Conference tallis::celt

    Never mind .0
    
    John Aldridge scores us another two goals and we can all look forward
    to reading Dunphy on Sunday
    
    Kevin

    I hate football so much its unbelievable.....having said that i'm off
    to the local Irish Bar with a croud and a bulging pocket (FNARRR) to
    cheer Ireland on to a 2-0 win against portugal.
    
    ere we go...ere we go...ere we gooooooooo!
    
    Shaun$rugger_monster

 The Irish team announced as follows:

                          Kelly

   Kelly                                         Irwin
                    McGrath        Babb

   McAteer          Kenna        Staunton        Kennedy
  
                     Quinn        Aldridge


    It is a strange selection. No place for Houghton and the midfield 
looks distinctly inexperienced and lopsided.


   Maybe the God like genius of Paul McGrath might pulls us through but
I fear the worst......

Des 

        Could some kind soul post the kick-off time?

        Also, are any European satellite stations
        carrying it?  (Eurosport? Sky-Sports?)

        Thanks,

        Kevin.

    Kevin,
    
    I don't know if this helps but it will be shown on Portuguese TV which
    is available on ASTRA. 
    
    I'll be in the Anchor in Ayr watching the boys in green with RTE Radio 
    on in the background....
    
    Ray....

	Thanks Ray

	....and the kick-off time? ...anyone?


	Kevin.	

    8.00 GMT....

    There is coverage on rte from 7.30 and the word here in the office is
    that the kick-off is at 8pm Irish time, which is 3 and a half hours
    from now.  Fans of the Swiss football team can watch England v
    Switzerland on Sky sports.  Eurosport has "European Championship
    Football" at 21:00.
    
    I hope to be settled down in front of a pint in Ennis by 7.30.
    
    Kevin 

	Very much obliged....

	I was going to see if the Post-Cafe bar in Geneva had it
	(they usually do), but I now realise they'll problably be
	tuned to Sky-Sports.

	Maybe Flanagans...hmmmm, must check.  Otherwise, it's 
	me and my dish and a six-pack searching for a Portugese
	station.

	Kevin.

    Ennis is a strange place to go, Kevin, to watch a match
    that Clare isn't playing in.
    
    (By the way, it's Galway-Clare this weekend, isn't it?)

    So, what was the result?
    
    Stevie...

    It was Portugal 3 Rep  Ireland 0
           NI 5 Austria 3
    
    so old horseshoes scraped through again and there is a playoff in
    Anfield, Liverpool between the Republic and Holland.
    
    Big Jack did not look like a man in the best of form after the match
    and could not even remember Jeff Kenna's name. I think he should
    definitely retire after the European Championships as he seems to have
    lost his touch and it is sad to watch. 
    
    It is amazing to think the Republic beat NI 4-0 in Belfast, lost twice
    to Austria, and Austria get thrashed  by NI.
    
    I don't fancy the Republic's chances against Holland much.

    Over the weekend the Dutch F.A. tried to get the match switched to
    Wembley as it would suit their wide, expansive game a bit more but Jack and
    the Irish F.A. have dug their heels in, for obvious reasons, and the
    match will be played at Anfield.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    So what is gonna happen at Anfield on Wednesday? There is a vintage
    quote form big Jack in today's Irish Times:
    
    "If the game goes into extra time the last thing I'll say to my players
    is that you must go and get a goal. I'll advise them to sit tight and
    see what happens."
    
    It is a sudden death playoff so it looks like the Dutch are going to
    get a free spin of the wheel...  

    I can't see the R of I winning this one, unfortunately.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Staunton is out of this match now. However with 20,000+ Irish fans in
    Anfield it will feel more like a home game for the Republic which makes
    me feel quietly confident for Wednesday night....
    
    Ray....

    Well Ray, 
    
    will he play Ray Houghton, who should know his way round Anfield and
    has a great record of scoring goals in big games, or will he go for a
    mixture of half fit players without match practice and new kids not up
    to the occasion?
    
    Kevin

Kevin,

though it goes against all my footballing instincts, I think we should play two
wide men and Big Tony down the middle and bombard their defense with high
balls. Holland will kill us if we try to play the same type of game as them....

Ray....

I'm back again with my tip of the week(TM): Ireland to lose
by at least 2 clear goals.  I think, if the Netherlands get an 
early goal, they could embarrass us badly, otherwise I think 
the Dutch will win going away.

I can't imagine the Dutch shivering in thieir boots at the
prospect of facing Cascarino, can you?

Hopefully, tomorrow night will also see the back of Charlton.
Maybe, then he can concentrate on his thriving restaurant/pub/
advertising business.

          James (as always telling it like it is).

    I would be most suprised if it is a draw after 90 mins, and if the
    Republic are ahead at that time, well the papers will be quoting divine
    intervention.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    I hope my memory has it right, but I recall watching the last Germany
    Ireland friendly on TV in Germany and the commentator was Karl-Heinz
    Rummenegger and he described Toni Cascarino as "total unbeweglich",
    completely immovable! He scored a goal shortly afterwards. So we will
    see about this Mister "Limerick in 96"! (Hahaha) Tipster.
    
    On the radio this morning they were saying that Jack has decided to go
    and was much more relaxed as a result. There may be one more Italian
    job in the old goat.
    
    Kevin who took 4/1 about Ireland beating Italy
    

    here are the teams involved in Ireland's group for qualifying for the
    98 World Cup....
        
    Romania
    Republic of Ireland
    Lithuania
    Iceland 
    Macedonia
    Liechtenstein
        
Northern Ireland appear to have a much tougher group....    
    Germany
    Portugal
    Northern Ireland
    Ukraine
    Albania
    Armenia
    
    
    in one of the groups Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia were drawn together.
    Anyone fancy being the referee in the matches between these teams????
    
    Ray....

    >  in one of the groups Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia were drawn
    >together.
    >    Anyone fancy being the referee in the matches between these
   > teams????
    
    Hmm, Greece are in it too, and they have not been exactly neutral on
    account of the Armenian question. 
    
    The joke is now that Big Jack had decided to go but now he has seen the
    draw he will stay on ...
    
    I think it is a bummer the way he has treated Ray Houghton, the worst
    since he humiliated Liam Brady at Lansdowne Rd.
    
    Kevin 
    

    I though Ray Houghton was playing crap this year?
    
    
    CHARLEY

These odds are for 90 minutes
-----------------------------

Netherlands 4/5
Ireland 10/3

I think the odds on the Netherlands are a steal, so much so that I've had
a little bit of them this lunch time.  I might even make enough to buy my 
wife a nice Christmas present :-).

                            James.

    Well, at least he would be fit, which is more than Steve Staunton was
    or John Sheridan will be. His Irish form has been quite good this year
    I thought, can't say about his club form. But the point is he is the
    man for the big occasion who can score goals, which seems to be a
    disadvantage with Jack's minimalist stategy.
    
    Kevin 

    What's the starting line-up???
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Lineup: A Kelly, G. Kelly, McGrath, Babb,
    Irwin, Kenna, Sheridan, Townsend, Phelan, Aldridge, Cascarino
    
    
    Odds: I'm not sure that the 90 minutes bet is good value. If the sides
    are level at 80 minutes ther is a tendency towards extra time. What
    price is a draw after 90 minutes? I might be tempted to try and pay for
    the drinks...
    
    Kevin

    the team is..
        
    A. Kelly
    G. Kelly
    Irwin
    Ooh Aah
    Babb
    Phelan
    Kenna
    Sheridan
    Townsend
    Aldo
    Big Tony

Draw after 90 minutes: 9/4~?

                            James.

   aha. 9/4 Thats my bet, if I find a shop open.
    Kevin 

I'll have to watch my back today after the events of last evening.  Words
like traitor and Judas were used in conjunction with my name after the
match last evening.  I can't help if I'm a visionary...

                James (who might have a Christmas after all).

    re .33
    Oh no!
    
    Its the I don't want to say I told you so but I told you so note again.
    I've been dreading it since the final whistle. Actually I was saved by
    the betting shops being closed. Not that I would have regretted the
    bet, as I feel that if big Cas had got his head to McAteer's cross like
    he did in Hannover a fluke draw would have been a possibility.
    
    About the three in a row: I see the Tyrone slips didn't give you
    indigestion then, just gambler's amnesia!
    
    Now we will have to suffer the great Jack Charlton debate. IMHO he
    should be put in charge of the Limerick hurling team...
    
    Kevin 
    
    

    Watched the game in its entirety last night and I must say that the R
    of I were totally outclassed by the Dutch.
    
    They looked very good in every department of the gam and will be very
    difficult to stop in Euro 96.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    That's game btw.
    
    
    CHARLEY

Re .34

Oops, I forgot about Tyrone.  OK, it's really three out of four, but I only 
had a trifle on Tyrone to have an interest in the game ;-).

Ireland were second best on the night, and although Cas was unlucky, the
Dutch hit the post twice and Kelly had to pull off 3 brilliant saves to
keep the score at 1-0.

Charlton seems to be trying to hold on instead of resigning with dignity.
It leaves the FAI in a tight spot and rightly so, as a new manager is
needed ASAP, instead of the situation we are left with now where Charlton
will "think over the situation for a few months."  Bloody hell, by the time
he will have made up his mind either way, it will be right up against a new
World Cup campaign.

Charlton out, Tom Ryan in!

                           James.

    maybe Jack's trying to hold on until he reaches 100 games in charge. He
    should go, with Mick McCarthy taking his place....
    
    Ray....

    Big Jack has stepped down from the Irish job....
    
    Ray....

    I thought he got the tin tack...?
    
    
    CHARLEY

    just fyi....
    
    Mick McCarthy took the Irish manager's job this week. I wonder how
    Eamon Dunphy feels about this....
    
    Ray....

    
    I don't think he will be too happy..though after the hot press article
    Eamon will have his hands full.
    
    Think its good..He should have supporters support...
    
    

    Which hot press article ?
    
    I have a dreadful confession to make. I have become addicted to Dunphy
    and the Sunday Blueshirt. It is so awful it is fascinating...

    yeah, which hot press article?...
    
    I miss the Sunday Indo, an awful paper but as .43 said, Eamo is great
    to read over the lunchtime pint....
    
    Ray....

    
    
    ..You better read his hot press interview!...Seemingly Eammon
    goes into details how some priests got a bit too friendly with him when
    he was a kid....bad and real sad...
    
    > Addicted to him and the Sunday Blueshirt!!!!!
    
    Thats taking it too far...addicted to the blueshirt paper....No hope
    for ye guys west of the shannon at all....Bring back the Sunday press!!!!!
    
    

>>>     ..You better read his hot press interview!...Seemingly Eammon
>>>     goes into details how some priests got a bit too friendly with him
>>>     when he was a kid....bad and real sad...
    
    
    were any of the priests from Yorkshire?...it would explain a lot....
    
    Ray....                 

Hey Lefty ;-),

Speaking of the Sunday Blueshirt, I've been meaning for a 
while to transcribe Cashman's article and do a computer
analysis on it.  It must be one of the most difficult
articles to read of any of the Sunday Newspapers.

                 James (fellow lefty).

    
    On Cashman's article I think he ir trying to write in the mold of Con
    Houlohan of the late Evening Press. Unfortunately he will never be able
    to match either the wit or the drinking.
    
    On friend Eammo I recently came across an article by said poison dwarf
    in praise of Louis Kilcoyne and what he was doing to Shamrock Rovers.
    It would really make one want to barf. Article was from the Indo (1988
    or thereabouts)
    
    MBr

    
    Am going to see the USA v Ireland match in Foxboro.  Haven't been
    following Ireland for awhile now.  What's the likely line-up and who
    are the better players? I assume McGrath, Houghton, Aldridge, and
    Cascarino are no longer feature players (?).
    
    By the way, USA beat Scotland this past weekend in New Haven 2-1.
    
    Mike
      
    
    

    Hang on Mike, I'll see what I can find.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    All I can find at a quick glance is a load of waffle about the Mick 
    Mccarthy-Roy Keane hiatus. McCarthy expected Keane to play at
    Landsdowne Road against Portugal but the boyo is on holiday on the Isle
    of Capri. Keane has been appointed Captain for the American tour but
    was sent off when wearing the captain's armband for the first time. I
    think the captaincy is a touch premature for Keane, who does not handle
    the pressure too well and looses his rag regularly. 
    
    Kevin 

    Recent games...
    
     Game #    Date   Opposition   H/A    Competition   Score  Result 
       1      27/3     Russia      Home    Friendly     0 - 2  Loss 
       2      24/4 Czech Republic  Away    Friendly     2 - 0  Loss
      
    
      PLAYERS USED BY MICK  MCCARTHY       
       
         Name             Club         Position    Games     Goals 
     John Aldridge    Tranmere Rovers   Forward       1         0 
     Phil Babb        Liverpool         Defender      1         0  
     Tony Cascarino   Marseilles        Forward       1         0
     Tommy Coyne      Motherwell        Forward       1         0
     Kenny Cunningham Wimbledon         Defender      1         0
     Liam Daish       Coventry City     Defender      1         0  
     Curtis Fleming   Middlsborough     Defender      1         0 
     Shay Given       Blackburn         Goalie        2         0 
     Ray Houghton     Crystal Palace    Midfielder    1         0 
     Dennis Irwin     Manchester United Defender      1         0 
     Roy Keane        Man. Utd          Midfielder    1         0 
     Jeff Kenna       Blackburn         Midfielder    2         0
     Mark Kennddy     Liverpool         Midfielder    2         0
     Alan Kernaghan   Man. City         Defender      1         0 
     Alan Moore       Middlesborough    Forward       1         0
     Jason McAteer    Liverpool         Midfielder    1         0 
     Paul McGrath     Aston Villa       Defender      2         0 
     Terry Phelan     Chelsea           Defender      1         0 
     Niall Quinn      Man. City         Forward       2         0
     Steve Staunton   Aston Villa       Defender      1         0
     Andy Townsend    Aston Villa       Midfielder    2         0  Ir
    
    
    Ireland 0 - Russia 2 
       
    Given, McGrath, Kernaghan, Staunton, Phelan, McAteer, Townsend (C)
    (SUB 45 Kenna), Keane, Kenneddy, Aldridge (SUB Cascarino), Quinn
    (SUB Coyne).     
       
    Czech Republic 2 - Ireland 0 
    Given, McGrath, Babb (SUB Daish), Cunningham, Irwin (SUB 45
    Fleming),Kenna, Townsend (C), Houghton, Quinn, Moore, Kennedy.
    
    
    Hth.
    
    
    CHARLEY
    
    
    
    
    

Tosspot Keane has just been banned for 6 games and 
stripped of the captaincy by Big Mick.  How big Mick
gave this honour to Keane in the first place is
completely beyond me; by doing so he was implicitly
condoning his childish behaviour against Russia.

Overall a bad week for Cork...

                    James.

    .51
    
    Kev, it's a shame that Roy Keane cannot control his temper. The bloke
    has such a prodigious talent, it's quite sad to see it being wasted.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    RE: 1529.52
    
    In all seriousness, would you explain the origins/meaning of the slang
    term " tosspot" ?
    
    This term was featured prominently in the recently released movie 
     "The Button War" and my myself and my young lads are curious.
    
     Thanks,
    
     R.M.F.

    
    
    Thanks for all of the info on Ireland.  Keane is relatively young
    (chronologically) for captaincy, isn't he?
    
    Will update on the US players when I learn who they are and how to
    spell their names....
    
    Locally, the Major League Soccer team has a few Irish born players who
    are doing well.  Paul Keegan (forward from Dublin) who played for Boston
    College and Aidan Heaney (goalkeeper) who played in one of the North
    Carolina colleges (I think).  Stapleton is the coach,,,
    
    

toss.pot \-.pa:t\ n : DRUNKARD, SOT

It seems that Mick hasn't banned him for six games or
stripped him of the captain's armband.  The usually
reliable BBC 5 Live got it wrong.  That said, maybe
Mick should have punished him along similar lines so as
prevent something like that happening again.  And given
that we are in the era of mobile phones etc. it's hard
to believe that Keane and McCarthy couldn't get in contact
with each other.  Maybe they both tried to contact each
other through the FAI ;-).  A story in itself...

                     James.

    It seems some nutter rang Mick McCarthy pretending to be Roy Keane.
    James, you must be a prime suspect for this, what with you masquerading
    as Kungfucantona ...

re -1

I'm flattered that you think I could put on a Cork accent.

Really, I'm miffed because Keane earns more in three weeks
than I earn in a year.  Sometimes things just don't seem 
to be fair, do they?

                       James.

         The Republic of Ireland are threatening to pull out of future U-S 
         Cup competitions, following the bizarre events surrounding their 
         2-all draw with Mexico in the tournament last night. 
    
         The American referee, Raul Dominguez, sent off 3 members of the 
         Irish team - only one of whom actually playing. 
    
         That was Liam Daish, banished after the Mexican team seemed to force 
         the ref into showing a second yellow card for time wasting. 
    
    
         Substitute Niall Quinn reacted angrily, grabbing a Mexican player - 
         and off he went.  
    
         He was then joined by manager Mick McCarthy, who threw the ball into 
         the crowd. 
      
         American referee Raul Dominguez also awarded a penalty to Mexico - 
         for their equaliser - and at the end of the game embraced Mexican 
         supporters and presented them with the match ball.
    
    
         CHARLEY

    Was at this match last night and the ref was a joke, especially in the
    second half. Even some of the Mexican supporters sitting nearby seemed
    somewhat emabarassed as the fouls called against the Irish team mounted.
    I didn't see him embracing Mexican supporters at the end of the game
    but did see two NJ State Troopers escort him from the field as I left
    my seat.  
    
    Very good game especially in the first half, Bonner was quite good in
    nets for the Republic.
    
    
    Kevin

    I watched the US lose to Bolivia last night.  The refs seemed to favor
    the US despite the final score.
    
    They've got to do something about the lack of objectivity in this
    tournament.
    
    

    For those of you that receive it, if you are interested, ESPN2 is
    broadcasting last night's Ireland/Mexico game tonight at 8:30. You
    might see what the hubbub is all about.
    
    Kevin
    

    I'm not a football fan. Nevertheless, perhaps the Irish powers 
    that be in the game should invite the same teams, and referee,
    for a rematch in Ireland.
    
    I'm sure the O'Dominguez branch of the ref's family would arrange 
    some sort of "fatted calf" reception for the man..
    
    Sincerely.. etc.,
    
    John 

>    I'm not a football fan. Nevertheless, perhaps the Irish powers 
>    that be in the game should invite the same teams, and referee,
>    for a rematch in Ireland.

Maybe there should be all-party talks about the outcome...  :-)

//atp

    Ah!
    
    You mean a few pints on the plane home and a bit of action replay
    with a TV set on the top deck?
    
    jb!~

    
    You misunderstand.....
    
    
    Ol' Raul was just doing his bit for the State Department.  Seems that
    some folks in NI think that being an American makes one automatically
    favor the Republic.  Mr. Dominguez set that theory back a bit I'd
    guess.
    
    Mike