For the day that's in it (2)

Easter Sunday is a notorious time for silent collections in the pubs around the border counties and a lot more come out wearing Easter lilies than went in.

Released under Freedom of Information laws thirty years after it was taken, the above photograph shows locals responding to the playing of "A Nation Once Again" in Dorrians pub in Ross na Kill, Co Donegal.

In those dark and distant days, misguided allegiance to the cause was commonplace and it was also relatively easy for a few dominant personalities to force less assured members of society to contribute large sums of money to the struggle. The picture above illustrates this - the cell leader is on the left and note the definite pointing of the fingers in aggressive support of the underlying lyrics in the rebel song. The two new members (the targets) appear uncertain, looking for guidance from the leader and the one in the leather jacket almost appears to be waving - quite pathetic. Can't see him lasting long in the organisation and I bet they took him down the beach and battered the shit out of him the following afternoon.

Easter Sunday 1980.

Five out of five for Blues

Good start to the season for the Blues - played 5 won 5, scored 10 conceded 2. As they say we'll take that.

We might have got a bit lucky with the goal that put us 2-1 up last night as it looks a bit offside. Purcell's ball from the left fed Sullivan, who tapped into an empty net.

Poetry - Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Glory be to God for dappled things
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
Landscape plotted, pieced -fold, fallow and plough;
And all trades, their gear, tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled, (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

Mike gets this weeks' Leeds result

Jesus, Mike your team are totally fucked (with apologies to the NIB censor).

Your next challenge is to win a place in the play-offs. Not sure if they're up to it.

Rochdale AFC

Hearing that Darren Bent had taken three penalties against Spurs, scoring only one of them, led me to think of a couple of other matches involving multiple penalty awards. Firstly I remembered Pat Jennings saving two penalties at Anfield towards the end of the 70-odd years when we couldn't win there (1974 to be exact), but then I immediately thought of Bary Conlon's two goals for Chesterfield yesterday afternoon (again) against Division 2 league leaders Rochdale.



Nothing to spectacular nor controversial about either penalty, but it's just that they begin to undermine, only slightly, Rochdale's push for the title. They are being hotly pursued by Notts County, who are buoyed by (jailbird) Lee Hughes's goals as they put together a fine string of form.

When I despair at Tottenham's constant inability to deliver (substitute Mike Leeds or Brian Everton for I Tottenham), we should really think of the loyal Rochdale supporters as they enter the last couple of months of the season.

Rochdale AFC joined the Football league in 1921 and for all but five of their years in existence, they have resided in the lowest division of the league. They won promotion once, in 1968-9 and held their place in Division 3 (as it was then) for five years. Their most notable cup success was getting to the final of the second Football League Cup in 1961-2 where they lost to Norwich - since then in the same competition they have gone out in every year in either the first or second round. That's 48 years of early exits.

So, next time you get frustrated at your team (Mike take note) think of the poor people of Rochdale! Here's hoping they have a good run-in.

For the day that's in it

Photograph taken on the Via Dolorosa in May 2007.

Thick or what?

In the African Cup of Nations two months ago, the Togalese team were attacked by terrorists and three of their entourage were shot dead. Emmanuel Adebayor was part of that squad and, in dressing on Wednesday week (the day Everton beat them 2-0) he appeared totally insensitive to the nature of the attack. The Guardian (again) picked up the issue and featured his picture wearing the offensive t-shirt. If only he had the same t-shirt sense as the four poofs with the piano.



I suppose it's hard to expect more from a man who continues to display shameful behaviour as he did in celebrating his goals for Manchester City in front of the Arsenal fans earlier this season, in a breathtaking display of aggressive arrogance. He could do well to take a leaf out of Robin Hood's book by having the good grace not to celebrate having scored against a former team.



Adebayor needs to crawl back under the rock from where he came.