You know times are tough when bad news is given a Hollywood makeover and presented as good news simply because it wasn’t quite as horrific as first feared.

So, all’s well that ends well, then, right?

It’s over a fortnight now since actor Gabriel Byrne denounced The Gathering as a ‘scam’ on national radio.

Nkosi sikalel’ iAfrika, which we heard in Dublin six days ago, is basically two songs mingled to make up South Africa’s beautiful national anthem and its status as a unifying number for the Rainbow Nation is confirmed by the five languages used in its delivery.

A broad smile colonises Jonathan Sexton’s chiselled features as his mind rewinds three years to the first time he faced the Springboks.

Christmas may be another six weeks away but panto season seems to be an open-ended affair at Eastlands where the numbers auditioning for the role of lead villain far outstrip the availability of those qualified for the role of white knight.

It is almost 40 years since Johan Cryuff reacted to his transfer from Ajax to Barcelona for a record fee by remarking that he was “no longer a footballer, I am an industry.”

In GAA terms, we are well into The Twilight Zone.

Ten weeks and a day.

Crikey, but you really have to feel for Newcastle United’s long-suffering fans. Bad enough that ‘one of England’s biggest clubs’ hasn’t claimed a major trophy since the Fairs Cup in 1969 (we’re not of a mind to include the 1992/93 Division 1 title or the Intertoto Cup they ‘won’ six years ago) but how is it that one organisation can so consistently find new ways to generate so much negative publicity?