Dream Team

Ireland and the FAI have got their man. With speculation mounting and betting suspended it now appears to be a badly kept secret. Martin O'Neill will be unveiled as Ireland manager on Monday. The twitter machine has been into overdrive with news that MON is likely to unveil Roy Keane as his number two.

While Martin O'Neill's appointment is being welcomed by fans from Derry to Kerry, the appointment of Keane as assistant is proving to be divisive. It has stoked up tensions of the 'Civil War' which ensued following the Saipan debacle. The country seemed to be split down the middle as to who was at fault for the Manchester United captain's departure from World Cup 2002 in Japan and South Korea.

My own opinion of Saipan is that Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and the FAI were all equally culpable. However, we are talking about a World Cup nearly 12 years in the memory. It's firmly in the past and it is time to move on.

O'Neill ticks all the right boxes. He is a good coach and has an excellent CV. His record at Leister City and Celtic is exceptional. At Sunderland he did not have his sidekick John Robertson by his side, after a positive start results began to flounder and Martin was shown the door. His replacement Paolo Di Canio's short reign and poorer points average is testament to the fact that Sunderland were wrong to sack O'Neill.

The partnership with Keane could be a masterstroke or it could all end in tears. There are fears of a media circus where the reporters are more interested in the outspoken Keane's comments rather than asking MON about the team and squad.

For this to work Keane needs to keep a relatively low profile and stay in the shadow of O'Neill who will be the 'Gaffer' after all. Keane also needs to realise he will not be calling the shots and do the job of an assistant manager rather than a joint manager. Marco Tardelli (lets not forget was also a high profile right hand man of Trapatonni) filled this role well.

Of course the FAI will be very happy in getting their man. The appointment of Keane as number two will be seen as an added bonus as it is bound to have a positive effect on attendances and generate much needed additional revenue for the organisation as it strives to clear it's Aviva Stadium debt.

There is no doubt with the expanded Euros Ireland have a great chance of making the short trip to France for Euro 2016. Ireland are second seeds in the 23 February draw (provided Romania don't win their two WC playoff games). With the top two in each group qualifying automatically and the safety net of a seeded playoff for a third place finish, qualification will be expected.

Let's wait until Monday for an official announcement and then get behind the new Management team starting with the upcoming international friendly against Latvia on 15 November at Lansdowne Road.

Possible Ireland starting XI
Westwood
Coleman Dunne O'Shea Wilson
Gibson McCarthy Whelan
McGeady Houlihan
Long/Keane

UEFA award for Ireland Fans

Ireland Fans which have been labelled the "best fans in the world" are to have their contribution to Euro 2012 recognised by UEFA when Michael Platini travels to Dublin to present the award.

While some might see the award as slightly patronising given the dissappointing performances of the team, albeit against the two teams which have gone on to contend the final, most welcome the award. No doubt it is entirely deserved as an estimated 35,000 Ireland supporters from each of the 32 counties flooded into Poznan and Gdansk.

The verdict:

The mayor of Gdansk is to nominate Irish fans for a UEFA fair play award
Singing green army leave as legends - Irish news, Euro 2012 - Independent.ie

A spokesman said the Irish drink a lot of beer, but were no trouble, and were in a word, "wonderful."
Singing green army leave as legends - Irish news, Euro 2012 - Independent.ie

About as threatening as a kindergarten school trip, their purpose is enjoyment rather than intimidation; they are here to have fun rather than to act out some historical domination fantasy
Euro 2012: Ireland fans bring colour and kindness to P oznan - Telegraph

Legacy of the Irish in Poznan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=IE&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=Gm-1mCz_eUk&sns=tw&nomobile=1

Opinion of Spanish and Polish supporters
Video: Irish fans in Gdansk in full voice as others hail magnificent support · TheJournal.ie

Unlike other international teams in Ireland and Britain, Ireland supporters continue to make headlines for all the right reasons. Hopefully the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 will allow the team to give the supporters the results they deserve.

The cat is in the sack!

As Mr. Trappatonni says the cat is in the sack and the sack is closed. In other words Ireland have qualified  for the European Championship 2012, the first major tournament in ten years and first European Championship in 24 years.

Who can forget Euro 88 and Ray Houghton's header to give Ireland a famous victory over the Old Enemy in Stuttgart or Ronnie Whelan's wonder volley against the Soviet Union in Hanover.

Ireland supporters always travel in huge numbers and it will be no different next June with Polish "phrasebooks and jump  leads for the van" being sought in all 32 Counties. For those who can't make the epic journey to Polkraine, there will be football barbeques and parties from Derry to Cork and Galway to Dublin as the boys in green take part in this prestigous festival of football.

This is a much needed boost for the country and with players of the calibre of Given, Dunne, O'Shea, McGeady, Duff, Gibson and Keane and a world class manager in Giovanni Trappatoni there is much reason to be optimistic of the nations prospects this summer.

Come on You Boys In Green!!

Leinster final

Yesterday we witnessed an absolute belter of a Leinster football final. It looked like Louth were going to win their first Leinster title in 53 years, until a last gasp Joe Sheridan goal snatched victory for Meath. TV replays clearly showed should have been disallowed. How neither the referee nor the 2 umpires behind the goal did not see that the ball was carried over the line American football style touchdown is beyond me. The bookmakers are offering odds of 15/8 that there will be a replay. However with the faith I have in the GAA hierarchy and the CCCC (whatever that means) I think i'll save my money to back Brazil winning the next World Cup at 4/1.

FAI vs. IFA - European Court of Arbitration for Sport

On Monday 19 July the Irish Football Association will take the Football Association of Ireland to the European Court of Arbitration for Sport in a final and desperate attempt to deny Irish citizens from the North the opportunity to represent their country.

Unionists argue that if a player born in Northern Ireland has no links with the Republic of Ireland (parent/grandparent born there) should not be allowed to play with this "foreign country". They already have a small player pool and with half of their professional footballers declaring for the ROI team, this will have a detrimental affect on their team.

Nationalists argue that the GFA allows them an automatic right to Irish citizenship and therefore they should not be prevented from playing for their country in which they hold citizenship or at the very least they should be entitled to the choice.

Darron Gibson, Marc Wilson and Shane Duffy are examples of high profile footballers who have made the switch from playing underage football with NI to declare for the Ireland senior squad. The Ireland underage squads also have numerous northern based players in their squads.

The problem for these players, other than not wanting to play for a country that does not represent them is that the IFA is a British football association which is supported almost exclusively by Unionists. The anthem is God Save the Queen, the flag is the unionist unofficial flag of Northern Ireland, complete with crown. The stadium Windsor Park is located in a staunchly loyalist area of Belfast and union jacks can be seen on match days. Add to this the sectarian abuse that catholic players have received in the past including death threats to former Celtic F.C captain and current manager Neil Lennon and it is not difficult to see why more and more northern players are declaring for Ireland.

Many of the teams supporters argue that things have changed and that sectarian abuse of catholics is a thing of the past. This is open to debate. While the IFA must be commended for their 'Football for All' initiative to rid itself of sectarianism, it was only last year that NI played Poland in Windsor Park. It is well documented the abuse that Artur Boruc received as were the riots that ensued with the Polish supporters. Now it is no secret that Polish fans have a hooligan element. However the fact that Boruc was the Celtic goalkeeper at the time and the fact that Polish fans are predominantly Catholic, does call in to question if sectarianism was not an element in the trouble that day.

This will be the IFAs thrid attempt to block nationalist players playing for their country. Twice they have gone to FIFA and twice they have been told where to go. On Monday week I expect the CAS to send the IFA home with their tail between their legs. They will not ignore FIFAs two previous rulings nor will they defy or violate an internationally binding agreement between two sovereign nations. This blog will return to this issue after the ruling.