English Premier League, As good as people think!!

Is the English Premier League as good as it is made out to be!! Some of the results in The Champions League have left a lot to be desired , although all the clubs involved still have a chance of making the knock out phase in February , it will take something special for Arsenal and Man Utd to qualify. Arsenal put Dinamo Zagreb to the sword on Tuesday night by winning 3-0 but will wonder how they were beaten on match day 1 by the same opposition.

 Man Utd struggled in Old Trafford last night and were held to a scoreless draw. Both Arsenal and Man Utd will have to get the three points, from Arsenal‘s point of view they will need the points to stand any chance of progressing.

These results have again questioned the strength of the Premier League, The four Premier League teams have had mixed results in the group phase and although all four can still make it through , two of the sides may not progress beyond the group stage if results don’t go there way on match day 6.

Man Utd have probably been the weakest of the four sides , they have spent big and brought in a number of players that just haven’t been up to scratch and the question marks will remain until Louis Van Gaal delivers a trophy and gets Utd playing the way we know they can.

 Personal may have changed but the Fans still want Utd playing the same way, this cannot happen while Van Gaal is in charge. He also doesn’t have the same type of player in his squad that Ferguson had in his. He won the Champions League with Ajax in the 90s but football has moved on.

This Utd team under Van Gaal plays a slow paced build up game that is laboured at times and does not seem to suit the players he has at his disposal. The lack of a Striker in form hasn’t helped his cause, now that Wayne Rooney is employed in a deeper role means that other players like Anthony Martial and James Wilson need to step up and be counted when it matters most.

 The way Van Gaal plays the game needs two wingers that will get the ball into the Box and this in turn will need at least one striker to find the net more regularly than has been the norm this season. The Premier League is hyped up and regularly touted as the “toughest league in the world “This tag is worn as a badge of honour by the teams in the league and while performances at home have been strong, performances in Europe have left a lot to be desired and while this remains the case the questions about the quality of the League will remain.

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

26/11/2015

International Rules

International Rules

The International Rules game between Australia and Ireland was played on Saturday evening in Croke Park with Ireland winning 56-52. This particular concept has gone through a number of changes since it became an annual event. In more recent years, the series has seen a number of players involved in fights during each of the games that were played.

2006 saw the International Rules series reach a crucial point after a number of incidents one of which saw Graham Geraghty end up with a broken jaw and also there were a number of unsavoury incidents with both sides contributing to a very poor spectacle that saw many call for the Series to be ended.

The concept of the International Rules is an interesting one that see’s the marrying of two codes into one , with different aspects and rules from each code brought together to give you a hybrid game. The game is broken into 4 quarters 18 minutes in duration. The mark is used along with the “45” and also a goal keeper is employed like in GAA, where in AFL there is no goal keeper.

On the last three occasions that Ireland have taken on Australia in 2013 , 2014 and 2015 , the series has only had one game where it had been a two game series and let’s be honest it was far more competitive as a two game series. The reason for dropping it back to one game is a valid one to see was there an appetite for the concept from both the Australian and Irish sides.

In 2013 the Series seemed doomed when Australia sent a team over of just indigenous players and they were hammered as Ireland scored over 100 points. Discussions then took place to see whether or not this concept was worth pursuing. It was given one match in 2014 and after a really competitive that saw Ireland lose by 10 points out in Perth.

2015 saw Ireland face Australia on a very significant date in Irish history, November 21st 1920, 14 people were shot dead while watching a Football match between Dublin and Tipperary, one of those shot was Tipperary captain Michael Hogan after whom the Hogan Stand is named. Back to the International Rules, ask many of the players that have played in any of the Series and they will tell you that they love playing against each other.

One major problem that the series does have from an Irish perspective is that it clashes with a number of club games where certain Irish players have to make a choice between club or country. Not an easy choice to make, the Australians are now facing into an off season whereas certain Irish players are going to playing with their clubs until Christmas time.  The GAA already has a clogged calendar that see’s both club teams and inter county teams going long periods without games and that in turn mean’s players go long periods without games.

If the GAA want this Series to stay then they need to find a solution to the fixture congestion and also figure out what they want from the Series, Two games would be competitive and give the Series meaning, one game is a straight shoot out and that would mean that if one team has a strong start the game could be over by half time.

In this author’s humble opinion, it would be in the best interests of both the GAA and AFL to find an amicable solution that will see this wonderful concept continue long into the future…

By

Cian Mc Gibney

23/11/2015

 

Munster Transfers and Supporters

Munster – Fans and Transfers

In the past week or so, the Munster fan base has been questioned because of the poor numbers that were at the Champions Cup game against Treviso last Saturday. They were supposedly over 17,000 at the game a long way from the 26,000 you would get in the early days after it was redeveloped. I realise things have changed in the country since the heady days of the Celtic Tiger , coupled with fact Munster have not been as successful in recent years as they had been.

 They were Magners League winners in 2011, beating Leinster in the Grand Final at Thomond Park. Since then they have had mixed fortunes while being consistent in making the knock out games in both Europe and in the Pro 12. This it seems isn’t enough anymore for certain sections of support. They feel we don’t compete at the top table anymore and that outside investment is the ultimate solution. While on the face of it outside investment is one solution another is letting things develop from within each of the Provincial structures and let the academies develop their own talent.

Connacht are a prime example of this , with players like Jack Carty , Robbie Henshaw , Ultan Dillane to name just three players that have come through the hands of Nigel Carolan in the Connacht academy. In Leinster , players like Cian Kelleher , Luke Mc Grath and Cathal Marsh have come into the Leinster set up this season along with Gary Ringrose from whom big things are expected. In Munster guys like Stephen Fitzgerald , Sean Mc Carthy and John Madigan have come through although the latter has suffered a number of niggly injuries in the recent past. In Ulster lads like , Peter Nelson and Sam Arnold have broken into the starting XV this season.

 So the work been done at academy level is producing quality players all the time. Maybe not fast enough for people’s liking , In Ireland you are working from a very small player base that has to compete with the GAA , Soccer and a number of other sports. So please be fair to each of these academies and let them continue the work they have been doing.

Moving onto the Transfer system that the IRFU employs , it allows each of the provinces to sign 4 NIQ’s or Non Qualified Irish players to me and you. Munster were the latest team to fall foul to this particular agreement in the past few days when they approached them to rubber stamp a move for Stephen Moore the Australia skipper from next season. David Nucifora the man in charge of all the transfer activity in Ireland decided against this particular move as he felt it would block the development of the Hookers in the current squad , namely Mike Sherry , Kevin O Byrne , Niall Scannell and Duncan Casey.

I can see the reason behind this move to block it although from a Munster point of view it is disappointing and they could have done with his experience as the leadership group within the squad has been decimated by the departures of Paul O Connell , Donnacha O Callaghan and the unfortunate retirement of Felix Jones. So Munster will have to look for new leaders like Conor Murray , Donnacha Ryan and CJ Stander.  Yes it is annoying that the IRFU allow more flexibly with player transfers but it is the same for all of the provinces. Look at this way , would you rather the IRFU system or let each Province go into private ownership and the IRFU have no say so in what happens !!

This system was put in place so our National team could compete , take one look where French rugby is at the moment and you will see that while the Irish system has it faults , it has been to the benefit of Irish rugby , Joe Schmidt has delivered two Six Nations titles in 2014 and 2015. Tell me honestly who wouldn’t mind a third title next March…

By

Cian Mc Gibney

19/11/2015

Jonah – A Tribute

Jonah – A Tribute

Late last night the news began to filter through that All Black Legend Jonah Lomu had passed away at the age of 40. He will be remembered for his performances in an All Blacks shirt that saw him make his World Cup debut against Ireland in South Africa in 95 scoring two tries and announcing himself on the International stage. Later in that same tournament Jonah ran rough shod over England and scored 4 tries on the way to a 45-29 win for New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final.

He went to his last World Cup in 1999 and was again part of the New Zealand team that made another Semi Final that was played in Twickenham against France, this was another memorable game that saw New Zealand go in as favourites but France had not read the script on the day and fought back to send New Zealand backing from another World Cup. He played in two World Cup’s in 1995 and 1999 and scored 15 tries over the two competitions.

He and Bryan Habana are now level on 15 tries each with Drew Mitchell in second with 14 tries another ex All Black team mate Doug Howlett is 3rd with 13 tries and Chris Latham in 4th with 12 tries. He was of course the first real global superstar in Rugby Union , mention Jonah Lomu and everybody knew who you were speaking about , like Usain Bolt or Lional Messi.

He was 19 went he earned his first cap , he was 18 stone , 6 foot 5 and could do the 100 metres in in 10 seconds. He was a real problem for defences who now had to deal with a player in the back line that was like a forward in most teams. He has been a role model for a new generation of rugby players in New Zealand and abroad. He was capped 63 times and scored 37 tries in that time.

Jonah Lomu will be missed by not just the global rugby community and his family and friends but he will also be missed by organ donation awareness campaigns because he was a role model for organ donation and also dialysis. Since his body rejected his transplant kidney in2011 he has been on dialysis to help keep himself alive since then.

Earlier this year he revisited South Africa to see some of the men he faced in 95 and also visit his old friend Joost Van Der Westheizen who has been battling Motor Neurone Disease. This documentary showed the caring sensitive side to Jonah. He is fondly remembered in South Africa 20 years after the tournament.

Today Rugby lost a true gentleman and a real legend of the sport, he will be sadly missed by family , friends , supporters , team mates and the wider rugby public. Thanks for all the wonderful moments Jonah , Rest In Peace…

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

18/11/2015

Jonah – A Tribute

Jonah – A Tribute

Late last night the news began to filter through that All Black Legend Jonah Lomu had passed away at the age of 40. He will be remembered for his performances in an All Blacks shirt that saw him make his World Cup debut against Ireland in South Africa in 95 scoring two tries and announcing himself on the International stage. Later in that same tournament Jonah ran rough shod over England and scored 4 tries on the way to a 45-29 win for New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final.

He went to his last World Cup in 1999 and was again part of the New Zealand team that made another Semi Final that was played in Twickenham against France, this was another memorable game that saw New Zealand go in as favourites but France had not read the script on the day and fought back to send New Zealand backing from another World Cup. He played in two World Cup’s in 1995 and 1999 and scored 15 tries over the two competitions.

He and Bryan Habana are now level on 15 tries each with Drew Mitchell in second with 14 tries another ex All Black team mate Doug Howlett is 3rd with 13 tries and Chris Latham in 4th with 12 tries. He was of course the first real global superstar in Rugby Union , mention Jonah Lomu and everybody knew who you were speaking about , like Usain Bolt or Lional Messi.

He was 19 went he earned his first cap , he was 18 stone , 6 foot 5 and could do the 100 metres in in 10 seconds. He was a real problem for defences who now had to deal with a player in the back line that was like a forward in most teams. He has been a role model for a new generation of rugby players in New Zealand and abroad. He was capped 63 times and scored 37 tries in that time.

Jonah Lomu will be missed by not just the global rugby community and his family and friends but he will also be missed by organ donation awareness campaigns because he was a role model for organ donation and also dialysis. Since his body rejected his transplant kidney in2011 he has been on dialysis to help keep himself alive since then.

Earlier this year he revisited South Africa to see some of the men he faced in 95 and also visit his old friend Joost Van Der Westheizen who has been battling Motor Neurone Disease. This documentary showed the caring sensitive side to Jonah. He is fondly remembered in South Africa 20 years after the tournament.

Today Rugby lost a true gentleman and a real legend of the sport, he will be sadly missed by family , friends , supporters , team mates and the wider rugby public. Thanks for all the wonderful moments Jonah , Rest In Peace…

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

18/11/2015

Jonah – A Tribute

Jonah – A Tribute

Late last night the news began to filter through that All Black Legend Jonah Lomu had passed away at the age of 40. He will be remembered for his performances in an All Blacks shirt that saw him make his World Cup debut against Ireland in South Africa in 95 scoring two tries and announcing himself on the International stage. Later in that same tournament Jonah ran rough shod over England and scored 4 tries on the way to a 45-29 win for New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final.

He went to his last World Cup in 1999 and was again part of the New Zealand team that made another Semi Final that was played in Twickenham against France, this was another memorable game that saw New Zealand go in as favourites but France had not read the script on the day and fought back to send New Zealand backing from another World Cup. He played in two World Cup’s in 1995 and 1999 and scored 15 tries over the two competitions.

He and Bryan Habana are now level on 15 tries each with Drew Mitchell in second with 14 tries another ex All Black team mate Doug Howlett is 3rd with 13 tries and Chris Latham in 4th with 12 tries. He was of course the first real global superstar in Rugby Union , mention Jonah Lomu and everybody knew who you were speaking about , like Usain Bolt or Lional Messi.

He was 19 went he earned his first cap , he was 18 stone , 6 foot 5 and could do the 100 metres in in 10 seconds. He was a real problem for defences who now had to deal with a player in the back line that was like a forward in most teams. He has been a role model for a new generation of rugby players in New Zealand and abroad. He was capped 63 times and scored 37 tries in that time.

Jonah Lomu will be missed by not just the global rugby community and his family and friends but he will also be missed by organ donation awareness campaigns because he was a role model for organ donation and also dialysis. Since his body rejected his transplant kidney in2011 he has been on dialysis to help keep himself alive since then.

Earlier this year he revisited South Africa to see some of the men he faced in 95 and also visit his old friend Joost Van Der Westheizen who has been battling Motor Neurone Disease. This documentary showed the caring sensitive side to Jonah. He is fondly remembered in South Africa 20 years after the tournament.

Today Rugby lost a true gentleman and a real legend of the sport, he will be sadly missed by family , friends , supporters , team mates and the wider rugby public. Thanks for all the wonderful moments Jonah , Rest In Peace…

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

18/11/2015

Jonah – A Tribute

Jonah – A Tribute

Late last night the news began to filter through that All Black Legend Jonah Lomu had passed away at the age of 40. He will be remembered for his performances in an All Blacks shirt that saw him make his World Cup debut against Ireland in South Africa in 95 scoring two tries and announcing himself on the International stage. Later in that same tournament Jonah ran rough shod over England and scored 4 tries on the way to a 45-29 win for New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final.

He went to his last World Cup in 1999 and was again part of the New Zealand team that made another Semi Final that was played in Twickenham against France, this was another memorable game that saw New Zealand go in as favourites but France had not read the script on the day and fought back to send New Zealand backing from another World Cup. He played in two World Cup’s in 1995 and 1999 and scored 15 tries over the two competitions.

He and Bryan Habana are now level on 15 tries each with Drew Mitchell in second with 14 tries another ex All Black team mate Doug Howlett is 3rd with 13 tries and Chris Latham in 4th with 12 tries. He was of course the first real global superstar in Rugby Union , mention Jonah Lomu and everybody knew who you were speaking about , like Usain Bolt or Lional Messi.

He was 19 went he earned his first cap , he was 18 stone , 6 foot 5 and could do the 100 metres in in 10 seconds. He was a real problem for defences who now had to deal with a player in the back line that was like a forward in most teams. He has been a role model for a new generation of rugby players in New Zealand and abroad. He was capped 63 times and scored 37 tries in that time.

Jonah Lomu will be missed by not just the global rugby community and his family and friends but he will also be missed by organ donation awareness campaigns because he was a role model for organ donation and also dialysis. Since his body rejected his transplant kidney in2011 he has been on dialysis to help keep himself alive since then.

Earlier this year he revisited South Africa to see some of the men he faced in 95 and also visit his old friend Joost Van Der Westheizen who has been battling Motor Neurone Disease. This documentary showed the caring sensitive side to Jonah. He is fondly remembered in South Africa 20 years after the tournament.

Today Rugby lost a true gentleman and a real legend of the sport, he will be sadly missed by family , friends , supporters , team mates and the wider rugby public. Thanks for all the wonderful moments Jonah , Rest In Peace…

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

18/11/2015

Jonah – A Tribute

Jonah – A Tribute

Late last night the news began to filter through that All Black Legend Jonah Lomu had passed away at the age of 40. He will be remembered for his performances in an All Blacks shirt that saw him make his World Cup debut against Ireland in South Africa in 95 scoring two tries and announcing himself on the International stage. Later in that same tournament Jonah ran rough shod over England and scored 4 tries on the way to a 45-29 win for New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final.

He went to his last World Cup in 1999 and was again part of the New Zealand team that made another Semi Final that was played in Twickenham against France, this was another memorable game that saw New Zealand go in as favourites but France had not read the script on the day and fought back to send New Zealand backing from another World Cup. He played in two World Cup’s in 1995 and 1999 and scored 15 tries over the two competitions.

He and Bryan Habana are now level on 15 tries each with Drew Mitchell in second with 14 tries another ex All Black team mate Doug Howlett is 3rd with 13 tries and Chris Latham in 4th with 12 tries. He was of course the first real global superstar in Rugby Union , mention Jonah Lomu and everybody knew who you were speaking about , like Usain Bolt or Lional Messi.

He was 19 went he earned his first cap , he was 18 stone , 6 foot 5 and could do the 100 metres in in 10 seconds. He was a real problem for defences who now had to deal with a player in the back line that was like a forward in most teams. He has been a role model for a new generation of rugby players in New Zealand and abroad. He was capped 63 times and scored 37 tries in that time.

Jonah Lomu will be missed by not just the global rugby community and his family and friends but he will also be missed by organ donation awareness campaigns because he was a role model for organ donation and also dialysis. Since his body rejected his transplant kidney in2011 he has been on dialysis to help keep himself alive since then.

Earlier this year he revisited South Africa to see some of the men he faced in 95 and also visit his old friend Joost Van Der Westheizen who has been battling Motor Neurone Disease. This documentary showed the caring sensitive side to Jonah. He is fondly remembered in South Africa 20 years after the tournament.

Today Rugby lost a true gentleman and a real legend of the sport, he will be sadly missed by family , friends , supporters , team mates and the wider rugby public. Thanks for all the wonderful moments Jonah , Rest In Peace…

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

18/11/2015

Jonah – A Tribute

Jonah – A Tribute

Late last night the news began to filter through that All Black Legend Jonah Lomu had passed away at the age of 40. He will be remembered for his performances in an All Blacks shirt that saw him make his World Cup debut against Ireland in South Africa in 95 scoring two tries and announcing himself on the International stage. Later in that same tournament Jonah ran rough shod over England and scored 4 tries on the way to a 45-29 win for New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final.

He went to his last World Cup in 1999 and was again part of the New Zealand team that made another Semi Final that was played in Twickenham against France, this was another memorable game that saw New Zealand go in as favourites but France had not read the script on the day and fought back to send New Zealand backing from another World Cup. He played in two World Cup’s in 1995 and 1999 and scored 15 tries over the two competitions.

He and Bryan Habana are now level on 15 tries each with Drew Mitchell in second with 14 tries another ex All Black team mate Doug Howlett is 3rd with 13 tries and Chris Latham in 4th with 12 tries. He was of course the first real global superstar in Rugby Union , mention Jonah Lomu and everybody knew who you were speaking about , like Usain Bolt or Lional Messi.

He was 19 went he earned his first cap , he was 18 stone , 6 foot 5 and could do the 100 metres in in 10 seconds. He was a real problem for defences who now had to deal with a player in the back line that was like a forward in most teams. He has been a role model for a new generation of rugby players in New Zealand and abroad. He was capped 63 times and scored 37 tries in that time.

Jonah Lomu will be missed by not just the global rugby community and his family and friends but he will also be missed by organ donation awareness campaigns because he was a role model for organ donation and also dialysis. Since his body rejected his transplant kidney in2011 he has been on dialysis to help keep himself alive since then.

Earlier this year he revisited South Africa to see some of the men he faced in 95 and also visit his old friend Joost Van Der Westheizen who has been battling Motor Neurone Disease. This documentary showed the caring sensitive side to Jonah. He is fondly remembered in South Africa 20 years after the tournament.

Today Rugby lost a true gentleman and a real legend of the sport, he will be sadly missed by family , friends , supporters , team mates and the wider rugby public. Thanks for all the wonderful moments Jonah , Rest In Peace…

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

18/11/2015

Ireland , Euro 2016 Bound

Ireland – Euro 2016 Bound!!

So Martin O Neill has masterminded a place at Euro 2016 with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. After getting the all important away goal in Zeneca on Friday night, Ireland knew any sort of win or draw without conceding a goal was going to be good enough to see Ireland secure a place in France alongside Northern Ireland , Wales and England.

The “Home Nations” will have a serious following heading to France next June.  In the last few weeks , Ireland beat Germany 1-0 and were held to a 1-1 draw in Warsaw. They managed to secure a 3rd place finish with a little help from a 1-0 win for Georgia over Scotland.

Heading into this 2 legged affair with Bosnia we were hopeful that we could at least get an away goal and maybe a victory to set up a winner takes all clash at the Aviva Stadium. Robbie Brady provided the moment of magic in Zeneca that almost secured a precious 1-0 win for the boys in green, Edin Dzeko the Roma striker pegged Ireland back with a goal in the 86th minute.

Ireland made one change for the 2nd leg with Robbie Brady moving to full back with Stephen Ward dropping out , Ireland looked like a team that were ready for anything and defended really well for the 90 minutes and will be well set for France in 2016. Jon Walters has been crucial in the last 3 games with 2 goals tonight. The campaign started back in Tbilisi with the first late goal by Aiden Mc Geady , one of many that would be critical to Ireland eventually making  it to France in 2016 , John O Shea scored a peach of a goal in Germany , while Shane Long had two major interventions scoring late against Poland and Germany. 3 keepers were used with Darren Randolph , Shay Given and David Forde all playing big parts in Ireland’s march to Euro 2016.

Unsung hero’s like Glen Whelan , James Mc Carthy emerged and provided the steel and protection for the little magician Wes Hoolahan to make some very telling passes that would help to see Ireland through some tough patches in particular against Germany in Dublin on a number of occasions he came deep and gave his back four an option to help them out of trouble. The pity is that Wes Hoolahan is over 30 and although he will go to France , Ireland will not be able to build a team around him. That aside he has been ably assisted in mid field by Jeff Hendrick with James Mc Clean and Seamus Coleman providing the width when needed.

Tonight saw Ireland score 2 goals and deny Bosnia any real chances, they were the customary hairy moments as has become common place , but that aside tonight is a night to celebrate another Irish appearance at a major finals to go along with Euro 88 , Italia 90 , USA 94 , Japan and Korea in 2002 , Euro 2012 and now major final number 6 , France Euro 2016 , how sweet does that sound in particular after the defeat to Scotland back in June.

Martin O Neill, Roy Keane and the rest of the Ireland management can now bask in the glory of achieving the goal they set out to when the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign began in September 2014 in Georgia.

To the Irish support, enjoy tonight and the next few days, get the calendar out and mark June 2016. Book your holidays now. Get the Credit Union books out, clear out that jar behind the couch and book your seats to France. December 12th is another date for the diary when Ireland will find out who they will take on.

In the last two home games, the old Lansdowne Road Roar came back with vengeance and long may that continue. Roll on Euro 2016…

By

Cian Mc Gibney

16/11/2015