Sport

Off The Fence: Road works, TV coverage and terminology

Ireland (or should that be Republic?) fans celebrate the national side's qualification for Euro 2016 on Monday night<br />Picture: PA&nbsp;
Ireland (or should that be Republic?) fans celebrate the national side's qualification for Euro 2016 on Monday night
Picture: PA 
Ireland (or should that be Republic?) fans celebrate the national side's qualification for Euro 2016 on Monday night
Picture: PA 

SAMUEL JOHNSON famously said patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel - and if he were alive to peruse this week’s Off the Fence column - a tad hypothetical, but bear with me - he’d probably be feeling rather vindicated. I’ll elaborate.

The Irish News readership is bursting with nationalist fervour, no doubt spurred on by Ireland’s qualification for next year’s Euros in France, but it probably isn’t the type of patriotism the United Irishmen had in mind all these years ago. Pride, brotherhood, unity - swap that for point-scoring, division and paranoia and you’ll get the right idea.

A DOWN lady phoned us to complain about being held up by road-works before last Sunday’s Ulster Club Championship semi-final between Crossmaglen and Kilcoo in Newry.

“You would’ve sworn it was like a curfew. Every road within a quarter-of-a-mile outside Newry was blocked by cones. Both sides were blocked the whole way down the carriageway when you came out on the Old Warrenpoint Road, right down to Carlingford Park on the other end of it. Only single file traffic could get through coming up Chapel Hill. I believe the cones were put out by men from a private security company that are paid £700 for their day.

She continued: “I went to visit my parents' grave and couldn’t get near the graveyard. Maybe these people don’t understand that Sunday is a day when people go to Mass and, in the afternoon, visit their loved ones’ graves, if they don’t get to during the week. I think it’s a shame and a disgrace - or maybe it’s because both of the clubs are very nationalist towns, Crossmaglen and Kilcoo. I wonder if Linfield had have been playing in the Showgrounds would there have been as many cones placed across the road?

“I think it’s such a disgrace and on such a bad day that it was. It took my brother an hour-and-three-quarters to get out of the Greenbank and he wasn’t the last leaving it either. It’s time the GAA came to some sort of agreement. After all, you pay your tax for your car, so you should be able to park wherever you want.”

IN LAST weekend’s other Ulster SFC semi-final, Darren Hughes-inspired Scotstown to victory over Tyrone champions Trillick. Monday’s paper gave top billing to the Monaghan midfielder - but a Scotstown supporter still had cause for grievance.

“I’m ringing about the article in the paper on Saturday comparing Darren Hughes and Lee Brennan. Lee Brennan was laid out as a skilful tricky player and Darren Hughes was more or less labelled as a big strong brute, that there was nothing but only bull strength to him. 1-4 against the reigning champions and 2-2 against Trillick from play, I think is a fine return. And maybe a bit more respect towards him in journalists’ comments would be warranted. If it was a player maybe from some of the northern counties, they’d be getting kinder words.”

I think that’s unfair - in last Saturday’s preview piece, we credited Hughes as the main reason why Scotstown defeated last year’s champions Slaughtneil in the quarter-final and mentioned his high skill levels as well. Isn’t Monaghan a northern county? I don’t even know any more. 

EVEN more confusing were ‘Colin from Tyrone’s’ complaints on Twitter about referring to the Republic of Ireland’s football team as ‘the Republic’. And boy would he not let up. On November 13, he wrote: “Is it necessary for The Irish News to constantly refer to the Ireland soccer team as the Republic”? I’m guessing that’s meant to be rhetorical.

He added on November 16: “Is Republic the name of a country? Seems like The Irish News sports journos struggle with the name ‘Ireland’." Okay, we get it.

“Republic supporters in dreamland as the Republic players score again in the capital of the Republic. Republic flags fly high.” You’re pushing your luck. The block option exists for a reason, you know.

AN IRELAND supporter (happy now, Colin?) was in high spirits after watching Martin O’Neill’s side advance to next year’s Euros with a 2-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday night.

“Absolutely buzzing, just coming out of the Aviva here with over 50 west Belfast Ireland supporters. I can’t wait to get to France to watch the boys in green. It’s great to support a team with players from the four provinces in Ireland and it’s great to see Derry men like Darron Gibson and James McClean and Séamus Coleman and Shay Given from Donegal. See you all in France next year.”

Don’t forget Jonathan Walters, straight outta Merseyside.

AND of course, Glasgow Rangers also got a touch this week. Gerry contacted us - not for the first time might I add - to ask Scottish soccer reporter Ronnie Esplin a rather loaded question - another rhetorical question presumably.

“I see you’ve published a statement from Rangers and I was wondering if Ronnie Esplin could answer the question about what he thought of the recent tax case? They’ve cheated for 10 years in terms of their players not paying tax and being able to afford players they would otherwise not be able to afford.

"So if you could put that question to Ronnie is to see whether their medals should be regarded as invalid. I don’t want Celtic to get the titles - I just want a big asterisk beside them so that people could see that they cheated and they weren’t subjected to the same tax rules as everybody else.”

While I’m not quite sure why you have such a problem with Ronnie Esplin, your wider point is one many people would share after HMRC won its appeal earlier this month over Rangers’ misuse of the Employee Benefit Trust scheme from 2001 to 2010 - a period in which the Ibrox club won five league titles and four Scottish Cups.

PADDY HEANEY fans will be up in arms after ‘Gael among the bushes’ took issue with Paddy’s weekly Against the Breeze column.

“I’m disappointed at Paddy Heaney’s column this week when he took his friend John’s opinion that the Crossmaglen and Kilcoo match was sh*t. I watched the game from a very wet and windy terrace in Páirc Esler and found it to be an excellent game, with both teams trying to play attractive, attacking football in difficult conditions.

“Most people I talked to were of a similar opinion and enjoyed the contest, which had all the desired skills on display - long passing, good catching and support play, mostly clean defending and some fine points scored.

“I know that there have been many poor games of football this past few years, but this game was a pleasure to attend and I’m really looking forward to the final. The crowd of 10,000 plus were well entertained and, no doubt, most will return for the final. I hope Paddy’s friend stays at home.”

‘JOHN from Crossmaglen’ also contacted us to complain about Kilcoo manager Paul McIver talking up his side in last Wednesday’s paper.

“On reading Paul McIver’s interview in last week’s Irish News, you would be forgiven for thinking that there was no point in Crossmaglen Rangers turning up in Páirc Esler, such was the brilliance of his Kilcoo team. Paul, being from Ballinderry, should know better than most not to underestimate the Rangers. The Cross team that played on Sunday have a combined total of over 70 Ulster club medals and that experience proved vital on the day.

"Paul should revert to the traditional style of management - you play down your own team’s chances [Damned if they do, damned if they don’t]. By the way, I’m glad we decided to turn up.”

Ouch.

DANNY HUGHES’ latest Breaking Ball column proved a popular talking point on Facebook and Twitter. Hughes lambasted UTV and BBC for their coverage - or lack thereof - of Gaelic games, dividing opinion on social media.

Paddy McConville: “Surely it doesn’t cost much for the BBC and UTV to cover the Ulster Championship for club and county games? The Irish League games, GAA matches and Ulster rugby games should get better television coverage.”

Damian McCullough: “Have to say well done Danny Hughes. BBC and UTV need to up the ante. Why not let local stations stream the games live? It’s the way forward.”

Others weren’t as convinced

Martin McIvor: “It would have been a good argument 10 years ago, but football couldn’t be watched at the minute. It’s all about fitness - there’s no skill in the game now.”

Conor Cunningham: “The county boards don’t want to broadcast matches - they want punters’ cash at the gates and there isn’t a mention of this or the boards’ point of view in Danny’s article.

The BBC’s Thomas Niblock: “Big fan of Danny, but the reality is BBC don’t have rights to show live club games and the BBC did cover Sunday’s match.”