- One to sit in for: I think Ireland have a game on Sunday
- One to Sky+: Cork v Kerry on the same day. Only because you might want to watch back the Rebels’ famous win again and again.
- One to miss: I’m not going to be able to fit in the canoeing this weekend.
Friday
Aussie Rules: Carlton v Geelong Cats (ESPN, 10.30am).
Basketball: Oklahoma City Thunder v San Antonio Spurs, Game Seven (ESPN, 2am Sat).
Cricket: Day two of third Test, England v West Indies, (Sky Sports 1 10.30am).
Football: Euro 2012 Group A: Russia v Czech Republic (RTÉ Two, 7.30pm & ITV, 7.15pm); Poland v Greece (RTÉ Two, 4pm & BBC1, 4.15pm).
Darts: UK Open, (Sky Sports 1 7pm).
General: Seó Spóirt, (TG4, 8.30pm).
Golf: European Tour, The Nordea Masters (Sky Sports 2, 12.30pm); PGA Tour, FedEx St Jude Classic (Sky Sports 3, 8pm).
Motorsport: Formula One, Canadian Grand Prix first practice session, (Sky Sports F1, 2.45pm, second practice session, (Sky Sports F1, 6.45pm, Setanta Ireland 6.55pm).
Rugby Union: U20 World Cup, England v Ireland, (TG4, 5.45pm).
Tennis: French Open (Eurosport and ITV4, 11.30am, Setanta Ireland noon).
SATURDAY
Basketball: NBA, Miami Heat v Boston Celtics, (ESPN, 1.30am, Sun).
Canoeing: Slalom World Cup from Cardiff, (Eurosport, 10.30am).
Cricket: Day three of third Test, England v West Indies, (Sky Sports 1, 10.30am).
Darts: UK Open, (Sky Sports 4, 1pm and Sky Sports 1, 7pm).
Football: Euro 2012, Group B: Netherlands v Denmark (RTÉ Two, BBC1, 4.30pm); Germany v Portugal, (BBC1, 7.30pm, RTÉ Two, 7.45pm). Euro 2012 Highlights, (RTÉ Two, 11.10pm). Friendly, Brazil v Argentina, (ESPN, 7.45pm).
GAA: Connacht SFC, Galway v Sligo, (RTÉ Two, 10.15pm).
Golf: European Tour, Nordea Masters, (Sky Sports 3, 12.30pm); PGA Tour, FedEx St Jude Classic, (Sky Sports 3, 8pm).
Horse racing: From Newmarket, (Channel 4, 1.55pm).
Motor racing: Formula One, Canadian Grand Prix third practice session, (Sky Sports F1, 2.45pm), qualifying session, (Sky Sports F1, 5pm, Setanta Ireland 5.55pm). IndyCar Series, Firestone 550, (Sky Sports 1, 1.30am).
Rugby: First Test, New Zealand v Ireland, (Sky Sports 2, 8am); First Test, Australia v Wales, (Sky Sports 2, 10.30am); First Test, South Africa v England, (Sky Sports 2, 3.30pm); Pacific Nations Cup, Fiji v Samoa, (Setanta Ireland, 4.05am); French Top 14 final, TBC, (ESPN 4.45pm).
Tennis: French Open, (ITV4, 12.30pm, ITV1, 1pm, Eurosport, 1.30pm and Setanta Ireland 2pm).
Cork’s Grahan Canty and Eoin Brosnan of Kerry. Pic: INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan
Sunday
Baseball: Major League, Cincinnati Reds v Detroit Tigers, (ESPN, 1am, Mon).
Canoeing: Slalom World Cup from Cardiff, (Eurosport, 10am).
Cricket: Day four of third Test, England v West Indies, (Sky Sports 1, 10.30am).
Darts: UK Open, (Sky Sports 2 1pm, Sky Sports 1, 7pm).
Football: Euro 2012, Group C: Spain v Italy, (ITV1, 4.15pm, RTÉ Two, 5pm); Republic of Ireland v Croatia, (RTÉ Two, ITV1, 7.15pm). Euro 2012 Highlights, (RTÉ Two, 11.45pm).
GAA: Munster SFC, Cork v Kerry (RTÉ 1, 1.30pm); Ulster SFC quarter-final, Armagh on Tyrone, (RTÉ 1, 4pm). The Sunday Game, (RTÉ Two, 10.20pm).
Golf: PGA Tour, FedEx St Jude Classic, (Sky Sports 3, 8pm).
Hockey: London Cup, (Sky Sports 3 12.30pm).
Motor racing: Formula One, Canadian Grand Prix, (Sky Sports F1, 5.30pm, Setanta Ireland, 6.55pm). British Touring Car Championship from Oulton Park, (ITV4, 11.30am). FIA GT1 World Championship from Slovakia, (ESPN, 1.30pm).
Rugby: Pacific Nations Cup, Japan v Tonga, (Setanta Ireland, 6.05am).
Tennis: French Open, (ITV1, 1pm, coverage continues on ITV4 from 4pm, Eurosport 1.30pm, Setanta Ireland, 2pm).
What have you missed?
No they’d be terrible. As a Forest fan, I think the team have been, for the most part playing good attacking football and scoring goals. They’ve been inconsistent – a little soft at the back is all. Due to the influx of cash, the standard in the EFL is far more technically proficient and tactically sophisticated league (at the top end at least) than it was when O’Neill and Keane last managed this division. I’ve seen nothing in their recent work to suggest they have the tactical savvy to do a job for Forest. They certainly don’t have tne man-management skills to get the best out of the modern professional footballer.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: yes because they got to the last 16 of the euros and 90 mins from a World Cup without having a clue about tactics. Sick of people churning out this shpeel about o Neil and Keane.
@Lorcan Cunningham: there was a horrible amount of luck and just plain heart and fight by the players to get there though. When the adrenaline of the Euros died, then the will of the players did too. There’s nothing motivating about playing the same aimless football for the following two years when smaller countries with less talent become more proficient and confident.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Nah! You’ve cherrypicked one example of things working out – and there’s probably one or two other properly “impressive” displays e.g. Germany and Serbia. (But even then what exactly was their tactical master stroke? ) And anyway, the last 12-18 months have been abject – deplorable even – with ZERO semblance of a tactical game plan . And on top of that, you need to be even better man-managers in a club environment because of player/agent-power. The two lads are beyond abysmal in that department.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: last 12 months things crumbled due to injuries/retirements. The lads were at the helm for some memorable nights for Irish football over their tenure, nights that had been lacking for a decade. Get off the o Neill’s a dinosaur bandwagon lads it’s embarrassing.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: I don’t think anybody could disagree with you . O’Neill would be absolute disaster for Forest. In fact I think he would be a disaster for any team. If you want to watch dross week in week out, get Big Sam. At least you would have some chance of promotion
In the context of management, to mention Brian Clough and Martin O’Neill in the same sentence is sacrilegious. Brian Clough was one of the greatest football managers who ever lived. Martin O’Neill was at best a journeyman manager.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: The Big Sam thing was a joke by the way. You should also pray the don’t get Big Sam.
@Lorcan Cunningham: I’m not on the “dinosaur bandwagon” apropos of nothing (like I’d never bring it up for the sake of getting a dig in – that’d be puerile, and indeed embarrassing) …I only make the case for his lack of tactical nous in making the case against his being considered for the role
@CrabaRev: Ha! I get you! To be honest, we’ve almost been relegated for the past few seasons, been banned from the transfer market for FPA transgressions, had parts of the stadium closed off etc. I just think that being 4 points off a promotion spot in mid January isn’t a bad place to be, and this manager should have been given more time and resources.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Not as embarrassing as O’Neill himself. From his amazing lack of on-field tactics, to his total lack of regimented training sessions (no practicing of set piece defending?!) to his contemptuous attitude to the Irish media and Tony O’Donoghue in particular.
The man belongs in the dustbin of history, and should be let nowhere near any professional setup.
Let’s see what they can do when they can actually buy in players unlike international football. The ‘we haven’t got the footballers’ excuse would work here
He wasn’t fired!
“RUNNN FORREST RUNNN”
I’d like to see Keane work as a No. 2 for a manager who plays attacking football such as Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez.
1. Karanka was not fired – he resigned, as per the club website.
2. In what parallel universe would either O’Neill or Keane be a good fit for Forest? A generation of Forest fans were brought up on free flowing passing football as practiced by Brian Clough. The younger ones want this to remain as the club ethos – we do not want to watch ‘$hit on a stick’ football with no real tactics as played by O’Neill sides. Clough once famously said “if god had wanted football to be played in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there”. O’Neill has never heeded his mentor’s coaching philosophy as a manager, somewhat ironic given that O’Neill was a cultured playmaker himself.
No, two coaches we definitely do not want to see employed at the City Ground are Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.
@Colm O’Sullivan: I hope it’s neither of those two. I’ve a feeling it could be Jokanovic
Always liked O’Neill as a manager, gave Leicester a great belief when they were down and out! I don’t think he will be considered though…feel Marinakis will look for someone like Mark Hughes or David Moyes
That is ironic; good last line.
Daryl Murphy will end up there if Roy Keane goes there, Roy Keane and Daryl Murphy go together just as well as Harry Redknapp and Nico Kranjcar
@Eddie Dillon.: Daryl Murphy is already there.
@Eddie Dillon.: Ah jaysus Eddie