This man was my bombers, my dexy's, my high ......

Times were tough in the late seventies for the Blues with several barren years, compounded by the rise of the hateful Rovers, inspired by the legion of returning emigrees - Gilesy, Treacy, Dunphy - and the foreigners from West Brom - Lynex, John Osborne and the like. We had precious little to sheer about until a young lad from Everton arrived and set the place alight. Single-handedly he challenged the authority from Glenmalure.

The pinnacle may have come later (with the Cup Final win against Pat's in 1980) but the day that we'll always remember him for was the cup semi-final at Dalymount Park in 1979 against the Hoops - three minutes left and Syd strikes home a penalty, then climbs on the fence in front of the Shed as the surge of hatred from the Hoops fans commenced. What did it matter that he looked like a total poof - we all did in those days.

That evening we drank in the Merrion Inn, with the sound of "Hit Syd" still loud in our ears.

Frisbee 3

Well in Brian!

Oh shit.....

Mark Cusick - an apology

I had a nice email from Mark enquiring if he could add comments to the blog and protesting his innocence at the near break-up in our life-long friendship which developed in November 2007.

Mark maintained that as quizmaster he did not realise the bunch of small-minded, self-obsessed juveniles he was dealing with and therefore did not approach the task with the appropriate level of authority. His approach of "let's come to an agreement" - which might work in the litigation ridden Yoonited States - clearly could not work for teams whose introduction to quizzes was via Bunny Carr on Quicksilver and who might have sat through weekends of endless ribbing in Donegal because your weakest link (usually the current MD of Capita) couldn't deliver on the year Gandhi was assassinated.

Mark - you were right - it was not your fault on that fateful night and our behaviour was disgraceful - but please remember - in a written quiz, you simply cannot accept Trinity's assertion of "yes, same here" when they have clearly written down a contrary answer. Until you understand this fundamental principle, the quiz books will remain way from your grubby little hands. See picture above.

Sally O'Brien and the way she might look at you

You could fry an egg on Sally O'Brien - if you had an egg.

Another Rugby Trip

Nine months later, it was off to Scotland with Hartnett dropped for Murphy and Nolan brought in to bolster a weakened defence. We really had to have someone who knew something about rugby. I was going through my "Deerhunter" stage and the only way for Mike to get into the photographs was to climb on Clifford's back.

This trip introduced us to Volvo cars (or at least some of us), flying pizzas, shaving foam and fire extinguishers among other things but the highlight was telling Jill and Marie on the morning of travel that they were now surplus to requirements. Humble beginnings.

Paris in the Springtime

March 1982 - Ireland had won the Triple Crown and were seeking the Grand Slam in Paris. A motley crew of misfits and liggers, headed by the Dutch diaspora, headed to France for the final encounter. Gazing at this photograph, it's easy to gauge the kind of inspiration Slattery and Duggan got that eventful day as they gazed into the crowd and said "Come on boys, let's do it for the fans".

The history books will record forever a comprehensive French victory.

Gerry we saved you from this

Gerry, you were days away from becoming a serious problem back in 1975 and now looking back I still don't think you realise you owe us big time. We let you get dressed up for the first one or two nights but as soon as we heard the girls making snide comments, we said enough was enough and we decided to persuade you it was "Bye Bye Baby" to the tartan gear. Cruel I know, but necessary if you were to cut the mustard on the dancefloors of Belvedere. Remember it was a jungle out there and while it was hard enough to break into the circle of handbags, it was virtually impossible when you were dressed up like a Scottish prick with trousers that only went to your knees.

I know you've never been able to totally rid your self of your love for Les McKeown and what you do in private is your own business, so, for the next lonely night when the past comes back to haunt you just sit back and relax ...........

What will we do from now on without timber?

Early Irish Eco-warriors dear to our hearts:

Cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan adhmad ?
Tá deireadh na gcoillte ar lár
Níl trácht ar Cill Chais ná a teaghlach
Is ní chluinfear a cling go brách
An áit úd ina gcónaíodh an dea bhean
Fuair gradam is meidhir thar mhná
Bhíodh iarlaí a tarraingt thar toinn ann
Is an tAifreann binn á rá

Ní chluinim fuaim lachan ná gé ann
Na fiolair ag éamh cois cuain
Ní fiú na mbeacha chun saothair
A thabharfadh mil agus céir don slua
Níl ceol binn milis na n-éan ann
Le hamharc an lea ag dul uainn
Ná an chuaichín i mbarra na gcraobh ann
O's í a chuirfeadh an saol chun suain

Aicim ar Mhuire is ar Íosa
Go dtaga sí arís chugainn slán
Go mbeidh rince fada ag dul timpeall
Ceol veidhlín is tinte cnámh
Go dtógfar an baile seo ár sínsear
Cill Chais breá arís go hárd
Is go brách nó go dtiocfaidh an díle
Nach bhfeicfear é arís ar lár

Hostel on Inishbofin

Treated my wife and kids to a no-expenses spared trip to Inishbofin Island last week. We stayed in the only Hostel on the Island ("blue baskets for your food and write your name on the milk carton - we've had some problems lately") - remarkable similarities to when I trooped around Ireland with you guys and a few other other misfits back in 1973 and 1974. It was all to come back then - 36 years and counting.

Art McCooey running to Killarney with a 15 ton rucksack, Richard Hudson stroking pussy in Black Valley, Gerry (was it you?) ripping the blanket off the Maharishi somewhere along the line, first drinks in Corrantouhill and robbing potatoes on the way home. Riding a tractor for hours into some arsehole of a place and letting the Sea Scouts ruin our food in Foulksrath Castle.

And if I sat round the fire and talked of some of these simple pleasures to my kids, they'd have said we were fucking mad. And you know we weren't - not in the slightest. Electricity arrived on Inishbofin in 1982.

Not all good news

Not all good news on the football front as the Blues have gone a little astray of late - above shows the UCD goal which gave them a 1-0 victory at the RSC yesterday evening. I'm beginning to know how Brian feels these days.

I like the look of the tables

100% records for Spurs Leeds and Chelsea and 0% for Everton - who would have believed this a few short weeks ago? Have to say I'm a little bit excited about the events round Tottenham way - everyone, literally everyone is getting their nails done in celebration. I take my two sons over this Saturday and if Birmingham come and if they spoil the party, there will be hell to pay. I'll have the West Yorkshire Constabulary in as quick as you can utter "stitch-up".

Can't believe Gerry is getting too excited about nine out of nine but the question has got to be - when will they get a manager who can speak English?

Leeds - still defiant it would appear.

And as for the toffees - it really looks like all is not well as Liverpool's second club. Moyes is right in excluding Lescott but the problem with these antics is the damage it does to world-class performers like Hibbert and Osman. Their minds stray from what they can do for the club and become focused on what they can achieve when Inter Milan or Barcelona come in for them. We had it last year with Dimitar "no-goal" Berbetov and Boomerang Keane and it nearly fucked us. Thankfully the only real casualty was Ramos and did we pull a stroke by offering the hidden loot to Arry. And it's all upwards now................

Impudent Ernie

Remember this?

Fantasy League

Good start boys - four reasonable performances. All of us got going with the bell - no warm-ups needed.

And we're off 2009/10

So the season is underway and that horrible period of nothingness called the close season is over. Normal life resumes and our days can now be spent in endless pursuit of information, fantasy, rumour and conjecture relating to the Premiership (and of course Division 1).

Horrible start for Everton and I think this could be a difficult season with real challenges repeating the strong performances of the last few years. What odds on Moyes to leave this year?

Chelsea did enough - surprisingly it was 2-1 and not 1-0. After yesterday, Liverpool appear a spent force, and with Berbatov dragging United down to his mediocrity, Gerry I think it will be your year. If the Arse come through Arsene Wanker will have to be awarded manager of the Century.

Leeds - six out of six - good start - eventually fulfilling their promise? The ghost of Brian Clough does however hover.

And the lane - false hopes again - but we'll enjoy them while we can. Superb performance outclassing the Redscum.

Good luck to all as this beautiful affair develops.

Well done Leeds!

Good start Mike - Darren Beckford got two - remember his name for lunchtime on the next trip.

Kildare 0 Waterford 2

It's that man Cummins again.

The day we went to the Arse

The day Brian and I went to the Arse a few years ago, a little fat prick called Rooney scored a magnificent goal and all the Toffeemen went crazy. Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way.

Fuck, this Irish guy is absolutely bonkers

Despite years and years of training at the Charlton Athletic and England Academy, Darren Ambrose was quite simply not ready for the line of questioning that came from our intrepid reporter.

There's only two Sol Campbells

What do these men have in common (clue on the balloon).

Judas Iscariot.

UCD 1 Waterford 3

It's that man Cummins again.

Luggala - Smokers warm up & the new generation

Excellent performance from the smokers team today, drawing 1 - 1 with the non-smokers on Portsalon beach. An excellent game was spoiled only by McCooey's cynical tactics of trying to nail the entire opposition with his hob-nailed FCA boots, which as Brian pointed out the free distributuion of which was the only reason Art decided to protect our shores by joining An Forsa Cosanta Aitiul.

Half-time entertainment was in the form of a boxing match between Byrne and Hartnett, stopped in the third round by a vicious below the belt strike to Bomber Byrne's bollox.

Mervue 0 Waterford 2

It's that man Cummins again.

The Beautiful Game

Came across this fabulous photograph in the Telegraph today (sincere apologies - I only buy it for the football) and it sums up the indefatigable attraction of the beautiful game. The scene overlooks Kabul and in the midst of the horror and turmoil prevailing in their country, soccer provides a welcome respite. It'll be a while before they're fighting over who plays out-half.

More frisbee

If you look closely enough, you can see the frisbee in the centre of the picture above the combatants. Hartnett sits on his arse (a typical pose), Nolan hovers, Coll and Ryan jostle, and McCooey stays out of the fray and wonders "Is this the end of the world?"