Month: September 2021

2016 IS ALMOST in the rearview mirror, but Kieran Donaghy’s future in a Kerry jersey remains a mystery.

The four-time All-Ireland senior medallist continues to mull over his possible retirement, although he appears no closer to making a call on the matter.

Kieran Donaghy’s ‘What Do You Think of That’, was announced as the eir Sport Sports Book of The Year. As the winner, Kieran will receive a €1,500 cash prize, a specially commissioned trophy and €10,000 worth of TV advertising on the eir Sport channels.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

For the time being, Donaghy is happy to focus on basketball, family and work. He was in Dublin today to pick up the eir Sports Book of the Year award for his autobiography, What Do You Think Of That? There’s plenty to keep him occupied.

“Eamonn (Fitzmaurice) hasn’t given me any deadline anyway,” Donaghy said. “The understanding we have is to play away with the basketball and see how the body is and see how I am physically.

And mentally too because there’s days I wake up and I’m just thinking that the gig is up. And there’s mornings then that I wake up and go, ‘maybe I can give it another year.’

“It would be great if it was just a footballing thing. if it was a footballing thing, you could go back every time. But there’s so much going on now. I’m travelling over and back to the UK with work, I’m up and down the country.

“I’m doing a good bit of driving and that’s not good for me. And a lot of the driving is going on now because I just couldn’t do it during the season.

“So there’s that. There’s (my wife) Hillary (and my daughter) Lola-Rose. There’s the basketball. There’s loads going on. To be honest, I planned on probably announcing something around when the book came out. But I literally don’t have a clue what I’m going doing.”

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

The pressure to announce a decision came on from his book publishers, but Donaghy wasn’t for budging.

He admits he started writing the book, which was ghost-written by Kieran Shannon, in 2014 thinking he’d be retired by the time it was released. Then the Kerry captaincy dropped on his lap after Austin Stacks won the county final the same year. He couldn’t pass that up.

“I’m at this a few years now, coming and going. I’d say there’s a few young fellas on the panel who are thinking, ‘Will he not just f*ck off?’ I know in 2014, I was gone.

You get that from the book, I felt like I was gone. Time was up, I was out of favour, my form wasn’t good and I was struggling with a bad injury. I wasn’t ready for the scrapheap but there were good young players coming along.

“But then the Stacks won the championship, which was  unbelievable but in Kerry that means you’re captain and I was the only fella in the squad so there was no way I could miss that opportunity  so I had to go back for ’15.

“I was obviously delighted to go back but we lost a tough All-Ireland in ’15 and I wanted to go again. You always wants to go again it is so difficult because you are giving up what you are used to for the last 12 years and a lifestyle that you have been used to and Munster finals and big days in Croke Park.

“I’m 33 now. I’m going to be watching – with the god’s help – games in Croke Park until I’m 83 so touch wood I have 50 years of watching games. So maybe there’ll be 49 years of watching games and maybe one more playing.

I was listening to Newstalk yesterday and they were saying play as long as you can. Andy Lee was there and he was saying you can’t box for as long as you can, but you should play as long as you can.”

On the same show, Lee also spoke about his regret at not retiring while he was world champion. To draw a comparison between boxing and GAA, Donaghy clearly wants to go out on a winning note. To scale that mountain one more time.

“If I didn’t think we’d a legitimate chance at winning the All-Ireland it would probably be a much easier call.

“It certainly is harder to walk away when you know there’s a chance your teammates could go on to win the All-Ireland. Of course you’d be sitting up there thick with yourself that you didn’t go back and do another winter of slog and put in all the effort.”

Source: Tommy Grealy/INPHO

In the close-season, Fitzmaurice has added legendary figure Maurice Fitzgerald to his backroom team for 2017. The 33-year-old never shared a dressing room with Fitzgerald before, but did mark him during a club game in his younger days.

“I played against him, didn’t play with him. I just came in a year or two after he left. (I)  would have loved to play with him.

“At the time I was marking him it was nearly a boast of mine that I’d marked him. I was loving it. Even though they beat us and he probably beat me in the end, but we went to battle and we were hopping off each other.

“That was the first day I said there’s more to this fella than meets the eye. I had him in my head as a skilful footballer but he could put a knee in your back and he’d put an elbow into your cheekbone if you were horsing with him. Just a class act.

He was my hero as a kid. He’s got a great way about him and he’ll be just great to have around the place.  Everybody thinks he’s just this kind of quiet kind or reserved guy, but he’s actually quite funny, quite engaging, very intelligent and he has a great football brain.

“So he will definitely help and it’ll be great for Kerry to have him on board. The forwards will have no excuse next year with Liam Hassett, Mikey Sheehy and Maurice Fitz. If they’re not shooting the lights out there’s something wrong.”

What Do You Think Of That? is out now, €18.99

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DUBLIN BELIEVE THAT ”extravagant hyperbole” surrounds the exploits of their all-conquering senior footballers.

The Sky Blues captured back-to-back All-Ireland crowns this year to make it four Sam Maguire Cup wins in six seasons.

Dublin have also claimed the last four Allianz Football League crowns and their domination of the big ball code has been viewed in some quarters as a negative.

The Dubs also won the Leinster crown for a sixth successive year and continue to cast a massive shadow over the Eastern province.

But county board CEO John Costello insists that despite a bank-busting sponsorship with AIG, Dublin GAA is not “awash with cash.”

In his annual report to county board convention, Costello has responded to accusations that Dublin possess too much financial clout for the rest.

And he’s also suggested that Dublin’s dominance of Leinster and the All-Ireland series is very much a cyclical thing, and pointed out that the county’s record in the minor and U21 grades is “far less emphatic.”

John Costello celebrates Dublin’s All-Ireland senior football final replay with his son, Cormac.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Costello writes: ‘World Domination? Think Again! It’s official: world domination beckons for the Dublin footballers.

“So it has been claimed in certain quarters after we became the first county to win back-to-back All-Irelands since Kerry in 2007, with Jim Gavin feted as the first manager to retain Sam Maguire since Billy Morgan in 1990.

“Do our historic trailblazers and their manager deserve the high praise heaped on their shoulders since 1 October?

“Without question – they are a credit to our county and themselves.

But I have an issue with the more extravagant hyperbole that tends to greet most All-Ireland champions, and more especially, a team that has garnered four of the last six SFC titles. And it’s this: all this talk of Dublin domination could strengthen the argument (a nebulous one, I believe) that something radical must be done to “stop them”. We’re not even talking about splitting the capital in two – thankfully that canard has been buried in the dustbin of daft ideas.

“There is much talk of funding equalisation in the GAA, how the finances at our disposal must be curbed to “level the playing field”.

“But this presupposes that Dublin GAA is awash with cash (we aren’t) or that you could slash our funding from central coffers without any negative effect.

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John Costello congratulates manager Jim Gavin after Dublin’s replay victory over Mayo.

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

“At the most basic level, this is about jobs – that funding is diverted to coaches operating at the juvenile and club coalface throughout the county.

Let me stress, I fully support efforts to bolster the central funding available to so-called weaker counties – they aren’t blessed with some of the advantages that Dublin possess and they need help. However, it behoves Croke Park to find ways and means of generating more resources, instead of settling for a division of the same cake. Put bluntly, extra funding for other counties should not come at the direct expense of Dublin’s games development initiatives.

“Bleed that well dry and it won’t be long before soccer and rugby make inroads back into terrain that Dublin GAA has fought, tooth and nail, to colonise in the first place.”

Costello wrapped up his summation by highlighting some numbers that provide hope for would-be challengers.

He added: “I’ll finish with a few statistics that might modify your viewpoint about Dublin’s alleged supremacy.

“There has been much talk of how we’ve monopolised the Leinster SFC since 2005, winning 11 of the last 12 provincial titles, and I cannot argue with the stats.

Con O’Callaghan and Dublin suffered All-Ireland U21 semi-final defeat to Mayo in April.

Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO

“But our record at U21 and, especially minor level, is far less emphatic.

“In that same period (2005-16) Dublin have won just four Leinster minor championships (’09, ’11, ’12 and ’14), failing to reach the last two provincial finals, and harvesting just one All-Ireland (2012).

“Our record at U21 level is more impressive – seven of the last 12 Leinster titles, and three All-Ireland successes in 2010, ’12 and ’14 – but we have failed to reach the last two All-Ireland finals.

Suffice to say, there are plenty of ambitious players and managers in other counties who have tasted underage success against us. They will be desperate to emulate that feat in the senior grade.

“Moreover, if you consider Dublin’s victory margins in this year’s All-Ireland series (five points against Donegal, two against Kerry and just one against Mayo, after a replay) you could hardly say we are streets ahead of the chasing pack.

“No All-Ireland is easily won. Next year’s certainly won’t be.”

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Home

Pat Lam guided Connacht to Pro12 glory earlier this year.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

• Connacht Head Coach Pat Lam will be leaving Connacht at the end of the season to become the new Head Coach at Bristol.
• Cork City striker Sean Maguire signed a new deal with the League of Ireland side that will see him remain at the club for at least another season.
• Former Clare senior football coach Mick Bohan is set to get a second stint as the Dublin ladies senior football manager.
• Kieran Donaghy’s new autobiography What Do You Think Of That? is named the eir Sports Book of the Year.
•  Dublin County Board CEO John Costello hits out at allegations made about the county board’s commitment to hurling in the county.

Away

Source: Adam Davy

• Man City’s Sergio Aguero was issued a four-match ban for his challenge on David Luiz at the weekend.
• France coach Didier Deschamps says he intends to pursue legal action against Eric Cantona for racial slurs about his choice of players for Euro 2016.
• The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Sepp Blatter’s appeal against a six-year ban from all football activities.
• The Copa Sudamericana has been awarded to Brazilian club Chapecoense, following the tragic airplane disaster which claimed the lives of a number of the players.

The Best Thing We Shared

This cheeky effort at a penalty from Lee Trundle.

On The Record

Dublin County Board CEO John Costello says Michael Carton’s comments “are totally wide of the mark.”

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Dublin County Board CEO John Costello claims that Diarmuid Connolly was struck a number of times before one of this year’s championship games.

In one of our championship games this summer one of our players – (no prizes for guessing who!) – Diarmuid Connolly –  was struck about six times before the ball was even thrown in to commence the game.Okay, they were not Mike Tyson haymakers he was hit with but, nevertheless, each blow was an infraction of the rules and worse still, happened right under the gaze of one of the referee’s linesmen.

Where We Were Today

Kieran Donaghy with his new book What Do You Think of That.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Kevin O’Brien was in the Dun’s Library at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin for the eir Sport Sports Book of the Year ceremony.

Alan Waldron attended the Leinster press conference at Leinster Rugby HQ in the RDS.

The Fixture List

Some Barcelona players attend a training session ahead of their clash against Borussia Monchengladbach tomorrow.

Source: Manu Fernandez

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There’s Champions League action coming up tomorrow with all the kick-offs taking place at 7.45pm. Barcelona take on Borussia Mönchengladbach and Manchester City play Celtic in Group C while Basel face Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain battle it out with Ludogorets in Group A. 

Bayern Munich have a Group D clash with Atletico Madrid while PSV Eindhoven face off against FK Rostov. 

In Group B, it’s Benfica vs Napoli and Dynamo Kiev vs Besiktas. 

Showbiz, Baby!

This David Beckham-esque effort from Alejandro Camargo to help seal a 3-1 victory for Universidad de Concepcion.

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RHODE ARE BIDDING to become the first Offaly club in 30 years to take home the Leinster SFC club title, and they’ll have to do it without two key players on Sunday.

Anton Sullivan and Jake Kavanagh jetted off on the Defence Forces’ tour of the Lebanon last month, prior to Rhode’s semi-final win over Louth champions Sean O’Mahony’s.

The Village made every effort to organise the return of the duo for the provincial decider against Dublin kingpins St Vincent’s, but it appears their efforts have come up short.

“It’s not looking good no,” said Rhode skipper Niall McNamee at the AIB GAA Leinster Football Club Championship Final Media Day.

In fairness the lads have been working hard to get them back, but no. Reports came back there at the weekend that it’s not going to happen.”

The 2013 All-Ireland club champions St Brigid’s played their recent Connacht final defeat to Corofin without Ian Kilbride, who’s a higher ranking member of the Irish Army in the Lebanon.

Ultimately, that worked against Rhode’s hopes of bringing Sullivan and Kavanagh home, according to McNamee.

“I think the fact that Ian Kilbride was away, he’s in the Lebanon as well, and he wasn’t back for last weekend, I think that’s after counting against them,” continued the 31-year-old.

I think the fact they’ve only recently gone, they probably weren’t going to let them back that early.”

“Look, we knew they were going away, we’ve been planning all along that we weren’t going to be back. That was in our plan so it is what it is. We just move on from it.

Rhode and Offaly star Anton Sullivan.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

“To be honest it’s tough on the boys,” added McNamee. “I can only imagine what it’s going to be like for them during the game on Sunday, trying to listen in online or do whatever. It’s going to be tough but we knew a good few weeks ago that they were gone. Other lads have stepped up in training, get their chance and that’s it.

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“There was that bit of hope that they were going to be back but I think it was Saturday or Sunday that word came through to say, ‘no they won’t be coming.’

The absence of Offaly forward Sullivan is a particular blow to Rhode, who will miss his energy and pace around the middle third.

Especially this time of year when the ground gets a bit heavier, he seems to get faster which is unusual. But he’s been playing really well. From semi-final, county final on he’s been playing great stuff. They were devastated going.

“But that’s come up short. It’s dissapointing but we’ve expected it. In terms of our own camp there’s been no negativity around it because we expected them not to be here. We just plough on, boys step in and away we go.”

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DUBLIN COUNTY BOARD CEO John Costello launched a scathing attack on the ‘targetting’ of Diarmuid Connolly on the field in 2016, but the player himself has no gripes over his treatment.

Diarmuid Connolly was at the AIB GAA Leinster Football Club Championship Final Media Day.

Source: Ramsey Cardy/SPORTSFILE

Costello wrote in his annual report that Dublin’s star forward was “struck about six times” prior to the start of a championship game this year.

“Okay, they were not Mike Tyson haymakers he was hit with but, nevertheless, each blow was an infraction of the rules and worse still, happened right under the gaze of one of the referee’s linesmen,” wrote Costello.

It is believed he was referring to Dublin’s defeat of Westmeath in the Leinster SFC final, although Connolly has no recollection of the incident.

“What game was that?” asked Connolly when he was quizzed about it yesterday at the AIB GAA Leinster Football Club Championship Final Media Day.

“Not that I remember anyway. I don’t know what game he was looking at. Some lad hit me six times before the ball was thrown in? Maybe it did happen, I don’t know.

“We’ve spoken about this before. It’s part of the game. It’s a physical game. Opponents go toe to toe with each other. I wouldn’t call it targeting as such.

Connolly tussles with Aidan McElliggott of Mullinalaghta during the Leinster club SFC semi-final.

Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO

“If it’s within the rules of the game, fair enough. If it’s not, then it should be dealt with by the officials. That’s all we are asking for really, isn’t it?

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“At the same time isn’t it a testament to your own skills that somebody needs to step out of line to curtail you. That’s a compliment really and that’s the way you look at it.”

What has annoyed Connolly though is the GAA constantly updating the rule book, which doesn’t make the referee’s job of policing the action any easier.

The GAA recently announced the ‘mark’ rule will come into effect across the board from January 1 next year. Two years ago it was the black card which was introduced at all levels in a bid to stamp out cynical fouling in Gaelic football.

“I think it’s silly bringing in these rules,” continued Connolly. “There is nearly one every two years, a different change or something going on.

“I don’t think it’s benefitting the game. It’s putting bad publicity on the game. The black card has been over publicised so much. Referees are coming under scrutiny for it. Players are coming under scrutiny for it.

People in the media. There was no need for it, I didn’t think. Just because Sean Cavanagh pulled a guy down and some clown in an RTE studio decides to throw the toys out of the pram really and make it more than it was.

“If they wanted it, in my opinion, make a rule, it would be a red card for a clear goalscoring opportunity, a yellow card for cynical play, for  me.  You have your two cards, there they are.”

Jonny Cooper’s All-Ireland final replay was ended after 19 minutes for this innocuous trip.

Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO

Connolly’s fellow Dubs James McCarthy and Jonny Cooper were black-carded in the All-Ireland final drawn game and replay respectively, while his man-marker Lee Keegan also received a black in the replay.

“You see in the All-Ireland final, a guy pulling a fella down, how far away from goal… and it’s a black card. That’s the reality of it, but it was brought in because someone was pulled down in front of goal and they had a clear goalscoring opportunity.

“I think we are a little bit quick to make rules on our game and I don’t think we needed to. We had our two cards. A clear goalscoring opportunity should be a red card and that’s the way it should be in my opinion.

“I’ve got one black card in my whole time playing it, but I don’t play in a position where I have to make them tackles all the time. I can pull out of challenge in the half forward line, but you can’t do that when someone goes around you. The letter of the law says a deliberate pull down is a black card.

“How many times do you deliberately pull someone down. You might be leaving a hand in, in the tackle. A free is the right call. A black card and you lose that player for the whole game.

“You put enough into the training and playing for Gaelic football and for it to be taken away from you for one challenge when it’s not forceful, or it’s not deliberate that you are going to hurt anyone.

“There was a card for that already, it’s called a red card.  You see that in every other sport. I don’t agree with the black card anyway.”

What does he think about using the sin bin as an alternative to stamp out deliberate fouling?

“Tried that already, that’s another rule that they tried and it didn’t work.”

Stephen Cluxton: Worthy of another All-Star according to Connolly.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

Connolly did agree with Costello that Dublin were harshly done by after six players from the back-to-back All-Ireland champions made the All-Stars selection.

He felt Stephen Cluxton deserved to pick up his sixth award after the 35-year-old stopper enjoyed another outstanding campaign between the posts.

“I thought Stephen was harshly judged on probably a poor ten minutes in the whole year. For me he’s the best goalkeeper in Dublin, he’s changed Gaelic football so he’s probably one that missed out.

“If you were to look at his stats compared to any other keeper, his ball retention stats are actually frightening, 90 percent in most games, if not 100 percent, so what more do you want from a goalkeeper, but to keep possession of the ball. That’s the name of the game.”

– First published 06.15

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THOSE PLAYSTATION 2 fans among us will remember back to 2005 when one of the worst games imaginable was unleashed on the Irish public:

Gaelic Games Football.

Source: YouTube

It wasn’t exactly a hit, and there was another effort made in 2007 to revive the franchise – but it wasn’t enough.

Now though, the Irish GAA Banter Facebook page has started a petition to rectify this travesty. They want “A Hurling & Football Ps4 & Xbox 1 Game made by EA Sports.” 

And they’ve even created a cover for them as well

Source: GAA Banter Page

The petition reads:

We the Irish people would appreciate if you would consider making a GAA game, it would outsell the likes of Fifa 17 in Ireland on both Xbox and Playstation platforms and would also have a very strong market in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia.

Thanks for your time,

People of Ireland

And it’s been signed by over 2000 people since being set up last week.

It’s actually been sent to the EA offices in the UK as well, so chances are someone there has actually read it.

Imagine the possibilities

Source: TG4

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Former Cork camogie star Anna Geary, Hurler of the Year Austin Gleeson, and former Kilkenny hurler Jackie Tyrrell at Tuesday’s launch.

ONLINE DEPARTMENT STORE Littlewoods Ireland will sponsor the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the Camogie National League for the next three seasons.

Littlewoods was announced today as the GAA’s newest “top tier partner” in a deal which will run until 2019. No figures have been disclosed for the value of the partnership.

Since the GAA’s move to a multi-sponsorship model in 2008, the senior football and hurling championships have each been sponsored by three brands.

It is understood that Littlewoods’ hurling sponsorship will replace Liberty Insurance, who came on board in 2013 in a three-year deal worth a reported €2 million.

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GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail and Catherine Neary, President of the Camogie Association, welcomed the Littlewoods partnership which is the first time that the National Camogie League will have a title sponsor.

“This partnership will help us reach into new areas as we continually look at new ways of bringing our games to new audiences and supporters,” Ó Fearghail said.

“I laud the fact that the arrangement also covers the activities and games of the Camogie Association which strikes me as a particularly good fit covering the wide spectrum of the GAA family given the area of expertise of Littlewoods Ireland.

“I look forward to a long and mutually beneficially partnership.”

Littlewoods Ireland hosts over 70,000 products from more than 1,300 brands, with its website receiving an average of 2.5 million visits each month, the company said on Tuesday.

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MAYO FOOTBALL MANAGER Stephen Rochford has appointed former inter-county goalkeeper Peter Burke as a selector for 2017.

Burke, a goalkeeping coach who has been working with the panel for the past six seasons, will replace Sean Carey in the setup after he called time on his involvement, according to the Mayo News.

The Kiltimagh club man is expected to combine his role as goalkeeping coach with his new position, where he will continue to work alongside Donie Buckley and Tony McEntee.

Burke made his senior inter-county debut at the age of 21, against Galway in 1997.

He won the National League in 2001 and played in the All-Ireland final defeats to Kerry in 1997 and 2004 before retiring from the inter-county game 12 years ago.

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Peter Burke during the 2004 All-Ireland final.

Source: ©INPHO

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THE MAYO COUNTY Board’s public relations officer has lashed out at media organisations for attempting “to blacken Lee Keegan’s name” during the build-up to the All-Ireland final replay.

Keegan’s tussle with Dublin forward Diarmuid Connolly attracted considerable attention from the media and supporters before, during and after both All-Ireland finals.

The Mayo defender, who was later crowned Footballer of the Year, was shown a black card in the All-Ireland final replay for a challenge on Connolly as Dublin retained their All-Ireland crown.

Mayo PRO Paul Cunnane has taken issue with the media’s approach to the Westport man in the county convention report.

While largely full of praise for their efforts, Cunane says he felt journalists “took the bait” when it came to their portrayal of Keegan ahead of the 1 October replay.

“In the lead-up to the All-Ireland final replay there was a well-orchestrated media campaign to blacken Lee Keegan’s name and I would be disappointed that many media outlets chose to take the bait in the lead-up to the replay,” Cunnane wrote in the report.

“Lee Keegan has just won his fourth All-Star as well as being named GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year.

“This recognition was due to his excellent displays throughout the national league and championship.

“He is one of the finest footballers the county has ever produced.

“To see him depicted in this way before the biggest game of his career was very unjust.

“Ultimately this campaign worked as Lee was black carded wrongly before half-time in the replay.”

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Man United players Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones were in Dublin yesterday to open Lifestyle Sport’s flagship store on Mary Street.

Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

Home

• The GAA have announced a new sponsorship deal with Littlewoods Ireland for the next three years.
• A six-month notice clause in Pat Lam‘s Connacht contract is believed to be behind the timing of the announcement of his departure.
• Former Ireland and Connacht flanker Johnny O’Connor has been appointed as Galway United’s strength and conditoning coach for the new season.
• One of the country’s most expensive greyhounds has been taken from its kennels in Tipperary.
• The Mayo County Board’s PRO has lashed out at media organisations attempting to ‘blacken Lee Keegan‘s name’ during the build-up to the All-Ireland final.
• Staying in Mayo, football manager Stephen Rochford has appointed former inter-county goalkeeper Peter Burke as a selector for 2017.
• Cork City have completed another piece of good business by tying Irish U21 international Kevin O’Connor down to a new deal.
• Ireland international Dan Tuohy has completed his move to Premiership side Bristol.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn has been named as Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain.

Source: PA Wire/PA Images

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Away

• George North is likely to miss Northampton’s Champions Cup clash with Leinster this Friday as he undergoes a further head injury assessment.
• Thomas Bjorn has been named as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for 2018.
• New York City striker David Villa has been crowned Major League Soccer’s MVP for 2016.
• Saracens have bolstered their second row options with the signing of Australia lock Will Skelton.

The Best Thing We Shared

Source: NBA/YouTube

Klay Thompson was in sensational form for Golden State last night as he scored 60 points in just 29 minutes.

On The Record

“Just because Sean Cavanagh pulled a guy down and some clown in an RTE studio decides to throw the toys out of the pram really and make it more than it was.”

Diarmuid Connolly didn’t hold back when asked for his thoughts on the back card and the mark yesterday.

Where we were today

Fintan O’Toole was down at Croke Park for the Littlewoods Ireland sponsorship announcement.

Source: Stephen McCarthy/SPORTSFILE

The Fixture List

• The Champions League group stages continues on Wednesday with eight more games down for decision.
• Tottenham host CSKA Moscow at Wembley Stadium and Leicester travel to face Porto, with all games kicking-off at 7.45pm.

Showbiz, Baby!

Ever dream of owning a football club? Non-league club Basingstown Town has gone on sale on eBay with bidding starting at just 99p!

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