I WAS just settling into my London hotel room, prior to heading to Fulham, when I remembered that the first FA Cup quarter-final was already well into its second half and that I could watch the remainder on television.

IT WAS as if some angelic Pearly Kings hovered above London’s East End and then descended on Upton Park.

SO what was the point?

SADLY, progress in the FA Cup is becoming an increasing irrelevance.

IRREFUTABLE proof that I am getting both old and sad: more than once, whilst watching Sunday’s rather tedious 90 minutes, I found myself slyly turning on an earpiece-tranny combo to hear what Alan Green was blathering on about on the BBC’s commentary.

OUR football correspondent LIAM MACKEY is back in top form and full of energy

OUR football correspondent LIAM MACKEY is back in top form and full of energy.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it, and he’s got strong views of his own. Today, and every Tuesday, he will be acting as referee on your opinions on the Premiership. Let him know what you think and he’ll argue the toss with you.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it, and he’s got strong views of his own. Today, and every Tuesday, he will be acting as referee on your opinions on the Premiership. Let him know what you think and he’ll argue the toss with you.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it, and he’s got strong views of his own. Today, and every Tuesday, he will be acting as referee on your opinions on the Premiership. Let him know what you think and he’ll argue the toss with you.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it, and he’s got strong views of his own. Today, and every Tuesday, he will be acting as referee on your opinions on the Premiership.

Raymond van Barnveld retained the Blue Square UK Open title with a 16-8 win over fellow Dutchman Vincent van der Voort at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton on Sunday night.

Raymond van Barneveld confirmed he has Phil Taylor’s number in the big knockout events with an 11-4 demolition of ’The Power’ at the Blue Square UK Open today.

Phil Taylor made it a hat-trick of Blue Square UK Open televised nine-dart finishes as he set up a quarter-final re-match with arch rival Raymond van Barneveld at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton.

IT’S THE END of the world as we know it.

NOW, I appreciate that, despite a couple of wins in five days at Croke Park, many of you retain reservations about the ability of Steve Staunton to lead the Republic.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey will be back in the New Year to argue the toss with you about the issues dominating soccer.

A judge has, for the first time, offered “restorative justice” at the Central Criminal Court to the

A 24-year-old man has admitted stabbing a fellow inmate to death at Mountjoy prison in January 2004.

CHILDISH though it is to snigger over pre-match comments rendered ridiculous by subsequent on-pitch events, no column is complete without a dig at John O’Pie; so this was his warning before Saturday: “I don’t see why Bolton cannot stay the course this season. We are going to have a difficult test there on Saturday.”

A massive cyclone tore off roofs and uprooted trees across Australia’s north-eastern coast today, packing winds so powerful that emergency workers were forced to stay indoors, despite pleas from terrified residents.

BIRMINGHAM midfielder Damien Johnson has slammed claims by radio commentator Alan Green he got himself deliberately booked when playing for Northern Ireland against England to avoid travelling to Poland for Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier.

The BBC has apologised after one of its football commentators used pidgin English to suggest what a Cameroon player was saying on the pitch.

Gardaí investigating the murder of an inmate in Mountjoy Prison yesterday have reportedly found the weapon used in the killing.

FIVE British police officers accused of making racist remarks in an undercover television documentary resigned yesterday.

DISSIDENT republican paramilitaries are fuelling gun crime on the streets of Britain by smuggling weapons from Ireland to sell to gangs, Justice Minister Willie O’Dea claimed yesterday.

Uefa will start disciplinary proceedings against the Macedonian Football Association following racist abuse which marred Saturday's clash.

BRITISH husband and wife team, Barry and Sue Parkin, are the new Subaru Flying Fifteen World Champions, after an unbelievably close finish to the five-race series at Dun Laoghaire over the weekend.

Three men were being questioned in the UK today after a police officer was stabbed to death and four others injured during a raid on terrorist suspects linked to last week’s discovery of the deadly poison ricin.

By Liam Mackey

IT SEEMS like we’ve only just wiped the last trace of sushi from our lips and here we’re going again, tracking the boys in green to far off fields.

The Football Association will await the report of referee Andy D’Urso before deciding whether to take action against Tottenham after a fifth missile-throwing incident of the season yesterday.