GALWAY UNITED defeated Bray Wanderers 2-1 at the Carlisle Grounds last night to gain sixth place in the Premier Division, and more importantly put a bit of breathing space between them and the relegation dog fight.
Jay O'Shea bagged a last-minute winner for the Tribesmen, at the expense of his former club, after he latched onto a perfectly weighted through ball from John Russell before sliding the ball past the helpless Chris O'Connor in goal.
Galway had trailed for most of the game after 20-year-old Shane O'Neill bagged his first senior goal for the club with just four minutes gone. Bray were totally in control in the first half and should have punished Galway further.
However, Galway were a different side in the second half and really took the game to Bray and on 57 minutes got their reward when centre back Gary Breen smashed the ball home from close range after a scramble in the box from a corner.
Alan Murphy should have made it 2-1 for the westerners on 80 minutes but his low drive only found the side netting.
In stoppage time, Bray threw everything at the Galway defence and Dave Mulcahy came agonisingly close to equalising but saw his half volley blocked by Breen.
Bray boss Eddie Gormley was unhappy after the game, saying: "It's not nice, particularly when we deserved to win the game."
Galway boss Ian Foster admitted that his captain, O'Shea, has probably played his last game for the club and praised him for everything he has done for the Terryland Park-based outfit.
After the game, O'Shea echoed his manager's sentiments by saying he has played his last game for Galway.
The winger says that his agent is hoping to have a deal wrapped up across the water by the end of the week, although he refused to comment on where he might be heading.
However, scouts from Middlesbrough, Derby County, Watford and Falkirk were all in Bray last night to see the highly rated midfielder in action.
- Craig Hughes
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Hoops get real and focus on Sligo fixture
Shamrock Rovers will attempt to forget about the controversy surrounding their upcoming showpiece friendly against Spanish giants Real Madrid when they take on Sligo Rovers at Tolka Park tonight.
The game, which was initially scheduled to take place at the Hoops' home venue in Tallaght, has been controversially moved to Tolka Park due to last-minute building work taking place at the Tallaght Stadium in preparation for Monday night's sell-out friendly against Real.
South Dublin County Council, who owns the Tallaght Stadium, has refused to allow the game to go ahead citing 'health and safety' reasons. However, Rovers feel the game against Sligo could still have gone ahead with entry restricted to the 3,500 main stand.
Hoops chairman Jonathan Roche has claimed that his side would not have agreed to play the money-spinning friendly had they known it would have interfered with their league campaign.
"Despite the distraction of the hype that surrounds next Monday's friendly against Real Madrid, all we're concentrating on is this crucial game against Sligo," insisted Hoops manager Michael O'Neill.
Shamrock Rovers are full of confidence after their 2-1 away win over Bray last weekend, while confidence is low in Sligo's squad after their 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Cork City last weekend.
O'Neill will be without the services of Sean O'Connor, who is serving a one-match ban, while Sean Webb is out with a long-term injury. O'Neill welcomes back the trio of Ollie Cahill, Stephen Bradley and Darragh Maguire to his squad for the visit of Sligo.
O'Neill's men will be looking to extend their recent run of good form, which has left them in second place, five points adrift of league leaders Bohemians. Yet, O'Neill knows that "Sligo Rovers will be very keen to get something from this game, so it won't be easy".
The Hoops have been gathering a lot of media attention of late, be it for the wall collapse in their game against Bray at the Carlisle Grounds, the last-minute rescheduling and relocation of their game this evening or the big match against Cristiano Ronaldo and company on Monday.
The game, which was initially scheduled to take place at the Hoops' home venue in Tallaght, has been controversially moved to Tolka Park due to last-minute building work taking place at the Tallaght Stadium in preparation for Monday night's sell-out friendly against Real.
South Dublin County Council, who owns the Tallaght Stadium, has refused to allow the game to go ahead citing 'health and safety' reasons. However, Rovers feel the game against Sligo could still have gone ahead with entry restricted to the 3,500 main stand.
Hoops chairman Jonathan Roche has claimed that his side would not have agreed to play the money-spinning friendly had they known it would have interfered with their league campaign.
"Despite the distraction of the hype that surrounds next Monday's friendly against Real Madrid, all we're concentrating on is this crucial game against Sligo," insisted Hoops manager Michael O'Neill.
Shamrock Rovers are full of confidence after their 2-1 away win over Bray last weekend, while confidence is low in Sligo's squad after their 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Cork City last weekend.
O'Neill will be without the services of Sean O'Connor, who is serving a one-match ban, while Sean Webb is out with a long-term injury. O'Neill welcomes back the trio of Ollie Cahill, Stephen Bradley and Darragh Maguire to his squad for the visit of Sligo.
O'Neill's men will be looking to extend their recent run of good form, which has left them in second place, five points adrift of league leaders Bohemians. Yet, O'Neill knows that "Sligo Rovers will be very keen to get something from this game, so it won't be easy".
The Hoops have been gathering a lot of media attention of late, be it for the wall collapse in their game against Bray at the Carlisle Grounds, the last-minute rescheduling and relocation of their game this evening or the big match against Cristiano Ronaldo and company on Monday.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Real Madrid come to Ireland
By Craig Hughes
SECURITY was tight last night, as Real Madrid’s Galacticos flew into Dublin Airport at around 7:30pm Irish time. Hoards of fans gathered to see some of the games legends including Raul, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, but the main attraction, was of course, the world’s most expensive player Cristiano Ronaldo.
FIFA’s 2008 World Footballer of the Year and his fellow team mates then made their way by coach to the lavish Carton House in Co. Kildare which will serve as their base for their ten day training camp. Carton House last week hosted Newcastle United as they too chose to begin their preseason training in the cool Irish climate. Organisers are hoping that Carton House will quickly become known as the “premier” training facilities in Europe.
Madrid’s players will endure an intense training regime during their stay in the Emerald Isle. Players will meet for breakfast at 7:15am every morning before getting ready for their days session. The first six days of their stay will see the players start their morning session at 8:00am, with these sessions focusing predominantly on fitness with strength training following at 11:30am.
A player or member of the team’s management will give a press conference daily at 1:00pm before the team gather for lunch at 1:30pm. The players will then have until 6:30pm to rest before they begin their afternoon session which will involve technical, tactical and fitness work. Madrid will use one of these evening sessions to watch a DVD of their Irish opponents, Shamrock Rover, who they face in Tallaght Stadium at 8:00pm on Monday night in front of a sell-out 9,000 crowd.
Madrid’s final four days in Kildare will be at a lighter intensity with the squad only training twice daily, at 10:00am and again at 6:30pm
Fans of the Galacticos will be disappointed to hear that recent big money signing Kaka has be left out of the squad, as have other big names such as Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos who have all been given an extra weeks holiday to rest due to their involvement in this years Confederations Cup which took place in South Africa last month.
Dutch striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar has also been left out of the travelling squad, fuelling speculation liking him with a move away from the club. A host of European clubs, including Manchester United, are reportedly interested in acquiring the services of the 25-year-old. Manchester United ruled out any move for the Dutch international, which means German side Stuttgart, who have had a bid accepted by Madrid, are likely to acquire the Dutch International’s service pending approval from the player himself.
Fans can expect to see the return of veteran Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy as well as former Portsmouth midfielder Mohamadou Diarra who had been out injured since October and November of last year.
The Galacticos will fly back to Madrid on the 22nd where they’ll continue their preseason training before playing in the Peace Cup on the 24th of July. Madrid will face Ecuadorian side Liga Deportiva Universitaria De Quito, who are the reigning South American champions, in their first round encounter. The tournament, which consists of twelve teams, includes some familiar names such as Aston Villa, Juventus and Celtic as well as some unfamiliar names such as Saudi Arabian based side Al-Ittihad and Korea’s most successful team Seongnam.
SECURITY was tight last night, as Real Madrid’s Galacticos flew into Dublin Airport at around 7:30pm Irish time. Hoards of fans gathered to see some of the games legends including Raul, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, but the main attraction, was of course, the world’s most expensive player Cristiano Ronaldo.
FIFA’s 2008 World Footballer of the Year and his fellow team mates then made their way by coach to the lavish Carton House in Co. Kildare which will serve as their base for their ten day training camp. Carton House last week hosted Newcastle United as they too chose to begin their preseason training in the cool Irish climate. Organisers are hoping that Carton House will quickly become known as the “premier” training facilities in Europe.
Madrid’s players will endure an intense training regime during their stay in the Emerald Isle. Players will meet for breakfast at 7:15am every morning before getting ready for their days session. The first six days of their stay will see the players start their morning session at 8:00am, with these sessions focusing predominantly on fitness with strength training following at 11:30am.
A player or member of the team’s management will give a press conference daily at 1:00pm before the team gather for lunch at 1:30pm. The players will then have until 6:30pm to rest before they begin their afternoon session which will involve technical, tactical and fitness work. Madrid will use one of these evening sessions to watch a DVD of their Irish opponents, Shamrock Rover, who they face in Tallaght Stadium at 8:00pm on Monday night in front of a sell-out 9,000 crowd.
Madrid’s final four days in Kildare will be at a lighter intensity with the squad only training twice daily, at 10:00am and again at 6:30pm
Fans of the Galacticos will be disappointed to hear that recent big money signing Kaka has be left out of the squad, as have other big names such as Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos who have all been given an extra weeks holiday to rest due to their involvement in this years Confederations Cup which took place in South Africa last month.
Dutch striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar has also been left out of the travelling squad, fuelling speculation liking him with a move away from the club. A host of European clubs, including Manchester United, are reportedly interested in acquiring the services of the 25-year-old. Manchester United ruled out any move for the Dutch international, which means German side Stuttgart, who have had a bid accepted by Madrid, are likely to acquire the Dutch International’s service pending approval from the player himself.
Fans can expect to see the return of veteran Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy as well as former Portsmouth midfielder Mohamadou Diarra who had been out injured since October and November of last year.
The Galacticos will fly back to Madrid on the 22nd where they’ll continue their preseason training before playing in the Peace Cup on the 24th of July. Madrid will face Ecuadorian side Liga Deportiva Universitaria De Quito, who are the reigning South American champions, in their first round encounter. The tournament, which consists of twelve teams, includes some familiar names such as Aston Villa, Juventus and Celtic as well as some unfamiliar names such as Saudi Arabian based side Al-Ittihad and Korea’s most successful team Seongnam.
Monday, June 22, 2009
League of Ireland - European potential
BOHEMIANS will represent the League of Ireland in the 2009/2010 Champions League. Boh’s already received €200,000 from the FAI for winning the league last year. Bohs enter the competition at the second qualifying round phase; they will earn €130,000 for every round of the competition they compete in. They have been drawn against Austrian Champions Salzburg, formally managed by current Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni, this will be a though task for the Irish club. If Bohs progress to the third qualifying round then even if they loose they will be guaranteed a place in the Europa League which will potentially provide them with a further €90,000.
ST Patrick’s Athletic, Derry City and Sligo Rovers are all competing in this years inaugural Europa League. All teams will receive €90,000 per round with teams who qualify for the group stage receiving and additional one million euro. Pat’s have been drawn against either Keflavík ÍF of
Last year Pat’s nearly knocked Bundesliga side Hertha
Friday, June 19, 2009
League of Ireland - Financial crisis
Limerick FC look are on the brink of bankrupcy after a recent massive loss in revenue. The club has suspended all funding for all of its teams with the exception of the senior League of Ireland team.
Limerick join a long list of League of Ireland clubs who have entered financial trouble. Only last year Cobh Ramblers went from playing Premier Division football to the 'A' League, due to the clubs financises.
Galway United also found themselves in financial difficulty in recent times, due to lack of sponsorship but also because of an extremly high wage bill. Wes Charles, a St Vincent and Grandines international, was being paid €1,400 a week as well as recieving a free car and free use of a pent-house apartment in Galway city. To get on top of their financises Galway United had to sell many of their high profile players including Wes Charles.
I think the main problem with the League of Ireland is the lack of interest. Only 300 supporters attended Longford Town's excellent cup victory over Wexford Youths last week, if the fanbase isn't there how can clubs aim to prospour?
What does the future hold for Irish domestic soccer.....?
Limerick join a long list of League of Ireland clubs who have entered financial trouble. Only last year Cobh Ramblers went from playing Premier Division football to the 'A' League, due to the clubs financises.
Galway United also found themselves in financial difficulty in recent times, due to lack of sponsorship but also because of an extremly high wage bill. Wes Charles, a St Vincent and Grandines international, was being paid €1,400 a week as well as recieving a free car and free use of a pent-house apartment in Galway city. To get on top of their financises Galway United had to sell many of their high profile players including Wes Charles.
I think the main problem with the League of Ireland is the lack of interest. Only 300 supporters attended Longford Town's excellent cup victory over Wexford Youths last week, if the fanbase isn't there how can clubs aim to prospour?
What does the future hold for Irish domestic soccer.....?
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