1. “The prerequisite for Con Houlihan’s pioneering role in the development of Irish sports writing was his willingness to engage sport without prejudice. A Kerry native who made no secret of his fandom, such personal preferences merely shaped the dialogue. Dogmatism was to be avoided at all costs.”
Arthur James O’Dea celebrates the work of Con Houlihan, on OffTheBall.com.
2. “The truth is the Newcastle fans are more bystanders than beneficiaries. Their club has been chosen because 13 years of Ashley austerity meant it was cheaper than some other clubs the Saudis would rather have owned. Newcastle’s prize is to become a host organism, the vehicle for a propaganda agenda that has nothing to do with the supporters and their city.”
For the Irish Times, Ken Early prepares for a new north-east reality when football resumes.
3. “It is very unusual, particularly on an English ground, for a standing ovation to be given for an opposing player. It’s the kind of event you might almost attach to an Anfield night, perhaps because Liverpool are a slightly more emotional kind of a football club. It was a proper standing ovation for Ronaldo. A hat-trick away from home.
An oral history of the night Ronaldo lit up Old Trafford in The Guardian.
4. “Leahy started roaring laughing. So did Tommy Dunne and Brian O’Meara. I got a fit of the giggles then. As the shemozzle was breaking up, four or five lads were falling around laughing in front of nearly 50,000 people.
By that stage, we could have some fun with Tipp at our expense because the wheel had turned full circle. And we were no longer the butt of their jokes.
Any resentment I first formed against Tipp was framed from my experience in St Flannan’s. Most of the Tipp borders were sound lads but you still always detected an underlying lack of respect they had for Clare.”
For The Examiner, Anthony Daly looks back on some inter-county slagging that stayed rooted in fraterity.
5. “Just 20 minutes in, Dundalk were 2-0 up and in dreamland. Loughlan and Patmore got the goals and, suddenly, it looked like a partnership had been formed. Van Boxtel also did a lot to enhance his reputation by making a number of great saves. The most notable came when he became the first goalkeeper to deny Eric Cantona from the penalty spot.”
A walk through the 1994 archives, from DundalkFC.com to hail their ninth title success.
