Cathal Dervan Lover's Unite and shed a tear for the FAI

[Barney]

Saw this on anfearrua.com. You have to laugh

From today's Star, some soccer perspective!

GAA WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN TO SEE RIVAL SPORT DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY

Stadium shambles leaves soccer in an almighty lurch

Cathal Dervan - The Star

It is the time of year to spare a thought for the homeless — so let's wish the FAI well as the world gangs up against them yet again in their search for a new home for Irish soccer. Let's face it folks, those of us in the Irish football family are facing into another spell as the nomads of the nation's sporting community. From the Lansdowne Road residents to the Michael Guiney suits in Drumcondra and on to the Tallaghtban of the West Dublin GAA, no one likes us - but we do care. We care so much that the FAI really should cut their losses, move the Wales game in March to Tolka Park and tell the begrudgers to stick their Fainne badges where the sun don't shine.

It is time for a reality check and a wake up call as the implications of all those decades when previous FAI regimes brushed the stadium issue under the Merrion Square carpet come home to roost.

Truth Number One - the GAA don't want us at Croke Park. They're not brave enough to stand up and admit it in Irish or English, but the Pioneer Pin brigade in Croker would be quite happy if soccer just disappeared off their agenda altogether. They'd rather welcome a 32 county rugby team to their North Dublin headquarters, some of whom won't sing the national anthem and all of whom will openly stand to attention in February as they play God Save The Queen for their English visitors.

The GAA can't even let the soccer team train on their patch. They would rather have Donnacha O'Callaghan's red underpants on the sacred ground than Damien Duff's silky skills. And they're not alone.

Truth Number Two - their GAA brethren out in Tallaght want to prolong the suffering of Shamrock Rovers fans everywhere and delay their arrival in the satellite town as long as possible. The Thomas Davis Club are seriously worried that the presence of the Hoops in their catchment area will undermine their attractiveness as an outlet for the youth of Tallaght. Well lads, the behaviour of your GAA bosses in Croke Park towards Tallaght's finest Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne isn't doing you much good on that score. And just in case you haven't noticed, soccer long ago passed gaelic football and hurling as the biggest participation sport for the youth of this country.

Truth Number Three - many of the residents in and around Lansdowne Road aren't all that keen on the idea of a super stadium literally springing up over their doorsteps as their deliveries at this week's oral hearings would seem to suggest. The FAI and the IRFU still believe in the Lansdowne Road project. They still believe the GAA's rent boys will take their money in 2007 and in 2008, even if the price goes up year on year.

Shamrock Rovers and Thomas Davis, if they are truthful, know that the new Glenmalure Park will open as a soccer only ground as soon as the barristers stop earning handsome fees on the back of it.

They all believe in Lansdowne, Croker and Tallaght because they have to. Those of us who don't subscribe to the manifesto though are allowed think otherwise and we should. Why are we building a new Lansdowne when there are green field sites all over Dublin county that could easily accommodate a national stadium with transport links and car parks that don't come complete with the clampers? Why does the national stadium have to be built in traffic jam Dublin? Why does everything in this country have to centre on a capital city that is now a nightmare to get in and out of? And why didn't the FAI solve their own problems when they had the chance to build eircom Park almost a decade ago?

The sad reality here is that Bertie Ahern's interference stopped eircom Park in its tracks, the same eircom Park that would be up and running now but for the bullying acts of the government of the day. All Bertie succeeded in doing when he stopped eircom Park was splitting the FAI down the middle and leaving us hanging onto this hope of a new Ale Lansdowne when really he wants Irish soccer to move elsewhere.

The amazing reality is that the Bertie Bowl site out in Abbotstown is still untouched by human hand. They are in the process of building all around it but have yet to build anything on it.

I'll bet they're waiting for the Lansdowne Road project to collapse and the GAA to finally come clean and admit they don't want soccer on their Holy Ground though they're quite happy to accept €3.5m from the soccer-playing tax-payers for their floodlights. When all that falls into place Bertie will tell us he told us so and build his bowl. Five years from now we'll all be watching the Ireland team in Abbotstown — remember where you read it first.

[botman]

Yes it's everybody elses fault bar the FAI's.

Well here is my two pence for what it's worth - go and f**k yerselves yis bundle of win'gen c***ts. Even your hero Roy Keane thinks ye's are a bundle of assholes.

[AZOffaly]

What a big girl's blouse.

Whine whine whine, whinge whinge. Give us this.

Ara, it's not worth worrying about a tube like that anyway.

The Pioneer Pin brigade From a lad that probably castigates them for Guiness sponsorship as well.

[dubnut]

Laughable and bitter!

And they say Croke park is built on bigotry yet suggest the playing of God Save the Queen at the Rugby would be a bad thing?

I thought it was us that was against everything English?  

I have nothing but contempt for the FAI at this stage and will not watch the Irish soccer team in action again.
Previously I watched most games.

[tayto]

dear god that's just utterly pathetic, moan moan moan moan poor little us, no body likes us.

Maybe Stan the gaffer Staunton really is one of the sharper soccer minds in the country.

It certainly seems so if that's what passes for soccer journalism, feeding the bias of the likes of dublinfella and his paranoid-narrowminded mates on foot.ie

[Dinny Breen]

Cathal Dervan - is there a more slimy journalist in the Irish media, muppet!

Truth Number 4

The FAI are the poorest, worst run Sporting Organisation in Ireland. Where is all the Italian 90, USA 94' Japan 02 money gone, those 12 year years were the glory days of Irish soccer and they have nothing to show for it except debacle after debacle.

[dubnut]

"feeding the bias of the likes of dublinfella and his paranoid-narrowminded mates on foot.ie"

Haha, thats the gobshite on gaaboard too isnt it!

[AZOffaly]

Despite the fact that his column is a pile of horse dung, this comment is telling

They all believe in Lansdowne, Croker and Tallaght because they have to. Those of us who don't subscribe to the manifesto though are allowed think otherwise and we should. Why are we building a new Lansdowne when there are green field sites all over Dublin county that could easily accommodate a national stadium with transport links and car parks that don't come complete with the clampers? Why does the national stadium have to be built in traffic jam Dublin? Why does everything in this country have to centre on a capital city that is now a nightmare to get in and out of? And why didn't the FAI solve their own problems when they had the chance to build eircom Park almost a decade ago?

I have heard before, from a few sources that there is a plan in action at the moment.

That plan is as follows.

Close Lansdowne, and lodge Planning.
Receive deluge of objections.
Play away at Croker in 2007.
High Court injunctions etc delay building work.
Play in Croker in 2008.
After 'repeated and lengthy efforts' the IRFU have to throw in the towel at Lansdowne Road, and sell it to developers for an absolute mint. They continue to play the big games in Croker because they have now become accepted. They pocket the cash, and the government builds the FAI abbottstown.

I'm not intending to be a scare monger, because I am in favour of charging the FAI and IRFU to use Croker, but I have a feeling there are plans afoot.

[Spiritof98]

What a bollix,

Truth Number One - the GAA don’t want us at Croke Park. They’re not brave enough to stand up and admit it in Irish or English, but the Pioneer Pin brigade in Croker would be quite happy if soccer just disappeared off their agenda altogether. quote]

I love this quote esp. the text in the bold!!

We've being saying it for over 100 year you F*'kin tube

[tayto]

If the GAA had said we didnt want them in you can bet he'd be whinging about that. We'd have bigots this and bigots that.

Gutter press, as bad as the english tabloid media.

[armaghniac]

There was another article in the Indo on Sunday which ended with the words

" I, for one, can't wait to see John Delaney doing for domestic soccer what he's done for the international team. The GAA must be quaking in its boots."

I don't think the we should panic!

[dubnut]

"feeding the bias of the likes of dublinfella and his paranoid-narrowminded mates on foot.ie"

Haha, thats the gobshite on gaaboard too isnt it!

Forgot which site I was on, Tayto appears on 2 I know of! 

He is a gobshite though!

[Hardy]

This, presumably, is the same Cathal Dervan who, some years ago, exhorted "the greatest fans in the world" (if they do say so themselves) to boo one of their own players on his next appearance for "De Repubbalick". I submit that this is as much as we need to know in evaluating that ... er ... commentator's opinions.

[dubnut]

Interestly he mentioned the "32 county" rugby team as if this was in some way a bad thing.
Can anyone give a logical reason why he would even mention this or is the guy just pure mental?

[magpie seanie]

Exactly Hardy. That is the measure of the creature you are dealing with.

The fact that he is so obviously seething gives me great joy.