Ireland under 19s in Norway

The Ireland under 19s are in Norway at the moment, They are involved in the European Championships. They have beaten three of the top sides in the Women’s game , beating Spain 1-0 , England 2-1 and Sweden 2-1. They came from behind in two of the games. Savanna Mc Carthy from Listowel has been a key performer for Dave Connell’s side from centre half. She has chipped in with two crucial goals and a critical assist during the 2-1 win over Sweden that saw them into the semi final to face the Netherlands.

This team has done what Brian Kerr’s underage sides did back in the late 90s by qualifying for a major semi final. They played Netherlands last night and were beaten 4-0 for a place in the European final against Spain. They have had their feet firmly on the ground after three wins. In a refreshing turn of events, they did not fear the Dutch team.

 That Dutch team put them out of top spot in qualifying. They owed this Dutch team a performance and knowing the way they performed throughout this tournament they felt they could get to a major final. Unfortunately they were well beaten, but they can hold their heads high, because they performed really well and the future does look bright for Women’s football in this country.

To Dave Connell and his squad I salute your magnificent effort in Norway and hold your heads high because you have done this country proud.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

25/07/2014.

World Cup 2014

So the 2014 World Cup has drawn to a close , with Germany beating Argentina  1-0 at the Maracana. Mario Gotze scored the crucial goal in the 113^th minute of extra time. This particular player’s goal will bring special memories for the people associated with Listowel Celtic because back in 2008 , Mario Gotze was part of a German Under 16 team that played against Ireland who had two Kerry men in their ranks , Brian Murphy and David Culhane on that night in Tanavalla. Who could have thought on that night that less than 6 years after that game Germany would go on to claim their 4^th World Cup and that the 3,000 brave souls that braved the elements that night can say they saw Mario Gotze first !!

Argentina of course will rue some missed chances throughout the game , in particular a chance in the 21^st minute that fell to Napoli Striker Gonzalo Higuain when he beat the German offside trap to go one on one with Manuel Neuer  but he scuffed his chance wide of the post.  Then in the 46^th minute Lional Messi had his shot at immortality but he too pulled his shot just wide of the target.

 Did the fact that Argentina had to face two extra time periods in the games leading up to the final come back to haunt them ? Also were they too heavily reliant on Lionel Messi  to get them out of trouble. We have seen throughout this World Cup that teams that are too reliant on one player tend to suffer at certain points in major tournaments and maybe that is the case with Argentina. Lionel Messi  pulled Argentina out of a few sticky situations at the World Cup.  

Back to Germany , they have made great strides forward in the last few years and the work that has been put in at underage level has come to fruition at Brazil 2014. 14 members of this winning squad are under the age of 25 and even the elder statesmen in the squad are aged between 30 and 36. The squads oldest member is Miroslav Klose who has broken the World Cup scoring record held by Ronaldo since 2002.

Can this squad go on and dominate like Spain did between 2008 and 2012. At this World Cup we have also seen England fall flat again at yet another major tournament. What can England do to change their performances at a major tournament. They have invested heavily in St George’s Park as a centre of excellence and new FA chairman Greig Dyke has targeted either Russia 2018 or Qatar 2022 as the World Cup where England can fur fill their promise and win a first major trophy since the World Cup back in 1966.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

16/07/2014.

Last Chance Saloon

I am just writing this piece for myself. This past few months have been extremely tough, but with this radio diploma course due to start in September I now finally have something to focus on and to aim for.

I have titled this piece last chance saloon to focus my mind on what could be my last chance at the career I have always wanted. Cian Mc Gibney , sports journalist does have a nice ring to it. Lets hope that I make the most of this last chance.

I have spent the last five years, wasting my time and not putting what skills I have to good use. Yes I have spent the last two years in the Listowel Family Resource Centre. People may say I am boring them by flooding Facebook with Video Blogs and articles but I only do that to get myself out there and I make no apologies for that.

I just hope my writing can help me make my dream come through. Also with this course starting, I can now act instead of talking crap all the time. Actions do really speak louder than words.  My website also has helped me hone my skills as a journalist and lets hope it will open doors for me into the future.

This is really my last chance at this and lets hope I break the habit of a lifetime and grab this chance with both hands and run with it. People will say that this is a pity me piece but I can say that it is not that sort of a piece at all.

I did break one major barrier down yesterday and took a major gamble instead of going for the safe optician I broke out and went with Plan B instead of the always safe Plan A. That is one thing about my character that I have made it my mission to change, stop going with the safe bet and take a risk from time to time. As I was told earlier this year, “You only live once” that should be the motto I take with me wherever I go.

Lets face it, the old Cian, took no gamble, played it safe and took no risk at all. From this point on I hope to change people’s opinion of me from being just a wannabe journalist to hopefully a fully-fledged journalist with real career prospects at the end of my course in Dublin.

By

Cian Mc Gibney.

09/07/2014.

My World Cup Eleven

1 Manuel Neuer

2 Philip Lahm

3 Raphael Varane

4 Thiago Silva

5 Jan Vertonghen  

6 Bryan Ruiz

7 Angel Di Maria

8 Thomas Muller

9 James Rodriguez

10 Lionel Messi

11 Arjen Robben

This is my World Cup eleven. I know we are a week away from the final. But this eleven will not change. It will be interesting to see what people think and what elevens they would come up with.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

07/07/2014.

Player Profile

This is a player profile of Wexford Camogie star Katrina Parrock , who shot to fame last year when she made a now famous appearance as a Maor Uisce for her Wexford colleges as she was out with a hand injury at the time. This caused most of the country to ask, who was this woman??  She is one of this country’s top camogie players with three All Ireland senior medals won in 2007, 2010 and 2011 and also three Leinster titles to her name. She also has three camogie league medals from 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Katrina Parrock

Club  St Ibar’s Shemailers

County Wexford

Honours  3 All Ireland Senior Titles , 3 Leinster Titles and 3 National League Titles. All Star Nominee in 2006 and 2009. Team Of The Championship in 2011.

Katrina has also played Hockey and Football for her country at underage level.

By

Cian Mc Gibney.

07/07/2014.