It will be interesting to see if The Dubs line out like this at Healy Park. Dublin boss Jim Gavin will be well aware that another impressive Dublin win – to add to the rest this championship summer – will all but guarantee his men a place in the All-Ireland semi-final. The reigning champions take […]

8 years ago

Every cloud… Simon Mignolet will be delighted to hear other football clubs out there are interested in his services. The Belgium international is still on his summer break after he was in Russia for the World Cup, all the way up until the final weekend. Mignolet did not start a game at the tournament – […]

8 years ago

‘The Notorious’ is due back at the Brooklyn Criminal Court on Thursday. Conor McGregor looks set to be able to resume his UFC career in the United States as soon as the promotion can book him into his next fight. The Dubliner has not fought in the UFC since he became featherweight and lightweight champion […]

8 years ago

Ronan O’Gara rarely enjoyed his end-of-season trips to New Zealand but his first ever coaching stint in the Land of the Long White Cloud has been highly enjoyable. Be it Ireland or Lions tours, O’Gara the player rarely experienced that winning feeling in New Zealand. For O’Gara the coach, it is an entirely different matter. […]

8 years ago

The Bosnian midfielder would greatly add to either side. In their heroic but ultimately futile Champions League clashes with Real Madrid, last season, Miralem Pjanic was pure class. In the home and away legs, it was Pjanic that stood out in two star-studded midfields with displays of composure, passing ability and attacking nous. Operating at […]

8 years ago

Joe Brolly as the voice of calm and reason. It has been a crazy couple of days. Fans of all sporting preferences, across the country, are up in arms over the GAA’s decision to deny those organising a fundraising game, in memory of Liam Miller, the use of Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Organisers of the game, which […]

8 years ago

That’s the bloody spirit. 69. 69. That’ll do, for a start. Rory McIlroy briefly had the joint lead in The Open but, for the second round running, the finishing stretch at Carnoustie saw him grudgingly give shots back that he had fought so hard to earn. The 18th on Thursday and the 15th on Friday. […]

8 years ago

Kerry boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice has laid his cards on the table. Last weekend’s disappointing loss to Galway has plunged Kerry into must-win territory in the Super 8s. The Kingdom flattered to deceive at a rain-soaked Croke Park, last Sunday, and were well beaten by Kerry. Monaghan are up next and their win over Kildare, and […]

8 years ago

When it kicked off, it KICKED OFF! The Battle of Omagh has been re-lived all week, ahead of Tyrone’s Super 8 clash with Dublin, and it has added an anticipatory edge to Saturday’s encounter. 12 years ago, in a National Football League game between both counties, multiple fights broke out in a match that saw […]

8 years ago

Home team. Home comforts. Dublin take on Tyrone at Healy Park, Omagh on Saturday night in the Super 8s (or, as the GAA prefer, Quarter-Final Group 2 Phase 2). Both sides won their opening games in the group stages and can all but confirm an All-Ireland semi-final spot by taking the spoils this weekend. Mickey Harte’s […]

8 years ago

Get ready for an assault on your eyes. If you think the front is bad, get ready for the back. World Rugby is currently re-visiting its rule-book and will be making some tweaks in the coming months. If they wanted to expand their remit, they could do worse than limiting the SHEER AMOUNT of sponsors […]

8 years ago

Five England stars remain unmoved in the transfer valuations. The high-profile nature of the World Cup, stand-out performances by certain players and England’s journey to the semi-finals looks to have had a massive knock-on effect. The likes of Harry Maguire , Kieran Trippier, John Stones, Jordan Pickford and Harry Kane all had decent tournaments and […]

8 years ago

A leader of men. Paul Pogba declared, ahead of the World Cup, that this was his time to ‘take the reins’ of the French team. Following a season of highs, lows and criticisms with both Manchester United and France, it seemed like a bold claim. The 25-year-old backed those words up no end, by helping […]

8 years ago

Two years on and both men will be reunited on ‘Field A’ at Canton, not Croke Park. GAA fans in Boston are in for a treat, later this month, as two of Ireland’s top talents will face off against each other. Diarmuid Connolly will make his third appearance of the Boston championship on Sunday, against […]

8 years ago

No goals. One shot on target. One assist. One World Cup winners’ medal. One killer line. Olivier Giroud must have felt the 2018 World Cup was going to be his time to shine when, in France’s penultimate warm-up game, he powered home a header against Ireland in the heaving Paris rain. Seven weeks on and […]

8 years ago

The Rangers boss will not be deterred on this one. Steven Gerrard saw his Rangers side get 2018/19 off to a winning start over Macedonian side Shkupi, last week, in the Europa League qualifiers. The games will come thick and fast in the early months of his first season in charge and life is already […]

8 years ago

There was a clear narrative after the World Cup final. France claimed their second ever World Cup trophy after beating Croatia 4-2 and Paul Pogba helped them get over the line. Pogba scored France’s third goal – a wonderful effort with his left boot that left Danijel Subasic planted – and displayed an array of […]

8 years ago

José is a kitten at heart. Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea in 2004 and made a few class signings. £98m was spent as the likes of Michael Essien, Tiago, Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira arrived at Stamford Bridge. The most astute signing of all, however, was Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast international arrived from Marseille […]

8 years ago

No, not Jose Mourinho. A nice touch from Paul Pogba here. Ahead of the World Cup, Pogba came out and put it all on the line when he told ESPN: “I hope now, at the World Cup, I’m going to take the reins of the France team, try to be the boss on and off […]

8 years ago

It really sums up his character. N’Golo Kante was one of the best players of the 2018 World Cup and, fittingly, ended up on the winning side. The midfield trio of Blaise Matuidi, Kante and Paul Pogba controlled many of France’s matches and all played huge parts in their trophy-winning success. Oddly, for all his […]

8 years ago

Fair play to the French star for this. Kylian Mbappe and Pelé. That’s the club. The France striker became only the second ever teenager to score in a World Cup final when he lashed home his side’s fourth goal against Croatia. It had been 60 years since that feat was last achieved, by Brazilian legend […]

8 years ago

Handy that the gang at Nike could stitch this together so quickly…. Ahead of the 2011 Grand Slam decider with Ireland, the kit manufacturer put together a video advert celebrating England’s stunning achievement. The only problem was, England lost to Ireland. It’s interesting to note that times have not changed Nike’s ways. Indeed, they made […]

8 years ago

He hardly moved for two of France’s goals

8 years ago

It was a case of close, but not close enough. Dejan Lovren has ended 2017/18 with an enhanced reputation after showing many football fans that he could mix it with the world’s best. As for being one of the best in the world, that matter is still up for debate. The Liverpool defender was left as […]

8 years ago

The best player of the World Cup feels he was playing with the best team of the World Cup – Croatia. Luka Modric was called up by a Fifa official, after the World Cup final, to receive a trophy. That the ‘Golden Ball’ looked so similar to the World Cup trophy itself must have struck […]

8 years ago

He reached boiling point. Ivan Rakitic let World Cup final referee Nestor Pinata know exactly what he thought of his performance after one questionable decision too many. The Croatian midfielder had it up to his neck with the Argentinean ref, during his side’s 4-2 loss to France, and could not keep a lid on his […]

8 years ago

The Notorious was a guest of honour at the 2018 World Cup final. Conor McGregor has had a busy time of it in recent weeks. The UFC star was at the Longitude festival in Dublin on Saturday, his partner Dee Devlin announced she was pregnant and, on Sunday, he was at the World Cup final… […]

8 years ago

“A joke of a decision.” Ryan Giggs got more animated than Slaven Bilic when discussing the controversial VAR decision that led to Antoine Griezmann’s penalty in France’s 4-2 World Cup win over Croatia. The former Manchester United midfielder kept Bilic company up in the commentary gantry and both men spoke to ITV after the French […]

8 years ago

We haven’t see Roy Keane this angry since Mick McCarthy accused him of faking injury in Saipan… Croatia had every right to be angry with the World Cup final match officials after two big first-half calls went against them. Antoine Griezmann dived after receiving minimal contact then picked himself up to whip in a free […]

8 years ago

Have they not seen enough of Daniel Flynn at this stage? The Kildare forward added to his tally of superb scores with an early goal against Monaghan in the Super 8s clash at Croke Park. The half forward has been in top form in recent weeks as the Lilywhites have gone on a winning run […]

8 years ago

Hope for the future. Mayo and Kildare will contest the first ever U20 All-Ireland final after respective wins over Derry and Kerry. Mayo fell behind, early doors, after a superb Callum Brown goal for the Oak Leaf county but St Patrick’s Westport forward Paul Lambert’s free levelled matters at 1-2 apiece. Oisin McWilliams put Derry […]

8 years ago

“Not good enough.” Phil Jones was haunted by Eden Hazard for the second time in two months. The Manchester United defender brought Hazard down for Chelsea’s match-winning FA Cup final, in May, and was at fault for the Belgian’s goal in his side’s 2-0 loss at the World Cup’s 3rd place playoff. Belgium 2-0 England […]

8 years ago

Dear God. England reached the semi-final of the World Cup for the first time since 1990 but found Croatia too dogged to handle. Heading into the third place playoff against Belgium, before most of the players get four weeks off, ITV’s panel discussed what England needed to do to become genuine contenders at Euro 2020 […]

8 years ago

“What a moment!” Derval O’Rourke perfectly captured the mood on co-commentary duty as Ireland’s 4×100-metre relay team claimed another stunning silver medal. Having already collected two silvers at the Under 20 World Championships, and blazed into the relay final, Ireland added to the trove with a national record-clinching run. Silver!!!! Second in the world for […]

8 years ago

At one stage of his career, the South African had beaten New Zealand seven of the 13 times he faced them. Jean De Villiers has played some of the very best teams, and players, several times over and has swapped more than his fair share. The former Munster centre made 109 appearances for the Springboks […]

8 years ago

The race to claim no one REALLY believed England would win the World Cup is well underway. Back in those misty group stages days, there was reason to get offended when Gary Neville claimed England’s defeat to Belgium was a good thing. The former England player, and assistant coach, felt England had landed on their […]

8 years ago

We ask for honesty from those we respect, then complain when the honesty is too real. ITV knew what they were up to when they got Roy Keane in for England’s World Cup semi-final against Croatia. The former Manchester United and Ireland captain had praised England’s earlier performances in the tournament but had already delivered […]

8 years ago

Freshening up the attack. Kerry’s Super 8 clash with Galway, at Croke Park, will clash with the World Cup final on Sunday but tens of thousands will flock to the game and view it on TV [RTE]. It should be a cracker. The Munster and Connacht SFC champions will go toe-to-toe and hope to gain […]

8 years ago

Roy Keane doling out another bowl of truth soup. John Stones had a fine World Cup and will leave the tournament, after the 3rd place playoff, with his reputation enhanced. The Manchester City defender scored two goals in the World Cup and formed a decent partnership with Kyle Walker and, in particular, Harry Maguire in […]

8 years ago

Hard to argue with Roy Keane on this one. In terms of international experience and games at the highest level of European football, England’s journey to the World Cup semi final was a commendable achievement. Victories over Colombia and Sweden in the knock-out stages saw Gareth Southgate’s men into the final four and, with France […]

8 years ago

He was kicking and heading every ball from the stands. Boy, how Ray Houghton would have loved to be out there. The former Liverpool and Ireland midfielder was on co-commentary with RTE’s George Hamilton as the broadcaster dished up England versus Croatia in the World Cup semi-final, from Moscow. Houghton was impressed with England’s lively […]

8 years ago

“Roy Keane is back with us to restore some calm.” A rarely used sentence but ITV presenter Mark Pougatch went with it as Roy Keane resumed his seat on the panel. The former Manchester United and Ireland captain joined host Pougatch and a panel completed by former England internationals Gary Neville, Lee Dixon and Ian […]

8 years ago

Pick. That. Out. England and Croatia duked it out in a tense yet gripping World Cup semi-final and one man planted his flag early doors. Gareth Southgate’s men got off to a flyer in Moscow and were duly rewarded when they hit the front, courtesy of a cracking free-kick. A neat flick from Jesse Lingard […]

8 years ago

Diarmuid Connolly has already graced one of them, but the other two kits look class too. The home, away and alternate Donegal Boston jerseys are now available for GAA fans to buy. Donegal Boston are garnering a lot of interest, and views to their Facebook live-streams, ever since Diarmuid Connolly was confirmed on their playing […]

8 years ago

Shame about the sponsor getting bumped down the jersey but it’s another beauty. Racing 92 rarely put out a bad jersey and their three offerings for 2018/19 are right up there. Last season’s home kit was top of our list for Top 14 jerseys and we credited it as one of the best in Europe. […]

8 years ago

This World Cup keeps getting better! Just as 28 teams have packed up and headed home from Russia, after their World Cup stints, so have many pundits. It has a been a fun summer interacting with you guys. Another season starting so I will see you guys again next summer! 😉 Let’s pray for a […]

8 years ago

These 11 men are two steps away from permanently adding ‘World Cup winner’ to their CVs. Four teams are left contesting the 2018 World Cup. Four squads of 23 players – 96 men so close to the prize they have craved for so long. For many of the English, Belgian, French and Croatian players, helping […]

8 years ago

A relative steal for a serial Ballon d’Or winner, even at the age of 33. Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus looks set to be tied up in the coming days and, in all the glitz of continental European football, the latest chapter involves a helicopter and a Greek hotel. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ad1kGpIEHN — Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) […]

8 years ago

“I absolutely loved my time at Munster. Even though it was only for one season, it was a time that I really cherish.” Jean De Villiers played just 23 times for Munster, eight years ago, but ask him about his time at the province and you’ll hardly be able to stop the man. The Springboks […]

8 years ago

Ballsiest move of Willo Flood’s career spectacularly backfires. Former Manchester City and Celtic midfielder Willo Flood is back on the hunt for a club ahead of 2018/19. The Dubliner made headlines, last month, when he opted out of his freshly minted contract with Scottish Championship side Dunfermline after just nine days. Flood had made the […]

8 years ago