1. “DURING THE SECOND game, City striker Valeri Bojinov sat on the bench eating Kentucky Fried Chicken while early one morning in Bangkok, Hamann arrived at the team hotel after a late night and fell asleep by the pool. He was woken by his manager carrying two glasses of champagne and in his book, The Didi Man, the German revealed, ‘I said: “Boss, what are we celebrating?” He said, “Life, Kaiser. We are celebrating life”. He added, “You know Kaiser, I like this place. I think I’ll come back here and live with two women. Yes. I think I need two beautiful women”. By the end of that summer, one of Shinawatra’s closest advisors, Pairoj Piempongsant, had led him to Sheik Mansour of Abu Dhabi. Shortly after the start of season 2008-09 City became the richest club in the world. Without Shinawatra, would City be where they are now? Was he the vital, if accidental, link in the chain? Or would the Sheik have bought the club anyway? Whatever your view, Shinawatra made £90m from the sale, has homes in six countries and now travels the world on a Montenegrin passport.”
Ian Ladyman’s account of Thaksin Shinawatra’s 2007 purchase of Manchester City in the Daily Mail includes comical anecdotes involving Sven-Goran Eriksen, Stephen Ireland and chain-smoking Vedran Corluka
2. “I was born a few months after Glen. Did everything together. At playschool together, everything,” he said. “When he died, it was a big shock. Even now, when I see his Ma, I don’t know what to say. Glen was out, they went to wake him up and he wouldn’t wake. Glen died at 18. Then Dicey died. He went down to his Ma’s house in Mayo. Died on the sofa. That was a decade ago, but it’s only a few months since O’Brien, who won the BUI Celtic light middleweight title in October, lost another great friend.Me mate, Git… When we were out smoking blow and robbing cars it’d be me and Git and a couple of others. The same crew. We were very close,” he said. “Git was in Mountjoy before the summer and was speaking to his family at seven o’clock in the evening. Then they got a call at 9pm to go to the hospital. They found him unconscious in his cell and rushed him to the hospital. “Great character, brilliant fella. He was 28. Oded. That could have been me, easily could have been me… Young Darren died. Bubbles died. My mate up the road, Marty, died on a motorbike. That’s six of us friends that used to be together all the time. It’s still the norm now, whether it’s Sheriff Street or Summerhill. Some get caught up in stuff, some don’t. My own brother’s a drug addict. That’s unfortunate to see every day. It’s crazy. I still go to Glen’s grave on every fight day.”
The Irish Daily Star’s chief sports Kieran Cunningham speaks to BUI Celtic light middleweight boxer Craig O’Brien, who has had to deal losing a number of loved ones growing up in inner-city Dublin
3. “At the time of Okoye’s retirement, there were only a handful of native-born or first-generation Africans playing in the NFL, but major American colleges and high schools had already begun to recruit from this newfound pool of talent. The influx into the NFL over the past two decades would only proliferate. Okoye’s stardom inspired many native-born and first-generation Africans to play football and dream of playing in the NFL. “It was everything,” said Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, a former Pro Bowl defensive lineman with the Green Bay Packers who is the son of Nigerian parents and grew up in South Central Los Angeles. “I remember looking at Christian Okoye. Just the fact that he was Nigerian was cool. I felt, if he can do it, I can do it, too. I’m delighted to see it [the influx of African players in the NFL].” Gbaja-Biamila was part of a second wave of native-born or first-generation African immigrants to make headlines in the NFL. Nnamdi Asomugha, born to Nigerian parents and raised in Los Angeles, was a Pro Bowl cornerback who played 10 years for the Raiders, Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. Defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora, born in London to Nigerian parents, and Mathias Kiwanuka, the Indiana-born grandson of Uganda’s first prime minister, Benedicto Kiwanuka, teamed up to help lead the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories.”
Sunni Khalid writes about the rise of native-born and first-generation African players in the NFl for The Undefeated
4. “There’s a hugely culturally important scene in the movie So I Married An Axe Murderer, where Mike Myers (playing his own dad) explains How Stuff Works to his son’s friend. “Well,” he barks, “it’s a well-known fact, sonny Jim, that there’s a secret society of the five wealthiest people in the world known as The Pentaverate, who run everything in the world, including the newspapers, and who meet triannually at a secret country mansion in Colorado known as … The Meadows.” The friend humours him by asking who’s in this Pentaverate. “The Queen, the Vatican, the Gettys, the Rothschilds,” comes the reply, “AND Colonel Sanders before he went tits up …” I was reminded of this when I read of the latest theory about football bias: in this case, the notion that Match of the Day pundits, including Ian Wright, are biased against Arsenal. This claim is hotly disputed – mostly by the pundits in question, but also, tacitly, by all the fans of other clubs who know that, actually, it’s their club against which Match of the Day is biased. And the newspapers and the referees. Well – I have news. But before we go any further I want you to be absolutely sure that you want to take football’s reddest pill, because there’s really no going back once you have. OK?”
Marina Hyde of The Guardian exposes the massive media conspiracy against whichever Premier League club you happen to follow
5. “Digital images of perhaps the world’s most famous rapper flash across giant screens. The screens rise toward the ceiling of Little Caesars Arena, the most recent of three new sports venues to emerge in downtown Detroit. It’s where the Pistons play. Near one side of Jay-Z’s 360-degree stage, LeBron James, perhaps the world’s most famous current NBA player, can barely control his fandom as Jay-Z delivers his 1999 hit with UGK, “Big Pimpin’.” James and the rest of his team are in town ahead of a Pistons game. For nearly two hours, the arena is roaring. And as the last few fans spill onto Woodward Avenue — the drag in downtown Detroit that also houses Comerica Park, where the Detroit Tigers play, and Ford Field, where the Detroit Lions play — the party ain’t over. Far from it. That’s because the area is a far cry from what it was 15 years ago, when the downtown landscape was practically bare. Empty and windowless brick buildings were the standard. Every now and again you could fall into a hidden gem — a teahouse in neighboring Corktown, near the old Tiger Stadium, served a good quiche, and crumpets with fresh preserves. But those kinds of places were few and far between.”
Also in The Undefeated, Kelly L Carter wonders if the changes to downtown Detroit brought about by three new arenas will be for the better…
6. “There were no corporate gimmicks to tempt money from the wallets of those attached to him, and trash-talking was left to rivals. ”It’s a little bit old hat, the selling, the talking, the slagging off,” Hatton, 39, tells BBC Sport. ”Sometimes you see people in boxing these days with the gift of the gab saying what they can, name calling to shift tickets. I was one who never did anything like that and I shifted more tickets than anyone. ”If you remain down-to-earth, humble, respectful and do it with a twinkle in your eye, some wit, some charity work, I think that’s what the public prefer to see. ”I go to the boxing, I go to the football, I go to the pub, I play darts for the local team and football for the local team. I was no different to my fans and that’s what they liked.” The formula seems almost too simple. Yet it worked in a way no-one has managed since. It drew in Hollywood too, with actors Brad Pitt and Sylvester Stallone among those to visit Hatton’s notoriously rowdy changing room during his career.”
This week marks 10 years since Ricky Hatton fought Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas, and the Mancuncian reflects a decade on with the BBC’s Luke Reddy
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
The English and French are snipping off their nose to spite their face…..the abolition of the Heineken will destroy Irish provincial teams but it won’t do much for the English and French either……i personally wudnt watch an Anglo/French competition
The French will be fine. The money they get off top14 over trebles the Heino money. This won’t affect them. It will probably improve their league as the clubs will attract the best form abroad.
It’ll be the premiership of rugby in 10 years time.
We are a country with a population of 6 million (NI included), England 54 million and France 66 million. Combined that’s 120million. They don’t care if we watch or not. We are irrelevant really.
Sad state of affairs
In terms of a European competition, at this time we are very relevant. Huge gates, incredible exposure and three sides with a travelling support. Unlike the French clubs who don’t travel or the English clubs with paltry home attendances and major financial issues. This is an attempt to wrench control of the game by a few club owners and the media conglomerates. If its allowed to succeed, teams like Munster & Leinster will survive. Ulster too probably. But the sides in Italy and Scotland? If this isn’t fought tooth and nail then the game will be choked internationally. Rugby does not have the international infrastructure to allow an Anglo French club driven competition. Without the artifical support of the weaker leagues that the present competition gives then the game will shrink into irrelevancy much like its league counterpart.
You have millions of fans waiting to be awoken here in America and Canada, possibly Australia and New Zealand as well.
What needs to happen is a better outreach to markets in North America that still have strong Irish roots (Boston-Washington corridor, Chicago, Halifax, Toronto, etc.)
From there just about any city in North America has some Irish period of immigration and influence.
Figure out how to market it.
The Premier League cracked the US market, and the GAA has it’s sights set on it when their TV contract ends in 2014.
There are still plenty of duel citizens born here. Imagine recruiting potential that exists.
We are irrelevant on the grand scheme of things. They don’t need us long term and they know it. France will be the Premiership.
I’d hate this to happen, it’s just my opinion.
Naturalization is wrong and unhealthy for the game, big countries grow better and small countries like Fiji fail to achieve anything of note. The IRB is killing the game by allowing it.
Look at England with a player pool somewhere in the region of 150,000 and a international team with something 30% of non English born players. We’ve started to follow suit and it angers me, Strauss and next Payne, Stander etc, they are good players but theyre not irish. I want to support an Irish team with Irish players, I don’t want rugby to go the soccer route which is full of mercenaries (mainly on club level) and have no ties to the traditions of the club or country.
Irish rugby would suffer in an Anglo French run competition. But Italian and Scottish rugby would implode. If the Unions don’t stand up to the money hungry clubs now, then it will see Union become like league, played only by a handfull of elite clubs. An Anglo French competition would have limited long term appeal. Let them go, they will be forced to come back.
In my lifetime, the H cup has been one of the best sporting innovations on these islands. In the mid nineties, inter pro games between Munster & Leinster would barely top 500. Now we see great arenas such as Thomond Park & Landsdowne being party to tens of thousands. Yes there had been a sad decline in the All Ireland League, but that unfortunately has been the price of professionalism.
If the RFU clubs get their way, this current era could well be seen as a golden one for Irish rugby, with a sad decline on the way. Irish soccer had its heyday in the 50′s. Let’s all hope that Irish rugby does’nt meet a similar decline…
The English clubs want to gain ownership of the ERC competition , they want to break it in this form and hoover up the pieces on their terms. If the RFU just allocate their ERC places to other English teams there is still a competition and the rebel English clubs are in a difficult place as far as sustainability is concerned. I think this is the best thing for the RFU to do in the short term as it avoids a lot of legal stuff but does not shut the door. If they blindly follow the elite clubs then The RFU has handed over controll of all rugby in England to four or five club owners.
Hopefully that whole sport is abolished soon…. What a waste of time
You stick to your big ball.
You stick to your Heineken Cup…. Oh wait
Troll
Steo or Stephen to people outside of north dublin stick with your sport that know one outside of Ireland knows or cares about.
I’m confused with that comment, is it a dig at northsiders!?
Nelly I know he’s a troll but that argument is so weak and I wish people would stop using it. The only reason anyone other than England play rugby or soccer is collonialism
no dave, it’s not all about you northsiders, Christ get over yourself!!!
Ciaran, What a dumb comment, I don’t recall the Italians being colonised or the French, indeed the last time I looked football or rugby hadn’t really been invented when the Brazilians were last ‘colonised’ maybe you should join a library and get a good history book out. might save you making a prat of yourself on here with infantile comments.
I was just merely going to point out the fact that our greatest ever rugby player is a northsider. Don’t get your knickers in a twist there Pat.
O’connell is from Cork!!!!
Rugby is a rubbish boreing no skill pansie sport. Its for people who have no skill in real sports so they play this garbage. Running around wrestling for an egg. O yes that is entertainment.
David are you talking about dan carter?i think he’s from the north island of New Zealand alright
@paul were you not watching the last 10mins of the all Ireland on Sunday?it looked more like rugby than GAA.
A bit like GAA where there is only two real contenders sometimes in both codes
Ah here, I’m impartial to most sports, be it rugger, soccer, ga, but for someone who is clearly a gaa man, the irony of someone saying rugby is talentless is funny, Gaelic football is easily one of the least talented sports around. Not skillfull enough to play it on the ground so they pick it up and just run with it. Hurling, now that’s a talent but your a Kerry fan so football is your thing.
Hardly soccer is one of the biggest games in the world if not the biggest almost all country’s have a league or a national team and it wasn’t done by colonisation
A very close 2nd ;-)
By the looks ur from Kerry where they play handball and call it football where they fall over as easy as soccer players
I did indeed Nelly watch the Gaa. I Dont really know anything about it. Good game tho. Would like to see a live game at some stage .
Modern GAA is tripe. All it seems to be is pulling & dragging with very little skill. Given the dominance of the hand pass they should change the name to Gand Pass Ball. The final last week was awful. Give me hurling or rugby any day
David l. Im not a Gaa man. Im from London support the mighty Chelsea . Have done my whole life. I only start supporting Kerry this summer as there Irelands most successful Gaa team. I have nothing to do with Kerry. Same as all fans of Manchester u I am now. A moron if you will
He’s from Limerick actually.
Simon in theory can the provincial clubs pull away from the IRFU? I know the IRFU hold the purse strings but could it be done?
They can’t. They’re not clubs, they’re the professional side of each province. They are 100% owned by the IRFU and get close to 80% of their annual budgets from the IRFU.
Indeed, the formal titles are Munster/ Leinster/ Connacht and Ulster Branch of the IRFU, since the founding of each branch…
Munster/ Leinster/ Connacht and Ulster Rugby are effectively their brand names, implemented to protect revenue streams because they cant register Munster/ Leinster/ Connacht or Ulster individually as they are place names …
Why would they want to
Probably not a popular comment but: would love to see the whole Heineken Cup and the bigger leagues disappear and instead have a return to local clubs and local matches similar to the GAA. The disconnect between the big celebrity clubs and roots rugby has become really marked now: used to like going to watch local games. have little or no interest in the Sky Sports level stuff that has taken its place. Dont want to watch the ‘new’ game where you have14 scrum halves or a hooker in the centre and prop on the wing and the out half at full back (or any other tactics designed not to lose a game and the sponsorship that might go with it)
Isn’t that why it went pro in the 90′s!? It was only a matter of time (permitted it was successful) it would go down that route, sadly. Look at the circus that is the Emglish Premier League. Thing is a farce nowaday.
can I please have some of your tablets!!!
what you have just stated would take rugby back into the dark ages!!!
Pop down to your local AIL side any weekend to see a quality amateur game if that’s your thing Alan. I am a Leinster fan and go to a few games a year but i too can tire of it occasionally and really enjoy stopping in Trinity if DU are playing or down to St Mary’s or Skerries if i am out that way, reconnects you with the game! But to say you would like to see an end to professional rugby is a bit much!
When are Ken & Eoin getting their column?
As I understand it the FRU and the RFU have not endorsed the suggested Competition, the English and French Clubs are the one proposing it not their Unions. I also understand that the FRU have recently said they will not support it
There is nothing stopping Ireland joining the RFU & FRU. money talks and the money goes to those who have it.
Scary for the likes of Ulster or Munster to have to rethink their business loans for ravenhill & thomond. Only a matter of time before the players start to move to English & French clubs. Started always
Interesting stuff.The mid 90s rugby league Super League vs ARL in Australia? Greed brought a code to its knees.