure Lee Wilkie pulled off one of his once in a blue moon blue chip performances to keep RVN off the scoresheet, and Christian Dailly had a stormer in an unusual midfield role.
Darren Fletcher and James MCFadden also gave the Hampden crowd some genuine cheer for the first time in years, BUt there has to be a but.
Cna anyone, Even the scots, see RVN going 180 minutes against Douglas, Wilkie, Pressley et al without scoring??
I honestly can't and one man that agrees with me is Douglas' team mate Neil Lennon.
Having been in his company on SAturday while the irish team had lunch in Portmarnock Links hotel in Dublin, we both watched Rab mess up a cross and Lenny said 'there's Rab up to his old tricks!" - as he flapped his hands over his head...
Unfortunately I fear Rab will flap a little too often , Wilkie wil have a more usual nose bleed, McFadden will be taken out of the game, and RVN and Davids will run the show.
I also expect Rafael Van De Vaart to steal the show, if and when given the chance, in his home ground.
BOH-NO
well as most of you (who give a shit) will know, Bohemians were beaten by Shelbourne last Friday, (1-0).
However, last night they drew 1-1 with Longford Town to all but end their chances of retaining the league title for the first time in their history.
With Shelbourne beating Drogheda 2-0 at home in a comfortable game for the Champs elect, it mean that the gao between the pair is now an almost unassailable 4 points, with 3 games left.
This explains perhaps why Stephen Kenny, Bohemians manager, was seen holding his head in his hand at the final whistle, having been informed by a fan that Shels had indeed won.
The game ended 1-1. with graham Gartland the nemesis on this occasion.
Ordinarily I'd be happy for Graham as he is a friend of mine who i met while in University in leeds, while he was playing for Barnsley.
He soon left there for Dundee United and then came back to Ireland, as many Irish youngsters these days do.
He has since signed for Longford and won an FAI Cup medal but only on Sunday night i spoke to him and asked him to throw the game with BOhs...jokingly of course..
he almost agreed but lo and behold, of course he pops up with a headed goal on 5 minutes to put Bohs on the back foot.
Bohs best player,and captain, Kevin Hunt, gets himself sent off on 37 and its all uphill from then..
Robbie Doyle did equalise eventually but it was too little too late..
shame.
However, last night they drew 1-1 with Longford Town to all but end their chances of retaining the league title for the first time in their history.
With Shelbourne beating Drogheda 2-0 at home in a comfortable game for the Champs elect, it mean that the gao between the pair is now an almost unassailable 4 points, with 3 games left.
This explains perhaps why Stephen Kenny, Bohemians manager, was seen holding his head in his hand at the final whistle, having been informed by a fan that Shels had indeed won.
The game ended 1-1. with graham Gartland the nemesis on this occasion.
Ordinarily I'd be happy for Graham as he is a friend of mine who i met while in University in leeds, while he was playing for Barnsley.
He soon left there for Dundee United and then came back to Ireland, as many Irish youngsters these days do.
He has since signed for Longford and won an FAI Cup medal but only on Sunday night i spoke to him and asked him to throw the game with BOhs...jokingly of course..
he almost agreed but lo and behold, of course he pops up with a headed goal on 5 minutes to put Bohs on the back foot.
Bohs best player,and captain, Kevin Hunt, gets himself sent off on 37 and its all uphill from then..
Robbie Doyle did equalise eventually but it was too little too late..
shame.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Bohemian Rhapsody?
Tomorrow night (Friday) is make or break time for the eicom League Premier Division title.
Bohemians, reigning champions and league leaders by one point, face second plaed Shelbourne in a televised clash at Dalymount Park.
Bohs are hoping to become the first side in their history to retain the title while Shels are hoping to make it the third time that the pair have hand the trophy to each other in the last 6 years with both side dominating the competition.
The pair are 12 points ahead of third place,with 4 league games remaining for most teams.
The mere fact that Bohs have any chance of winning this title speaks volumes for their players and manager, who were 16 points behind Shels at one point, following European involvement.
Both sides are the most professional set ups in the country and it is unlikley any side will split them in the next two to three years, however the league is still no getting the recognition/media coverage it proabably deserves.
This is the first year of summer soccer (april - november calendar) and the product has markedly improved.
The epic FAI Cup semi-final between St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians attracted a larger audience than the English Premiership highlights package ( a la Match of the Day) the week before.
RTE will show tomorrow's game live and one can only hope it lives up to the hype.
Failing that COME ON BOHEMIANS! :)
TOP TWO CLASH
Bohemians, reigning champions and league leaders by one point, face second plaed Shelbourne in a televised clash at Dalymount Park.
Bohs are hoping to become the first side in their history to retain the title while Shels are hoping to make it the third time that the pair have hand the trophy to each other in the last 6 years with both side dominating the competition.
The pair are 12 points ahead of third place,with 4 league games remaining for most teams.
The mere fact that Bohs have any chance of winning this title speaks volumes for their players and manager, who were 16 points behind Shels at one point, following European involvement.
Both sides are the most professional set ups in the country and it is unlikley any side will split them in the next two to three years, however the league is still no getting the recognition/media coverage it proabably deserves.
This is the first year of summer soccer (april - november calendar) and the product has markedly improved.
The epic FAI Cup semi-final between St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians attracted a larger audience than the English Premiership highlights package ( a la Match of the Day) the week before.
RTE will show tomorrow's game live and one can only hope it lives up to the hype.
Failing that COME ON BOHEMIANS! :)
TOP TWO CLASH
Will Kobe trial be emulated in England?
Will all eyes at Newcastle's training ground in the next few months be looking at LA?
If they;re not, they should be.
LA LAkers star Kobe Bryant's rape trial is about to begin there after a six month delay and it's already looking like it will outstrip O.J's as the "trial of the century".
Kobe (an american Beckham) is accused of raping a 19-yr old Spa employee in June; a woman who has since been named by American media sources, including the huge tabloid The Globe.
Disgracefully the Globe showed a 3 year old picture of her with a thigh high garter on display in it, with the tag "Did she really say no?"
Some Americans have backed this splash as the 'freedom of the press', but it's highly likley that this will be an unfortunate precedent.
This trial will unfortunately be overtaken by the questions of media power, celebrity and sports-star responsibility.
This, of course is what has already happened in England but with Bryant, a $40m a year superstar and an all-star defence likely to be backing him up, is a fair trial going to ensue?
The only chance the small town prosecutor (who must sense some chance of victory) has is to strip Kobe of his Kobe-worth.
the brand of Kobe is what the jurors will see but the fame, the glamour, the race will have to be blotted out.
Michael Wolff of the NY Metro takes over :
Take as good an athlete as has arguably ever existed and make him expendable.
Which, of course, is not possible.
The likely strategy, then, is that the prosecutors will just ignore Kobe. Or ignore his Kobe-ness. They’ll pretend he’s other than who he is. They’ll pretend that this is something other than a media trial. Even if a prosecutor has stars in his eyes—which you can count on—he’ll keep trying to limit his and the jury’s field of vision.
That’s what we’ll see. A shambling, clueless government against an all-powerful, savvy pop culture.
"The alternative might be to wage a dialectical trial, too, to try to put the culture (the low culture, anyway) on trial: celebrity, sports, media itself, a culture that deifies dumbed-down men, lavishly rewards them for physical aggressiveness, grants them carte blanche entitlement for whatever they want when they want it, and excuses them from normal social restraints. Sports culture and sports business and sports media really are what this is about. Who doesn’t believe that versions of what Kobe Bryant did to a concierge at that Eagle County hotel take place in hotels wherever athletes stay?"
If they;re not, they should be.
LA LAkers star Kobe Bryant's rape trial is about to begin there after a six month delay and it's already looking like it will outstrip O.J's as the "trial of the century".
Kobe (an american Beckham) is accused of raping a 19-yr old Spa employee in June; a woman who has since been named by American media sources, including the huge tabloid The Globe.
Disgracefully the Globe showed a 3 year old picture of her with a thigh high garter on display in it, with the tag "Did she really say no?"
Some Americans have backed this splash as the 'freedom of the press', but it's highly likley that this will be an unfortunate precedent.
This trial will unfortunately be overtaken by the questions of media power, celebrity and sports-star responsibility.
This, of course is what has already happened in England but with Bryant, a $40m a year superstar and an all-star defence likely to be backing him up, is a fair trial going to ensue?
The only chance the small town prosecutor (who must sense some chance of victory) has is to strip Kobe of his Kobe-worth.
the brand of Kobe is what the jurors will see but the fame, the glamour, the race will have to be blotted out.
Michael Wolff of the NY Metro takes over :
Take as good an athlete as has arguably ever existed and make him expendable.
Which, of course, is not possible.
The likely strategy, then, is that the prosecutors will just ignore Kobe. Or ignore his Kobe-ness. They’ll pretend he’s other than who he is. They’ll pretend that this is something other than a media trial. Even if a prosecutor has stars in his eyes—which you can count on—he’ll keep trying to limit his and the jury’s field of vision.
That’s what we’ll see. A shambling, clueless government against an all-powerful, savvy pop culture.
"The alternative might be to wage a dialectical trial, too, to try to put the culture (the low culture, anyway) on trial: celebrity, sports, media itself, a culture that deifies dumbed-down men, lavishly rewards them for physical aggressiveness, grants them carte blanche entitlement for whatever they want when they want it, and excuses them from normal social restraints. Sports culture and sports business and sports media really are what this is about. Who doesn’t believe that versions of what Kobe Bryant did to a concierge at that Eagle County hotel take place in hotels wherever athletes stay?"
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Miller time
just to draw attention to this - given the massive hype surrounding the young man right now.
but i did tell you so :)
scroll down to August 2 on this site..
"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."
C.
but i did tell you so :)
scroll down to August 2 on this site..
"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."
C.
Sven's he Gonna pick Sutton Eriksson
The English have done it again....
however it surely can not be more shocking than on this occasion..
what am i on about? The English international squad.
Not that i should really care , but i don;t get Eriksson;s logic.
Up front he has picked Darius Vassel, Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney.
Chris Sutton has shown more in the last two months than this trio put together in the last year to merit inclusion.
Meanwhile the english press complain abut the omission of james Beattie.
Im not too annoyed that Sutton is not getting the recognition his form deserves (2 Cl games in 3 games, 5 domestic goal in 3 games, all round spledour) - but the fact that they are seemingly omitting him because he;s playing in Scotland.
When will they learn!?
henrik Larsson was today named in the Golden Ball short list - but Eriksson would probably ignore him too were he Englsih - or demand a move to Villa or something!
I suppose though, i should look at this selfishly... Sutton, a la Shearer and Keane, will now be at his best for longer, for Celtic and Celtic alone.
Nowt wrong with that logic Sven.
however it surely can not be more shocking than on this occasion..
what am i on about? The English international squad.
Not that i should really care , but i don;t get Eriksson;s logic.
Up front he has picked Darius Vassel, Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney.
Chris Sutton has shown more in the last two months than this trio put together in the last year to merit inclusion.
Meanwhile the english press complain abut the omission of james Beattie.
Im not too annoyed that Sutton is not getting the recognition his form deserves (2 Cl games in 3 games, 5 domestic goal in 3 games, all round spledour) - but the fact that they are seemingly omitting him because he;s playing in Scotland.
When will they learn!?
henrik Larsson was today named in the Golden Ball short list - but Eriksson would probably ignore him too were he Englsih - or demand a move to Villa or something!
I suppose though, i should look at this selfishly... Sutton, a la Shearer and Keane, will now be at his best for longer, for Celtic and Celtic alone.
Nowt wrong with that logic Sven.
WHats been happening....
I think it;'s only fair to start off with a line bout where I've been, so here goes.
I made the trip to Munich as mentioned below and it delivered on the excitement promised, as you may or may not know.
Celtic proved once again, their European class, however it was not enough to stop a lucky Bayern side taking the three points.
It was cruel, but things have looked up since.
That night marked Liam Miller's first appearance in the CL and he has since proven to be quite a player.
I wrote about this guy before and mentioned his class so it's great to see him proving it so well.
He;'s named in Brian Kerr's ireland squad for newxt week;s friendly international with canada and i think it s a little too late to be honest.
he should have played against Switzerland but that chance is gone now unfortunately.
Back to Celtic however, a great victory over Anderlecht last week gave them a huge boost in the group, coupled with Lyon;s win in Germany.
I said earlier (below) that 3 home wins should be enough - and i think thats still the case.
I made the trip to Munich as mentioned below and it delivered on the excitement promised, as you may or may not know.
Celtic proved once again, their European class, however it was not enough to stop a lucky Bayern side taking the three points.
It was cruel, but things have looked up since.
That night marked Liam Miller's first appearance in the CL and he has since proven to be quite a player.
I wrote about this guy before and mentioned his class so it's great to see him proving it so well.
He;'s named in Brian Kerr's ireland squad for newxt week;s friendly international with canada and i think it s a little too late to be honest.
he should have played against Switzerland but that chance is gone now unfortunately.
Back to Celtic however, a great victory over Anderlecht last week gave them a huge boost in the group, coupled with Lyon;s win in Germany.
I said earlier (below) that 3 home wins should be enough - and i think thats still the case.
BACK!
it's been a while but I'm finally back in action.
A very lengthy spell with a tortoise slow pc and a freelance job that has taken me places i never thought I'd see has put this site on the cyber dole line for a while.
However, hopefully starting today I can return to updating on a more regular basis.
A very lengthy spell with a tortoise slow pc and a freelance job that has taken me places i never thought I'd see has put this site on the cyber dole line for a while.
However, hopefully starting today I can return to updating on a more regular basis.
