ARSENE WENGER feels his Arsenal side must free their minds to get back on the goal trail and kick-start the season.

POLITICAL decisions and policy in Ireland is believed to be heavily influenced by personal relationships, favours and donations, a damning corruption report has found.

WHISTLE blowers in the health service will be legally protected under new measures which came into force yesterday.

IT WAS at the end of a pretty long chat when yours truly finally took a deep breath and asked the question that had hung over the conversation like a persistent storm cloud.

STEWART DOWNING turned in an inspired display as Middlesbrough shook off their relegation fears to book their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals for the fourth successive year.

THIERRY Henry earned Barcelona a draw on his return to France with a second-half equaliser against Lyon in a thrilling Champions League last-16 first leg at the Stade Gerland last night.

SO Goose has passed his first test and will be facing the next this evening; win tonight and the feelgood factor will be well and truly back for the blue faithful, although I wasn’t one of those singing “Chelsea are back” at the final whistle up at Villa Park. Premature crowing often leaves egg on one’s face — doesn’t it Rafa?

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan was just whistling past the Republican plot in Glasnevin on his way to the Dáil chamber yesterday afternoon.

PADDY RUSSELL “felt sorry” for Kerry skipper Paul Galvin who missed most of the championship after slapping the referee’s notebook from his hands.

BULGARIAN coach Plamen Markov has told his team that they must now do what Ireland have already done in World Cup qualifying Group 8 — beat Georgia.

SPEAKING to friends during the week about the appeal of the Heineken Cup, one of our party offered the opinion that the tournament had become a bit predictable and could do with a few surprises in the early rounds.

THIS wasn’t how we imagined it to be, not by any stretch. The new Thomond Park, the improved Thomond Park, the superb full-length space-age stands packed to the rafters with the red-shirted hordes, but — and this was always the biggest concern — would the old Thomond Park atmosphere still be there?

KAZAKHSTAN coach Bernd Storck is on a mission to get his country known for football rather than comedy character Borat — and he is deadly serious about facing England at Wembley.

MORE than 5,000 students took to the streets yesterday to hammer home their bitter opposition to the reintroduction of third-level fees.

THE driver of the sightseeing bus was conveying his collection of assorted tourists past the Mansion House — home of the first Dáil, he explained loudly so the two passengers on the open deck upstairs could hear — when suddenly he came across a sight not on his itinerary.

ALL that is good about Gaelic football was served up by these two schools in a thrilling Corn Uí Mhuirí first round at the Legion Ground, Killarney yesterday.

ABOUT 10,000 placard-carrying and slogan-chanting students took to the streets of Dublin to protest the possible reintroduction of third-level fees.

BOTH Tony McGahan and Michael Cheika can enjoy a brief period of positive reflection as the Heineken Cup takes a short hiatus until December. The events of last weekend in particular not only bode well for the two provinces but Irish rugby as a whole.

Éire Óg 1-8 Ballygarvan 1-5

ROBBIE KEANE handed boss Giovanni Trapattoni a precious victory in his first competitive game on home soil as the Republic of Ireland gained revenge over Cyprus at Croke Park last night.