Eamonn Rushe

Had anyone chosen to watch the Ireland-Croatia game in a pub, there was hardly enough time for someone to wet their lips before the first goal was scored. Sean St. Ledger offered a brief moment of hope that was soon to be eradicated by Jelavic’s poached effort before half time. The second half started much […]

I overheard a conversation between two football fans today; the gist of it was that Roy Keane had forgotten that the fans paid his wages as a player. They concluded that Roy was an idiot for suggesting that Irish fans need to adjust their acceptance of performances. To me this is a perfectly reasonable statement. […]

While it's a slight exaggeration to say Theo Walcott changed Friday's game, he certainly defined it. Coming on in the 61st minute, Walcott's third touch of the match bent the back of Andreas Isaksson's net. Seventeen minutes later, Walcott blew through the right channel, eventually providing for Danny Welbeck's 78th minute winner. Had manager Roy […]

It's only recently that congestion in the midfield of French power Olympique Lyonnais finally cleared up, leaving Sweden international Kim Kallstrom as an unlikely last man standing. Four years ago, when free kick specialist Juninho Pernambucano was ending a You Tube-stocking run in eastern France, OL's midfield also included him, Kallstrom, Jeremy Toulalan, Jean Makoun, […]

Those who kept reminding us about France's talent forgot to mention inexperience. Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda have been mainstays for some time, but amongst the other key contributors to Les Bleus' attack, there's no big tournament experience. Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri were controversial omissions from the ill-fated World Cup squad, while Yohan Cabaye's […]

Is it too much to suggest the difference between Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Stewart Downing could decide England's first match? Of course it is. Questions like that are excessively incendiary, particularly when leaned on as leads for blog posts. Accept my apology, but look at the silver lining: My reliance on that kind of crutch shows […]

Nineteen eighty eight. The year Ireland first qualified for a major tournament. Jack Charlton, a World Cup winning Englishman, was at the helm. The tournament was the European Championships. The team, largely looking like misfits, held an unquenchable amount of enthusiasm—to a point where they could be depicted in the vein of a rabid bulldog. […]

It may be little consolation, but Manchester United has clinched the APL 2011/2012 title. As I mentioned in my last article, if both Manchester sides were to win by the same margin then United would win the league. This is down to the fact that United was playing away at a mid-table side while City […]

With one gameweek to go, and much still to be decided, this week we look at the battle for top spot and the variables that could affect who are crowned champions. 1 Manchester City 37 27 5 5 10 63 214.91 2 Manchester United 37 27 5 5 12 55 213.39 As you can see, […]

Newcastle retained their strangle hold at the top of the form table and moved above Spurs into fourth place as week 35 also saw wins for the bottom teams and a slip-up for Manchester United. Newcastle’s latest win over Stoke, a 3-0 triumph and 6.51 return, means that they have now more than doubled Tottenham’s […]

The Champions League has entered the twilight zone of football. Bayern Munich, who’s ground will host the final in May, are out to “wreck the dream final” and Chelsea are the underdogs—the filthy rich, billionaire fuelled vanity team of underdogs that spent fifty million on a whim, in order to secure Fernando Torres’s signature. Real […]

With the gap starting to widen between first and second place, Manchester City were going to have to start winning big to pull back some ground on United. After a nightmare gameweek 32 for the Citizens, gameweek 33 was somewhat more satisfying. It may have taken some time, but gameweek 33 seems to have finally […]

The allure of the multi-million pound dealings and media accessibility has seen the EPL remain the focus for the majority of Irish soccer fans. The national league in Ireland is predominately semi-professional, and it struggles to gain focus over the GAA (Gailege football and hurling) and more recently Rugby. Away games involve travelling, and with […]

With the rest of the league tightening up, the two teams who are beginning to look adrift are sitting at the top, and the bottom. Manchester United is now 11.93 points ahead of City, while Wolves are 11.68 points behind Blackburn in 19th. United were among the week’s top scorers once more and again found […]

It is easy to get lost amongst the labyrinth of media and hyped egos that is the Premier League. So often it is the case that the side issues — claims of racist acts. off field endeavours of eccentricity, and adventures of infidelity — get more attention than a good pro doing a great job. […]