Alright Sort of the Year 2013 - Log Thread

Current Affairs
121

Emmet Malone

[SIZE=6]Dublin boys given pride of place by APOEL[/SIZE]
[SIZE=5]Mohan brothers led teams out for club’s Europa League game against Frankfurt[/SIZE]

James (11) and Thomas (10) Mohan from Cabra as guests of honour at last night’s game against Eintracht Frankfurt. Photograph: Savvides Press Sports Photographers Ltd

Emmet Malone
Fri, Oct 4, 2013, 01:00

Some five weeks after a stroke of good fortune put them back in the competition,APOEL[/URL] provided a perfect punch line to the best football yarn I’ve ever been directly involved with by having two young brothers from Cabra in Dublin over to lead the teams out for last night’s [URL=‘http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?q=Europa%20League&article=true’]Europa League game against Eintracht Frankfurt.

James (11) and Thomas (10) Mohan have, in fact, been guests of the Cypriot champions all this week with the club delivering in spades on its promise to give the two youngsters, and their mother Brenda, a holiday they’d remember.

The whole thing arose out of the club’s desire to express its gratitude for having been drawn at the end of August to replace Fenerbahce, who had been expelled over a match fixing charge, in the group stages of the competition.

No vested interest
I’d been in Monaco for another Uefa event and, as a journalist from a country with no vested interest in the outcome, was asked to pick a plastic ball out of jar containing 30 or so of them at a press conference. When it turned out to be the one containing APOEL’s name, club official Phivos Papadopoulos was in touch within hours inviting my family over for one of the group games.

That didn’t feel quite right – it wasn’t as if Uefa had presented me with a list of names and asked me to take my pick – but the club were really up for something and when I suggested instead that one act of complete randomness might most appropriately be repaid with another, they bit straight away.

The intention, then, was to find somebody from Ireland who none of us knew but who might benefit from, and really appreciate, a trip to a big European football match.

I emailed a handful of organisations looking for likely candidates and Heart ChildrenIreland, which I knew of since June when Damien Duff, whose son Woody was born with a congenital heart defect, did an event for them, got straight back to me.

They suggested James, who loves football but can’t play much because of his a condition that may eventually require a transplant. James, his brother and his Mum headed off to Cyprus last Sunday.

They attended training this week and the pre-match press conference when manager Paolo Sergio and his players made them extremely welcome and last night they were guests of honour at the game.

“They’ve been living a dream,” says Brenda. “I don’t think it could get any better than this for them. The club have been wonderful, they’ve bent over backwards for us and the boys have had a really great time.”

122

Liam Griffin has said the GAA should be ashamed of itself over its failure in the promotion of hurling.
"Australia is 24 hours away, yet we can create a new game with the Aussie Rules lads. Longford and Leitrim are right here, yet we largely ignore them and many others too when it comes to promoting hurling. The new D. J. Carey could be living in Longford, Leitrim or Donegal, but we’ll never know. We have failed him. […] If someone can market coloured gripe water, call it Coca Cola and clean up worldwide, we should be able to sell hurling in Longford

123

[quote=“Mark Renton, post: 842485, member: 1796”]Liam Griffin has said the GAA should be ashamed of itself over its failure in the promotion of hurling.
"Australia is 24 hours away, yet we can create a new game with the Aussie Rules lads. Longford and Leitrim are right here, yet we largely ignore them and many others too when it comes to promoting hurling. The new D. J. Carey could be living in Longford, Leitrim or Donegal, but we’ll never know. We have failed him. […] If someone can market coloured gripe water, call it Coca Cola and clean up worldwide, we should be able to sell hurling in Longford[/quote]
:clap:

Excellent, that bollocksing International Rules cuntology should be fucked out completely and we should look inwards to promoting, developing and hothousing what we already have.

124

Excellent, that bollocksing International Rules cuntology should be fucked out completely and we should look inwards to promoting, developing and hothousing what we already have.[/quote]
Looking inwards, the way of the future.

125

Hurling needs a strong Leitrim!

126

When all that is outwards is a bastardiaation of a game that bears no resemblance to that which we have and hold dear why look out? The GAA does enough around the world within its own codes and clubs, that is where the future is, not with this stomach churning pile of shit.

127

It needs it more than a plane load of aborigines coming to play a game they couldn’t give a flying fuck about.

Put up the country full signs, quick.

128

[quote=“myboyblue, post: 842500, member: 180”]It needs it more than a plane load of aborigines coming to play a game they couldn’t give a flying fuck about.

Put up the country full signs, quick.[/quote]

I’ve heard a few soundbites about aboriginals- Is it strictly all aboriginals playing this year?

129

It will be a completely indigenous team. I believe they’re a rumours aplenty in Oz that as soon as the team are in the air the Australian Government plan to kidnap the players children and sell their wives into servitude.

130

Real Australians playing a real Australian’s sport :clap:

131

Yes, Limerick never feared Leitrim.

132

Most people are just tuning in for the fights.

133

Then fuck off to the national stadium and stop wasting time with these cunting junkets for the suits in Croker

134

Malachy Clerkin - Great article about Stokes in the times today.

135

Joseph N’do

THE LEAGUE OF Ireland community — in particular the players — have rallied behind Gary O’Neill since he was diagnosed with testicular cancer recently.

Yesterday, ahead Sligo Rovers’ dramatic FAI Ford Cup final winover Drogheda United at the Aviva Stadium, around 60 players took part in a charity cycle in support of the Drogs striker.

Today Bit O’Red midfideler Joseph N’do has donated three medals — World Cup 2002 participation, African Cup of Nations winner and yesterday’s prize — to the O’Neill fund. Classy move.

136

Martin O’Neill

137

Roy Keane

138

Jamie Redknapp.
Harry Redknapp.
Louise Redknapp.
Sandra Redknapp.

139

John Murray

140

[quote=“Bandage, post: 855912, member: 9”]Jamie Redknapp.
Harry Redknapp.
Louise Redknapp.
Sandra Redknapp.[/quote]

What about the dog?