Being by nature of a modest disposition, I hesitate to trumpet success. But since the success of this site is in no small measure due to the several bloggers, the constant and sometimes hilarious comments (that’s you, Perkin…), I’m going to blow this horn for the past week. Maith sibh! – Well done, all!
Had read the headline, Esteemed Blogmeister, and jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Assuming it referred to the progress of the ROI Keen as Mustard team at the Euros 2016 one had set about a response, adhering to one’s normal 4-4-4 deformation, without giving it a second thought, as per normal.
As follows:
The minor set back against little Belgium ( defenceless, maybe, but an utterly offensive and ungrateful response on the Anniversary of the Somme) was made even worse by the following shock horror comment piece which appeared on the RTE online service.
Nibbed, as it was, by one of the station’s own sports hackitariat, one Ed Guiney:
‘Italian approach required for Azzurri clash’
….We are forever hearing that Ireland are not a cynical team and that of course, is a very noble thought in modern football.
But tripping someone up is not the same as trying to break someone up.
And professional fouling is part of the game of football, and providing it takes place in the right part of the pitch, is punishable by just a yellow card.
These tactical fouls can break momentum, slow down play and relieve that building pressure from an entire team.
So looking ahead to Lille, maybe Ireland just need to take more of a professional approach to this must-win encounter.
In the Italian sense, of course’.
Suffice to say, EB, this is just not good enough coming from a national organ of such global distinction as RTE. What one finds most disturbing is the disregard (callous) for the Best Fans in the World.
Collaterally dissing them is this way as if they were some Yellow Pack of football followers for whom a Yellow Card approach by the team they so joyously and selflessly support, will do the trick.
Thus, with a few strokes of the Nib, the concept of Nobility has been jettisoned and replaced by a cynical call to Nobbledom.
Mind you, the lead headline of the midday news bulletin of RTE just prior to the game on Saturday was n.if not ominous:
-The Republic of Ireland’s game against Belgium will begin at 2 pm.
News ?
When nearly next to nothing but the game had been parsed, arseways and urianalysed every which way on the same station since well, the homeric 1-1 victory over Sveirge on the previous Monday. Only the most dull of svereegits and hermetically sealed of trolls would have been unaware of the time and place of Beilg-le-grein in Bordeaux.
News Headline ?
Now, if the top headline had been, say, onej solitary Irish fan out of our 150,000 green ganseyed diplomats (non-commissioned) had (gulp) uttered something along the lines of:
FE-K !
then that would have been something else indeed, and fully justified the positioning in the pecking order of newsworthy items.
Perhaps, though, the most distressing element of that monumental display of ingratitude by the Belgians was their opting to pick Prince Harry on their team. And in the best social media tradition they named himin the programme (official) under a pseudonym as well – ‘Kevin de Bruyne’.
But that fooled nobody – that shock of red hair, those frisson-transmitting freckles and above all – too obvious, perhaps – the surname suggestive of Britannia ruling the Bruyne thingy.
Little surprise he was given the freedom of le terrain du football by l’equipe of Eire on Samedi.
After all, the pair of Proud to wear a Poppies (Marty and ROI) who warm their botties on the Bainisteoir’s bench (generously upholstered in an upscale way, courtesy of DOB Media ) would have taken a rather dim view (indeed) of the Red Heir to the Throne being, erm, nobbled in any way, shape or form.
Ah Perkin – I hadn’t spotted that Kevin-Harry hair-match until now, although I had scratched my own hairless pate more than once and murmured ‘Now where have I seen those freckled features before?” But your mot juste today must be Nobbledom, that kingdom which first declared its independence in 1966 under the benign and gap-toothed monarch, Prince Nobby…How could we ever forget how he danced?
Once seen, Esteemed Blogmeister, who indeed could ever forget the Wembley Wardance as done by a gap-toothed Nobby Stiles in 1966, with the World Cup as his partner ?
And which refrain is already to be heard at the Euros 2016 – at least till England make their anticipated Brexit:
-We can dance Nobby’s dance
We can even dance it in France.
The Stiles family intertwined with the Giles family when Nobby married a sister of his former Man U teammate, John. (John Giles used to be known as Johnny but that was way back when football knew its place in Ireland and was still called soccer).
Not the only football pair to form a, erm, rhyming couplet. Take, for instance, that regal duo of Di and, yes, Roy.
Lady Di, of course, has some skin in the current Euros as her younger son, Prince Harry, aka Kevin de Bruyne is the mainman of Belgium.
It is a tabloid truth universally acknowledged that Lady Di, not unlike Roy, liked/s a ‘bit of rough’. Check out those freckles and that flaming hair of Prince Harry while bold Roy K, the daarlin’ of Erin, this year celebrates the twentieth anniversary of his most treasured display of roughage.
That was when he kicked the legs from under a Soviet player in Lansdowne Road, by dint of imprinting the studs of his right boot into the left, white stockinged shin of his Red Russian opponent. For which warrior-like behavior the Rebel County Roy (home of ‘de Blood ‘n Bandage’ boy) was duly awarded a perhaps not entirely inappropriate Red Card.
This, erm, Red Letter day he marked yesterday – almost on cue. With his renowned Rasputin-like assault and pepper beard he addressed the media ( in sycophantic syncopation) by urging his players to go one better than the (pusillanimous) Yellow Card strategy proposed by RTE.
Instead, he wishes them, warrior like, to adopt a more militant type RC approach against the Azzurri of Italia. Collapse of mike-tied media in a much-rehearsed motion of awe and admiration.
(RC not being an acronym for Roman Catholic in this case, ar ndoigh/ sans doute)
The versatility of the Boy Roy knows no frontiers; one who can be a, erm, shinner (lower limb s) and a proud wearer of the Poppy (upper lapel P) , both simultaneously and concurrently.
Doublet Couplet
While Stiles and Giles first kicked off the style
They’ve long been out-toffed at the turnstile
Roy of the ROI
Lady Di so coy
Both liked to eye the sox known as Argyle.
Easily the most inclusive, honest and open minded, site in Ireland- (nay -the world)- with the broadest range of contributors and topics.
Well done Jude,…. and your regulars !
Grma, tr – and yourself not least among them all. Tell your friends…
Don’t have any friends Jude….. You should have guessed that !
Too modest, tr – I certainly don’t know that anyone on this site would consider you an enemy.
Twas ‘tongue in cheek’ Jude!!
Good discussion negates the concept of ‘enemy’.
At nearly 9000 hits a week it won’t be long to the advertising companies come knocking asking for space on this site!
I am always amazed at not just the quality of articles but also the sheer quantity you put up during the month.
Well done
Just back in circulation after many Golden Grandaughter -related adventures these past days Jude. gd to hear all is well.
Failte romhat aras aris, PK…
What are sharing clickbacks and shares? Are they good or bad?
(Sotto voce) Um, I dunno. But I think they’re good…
Nah,fiosrach – shares is when someone takes the article and alerts their followers to its existence.
Maith thú Jude, go maire tú an céad!
Grma, Brian…
Jude Congratulations… I love checking in to this site every day and reading all the contributations..good or bad. I’m sorry I don’t post more but sometimes I do feel totally -literally inadequate when I read such terrific replies. Keep up the great work.
Thank you, Angela. I wouldn’t allow myself to be overawed – half of the people commenting here are half-mad… Don’t hesitate to throw in your tuppence worth. Jessica will protect you…
I may be twice as mad as half the people here but half of those are twice as mad as me. 😛
Only half?
And I can’t spell contributiona either!
OMG CONTRIBUTIONS!
A big well done to you Jude. The consistency and quality of your articles is fantastic. More often than not this is the first site I visit on any given day. Thanks for your efforts.
Patrick – yu are too kind – but keep talkin’… Grma.
Congratulations Jude, your blog is my first port of call every morning as I check the world on my computer!
Your articles are entertaining and informative.
Funny, even though I’ve been gone for over 57 years, I know more about my place of birth than I did when I lived there.
Thanks and keep up the good work.
Grma, Jim. You give me heart…