Angry Fans
I HAVE to agree wholeheartedly with Tony Brosnan's letter regarding Liam Brady. In light of what occurred after Tuesday night’s enthralling game, I feel it was only a matter of time before such an incident happened. RTE provide without doubt the best analysis on both the Champions League and Premiership and it is always insightful, honest and professional. However, I was amazed that Liam was co-commentator at the first leg and when I saw him on the panel on Tuesday last felt it was wrong to have him there. The guy is a legend in Irish sport, highly respected, a great panelist but does not have any business being involved when Arsenal (for whom he is Head of Youth Development) are playing. His post game analysis was in my opinion undignified, unprofessional and totally biased. It reminded me of Mr. Andy Gray’s recent attempted defence of Mascherano’s red card at Old Trafford which in itself sums up the increasingly poor quality of Sky’s production.
Obviously the comments of the other two panellists highlighting Wenger’s possible "failings" this season annoyed Liam but any genuine football fan would agree with them. Arsenal have played great football this season but in today’s modern game clubs need to pay big money and sign top quality players to be successful. Failure to do so has possibly cost Arsenal this season.
Hopefully RTE will learn from this and again I commend them for their excellent coverage which really towers over the other channels.
THE Dunphy/Brady tear-up was great TV, and is exactly what post-match analysis should be about. Would you ever get that with Ray Wilkins and Jamie Redknapp, or Lineker and Hansen? This is what commentary used to be like all those years ago with the likes of Brian Clough, Malcolm Allison and the great Derek Dougan. Now what you get from the Brit stations is largely anodyne and self-congratulatory. Keep it up boys.
IF Liam Brady isn’t allowed to commentate on Arsenal, can we prevent Jim Beglin on doing the same for Liverpool, and Jamie Redknapp doing Liverpool, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Southampton? And ban Shearer totally, not because he’s ex-Newcastle and Blackburn, but because he’s a total bore. While we’re at it can we get all commentators to take an allegiance test before they ply their trade (we all know that Clive Tyldesley is United.) This is a storm in a tea-cup isn’t it, got up by paranoid supporters?
The critical difference between Brady and the other guys mentioned is that they are ex-employees of their respective clubs while he is still an employee of Arsenal FC. Which is not to say that it means he can't or won't give an honest opinion but rather that, as in politics, perception is everything. Brady's reaction last Tuesday was wildly over the top although I reckon his defence of Arsenal was still better than the team's on the night. His new Irish role means RTE are set to lose him from the panel after the European Championships which, his spectacular hissy fit notwithstanding, will also be a real loss for viewers. Because one thing we can all agree on - those Montrose boys make for great television, baby.
LOOKS like it's squeaky bum time again in the semis. I wonder will Shevchenko come back for this one; Liverpool should employ the special one as a consultant (since he's still a free agent)
WHY don’t we just make it easy on the viewing public, and cut straight to the penalty shoot-out when Chelsea play Liverpool in the second leg?
Or why don't we make it easier still and just show Liverpool boarding the flight for Moscow? I mean, where else would committed Reds be heading?
TAL Ben Haim: A season in perspective . . .
Gets roasted easily for Torres' goal at Anfield.
Concedes penalty at Old Trafford.
Rips up own keeper's face in training.
Er, that's it.
Great signing. Mourinho's Achilles' heel was his talent spotting. He was after this duffer for ages before we signed him in the summer (mercifully on a free, so at least Abramovich won't be out of pocket for a change when we inevitably punt him on this summer). What he saw in him is totally beyond me as I never saw anything but a bog standard journeyman in Ben Haim's Bolton performances.
Still trying to work out how this accidental collision happened. How do you do that much damage in training? I mean, what is your boot doing anywhere near your keeper's face? Surely you pull out of that kind of challenge so that you don't seriously injure a teammate.
WILL Petr Cech’s lasting legacy to football be the sight of goalies done up like keepers in ice hockey. Head protection, face mask. You just know that it’s only a matter of time before the Petr Cech-branded products hit the shelves.
GIVEN the amount of fuss Mourinho made about the NHS after the clash between Stephen Hunt and Petr Cech, is anyone else wondering just how long it took for the ambulances to turn up at Cobham after the training ground accident last weekend? But I expect Chelsea have got their own fleet waiting on hand.
Surely Chelsea have their own private hospital at Cobham? Probably a nursing home too - for the pensioners, like. Not to mention a creche for Ashley Cole.
I MAKE no comment about the investigations by police into the activities of Birmingham City FC. But I have never been able to take the idea of David Sullivan seriously as a football club owner. Even Roman Abramovich doesn’t turn up at matches wearing a Russian soldier’s greatcoat and a Cossack hat.
Given some of David Sullivan's other business interests, you should be glad he turns up wearing any clothes at all.
I HAVE often wondered why it was that David Bentley wasn’t playing with a bigger club, and the Setanta interview might have provided me with an answer. 100 bets a day on everything from horses, the dogs, online poker, and bingo. Jaysus, no wonder his form has got better since he gave it up. Just how prevalent do you think gambling is in the sport Liam?
Two to one on it's pretty widespread, I'd say.
I’VE BEEN really interested in the letters over the past two weeks about the hidden football references in films, and I’m really glad I’m not the only saddo who looks out for these whenever I visit the cinema. One of my favourites was spotting that the Italian detectives who were investigating Hannibal Lecter in Florence in the Ridley Scott movie spent some of their time watching a Chelsea game on TV. But the best has to be the guy who wrote the New Tricks series on TV who included a character called Ed Koumas in his list of cast names. Closer examination shows that the three heroes of the series are called Halford, Lane and Standing . . . Halford's Lane Stand is the name of the popular terrace at West Bromwich Albion. Weird bunch, football supporters.
It's not often that your host is left speechless. So while I try to work out whether you should be locked up or given an Arts Council Grant, have our Letter Of The Week prize, Pat.
WELL, it finally happened. We saw a decent game from Owen Hargreaves in a Manchester United shirt against Roma. I’ve been wondering all season just how we was worth €21m and he gave a bit of an inkling of it last Wednesday. Just in time for the Premier League run-in and the Champions League Final. Coincidence?
Sunday's free kick wasn't bad either, was it? (Which also means that Rivelino - ask grandad - must have been worth about 150 billion, at conservative estimate).
