Mustafi could be a short-term fix to Liverpool’s defensive injury crisis Liverpool, you might have heard, could do with a defender. Maybe a couple of defenders. Long-term injuries to Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez – following the summer departure of Dejan Lovren – left the Premier League champions a little light at the back […]

5 years ago

Gambling firm football shirt sponsorship could be banned in months. Increasing concerns over gambling addiction in the UK could see Boris Johnson announce a ban on betting company sponsors appearing on football shirts in the months ahead. With a review being conducted by the government, The Telegraph report the prime minister could bring about a […]

5 years ago

Brought to you by Vodafone Christmas is just around the corner, so why not treat yourself to some of these great deals? In 2020, people are most certainly ready to embrace getting into the Christmas spirit a bit earlier than usual. Mention of Christmas, of course, brings with it thoughts of gifts for friends and […]

5 years ago

The following is an extract from the new book, Be The Best You Can Be In Sport, a book for Irish youth by Paul Kilgannon (@carver_coaching). The book is a worthwhile and practical tool for practicing self-improvement and self-coaching in sport and in life, with insights from many of Ireland’s top coaches and sports stars. Paul has kindly allowed […]

5 years ago

The more things change, the more they same. A hundred days without the Premier League and there goes David Luiz acting like nothing has changed. The Premier League returned on Wednesday night. There were no fans, the players stayed socially distant in the build up and it was like nothing we had seen before. Well, […]

6 years ago

Has Teemu Pukki started something significant? When Teemu Pukki scored Norwich City’s third goal at Carrow Road on Saturday night, it underlined that Manchester City were having one of those days. But was it something more than that? City are already five points behind Liverpool as this season shapes up to be more of the […]

6 years ago

Pick up your favourite Cadbury bar for your chance to win a Premier League prize It’s that time of year again. Schools are back, and we’re a few weeks deep into the premier league. But you know what it’s also time for? Cadbury! The official snack partner of the Premier League is ready to shine. […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by Lucozade Sport The Scrums At Dawn event is totally free, and includes a HIIT workout and a healthy breakfast before Japan vs Ireland kicks off. One of the biggest games of the 2019 Rugby World Cup groups stages takes place on Saturday, 28 September with Japan vs Ireland, and it looks […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by AIB GAA This video from AIB will make every GAA fan ask themselves what they’d do in this situation What’s the toughest thing a GAA fan could do during the All Ireland final? Not watch it. As part of their continued support for club and county GAA, AIB gathered some die […]

6 years ago

There was a moment of pure happiness. Gabriel Jesus was ecstatic. Manchester City had got what the deserved and Pep Guardiola and Sergio Aguero were reconciled. And then VAR came along and ruined it all. This was another dramatic moment in the roll out of football’s new review system, but as people tried to work […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by Flexi-Fi September is just around the corner, time to stock up on some new sports gear Training sessions in the dark will be here sooner than you think. Isn’t it about time you got some new bits? From those new boots that will give an extra bit of grip, to the […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by  First stop Dublin, next stop Premier League! Across the country, teams are preparing to compete in an awesome competition. Four five-a-side football heats are taking place in Dublin, Belfast, Galway and Cork. Winners from each city will go head to head for a chance to win the weekend trip of a […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by   The City of the Tribes? More like City of the 5-a-sides… Alright people of Galway, we’ve got a proposition for you. We’re looking to find people skilled enough to conquer both the digital and physical worlds of football, and we’ve teamed up with Coca-Cola to send them on the trip of […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by There’s an opportunity for the holiday of a lifetime for the winners. Are you a budding soccer star? You might want to listen up! Round up your pals with the best footie skills and get down to Mayfield Sports and Leisure Centre on Sunday, 11 August. This is one of four heats that […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by   The Premier League trip of a lifetime will be up for grabs! In case you haven’t heard, we’re running a competition at the moment with Coca-Cola for six people to be sent on an epic Premier League trip. Part of the plan is for there to be four five-a-side tournaments across […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by   If you get a top score in our 5-a-side shootout game, we’ll invite you to a real five-a-side tournament where you’ll compete to win the ultimate Premier League trip thanks to Coke! Summer (not that we’ve seen much of it this year) is great and all, but let’s be honest here. […]

7 years ago

Ronan O’Neill gave us the dab in the GAA and now Rian O’Neill has brought back John Cena’s famous ‘You can’t see me’ taunt. The Armagh full-forward got off to a brilliant start in the Orchard County’s round three qualifier and found his way on to the score sheet after a great turn by Aidan […]

7 years ago

What now for Martin O’Neill? On Friday, Martin O’Neill was dismissed by Nottingham Forest after five months in the job. Few people in Ireland will have been surprised by this decision but is it possible to feel sorry for O’Neill given the state of Nottingham Forest? What will O’Neill’s legacy be now after his […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by AIG Ireland Test your knowledge on the ultimate GAA county challenge, we’ll be seriously impressed if you get more than seven… Across the country, in every town and village, there’s always one thing you can rely upon, local GAA clubs at the heart of each and every community. They unite people, […]

7 years ago

Next February will see the first ever Premier League winter break The Premier League will introduce a mid-season break for players for the first time in its history during next season. An agreement reached by the Football Association, Premier League and the English Football League will see a two-week break built into the season in […]

7 years ago

Barry Murphy, Andrew Trimble, Dan Leavy, Fergus McFadden, and more big names will be in town to preview the 2019 Guinness PRO14 Final. Hard to believe that the season is coming to a close, but the 2019 Guinness PRO14 Final is finally on the horizon. For many of these players, this represents the last piece […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by Dtwo Barry Murphy and Gary Cooke of Après Match will be there, as will some of Ireland’s funniest people. Being an Irish football supporter isn’t exactly easy. While you could never doubt the spirit of our boys in green, there have been plenty of dark days along the way. Thankfully, we […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by AIG Ireland “Twenty of us in the red HiAce going down, all in our gear…” What makes GAA so special is that it brings communities together in a way few other sports can. No matter where it’s based, the local club is only as strong as the community that supports it. […]

7 years ago

Marcelo Bielsa is the man English football needs right now. Hell, Marcelo Bielsa may even be the man England needs right now. Leeds United’s game against Aston Villa on Sunday looked like it was going to disintegrate into recrimination and rancour before Bielsa came along. His decision to order his side to concede a goal […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by Budweiser Top scorers will be invited to a table quiz with a main prize of a trip to the FA Cup Final! Summer doesn’t really start until someone has lifted the FA Cup. Fans from all over the world will come together in the iconic Wembley Stadium to watch the final between […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by Fairyhouse Racecourse The best part is, you get to choose which day of the Fairyhouse Easter Festival you want tickets for. As much fun as it is to tuck into an Easter Egg at home while you watch Fairyhouse on the box, nothing beats being there. Thousands of punters will be making […]

7 years ago

The FA Cup Semi-Finals take place this weekend. And then there were four. The FA Cup semi-finals take place at Wembley this weekend with Manchester City taking on Brighton and then Wolves facing Watford. It’s the round nobody wants to lose in as you are so close to the final and over the years we […]

7 years ago

How could he forget us so easily? One minute Declan Rice was happy and carefree, the next minute he was serious as the conversation turned to Ireland. But he failed to mention his three senior appearances and how can something that mattered so much now matter so little? Will we ever be free of this […]

7 years ago

Can Virgil Van Dijk drive Liverpool to a double? Can Liverpool have it all this season, well, as much as is available right now? With Virgil Van Dijk dominating as he did in Munich anything seems possible. It might have been an ageing Bayern Munich side which looked past it, but it was a classic […]

7 years ago

What has Brendan Rodgers done? On Wednesday night, some Celtic fans made their feelings clear about Brendan Rodgers’ decision to leave Celtic and take the job with Leicester immediately. ‘You traded immortality for mediocrity. Never a Celt, always a fraud,’ the banner at Tynecastle where Celtic were playing Hearts, read on Wednesday night, but beyond […]

7 years ago

What has Declan Rice done to us? Are you ready to be heartbroken? Declan Rice’s announcement on the eve of Valentine’s Day stunned Ireland, or at least that section that cares about the football team. A sub-section of that support is angry at the decision of the player and the long and winding road that […]

7 years ago

Have Liverpool blown it? The mood among Liverpool supporters on Monday night was pretty miserable but are they right to be as down as they are right now? After the draw with West Ham at the Olympic Stadium, which followed the dropped points at home to Leicester last week, Liverpool feel as if their season […]

7 years ago

Nobody said it would be easy for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. Well, maybe a few people thought it would be easy earlier in the week for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. After Manchester City’s defeat at Newcastle on Tuesday night, some Liverpool supporters were getting very excited. Then came the home game at Leicester, not one […]

7 years ago

Martin and Roy… reunited. Back together at the club they made famous, the Nottingham Forest boys are home. But is the daily grind of Championship football a suitable place for a man of Roy’s unique condition? And will the Forest players even know just what a big deal he is? On The Football Spin Dion […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by USIT Fancy showing the Americans how it’s done? It might not show with our international team’s results at the moment, but there is no shortage of footballing talent on this island. From your local underage club right up to the Airtricity League, we know how it’s done. Now is your chance to […]

7 years ago

Marcelo Bielsa has triggered another week of despair for English football. Spygate rumbled on and culminated in a Marcelo Bielsa masterclass on Wednesday which just left those angry with him even angrier. On The Football Spin, Paddy McKenna and Dion Fanning discuss the Leeds United affair and wonder if English football will ever develop if […]

7 years ago

Mick McCarthy and Stephen Kenny together at last. Nobody saw this coming but on Saturday, Ireland shook off the doom and gloom and appointed two Ireland managers to take the country through the glory of European Championship success in 2020, the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and beyond. Mick McCarthy is in and in […]

7 years ago

Is this as good as it gets for Ireland right now? After the shambles in Wales, Ireland managed a scoreless draw against Denmark at the Aviva on Saturday night. Is this a positive or is it just an example of the drift currently holding Irish football back? On The Football Spin, Paddy McKenna and Dion […]

7 years ago

They’re coming home. You could be harsh on England and say they went out of the World Cup to the first decent side they played…Croatia are in the World Cup final on Sunday after Gareth Southgate’s side failed to capitalise on their early lead and lost their heads. But is the criticism severe? England have […]

8 years ago

What kind of Brexit does Gareth Southgate want? As the UK implodes, it’s left to Gareth Southgate to offer leadership for England but how much can he do when a country is tearing itself apart? Theresa May has channeled Southgate but she looks more like the England managers of old, hounded from game to game, […]

8 years ago

No, maybe it really is coming home. England might have been in the better half of the draw, but nobody imagined them reaching the semi-final of the World Cup with such ease. But that’s where this World Cup is now and as England rejoices in the unlikely dull victory against a brutal Sweden team, it’s […]

8 years ago

It’s coming home. England somehow won on penalties and now there will be no stopping the sense of destiny. But why shouldn’t England celebrate? Sure, they had written off Colombia but when the weight of history and penalties was on their shoulders they managed to overcome it all. Danny Murphy and others thought victory was […]

8 years ago

Neymar is warming up, but what will happen next? After another day of chaos, anything can happen at the World Cup before, of course, England ultimately win it. Belgium seem to have succumbed to a classic performance from manager Roberto Martinez before they turned round a game in a manner not seen since West Germany […]

8 years ago

Who wants to win the World Cup? Well, actually, why are they bothering? At the end of another dramatic weekend, it seems certain that it’s England’s tournament. That’s certainly the view of one supporter who has tattooed ‘England 2018 World Cup Winners’ on his midriff in anticipation of the great day. But Russia are now […]

8 years ago

Germany are going home. It’s a World Cup of surprises, but nobody expected this. Germany had been brought back to life when they beat Sweden last Saturday but it turned out that reports of their resurrection had been greatly exaggerated. When will this World Cup come to its senses? Well, maybe the sight of favourites […]

8 years ago

Messi has touched down. Marcos Rojo might have scored the winner, but Lionel Messi’s first goal in the 2018 World Cup was a thing of such beauty that it seemed to suggest Argentina’s passage to the last sixteen would, after two games of chaos, be seamless. But that is not this Argentina and that is […]

8 years ago

It’s a VAR special. Everybody’s favourite refereeing device made a real mark on the tournament on Monday night when Portugal-Iran was played out under the shadow of a referee who handed control over to the mysterious VAR masters. But those who said VAR would destroy the game’s momentum could only watch on and admit their […]

8 years ago

All hail Harry Kane. England keep rolling on and maybe we should let them have their fun. After all, this is a different England side which is enjoying its World Cup run like any other minnow would. Gareth Southgate’s side crushed Panama on Sunday who tried to do some crushing of their own in one […]

8 years ago

Poor, poor Messi. Argentina are not out of the World Cup yet, but their defeat to Croatia on Thursday was so dispiriting, so aimless and so conclusive that it’s hard to see how they can keep going after this. Messi drifted his way through the game, and many will feel that arguably the greatest player […]

8 years ago

Poor Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo is taking ownership of the World Cup but where does this leave his great rival Lionel Messi? Ronaldo now has four goals in his most successful World Cup, but Portugal may not even make the next round as they face a final match against the dogged Iranian side managed by the […]

8 years ago