February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Without question the most hardcore professional player to cross the water has put an end to the sappy days when young fans cried watching the F.A. Cup final. The roller-coaster emotion of watching Irish players of yore no longer exists. In the 1970s and ’80s many a tear fell when two of the most dramatic figures failed and triumphed in what used to be one of the best cup finals in the world to watch. Liam Brady and Norman Whiteside sat most of the Irish nation down in their living rooms to watch the fabled FA Cup.
When the big stage was set, Liam “Chippy” Brady mesmerized Irish fans and millions around the world with his educated left foot. His passing was in a dimension that only other greats like John Giles and Liam Whelan reached. George Best is right in there when it comes to the wizardry of changing the game by spreading the ball. Best, of course, was the greatest of all romantics in the game for the Irish. Back in the very early Best days, a TV was considered a luxury. In Ireland, as in most other nations, soccer was and still is a sport for the less well off. But once Best’s talents were exposed on TV, the nation was hooked, as was the football world. There were great footballers before him, but none was better than the boy from Belfast. And Best loved the new media call TV. He was in his element when documented on the screen. And it was romantic. The fifth Beatle had arrived and with it came his love of the Irish and the fans, North and South.
On a big occasion like a cup game Best brought the nation to a halt. It was a time of celebration as our heroes carried the flag, and Best was the most exceptional athlete of them all. He won over the hearts of millions. Week in and week out, if Best was on BBC’s “Match of the Day” nobody missed his wizardry. And when it was cup time there was no chance of missing of not watching the Manchester United star. And like all great romantic stories Best’s ending was a tragedy. His alcohol addiction, and his decline, was evident for all to see even while he was still playing. It didn’t matter because for many Irish people, there will never be another Georgie and those fans prefer to remember that Best was the greatest. That’s romance.
The next great talent from the North was big Norman Whiteside. In 1982, he famously became the youngest ever to play in the World Cup finals. (Best, one of the greatest ever to play the world game, never made it a World Cup tournament.) Big Norman took no prisoners and became the most feared forward around. He was as deceptively skillful as he was strong. When he scored in the final of the FA Cup it didn’t matter what team you supported. That day everybody was a Whiteside winner. He definitely had that something special about his character that the Irish loved.
Probably the last of the romantics was Liam Brady. Poetry in motion was the teenager from Dublin with the long straggly hair when he first played at the top level in the mid-70s. If you witnessed the 1979 Cup final when Arsenal beat Manchester United, 3-2, it was a roller-coaster that you’ll never forget. Wembley back then flew tricolors. Irish fans crossed over to Brady’s Gunners that day. But since then, things have changed.
A young man from Cork arrived at Nottingham Forest. He was to be the next Irish figure to take Irish fans on a love-hate relationship that was not necessarily romantic. Indeed it was far from it. Roy Keane was obsessed with winning from day one. He dominated English football with a hardcore attitude that was not all about entertainment. At first his athleticism got him through games. His appetite and endurance became his trademark when he joined United. Once he won the captain’s arm band at Old Trafford, the ’90s became history. Keane the ice-cool midfielder who grew in confidence to become a playmaker. However, Irish fans were not enthralled by Keane’s creativity. His attitude on the field stopped everybody in their tracks. A mental attitude that was to drive Manchester United to a Champions League title and domestic titles one after other. His relentless efforts based on a defensive characteristic, perhaps second to none in the world, had nothing romantic about it. For Keane it was and still is about a winner’s attitude not the stereotypical “fighting Irish.”
Keane is not associated with the romance of the FA Cup. League titles and European competition are where it’s at for Keano. Two of the reasons why he left the World Cup in the first place. When that happened the Irish nation became divided between Keane and Mick McCarthy. Keane continues his ways, as shown by his red-card against Porto in the CL. One of the most controversial footballers in the world, whether he likes it or not, is far from the romantic figure. The adoration that the Irish nation has for Keane is simply not the same as it was for Best, Brady and Whiteside. Perhaps Robbie Keane and Damien Duff come closest evoking passion in the Irish fans.
There is however a story in the making. It’s at Sunderland. It seems Mick McCarthy is not quite finished with his relationship with the Irish fans. On board for Sunderland’s cup run are Phil Babb, Gary Breen, Jason McAteer. The Black Cats face the winners of the Tranmere Rovers/Millwall replay. Right now, McCarthy has put a smile back on the faces of Sunderland fans — but has he done the same for the Irish? While the other semi, United vs. the Gunners, is the game to watch, is it more interesting from an Irish point of view to see how Sunderland get on? Perhaps we’re being a little sentimental, but maybe Cup romance lives on for the Irish? What an enthralling prospect it would be to have Sunderland and United in the final of the FA Cup?