Well played Ed Woodward

9 years ago

Classic Big Sam! Whatever the rights and wrongs of Sam Allardyce’s remarks to The Telegraph‘s investigative reporters posing as businessmen, you can’t deny that now ex-England manager is one of the last old school characters of British football. They say the test of whether a politician has the common touch is whether or not you’d like to go for […]

10 years ago

One of the most famous piece of soccer commentary of the past 30 years came in the 1999 Champions League final. Trailing 1-0 to Bayern Munich, Manchester United had a corner kick in the dying moments of the match. “Can they score?” ITV’s Clive Tyldesley asked. “They always score.”  He was right. They did score. […]

10 years ago

Paddy Barnes is at the start of a new journey, a new exciting venture in his glittering career. The 29-year-old has turned professional, having signed for Matthew Macklin’s MGM Marbella in the wake of his disappointing Rio Games. Barnes joins an impressive stable of fighters at MGM which includes Liam Smith, Martin Murray, Billy Joe Saunders and Dery Mathews. […]

10 years ago

Really promising signs. Harry Arter has looked like a class act ever since he made his way into Martin O’Neill’s Ireland squad for the snoozefest that was the friendly against England at the Aviva in June 2015. Granted, the Bournemouth midfielder’s opportunities in a green shirt have been somewhat limited through a combination of the […]

10 years ago

Bad news for Irish fans, but not a huge surprise. Darren Clarke named his three wildcard picks for the Ryder Cup on Tuesday lunchtime and unfortunately for fans of Shane Lowry they were as predicted in many places this morning. Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters make the cut which means there’s no place […]

10 years ago

He’s gone… for now. It’s hard not to have some sympathy for Alberto Moreno. He made his name as an attacking full-back and it was this prowess going forward that persuaded Liverpool to shell out £17m to prise him from Sevilla. But now everyone expects him to be able to defend like Paolo Maldini. That’s […]

10 years ago

Two Irish men have been at the centre of the Olympics news agenda for very different reasons this week. Pat Hickey has made headlines around the world after he was arrested by Brazilian police on Wednesday as they investigate the illegal sale of Rio 2016 tickets. Hickey’s arrest came 24 hours after Michael Conlan also […]

10 years ago

Liverpool scored four great goals against Arsenal last weekend. It was hard to pick a favourite. Philippe Coutinho’s equalising free kick was spectacular, the Brazilian’s second came from a nicely worked move topped off with a smart finish, and Sadio Mane’s fourth, which turned out to be the winner, was a spectacular solo effort. But if neutrals […]

10 years ago

Say what you want about Ireland’s participation in the Rio Games but it hasn’t been dull. Pat Hickey’s arrest in Rio in the early hours of Wednesday morning was the most dramatic event so far of an Olympics that began with Michael O’Reilly failed drugs test, took a wild veer left last week with the […]

10 years ago

Major breaking news from Rio. Reports from Brazil claim that Olympic Council of Ireland President Pat Hickey has been arrested in Rio de Janeiro. Hickey’s arrest came at his hotel in Barra da Tijuca with the Associated Press reporting that Hickey along with six others are accused of plotting the illegal sale of Olympic tickets. Reports […]

10 years ago

Unbelievable! Thomas Barr produced the performance of his life to win his semi-final and reach the final of the men’s 400m hurdle at the Olympic Stadium in Rio. The 24-year-old has had an extremely tough year with injury but all that is in the past as he jumped brilliantly to give Ireland a chance at a […]

10 years ago

Top, top bombing from Ireland’s Oliver Dingley. At one point halfway through the second round the 23-year-old was in the silver medal position in the men’s 3m springboard final. In the end Dingley had to settle for eighth position, though he gave Irish fans a thrilling ride along the way, converting many (for now at least) to […]

10 years ago

Oh no. Ireland’s disappointing Olympic Games in the boxing ring just got a hell of a lot worse as Katie Taylor was beaten by Finland’s Mira Potkonen in the last-eight of the women’s 60kg division. Defending the gold medal she won in London four years ago, Taylor looked sluggish and never really found he stride against the […]

10 years ago

It’s back. It’s been about eight minutes since last season ended but my god they have been a long eight minutes. The Premier League returns on Saturday and whatever weariness you may be feeling will soon disappear as the soap opera Last season we were spectacularly off the mark with our predictions. Top Four Dion […]

10 years ago

A bad week for Irish boxing. Paddy Barnes, along with pretty much everyone in Ireland, was left stunned after he was beaten by Spain’s Samuel Carmona Heredia in his first fight at the Rio Games. Paddy Barnes stunned as Samuel Carmona Heredia ends Olympic dream https://t.co/dMNIF1OCX7 — SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 8, 2016 The Belfast boxer […]

10 years ago

Wow. Paddy Barnes has been fallen at the first hurdle after being beaten on a split decision by Spain’s Samuel Carmona Heredia. The Belfast fighter was hoping to add a gold medal to the bronze he won in London and Beijing but the dream came to a shuddering halt in the Riocentro. It was far from […]

10 years ago

Super Saturday awaits… It’s another huge weekend in Gaelic football as Dublin take on Donegal and Tyrone face Mayo for a place in the semi-finals. Wooly is joined in studio by Conán Doherty and Barry Cahill to preview Saturday’s massive double header at Croke Park. The lads also discuss Paraic Duffy’s new restructure proposal and whether […]

10 years ago

Is this the first step towards a Champions League style format?

10 years ago

Big boost for the Kingdom. Much of the focus from the neutrals this week has been on how a 33-team Championship structure somehow allows Kerry to play three matches against two teams (Clare twice and Tipperary) for a place in the semi-final. But as Sunday’s All-Ireland quarter-final approaches there is a growing sense that there […]

10 years ago

It’s here. Paul Pogba has hoovered up most of ‘Oh God, please, when will it end?’ transfer news of the summer but there’s a new horse in town. And this horse has form. Arsenal have been masters of the protracted transfer saga for well over a decade. Ever since the days Patrick Vieira bored us into […]

10 years ago

It’s been a tough week for Davy Fitz. The Clare manager was admitted to hospital earlier this week but was back on the sideline to watch his side take on Galway in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship quarter-final at Semple Stadium. Clare fell to a 2-17 to 0-17 defeat and speaking on RTE after the game […]

10 years ago

Nice money if you can get it. Bournemouth have already paid Liverpool £15 million this summer for squad player Jordan Ibe and now they’re about hand over another £6m for Australian full-back Brad Smith, a player who has made just five league appearances for the Merseyside club. Smith came to the attention of a lot of […]

10 years ago

One for the Liverpool fan in your life

10 years ago

Would this be a good move for Jeff? Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady are the Irish players who did the most to put themselves in the shop window thanks to their displays at Euro 2016. Norwich have placed a £20 million price tag on Brady to try and ward off interest from Premier League champions […]

10 years ago

Oh God. You’ve just won your seventh Wimbledon title and your 22nd Grand Slam event. It’s a joyous and unforgettable moment, even for someone as decorated as Serena Williams. You leave an adoring Centre Court behind and make your way back to the locker rooms. Only who is lurking around the corner? Cliff Richard. Yes, […]

10 years ago

Too much. Leicester City’s pursuit of Robbie Brady appears to have reached an impasse after Norwich demanded upwards of £20 million for the Republic of Ireland international. Brady is being chased by a host of Premier League clubs following his outstanding displays during the European Championships, but it is the Premier League champions who were […]

10 years ago

More good news for Manchester United. It’s been an exciting time at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho was unveiled earlier this week and new signings are flooding in the door. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly have already signed this summer while talks are continuing in London over the transfer of Paul Pogba from Juventus. Jose Mourinho explains […]

10 years ago

Wow! Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in prison, according to reports in Spain. The Barcelona star has been convicted of three counts of tax fraud along with his father Jorge and both have been handed jail terms as well as large fines. Because the sentence is less than two years and neither […]

10 years ago

He’s finally here. Even Jose Mourinho seemed vaguely exhausted by the time he was unveiled as Manchester United manager on Tuesday morning. Anyone hoping for the charismatic and charming Jose would have been disappointed as instead he was sullen and monotone in his delivery. Maybe he was just bored. Great to see that the break […]

10 years ago

‘It is not my responsibility. It is not my fault’ Ryan Giggs departed Manchester United this week with very little fanfare considering that he had given the best part of 30 years of his life to the club. There was to be no partnership with new manager Jose Mourinho, no role for one of the […]

10 years ago

Kerry 3-17 Tipperary 2-10. Kerry made it four Munster titles in a row with a comprehensive 10-point victory over Tipperary in Killarney. Eamon Fitzmaurice’s men survived an early scare when Tipperary put the ball in the next inside 35 seconds, but kept their composure to run out comfortable winners in the end There were plenty […]

10 years ago

It seems hard to believe that it was seven days ago that Ireland’s Euro 2016 adventure came to an end. Overall, it was a positive tournament for Ireland. It was certainly a marked improvement on four years ago when Ireland exited without a point and without laying a glove on any of their group opponents. […]

10 years ago

These are momentous times, folks. Iceland are in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. Wales are in the semi-finals. Leicester City are the current Premier League champions. Years from now someone will probably produce a detailed paper which will explain exactly how these minnows managed to topple the supposedly older, wiser, richer aristocrats of European football. […]

10 years ago

It may be finally happening. Manchester United have opened talks with Juventus over the transfer of Paul Pogba, according to reports in France. The negotiations are being headed by Ed Woodward (so they could take a while) with Italian club adamant that any fee must be in excess of €100m, which would make the 23-year-old the most […]

10 years ago

The boy Baker has shown plenty of passion. Danny Baker is without doubt one of the best radio broadcasters going. Funny, insightful and in-tune with real football fans, his BBC 5 Live show on a Saturday morning can veer seamlessly from the sublime to te ridiculous and back again. Following England’s disastrous defeat by Iceland […]

10 years ago

France needed a late, great strike from Dimitri Payet to beat Romania in their opening group game, two late goals to overcome Albania in Marseille, before failing to find a way past Switzerland. It appears as though Didier Deschamps is still ironing out some issues with his team. For the game against Ireland, France will go […]

10 years ago

Shane Lowry had to settle for a tie of second place as Dustin Johnson claimed the US Open in farcical circumstances at Oakmont. Lowry, who began the final round with a four-shot lead, finished on one-under par, three shots behind Johnson, but the Offaly man can be rightly proud of an incredible week’s golf in hugely […]

10 years ago

Jose Mourinho has ruled out any possibility of Ryan Giggs being his assistant at Manchester United, according to a report in the Times. Matt Hughes’ report also states that Mourinho has yet to even have a conversation with Giggs, despite being confirmed as United manager three weeks ago. Mourinho, according to Hughes’ report, was not impressed with […]

10 years ago

What was he thinking?

10 years ago

Well this has got things off to a flyer… Eamon Dunphy used his opening salvo of RTE’s Euro 2016 to launch a scathing attack on Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane. Dunphy, who ghost wrote Roy Keane’s autobiography in 2002, hit out at the Corkman for his comments about Aiden McGeady and other members […]

10 years ago

Limerick fans aren’t happy

10 years ago

Do onto others and all that… Roy Keane’s comments on Wednesday following Ireland’s disappointing performance in the 2-1 defeat by Belarus on Tuesday evening were seen by many as the proverbial kick up the backside some of the players needed on the eve of Euro 2016. James McClean, in particular, seems to have taken them […]

10 years ago

Hang on to your hats. There may be some fun times ahead. It wouldn’t be right for Ireland to be at a major tournament without Eamon Dunphy going to war with the manager. Euro ’88 is just about our only finals appearance where there was something approaching harmony between RTE’s most notable analyst and the coach […]

10 years ago

Well why wouldn’t he be? Alberto Moreno became the pantomime villain in the wake of Liverpool’s Europa League final defeat by Sevilla on Wednesday. The Spanish left-back was badly at fault for Sevilla’s equaliser shortly after half-time. To make matters Moreno, who joined Liverpool from Sevilla in 2014, was seen high-fiving and hugging his former teammates […]

10 years ago

As lunch dates go, this one got a lot of attention. There has been no shortage of suggestion from insiders at Old Trafford that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is the manager admired above all others by Manchester United overlord Sir Alex Ferguson. There is still huge uncertainty over whether or not Louis van Gaal will be […]

10 years ago

We’re getting closer now. A few weeks before each and every Ireland match Martin O’Neill sits down in front of the Irish media to tell them that pretty much every single Irish person who has ever even kicked a football and who can run 100 metres without coughing up a lung is in the preliminary […]

10 years ago

Vincent Kompany broke the news himself on his Facebook page. It was accompanied by the most Vincent Kompany statement imaginable. One in which he asked fans not to feel sorry for him, one in which he showed typical resolve and selflessness; one in which he referenced the ‘bigger pictures in life’ in order to put his […]

10 years ago

Time for the FAI to finally sort out that contract. Reports on Sunday morning suggest that Everton have switched their attention from Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill to Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores if, as seems inevitable, they part company with Roberto Martinez this summer. O’Neill, who has yet to sign a new contract with […]

10 years ago

We should probably take everything Floyd Mayweather says with a large pinch of diamond encrusted salt. Reports emerged during the week – and were immediately dismissed by the MMA community – that a multi-million dollar fight between Mayweather and Conor McGregor was on the verge of being announced. Absolutely no truth to this McGregor-Mayweather story. […]

10 years ago