YBIG_Issue18

Ireland vs Bulgaria, Italy vs Ireland, March/April 2009

YOUBOYSINGREEN IRELAND V BULGARIA/ITALY V IRELAND IRELAND’S SOCCER FANZINEISSUE 18 FREE! Can St Trap banish the Bulgarians and Italians? YBIG_18.indd 125/03/2009 10:34:14

ON THE SEVENTH DAY STAR SUNDAY HAS CREATED A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA FOR MEN.... �� FANTASYFOOTBALL:THE WAGS �� FANTASYFOOTBALL:THE WAG S �� FANTASYFOOTBALL:THE WAG S �� FREE EVERY SUNDAY YBIG 18 CONTENTS Page 4:EditorialPage 5: Sofia GuideTips for the trip to BulgariaPage 6/7:Trap the Method ManIreland face the acid testPage 8/9:Q & AGlenn WhelanPage 10:Percy’s RantThis time it’s a LOI gamePage 12/13:Cult HeroMiah DenneheyPage 15/20:YBIG’sGuide to BariBari uncoveredPage 21:Trap’s TraitsAn insight to his management waysPage 22-23:Doubles Stat-tastic double headersPage 24/25: Waterford CrystalA homage to Waterford’s finestPage 26/29:LOI WatchA new season beginsPage 30: CrosswordTest your knowledge YOUGIRLSINGREEN: These to cheeky girls sent us in this picture for this issue of YBIG. And now they could be in line to win a night out with the YBIG lads! If any girls out there want to get on page three, contact us at contact@youboysingreen.ie! CONTRIBUTORS:Brian Farrell, Ronan O’Flaherty, Donal Cullen, Ross Fitzgerald, Gavin Earley, Eoghan Carroll, Paul Cullen, Derek Harte, Rob Bashford, Phelim Warren, Anthony Smith, Ian Gaughran PICS:John Barrington FRONT COVER: Kie Carew (www.kiecarew.com) GER,DAVEAND LIAMWOULD LIKE TO THANK:Paul Cooke, Fergal from Nycomed, Eoin Brannigan, Isolde, Kie Carew, Joe Hayes, Gary, Packy and Carl McNamara YBIG_18.indd 325/03/2009 10:34:28

EDITORIAL WEBSITE:www.youboysingreen.ie CONTACT:contact@youboysingreen.ie S ATURDAY, March 22...what a memora- ble day for Irish sport. The Irish rugby team win their first Grand Slam for 61 years following a quite remarkable game against the Welsh. A few hours later and an equally remarkable spectacle unfolded at the O2 Arena culminat- ing in Bernard Dunne becoming World Champion after 11 gruelling and brilliant rounds against Ricardo Cordoba. And in between, Andy Murray and Andy Lee punched their way to glory while the magnifi- cent Katy Taylor proved why she is pound for pound the best female boxer in the world. And all this a week after Ireland’s most suc- cessful club, Shamrock Rovers, finally moved into their new home after 22 years on the road. Sport instils the feel good factor in society. And in the current economic crisis, what a pleasant getaway it was. This week, it’s the turn of Trapattoni’s Boys. I would swap that big belt that now resides in Neilstown, and that Grand Slam win for four points this week in a heartbeat. Make no mistake, football is, always has been and always will be the biggest and best international sports spectacle in the country, no matter what anybody in Kiely’s in Donnybrook tells you. Declan Kidney’s troops deserve huge plau- dits and the spirit of the team was truly fantas- tic. But their brilliant feat failed to unite the country in congratulations and admiration. Yes, public houses were jammed to the raft- ers but many of these spent the time in between rounds asking their mates about the rules of the game. One thing is for sure, many of these new rugby ‘fans’ didn’t shed a tear when France came to Croke Park for the first ever rugby game at GAA HQ, yet they are now basking in the glory that was that historic day two weeks ago. Admittedly, the Irish football team has had it’s fair share of bandwagoners and clingers on in the past. Rugby is building a fairly sizeable fanbase of event junkies and all the hulabalu a couple of weeks ago got me thinking. Thinking back to the heady days of Irish soccer. From tears of joy in 88 to the heart- breaking penalties of 2002. Should Ireland qualify for the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, the interest and buzz that will follow will dwarf what happened in Wales two weeks ago. Please make it happen Trap! Bring the buzz back to Irish international soccer. Speaking of buzz in international soccer, after a decent debut the Singing Section will again be right behind the Irish team tonight, and again in Bari next Wednesday. The Singing Section is a work in progress, so for those who want to get involved bring plenty of colour and, of course, your voice. The FAI are still working on a strategy where fans who were in the Singing Section but didn’t want to be there and visa versa, will be accommodated. In this issue we have all the usual treats and following a recent recce mission to Bari, we have a six page fans’ guide on the Italian town. Enjoy. WINA FREEAPARTMENTIN BULGARIA FORAWEEK THERE are three large Sea-front apartments available for rent this Summer near Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. What is the name of the apartment complex? Answer clearly available on the www.bulrentals.com site. email your answer to contact@ybig.ie Terms: One free week April to end of June and September to end of October. Offer excluds the week before and after the Ireland v Bulgaria match. OR 50% off any week throughout the season. ABOUT SOFIA AS THEcapital city of Bulgaria, Sofia has some- thing to offer every visitor. Renowned throughout the world for its electrifying nightlife, this city is ideal if you want to party as many bars keep serv- ing until the last punter leaves. Bars and cafes generally stay open until 5am and then the city’s clubs take over until whatever time people choose to go home. WHERE TO DRINK The best bars are on Vitosha Boulevard where you will find everything from dance clubs to smaller venues playing rock music. TRAVELLER TIPS *Watch out for the Bulgarian taxi drivers. The best thing to do is order a cab at your hotel from a reputable company. *Check your bills properly when leaving restaurants and bars to ensure extra taxes haven’t been added. WHERE TO STAY (FOUR STAR) LES FLEURS FROM €86 PER ROOM PER NIGHT The Les Fleurs Hotel is in a great location on Vistosha Street in the city centre. The hotel is ide- ally situated close St Nedelya Square, which has a vast choice of bars and restaurants. Guests can enjoy a tasty menu of European dishes along with a range of fine wines from the hotel’s fashionable ‘Le Bouquet’ restaurant. SOFIA PLAZA FROM €88 PER ROOM PER NIGHT The Sofia Plaza is centrally located just a few minutes from St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Eastern Europe. The hotel is housed in an historic building where Guide to Sofia We haven’t made it to Bari just yet, but our travel partners hotels.com are already ahead of the game. Here is their quick guide to Sofia guests can relax and unwind after a day of football or a night on the town. HOTEL VEGA SOFIA FROM €101 PER ROOM PER NIGHT Situated in the south east of the city, the Hotel Vega Sofia is perfect for those looking for some lux- ury. Relax and revitalise in the hotel spa with a soothing sauna, a soak in the hot tub or a deep tis- sue massage. THREE STAR HOTELS BROD HOTEL FROM €50 PER ROOM PER NIGHT Offering scenic views across the green slopes of Vitosha Mountain, the Brod Hotel is a modern cor- ner block property. After a day’s sightsee- ing, guests can sam- ple traditional Bulgarian food and wine in the hotel res- taurant or enjoy a cocktail accompanied by live music in the hotel’s club-style bar. HARMONY HOTELSOFIA FROM €67 PER ROOM PER NIGHT The Harmony hotel is an excellent property located in quieter part of the city and beside the best shop- ping area of the Vitosha Boulevard. All guests have unlimited use of the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, or can enjoy the sauna and sports facilities. Be sure to book early!! All hotels can be booked by visiting Hotels.com or calling 1 800 55 33 38. For more information and travel tips on planning your holiday visit www.hotels.com or call 1800 55 3338 to wake up happy on your holiday! YBIG_18.indd 425/03/2009 10:34:38

ABOUT SOFIA AS THEcapital city of Bulgaria, Sofia has some- thing to offer every visitor. Renowned throughout the world for its electrifying nightlife, this city is ideal if you want to party as many bars keep serv- ing until the last punter leaves. Bars and cafes generally stay open until 5am and then the city’s clubs take over until whatever time people choose to go home. WHERE TO DRINK The best bars are on Vitosha Boulevard where you will find everything from dance clubs to smaller venues playing rock music. TRAVELLER TIPS *Watch out for the Bulgarian taxi drivers. The best thing to do is order a cab at your hotel from a reputable company. *Check your bills properly when leaving restaurants and bars to ensure extra taxes haven’t been added. WHERE TO STAY (FOUR STAR) LES FLEURS FROM €86 PER ROOM PER NIGHT The Les Fleurs Hotel is in a great location on Vistosha Street in the city centre. The hotel is ide- ally situated close St Nedelya Square, which has a vast choice of bars and restaurants. Guests can enjoy a tasty menu of European dishes along with a range of fine wines from the hotel’s fashionable ‘Le Bouquet’ restaurant. SOFIA PLAZA FROM €88 PER ROOM PER NIGHT The Sofia Plaza is centrally located just a few minutes from St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Eastern Europe. The hotel is housed in an historic building where Guide to Sofia We haven’t made it to Bari just yet, but our travel partners hotels.com are already ahead of the game. Here is their quick guide to Sofia guests can relax and unwind after a day of football or a night on the town. HOTEL VEGA SOFIA FROM €101 PER ROOM PER NIGHT Situated in the south east of the city, the Hotel Vega Sofia is perfect for those looking for some lux- ury. Relax and revitalise in the hotel spa with a soothing sauna, a soak in the hot tub or a deep tis- sue massage. THREE STAR HOTELS BROD HOTEL FROM €50 PER ROOM PER NIGHT Offering scenic views across the green slopes of Vitosha Mountain, the Brod Hotel is a modern cor- ner block property. After a day’s sightsee- ing, guests can sam- ple traditional Bulgarian food and wine in the hotel res- taurant or enjoy a cocktail accompanied by live music in the hotel’s club-style bar. HARMONY HOTELSOFIA FROM €67 PER ROOM PER NIGHT The Harmony hotel is an excellent property located in quieter part of the city and beside the best shop- ping area of the Vitosha Boulevard. All guests have unlimited use of the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, or can enjoy the sauna and sports facilities. Be sure to book early!! All hotels can be booked by visiting Hotels.com or calling 1 800 55 33 38. For more information and travel tips on planning your holiday visit www.hotels.com or call 1800 55 3338 to wake up happy on your holiday! YBIG_18.indd 525/03/2009 10:34:43

W hen the dust had settled on the 2010 World Cup draw and evening’s long drawn-out (pardon the pun) entertain- ment in Durban at the tail end of 2007, two words occupied the minds of Irish football followers. Not ‘Youssou N’Dour’ or ‘Lion King’, despite the reported ‘legendary’ performance by the former or the well-received musical excerpts from the Disney pro- duction of the latter. No, for Ireland football’s fraternity ‘Bulgaria’ and ‘Italy’ were fore- most in our thoughts. Fast forward two months later and as the finer details of Group Eight’s fixtures were being hammered out in the Balkans, all Irish eyes were fixed on a certain double- header scheduled for Spring 2009. So here we are on the cusp of that brace of games against the Group’s top two seeded sides. This is the week Irish fans have been eagerly awaiting and preparing for. Two games that can make or break our qualification hopes. But it is not just the fans who have spent a long time prepar- ing for this. It may seem obvious to state that Trapattoni had ear- marked these fixtures from way back, but just how far back is the pertinent point. Put simply, Trapattoni has been planning for these two fixtures since the moment he decided to take the Irish job. For it is precisely these sort of fixtures – against the so-called better sides – that Trapattoni has based his whole ethos around since (and indeed before) taking over as Ireland boss. It is for these games that Trapattoni has dispensed with ‘luxury’ players, like Andy Reid. This is what Trap’s system has been all about: ensuring his team is competitive against any nation. Including the World Champions. It is for this week’s fixtures that Trap has persist- ed with unheralded players such as Glenn Whelan. Players that may not exude the oooh fac- tor, but players that Trap knows will slot into his preferred system and perform what is required of them. Trapattoni’s Ireland team is not set up to go out and whoop European minnows. Rather Trap’s sys-tem is designed to ensure his team are capable of holding their own against any side they encounter. Trap has drilled his ways into the players to the point that every player is now fully aware of exactly what is expected of them in every game – be that against perennial no-hopers or world beaters. So now we await the fruits of Trapattoni’s labour. Sure it may not have been pretty to date, but what is pretty is where we currently sit in Group 8. Trap’s philosophy has, by now, been well established. Disciplined defending, protect- ed by a central bank of two, with license given to the ‘front’ four to attack, but only when the opportunity presents itself. Only after their defensive duties have been fulfilled. Simple? Yes. Effective? So far. What Irish fan wouldn’t love to see a creative central mid- fielder (a la Reid) get on the ball and spray 50 yard passes around the pitch and weave pretty patterns against the Georgians and Montenegrens of this world? All of us would, yes? But what good is that when we’ve to play the big boys? When space and time are at a premium. When Ireland must play for much longer spells without the ball and, crucially, retain their shape and concentration. This is what Trap’s system has been geared towards. Trapattoni has instilled in his troops the impor- tance of doing the ugly stuff. And to remain com- mitted to doing it for the full 90 minutes, regard- less of the opposition. We still aren’t world All systems go As the group fixtures were announced, this week’s double header hogged all the headlines. ROSS FITZGERALD believes Giovanni Trapattoni has finally a team moulded in his methods, a team that can compete, and possibly a team that can deliver. 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W hen the dust had settled on the 2010 World Cup draw and evening’s long drawn-out (pardon the pun) entertain- ment in Durban at the tail end of 2007, two words occupied the minds of Irish football followers. Not ‘Youssou N’Dour’ or ‘Lion King’, despite the reported ‘legendary’ performance by the former or the well-received musical excerpts from the Disney pro- duction of the latter. No, for Ireland football’s fraternity ‘Bulgaria’ and ‘Italy’ were fore- most in our thoughts. Fast forward two months later and as the finer details of Group Eight’s fixtures were being hammered out in the Balkans, all Irish eyes were fixed on a certain double- header scheduled for Spring 2009. So here we are on the cusp of that brace of games against the Group’s top two seeded sides. This is the week Irish fans have been eagerly awaiting and preparing for. Two games that can make or break our qualification hopes. But it is not just the fans who have spent a long time prepar- ing for this. It may seem obvious to state that Trapattoni had ear- marked these fixtures from way back, but just how far back is the pertinent point. Put simply, Trapattoni has been planning for these two fixtures since the moment he decided to take the Irish job. For it is precisely these sort of fixtures – against the so-called better sides – that Trapattoni has based his whole ethos around since (and indeed before) taking over as Ireland boss. It is for these games that Trapattoni has dispensed with ‘luxury’ players, like Andy Reid. This is what Trap’s system has been all about: ensuring his team is competitive against any nation. Including the World Champions. It is for this week’s fixtures that Trap has persist- ed with unheralded players such as Glenn Whelan. Players that may not exude the oooh fac- tor, but players that Trap knows will slot into his preferred system and perform what is required of them. Trapattoni’s Ireland team is not set up to go out and whoop European minnows. Rather Trap’s sys-tem is designed to ensure his team are capable of holding their own against any side they encounter. Trap has drilled his ways into the players to the point that every player is now fully aware of exactly what is expected of them in every game – be that against perennial no-hopers or world beaters. So now we await the fruits of Trapattoni’s labour. Sure it may not have been pretty to date, but what is pretty is where we currently sit in Group 8. Trap’s philosophy has, by now, been well established. Disciplined defending, protect- ed by a central bank of two, with license given to the ‘front’ four to attack, but only when the opportunity presents itself. Only after their defensive duties have been fulfilled. Simple? Yes. Effective? So far. What Irish fan wouldn’t love to see a creative central mid- fielder (a la Reid) get on the ball and spray 50 yard passes around the pitch and weave pretty patterns against the Georgians and Montenegrens of this world? All of us would, yes? But what good is that when we’ve to play the big boys? When space and time are at a premium. When Ireland must play for much longer spells without the ball and, crucially, retain their shape and concentration. This is what Trap’s system has been geared towards. Trapattoni has instilled in his troops the impor- tance of doing the ugly stuff. And to remain com- mitted to doing it for the full 90 minutes, regard- less of the opposition. We still aren’t world All systems go As the group fixtures were announced, this week’s double header hogged all the headlines. ROSS FITZGERALD believes Giovanni Trapattoni has finally a team moulded in his methods, a team that can compete, and possibly a team that can deliver. Trap with his cake, no prizes for guessing what Trap wished for. 6 Feature beaters. To borrow from a chant beloved of our northern neighbours and indeed the coach himself, “we’re not Brazil, we’re Ireland”. In other words, we may not be the best – but Trap’s objective has been to make us capable of competing with the best. Allowing for the disappointment against the lesser lights in previous campaigns, all things going well – and Trapattoni earning his crust – qualification for South Africa 2010 was always going to come down to how we fared against the two teams seeded above us. C asting our minds back to the dark nights of November 2007, things don’t look as bad in the Spring sunshine of the here and now. Certainly the task of taking on the top two inside the space of a week is not as daunting as it may first have appeared. Second seeds Bulgaria have failed to live up to that billing, drawing three from three to date and lagging seven points behind Ireland. While reigning champions Italy do not look the force of old, hardly setting the group alight with narrow victories over Cyprus and Montenegro, as well as an uninspiring stalemate in Sofia. Whatever fear factor may have existed has evaporated further by the performances of Italy’s finest in European club competition. Only three Italian squad members are left in Europe’s pre- mier pan-European competitions – including just one in the Champions League (Bayern Munich’s Luca Toni), along with Udinese (UEFA Cup) pair Simon Pepe and Antonio di Natale. Irrespective of our rivals’ form, Trap has carried on regardless: implementing his system, style of play learned from over fifty years of playing and coaching. We are about to find out if the 70-year-old’s methods are out-dated or whether the Italian remains one of the great godfathers of modern football. For now he remains on course to qualify for next year’s finals. For that he should be supported … in Trap We Trust. ‘What Irish fan wouldn’t love to see a creative central midfielder (a la Reid) get on the ball and spray 50 yard passes?’ Remember these? Back in the day they were the height of fash-ion, they can still be seen adorn-ing fat builders around the country. Feature 7 YBIG_18.indd 725/03/2009 10:34:59

8 Interview YBIG: Favourite memory as a supporter: Glenn: I was a massive Liverpool fan as a kid, I would of thought something to do when them, but when I think about it, it was actually Ray Houghton’s goal against Italy in USA 94. I can still remember my whole family leaping up and jumping all over the living room and the sofas in celebration. YBIG: Favourite League Of Ireland team? Glenn: Growing up in Clondalkin St Pat’s were the closest team to us, so I would have to say them. YBIG: Towards the end of your career would you consider returning to play in Ireland? Glenn: Yeah. You know I would never say no to anything and if an opportunity came up and it was good for me and my family I would of course. I have a few friends who I have played with at under age level who are playing back home and I think that League of Ireland has come on a lot in recent years and the standard of football has really risen. YBIG: La Liga or the Premiership? Glenn: Has to be the Premiership. I just think it is much more exciting. YBIG: Glenn-roe or Glenn- dalough? Glenn: Glendalough! I don’t even know what it is, but I do know what Glenroe is, and that is, it’s crap, so that’s tipped it for Glendalough. YBIG: Kylie Minogue or the Cheeky Girls? Glenn: Kylie Minogue. Never a question about taking Kylie over most people if I had to pick but especially over the Cheeky Girls. YBIG: Runny eggs or hard boiled? Glenn: Hard boiled. YBIG: Roy or Mick? Glenn: Roy. I have always admired Roy Keane because we have played in the same position and he is someone I have always looked up to. YBIG: Cake or chocolate? Glenn: Chocolate. I have actually given up all kinds of rubbish for lent, so at the minute it wouldn’t be either of them but normally it would be choca- late. I will be good and ad that it gives you a bit of energy and isn’t too bad for you if you don’t go overboard. YBIG: Stephen Ireland IN or OUT? Glenn: In. Terrific player. I know Stevie from the Manchester City academy and I when he first came in, he wasn’t one of these players you thought could make it or not. It was blindingly obvious he was very talented from the word go and he is becoming a top player. YBIG: Loop the loop or Wibbly Woobly Wonder? Glenn: Loop the Loop. YBIG: Biggest unfluence on your career? Glenn: My dad David and my family would definately be the biggest influence. He has always supported me through thick and thin and if I am ever having problems with something or need a bit of advice, he is the first person I would ring. YBIG: What was the first Ireland match you went to? Glenn: I’m sure it was when we played Northern Ireland at Lansdowne Road when I was about 10 or 11. I even think we got beat but I’m not sure. (actually a 1-1 draw in March 1995 European Championship qualifier and when remind- ed Glenn added). It was probably the fact that we didn’t win, because we normally did at Lansdowne at that time that has left that feeling of disappointment, making me think it was a loss. YBIG: Who was your hero when growing up? Glenn: As I said earlier I was a big Liverpool fan so probably Robbie Fowler or Steve McManaman because they were their best players at the time. I was fortunate enough to be there in my last year at Man City when the two lads joined the club so that was a good experience. First time I stepped on the training pitch with them was very surreal but at the same time it was different because by the time I came out of the City academy I wasn’t as mad a Liverpool fan. YBIG: Do you wear hats? Glenn: No no, not really at all. If it is cold out Free-Whelan against Georgia Interview 9 when I am training I will stick a monkey hat on but that is about it. YBIG: Anybody at Stoke you know with Irish connections? Glenn: Obviously Rory Delap and Liam Lawrence who have both had chances to play for Ireland and be involved with squads but other than that there is no young lads coming through or any- thing from Ireland that I know of. YBIG: Who’s the biggest joker on the Irish team? Glenn: There is a few there but if I had to name one in particular it would be Stephen Hunt. There is no particular thing he does, but he is just very giddy and always on the go. No matter what time of the day or no matter what is going on, he is very bubbly and you have to be on your guard all the time. Ha ha. YBIG: What do you miss most about Ireland? Glenn: Just family and friends really. I don’t get back as much as I used to nowadays so just hav- ing your friends and not being able to see them every day is something that is difficult. YBIG: Favourite movie? Glenn: The Shawshank Redemption without a doubt. It is just one of those films that I will always watch when it is on and will always make sure I watch it until the end no matter how many times I have seen it. YBIG: Greatest ever Irish player? Glenn: Paul McGrath. He could play in different position and I can’t ever remember seeing him play a bad game. He always gave everything he had and put his body on the line so he has to be the best. YBIG: Best current player? Glenn: I would have to say Robbie Keane. He has got everything. He can score goals and set up goals. He is just one of those players who has got great ability and from watching him play and play- ing against him each week you realise how good he is. YBIG: Any funny stories from trips? Glenn: Em…. No not really. Just people messing about and all but there is nothing I could really tell you about or that I would be able to put down in paper so I would have to give that one a miss. (Adds with a smile) Of course we are so focused on qualifying for the World Cup that we don’t have time to mess about... (cough, cough) YBIG: If you could invite four sports people to dinner, who would they be? Glenn: Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Paul McGrath and Diego Maradona. Out of the four I would have to say Ali would be the one I would look forward to sitting down and talking to the most because he always talked the talk and came up with interest- ing stuff, so I would love to spend a bit of time with him. YBIG: Favourite TV programme? Glenn: I am actually watching Shameless at the minute. It’s not your typical TV show or drama and it makes me laugh. YBIG: Toughest player you ever played against? Glenn: Steven Gerrard. (what is he like to play against?) Tough. I remember we played Liverpool at home and it was in the opening few minutes and we went in for a 50-50 ball and he came out on top. He is one of those players who has got everything. He gets on the ball and is hard to pick up. You can’t really get the ball off him. YBIG: Favourite memory playing for Ireland? Glenn: Probably my debut to be honest. It was the friendly against Serbia and we drew one each, but the fact that it was in Dublin and at Croke Park in front of a big crowd that I pulled on the green jer- sey for the first time at senior level was special. ‘It was obvious Steve Ireland was very talented from the word go, he’s a top player’ �� BY GAVIN EARLEY YBIG_18.indd 825/03/2009 10:35:06

8 Interview YBIG: Favourite memory as a supporter: Glenn: I was a massive Liverpool fan as a kid, I would of thought something to do when them, but when I think about it, it was actually Ray Houghton’s goal against Italy in USA 94. I can still remember my whole family leaping up and jumping all over the living room and the sofas in celebration. YBIG: Favourite League Of Ireland team? Glenn: Growing up in Clondalkin St Pat’s were the closest team to us, so I would have to say them. YBIG: Towards the end of your career would you consider returning to play in Ireland? Glenn: Yeah. You know I would never say no to anything and if an opportunity came up and it was good for me and my family I would of course. I have a few friends who I have played with at under age level who are playing back home and I think that League of Ireland has come on a lot in recent years and the standard of football has really risen. YBIG: La Liga or the Premiership? Glenn: Has to be the Premiership. I just think it is much more exciting. YBIG: Glenn-roe or Glenn- dalough? Glenn: Glendalough! I don’t even know what it is, but I do know what Glenroe is, and that is, it’s crap, so that’s tipped it for Glendalough. YBIG: Kylie Minogue or the Cheeky Girls? Glenn: Kylie Minogue. Never a question about taking Kylie over most people if I had to pick but especially over the Cheeky Girls. YBIG: Runny eggs or hard boiled? Glenn: Hard boiled. YBIG: Roy or Mick? Glenn: Roy. I have always admired Roy Keane because we have played in the same position and he is someone I have always looked up to. YBIG: Cake or chocolate? Glenn: Chocolate. I have actually given up all kinds of rubbish for lent, so at the minute it wouldn’t be either of them but normally it would be choca- late. I will be good and ad that it gives you a bit of energy and isn’t too bad for you if you don’t go overboard. YBIG: Stephen Ireland IN or OUT? Glenn: In. Terrific player. I know Stevie from the Manchester City academy and I when he first came in, he wasn’t one of these players you thought could make it or not. It was blindingly obvious he was very talented from the word go and he is becoming a top player. YBIG: Loop the loop or Wibbly Woobly Wonder? Glenn: Loop the Loop. YBIG: Biggest unfluence on your career? Glenn: My dad David and my family would definately be the biggest influence. He has always supported me through thick and thin and if I am ever having problems with something or need a bit of advice, he is the first person I would ring. YBIG: What was the first Ireland match you went to? Glenn: I’m sure it was when we played Northern Ireland at Lansdowne Road when I was about 10 or 11. I even think we got beat but I’m not sure. (actually a 1-1 draw in March 1995 European Championship qualifier and when remind- ed Glenn added). It was probably the fact that we didn’t win, because we normally did at Lansdowne at that time that has left that feeling of disappointment, making me think it was a loss. YBIG: Who was your hero when growing up? Glenn: As I said earlier I was a big Liverpool fan so probably Robbie Fowler or Steve McManaman because they were their best players at the time. I was fortunate enough to be there in my last year at Man City when the two lads joined the club so that was a good experience. First time I stepped on the training pitch with them was very surreal but at the same time it was different because by the time I came out of the City academy I wasn’t as mad a Liverpool fan. YBIG: Do you wear hats? Glenn: No no, not really at all. If it is cold out Free-Whelan against Georgia 8 e ZKen I DP WUDLnLnJ I ZLll VWLFN D PRnNe\ KDW Rn EXW WKDW LV DERXW LW YBIG: $n\ERG\ DW 6WRNe \RX NnRZ ZLWK IULVK FRnneFWLRnV" Glenn: 2EYLRXVl\ 5RU\ 'elDS DnG /LDP /DZUenFe ZKR KDYe ERWK KDG FKDnFeV WR SlD\ IRU IUelDnG DnG Ee LnYRlYeG ZLWK VTXDGV EXW RWKeU WKDn WKDW WKeUe LV nR \RXnJ lDGV FRPLnJ WKURXJK RU Dn\ WKLnJ IURP IUelDnG WKDW I NnRZ RI YBIG: :KR¶V WKe ELJJeVW MRNeU Rn WKe IULVK WeDP" Glenn: 7KeUe LV D IeZ WKeUe EXW LI I KDG WR nDPe Rne Ln SDUWLFXlDU LW ZRXlG Ee 6WeSKen +XnW 7KeUe LV nR SDUWLFXlDU WKLnJ Ke GReV EXW Ke LV MXVW YeU\ JLGG\ DnG DlZD\V Rn WKe JR 1R PDWWeU ZKDW WLPe RI WKe GD\ RU nR PDWWeU ZKDW LV JRLnJ Rn Ke LV YeU\ EXEEl\ DnG \RX KDYe WR Ee Rn \RXU JXDUG Dll WKe WLPe +D KD YBIG: :KDW GR \RX PLVV PRVW DERXW IUelDnG" Glenn: -XVW IDPLl\ DnG IULenGV UeDll\ I GRn¶W JeW EDFN DV PXFK DV I XVeG WR nRZDGD\V VR MXVW KDY LnJ \RXU IULenGV DnG nRW EeLnJ DEle WR Vee WKeP eYeU\ GD\ LV VRPeWKLnJ WKDW LV GLIILFXlW YBIG: )DYRXULWe PRYLe" Glenn: 7Ke 6KDZVKDnN 5eGePSWLRn ZLWKRXW D GRXEW IW LV MXVW Rne RI WKRVe ILlPV WKDW I ZLll DlZD\V ZDWFK ZKen LW LV Rn DnG ZLll DlZD\V PDNe VXUe I ZDWFK LW XnWLl WKe enG nR PDWWeU KRZ PDn\ WLPeV I KDYe Veen LW YBIG: GUeDWeVW eYeU IULVK SlD\eU" Glenn: 3DXl 0FGUDWK +e FRXlG SlD\ Ln GLIIeUenW SRVLWLRn DnG I FDn¶W eYeU UePePEeU VeeLnJ KLP SlD\ D EDG JDPe +e DlZD\V JDYe eYeU\WKLnJ Ke KDG DnG SXW KLV ERG\ Rn WKe lLne VR Ke KDV WR Ee WKe EeVW YBIG: BeVW FXUUenW SlD\eU" Glenn: I ZRXlG KDYe WR VD\ 5REELe .eDne +e KDV JRW eYeU\WKLnJ +e FDn VFRUe JRDlV DnG VeW XS JRDlV +e LV MXVW Rne RI WKRVe SlD\eUV ZKR KDV JRW JUeDW DELlLW\ DnG IURP ZDWFKLnJ KLP SlD\ DnG SlD\ LnJ DJDLnVW KLP eDFK ZeeN \RX UeDlLVe KRZ JRRG Ke LV YBIG: $n\ IXnn\ VWRULeV IURP WULSV" Glenn: (P« 1R nRW UeDll\ -XVW SeRSle PeVVLnJ DERXW DnG Dll EXW WKeUe LV nRWKLnJ I FRXlG UeDll\ Well \RX DERXW RU WKDW I ZRXlG Ee DEle WR SXW GRZn Ln SDSeU VR I ZRXlG KDYe WR JLYe WKDW Rne D PLVV $GGV ZLWK D VPLle 2I FRXUVe Ze DUe VR IRFXVeG Rn TXDlLI\LnJ IRU WKe :RUlG &XS WKDW Ze GRn¶W KDYe WLPe WR PeVV DERXW FRXJK FRXJK YBIG: II \RX FRXlG LnYLWe IRXU VSRUWV SeRSle WR GLnneU ZKR ZRXlG WKe\ Ee" Glenn: 7LJeU :RRGV 0XKDPPDG $lL 3DXl 0FGUDWK DnG 'LeJR 0DUDGRnD 2XW RI WKe IRXU I ZRXlG KDYe WR VD\ $lL ZRXlG Ee WKe Rne I ZRXlG lRRN IRUZDUG WR VLWWLnJ GRZn DnG WDlNLnJ WR WKe PRVW EeFDXVe Ke DlZD\V WDlNeG WKe WDlN DnG FDPe XS ZLWK LnWeUeVW LnJ VWXII VR I ZRXlG lRYe WR VSenG D ELW RI WLPe ZLWK KLP YBIG: )DYRXULWe 79 SURJUDPPe" Glenn: I DP DFWXDll\ ZDWFKLnJ 6KDPeleVV DW WKe PLnXWe IW¶V nRW \RXU W\SLFDl 79 VKRZ RU GUDPD DnG LW PDNeV Pe lDXJK YBIG: 7RXJKeVW SlD\eU \RX eYeU SlD\eG DJDLnVW" Glenn: 6WeYen GeUUDUG ZKDW LV Ke lLNe WR SlD\ DJDLnVW" 7RXJK I UePePEeU Ze SlD\eG /LYeUSRRl DW KRPe DnG LW ZDV Ln WKe RSenLnJ IeZ PLnXWeV DnG Ze ZenW Ln IRU D EDll DnG Ke FDPe RXW Rn WRS +e LV Rne RI WKRVe SlD\eUV ZKR KDV JRW eYeU\WKLnJ +e JeWV Rn WKe EDll DnG LV KDUG WR SLFN XS YRX FDn¶W UeDll\ JeW WKe EDll RII KLP YBIG: )DYRXULWe PePRU\ SlD\LnJ IRU IUelDnG" Glenn: 3UREDEl\ P\ GeEXW WR Ee KRneVW IW ZDV WKe IULenGl\ DJDLnVW 6eUELD DnG Ze GUeZ Rne eDFK EXW WKe IDFW WKDW LW ZDV Ln 'XElLn DnG DW &URNe 3DUN Ln IURnW RI D ELJ FURZG WKDW I SXlleG Rn WKe JUeen MeU Ve\ IRU WKe ILUVW WLPe DW VenLRU leYel ZDV VSeFLDl LnJ \RXU IULenGV DnG nRW EeLnJ DEle WR Vee WKeP IRUZDUG WR VLWWLnJ GRZn DnG WDlNLnJ WR WKe PRVW EeFDXVe Ke DlZD\V WDlNeG WKe WDlN DnG FDPe XS ZLWK LnWeUeVW LnJ VWXII VR I ZRXlG lRYe WR VSenG D ELW RI WLPe ZLWK KLP YBIG: SURJUDPPe" Glenn: I DP DFWXDll\ ZDWFKLnJ 6KDPeleVV DW WKe ‘It was obvious Steve Ireland was very talented from the word go, he’s a top player’ �� %< G$9,1 ($5/(< YBIG_18.indd 925/03/2009 10:35:15

The much maligned Croke Park experience has been ditched for a trip to Dalyer as Percy goes exploring the world of LOI. 10 RantPercy W ELCOME to Croker (or Italy ). What a sad day for Irish football last Saturday was, when that Welsh gobshite missed that penalty by inches. Now we’ll have to listen to those muppets rag on about how rugby is the best sport in this country. Poor oul Bernard Dunne will vouch for this as his victory was overshadowed by the egg chasers. Well Rovers are now in Tallaght and I couldn’t get a bleedin ticket for the first match, so I went along to watch the Boys in Pink take on Bowez last Friday night in Dalyer. We started early enough in the Stags Head in town and then the editor of this mag and Billybob decided we should walk to Phibsboro, encroaching on my valuable drinking time, not to mention I didn’t have my hiking boots on and neither of these two knew any shortcuts. I managed to get them to stop for a breather in the Findlater House where I skulled a manky pint of Smithwicks, while the other two nibbled on bot- tles of Hino ( brassers) . Eventually we arrived in “The Hut”, the Rovers stronghold for pre match pints. We were only in the door when Gerk went off on the pull and Billybob slipped off to the jacks leaving me holding his shopping bag like a spare tool. The contents of the bag constitute his outfit for the trip to Italy which he bought in “that” Irish shop in town. Upon closer inspection, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was going to a drag show rather than a football match. Anyway, it gave me a chance to have a good look around while they were gone. Looking out the window of the boozer, the first thing that caught my eye were the six gardai across the road trying to find the power button for their anti-hooligan device… a handy cam. Meanwhile inside the pub I couldn’t help but notice that Rovers must sell a lot of XXXL jerseys and a lot of the lads wearing them ought to invest in a spare one as the bang of sweat in this boozer was rank. The last time I was in Dalymount was back in the 80s for an Ireland game and it hasn’t changed much. I tried the student trick at the turnstiles but was shaken down for an extra fiver cause I “couldn’t find” my student card. The first thing that greets you after the turnstiles is the Burdocks van and 10 poor souls with twisted faces waiting to use one of four porta loos. The odd goon comes smiling out of the one jacks with a tat- tered Ladies sign sellotaped to the door. The terraces are buzzin when we get there. We position ourselves right behind the dug outs and looking to my left I get my first glimpse of a new breed… the casual. T his gimp is about 17, dressed head to toe in burberry (or aquascutum, all looks the same to me), hair spiked arseways, impeccably clean Lacoste runners and he’s stuffin his face with popcorn, careful not to burst any of his spots as he rams the popcorn kernels in. You get the impres- sion from his stance that he’s been watching re runs of The Football Factory, when in truth he’s more likely to be watching Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory when he gets home from school. The Hoops fans certainly let themselves be heard, an atmosphere that hopefully the Singing Section can aspire to and a Friday night thoroughly recommended. The match itself was nothing spectacular from a Rovers fan’s point of view... the only thing good in the air that night was the smell of salt and vinegar coming from the Burdocks van. Enjoy the matches. See yiz in Bari…ciao. IT.La bIPDL.OCIT.La bIPDL.OC P 0 BOOKNOW ALL INCLUSIVE RECESSION BUSTER FLIGHT TO BARI 11 �� /HDYLQJTXHVGD\0DUFK5HWXUQLQJTKXUVGD\$SULO �� Price excludes tax. Limited number of seats remaining 9")'?URINDD

12 Cult Hero Miah Dennehy��D ESPITE living in the shadow of many of the great Irish players of the past, Miah Dennehy still estab- lished two firsts which when writing the history of Irish soccer are hard to ignore. The first of these came on a bright sunny day in 1972. The 1972 FAI Cup final was the 51st of the competition since the split in 1921 and for the first time in nearly 20 years was an all Munster affair. At the time the LOI was dominated by sides from Munster who had won the LOI Championship for the last five seasons. Top dogs at the time were the great Waterford side which had won five of the last seven LOI of titles and had reached their 5th FAI Cup final. Their opponents at Dalymount were Cork Hibernians who had won the LOI title in 1970/71 and were appearing in their third FAI Cup final but had yet to win it. In the Cork line up was 22 year old Miah Dennehy who had formed an effective partnership with Tony Marsden that almost brought the title back to Cork but they were pipped at the post by Waterford who were now favour- ites to pick up a double. However, Cork and Dennehy had different idea’s and in a stunning display Dennehy scored a second half hat-trick – the first-ever in an FAI Cup final - to give Hibs their first ever FAI Cup win. At the time the Irish manager was Liam Tuohy who spent most of his playing career in the LOI and so kept an eye on the League. He was, in fact, among the 22,500 at Dalymount Park on the day Dennehy made FAI Cup history and with a tourna- ment in Brazil less then two months away Dennehy was kept in mind. The squad which travelled to Brazil in 1972 contained a number of LOI players. Young Mick Martin of Bohemians had been part of the Bohs revival in the 1970’s and had made his debut in Tuohy’s first game in charge – a 6-0 defeat by Austria by a largely LOI staffed Irish team. Shamrock Rovers great striker Mick Leech was also called up as was Turlough O’Connor who was playing for Dundalk at the time. Peter Thomas from Waterford and John Herrick and Miah Dennehy from Cork Hibs made up the rest of the LOI contingent. The Irish team had some fine players at the time especially in the forward line where Ray Treacy and Don Givens formed an effective partnership but with the preferred formation of 4-3-3 there was also room for another and that was generally Mick Leech. Ireland won their first match of the tournament with Leech and Givens scoring against Iran and in the second game they faced Ecuador, on of the lesser teams in South America at the time. Ireland won 3 – 2 with Dennehy making his debut as a sub for Leech. As Leech was injured he got his first start in the next match which turned out to be a 2 – 1 defeat by Chile. So Dennehy ended the 1971/72 season with an FAI Cup winner’s medal and two caps.D ennehy spent another season with Cork Hibs but in February 1973 was signed by Nottingham Forest and thus was denied the chance to pick up a second FAI Cup winners medal as Cork Hibs beat Shelbourne in a replay in April. It was Dave Mackey who signed Dennehy for Forest before he was shown the door by the Forest board. His replacement was Allan Brown and he gave the Irishman a fairly decent run during his tenure. Dennehy made 41 appearances and scored 4 goals during his time at the City Ground but when Brown moved on Dennehy’s time was limited. In came Brain Clough who had been kicked out of Leeds and typical of the man he walked into the dressing room and pointed to a number of players saying “You, you, you, you and you are out!” One of those players was Dennehy. In the close season after the 1974/75 campaign he was signed on by Walsall and went on to make over 100 appearanc- es there before being trans- ferred to Bristol Rovers three years later. After two seasons at Eastville where Dennehy was used in midfield he was given a free transfer. Cardiff City picked up Miah Dennehy has made the news recently for all the wrong reasons following a nasty assault. DONAL CULLEN sheds some insight into the Corkonian’s days as a player for Ireland and the many clubs he plied his trade with throughout an interesting career. Cult Hero 13 Miah Dennehy his contract but he was not used by the Welsh side and in 1980 drifted into non-League football. He returned home to Cork and played for Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Newcastlewest. After that he went to the junior leagues and played hurling for the local St. Vincent’s GAA. In an interesting aside Dennehy also played GAA foot- ball in England with Warwickshire and played in a Provincial Championship final against London in 1976. Dennehy won another winners medal that day and on the losing London side was a young Tony Grealish. Dennehy was making what turned out to be his 10th and last appearance for Ireland against Poland in 1978. As was usual for him in the green shirt Dennehy’s last appearance was as a sub as he made only four starts for Ireland between 1972 and 1976. One of those sub appearances was against Poland in 1973 and it was here that Dennehy made another little bit of Irish history. That year Liam Tuohy had resigned as manager of the Irish team citing business reasons for his decision. I n his time he had brought about a mini-revival in Ireland’s footballing fortunes. The FAI then appointed Johnny Giles as manager and his first game would be against Poland at Dalymount Park in October. The Polish team arrived in Dublin fresh from a famous draw in Wembley which effectively knocked England out of the 1974 World Cup and at the time the Poles were becoming a major power in European and World football. Facing them was Johnny Giles first Irish team. Peter Thomas of Waterford was in goal for his debut and the forward line was a very impres- sive trio of Terry Conroy, Ray Treacy and Don Givens. Giles was to bring a fresh approach and a more profes- sional attitude to the Irish team. After 10 minutes Conroy twisted his knee and Dennehy was brought on as a replacement for the Stoke legend. Twenty-one minutes later the Corkonian created another bit of Irish history at Dalymount when he scored the first Irish goal under Johnny Giles. A free kick by Joe Kinnear found the head of Dennehy who glanced the ball past the Polish keeper and Ireland won 1-0. The victory was some- thing the Irish fans revelled in as it was the same Polish side that had knocked out England but it was the start of a suc- cessful period for the Irish team under Giles. Now, after a vicious attack in a pub in Cork Miah Dennehy is in a bad way and for those of us who remember his blond hair glancing that goal past the Poles and who are looking forward to yet another revival in Ireland’s soccer fortunes under a new manager we wish him and his family all the very best. ‘Dennehy ended the 1971/72 season with an FAI Cup winner’s medal and two caps’ 3 July 1973; The Shamrock Rovers Ireland XI v Brazil, Lansdowne Road. Back row, from left, Miah Dennehy, Tommy Craig, Paddy Mulligan, Martin O’Neill, Derek Dougan, Alan Hunter, and Liam O’Kane. Front row, from left, Bryan Hamilton, Pat Jennings, Tommy Carroll, John Giles, Don Givens, Terry Conroy and Mick Martin. YBIG_18.indd 1225/03/2009 10:35:43

Travelling to Bulgaria for the Match Or just looking for a great holiday? 3 Large 2-bed apartments (each sleeps six) in St. Vlas beside Sunny Beach Resort Spectacular sea front location From just €275 per week For a chance to win a free week see the competition in this mag www.bulrentals.com or call 087-2052383 �� ! ""##$%&'%$%$$( Guide to Bari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¶ DQG WKH SXEV DUH DOO ORRN LQJ IRUZDUG WR WKH ,ULVK LQYDVLRQ DV RXU JRRG QDPH JDLQHG GXULQJ ,WDOLD LV H[SHFWHG WR UHPDLQ VR ,Q VD\LQJ WKDW D IRRO DQG KLV PRQH\ DUH HDVLO\ SDUWHG VR KDYH VRPH FRPPRQ VHQVH DQG ZH VKRXOG DOO KDYH QR WURXEOH LQ WKLV FKDUDFWHU ODGHQ WRZQ 7KH ,WDOLDQ )$ KDYH PDGH LW GLIILFXOW IRU XV EXW WKH JRRG SHRSOH RI %DUL DUH ZRUNLQJ KDUG WR PDNH VXUH ,UHODQG IDQV KDYH D PHPRUDEOH WULS )DLU HQRXJK ZH GLGQ¶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ari dazzler! THREE of the YBIG lads jetted off to Bari, courtesy of travel partners hotels.com, last month to see what lies ahead in Bari. 7Ke laGs LQ tKe 6taGLo 6aQ 1Lcola LQ %arL last moQtK IL[HG SULFH RI ZKHQ WKH 6FRWV ZHUH KHUH 7KH YBIG_18.indd 1525/03/2009 10:36:09

16 Guide to Bari Sit downs and BARI FACT Our own Marco Tardelli managed Bari from 2002-03 Guide to Bari 17shake downs! We walked for two hours one day and hardly saw one bar where we could prop our tired bums on a high stool. Besides the Old Town, Joy’s Place and The Stuart Bar are decent little boozers if you want to get away from the Squares. Joy’s will be organising a match for Irish fans against our Italian counterparts and when we were there the food was quite tasty. Joy’s Shop, is small however, with room for no more than a couple of hundred people and it’s a 10 minute taxi drive from the Squares. (Corso Sonnino 118/D Bari) Stuart’s is a two-minute walk around the corner from Joy’s, a fine cosy bar with a friendly ambiance (thestuartpub.com: add: Via Dalmazia, 173 Bari) After a few beers and hogging the mic for a few chants of ‘We Love You, We Love You’, a bit of Christy Moore and ‘The Voyage’ with some of the Bari Ultras, we discussed business with the owner a decent skin, Biagio. Again, for a town near the south of Italy, prices seemed to be a bit on the high side. If the bottle ban is imposed, Tennants is the main draft beer here and will cost you four euro a pint. There is also a Beach Party organised for before the match on April 1. This will be located about a 15 minute walk from the Old Town and the price of beer has yet to be confirmed for this particular event although Helen, a Belfast native living in Italy who has helped organise buses to and from the stadium, tells us that she is hoping that beers will cost around three euro. Only time will tell but one thing is for sure, the Scots thoroughly enjoyed the Beach Party there. W E’VE all seen enough Sopranos and mafia films to know that most things in Italy involve a shake down – So get shaken! After an initial shake down of 70 notes for a 15 minute taxi journey in Rome, myself the other Ger and Gary braced our- selves for the two days ahead. Surely the current economic cri- sis has yet to hit Italian taxi driv- ers. Either that or they saw us coming. Bari does however tick all the boxes to ensure another memo- rable away trip. After checking into the fine Majesty Hotel (thanks to travel partners hotels.com), our con- tact in Bari, Augusto, collected us and brought us to the Old Town where he had a sit down arranged with some made guys. That’s made guys in the seri- ous sense of the word – bar owners. And no better place for an Italian style sit down either. A little over 10 years ago, Bari was still very much a mafia stronghold and the two adjoin- ing Old Town squares still has that old Italian look. We weren’t quite offered an offer we couldn’t refuse however. Publicans in the Old Town Square will up their prices, the Pope himself won’t stop that. We did however, make the point the high prices will drive many thirsty Irish fans to the supermarkets where gargle can be picked up for a fraction of the price. Bari is a sprawling run down city that hasn’t too much to offer outside the main Old Town area. DURING this ‘sit down’ in the Old Town bar, La Parrilla de Juan, we nearly got clipped, but we just managed to escapeunhurt BARI FACT 80% of Europe’s pasta, and 80% of Italy’s olive oil comes from the Puglia region. YBIG_18.indd 1625/03/2009 10:36:24

16 Guide to Bari Sit downs and BARI FACT Our own Marco Tardelli managed Bari from 2002-03 Guide to Bari 17Guide to Bari 17shake downs! We walked for two hours one day and hardly saw one bar where we could prop our tired bums on a high stool. Besides the Old Town, Joy’s Place and The Stuart Bar are decent little boozers if you want to get away from the Squares. Joy’s will be organising a match for Irish fans against our Italian counterparts and when we were there the food was quite tasty. Joy’s Shop, is small however, with room for no more than a couple of hundred people and it’s a 10 minute taxi drive from the Squares. (Corso Sonnino 118/D Bari) Stuart’s is a two-minute walk around the corner from Joy’s, a fine cosy bar with a friendly ambiance (thestuartpub.com: add: Via Dalmazia, 173 Bari) After a few beers and hogging the mic for a few chants of ‘We Love You, We Love You’, a bit of Christy Moore and ‘The Voyage’ with some of the Bari Ultras, we discussed business with the owner a decent skin, Biagio. Again, for a town near the south of Italy, prices seemed to be a bit on the high side. If the bottle ban is imposed, Tennants is the main draft beer here and will cost you four euro a pint. There is also a Beach Party organised for before the match on April 1. This will be located about a 15 minute walk from the Old Town and the price of beer has yet to be confirmed for this particular event although Helen, a Belfast native living in Italy who has helped organise buses to and from the stadium, tells us that she is hoping that beers will cost around three euro. Only time will tell but one thing is for sure, the Scots thoroughly enjoyed the Beach Party there. W E’VE all seen enough Sopranos and mafia films to know that most things in Italy involve a shake down – So get shaken! After an initial shake down of 70 notes for a 15 minute taxi journey in Rome, myself the other Ger and Gary braced our- selves for the two days ahead. Surely the current economic cri- sis has yet to hit Italian taxi driv- ers. Either that or they saw us coming. Bari does however tick all the boxes to ensure another memo- rable away trip. After checking into the fine Majesty Hotel (thanks to travel partners hotels.com), our con- tact in Bari, Augusto, collected us and brought us to the Old Town where he had a sit down arranged with some made guys. That’s made guys in the seri- ous sense of the word – bar owners. And no better place for an Italian style sit down either. A little over 10 years ago, Bari was still very much a mafia stronghold and the two adjoin- ing Old Town squares still has that old Italian look. We weren’t quite offered an offer we couldn’t refuse however. Publicans in the Old Town Square will up their prices, the Pope himself won’t stop that. We did however, make the point the high prices will drive many thirsty Irish fans to the supermarkets where gargle can be picked up for a fraction of the price. Bari is a sprawling run down city that hasn’t too much to offer outside the main Old Town area. DURING this ‘sit down’ in the Old Town bar, La Parrilla de Juan, we nearly got clipped, but we just managed to escapeunhurt DURING this ‘sit down’ in the Old Town bar, La BARI FACT 80% of Europe’s pasta, and 80% of Italy’s olive oil comes from the Puglia region. YBIG_18.indd 1725/03/2009 10:36:34

18 Guide to Bari All there in the Square O LD Town Squares have always been the hub of the Green Army party on away trips in the past. Situated beside the harbour, hugging the Adriatic Sea, the Old Town Square (Piazza Mercantile) is a picturesque part of Bari that promises to throw a pre and after-match party for Irish fans. There are actually two squares beside each other here with bars and restaurants dotted around the edges. We had lunch in one of the restaurants and word of warning, food isn’t normally served very hot – the word bollente will get you a hotter than normal meal. A meatball starter (cold!!) will set you back three euro, the beef with rocket and Parmesan with some quality roasted spuds a further 11 notes and the bottles of Heineken were �2.50 and draft beer, Peroni and Nastro �3.50 for a 40cl glass. The Piazzo Mercantile is the Temple Bar of Bari. Prices are higher here but there are not many other options, well there is always a few cans of Ace larger and a bench to be found any- where in the world, but if you are looking for a nice watering hole.... La Parrilla de Juan is a cosy bar right at the forefront of the square and it’s owner, Cisky (pro- nounced Chesky, - but you can call him Chesney) is a sound man who promises to have his doors open for 22 hours a day! Cisky serves Guinness (the best in Bari he says-uuumh, we’ll take his word for it so) and the kitchen will also be open with a quality looking BARI FACT The Stadio San Nicola was pur- pose-built for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. It hosted games involving Group B teams includ- ing a 2-1 win for Cameroon against Romania which saw the legendary Roger Milla bag a brace. Guide to Bari 19 steak and chips available for in and around �15. Cisky, like most of the publicans in Piazza Mercantile, says he will be playing Irish CDs for the duration of our stay there. There will be Peroni beer stands around the square and there is talk of buying vouchers at various stalls for the booze, and as our pic top left shows pints will be 3 bob 90 a beer, things in Italy can change very quickly though, so don’t come looking to box our ears if it has. Augusto, who acted as a guide for us on the recce, says they are also hoping to have wait- resses for the whole square. Obviously the shorter the skirts the better he was told! The main street in the Old Town runs parallel to the squares and for those terrified of a bit of decent local scoff, there is a McDonald’s beside the train station which is less than a 10-minute walk from Piazza Mercantile. On the side streets off the main road, there are plenty of pharmacies but not too many bars but there are supermarkets for those who want to save a few quid!T here is talk of a ban on the sale of bottled beer, so punters may have to fork out for the more expensive draft option. Augusto also tells us that there are currently discussions for special deals on the Old Town Square, buy four get one free or a wine promo- tion - check ybig.ie/forum for latest news on it. All in all, Bari looks like it will be dearer than first expected but they seemed to have learned from two years ago when the Scots were fleeced. 1. Where’s the nearest Silvio’s or Rocco’s?Dove è il più vicino Silvio’s o Roccoco’s? 2. Return ticket to Bari please?Biglietto di ritorno da Roma a Bari per favore 3 .Where’s Schillaci’s gaf?Dove Schillaci vive? 4. You’re the spit of Zambrotta’s missus darling?Osservate il simile senora Zambrotta tesoro? 5. Who’s your favourite Teenage Mutant ninja Turtle?Chi è la vostra tartaruga adolescente favorita di ninja del mutante? 6. Will you be with my mate?Bacerete il mio amico? 7. Batter sausage, Hawaiin burger and a can of Iron Brew please?Salsiccia della pastella, hamburger Hawai’iano e una latta di Iron Brewo per favore? 8. Give us a kiss?Posso avere un bacio? 9. Do ye take butter vouchers?prendete i buoni burro? 10. G’day mate/Please/Thank youCiao/ per favore / grazie 11. Any chance of a ride?è ci della probabilità di un giro? 12. Anyone got a spare pair of undies?Qualcuno ha un accoppiamento di ricambio delle mutande?? 13. Have you got any brown sauce for my pasta?Avete di salsa marrone per la mia pasta? 14. Will ye ask Pavarotti’s sister for a dance please?Chiederete prego alla sorella di Pavarottis un ballo? 15. Eight yaggiemisters and one Red Bull please?8 yaggiemisters e 1 toro rosso per favore 16. Your farts bring tears to my eyes!Il vostro odore stinko mi rende il grido Vital sayings in Italian... Ger, Gary, Ger and Augsuto outside Paul’s Bar in the Old Town YBIG_18.indd 1825/03/2009 10:36:47

18 Guide to Bari All there in the Square O LD Town Squares have always been the hub of the Green Army party on away trips in the past. Situated beside the harbour, hugging the Adriatic Sea, the Old Town Square (Piazza Mercantile) is a picturesque part of Bari that promises to throw a pre and after-match party for Irish fans. There are actually two squares beside each other here with bars and restaurants dotted around the edges. We had lunch in one of the restaurants and word of warning, food isn’t normally served very hot – the word bollente will get you a hotter than normal meal. A meatball starter (cold!!) will set you back three euro, the beef with rocket and Parmesan with some quality roasted spuds a further 11 notes and the bottles of Heineken were �2.50 and draft beer, Peroni and Nastro �3.50 for a 40cl glass. The Piazzo Mercantile is the Temple Bar of Bari. Prices are higher here but there are not many other options, well there is always a few cans of Ace larger and a bench to be found any- where in the world, but if you are looking for a nice watering hole.... La Parrilla de Juan is a cosy bar right at the forefront of the square and it’s owner, Cisky (pro- nounced Chesky, - but you can call him Chesney) is a sound man who promises to have his doors open for 22 hours a day! Cisky serves Guinness (the best in Bari he says-uuumh, we’ll take his word for it so) and the kitchen will also be open with a quality looking BARI FACT The Stadio San Nicola was pur- pose-built for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. It hosted games involving Group B teams includ- ing a 2-1 win for Cameroon against Romania which saw the legendary Roger Milla bag a brace. Guide to Bari 19 steak and chips available for in and around �15. Cisky, like most of the publicans in Piazza Mercantile, says he will be playing Irish CDs for the duration of our stay there. There will be Peroni beer stands around the square and there is talk of buying vouchers at various stalls for the booze, and as our pic top left shows pints will be 3 bob 90 a beer, things in Italy can change very quickly though, so don’t come looking to box our ears if it has. Augusto, who acted as a guide for us on the recce, says they are also hoping to have wait- resses for the whole square. Obviously the shorter the skirts the better he was told! The main street in the Old Town runs parallel to the squares and for those terrified of a bit of decent local scoff, there is a McDonald’s beside the train station which is less than a 10-minute walk from Piazza Mercantile. On the side streets off the main road, there are plenty of pharmacies but not too many bars but there are supermarkets for those who want to save a few quid!T here is talk of a ban on the sale of bottled beer, so punters may have to fork out for the more expensive draft option. Augusto also tells us that there are currently discussions for special deals on the Old Town Square, buy four get one free or a wine promo- tion - check ybig.ie/forum for latest news on it. All in all, Bari looks like it will be dearer than first expected but they seemed to have learned from two years ago when the Scots were fleeced. 1. Where’s the nearest Silvio’s or Rocco’s?Dove è il più vicino Silvio’s o Roccoco’s? 2. Return ticket to Bari please?Biglietto di ritorno da Roma a Bari per favore 3 .Where’s Schillaci’s gaf?Dove Schillaci vive? 4. You’re the spit of Zambrotta’s missus darling?Osservate il simile senora Zambrotta tesoro? 5. Who’s your favourite Teenage Mutant ninja Turtle?Chi è la vostra tartaruga adolescente favorita di ninja del mutante? 6. Will you be with my mate?Bacerete il mio amico? 7. Batter sausage, Hawaiin burger and a can of Iron Brew please?Salsiccia della pastella, hamburger Hawai’iano e una latta di Iron Brewo per favore? 8. Give us a kiss?Posso avere un bacio? 9. Do ye take butter vouchers?prendete i buoni burro? 10. G’day mate/Please/Thank youCiao/ per favore / grazie 11. Any chance of a ride?è ci della probabilità di un giro? 12. Anyone got a spare pair of undies?Qualcuno ha un accoppiamento di ricambio delle mutande?? 13. Have you got any brown sauce for my pasta?Avete di salsa marrone per la mia pasta? 14. Will ye ask Pavarotti’s sister for a dance please?Chiederete prego alla sorella di Pavarottis un ballo? 15. Eight yaggiemisters and one Red Bull please?8 yaggiemisters e 1 toro rosso per favore 16. Your farts bring tears to my eyes!Il vostro odore stinko mi rende il grido 1. Where’s the nearest Silvio’s or Rocco’s? Vital sayings in Italian... Ger, Gary, Ger and Augsuto outside Paul’s Bar in the Old Town YBIG_18.indd 1925/03/2009 10:36:56

20 Guide to Bari and the cost is €0.80 per ticket. TAXIS Taxis in Bari are licensed and run on a meter. They are normally white in colour with clearly marked signage. A normal car will accommodate four people. Taxi meters start at €3 during the daytime and €5 between 22.00 and 06.00. The meter reading will increase by €0.80 per kilometre travelled within the city limits and by €1.40 outside the city limits. Both the stadium and the airport lie beyond the city limits. Please note that when you call for a taxi, the meter starts running the minute the taxi is dispatched to your location. You can pick up taxis at ranks. There is a rank at Piazza Aldo Moro, in front of the station and at Piazza del Ferrarese. GETTING TO THE STADIUM The match will be held in the San Nicola Stadium, which is located approximately 6km from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the main thor- oughfare in the centre of Bari. The local authorities are arranging buses, free of charge, to bring Irish fans to the match. Starting at 5pm, these buses will leave every ten min- utes from the following locations: (1) Piazza Massari which is located on the edge of the old city, just off the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II. (2) Largo Giannella (formerly known as Piazza Diaz) which is along the seafront, about 15 minutes walk- ing from the Old City area. Buses will also be available to bring Irish fans back to the city centre again after the match. The buses leaving from Piazza Aldo Moro (in front of the train sta- tion) are reserved for Italian fans. A taxi to the stadium should nor- mally cost €8-10. Helen Donegan, a Belfast native living in Italy, is also organising buses to depart from the Beach Party before the match, and returning to the Beach/Old Town after the game. HEALTH CARE The main hospital, which also has a 24 hour Accident and Emergency facility, is the Policlinico at Piazza Giullio Cesare which is behind the train station, about an 15 minute drive from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The telephone number is 080 5591111. There is a night pharmacy in Piazza Aldo Moro, at No. 151 Via Sparano which is open from 20.00 to 08.30 each day and from 10am on Saturday morning throughout the weekend. CONSULAR SERVICES A temporary Consular Office will be established in Bari in order to look after the consular interests of Irish fans. Telephone Number for the Bari Consular Office: 080 521 3090 How to get to the Consular Office: The Palace Hotel is very centrally located. It is located off the main thoroughfare, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, and is a five to ten minute walk from the old city area of Bari. INFORMATION POINT THEinformation point in front of the train station is open Monday to Saturday from 09.00 to 13.00 and 16.00-19.00. On Sunday it is open from 9.00 to 13.00. However, on Tuesday, 31 March and Wednesday, 1 April, it will open from 09.00 to 19.00, nonstop, in order to assist Irish fans. The tourist advisors at the information point speak English. CARRYID Whilst in Italy, Irish citizens are required to carry a copy of their pass- port at all times and present it to the police if asked to do so. Please note that all ticket holders are required to present photographic ID, such as a passport or Driving licence in order to be admitted to the stadium. STADIUMSECURITY Please note that all ticket holders are required to present photographic ID at the stadium. Without photo- graphic ID, such as a passport or driving licence, you will not be admit- ted to the stadium. Kick off time is 8.50pm. The San Nicola Stadium is due to open at 6.30pm (although a final decision will be taken by the local police a few days before the match). GETTINGTOAND FROMTHEAIRPORT Bari’s Karol Wojtyla International Airport is located approximately 11 km north of the city. The airport has a helpful website which gives details, in English, of flights, transport options and facilities at the airport: http:// www.seap-puglia.it The airport can be reached by bus or by taxi. The average taxi fare to or from the city centre would be approx- imately €25. There is a taxi rank at the airport. Public bus number 16 runs between Piazza Aldo Moro (in front of the train station) and the airport at least once a hour, from 05.00 to 21.35 on week- days and between 06.00 to 21.15 on weekends. It runs between the air- port and Piazza Aldo Moro between 05.10 to 21.35 on weekdays and between 06.00 to 21.10 on weekends. The journey takes 35-40 minutes and the cost is €0.80 per ticket. tion) are reserved for Italian fans. Vital stats about Bari BARI FACT Barry Evans was know to be a bit of a dope to regular Eastenders viewers. His 10 year stint in the soap came to an end in 2004 when the devious cow Janine gave him a nudge over a cliff the day after they got married. W HEN you look at a great player sometimes you can only marvel at what they are capable of, Maradonas’ goal against England for example? But there are great players who do the simple things well andonlybother with the fancy stuff when it is absolutely necessary; Paul McGrath was one such player. And I am starting to think that Giovanni Trapattoni is that type of manager. NowI am as aware of his CV as the next man but I will be more than happy to admit that his short ten- ureas manager of Stuttgart didn’t give me much insight into him and I haven’t seen an Austrian or Portuguese game for years. So basically all I knew about him before he was sen- sationally signed byDon Givens and Ray Houghton was that he was a highly decorated Serie A coach andalso a former Italiannational coach and coach at Bayern Munich.But I have to say in the eight games he has been in chargeI have learned a lot about his managementstyle. 1 TRAPPICKS HIS SYSTEM AND STICKS WITH IT TRAPATTONIhas decided that Ireland will play with two holding midfielders and allow the wingers to pun- ish themselves by helping the full backs and also by getting forward at every opportunity. For him the system is keyand everyone must fit in or there is no place for them. Having seen Darron Gibson in action in training he wasfully confident that he was good enough for Cyprus. Now personallyI thought thatDarron did ok that night and that the midfield did not deserve the sledg- ing it gotfrom the RTE panel. Much more importantly the result was exactly what we wanted, three points against a team who have been our nemesis of late. 2 TRAP WILL ONLY SUBSTITUTE A PLAYER IF HE IS FORCED TO. IN THE four competitive games in which the manager has been in charge he has only introduced five substi- tutes, none before the 77th minute and all of these were replacing obviously tiring or injured players. He has massive confidence in his first eleven and it shows in the fact that he went through the Montenegro game without making any substitution at all and only introduced Caleb Folan in the dying sec- onds of the Cyprus game. 3 TRAP IS A DISCIPLINARIAN. SOMETHINGjust didn’t seem right about the Andy Reid affair to me, perhaps the manager doesn’t see him as fitting in centre midfield or into his system but I don’t think that’s why he has been dropped. The fact is that Andy Reid was in the squad for our first trip to Mainz and Podgorica. The manager had quite a few occasions to have a look at him and had obviously decided he was good enough for the squad but not for our first eleven. This leads me to believe that Trapattoni took the opportunity presented to him by Andy’s insolence to send a message to the Irish team. Andy Reid now sleeps with the fishes as far as his international career is concerned. Now I don’t know how the play- ers took that message but I will wager it was under- stood completely. So now for two huge tests, Trap has faced many similar challenges before and came through them with great credit. He has installed a solid system, has encouraged and disciplined the players in equal measure and has instilled a winning mentality. SEPARATED AT BIRTH Trap’s three traits BOB BASHFORD can see the real benefits of Trap’s management about to bear fruit, as we reach the business end of qualification JOHNO’SHEACADBURY’SEYEBROWKIDCHESNEYFRONCORONATIONSTPAULMcSHANE YBIG_18.indd 2025/03/2009 10:37:10

20 Guide to Bari and the cost is €0.80 per ticket. TAXIS Taxis in Bari are licensed and run on a meter. They are normally white in colour with clearly marked signage. A normal car will accommodate four people. Taxi meters start at €3 during the daytime and €5 between 22.00 and 06.00. The meter reading will increase by €0.80 per kilometre travelled within the city limits and by €1.40 outside the city limits. Both the stadium and the airport lie beyond the city limits. Please note that when you call for a taxi, the meter starts running the minute the taxi is dispatched to your location. You can pick up taxis at ranks. There is a rank at Piazza Aldo Moro, in front of the station and at Piazza del Ferrarese. GETTING TO THE STADIUM The match will be held in the San Nicola Stadium, which is located approximately 6km from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the main thor- oughfare in the centre of Bari. The local authorities are arranging buses, free of charge, to bring Irish fans to the match. Starting at 5pm, these buses will leave every ten min- utes from the following locations: (1) Piazza Massari which is located on the edge of the old city, just off the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II. (2) Largo Giannella (formerly known as Piazza Diaz) which is along the seafront, about 15 minutes walk- ing from the Old City area. Buses will also be available to bring Irish fans back to the city centre again after the match. The buses leaving from Piazza Aldo Moro (in front of the train sta- tion) are reserved for Italian fans. A taxi to the stadium should nor- mally cost €8-10. Helen Donegan, a Belfast native living in Italy, is also organising buses to depart from the Beach Party before the match, and returning to the Beach/Old Town after the game. HEALTH CARE The main hospital, which also has a 24 hour Accident and Emergency facility, is the Policlinico at Piazza Giullio Cesare which is behind the train station, about an 15 minute drive from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The telephone number is 080 5591111. There is a night pharmacy in Piazza Aldo Moro, at No. 151 Via Sparano which is open from 20.00 to 08.30 each day and from 10am on Saturday morning throughout the weekend. CONSULAR SERVICES A temporary Consular Office will be established in Bari in order to look after the consular interests of Irish fans. Telephone Number for the Bari Consular Office: 080 521 3090 How to get to the Consular Office: The Palace Hotel is very centrally located. It is located off the main thoroughfare, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, and is a five to ten minute walk from the old city area of Bari. INFORMATION POINT THEinformation point in front of the train station is open Monday to Saturday from 09.00 to 13.00 and 16.00-19.00. On Sunday it is open from 9.00 to 13.00. However, on Tuesday, 31 March and Wednesday, 1 April, it will open from 09.00 to 19.00, nonstop, in order to assist Irish fans. The tourist advisors at the information point speak English. CARRYID Whilst in Italy, Irish citizens are required to carry a copy of their pass- port at all times and present it to the police if asked to do so. Please note that all ticket holders are required to present photographic ID, such as a passport or Driving licence in order to be admitted to the stadium. STADIUMSECURITY Please note that all ticket holders are required to present photographic ID at the stadium. Without photo- graphic ID, such as a passport or driving licence, you will not be admit- ted to the stadium. Kick off time is 8.50pm. The San Nicola Stadium is due to open at 6.30pm (although a final decision will be taken by the local police a few days before the match). GETTINGTOAND FROMTHEAIRPORT Bari’s Karol Wojtyla International Airport is located approximately 11 km north of the city. The airport has a helpful website which gives details, in English, of flights, transport options and facilities at the airport: http:// www.seap-puglia.it The airport can be reached by bus or by taxi. The average taxi fare to or from the city centre would be approx- imately €25. There is a taxi rank at the airport. Public bus number 16 runs between Piazza Aldo Moro (in front of the train station) and the airport at least once a hour, from 05.00 to 21.35 on week- days and between 06.00 to 21.15 on weekends. It runs between the air- port and Piazza Aldo Moro between 05.10 to 21.35 on weekdays and between 06.00 to 21.10 on weekends. The journey takes 35-40 minutes Vital stats about Bari BARI FACT Barry Evans was know to be a bit of a dope to regular Eastenders viewers. His 10 year stint in the soap came to an end in 2004 when the devious cow Janine gave him a nudge over a cliff the day after they got married. W HEN you look at a great player sometimes you can only marvel at what they are capable of, Maradonas’ goal against England for example? But there are great players who do the simple things well andonlybother with the fancy stuff when it is absolutely necessary; Paul McGrath was one such player. And I am starting to think that Giovanni Trapattoni is that type of manager. NowI am as aware of his CV as the next man but I will be more than happy to admit that his short ten- ureas manager of Stuttgart didn’t give me much insight into him and I haven’t seen an Austrian or Portuguese game for years. So basically all I knew about him before he was sen- sationally signed byDon Givens and Ray Houghton was that he was a highly decorated Serie A coach andalso a former Italiannational coach and coach at Bayern Munich.But I have to say in the eight games he has been in chargeI have learned a lot about his managementstyle. 1 TRAPPICKS HIS SYSTEM AND STICKS WITH IT TRAPATTONIhas decided that Ireland will play with two holding midfielders and allow the wingers to pun- ish themselves by helping the full backs and also by getting forward at every opportunity. For him the system is keyand everyone must fit in or there is no place for them. Having seen Darron Gibson in action in training he wasfully confident that he was good enough for Cyprus. Now personallyI thought thatDarron did ok that night and that the midfield did not deserve the sledg- ing it gotfrom the RTE panel. Much more importantly the result was exactly what we wanted, three points against a team who have been our nemesis of late. 2 TRAP WILL ONLY SUBSTITUTE A PLAYER IF HE IS FORCED TO. IN THE four competitive games in which the manager has been in charge he has only introduced five substi- tutes, none before the 77th minute and all of these were replacing obviously tiring or injured players. He has massive confidence in his first eleven and it shows in the fact that he went through the Montenegro game without making any substitution at all and only introduced Caleb Folan in the dying sec- onds of the Cyprus game. 3 TRAP IS A DISCIPLINARIAN. SOMETHINGjust didn’t seem right about the Andy Reid affair to me, perhaps the manager doesn’t see him as fitting in centre midfield or into his system but I don’t think that’s why he has been dropped. The fact is that Andy Reid was in the squad for our first trip to Mainz and Podgorica. The manager had quite a few occasions to have a look at him and had obviously decided he was good enough for the squad but not for our first eleven. This leads me to believe that Trapattoni took the opportunity presented to him by Andy’s insolence to send a message to the Irish team. Andy Reid now sleeps with the fishes as far as his international career is concerned. Now I don’t know how the play- ers took that message but I will wager it was under- stood completely. So now for two huge tests, Trap has faced many similar challenges before and came through them with great credit. He has installed a solid system, has encouraged and disciplined the players in equal measure and has instilled a winning mentality. SEPARATED AT BIRTH W HEN you look at a great player sometimes Trap’s three traits BOB BASHFORD can see the real benefits of Trap’s management about to bear fruit, as we reach the business end of qualification JOHNO’SHEACADBURY’SEYEBROWKIDCHESNEYFRONCORONATIONSTPAULMcSHANE YBIG_18.indd 2125/03/2009 10:37:20

Stat-man DONAL CULLEN has decided the ‘double header’ fixture, which is the norm in International football, is worthy of inspection and like all good statisticians he has found many facts to be listed, tabel-ised and mulled over, for that is the lot of a man and his stats. 22 Feature D ating back to the pre-war era, Ireland had been playing what we shall term ‘double-head- ers’ for a while but in terms of competitive games it is only a recent phenomena. The term ‘double header’ probably originated in the United States and has a different meaning there but in the context of the Republic of Ireland soccer team it is a title given to playing two competitive games in a short space of time…three or four days in this case. The latest of these are the games against Bulgaria and Italy which are vital to deciding the outcome of Group 8. So what is our record like in these ‘double header’ compet- itive games? Well, I’ll tell you. The first of these took place in May 1961 when it was decided to start our qualifiers for the 1962 World Cup with the two games against Scotland to be played within four days of each other. Ireland went to Hampden Park first and were roundly thrashed 4 -1 (Joe Haverty getting our goal) and then both teams met at Dalymount Park on the following Sunday with the Scots again winning easily by a score of 3-0. In the qualifiers for the 1976 European Championships Ireland faced two critical matches away from home in May 1975 amid great optimism that we might qualify from a competitive group. Both were away matches against the Soviet Union and Switzerland and where as we were expected to lose to the USSR we had hopes of beating the Swiss. As it was we came away from Moscow with a credita- ble 1-2 defeat (Eoin Hand with the Irish goal) only to lose badly to the Swiss, three days later (sounds a bit familiar). The next double header turned out to be a triple header with the three fixtures for the finals of Euro 88 happening within six days of each other and there is no need to tell you how they turned out but I will, we beat England, end of. This was followed by the games in the 1990 World Cup finals, five in all but in 19 days which sort of screws up this record but who cares? The 1994 World Cup finals are also included for good measure. In the qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup Mick McCarthy’s Ireland faced two away games in four days in September 1997 and won them both. This was to be the first time that maxi- mum points had been taken from an Irish double header. The toughest of the double headers hap- pened in the Euro 2000 qualifiers and was in fact a triple header thanks to the messing around of UEFA who deemed it necessary to re-adjust Yugoslavia’s fixtures to accommodate them while the war was going on it their country. It meant Ireland had to play three important games in the space of eight days. First up was Yugoslavia at Lansdowne and Ireland turned on a brilliant performance to beat them 2-1 (Mark Kennedy with the winner). Three days later we were in Croatia and holding out for a point when Davor Suker struck the winning goal deep into added on time rob us a deserved point. Five days later a tired Ireland beat Malta 3-2 thanks to a great free kick from Steve Staunton. Ireland qualified from that group for a play off with Turkey over two legs within four days. Both matches were drawn but Turkey went through on away goals. The 2002 World Cup qualifiers had three double DOUBLE the FUN faced two critical matches that we might qualify from a Both were away matches against the Soviet Union games in four days in September 1997 and won them both. This was to be the first time that maxi mum points had been taken from an Irish double header. The toughest of the double headers hap pened in the Euro 2000 qualifiers and was in fact a triple header thanks to the messing around of UEFA who deemed it necessary to re-adjust Yugoslavia’s fixtures to accommodate them while the war was going on it their country. It meant Ireland had to play three important games in the space of eight days. First up was Yugoslavia at Lansdowne and Ireland turned on a brilliant performance to beat them 2-1 (Mark Kennedy with the winner). Three days later we were in Croatia and holding out for a point when Davor Suker struck the winning goal deep into added on time rob us a deserved HomeAwayPts 1962 World Cup110 1976 European Championship020 1988 European Championship033 1990 World Cup054 1994 World Cup044 1998 World Cup026 2000 European Championship126 2000 EC Play Offs112 2002 World Cup026 2002 World Cup114 2002 WC Play Offs113 2002 World Cup046 2004 European Championship206 2006 World Cup114 2006 World Cup114 2006 World Cup114 2006 World Cup114 2008 European Championship111 2008 European Championship206 2008 European Championship021 2008 European Championship202 2010 World Cup024 So of the 18 double headers (outside the Euro and World Cup finals we have played in) Ireland have collected maximum points on four occasions (2 dou - ble home, 2 double away) and have collected zero points on two occasions (1 double away and 1 away/ home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¶V WHDPVEHJDQZLWKDKRPHDQGDZD\GRXEOHDJDLQVW &\SUXVDQG6ZLW]HUODQGZKLFK\LHOGHGIRXUSRLQWV 7KLVZDVIROORZHGE\DQRWKHUDPRQWKODWHUDJDLQVW )UDQFHDQGWKH)DURHVZKLFKEURXJKWDQRWKHUIRXU SRLQWV$QRWKHUIRXUSRLQWVZHUHFROOHFWHGLQ-XQH DJDLQVW,VUDHODQGWKH)DURHVDQG\HWDQRWKHULQ 2FWREHUDJDLQVW&\SUXVDQG6ZLW]HUODQGZKLFK VRXQGVORYHO\EXWPHDQWZHZHUHRXWS WHSKHQ6WDXQWRQ¶VILUVWGRXEOHKHDGHUVWDUWHG RXWZLWKDGLVDVWURXVGHIHDWLQ&\SUXVDQGWKHQ DFUHGLWDEOHGUDZDWKRPHWRWKH&]HFK 5HSXEOLF +RZHYHULQ0DUFK:DOHVDQG6ORYDNLDZHUH EHDWHQLQEDFNWREDFNKRPHJDPHVDW&URNH3DUN 7KHQ,Q6HSWHPEHU,UHODQGIDFHGWZRPDNHRU EUHDNJDPHVLQ6ORYDNLDDQGWKH&]HFK5HSXEOLF ZLWKLQIRXUGD\VDQGFDPHEDFNXQOXFNLO\ZLWKRQO\D SRLQW $QXQIRUWXQDWHHUDLQ,ULVKVRFFHUZDVHQGHGZLWK WZRKRPHGUDZVLQ2FWREHUZKLFKVSHOWWKHHQGIRU 6WDXQWRQ 7UDSDWWRQL¶VILUVWGRXEOHKHDGHUFDPHLQ6HSWHPEHU ODVWZLWK,UHODQGSLFNLQJXSIRXUSRLQWV$ZLQLQ *HUPDQ\DJDLQVW*HRUJLDDQGDGUDZWR0RQWHQHJUR .,Aice -hUIe fgehDU gOI kSbbSbN NcA‘ EIId Sbgc AEEIE cb gSaI gc ecC hf cL A EIfIeiIE dcSbg’ Kevin Doyle celebrates his goal in Slovakia back in 2002 222 %HUQDUGDXQQH )LQQLVK5HI-RXQL+\\WLDLQWKH*HRUJLDJDPH <%,*%DULDQG6RILDWVKLUWV 0DQXHOD6SLQHOOL 7KHUHWXUQRIWKH/2, ,UHODQGZLQQLQJWKH*UDQG6ODP ,QEHWZHHQHUVVHDVRQVWDUWLQJVRRQ 5HFFLHWULSVWR%DUL 7UDSFHOHEUDWLQJKLVWKELUWKGD\ 2¶DHDDQG0F*HDG\¶VFXSZLQQLQJJRDOV 7KH6LQJLQJ6HFWLRQ 6KD\ILQDOO\JHWWLQJRXWRI1HZFDVWOH 7KHORQJVWUHWFKLQWKHHYHQLQJV ,WDOLDQWLFNHWVFRVWLQJDWHQQHU -XPSLQJDERYH1RUQ,URQLQWKHZRUOGUDQNLQJV 5REELHJHWWLQJDZD\IURPWKDWFORZQ5DID /D/LJD 6KDPURFNVKDNHV 1HZEXPEDJIRU%DUL 5RYHUV¶DQG%RKV¶SLQNMHUVH\VLQDLGRI FDQFHU 5HHOLQJ,Q7KH

Stat-man DONAL CULLEN has decided the ‘double header’ fixture, which is the norm in International football, is worthy of inspection and like all good statisticians he has found many facts to be listed, tabel-ised and mulled over, for that is the lot of a man and his stats. 22 Feature D ating back to the pre-war era, Ireland had been playing what we shall term ‘double-head- ers’ for a while but in terms of competitive games it is only a recent phenomena. The term ‘double header’ probably originated in the United States and has a different meaning there but in the context of the Republic of Ireland soccer team it is a title given to playing two competitive games in a short space of time…three or four days in this case. The latest of these are the games against Bulgaria and Italy which are vital to deciding the outcome of Group 8. So what is our record like in these ‘double header’ compet- itive games? Well, I’ll tell you. The first of these took place in May 1961 when it was decided to start our qualifiers for the 1962 World Cup with the two games against Scotland to be played within four days of each other. Ireland went to Hampden Park first and were roundly thrashed 4 -1 (Joe Haverty getting our goal) and then both teams met at Dalymount Park on the following Sunday with the Scots again winning easily by a score of 3-0. In the qualifiers for the 1976 European Championships Ireland faced two critical matches away from home in May 1975 amid great optimism that we might qualify from a competitive group. Both were away matches against the Soviet Union and Switzerland and where as we were expected to lose to the USSR we had hopes of beating the Swiss. As it was we came away from Moscow with a credita- ble 1-2 defeat (Eoin Hand with the Irish goal) only to lose badly to the Swiss, three days later (sounds a bit familiar). The next double header turned out to be a triple header with the three fixtures for the finals of Euro 88 happening within six days of each other and there is no need to tell you how they turned out but I will, we beat England, end of. This was followed by the games in the 1990 World Cup finals, five in all but in 19 days which sort of screws up this record but who cares? The 1994 World Cup finals are also included for good measure. In the qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup Mick McCarthy’s Ireland faced two away games in four days in September 1997 and won them both. This was to be the first time that maxi- mum points had been taken from an Irish double header. The toughest of the double headers hap- pened in the Euro 2000 qualifiers and was in fact a triple header thanks to the messing around of UEFA who deemed it necessary to re-adjust Yugoslavia’s fixtures to accommodate them while the war was going on it their country. It meant Ireland had to play three important games in the space of eight days. First up was Yugoslavia at Lansdowne and Ireland turned on a brilliant performance to beat them 2-1 (Mark Kennedy with the winner). Three days later we were in Croatia and holding out for a point when Davor Suker struck the winning goal deep into added on time rob us a deserved point. Five days later a tired Ireland beat Malta 3-2 thanks to a great free kick from Steve Staunton. Ireland qualified from that group for a play off with Turkey over two legs within four days. Both matches were drawn but Turkey went through on away goals. The 2002 World Cup qualifiers had three double DOUBLE the FUN HomeAwayPts 1962 World Cup110 1976 European Championship020 1988 European Championship033 1990 World Cup054 1994 World Cup044 1998 World Cup026 2000 European Championship126 2000 EC Play Offs112 2002 World Cup026 2002 World Cup114 2002 WC Play Offs113 2002 World Cup046 2004 European Championship206 2006 World Cup114 2006 World Cup114 2006 World Cup114 2006 World Cup114 2008 European Championship111 2008 European Championship206 2008 European Championship021 2008 European Championship202 2010 World Cup024 So of the 18 double headers (outside the Euro and World Cup finals we have played in) Ireland have collected maximum points on four occasions (2 dou - ble home, 2 double away) and have collected zero points on two occasions (1 double away and 1 away/ home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¶V WHDPVEHJDQZLWKDKRPHDQGDZD\GRXEOHDJDLQVW &\SUXVDQG6ZLW]HUODQGZKLFK\LHOGHGIRXUSRLQWV 7KLVZDVIROORZHGE\DQRWKHUDPRQWKODWHUDJDLQVW )UDQFHDQGWKH)DURHVZKLFKEURXJKWDQRWKHUIRXU SRLQWV$QRWKHUIRXUSRLQWVZHUHFROOHFWHGLQ-XQH DJDLQVW,VUDHODQGWKH)DURHVDQG\HWDQRWKHULQ 2FWREHUDJDLQVW&\SUXVDQG6ZLW]HUODQGZKLFK VRXQGVORYHO\EXWPHDQWZHZHUHRXWS WHSKHQ6WDXQWRQ¶VILUVWGRXEOHKHDGHUVWDUWHG RXWZLWKDGLVDVWURXVGHIHDWLQ&\SUXVDQGWKHQ DFUHGLWDEOHGUDZDWKRPHWRWKH&]HFK 5HSXEOLF +RZHYHULQ0DUFK:DOHVDQG6ORYDNLDZHUH EHDWHQLQEDFNWREDFNKRPHJDPHVDW&URNH3DUN 7KHQ,Q6HSWHPEHU,UHODQGIDFHGWZRPDNHRU EUHDNJDPHVLQ6ORYDNLDDQGWKH&]HFK5HSXEOLF ZLWKLQIRXUGD\VDQGFDPHEDFNXQOXFNLO\ZLWKRQO\D SRLQW $QXQIRUWXQDWHHUDLQ,ULVKVRFFHUZDVHQGHGZLWK WZRKRPHGUDZVLQ2FWREHUZKLFKVSHOWWKHHQGIRU 6WDXQWRQ 7UDSDWWRQL¶VILUVWGRXEOHKHDGHUFDPHLQ6HSWHPEHU ODVWZLWK,UHODQGSLFNLQJXSIRXUSRLQWV$ZLQLQ *HUPDQ\DJDLQVW*HRUJLDDQGDGUDZWR0RQWHQHJUR .,Aice -hUIe fgehDU gOI kSbbSbN NcA‘ EIId Sbgc AEEIE cb gSaI gc ecC hf cL A EIfIeiIE dcSbg’ Kevin Doyle celebrates his goal in Slovakia back in 2002 222 %HUQDUGDXQQH )LQQLVK5HI-RXQL+\\WLDLQWKH*HRUJLDJDPH <%,*%DULDQG6RILDWVKLUWV 0DQXHOD6SLQHOOL 7KHUHWXUQRIWKH/2, ,UHODQGZLQQLQJWKH*UDQG6ODP ,QEHWZHHQHUVVHDVRQVWDUWLQJVRRQ 5HFFLHWULSVWR%DUL 7UDSFHOHEUDWLQJKLVWKELUWKGD\ 2¶DHDDQG0F*HDG\¶VFXSZLQQLQJJRDOV 7KH6LQJLQJ6HFWLRQ 6KD\ILQDOO\JHWWLQJRXWRI1HZFDVWOH 7KHORQJVWUHWFKLQWKHHYHQLQJV ,WDOLDQWLFNHWVFRVWLQJDWHQQHU -XPSLQJDERYH1RUQ,URQLQWKHZRUOGUDQNLQJV 5REELHJHWWLQJDZD\IURPWKDWFORZQ5DID /D/LJD 6KDPURFNVKDNHV 1HZEXPEDJIRU%DUL 5RYHUV¶DQG%RKV¶SLQNMHUVH\VLQDLGRI FDQFHU 5HHOLQJ,Q7KH

24 Feature I HAVE to be honest and admit that I got John O’Shea all wrong. There have been numerous occasions over the past couple of seasons, watching him play for Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland, when I felt compelled to scream. He’s too gentle, he’s not ruth- less enough, I’d hear myself mut- tering: if that was Steve Bruce or Nemanja Vidic, they’d kick that winger into the car-park. And John would soldier on, always with that impudent smile on his face: this boy really enjoys football. And then the thought struck home: if he’s as soft as you think he is, Brian, why is it that Alex Ferguson has kept faith with him over the past seven years? And I began to watch him much more closely. John O’Shea is one of the very few players in the Premier League who looks like he’s in his element when he trots out onto a pitch, but, then again, if you were playing with one of the best club sides in the world, wouldn’t you be smiling? Whatever about his weaknesses or short- comings as a full- back//midfielder/for- ward/goalkeeper, (he’s played just about everywhere on the pitch) an indisputable, incontrovertible fact about John O’Shea is that he is honesty personified. He doesn’t hide, doesn’t shirk a challenge (even if, sometimes, it looks like he’s been taking les- sons from Paul Scholes on the noble art of tackling) and gives 100% over a full 90 minutes. Honesty is a virtue, and some of his erstwhile, more illustrious, United team-mates could do well to follow his example. As I write, the Old Trafford steamroller trun- dles on, flattening every- thing in its path, (ed’s: note there have been a few blips since this article was writ- ten) and John O’Shea’s name appears on almost every team-sheet. In March, 2007, at Anfield, he blasted the ball into the net in a goalmouth scramble to give United a priceless win over Liverpool, which helped in no small measure to secure the Premier League title. John O’Shea is the latest in a long and notable line of players from The Decies to stamp their imprint on the game at club and international level, following the path trodden earlier by his illustri- ous predecessors, the late great Paddy Coad (Shamrock Rovers and Waterford: 11 caps for the Republic); Davy Walsh, who has the distinction of having played for both ‘Irelands’ (the IFA’s version and the Republic of Ireland), Jim Beglin, one of Liverpool’s most accomplished left-full backs, who picked up 15 caps, and two of Port Lairge’s loyal sons, Peter (of the Fitzgerald brothers: Jack, Denny and Ned Fitzgerald were the others) Peter would win five caps with the Republic of Ireland); and Alfie Hale (14 caps). PADDY COAD (1920- 1992) WAS captain of the all-conquering Shamrock Rovers teams of the fifties, who swept all before them in the League of Ireland. He played as a forward for Waterford, Glenavon, Shamrock Rovers and the Republic of Ireland. Although known, pri- marily, as a maker of goals, Coad scored 126 League of Ireland goals, and 41 in The FAI Cup. In 1946-47, he was top scorer in the League of Ireland. As a player-manager, he also guided Rovers to three League of Ireland titles, and two FAI Cups, before he returned to Waterford and guided them to their first league title in 1966. (I can remember being in Glenmalure Park, Milltown one Sunday afternoon, sometime in the late 50’s, and watching a I numerous occasions over the past couple of seasons, watching him play for Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland, when I felt compelled to scream. less enough, I’d hear myself mut tering: if that was Steve Bruce or Nemanja Vidic, they’d kick that winger into the car-park. And John would soldier on, always with that impudent smile on his face: this boy really enjoys football. home: if he’s as soft as you think he is, Brian, why is it that Alex Ferguson has kept faith with him over the past seven years? more closely. John O’Shea is one of the very few players in the Premier League who looks like he’s in his element when he trots out onto a pitch, but, then again, if you were playing with one of the best club sides in the world, wouldn’t you be smiling? weaknesses or short comings as a full- back//midfielder/for ward/goalkeeper, (he’s played just about everywhere on the pitch) an indisputable, incontrovertible fact about John O’Shea is that he is honesty personified. challenge (even if, sometimes, it looks like he’s been taking les sons from Paul Scholes on the noble art of tackling) and gives 100% over a full 90 minutes. some of his erstwhile, more illustrious, United team-mates could do well to follow his example. Trafford steamroller trun dles on, flattening every thing in its path, (ed’s: note there have been a few blips since this article was writ ten) and John O’Shea’s name appears on almost AWAY DAYS IN A new series, we give the fans a chance to share their memories from great away trips in the past. Log on the our website forum to read more. www.ybig.ie SAINT SYLVESTERIT was the day after we chucked automatic first place away v Macedonia, when you know the type you often get at matches, dressed like they’re about to go onto a golf course, with his beige slacks, light blue polo shirt and jumper tied around his shoul-ders like he should have been at a Leinster rugby game. So he rudely comments on the fact that my mate was wear-ing our nice bright Orange away jersey says “why the hell are you wearing that shirt? That shirt is sooo dis-gusting,that’s the worst jer-sey we have”. My mate turnedaway fromthis rugger bugger and pointing back at him shouted “Does Barry Manilow know that this man has stolen clothes from his ward-robe”…..The greatest put down I have heard delivered to a smart arse. TIRCHONAILLWE WERE staying in a town outside Nigata (Ireland v Cameroon) when myself and one of the lads went for a stroll at 6.30am. Anyhow, we ended up get-ting lostand we asked a local for directions to the train sta-tion as our hotel was beside it. These Japanese lads had not an ounce of English. So we started saying to him“choo choo” with the arms going to demonstrate a train.He gave me all these hand signal directions but we were none the wiser so wan-dered on for a while. So we walked on for about five minutes when we heard a car blowing the horn. The fel-lowhad gone back home, got the car, wife and two kids, started taking loads of photos and gave us a lift. Worst thing was they left us right to the door of the station, got out of the car and walked in with us, started waving away and the usual bowing towards us. So we walked onto the plat-form; feck, they still stayed waving away. and theystayed there till a train came, we got on it as we had not the heart in us to turn back to the hotel.We just got off at the next stop and went back. Premier League who looks like the Fitzgerald brothers: Jack, Our Deise darlings John O’Shea and (right) is Paddy Coad and Jim Beglin WHEN you think of Waterford, Irish soccer and Irish players don’t spring to mind. But BRIANP. FARRELL writes on the men of Waterford who’ve donned the famous green jersey Feature 25 Shamrock Rovers side led by Paddy Coad play a 5-5 draw with a fine Waterford team bolstered by the Fitzgerald brothers, Jack, Denny and Ned, in front of an ecstatic crowd of around 30,000 crammed into the stadium.) Between 1946 and 1952, Paddy Coad also made 11 appearances (and scored 3 goals) for the Republic of Ireland. He received the Texaco Hall of Fame Award in 1981, and the PFAI Merit Award in 1983. Shamrock Rovers have named their Player of the Year Trophy in his name. DAVY WALSH IN happy retirement in the south of England, started with Waterford, and saw service with Linfield, West Brom and Aston Villa. His international career saw him win 31 caps in all (11 with the IFA, and 20 with the Republic), scoring twelve times. He recounts his most memora- ble moment at club and international level as playing in the 2-2 draw with England at Goodison Park, in November, 1947. Peter Doherty equalised near the finish, was knocked uncon- scious running into the upright, and didn’t know he had got the equaliser until he had been brought round! In may, 1946, Walsh joined West Brom for a fee of £3,500, and really made an impressive start to his English League career by scoring in each of his first six games. Walsh’s prodigious scoring rate continued when he moved to Aston Villa for a greatly inflated transfer fee of £25,000 in 1950, making 114 appearanc- es, and finding the net 40 times. After short spells at Walsall and Worcester City, he retired in may 1957. JIM BEGLIN His first senior club was Shamrock Rovers, whom he joined in 1980. He went on to spend three years at Milltown, making four appearances in Europe. Beglin has the distinction of being the last signing made by legen- dary Liverpool manager Bob Paisley when he joined the Reds for just £20,000 in May, 1983. A gradual introduction by Joe Fagan to the first team followed, over the next 18 months, before establishing himself under Kenny Dalglish as the regular left-back, replacing Alan Kennedy. In his first season, he established himself as a competent and confident, forward-thinking full back. Liverpool won the League and FA Cup, pipping Everton to both, with Beglin picking up medals for each. He also began his Republic of Ireland career, picking up the first of 15 caps. Then it all went horribly wrong for Beglin. In a League Cup tie against Everton in early 1987, a 50-50 tackle with full back Gary Stevens saw him suffer a horrific leg break. The injury was one of the worst leg breaks seen in the professional game. At the time, Alan Hansen described the tackle as “a mile high, and an hour late”. PETER FITZGERALD PETER FITZGERALD made his name with Waterford United and St. Patrick’s Athletic before moving to Holland with Sparta Rotterdam. He picked up five caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring twice on his second appearance against Norway. He moved from Sparta to Leeds United in August, 1960 but played only eight times for the club, before moving on to Chester City for a fee of £3,000, a year later. After a good two years at the club, scoring 12 goals in 80 games, he returned home to Ireland in September, 1963 to play for Waterford. He would also have a spell as manager of the Blues. ALFIEHALE ALFIE HALE played for several clubs in Ireland and England, including Waterford United, Aston Villa, Doncaster Rovers and Cork Celtic. During his career, he scored 153 goals in the League of Ireland (making him the 7th highest League of Ireland goalscorer of all time), and a further 66 with English League clubs. As an interna- tional, Hale also played 14 times for the Republic of Ireland. AWAY DAYS BABBSBALLSA GANGof us got theearly flight to Charleroi in Belgium for thefriendly against Holland in 2004 where we had to getatrain to Amsterdam. We got on the train about 9 o’clock the morning of the match and made a home away from home in between one of the car-riages with a rake of cans in tow.About half nine some American dude sees us andcomes up to our group and asks where we are from? And what are we doing on the rip at 9 in the morning. We got talking to him and he tells us he is on his way to a job interview in some Dutch bankso we offer him some gargle to calm thenerves. He takes a can reluctantly and joins in the festive spirit as he had Irish mates back home. Fast forward a few hours and we are all revved up coming into the Dam;none more thanthe American. Transpires his inter-view is in 20 minutes and here he is with an Irish jersey on, tri-colour painted on his face andholding a bottle of rum!! We parted company and never heard from him again….Don’t think he got the job for some reason. TASH KENTIN PORTUGALfor the Stadium of Lakes game. 25,000 Irish travelled to that game. I was coming out of a night-club there a few days before the game and a local guy was selling food out of a van. He was on his own and just under way too much pressure and never had enough food for the masses of hungry Irish. He even had to drive off twice to get extra burgers from where he had them stored. Anyway in the end the queue was more than 100 people and a song started up; “you’ll never feed the Irish”. THEBOY ZMY MATESwent to a strip club in Slovakia and they said when they got in they looked on stage and there was five Irish fans pole dancing with tri-colours while the strippers sat beside the stage putting money into their boxers. Our Deise darlings YBIG_18.indd 2425/03/2009 10:38:01

24 Feature I HAVE to be honest and admit that I got John O’Shea all wrong. There have been numerous occasions over the past couple of seasons, watching him play for Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland, when I felt compelled to scream. He’s too gentle, he’s not ruth- less enough, I’d hear myself mut- tering: if that was Steve Bruce or Nemanja Vidic, they’d kick that winger into the car-park. And John would soldier on, always with that impudent smile on his face: this boy really enjoys football. And then the thought struck home: if he’s as soft as you think he is, Brian, why is it that Alex Ferguson has kept faith with him over the past seven years? And I began to watch him much more closely. John O’Shea is one of the very few players in the Premier League who looks like he’s in his element when he trots out onto a pitch, but, then again, if you were playing with one of the best club sides in the world, wouldn’t you be smiling? Whatever about his weaknesses or short- comings as a full- back//midfielder/for- ward/goalkeeper, (he’s played just about everywhere on the pitch) an indisputable, incontrovertible fact about John O’Shea is that he is honesty personified. He doesn’t hide, doesn’t shirk a challenge (even if, sometimes, it looks like he’s been taking les- sons from Paul Scholes on the noble art of tackling) and gives 100% over a full 90 minutes. Honesty is a virtue, and some of his erstwhile, more illustrious, United team-mates could do well to follow his example. As I write, the Old Trafford steamroller trun- dles on, flattening every- thing in its path, (ed’s: note there have been a few blips since this article was writ- ten) and John O’Shea’s name appears on almost every team-sheet. In March, 2007, at Anfield, he blasted the ball into the net in a goalmouth scramble to give United a priceless win over Liverpool, which helped in no small measure to secure the Premier League title. John O’Shea is the latest in a long and notable line of players from The Decies to stamp their imprint on the game at club and international level, following the path trodden earlier by his illustri- ous predecessors, the late great Paddy Coad (Shamrock Rovers and Waterford: 11 caps for the Republic); Davy Walsh, who has the distinction of having played for both ‘Irelands’ (the IFA’s version and the Republic of Ireland), Jim Beglin, one of Liverpool’s most accomplished left-full backs, who picked up 15 caps, and two of Port Lairge’s loyal sons, Peter (of the Fitzgerald brothers: Jack, Denny and Ned Fitzgerald were the others) Peter would win five caps with the Republic of Ireland); and Alfie Hale (14 caps). PADDY COAD (1920- 1992) WAS captain of the all-conquering Shamrock Rovers teams of the fifties, who swept all before them in the League of Ireland. He played as a forward for Waterford, Glenavon, Shamrock Rovers and the Republic of Ireland. Although known, pri- marily, as a maker of goals, Coad scored 126 League of Ireland goals, and 41 in The FAI Cup. In 1946-47, he was top scorer in the League of Ireland. As a player-manager, he also guided Rovers to three League of Ireland titles, and two FAI Cups, before he returned to Waterford and guided them to their first league title in 1966. (I can remember being in Glenmalure Park, Milltown one Sunday afternoon, sometime in the late 50’s, and watching a AWAY DAYS IN A new series, we give the fans a chance to share their memories from great away trips in the past. Log on the our website forum to read more. www.ybig.ie SAINT SYLVESTERIT was the day after we chucked automatic first place away v Macedonia, when you know the type you often get at matches, dressed like they’re about to go onto a golf course, with his beige slacks, light blue polo shirt and jumper tied around his shoul-ders like he should have been at a Leinster rugby game. So he rudely comments on the fact that my mate was wear-ing our nice bright Orange away jersey says “why the hell are you wearing that shirt? That shirt is sooo dis-gusting,that’s the worst jer-sey we have”. My mate turnedaway fromthis rugger bugger and pointing back at him shouted “Does Barry Manilow know that this man has stolen clothes from his ward-robe”…..The greatest put down I have heard delivered to a smart arse. TIRCHONAILLWE WERE staying in a town outside Nigata (Ireland v Cameroon) when myself and one of the lads went for a stroll at 6.30am. Anyhow, we ended up get-ting lostand we asked a local for directions to the train sta-tion as our hotel was beside it. These Japanese lads had not an ounce of English. So we started saying to him“choo choo” with the arms going to demonstrate a train.He gave me all these hand signal directions but we were none the wiser so wan-dered on for a while. So we walked on for about five minutes when we heard a car blowing the horn. The fel-lowhad gone back home, got the car, wife and two kids, started taking loads of photos and gave us a lift. Worst thing was they left us right to the door of the station, got out of the car and walked in with us, started waving away and the usual bowing towards us. So we walked onto the plat-form; feck, they still stayed waving away. and theystayed there till a train came, we got on it as we had not the heart in us to turn back to the hotel.We just got off at the next stop and went back. Our Deise darlings John O’Shea and (right) is Paddy Coad and Jim Beglin WHEN you think of Waterford, Irish soccer and Irish players don’t spring to mind. But BRIANP. FARRELL writes on the men of Waterford who’ve donned the famous green jersey Feature 25 Shamrock Rovers side led by Paddy Coad play a 5-5 draw with a fine Waterford team bolstered by the Fitzgerald brothers, Jack, Denny and Ned, in front of an ecstatic crowd of around 30,000 crammed into the stadium.) Between 1946 and 1952, Paddy Coad also made 11 appearances (and scored 3 goals) for the Republic of Ireland. He received the Texaco Hall of Fame Award in 1981, and the PFAI Merit Award in 1983. Shamrock Rovers have named their Player of the Year Trophy in his name. DAVY WALSH IN happy retirement in the south of England, started with Waterford, and saw service with Linfield, West Brom and Aston Villa. His international career saw him win 31 caps in all (11 with the IFA, and 20 with the Republic), scoring twelve times. He recounts his most memora- ble moment at club and international level as playing in the 2-2 draw with England at Goodison Park, in November, 1947. Peter Doherty equalised near the finish, was knocked uncon- scious running into the upright, and didn’t know he had got the equaliser until he had been brought round! In may, 1946, Walsh joined West Brom for a fee of £3,500, and really made an impressive start to his English League career by scoring in each of his first six games. Walsh’s prodigious scoring rate continued when he moved to Aston Villa for a greatly inflated transfer fee of £25,000 in 1950, making 114 appearanc- es, and finding the net 40 times. After short spells at Walsall and Worcester City, he retired in may 1957. JIM BEGLIN His first senior club was Shamrock Rovers, whom he joined in 1980. He went on to spend three years at Milltown, making four appearances in Europe. Beglin has the distinction of being the last signing made by legen- dary Liverpool manager Bob Paisley when he joined the Reds for just £20,000 in May, 1983. A gradual introduction by Joe Fagan to the first team followed, over the next 18 months, before establishing himself under Kenny Dalglish as the regular left-back, replacing Alan Kennedy. In his first season, he established himself as a competent and confident, forward-thinking full back. Liverpool won the League and FA Cup, pipping Everton to both, with Beglin picking up medals for each. He also began his Republic of Ireland career, picking up the first of 15 caps. Then it all went horribly wrong for Beglin. In a League Cup tie against Everton in early 1987, a 50-50 tackle with full back Gary Stevens saw him suffer a horrific leg break. The injury was one of the worst leg breaks seen in the professional game. At the time, Alan Hansen described the tackle as “a mile high, and an hour late”. PETER FITZGERALD PETER FITZGERALD made his name with Waterford United and St. Patrick’s Athletic before moving to Holland with Sparta Rotterdam. He picked up five caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring twice on his second appearance against Norway. He moved from Sparta to Leeds United in August, 1960 but played only eight times for the club, before moving on to Chester City for a fee of £3,000, a year later. After a good two years at the club, scoring 12 goals in 80 games, he returned home to Ireland in September, 1963 to play for Waterford. He would also have a spell as manager of the Blues. ALFIEHALE ALFIE HALE played for several clubs in Ireland and England, including Waterford United, Aston Villa, Doncaster Rovers and Cork Celtic. During his career, he scored 153 goals in the League of Ireland (making him the 7th highest League of Ireland goalscorer of all time), and a further 66 with English League clubs. As an interna- tional, Hale also played 14 times for the Republic of Ireland. AWAY DAYS BABBSBALLSA GANGof us got theearly flight to Charleroi in Belgium for thefriendly against Holland in 2004 where we had to getatrain to Amsterdam. We got on the train about 9 o’clock the morning of the match and made a home away from home in between one of the car-riages with a rake of cans in tow.About half nine some American dude sees us andcomes up to our group and asks where we are from? And what are we doing on the rip at 9 in the morning. We got talking to him and he tells us he is on his way to a job interview in some Dutch bankso we offer him some gargle to calm thenerves. He takes a can reluctantly and joins in the festive spirit as he had Irish mates back home. Fast forward a few hours and we are all revved up coming into the Dam;none more thanthe American. Transpires his inter-view is in 20 minutes and here he is with an Irish jersey on, tri-colour painted on his face andholding a bottle of rum!! We parted company and never heard from him again….Don’t think he got the job for some reason. TASH KENTIN PORTUGALfor the Stadium of Lakes game. 25,000 Irish travelled to that game. I was coming out of a night-club there a few days before the game and a local guy was selling food out of a van. He was on his own and just under way too much pressure and never had enough food for the masses of hungry Irish. He even had to drive off twice to get extra burgers from where he had them stored. Anyway in the end the queue was more than 100 people and a song started up; “you’ll never feed the Irish”. THEBOY ZMY MATESwent to a strip club in Slovakia and they said when they got in they looked on stage and there was five Irish fans pole dancing with tri-colours while the strippers sat beside the stage putting money into their boxers. international career saw him Our Deise darlings YBIG_18.indd 2525/03/2009 10:38:14

26 League Of Ireland 22-YEAR WAIT...ALMOST OVER T HERE seems to be a per- ception that Shamrock Rovers v Bohemians has always been THE Dublin derby. The thing about perception, though, is that it’s far removed from reality. That said, the recent clash between the two sides - which, following a well-contested first- half eventually saw Bohs coast to victory - attracted the sort of crowd that most League of Ireland clubs can only wish for. Not that 4,000 paying punters should be the height of any club’s ambitions, but anyway... Ten years ago - and for a few years before and after - THE derby was St Patrick’s Athletic v Shelbourne. The memorable games between the two sides during that period are too plenti- ful to name every one. In the bat of a memory’s eye- lid, some of the big games/ goings-on were: the FAI Cup final of 1996, the thrilling three- game Cup quarter-final saga of 1998, the last-day-of-the-sea- son dramatics of the same year, the 15-point deduction inflicted upon St Pat’s in 2002 - at the behest of Shels - and the bitter in-court and on-pitch tussles that followed; oh yes, this was a rivalry with substance. This was a rivalry where sil- verware was the currency that bought bragging rights - not standing your ground on Doyle’s Corner. And that’s not because the crowds were small when Pat’s and Shels met. Au contraire; sometimes more than five, six and even seven thousand turned up, such was the excite- ment surrounding the occasions. Nothing lasts forever though, and while Shels currently occu- py a place in the First Division and St Pat’s are one of the lead- ing lights in the top flight, it was the relative, yet short-term demise of the Saints that made the derby lose its luster around six-and-a-half years ago. And while followers of Rovers and Bohs have been claiming that theirs is the number-one derby ever since - despite the Hoops spending 2006 in the First Division. There might just be a sense of romanticism, as opposed to realism, attached to this notion as the last time the two were This Shamrock Rovers fan waits anxiously as Rovers opened their new ground in Tallaght Pic by JOHN BARRINGTON THE recent clash between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers was an exciting encounter and well worthy of live TV screening, but as RONAN O’FLAHERTY points out, perhaps this Dublin derby isn’t quite as glamorous as the two sets of fans clearly believe it to be. League Of Ireland 27 Dublin derby days competing together for league honours was a long, long time ago. Fans of both clubs, perhaps in a commendable attempt to somehow relive the ‘good old days’, seem to be placing more value on the fixture than it merits. End-result: a perception which is bereft of any gen- uine substance has been created. So it is this writer’s belief that there is no stand-out derby in Dublin at the moment. If St Pat’s had pushed Bohs closer in the race for the title last season, then Pat’s v Bohs would be THE clash - and the crowd at the last league meet- ing between the pair last sea- son would have been huge as a result. ‘Huge’ being relatively small in the figures that the real world deals in, of course; we League of Ireland fans really are a unique breed. A nyway, as it turned out, Bohs ran away with the league last season. But it’s still not stopping this writer from creating a what-might- have-been perception. Easily done, isn’t it? A quick look through the histo- ries of Rovers and Bohs con- firms that the 1945 FAI Cup clash between the teams attracted a massive 41,000-plus crowd to Dalymount Park. Sixty-four years on and the land-lie of Irish soccer has changed beyond recognition; the fact that one-tenth of 1945’s figure turned up for the latest meeting is probably the best guide to go by, and that’s not a criticism of either club, merely a way of using a yard-stick. So there’s no doubt about it, Hoops v Gypsies clashes have a rich, rich history. Future clashes, however, will probably be more modest. And while the old brigade look back to yesteryear as justification for tagging it THE derby, it’s proba- bly just a case of football romance dying hard. If the truth be told, there are perhaps no big games in Irish football at the moment. Excuse the over-used cliche, but Irish club football is on its knees and desperately in need of a revolutionary thinker to come up with a solu- tion that will entice the crowds back to match- es (Any takers please contact the FAI and quickly). For now, however, long-standing percep- tions will continue to be given airtime and print-space just to appease the ever-dwindling minority of fans. If ever there was a case of ‘The more things change, the more things stay the same’, the substanceless hype surround- ing one Dublin derby certainly paints a clear picture for those who wish to view it without the aid of rose-tinted glasses. ‘There is no stand-out Derby in Dublin at the moment, despite the hype of some fans’ Bohs beat Rovers in front of a large crowd at Dalymount YBIG_18.indd 2625/03/2009 10:38:31

26 League Of Ireland 22-YEAR WAIT...ALMOST OVER T HERE seems to be a per- ception that Shamrock Rovers v Bohemians has always been THE Dublin derby. The thing about perception, though, is that it’s far removed from reality. That said, the recent clash between the two sides - which, following a well-contested first- half eventually saw Bohs coast to victory - attracted the sort of crowd that most League of Ireland clubs can only wish for. Not that 4,000 paying punters should be the height of any club’s ambitions, but anyway... Ten years ago - and for a few years before and after - THE derby was St Patrick’s Athletic v Shelbourne. The memorable games between the two sides during that period are too plenti- ful to name every one. In the bat of a memory’s eye- lid, some of the big games/ goings-on were: the FAI Cup final of 1996, the thrilling three- game Cup quarter-final saga of 1998, the last-day-of-the-sea- son dramatics of the same year, the 15-point deduction inflicted upon St Pat’s in 2002 - at the behest of Shels - and the bitter in-court and on-pitch tussles that followed; oh yes, this was a rivalry with substance. This was a rivalry where sil- verware was the currency that bought bragging rights - not standing your ground on Doyle’s Corner. And that’s not because the crowds were small when Pat’s and Shels met. Au contraire; sometimes more than five, six and even seven thousand turned up, such was the excite- ment surrounding the occasions. Nothing lasts forever though, and while Shels currently occu- py a place in the First Division and St Pat’s are one of the lead- ing lights in the top flight, it was the relative, yet short-term demise of the Saints that made the derby lose its luster around six-and-a-half years ago. And while followers of Rovers and Bohs have been claiming that theirs is the number-one derby ever since - despite the Hoops spending 2006 in the First Division. There might just be a sense of romanticism, as opposed to realism, attached to this notion as the last time the two were This Shamrock Rovers fan waits anxiously as Rovers opened their new ground in Tallaght Pic by JOHN BARRINGTON THE recent clash between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers was an exciting encounter and well worthy of live TV screening, but as RONAN O’FLAHERTY points out, perhaps this Dublin derby isn’t quite as glamorous as the two sets of fans clearly believe it to be. League Of Ireland 27 Dublin derby days competing together for league honours was a long, long time ago. Fans of both clubs, perhaps in a commendable attempt to somehow relive the ‘good old days’, seem to be placing more value on the fixture than it merits. End-result: a perception which is bereft of any gen- uine substance has been created. So it is this writer’s belief that there is no stand-out derby in Dublin at the moment. If St Pat’s had pushed Bohs closer in the race for the title last season, then Pat’s v Bohs would be THE clash - and the crowd at the last league meet- ing between the pair last sea- son would have been huge as a result. ‘Huge’ being relatively small in the figures that the real world deals in, of course; we League of Ireland fans really are a unique breed. A nyway, as it turned out, Bohs ran away with the league last season. But it’s still not stopping this writer from creating a what-might- have-been perception. Easily done, isn’t it? A quick look through the histo- ries of Rovers and Bohs con- firms that the 1945 FAI Cup clash between the teams attracted a massive 41,000-plus crowd to Dalymount Park. Sixty-four years on and the land-lie of Irish soccer has changed beyond recognition; the fact that one-tenth of 1945’s figure turned up for the latest meeting is probably the best guide to go by, and that’s not a criticism of either club, merely a way of using a yard-stick. So there’s no doubt about it, Hoops v Gypsies clashes have a rich, rich history. Future clashes, however, will probably be more modest. And while the old brigade look back to yesteryear as justification for tagging it THE derby, it’s proba- bly just a case of football romance dying hard. If the truth be told, there are perhaps no big games in Irish football at the moment. Excuse the over-used cliche, but Irish club football is on its knees and desperately in need of a revolutionary thinker to come up with a solu- tion that will entice the crowds back to match- es (Any takers please contact the FAI and quickly). For now, however, long-standing percep- tions will continue to be given airtime and print-space just to appease the ever-dwindling minority of fans. If ever there was a case of ‘The more things change, the more things stay the same’, the substanceless hype surround- ing one Dublin derby certainly paints a clear picture for those who wish to view it without the aid of rose-tinted glasses. If St Pat’s had pushed Bohs Hoops v Gypsies clashes have come up with a solu tion that will entice the crowds back to match es (Any takers please contact the FAI and quickly). For now, however, long-standing percep tions will continue to be given airtime and print-space just to appease the ever-dwindling ‘There is no stand-out Derby in Dublin at the moment, despite the hype of some fans’ Bohs beat Rovers in front of a large crowd at Dalymount YBIG_18.indd 2725/03/2009 10:38:42

28 League Of Ireland L ast season’s problems have consistently been dubbed as “part of a necessary adjust- ment”, and at the launch of the new league campaign, Fran Gavin used the term “short-term pain for long-term gain.” Putting a positive spin on things was always going to be the hand the FAI would play, and while there is still plenty of scepticism surrounding the league, particularly after the goings on of last sea- son (clubs under examinership, wage cuts, even players being asked to take out bank loans on behalf of clubs etc), it is imperative that we as fans of the League of Ireland also adopt an opti- mistic outlook for the season ahead, as well as further into the future. This task is easier for Bohemians supporters than it is for most League of Ireland fans. Last season, in winning the league (by a record 19 points) and the FAI Cup, Bohs carried all before them. They tasted defeat only twice, scoring more and conceding less than every other club. There was an air of invincibility around the squad, and off the pitch it seemed as though the only way was up for the Phibsborough club, as they agreed a €60 million cash-plus-stadium deal with property developer Liam Carroll over the sale of “the home of Irish football” Dalymount Park (the agreement would see them move to Harristown, Co. Dublin). Fans could have been forgiven for harbouring dreams of domestic domination and European glory. But there was a rude awakening in the offing. Albion Properties, owned by Pascal Conroy, brought a case before the High Court claiming that an oral agreement had been reached on the purchase of a small tract of land at the shopping centre end of Dalymount, which Mr. Justice John Edwards agreed with. The Liam Carroll deal was dead in the water. A week after Bohs had tasted triumph with the clinching of the Premier Division title, their for- tunes had changed dramatically. Bohs found themselves in the same financial mire as the rest of the cash strapped clubs in the country. Headlines such as “High Court ruling puts Bohs future in doubt” proved wide of the mark, although it quickly became clear that players and staff would have to be let go, and those to be kept were told that like the majority of players in Ireland, they would have to renegotiate their contracts, taking a significant wage cut. It is testament to the club, and the players, that most of last season’s squad, its nucleus, have remained loyal to Bohs, and with the addition of the likes of Paul Keegan, Brian Shelly and Joseph Ndo to the ranks, it could be argued that this group of players is stronger than last year’s record breakers. So where do their ambitions lie? Former Cameroon international Ndo wants it all, and he believes that this squad is the one to do it. Speaking at the club’s season launch, he was in bullish mood: “With the quality and confidence we have, we can win everything. I think that is the main point this season, that we know we can win everything. I hope that this season, it will be the best team that Bohs has ever had.” Ominous words for Bohs’ domestic rivals, but if this team are to live up to Ndo’s expectations, success on the European stage is the benchmark to greatness. Arguably, no Irish team has been better equipped to progress in Europe than this Bohs team. Allied to the fact that the squad is brimming with confidence after last year’s romp, it is now a squad full of experience playing in IN A LEAGUE OF OUR OWNBOHEMIAN FC We will be giving every League of Ireland team’s fans a chance to give us the inside track on their team and tell us what it means to be a League Of Ireland supporter. Bohs fans IAN GAUGHRAN has a look at the Champions. ‘For Bohs fans Success on the European front is the benchmark to greatness’ League Of Ireland 29 Test your knowledge 1: Name two teams with 9 points from 3 games this season. 2: Name the only team this sea- son with NO points from three games 3: Which Premier team has still to score this season? 4: Which team tops the Premier Division on goal difference? 5: Which Dublin based team has won both away games but lost at home? 6: In round 3 which team was leading with 2 minutes to play but lost 2-1 7: Why did Shamrock Rovers play in pink last week. 8:Who plays in Ferrycarrig Park? 9:This season what is the con- nection between Cork City and Drogheda? 10: Who won the first Dublin derby this season? 11: How many wins have been achieved from the first three rounds in the Prem Division? 1:UCD & Shelbourne 2:Wexford 3:Drogheda 4:Galway 5:St Pats 6:Cork 7:They were supporting Breast Awarness Week 8: Wexford Youths 9: They swapped manag-ers in the close season 10: Bohs beat Shamrock Rovers 2-0 11: 10 wins so far Europe. The likes of Owen Heary and Joseph Ndo played under Pat Fenlon during Shelbourne’s magnificent Champions League run in 2004 (which was only ended at the hands of Deportivo), Paul Keegan and Brian Shelly came agonisingly close to knocking out Dynamo Kiev last season with Drogheda United, and of course up front, with Killian Brennan providing the ammunition for former internationals Glen Crowe and Jason Byrne, Bohs are a constant goalscoring threat at any level.O f course a lot depends on varying factors. A decent draw, the squad staying injury free, even a kind bounce of a ball (which Drogheda so agonisingly didn’t get against Dynamo Kiev last year). But what a shot in the arm for professional foot- ball in Ireland it would be, should Bohs emulate Shelbourne’s achievements of 2004 or even go one better and qualify for the group stage of a European Cup. The dark clouds of last season which hang over the league that us fans love, could be replaced by an air of optimism. To show that after the giant strides that we took during the “Celtic Tiger” era, Irish football has not regressed during this reces- sion. That in fact, the football played in the League of Ireland continues to progress. We dare to dream with this current crop of Bohemian’s, and as Joseph Ndo so eloquently puts it: “There is no point going to Europe to see some cities.” The players believe. As fans, why shouldn’t we? Brian Shelley and Joey Ndo YBIG_18.indd 2825/03/2009 10:38:53

1: Which one of the following cities has Ireland never played a full inter-national in? (a) Dublin, Republic of Ireland, (b) Sapparo, Japan, (c) Dresden, Germany or (d) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago?2: Which team was the first non-Dublin side to win the LOI Championship?3: Name the Italian Goalkeeper beaten by Ray Houghtons chip in the 1994 World Cup finals?4: Who was the last player to score on his international debut for the Republic of Ireland?5: Who was Ireland’s first non-European opponents?6: Who was the last player to score a competitive goal against the Republic of Ireland at Lansdowne Road?7: How many hat-tricks has Robbie Keane scored for the Republic (before the hat-trick against Italy in Bari in 2009!!)? 8: Against which nation did Richard Dunne score his first international goal?9: Who scored Ireland’s first-ever goal in the World Cup finals?10: Ireland have only beaten two teams in the World Cup finals, name them.11: Ireland have only lost to three teams in the World Cup finals, name them.12: Which team topped Ireland’s group in qualification for both Italia 90 and USA 94 ?13: In what stadium did Ireland draw 1-1 with the USSR in EURO 88?14: Who was the last League of Ireland player to play a competitive game for the Republic? 15: Which former European cham-pion have Ireland never played in a competitive game ? WW QUIZ 1: We have never played an international in Dresden; 2: Dundalk 1932/33; 3: Gianluca Pagliuca; 4: Keith Andrews; 5: Argentina; 6: Jan Koller (Czech Republic); 7: One; 8: Mexico; 9: Kevin Sheedy; 10: Italy, Saudi Arabia ; 11: Italy, Holland, Mexico (penalty shoot outs count as draws so we did not lose to Spain) ; 12: Spain. ; 13: Niedersachsen Stadium Hannover.; 14: Pat Byrne of shamrock rovers, Denmark, November 1985; 15: Greece YBIG_18.indd 3025/03/2009 10:39:03

Fantastic European city breaks Florencefrom32€* Londonfrom28€* Berlinfrom35€* Parisfrom48€* * Price per room per night �� Hotels.com is the travel partner of the Irish soccer supporters. YBIG_18.indd 3225/03/2009 10:39:18