I’ve recently noticed that Ciaran Cronin, the guy from The Sunday Tribune who wrote anti-Eddie O’Sullivan articles every week in the paper for about 2 years, irrespective of whether Ireland won, lost or had even been playing, has been shunted sideways and is now reporting on soccer.
Meanwhile, the Irish Independent’s David Kelly who had a run-in with Eddie at a press conference a couple of years ago is no longer their chief rugby reporter either. Instead, he’s taken on a broader sport feature role and seems to be involved in a private competition with Vincent Hogan to see who can come up with the most obscure words per article.
I’m a bit bored with Tom Humphries and his tendency to go over old ground in a lot of his Locker Room columns but he can still be interesting on occasion. Paul Kimmage can be consistently superb and his recent piece on Lance Armstrong’s return was class.
Yer man Kieran Shannon can be quite forthright at times and often very sharp in matters GAA. But he amuses me a bit since he’s qualified as a sport psychologist in his spare time and constantly keeps referencing loads of jargon/clichés about it in his articles.
For example, before the All Ireland hurling final he was writing about Waterford players under Justin McCarthy wearing whatever they wanted to training, whereas Davy Fitz made them all wear the same training gear. Where once they were a team of individuals pulling in opposite directions (represented by different clothing) they were now all focused on one collective goal (represented by similar clothing). Eh, sure thing.
Keith Duggan writes some excellent colour and feature pieces in The Irish Times but the doyen of Irish sport journalists has to be the irrepressible Roy Curtis. Sometimes I love him, sometimes I hate him. But I just can’t ignore him.
He’s closely followed by all the Fannings - their journalistic lineage and the strength they derive from being together in one stable make them the Busby Babes of Irish sport journalism and gives them an edge that puts them ahead of everyone, with the notbale exception of Curtis.
dion fanning is a cunt - on the radio there talking about the trap - all he was doing was laying into him for not picking andy reid- he has the knife out already
humphries is a fat fuck - didnt like what he wrote about Celtic before & his gga articles are all a bit too misty eyed - for Celtic articles id prefer the electronic media such as etims & there wouldnt be 1 Irish sports journalist id respect in regard to the LOI (apart form apebhoy on the HB)
Like
Humphereys, pity he doesnt do rugby. Id have loved for him to write ROG book. Niall Quinns book is superb also.
Duggan, consistently excellent.
Michael Foley
Kimmage
Thornley
Denis Walsh
David Walsh
Dislike
Curtis
McGee
Francis
Wardy
Hayes
Ciaran Cunthook Cronin- how long before he is hatcheting El Trap. Fookwit.
gerry thornley is the best rugby journalist in the country by a mile…would read the independant nearly every day and i wouldn’t have any problems with any of them although id say martin brehany is an ignorant enough fucker…
Henry Winter who writes for the telegraph in england is one of the best around…
There isn’t anyone around to lace Con Houlihane’s shoes.
Be it, football or hurling. in any ground, Con’s report via the late -lamented “Evening Press” is much missed.
His finest column, IMO, was in late July '94 -in the midst’s of some soccer fst- was his concise and fulmitory report
of the Connacht Final and what it meant to a small county to win one after 67 years of trying.
Farmer or baby…Blast it up there up there lads!!
[quote=“Boxtyeater”]There isn’t anyone around to lace Con Houlihane’s shoes.
Be it, football or hurling. in any ground, Con’s report via the late -lamented “Evening Press” is much missed.
His finest column, IMO, was in late July '94 -in the midst’s of some soccer fst- was his concise and fulmitory report
of the Connacht Final and what it meant to a small county to win one after 67 years of trying.
Farmer or baby…Blast it up there up there lads!![/quote]
Most of the Irish writers write like they live in the South Park version of San Francisco. Especially Thornley. He grates on me.
As regards other writers for soccer I like the Guardian lads. Specifically Sid Lowe and James Richardson. I also like Tim Vickery on the BBC site. I don’t really read that much about the Premiership. I watch enough of it to know what’s going on. So the writers I mention report on things that I don’t know much about.
e.g. Spanish league - Lowe, Italian League - Richardson(not sure he does Italian articles any more), South America - Vickery
NFL I like Peter King and Dr. Z on the cnnsi.com site.
[quote=“cluaindiuic”]Most of the Irish writers write like they live in the South Park version of San Francisco. Especially Thornley. He grates on me.
As regards other writers for soccer I like the Guardian lads. Specifically Sid Lowe and James Richardson. I also like Tim Vickery on the BBC site. I don’t really read that much about the Premiership. I watch enough of it to know what’s going on. So the writers I mention report on things that I don’t know much about.
e.g. Spanish league - Lowe, Italian League - Richardson(not sure he does Italian articles any more), South America - Vickery
NFL I like Peter King and Dr. Z on the cnnsi.com site.[/quote]
Not wishing you any harm or that, but are you safe and sound? NCC might/may reprimand you regarding your “compus mentis”
Post my observation re: Con houlihane or suffer “The wrath of Leitrim upon your thick WX head”
Post my observation or wallow in your true trait-cowardice.
[quote=“cluaindiuic”]Most of the Irish writers write like they live in the South Park version of San Francisco. Especially Thornley. He grates on me.
As regards other writers for soccer I like the Guardian lads. Specifically Sid Lowe and James Richardson. I also like Tim Vickery on the BBC site. I don’t really read that much about the Premiership. I watch enough of it to know what’s going on. So the writers I mention report on things that I don’t know much about.
e.g. Spanish league - Lowe, Italian League - Richardson(not sure he does Italian articles any more), South America - Vickery
NFL I like Peter King and Dr. Z on the cnnsi.com site.[/quote]
I like Dr Sid, but James doesnt really write much anymore. Vickery has good knowledge of the game in South America, but his writing is poor enough at times.
When Tipp have won I love a bit of Vincent Hogan. No substance to what he writes of course but it’s grand to pick him up of a Monday and you dieing of a hangover and read a bit of Vincent’s shite. If Tipp lose you wouldn’t be able to stomach him. Tom Humphries is good if he can get this crazy idea out of his head that Dublin are going to win a senior hurling AI any time soon.
Anyone read Tommy Conlon - The Couch - some load of cock. John Giles also writes some awful shite in the Herald.
I’l leave it to SS** to mention the greatest fuckwit of all time. The man has no business being on the sports pages of a national newspaper.
I can read Thornley but fuck - I can’t listen to him or watch him;
Humphrey’s gone too far up his own arse to be called a journalist anymore; he writes, and his output is nice, but he isn’t a reporter anymore.
Paul Kimmage is good, but is better at interviews.
In fact, the days of the sports writer are gone. Too many hacks copying and pasting.
SS’s pal is very busy; barred from Boards.ie already