FOOTBALL THE ONLY LOSER ON A DAY OF NO WINNERS:
Well, would Donegal have taken them? Either of them? Quite possibly on
the day that was in it, a day when football literally took a bit of a
hammering and a couple of pundits appeared to have left those much
used terms such as “cynicism” – Colm O’Rourke’s description for Tyrone
the previous week – and “puke football” (Pat Spillane’s snide
assertion whenever a Jim McGuinness team took to the field), in their
overcoat pockets. 
Ah yes, O’Rourke did concede that Sunday’s semi-final had been “quite
flat” and “dull and boring” up until that dramatic last ten minutes.
But nowhere did he compare Dublin’s tactics as clinically “cynical”
when the foul and card count suggested otherwise.
And Spillane’s immediate reaction to the match he and the rest of us
had just witnessed? “What a game…..”.
No shaking of the head at any of the underhand stuff but as sure as
the MacGillycuddy Reeks is a hard mountain to climb (and a difficult
one to spell), the nation’s favourite Kerryman would have been foaming
at the mouth had it been one of the Northern teams doing the dragging,
pulling or punching.
Even R.T.E. commentator, Darragh Maloney, and his sidekick, Dessie
Dolan, appeared reluctant to swing the axe though there were
references to some of the rough and tumble on view.
Mayo, let’s hasten to add, were no saints but I don’t think I’d ever
seen a Dublin team of recent vintage come armed with anything other
than a clean game plan. Until this one.
Two penalties – and a third that should have been awarded to the
Connacht champions when Aidan O’Shea was dragged to the deck in the
opening half – and more cards than your average poker classic summed
up what had gone on.
And, true, the game was as dull as our recently departed summer or, as
Joe Brolly put it, “a big load of shite” though with the prize being
an All-Ireland Final nerves can indeed squeeze the spectacle out of
any such encounter.
The two penalities that were awarded – both of them expertly converted
particularly Cillian O’Connor’s given that, had he missed, that would
have been it as far as Mayo were concerned – were justified even if
Dessie Dolan insisted there had not been a “whole pile of contact”
when Colm Boyle attempted to burst through Dublin ranks knowing, it
has to said, that any form of collision would have the referee
stretching out his arms.
The Mayomen were deserving of a replay but I couldn’t understand why,
with a minute or so to go in additional time – time that I felt
referee McQuillan short-changed everyone with except for the G.A.A.
authorities who can now look forward to another massive pay day –
Dublin persisted in playing the ball backwards when had they managed
to do what they’d done earlier in the game they could have sealed it
there and then.
To come from seven points in arrears in those closing minutes owes as
much to Mayo’s undying spirit as it does to the Dubs’ yielding to
negativity.
But, here, allow the experts to sum it all up: “Mayo had the momentum
at the end of the game.” O’Rourke, Spillane, Brolly? Or any of the
trio dragged into exchange views with Des Cahill on ‘The Sunday Game’?
No, actually Tony McDonnell, on R.T.E.’s ‘Soccer Republic’ on Monday
night. See, this game got everywhere.
And on Saturday it heads back to Croke Park for round two. And in the
blue corner….
HOW ABOUT ANOTHER SEASON, KEVIN?
Some weeks back, this column was suggesting that the days of Kevin
McHugh hitting double figures in a season were a thing of the glorious
past.
Well, two more goals at the weekend in Harps 3-2 win at Cabinteely saw
his tally for this campaign rise to eight and a handful of matches
left – including Saturday night’s fixture against Waterford United –
provides the veteran striker with plenty of opportunity to ease out of
the single figure bracket. 
A key player in Harps promotion bid – a bid given a boost following
U.C.D.’s defeat at Shelbourne – the Killea man will prove pivotal in
the run-in, his experience, guile, and, yes, goals set to prove
influential.
Not the first season he has contributed significantly to the club that
was always etched into his heart even when wearing the Candystripes
but will it be the last? He has already indicated that the 2015
campaign will signal the end of his League of Ireland career – as a
player at any rate – but could he be persuaded to stay on and retain
that number 10 jersey for another season? He might not need much
persuading particularly if the promotion goal is achieved and Harps
required that experience to remain on in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Waterford will arrive in Finn Park on the back of an
impressive display last weekend against leaders, Wexford Youths, when
they went down by the odd goal in five.
Roddy of the Collins clan will receive his usual warm welcome and
while the face masks depicting the Waterford manager, which have
become a staple amongst Harps fans whenever the one-man Louis Copeland
coats promoter arrives in town, will bear the same expression, we can
only hope the man himself will not be grinning at the end of the game.
This has not been the season the south-east Blues anticipated before
it began but they are still capable of springing surprises. Beware the
Rod squad.
And don’t forget, it’s a Saturday night kick-off as U.E.F.A.
steadfastly refused to change the kick-off of the Gibraltar/Ireland
game from Friday evening.
And if Martin O’Neill’s men don’t return from their latest outing in
their increasingly frustrating path to the European Championships
Finals with maximum points – and possibly a tan – and follow that up
with a win against Georgia on Monday, you’ll find me eating my hat or,
in the immortal words of Mick McCarthy, “baring my backside in
Burton’s window” wherever that is.
WALK ON BY:
Over a quarter of an hour into the men’s 50k walk at the World
Athletics Championships, the sight of our own, Brendan Boyce, and
fellow compatriot and defending champion, Rob Heffernan, in the
leading pack, did the heart good. And while I was watching it post the
midnight hour, there was an image – maybe I’d fallen asleep - of the
two Irishmen occupying medal positions at the end of the punishing
event and a celebratory homecoming for the Milford man.
Brendan Boyce
I didn’t watch the entire B.B.C. coverage but when I flicked back to
the walk less than two hours into it, it was to see Heffernan still in
the chasing bunch – Slovakia’s Matej Toth having obviously an urgent
appointment to attend such was the massive lead he had built up
basically from the start – but no sign of the Donegal athlete among
the leading contingent. And then the screen graphics provided the
evidence we didn’t want to see, Boyce’s name with two yellow cards
beside it.
Tiredness eventually forced me to swap Beijing for the bed and it was
in the early morning when I found out that our man in China had been
disqualified after picking up a third yellow card with 15k left in the
race. Disappointment, too, for Heffernan who, despite being there or
thereabouts up to the finish, came home outside the medals position in
fifth spot.
A disappointment that dogged the Irish team in their various
disciplines during the World Championships with Heffernan going
closest to bringing back a medal.
There was a glimmer of joy in the men’s 4x400m event when the Irish
quartet, which included Mark English, broke the national record with a
time of 3:01:26 in their heats but beside that, it’s hardly been a
Championships to light up hopes for the months ahead even if the
Letterkenny man and Thomas Barr will surely continue to be genuine
contenders in future events.
And not for the first time did I find myself watching an All-Ireland
Championship match and wonder how many potential medal winning
athletes have been lost to Gaelic Games over the years.
REMEMBERING EDDIE:
In a week when a footballer from the North-West signed for Southend
United, it was wholly fitting that we should remember a man who not
alone played for the English side but was the season’s top scorer
until the Second World War intervened to put paid to that footballing
link.
Over the years, I met the great Eddie Davis on several occasions and
he never carried the manner of a man who had been a hugely successful
footballer on both sides of the Irish Sea. True, there was a distinct
pride in his achievements as a player but he wasn’t someone who lorded
it over those he met or harped on about how he had played with the
outstanding Wolverhampton Wanderers team of the thirties or, upon that
return to his native shores, scored an astonishing nine goals for
Derry City in a North-West Cup Final win over Coleraine at the
Brandywell. 
His playing career also saw him line out with Cork City – a Wolves
scout spotted him which was significant in view of Eddie’s own future
as a scouter of footballing talent – and with Limerick in the League
of Ireland but how the Derryman never won an international cap remains
one of the great mysteries of Irish football.
His role as a scout did see him propel players into international
careers and the likes of Manchester United, Celtic, Middlesbrough and
Bradford City, can all reflect on taking advantage of his eye for
potential talent.
His connections within the game saw him organise one of the showpiece
matches in Donegal history – an All-Stars team against an
International Select at Maginn Park, Buncrana, back in the summer of
1964 which featured a whole host of international class players
including the likes of former Northern Ireland, Spurs and Arsenal
goalkeeper, Pat Jennings, and the man at the centre of one of the most
famous F.A. Cup Finals in memory, Bert Trautmann, the German ‘keeper,
who played on despite suffering a broken neck and helped his side,
Manchester City to a 3-1 win over Birmingham City in the Wembley Final
of 1956.
Trautmann managed to avoid breaking anything in that charity match in
Buncrana - proceeds went to special needs children – but records were
broken with an estimated 30,000 turning up for the occasion. And all
thanks to the driving spirit of Eddie Davis who, outside the world of
football, was heavily involved in other charity works and managed a
number of showbands.
Former Finn Harps and Derry City winger, Stephen McLaughlin, signed
for Southend United at the weekend and will, if he engages with some
of the older fans of the League One club, hear glowing tales of the
man who knew where the net was and frequently found it back in his
days with The Shrimpers.
To my old friend and former colleague, Eamonn Davis, who apart from
the love of football passed on no doubt by his dad, acts as P.R.O. for
Letterkenny Golf Club, and to another son, Sean, who has been for a
long number of years been involved as a coach in under-age soccer
academies at Bonagee and elsewhere, and to the Davis family generally,
sincerest condolences on the passing at the ripe age of 96 of one of
the true legends of the game.
A BIT O’ A READ OF THE TIMES:
A double page spread for a League of Ireland club in the London Times
is, as far as I know, probably unheard of – until last week, that is,
when Sligo Rovers featured in the paper’s weekly football supplement,
The Game.
Yes, two pages on ‘The Bit O’ Red’ or to be more specific on their new
manager, Micky Adams, well known in the English game after managing no
less than nine clubs between the divisions. His last port of call was
Tranmere Rovers before the contact came from another Rovers across the
channel and one he answered fairly promptly. “Some will say I don’t
know anything about the Irish league and I’ve got to be honest- I
don’t,” Adams admitted to Times reporter,George Caulkin.
The latter offers due praise describing the Showgrounds as a
“picturesque” stadium set against a backdrop of rolling hills and
lauding the co-operative that kept the club going when its future was
threatened. Adams himself maintaines he has found “honesty” at Sligo
and describes an injury sustained by Rovers centre-back, Tom Clancy,
in their recent match against Derry City when he dislocated his
shoulder and popped it back in himself. The crack, he says, was
audible from the stands. Had it happened at his previous club, the
player would have been out for six weeks, he adds.
“It’s different here. Managers tend not to socialize after games. I’ve
been abused a couple of times. Been called an English…I’ve not had
that before. I just laughed. Generally, the welcome has been
fantastic,” the former Southampton defender declared.
A double page spread, huh? Over to you, so-called Irish quality equivalents.
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET:
“Schippers runs into questions after beating Asher-Smith to title”.
Absolutely no doubt about the nature of these questions – let’s face
it, the British publication that carried this headline the day after
the Dutch athlete took gold in the 200 metres wasn’t posing queries
about whether she goes for an early morning run every day or what her
daily diet consists of – but you would have been entitled to some
measure of concrete on the foundations of the implication built into
that attention grabbing headline in the story that followed.
But no, there was nothing, except the fact that Dafne Schippers is now
the third fastest woman behind “drug cheat”(the newspaper’s
description) Marian Jones and the late Florence Griffith-Joyner who,
we are told, retired from international athletics under ever gathering
clouds of suspicion.
And there you had it. No direct allegations against Schippers. No
suggestion that she might have missed a drugs test. No undercover
expose by the reporter. Nothing. Just that implication hanging
menacingly over her achievement. And, of course, the fact that she
beat the British favourite, Dina Asher-Smith, to the gold.
It’s doubtful that Mo Farah, who was, to be fair, subjected to some
vague scrutiny over the summer given his manager’s alleged links to a
doping scandal, has run into such headlines in any British media
outlet in the immediate aftermath of his performances in the 10,000
and 5,000 metre finals, both of which he won.
Instead we had the B.B.C. commentators spending the entire 5,000
metres focusing on how Farah was controlling the race right from the
very back, controlling it when he moved up the field, and controlling
it at the finish, the term “brilliant” and plenty of other similar
descriptions besides being bandied about before a bit of patronising
guff for the Kenyan athlete who came in second. And the rest of the
mainstream media in similar full flow in the minutes, hours and days
that followed. But absolutely no suggestions along the line that
Farah’s multi medal winning performances on the track in recent World
Championships and Olympic Games were anything but achieved with
additional gruelling hours in the gym and swimming pool.
And rightly so. The way it should be. The only way it can be unless
you have information otherwise. For there’s no doubt that the British
distance runner has been brilliant and is deserving of the accolades
spilling his way even if it’s getting more and more difficult to
listen to the drooling sentiments of Steve Cram & Co.
Gold medals in both the 10,000 metres and 5,000 metres represent
magnificent achievements in any man’s language. Even Somalian.
REAL MESS:
Whatever cockeyed exchanges went on and whichever club was to blame
for the transfer window fiasco, the bottom line is that Manchester
United and Real Madrid had a whole summer to tie up the deal that
would have seen David De Gea head to his preferred home ground of the
Bernabeu. Not that United were pushing it too hard.
Alex Ferguson, who oversaw the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to the
Spanish giants in a much more civilised manner well within the
deadline window, will have turned in his seat in the Old Trafford
stand at this latest debacle to besmirch the club.
DONEGAL MAN GETS TO CROKER:
Charlie McGeever led his Tipperary Minor team to an All-Ireland Final
with a two point win over Kildare on Sunday.
Yes, that Charlie McGeever. The man who, back in 1999, managed Finn
Harps to an F.A.I. Cup Final and saw his team come within thirty
seconds of claiming the trophy and a place in Europe only for Bray
Wanderers to snatch an equalizer and go on to ultimately win after two
replays.
No place in Europe for Tipp minors – unless the Falcarragh man decides
to award them with a holiday – but they will be up against Munster
rivals, Kerry, in the All-Ireland showdown on September 20th.
And the Tipperary minor hurlers – between the teams there are no less
than eight dual players - are preparing for an All-Ireland Final of
their own when they face Galway this Sunday.
Asked if the Premier County might manage a unique double, McGeever
responded in typical wry fashion: “Well, sure there is nobody else
going to do it.”
I’ve said it before in these parts but could we possibly see him
return to his native county at some stage in the future to take over
the reins of the Donegal seniors? I’m heading to the bookies right
now…
TRANSFER WINDOW LATEST:
My thanks to Ben McGahey for this one. Ashley Young’s move to Real
Madrid is off after the deal fell over…..