Sean McCaffrey - Under 19 Manager

Embarrassing interview with him on the radio this morning after our Under 19 side were beaten by Germany yesterday. Newstalk presenter on the sports news just introduced the item by saying McCaffrey was unhappy with the abuse suffered by Irish players from their German counterparts.

Then we were treated to this fool:

"One of the lads was abused by their coloured fellow who was wearing number 2. He said something about one of the guy’s mother, not sure what it was, and she actually passed away 8 months ago so that’s not on and obviously the lads were upset.

“To be honest I haven’t liked the Germans at all this week. I’ve never liked them, they’re arrogant. When they came here before I didn’t like them and we had to go to Germany before and I didn’t like it. They’re arrogant people and I suppose you can see that when you look at their history.”

What a first class fool. “Coloured fellow” and references to German history are the ramblings and wafflings of a gobshite living in the past. There is no way in the world that any of the Germans knew that one of our players’ mother had died during the year. That’s not to say it wouldn’t have annoyed the Irish guy but for McCaffrey to bring it up after the game and start criticising the German nation is pathetic.

Match report below anyway - I see Sheridan came on at half time:

Irish hopes take a pounding
Emmet Malone at Dalymount Park

European Under-19 Championship Elite qualifying phase/ Republic of Ireland 0 Germany 1 : Ireland’s hopes of earning a place at this summer’s European Youth Championships were severely dented at Dalymount Park, where, despite dominating their second qualifying game of the week, they lost to a deeply controversial first-half penalty.

Late on the Germans had their goalkeeper, Martin Maennel, to thank for preserving their lead as Ireland pressed for an equaliser against 10 and, momentarily, nine men, but the breakthrough just wouldn’t come for Sean McCaffrey’s side, who now have to beat Hungary on Saturday and hope Bulgaria take at least a point from the group leaders if they are to progress to July’s finals.

“I’m very disappointed,” said the clearly upset Ireland manager immediately afterwards. "We created stacks of chances. We must have had 15 corners and 70 per cent of the possession.

“And it wasn’t a penalty,” he said of the spot kick fired home by Anis Ben-Hatira and awarded after the referee adjudged Simon Madden to have taken Sebastien Tyrala inside the area. “I’ve seen the replay and there was a foul (by Alan Power on Ben-Hatira) after which he played advantage but what he then gave it for definitely wasn’t a penalty.”

His side retains, he acknowledged, a chance of qualifying, but the Germans now control their own fate: “The problem is that the likes of Hungary and Bulgaria tend to be afraid of Germany. We weren’t tonight but we still lost.”

True, the Irish took the game to Germany but they certainly found life much more difficult than against Bulgaria. Neither Adam Rooney nor Anthony Stokes was given as much time on the ball as on Monday, and the wide men struggled to provide the service early on they had managed at United Park.

Still, there was a steady stream of chances for the Irish before and particularly after the German goal 17 minutes in - the best a Shane Lowry shot that clattered the outside of the right-hand post after Stokes had chested down Keith Treacy’s corner.

Stokes was again influential, carving out opportunities for himself - as when he sidestepped two challenges before powering narrowly wide from 25 yards - and others and working hard to bring Rooney, Alan Power and Jimmy Ryan into attacking moves.

Ryan had a fierce shot blocked just short of the line late in the first half while Power might have tested Maennel with a similar effort in the second half but for the intervention of a defender.

By then the visitors were down to 10 men, their imposing skipper Alexander Eberlien having been dismissed for a challenge on the Irish substitute Cillian Sheridan as he pursued a long Alan Judge ball towards the box.

Predictably the pattern of the game shifted further in favour of the Republic and scoring chances multiplied. But Maennel excelled with outstanding saves from Judge, Stokes and Power.

Things almost boiled over as Ben-Hatira was dismissed seconds before the final whistle. One consolation for the Irish is that two of Germany’s best players will miss Saturday’s game.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND : Henderson (Aston Villa); Madden (Leeds United), Spillane (Norwich City), Lowry (Aston Villa), Nolan (Blackburn Rovers); Judge (Blackburn Rovers), Ryan (Liverpool), Power (Nottingham Forest), Treacy (Blackburn Rovers), Rooney (Stoke City), Stokes (Sunderland). Subs : Sheridan (Celtic) for Treacy (half-time), Cassidy (Bolton Wanderers) for Ryan (75 mins), Downes (Everton) for Rooney (81 mins).

GERMANY : Maennel; Boateng, Eberlein, Howedes, Feick; Konrad, Sauter, Ben-Hatira, Sam; Brosinski, Tyrala. Subs : Kruse for Sam (half-time), Schmiedebach for Brosinski (57 mins), Falkenberg for Tyrala (71 mins).

That’s shockingly embarrassing from McCaffrey - the ‘coloured’ fellow - what a clown.

Pathetic indeed.

A bit off topic but not sure if there’d be any interest in it as a thread in its own right but an Eircom League U-21 representative side has been picked to play against their non-professional counterparts from England, Scotland and Wales (not sure about Northern Ireland). Disappointing that Salthill Devon, as Eircom League U-21 champions have only one representative in Vinny Faherty. Plenty of other lads deserving of chances there - Gearoid O Leidhinn, Mikey Gilmore and Cian McBrien to name a few. Think each of these guys were on the Galway town team that lost to Wexford in the U-18 All-Ireland too. Can’t seem to find a full squad list.

That Galway team were apparently excellent in the final down in Wexford. Deserved to win the game by all accounts only for the brilliance of the Wexford keeper over normal and extra time and then in the penalty shoot out. Thing is there’s a Dublin bias to all these underage teams. I doubt any of the Wexford Youth squad are on it even though they comfortably beat an Eircom League selection on their way to the final.