February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Souness, who replaced Bobby Robson as manager at St. James’ Park earlier in the season, said: “It’s a worry, we just don’t know when Stephen will be able to play again. The tendon is a problem again and it’s the same knee that was operated on while Steve was with Spurs.”
Carr missed the Republic of Ireland’s games in the World Cup finals in 2002 through injury but made a full recovery and played in all four 2006 World Cup qualifying games last autumn. It seems certain that Carr will miss the Feb. 9 friendly against Portugal at Lansdowne Road.
CATS RECRUITED,
OTHERS FACE CHOP
The Kilkenny senior hurling panel is currently holidaying in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, but some must be worrying that they will not wear the black and amber after their return home on Jan. 17. Prior to their departure for the U.S., Kilkenny manager Brian Cody and his selectors added five newcomers to the squad: Eoin Larkin (James Stephen’s), John Tennyson and Richie Power (Carrickshock), Willie O’Dwyer (Mullinavat) and Colin Herity (Dunamaggin). But they didn’t drop any player from the old panel and that won’t be done until the squad flies back.
HURLER QUITS
CORK SQUAD
Mickey O’Connell is out of the Cork senior hurling squad for 2005. The Youghal clubman announced last week that he would not be making himself available for selection.
O’Connell, a brilliant midfielder when on his game, won a senior All-Ireland medal with Cork in 1999 but started only one of Cork’s games in last year’s championship. His last appearance in the red jersey was against Wexford in the All-Ireland semifinal last August. Cork used only one sub, John Browne, in the final.
Even though Cork have changed managers for 2005, the new man, Bertie Og Murphy, was a selector under Donal O’Grady and O’Connell obviously felt that under the current set up he couldn’t win back a regular place in the team.
FOOTBALL MUST
TAKE BACK SEAT
Everybody in the GAA world knows Kilkenny hurling manager Brian Cody. But not many GAA people could tell you much about Kilkenny’s new senior football manager, Dick Mullins. Laois native Mullins is a former cross-country runner, but he has been making a name for himself as football coach with the Erin’s Own club in Castlecomer and he got his intercounty career off to a great start with a win over Athlone IT College in the first round of the O’Byrne Cup. It was Kilkenny’s first O’Byrne Cup win since 1988. Mullins has appealed to the clubs in the county to make players available for the football panel.
“So far we have got a good response from some of the clubs in the country in our quest for players,” he said. “But to be honest, when the hurling starts in earnest again and they start cracking the whip for training, the players are inclined to give up football in favor of hurling.”
If the Kilkenny football job is an unenviable job, then so is the hurling job in Kerry. Gerry Molyneaux from Rathkeale is the new man in the Kerry hot seat, taking over from Maurice Leahy. Molyneaux will have three selectors: Mike McKenna (Lixnaw), Denis Flaherty (Kilmoyley) and D.J. Leahy (Causeway). The team will be trained by former Kerry football star Ger Power. Kerry will not play in the Munster senior hurling championship this year but will compete instead in hurling’s second level for the inaugural Christy Ring Cup.
PAUL DARRAGH
DIES AT 51
The sudden death occurred at his home in County Meath last week of former international showjumper Paul Darragh, at the age of 51. It’s believed he suffered a heart attack. The Killiney, Co. Dublin, native was one of the country’s most successful international competitors in a career that lasted 35 years. He was a member — with Eddie Macken, Capt. Con Power, and James Kernan — of the team considered the most talented to ever have represented Ireland, and which took the Aga Khan Cup three years running (1977-79).
O’CONNOR SUBMITS
WRITTEN DEFENSE
Today is D-Day for Irish Olympic medal winner Cian O’Connor after the Equestrian Federation last week granted him a three-day extension. The County Meath-based rider’s solicitor was due to make a written defense on last Friday but was granted another extension. This is the third extension granted to the rider by the FEI. Initially he was due to submit his defense on Dec. 2, but this was deferred until Dec. 13 and then deferred again until Jan 7. But, of course, it will take some time before a decision is made and O’Connor is granted a follow-on oral hearing later this month in Switzerland.
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GREEK TAKES
CYPRIOT JOB
Cyprus, who are in the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup group, have a new manager. He is former Greek international Angelos Anastassiades, who has been working with the Paok Salonika club. He replaces Momcilo Vukotic, who was sacked after getting just one point from their opening five World Cup games. Brian Kerr’s team beat Cyprus 3-0 at Lansdowne Road last September and the second leg in Nicosia on Oct. 8 is Ireland’s final game in the group. Cyprus’s last international win was 18 months ago when they beat Malta 2-1.
LIMERICK READY
FOR COMEBACK
Noel O’Connor is back as manager of Limerick FC. O’Connor spent two seasons with Cork City as assistant to Pat Dolan but has now returned to Shannonside, where he replaces Mike Kerley.
Limerick have been in the soccer doldrums for the couple of decades. They won the league under future Irish boss Eoin Hand in 1979 and three years later won the FAI Cup with rugby international Tony Ward in their team. But Limerick FC have gone downhill since then. Now a new owner, Danny Drew, is on board and he predicts that a new 7,000-seat stadium will be in place at Hogan Park, Rathbane, within five years.
SETANTA FINAL
SET FOR MAY 21
The draw for the new North-South soccer competition will be made on Jan. 27. The teams taking part will be Shelbourne, Cork City and Longford Town from the Eircom League, and Glentoran, Linfield and Portadown from the Irish League. The competition gets under way on March 15, with the final fixed for May 21.
The competition will be sponsored by Setanta, who will provide exclusive television coverage of the competition. Dublin has provisionally been fixed as the venue for the inaugural Setanta Cup final, but that could change depending on the finalists. There have been various interleague competitions down through the decades, but the Troubles put an end to the cross-border competition.
PRODIGALS RETURN
The Gallagher cousins Rory and Raymond are back playing with Fermanagh. Both had walked out on the county two years ago after a row with the county board and joined Dublin club St. Brigid’s. There was much speculation that Rory would get a call up to the Dublin panel, but it never happened. The cousins lined out again for their native county in the Dr. McKenna Cup game against Donegal on Jan. 2.
And Graham Geraghty is back. It was feared that the former Meath captain may retire from intercounty football after he was handed a 48-week ban by the Meath County Board last year. Geraghty played rugby for a while, but is now back with the Royals for 2005.
LEESIDE HOSTS
SOCCER WRITERS
Cork is the European City of Culture this year and a host of sporting events are planned for Leeside during 2005. One of the first will be the Irish Soccer Writers’ Banquet at the Rochestown Park Hotel on Saturday. This will be the first year for the awards to be held outside of Dublin. The Soccer Writers’ Player of the Year will be named and various other awards will be made. The Eircom League will also break with tradition and hold their AGM in Cork on Feb. 5.