Why birthdays are one of the big problems affecting Irish soccer

If you know a loved one due a baby anytime now, the message is to hold on until the other side of New Year’s Day. Because if that kid is to have aspirations of some time playing high-level football, their odds are frighteningly reduced if they arrive before the end of the year

I played really well in the trial game. When I was substituted with 15 minutes to go, I thought it was because the selectors had seen enough to be persuaded. Back in Cork I waited anxiously for news of the final trial. When it came, thanks to the Evening Echo, it was bad. The name R Keane was not there, however many times I looked. This was the worst disappointment of my life. The door to my dream slammed shut in my face. Word came back from the Cork selector that ‘Roy was just too small’.

— Keane: The Autobiography