February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Sean Creedon Roy Keane is reported to be furious at the implication from the Manchester United board that his massive wages have been directly responsible for an increase in season ticket prices at Old Trafford. Keane has received hate-mail from disgruntled season tickets holders who face paying more than twice the rate of inflation to renew their tickets.
United supporters had got a letter from club secretary Ken Merrett explaining the reasons behind the price rise. Keane’s new contract, which is reported to be worth £52,000 a week to the Corkman, was mentioned in the letter.
Keane’s agent Michael Kennedy denied reports that Keane had thought about pulling out of United’s recent league game against Middlesbrough. "I know Roy was furious, but he is a professional, under contract and is obliged to fulfill his obligations. If Roy had left United, they would have to pay a lot of money to sign a replacement, whose wages would have been a lot more,” said the London-based solicitor, who acts for several of the Irish players in England.
Bray are champs
Bray Wanderers are the Eircom League first division champions.
The Wicklow club clinched the title on Saturday night when they beat Limerick 2-1. It’s a quick return to the Premier Division for Bray; they were relegated last season. Also going up to the Premier Division for the first time in its history is Longford Town.
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Shels for the double?
Shelbourne will be bidding for their first-ever League-Cup double when they meet Bohemians in Sunday’s FAI Harp Lager Cup Final at Tolka Park.
Bohs and Shels were founder members of the League of Ireland in 1921 and, believe it or not, this will be their first ever cup final meeting. However, they did meet in the Irish Cup Final in Belfast, when both clubs were members of the Irish League.
Woes of youth
The Republic of Ireland youth team have failed to qualify for the European Championships this Summer. The side was beaten 2-0 by France in Dublin last Wednesday.
The Irish had drawn the first leg 0-0 in Brest and having secured such a good away result, were favorites to go through. But, of course, you can never be sure of anything in football.
Cascarino staying in France
Tony Cascarino, the Republic’s most capped player, is staying on in France for another year. Cas, who has been playing for Nancy, has now signed a one year contract with French third division side Red Star 93.
The 37 year-old described the offer from the Paris-based club as "one I couldn’t refuse." Cascarino will see out the season with Nancy, a side struggling to stay in division one.
At the other end of the scale Irish under 21 international Gary Doherty is on his way up. The highly rated defender has joined Tottenham from Luton Town for a transfer fee in the region of £1 million.
GAA ‘tongue in cheek’
GAA President Sean McCague says that former President Peter Quinn was speaking "tongue in cheek" when he suggested at the recent GAA congress that the GAA should sell Croke Park to the government for it to be used as the National Stadium.
But whether he was joking or not, the comment has got opposition spokesman urging the government to talk to the GAA.
The government is pushing ahead thanks to a £50 million donation from racehorse owner J. P. McManus for Stadium Ireland near Blanchardstown in North Dublin.
And the FAI is awaiting planning permission for Eircom Park on the southside of the city. So in the next few years, Dublin could have three major stadia competing with one another to hold big games and concerts.
Hurling
Limerick’s hurlers have agreed to play their Church & General National Hurling League semifinal against Tipperary in Thurles on Sunday next, April 30. The other semifinal between Galway and Waterford will also go ahead at Semple Stadium.
Murphy rejoins Dublin
Burly full-forward Vinny Murphy has rejoined the Dublin senior football panel for the upcoming Leinster Championship campaign.
Murphy spent a few years working in Tralee and playing for Kerins O’Rahilly’s, but was snubbed by the Kerry selectors. Now he could win a place in Tommy Carr’s team for the championship. His last championship in the famous blue jersey was as a sub against Tyrone in the 1995 All-Ireland final.
"We’ll be taking a close look at him over the coming weeks," Carr said. "He still has the touches, but we’ll have to see how he reacts to our training regime. There will be greater flexibility this year with five subs being being allowed so it’s an aspect of this year’s championship which every manager will be examining closely."
Good news for Galway
Good news for Galway footballers in the run-up to the Connacht Championship. Star forward Michael Donnellan, who has been playing soccer for Galway United, was back training with the Galway senior squad last week.
Donnellan, the GAA Player of the Year in 1998, has not played for Galway since the Connacht final defeat by Mayo last Summer.
Rugby
Former Irish outhalf Eric Elwood may be playing his club rugby in France next season. Elwood has been offered a one-year contract with Connacht, but he may get a more lucrative deal from a French club.
Meanwhile it’s unlikely that Brian O’Driscoll, Ireland’s hero against France last month, will move to France this summer. O’Driscoll is expected to stay in Ireland with Blackrock College.
Barbarian at the gate
Former Sprinbok flanker and World Cup winning captain Francois Pienar will captain the star-studded Barbarians against Ireland at Lansdowne Road on May 28. The ‘Ba-Bas will also a host of World stars including Jonah Lomu in a match to celebrated the IRFU’s 125th anniversary. The game will kick off a hectic month for Ireland, with games in Buenos Aires, Boston and Toronto on the following weekends.
Boxer Barrett annoyed
Galway-born Francie Barrett is still annoyed with the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) that they didn’t give at least one chance to qualify for the Sydney Olympics. The policy of the IABA has been to send only the national champions and then they have to pre-qualify — and Francie didn’t win a national title this year.
"All I wanted was one qualifier. Fighting in Ireland is one thing, but when I’m fighting for a place in the Olympics, I’m a different fighter. For the last Olympics, I qualified at the hardest qualifiers of all, the European Championships in Denmark. I am devastated. If they gave me just one chance, just one qualifier would do me. I know in my own heart and soul I would have brought back a medal from the Olympics, but it’s all over now."
However, Chick Gillen, Francie’s first trainer in Galway, said that Barrett has no claim to a place in Sydney. "The IABA treated Francie very well. They sent him to Florida for a month’s training. No way would Francie have won a medal. His style has changed since he went to England and for the worse. He’s not a patch on the fighter he was. Francie is talking about turning professional. That won’t suit him, because he is not wicked enough and he is not dirty enough,” said the Galway barber.
Barrett also said he moved to England to avoid other travellers in Galway who, he says, won’t stop issuing challenges to fight. Last year my father and I were nearly killed by other travellers who keep wanting to fight me on the streets.