Ireland (National Football)

For those outside Emerald Isle, Shamrock Rovers are synonymous with football in Ireland.

One of the oldest clubs in the country—they were founded in 1901—Rovers have also proved to be the country's most successful club.

Winning the league on no less than a record 15 occasions and the FAI Cup 24 times, also a record, they were the first Irish team to play in Europe and the Busby Babes were their first opponents in 1958.

They even helped establish soccer in North America, playing under the guise of Boston Rovers in 1967.

The club has a rich and varied history and a constant supply of Irish internationals have flowed from the club since it's inception, but the best supported club in the land have also had their fair share of bad luck too.

In 1987, then Director Louis Kilcoyne sold the club's ground, Glenmalure Park, to property developers to build an apartment complex. Kilcoyne—who had bought the ground for himself rather than the club—sold it under everybody's noses.

Fans campaigned, some went on vigils and in the end Kilcoyne was forced to resign as Director. The club didn't get Glenmalure Park though.

The battle to save the ground was long and hard. Home matches were boycotted and for a club which boasted average gates of 25,000 in the 60's and 70's, fewer than a thousand showed for matches as the protests intensified.

The Kilcoyne family eventually sold the club as fans forced them out. But the damage had been done, Glenmalure Park was no-more. It was demolished, and so began the longest road to Damascus in football history.

Over the next 21 years, homeless Shamrock Rovers played in practically every ground in Dublin, and even found themselves playing a home match in Cork on one occasion. And although the fan base had been whittled dry, they never stopped singing.

Bitter rivals Bohemians, Shelbourne, and St. Patricks Athletic all opened their doors to Rovers at one stage or another over the course of their homeless run. And wherever they went their fans followed, as if the Pied Piper himself was calling them along.

In 1996 the club was sold to a consortium who, seeing that Rovers were the best supported team in the land, vowed to build a new 10,000 seater stadium in one of Dublin's suburbs, Tallaght. (pronounced Tal-ahh)

Fans were jubilant as it looked like the club were finally going to have a home.

But once again bad luck, bad planning, poor financing, and some gamesmanship by rival sporting federations would block the new stadium at every step.

In 2005, just when the construction of the stadium looked to be progressing after years of planning problems. Rovers went into administration.

After accumulating massive debts in striving to bring European football to the new stadium, the owners had over-stretched, and the club went in search of new owners again as it faced up to the reality of extinction.

Facing relegation for the first time in it's history as the FAI enforced a points deduction resulting from the club going into administration, no prospective buyers came forward.

That would be remedied by the "400 Club".

A group of supporters who had been bankrolling the club as it went through examiner-ship and faced extinction, decided to become it's owners. The 400 club had been set up in 2002 to donate money and fund-raise for the club, it's original intention was to provide mortgage payments for the new stadium.

As the situation within the club changed, so did the 400 Club.

They paid off the club's debts and assumed control of the club. Each member paid £50 a month to finance the club. As it stands today there are 510 members of the club and it has evolved into "The Shamrock Rovers Members Club", who run the club on a non-profit basis. Any monies they make are pumped back into the club at various levels.

Facing life in Division One for the first time in the club's history, the club underwent a massive financial restructuring. Professional football was out as the team became an amateur set-up. Unable to attract star players and unable to pay them, the club sought out unsigned talent from the locale of the new stadium and promoted youth players from within.

Within one season the club had won Division One and gained their promotion back into the Premier League of Ireland.

But as things improved on the pitch, off it the stadium was facing a new threat. In late 2005 South Dublin County Council announced that they were taking the stadium and it's lands back as conditions for planning permission had not been met.

However following a public consultation process in early 2006, it was announced that SDCC would finance the construction of the stadium and Rovers would be installed as chief tenants.

Rovers were finally going home, again.

But, local GAA teams (Gaelic Football) began a campaign stating that if the new stadium was being built with public money then it should be open to all sports. And they claimed that construction could continue if they were allowed to use the stadium too.

And as a GAA pitch is almost 50-yards longer they argued that current plans could continue and no changes would have to be made, while all other parties involved in the consultation claimed that the whole project would have to be re-designed.

A judicial review began in mid 2006, the main point of argument was to see if the plans should be changed to accommodate the GAA teams.

The Minister for Sport waded in saying "They can't be facilitated in this stadium. They are simply holding up Shamrock Rovers from moving in. We have given the GAA their own site in Rathcoole [a suburb six miles from Tallaght] and there are 24 acres there to be developed and I have said that we will help them, but that's not enough for them."

The FAI provided financial support for the 400 Club, during the case. As the club began the long wait for the Judge to come back with his findings.

On the 14th of December 2007, Judge Murphy found in favour of Shamrock Rovers.

SDCC commenced construction earlier this year and Shamrock Rovers will play their first match in their new stadium in 2009.

Shamrock Rovers have finally found a home.

Look up the term "sport" in any dictionary you care to find and you shall come upon results that are never far away from: 

noun - diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime

or

verb - to amuse oneself with some pleasant pastime or recreation.

To say the dictionary is doing sport a disservice is an understatement. Sport has been availed of as far more than a pleasant pastime for centuries. In Ancient Greece it formed part of a culture of self-development, in Ancient Rome it became a form of spectacular entertainment while in nineteen century England sport was used as a source of moral education in public schools. During the World and Cold Wars sport was used as a form of ideological contestation whilst in contemporary times sport has become a commodified global spectacle.

Sport can cause a hundred emotions to be felt at once: pleasure, pain, joy, laughter, sobbing, heartbreak, passion, patroitism, delight and sadly on occasions, violence.

The start of the Celtic Tiger economic boom in Ireland has largely been attributed to the success of the Republic of Ireland Soccer Team under Jack Charlton and the feel-good factors that came with this success. 

In contrast, in 1969 El Salvador invaded Honduras in what has been termed the Football War. However, it must be noted that there were severe political divides between the countries but some media sources have claimed tensions were raised further by rioting at a game between the two neighbours in July that immediately preceded the war.

The above example gives a slight insight into the power of sport. In the next couple of paragraphs I will look at how sport has an effect on my everyday life and hope that some of you guys, if not all, can relate or at least think of similar examples.

Bleacher Report

Well, anyone reading this is on Bleacher Report so can relate.

This site offers hopeful sport journalists like myself the opportunity to test my writing skills, attempt to create debate and do so in a format that allows me to reach a wide audience.

While I can mainly be found in the FIFA section, I do on occasion flirt with other areas of the site. What never fails to amaze me is the passion with which people write and defend their views on sport.

Check out the wrestling section where the members fight their corner to defend their sport as something that means more to them than light entertainment. Or there is the F1 section where McLaren take on Ferrari and Hamiltonites take on the anti-Hamilton brigade. Then of course you have the soccer and football sections where fans of rival teams debate online until they can type no more.

I know that I am not the first person to thank Zander and Co for their hard work and dedication to this site, but I here add my name to the line of those who are grateful.

Ireland

Those that read my articles (thank you guys) will know that I try to bring an Irish flavour to most of what I write and the reason for this is simply, it is what I know. I am not American, French, Spanish, South African or Cuban. I do not know how sport affects the psyche of these nations but I feel in a position to speak on behalf of us proud people.

Above is one of the most iconic pictures in Irish culture, never mind sport. It is of Packie Bonner saving the fifth Romanian penalty in the quarter final shootout at Italia '90. I was four when this occurred but yet I have seen the clip of the shootout on Irish television so much that I can tell you the name of each penalty taker, what way they directed the kick, the commentary as the shootout progressed. Just ask any Irish person do they remember when "The Nation Holds Its Breath", a piece of commentary I will never forget to my dying day.

Memories of great days in Irish sport always bring a smile to my face, even now just writing about it.

Rep.Ireland beating Italy 1-0 in Giants Stadium New York, defeating Holland 1-0 at Lansdowne Road on the road to Korea and Japan, the Irish Rugby Union team hammering England 43-13 at Croke Park on that brilliant day, Padraig Harrington winning a Masters for the first team, the Irish cricket team suggesting it is ok for the Irish to like and play the game, Sonia O'Sullivan through her ups and downs, watching our indigenous sports been played with such passion, being one of 10,000 people in Limerick city watching Munster win the European Cup on the big screen, being one of 300 people watching Limerick 37 beating Monaghan Town 1-0.

These are just a small number of those that have already happened, here's hoping that many more are still to come.

Arsene Wenger & Paolo Maldini

In each person's profile page there is a section where you can fill in the names of your favourite athletes/sportspeople. I must have at least ten in mine that include the likes of F1 maestro Michael Schumacher, the aforementioned Padraig Harrington and Munster Rugby Union players, Barcelona wizard Lionel Messi, the all-conquering Valentino Rossi and possibly Arsenal's greatest ever player, Theirry Henry.

However, ask me to pick ONE all-time sports hero and I can't, it is a thing that is beyond me. I have thought about it, studied it and thought about it even some more before writing this article, yet it escapes me.

Alas, I am caught between two lovers: Is it to be Arsene Wenger or Paolo Maldini?

I have found a solution in combining the two, one manages the beautiful game as it should be, the other plays it as it should be, both conduct in the manner you would expect of professionals.

I believe that sport is not all about the winning, it is the taking part where winning is the icing atop the cake. Each time I see Arsenal play I thank whoever it is I would be thanking that the man we call the Professor is in charge.

Sport's ability to feel love and rage take over me as I read reports following Arsenal defeats. I love that even in defeat Arsenal attempt to play the game as it should, rage that it does not always work but absolute contempt at Arsenal "fans" who complain that Wenger should sacrifice the team's playing style for the sake of a bit of silverware. My reply is that there are many clubs who will buy and not earn trophies, go support them.

As for Paolo Maldini, what more can I add to what has already been said about the man. The term Legend is thrown around far too often, but this man is definitely one. Perhaps playing a role that is too often forgotten, he was the first defender to win the player of the year award.

He has the all time caps for Italy, all time appearances for AC Milan, stayed at the club when it would of been fashionable to leave, is never dirty on the pitch, never complains off it and to top it all off he has been rewarded by winning the same amount of European trophies as Liverpool.

Best to end it on a high note

Sorry if I went on for too long but thanks to those who finished and got to here.

Above are some of the reasons I love the wonderful, wonderful ideals of pleasant pastimes.

As you were reading I hope you could erase Ireland and put in America, India, Australia, England, Scotland, Pakistan, China, Japan, Ghana or whatever your home country may be. For Arsene Wenger and Paolo Maldini I hope you can transplant in your respective sporting heroes and think of all the reasons people you have never met yet feel as if you know them all your life.

I could have included some people that I feel have no place in sport or at least should not be celebrated but that is to take away the joy sport can bring.

Munster Rugby Union

I will leave you with some sayings from a team near and dear to my heart that illustrates sport and its meaning to our lives, how it can make you believe and never give up, how sport is a tonic for life.

Irish by birth, Munster by the grace of God.

Believe!

Stand Up and Fight,
Until you hear the bell,
Stand toe to toe,
Trade blow for blow,
Keep punching 'til you make your punches tell,
Show that crowd what you know,
Until you hear that bell,
That final bell,
Stand Up and Fight like hell.

Indeed, the dictionary got it wrong!!

It’s a new era for Irish rugby. Having shrugged off the crushing disappointment of last year’s World cup and an unconvincing Six Nations campaign, Ireland head into the autumn internationals with a fresh mentality and a squad bursting with young talent.

The supposed golden generation of players struggled to make their mark on the biggest stage, and Declan Kidney now has to move fast to revive Irish fortunes. Two years ago they were ranked no. 2 in the world; now Ireland find themselves languishing in eighth and there is little time to improve that position by the end of the year when seedings for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand are finalised. If the tests against the All Blacks and Argentina weren’t big enough before, Ireland’s desperation to climb the rankings adds some extra impetus to proceedings.

Kidney takes charge of his side for the first time when Ireland face Canada in a curtain-raiser at the Thormont stadium since his Heineken Cup commitments with Munster meant he couldn’t be involved in the Southern Hemisphere tour this summer. Kidney succeeds Eddie O’Sullivan after pipping World cup-winning coach Jake White and former Leicester coach Pat Howard to the role. Formerly O’Sullivan’s coaching assistant, it was no secret that the pair were never close despite working together for two years.

Now the Cork-born maestro can set his sights on establishing his team on home soil and Kidney’s squad will be relishing the opportunity to face the All Blacks again after recently succumbing to a 21-11 defeat in the driving rain of Wellington. Ireland haven’t beaten New Zealand in 103 years, and there’s no better time to end the jinx.

Munster and Ireland kicking Coach Mark Tainton believes Ireland have all the right ingredients for success. “It’s crucial we put out a good side for all three games - ultimately it will be a strong and experienced team every time. The boys are training well and Declan has allowed the players and staff to express themselves more freely than previously under Eddie O’Sullivan.”

It doesn’t get any easier either. In the subsequent test match Ireland face an increasingly impressive Argentina, predominantly consisting of the same players that unceremoniously dumped the Irish out of the World Cup with a 30-15 defeat. Times have changed since then: Best, Easterby and Hickie have retired and Ireland now find themselves calling upon young players in key positions. Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald will play major roles in the autumn tests, complementing a backline featuring the tried and trusted Trimbles and O’Driscolls of the squad.

Despite their relative inexperience, Kearney’s tenacity in the contact area and Fitzgerald’s darting running lines have given Ireland a new dynamic element to their game. In the forwards, Jamie Heaslip will be looking to continue his fine summer form at the back of the scrum. Tainton said, “Obviously we will be looking at variations in the games, it’s virtually impossible to field the same players every week. We have some really exciting talent coming through and these games are a perfect opportunity for them to shine.”

Meanwhile, the scrum half debate rumbles on. Reddan is energetic and alert, but prone to inconsistency. What Stringer lacks in guile and raw pace, he makes up for with his intelligent reading of situations and near-telepathic understanding with the Irish talisman Ronan O’Gara having played in 72 tests with his Munster team-mate.

O’Gara is vital to any hopes of success and after a torrid International season by his standards, Ireland’s all time leading points scorer is back to his industrious best. Tainton works closely with O’Gara at club and international level. He said, “Ronan is massively important to the team. He’s head and shoulders above any other fly half and one of a handful of Irish number 10’s playing at the top end of the game. If he can maintain his fitness and form then he is capable of changing games.”

This autumn will represent a real test for Ireland’s new-look side. With the World cup seedings looming, the results are of utmost importance to a squad rebuilding after a difficult year. Kidney can be sure of the nation’s vociferous support and if the likes of Ronan O’ Gara and Brian O’Driscoll can perform at their best, Croke Park will certainly be rocking.

By Tom Tainton

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Remember in 2006, how William Gallas arrived at Arsenal in part exchange for Ashley Cole?

Great, us Gunners thought, we have got rid of the club's biggest whinger. Little did we know we had inherited one that is just as bad.

For me, Gallas has been an OK player for Arsenal. He has scored some important goals for Arsenal; his problem is in keeping them out at the other end.

It is no exaggeration to say that Arsenal’s defending from set pieces has been nothing short of horrific this season. Add to that the team's inability to defend under pressure and Arsenal have a serious problem.

In situations such as against Hull and Sunderland you look to your captain for guidance. Unfortunately for the rest of the Arsenal team their captain is the man who sits down on the pitch following a 2-2 draw with Birmingham, a man who whinges incessantly, a man who thinks the whole world is against him.

The real leaders on the field for this team are Kolo Toure and Cesc Fabregas. For come strange reason, Arsene Wenger (the man I rarely question) has persisted with Gallas as captain. Fair enough Cesc is too young, but Toure has always rallied the team and being dedicated to the Arsenal cause.

Perhaps removing Gallas as Captain is not good enough, maybe it is time to remove him from the team. Clearly, the Arsenal squad are a young bunch of players who need guidance from a level headed professional. Maybe the man to replace Gallas is the man to take the Arsenal armband and lead this club like it should be!

Who?

Richard Dunne.

Richard Dunne from Manchester City?

Yes, that's the one.

I cannot believe this guy is not playing in the Champions League week in and week out. Don't get me wrong, he is in a good place at Manchester City now but he has been there for the taking before City got bankrolled by their UAE friends.

Dunne is 29 years old and has the leadership so craved by the Arsenal team and has to be the greatest £3 million ever spent by Manchester City. Obviously this guy is no saint; he was suspended by City in 2003 for disciplinary problems. However the way he reacted shows the character of this guy.

Did he sit and whinge? Did he claim the world was against him?

No. Kevin Keegan took him aside and told him not to waste his talent, and he didn't. Dunne has been voted Manchester City's player of the year four times and became club captain in 2006.

Manchester City team-mate Micah Richards said: “Ever since I’ve come to this club Richard has just been quality. I play with him week in, week out and I think he’s one of the best players I’ve played with. I’ve played with John Terry and Rio Ferdinand in the England squad but Richard is right up there with them.”

This is the guy we need at Arsenal. Anyone who saw the last three Irish World Cup qualifiers will know what I mean. He is making John O'Shea look like a world class centre back. He organises, he shouts, he screams but not in the way Gallas does, Dunne's shouting is beneficial to the team.

Anyone who doubts my argument should just watch the last half-hour of the Rep.Ireland's game against Cyprus last night, this is what you get from Richard Dunne 95 percent of the time.

Perhaps Manchester City would like to add some Gallic flare to their side, a Frenchman for an Irishman? Wenger, give Manchester City £30 million of the £50 million you reportedly have, if you'll not spend it on an Englishman, spend it on an Irishman.

Then again, William Gallas might be slightly crazy but Manchester City aren't! Our chance of getting a defensive gem seemed to have vanished in the summer unless Wenger can pull one last trick out of his magic hat.

IL Trap's first home match as Ireland manager was against Cyprus, a side who 12 months earlier had brought the curtain down on Steve Staunton's short career as Ireland manager. The last time the two sides met was a 1-1 draw at Croke Park where Cyprus had played a disjointed Ireland side off the park.

With the media focusing their attention on Trappatoni's decision to start with Manchester United reserve Darron Gibson in the centre of midfield ahead of Sunderland duo Andy Reid and Liam Miller, this was always going to be a decisive night for Trappatoni.

Ireland were given a head start even before a ball was kicked as Cypriot playmaker Alanefis withdrew minutes before kick off as he pulled a muscle in the warm up. Cyprus were forced to re-arrange their starting line up with Lambrou coming in as a replacement.

The re-arranging of the Cypriot team seemed to cause problems as Ireland took an early lead through Robbie Keane after a well worked move.

Doyle was taken down in the centre of the Cypriot half after bursting past two players. Whelan took the free kick quickly spreading it out to Paul McShane in right full. The on loan Hull player had come in at the eleventh hour as Steve Finnan's replacement.

He in turn found Doyle on the edge of the box, holding his marker off he laid it back to McShane who passed it back quickly to an unmarked Damien Duff. He turned smartly on the edge of the box and ran at the Cypriot defence, who all backed off. Duff got to the back line and produced a delightful chip that found Robbie Keane at the far post, who had only to meet the ball and finish off the move.

Ireland continued their domination in the early stages with the extremely hard working partnership of Keane and Doyle standing out. And the Liverpool players eagerness to help out his defence showing on numerous occasions as he found himself battling in the full back positions.

At the 20 minute mark Cyprus hadn't even entered the contest, but the ever dangerous Okkas was a man to be watched. He started pulling the strings in midfield finding himself with plenty of room as Ireland's inexperienced central midfield pairing were beginning to struggle after dominating the opening exchanges.

Makridis played a hopeful ball across the box which deflected off Duff and a dithering Kevin Kilbane in the left full position failed to attack the ball, it bounced kindly for Maragos whose first time shot hit Given on the shoulder. The Newcastle keeper didn't even see the short range effort and only had time to spread his body, barely saving Ireland.

Soon after Okkas found himself isolating McShane and easily beat the right full but as he came into the box his tame effort didn't even make Given sweat.

Ireland were being tested, and after a great start you would have expected them to push on but they were found wanting. Trappatoni, Brady and Tardelli were all off their seats giving instructions with Trappatoni extremely animated as he tried to convey his orders to Whelan and Gibson who had been giving the ball away cheaply.

Ireland seemed reassured under the guidance of their experienced manager and began to pressurise the fragile Cypriot backline. Aiden McGeady producing a moment of magic as he beat two players before shooting straight at the keeper and then again as he crossed for Duff only to see Lambrou produce a brilliant header on the line to deny the little man from Firhouse.

A minute before half time Constantinou tried to tackle Keane on the half way line and as the Liverpool player spun to shield the ball he fell awkwardly, Trap, Ireland and Liverpool feared the worst for the talismanic striker as he trundled off the field.

Ireland had gotten to half time in the lead against a side that had been a real thorn in the side over the last four years. Keane was to be assesed at half time and the Ireland faithful would have an anxious wait to see if their captain would re-take the field.

During the first half, the Ireland central midfield partnership was very poor and they failed to get on the ball giving the impetus to Cyprus. The four attacking players Keane, Duff, Doyle and for once McGeady were all very impressive. However, the game seemed to be crying out for Andy Reid to be given a roll in midfield where his playmaking skills could be utilised.

No changes were made as Trappatoni kept faith with his original startind 11. Cyprus made one change taking Lambrou off and going with a 3-5-2 formation.

Ireland stated their intent early, closing the Cypriot's down in their own half and forcing them to go long. And the first chance of the half fell to the Cypriots as Dunne threw himself in the way of a Christofi piledriver.

Cyprus could sense blood and sent Panagi on for Maragos, re-arranging their team for the fouth time as Panagi came in as a holding midfielder as Cyprus lined out in a 3-1-4-2 formation.

These changes confused the Irish as Cyprus began to get the upper hand. The forwards began to find themselves isolated and Ireland's only out ball was through Duff. McGeady was also beginning to fade and gave the ball away a lot. McGeady let Okkas go and the playmaker passed to Papathanasiou whose delicate lay off found Konstantiniou who was one on one with Given but a magnificent O'Shea tackle extinguished the trouble.

Ireland continued to struggle in midfield and by this stage Gibson and Whelan were anominous. Duff and McGeady started to come infield to gather the ball but that brought further problems as now there was no width to spread the ball. Keane and Doyle continued to work tirelessly but were getting precious few balls.

Ireland's first threat on goal of the second half wasn't even that. As Dunne's fantastic 60 yard ball found McGeady in space and for once his cross beat the first man, but went straight to the goalkeeper. Ireland were operating with four at the back and four up front by this stage as Whelan and Gibson were only taking up space on the pitch.

Damien Duff looked back to his best but was only receiving passes from Kilbane. Ireland really needed a break to end Cyprus' domination but Trappatoni is an old school manager and he only seems to make substitutions when a player is injured.

As the game wore on, Cyprus continued to have the upper hand without ever making Given really work. Ireland looked rudderless without Steven Reid in midfield with the Blackburn players presence sorely missed.

And with 15 minutes to go the crowd began to get their voice. They could sense the players nervousness. Whelan and McGeady responded instantly, the Stoke man finding McGeady in space in the box with a wonderful ball but McGeady's finish floated over the bar with the keeper well beaten.

McGeady found a second wind and ran at the Cypriots for the first time since the early stages of the first half, he found Duff in space and Georgallides produced a good save. The tireless Kevin Doyle putting in a man of the match performance forced the keeper to pull off a magnificent save on 85 as Ireland pressurised the Cypriots.

But Ireland weren't out of the woods as Okkas found himself in the box, somehow he bundled the ball past three defenders and found Magridis, with the goal at his mercy. Again Dunne came to Ireland's rescue as he, Given and O'Shea charged the shot down. Ireland weren't playing well but they were fighting til the end.

As the game moved into injury time Cyprus pressed, again Dunne was the hero, clearing a dangerous cross for a corner. The resulting corner broke to Keane as he found Doyle in space, Darron Gibson was the furthest man forward after charging out from the back but the ball clipped his heels. But Duff was quick to support and Gibson found the Newcastle winger in the box but his shot flashed wide.

With 30 seconds to go Caleb Folan replaced the brilliant Doyle, and for the first time in a long time two Hull players on the same international team took to the pitch.

Ireland ran out 1-0 winners and they probably just shaded it. For all of Cyprus' possession Given never had to make a real save.

But there is plenty for Trap and Ireland to ponder. Trappatoni obviously has a problem with Andy Reid, the match tonight was made for a player with his playmaking ability. And only he can answer the question why he didn't go for the Sunderland man.

Gibson is out of his depth at the moment and it's easy to see why he's so far down the Manchester United pecking order. It's also easy to see why Whelan isn't getting his game for Stoke. And after his heroics in the last two matches this was a real comedown for the Lucan man.

Cyprus were without five first choice players and they still made Ireland sweat.

But maybe I'm being ungracious to Ireland's victory. Dunne and O'Shea were brilliant yet again, McShane didn't put a foot wrong at right full. Kilbane was as solid as ever and the front four were excellent. Doyle was tireless and selfless and if this performance is anything to go by it won't be long before the Reading man is back in the Premiership. McGeady actually looks as if he's finally ready to reach his potential and has improved steadily under Trappatoni.

The central midfield position is concerning. And Trap and Co have much work to do if Steven Reid is unavailable for future matches. But 7pts from 9 is a good haul. And if Ireland can pick up 6pts from their next two home games they will be realistic challengers for automatic qualification.

But whisper it quietly. Don't let anyone hear lest the dream should fade. South Africa beckons, and this is the most optimistic we've been for many a year. So clutch it closely to your heart and cherish it. We could actually qualify. We could actually qualify.

In recent times it has become quite common for retired—and not so retired—football players to become involved in the media.

Perhaps none are more controversial than Eamonn Dunphy.

To my knowledge, Eamonn Dunphy is largely known throughout Ireland and Britain. However, for those that do not know of the man, I will give a quick synopsis of his career.

Dunphy the player

Dunphy was born in Dublin in 1945.

As a teenager, Dunphy followed the path of so many aspiring Irish footballers and made the trip to England in order to pursue a professional career.

There he joined Manchester United as an apprentice, but was judged not good enough to make it and he never played for the Red Devils.

In 1965, he got his chance playing for York City and impressed enough to earn a place at Milwall. It was here he made his name as a midfielder. During his nine years there, Dunphy played 23 times for the Republic of Ireland and remains Milwall's most capped international.

Between 1973 and 1977, Dunphy played for Charlton Athletic and Reading before returning home to Ireland in 1977 to play for Shamrock Rovers. At this time, Rovers were managed by Johnny Giles, whose aim was to make the Dublin side Ireland's first full-time side.

However, the project failed and Dunphy quit football disillusioned to pursue a media career.

Dunphy the journalist

Since the early 1980s, Dunphy has been involved in every form of media in Ireland. His comments are not restricted to football, he is quite willing to give his two cents on any topical subject.

He has contributed numerous articles to The Sunday Tribune, The Sunday Independent, The Irish Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Press, and is currently a leading sports columnist with The Irish Daily Star.

However, his most famous pieces of writing are his autobiography "Only a Game? Diary of a Professional Footballer" and is perhaps best known for ghost-writing the Roy Keane autobiography. 

Dunphy is a popular radio host, first on Newstalk and then on RTE Radio One where he hosts a topical debate show.

Dunphy the pundit

Despite Dunphy's large coverage in newspapers and on radio, he reserves his most controversial talk for his role as pundit on football matches.

This includes RTE's (Raidio Telifis na hEireann—Ireland's national broadcaster) coverage of the English Premiership, UEFA Champions League, Republic of Ireland international matches, European Championships, and World Cups.

For many years, the RTE football panel was made up of Bill O'Heirlihy, Johnny Giles, Eamonn Dunphy, and Liam Brady (Brady has now left to take up his role as assistant to Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni) with regular appearances made by, among others, Ray Houghton, Graeme Souness, John Toshack, Kenny Cunningham, and Packie Bonnor.

The panel-members are known for speaking their minds and are seen as a refreshing break from the "nice guys" of ITV and Sky Sports. More often than not the debate turns into a heated argument, usually started by Eamonn Dunphy. One row was so bad, that Giles and Dunphy did not talk for many years.

Dunphy and controversy

Dunphy has long criticised the Ireland national squad.

Following a 0-0 draw with Eygpt in the 1990 World Cup, Dunphy threw his biro across the studio in disgust ranting that the team and Jack Charlton were "a disgrace". He went on to label Charlton a "bully" who "played ugly football". It was at this time that a chant around Irish pubs became very popular, going along the lines of "If you hate f***ing Dunphy clap your hands".

Dunphy further alienated himself from the Irish public during 2002 following the McCarthy - Keane affair in Saipan. He lambasted McCarthy and called Keane "a gentleman. He's a class act. He's a rebel. And he stands up to bullies."

He then "withdrew" his support of the Irish team stating, "I will be supporting Germany and Saudi Arabia in the contests ahead." This followed Dunphy turning up in studio for Ireland's opening game against Cameroon sporting a tie in the colours of the African side.

Not surprisingly, Dunphy has recently had a falling out with Keane, who he has labelled a "bullsh**ter" and a "politician".

In the last year perhaps the biggest bust-up in studio has been between Dunphy and Liam Brady.

Following Arsenal's exit to Liverpool in the Champions League, Dunphy proceeded to compare Arsene Wenger to John Cleese, complete with video footage, much to the anger of Brady (See video here).

Dunphy is an adamant fan of Alex Ferguson but seems unable to make up his mind on the Frenchman. For several weeks after the argument with Brady, Dunphy portrayed Wenger and Arsenal as a wronged team and not getting the success they deserve. He continues to be indecisive about Arsenal and Wenger, one week hating them, the next liking them. Typical Dunphy!!

The controversial pundit is also a renowned anti-Ronaldo campaigner calling him a "poof ball", "whinger", "brat", and "the most wicked thing in the game". He did change his mind momentarily but seems to have reverted to his original stance again.

Other Dunphy Quotes

"Mourinho, he's poisonous"

On Fabio Cannavarro - "If Rio Ferdinand is worth £100,000 a week, then
this guy is worth EUR100 million...a day"

On Niall Quinn - "The man's an idiot, a Mother Theresa"

On Harry Kewell again - "He's fat and a clown, Bill, a fat clown for all
to see"

On Djibril Cisse - "here we have Cisse, right wing, attempts to put in a
cross, BANG...hits the full back, again BANG hits the full back,
BANG...off the full back again, and once more, BANG...smacks the full
back again.... Millions of euro and he can't clear the first man, I
mean...whats he trying to do to the full back here, Kill him??"

On the Fergie V Strachen feud:
Eamon: "Scots they're either nice or they're horrid and these two are horrid."
Bill: "The Scots wont like that Eamon, that's bordering on racism."
Eamon: "Its not racism its ethnic criticism Bill."

On the stubborn climate which exists in the board room at Real Madrid:
"Bill, Bill...those directors over there are on another planet. They're on mushrooms or something...THEY'RE ON ACID BIILL!!!"

About Arsene Wenger not buying big players:
"If you want to go to the party Bill, then you've got to buy a new coat. A mink Bill"

Eamon Dunphy: "Look at Graeme, he won four Champions Leagues."
Graeme Souness: " Three."
Dunphy: " He won four league titles."
Souness: "Five."
Dunphy: "It's not bloody Mastermind."

"The Irish team have better players than Inter Milan"

These are merely a drop in the ocean.

While Dunphy may be annoying at times, talk utter rubbish and flip-flop like there is no tomorrow, at least you are guaranteed to be entertained. Isn't that why we pay our television license?

For those of you who don't know, James McCarthy is the hottest midfield prospect plying his trade in Britain today. At the tender of 17 he has affirmed himself as one of the best midfielders playing in Scotland, for Hamilton Academicals in the Scottish Premier League. But the SFA and FAI are at loggerheads over James, why?

Teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and a host of other Premiership teams regularly keep track of young James, he has even caught the eye of suitors from Europe such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.

Such is the attention in James that regular Hamilton fans claim their gate has doubled since he started playing, not down to an increase in fans but an increase in scouts!

James is good. Very, very good.

He made his debut for Hamilton when he was 15, and at the age of 16 had established himself as a fixture in their promotion winning team. Now at 17 he has played around 70 games for the Accies, so you can appreciate that James is somewhat of a prodigy.

He is blessed with strength and power and has a tireless engine. He is a very simple passer of the ball and has found the net on no less than eight occasions. At this stage of his career he is usually compared with Roy Keane.

The problems between the SFA (Scottish Football Association) and the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) arise because James was born in Glasgow, Scotland. But he plays for the Irish underage teams.

McCarthy's grandfather is from Donegal, and it is through his ancestry that he has been able to declare for Ireland. James' grandfather left Ireland in the '30s in search of work. That search eventually brought him to Castlemilk, Glasgow—an Irish enclave in Scotland.

Indeed another famous Glaswegian, Ray Houghton, was also from the same area and he too declared for Ireland. The people of Castlemilk consider themselves Irish and have celebrated everything Irish since the corporation estate was established.

At underage football James' talents began to show and he was left out of many Scottish squads while the SFA selectors dithered over whether he was good enough. But a chance meeting with Irish underage manager Sean McCaffrey would bring McCarthy's talents to the FAI.

A phone-call and a plane flight later McCaffrey found himself sitting in a living room in Castlemilk and the rest is history. Since then James has played at U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-21 level for Ireland, and is widely predicted to be part of Giovanni Trappatoni's squad to face Poland next month.

The reason James is being fast tracked into the senior side is the amorous attention he has received from Terry Butcher (Asst. Manager) and George Burley (Scotland Manager) recently.

James does not have to declare for a country until 21, if he doesn't play a competitive match. Burley and Butcher have both intimated to James that he would be included in future senior squads should he declare for Scotland.

The FAI were thrown into turmoil this week as McCarthy pulled out of the U-21 squad due to face Lithuania. And amid rumours he was about to defect FAI officials sought a meeting with James and his family.

The McCarthy family have been under intense media pressure in Scotland as a result of James' Irish allegiances. With the Daily Record launching a mini campaign against James to get him to declare for the land of his birth. The paper went as far as calling James "a country bumpkin" in an article criticising his decision to play for Ireland.

In claiming a "Player of the Month" award recently, the ceremony turned into a media grilling in which James handled himself very well. "It's at the stage where I just say I'll see what happens to just get them to stop, every time the answer is the same but they just keep asking"

But the FAI's fears that they were about to lose James' prodigious talents were unwarranted as McCarthy released a statement before their meeting. It read...

"James is flattered by the interest shown in him by George Burley in recent weeks with  view to him being selected by Scotland. However, he is now in his third season with the Irish set-up having already represented them at 17s, 18s, 19s and 21s, despite being a month short of his 18th birthday.

"James feels he would be letting too many people down by switching from the Irish at this stage. He is content to end the speculation and concentrate on his club commitments with the Accies."

Indeed McCarthy feels he owes Hamilton manager Billy Reid so much that he has stuck around this season to try and keep them in the league. In an age where players can demand moves at the drop of a hat, young James shows a remarkable level of maturity.

Promising teenagers are a dime a dozen in the modern age, and everyone has heard stories of who's the next big thing only to never hear of them again. But word in football circles are that James has all the necessary tools to succeed.

His grandfather would be proud, almost 100 years since he left the home he loved in search of work, part of his legacy may be about to give something back.

After all, home is where the heart is.

Debates have been raging on Bleacher Report for some time as to how one can support a club they may never have seen play live.

The answer is simple: there is always a connection.

In the last number of days, Arsenal's community leader Shyam Parthasarathi and I came up with the idea for a new series called Arsenal In...

Basically, the concept of the series is to have a writer from a different country each week to explain what Arsenal means to their given country, Arsenal's fanbase, ex-players, current-players etc in their said country. Essentially, what connections, if any, Arsenal Football Club has to a country.

First up, Maire Ofeire and Arsenal In Ireland.

Fanbase

Ireland has a long sporting tradition. From our own indigenous sports to NFL, virtually every sport is catered for in this country. After GAA (Ireland's national games of hurling, gaelic football and handball), soccer is the most widely played and supported sport in Ireland.

Sadly, the support is not for those playing League Of Ireland, it is for those stars of the Scottish Premier League and the English Premiership.

Because of the long tradition of Irish emigrants to and from the United Kingdom, English and Scottish clubs have a huge following in Ireland. Well, when I say Scottish I mean Celtic. They are far and away the best supported team in this country, followed by Manchester United and Liverpool.

Arsenal, I am proud to say, are a proud fourth. Leeds United had a huge following in this country and they still have a large fanbase although they seem to be rather closeted. A couple of Chelsea "fans" appeared after Abramovich turned up and lately Sunderland have increased their support—no surprise given the manager, chairman, and number of Irish players at the club.

Ireland, both North and South, has thirty-seven supporter clubs recognised as official by Arsenal FC.

Famous Irish Gooners include Dermot O'Leary of The X Factor (Granny rule), singer and actress Samantha Mumba, and sports broadcaster George Hamilton.

Ex-Players

In the 1970s and 80s, Ireland had a proud tradition of players playing for the North London club.

Most famous of all was Liam "Chippy" Brady who played for the club for seven glorious years. In 1996, he returned to the club to oversee the famed youth academy.

Then there is David O'Leary who holds the Arsenal record for appearances, having donned the famous red and white shirt 772 times.

Others include Frank Stapleton (one of a few to play for both Arsenal and Manchester United), Pat Jennings, Pat Rice (Arsene Wenger's No. 2), Niall Quinn, Steve Morrow, Sammy Nelson, Eddie McGoldrick, Terry Mancini (don't ask him to sing the Irish anthem) and Jimmy Magill.

Current Players

Sadly—and dare I say it—since Arsene Wenger took the hot-seat there has been little to report of on the Irish scene at Arsenal.

Those that have tried and failed to impress Le Boss are Graham Stack, Anthony Stokes, Joe O'Cearuill, Shane Tracy, Stephen O'Donnell, Sean Kelly, and Patrick Cregg.

Two Irish players currently plying their trade at the youth academy are central midfielders Cormac Hegarthy and Conor Henderson.

Ladies Team

While the Irish men have not been able to cement a place in Arsenal's squad lately, Irish women are helping the cause of the all-conquering Arsenal Ladies Team. Four of the squad are from Ireland: Ciara Grant, Emma Byrne (GK), Niamh Fahey and Yvonne Tracy (sister of the aforementioned Shane). Byrne, Grant and Tracy were part of the side that won the quadruple in 2007.

So there you have it, the proud connections between Arsenal and Ireland.

The proudest for me has to be Liam Brady and David O'Leary. One has the sweetest left foot you'll ever see, the other has the record for appearances for North London clubs.

On a last note, when Arsenal FC changed their badge in 2002 the cannon changed from facing France to facing Ireland!! What that means, who knows?!

A good-luck wish to Arsene and Co for the rest of this season:

Go n-éirí an bóthar leat
Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl
Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d'aghaidh
Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna
Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís,
Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú.

(May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand)

Arsenal agus Arsene go ndeo!! (Arsenal and Arsene forever)

The UEFA Eurpoean Championships are set to expand to 24 teams by the year 2016. This move, which will be officially put into play when UEFA meets on 26 September, will likely see the addition of two groups during the actual competition.The interesting thing to note is who spearheaded the move.

The Scottish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland called for the expansion last year. Their logic is that they wish to incorporate more of the teams from former Soviet countries. Why now though?

The Scottish FA cheif, Gordon Smith, said that he realizes that this opens up the chance for Ireland and Scottland to qualify easier. However, he also points out that this gives other Home Nations a chance to qualify, but that the call for expansion did not circulate around qualifying.

However, from having a look at both sponsors qualifying history, it seems a bit strange that they would want to do this for anyone other than themselves. I can remember being in my British history class during early qualifying and my friend Jesse was commenting that this might be the year that both Scotland and Ireland are in the Euro's.

It was however, not meant to be. Both teams started out strong in early qualifying and ended up not making it due one or two bad games.

This seems like it's self motivated more than anything. For two teams that have been on the very verge of qualification for sometime now, it is only fathomable that they would want to expand the number of qualifiers to favor themselves.

To say that they are doing this to increase the chance that England will also have a better shot at qualifying also seems a bit suspect. In the tournaments history, England have faild at their qualification campaigns five times out of 16. The records for Ireland and Scotland not qualifying are more than double that.

Should the Euro's be expanded? I'm iffy on the subject. I think if it will truly open up the door for smaller countries to have a shot at the world stage, then sure, expand them. However, I see this as nothing more than a self motivated ploy by the Scottish and Iris FA's to see their names on the scoreboards in 2016.