United Irishmen
As both national teams on the island prepare to take part in the finals of a major tournament together for the first time, Cian Manning recalls how it came about in 1973 that an All-Ireland selection took on the might of Brazil.
England’s Dublin Date
The FAI have confirmed that England will visit Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on June 7, 2015. The game will be the first meeting of the Republic and the Three Lions on Irish soil since the infamous Lansdowne riots in 1995.
Magee, 1916, & Return of the Mac
There’s an Irish sporting myth that broadcasting legend Jimmy Magee can claim some small credit for Edson Arantes do Nascimento becoming known as Pelé. Similarly the Memory Man also had a part to play in the rechristening of Ireland’s new keeper of the faith.
Guest Post: Misery Merchants Back Aboard the Bandwagon
They’re calling them ‘Box-Office. The unveiling of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane as Ireland’s new management has sparked a frenzy of interest in the home friendly with Latvia. Yet, if the duo weren’t in place next week, if there was no appointment, Irish ‘supporters’ would stay away in their droves. Billy Keane of Back-Post.com wonders if the Irish team would be better off without the event-junkies.
Liverpool and Celtic Not Alone in Dublin
Liverpool and Celtic fans sing You’ll Never Walk Alone ahead of the Dublin Decider at the Aviva Stadium.
Republic of Loose Talk: Trap and Kelly in War of Words
Stephen Kelly and Giovanni Trapattoni are playing out a nasty tit-for-tat row in the full glare of the media spotlight after the defender stated he was ‘shocked and disgusted’ with the manager’s comments about him this week.
Sammon Wishing in the Eleven
Giovanni Trapattoni has taken a leap by naming Conor Sammon in his starting line-up for tomorrow night’s clash with Poland.
Guest Post: World’s Best Supporters – For Two Weeks
We call ourselves the Best Fans in the World. UEFA even gave us a prize. We went to Poland in huge numbers but we can’t fill Lansdowne now for Ireland games. Our football love is reserved for Premier League clubs, mainly two of them, and mainly from the couch or the barstool. In a special guest post, Minty from YBIG.ie looks at how many Irish people take the easy way out when supporting foreign teams.
Video: Pick That One Out
The three finalists have been announced for the FIFA Puskas Award for the “most beautiful goal of the year.” Radamel Falcao, Miroslav Stoch and Neymar are all in the running for the gong but which one gets your vote?
It Started With a Handshake
Review: Mick McCarthy took over at Ipswich Town last week and confirmed he would have said yes to a return to the Ireland job. His arrival at Portman Road drew the inevitable links to Roy Keane’s time in charge of the Tractor Boys. For Irish people, one name usually follows the other and the word Saipan is never far from the lips. Diarmuid O hAinle’s stunning new book It Started With a Handshake takes us back to 2002 but asks what if it had all turned out differently?