Angry fans can raise standards

As the dust settles on what will arguably go down as the Republic of Ireland’s greatest sporting anti-climax, sports followers in this country can be thankful they have a summer of exciting GAA action as an antidote to the national side’s dreadful Euro 2012 campaign.

While many did their patriotic duty and jumped onboard the bandwagon, I doubt you would have heard too many verses of the Fields of Athenry being sang by the hardcore GAA fraternity.

Not because they don’t support their country, far from it. It is more that they are not accustomed to commending mediocrity and they surely wouldn’t partake in celebrating what was bewildering lack of effort by many of the Irish players.