McCarthy flying the lone flag in top-flight - IN THE opening lines of his book Fever Pitch, the author Nick Hornby offered this pitch: "I fell in love with football as I would later fall in love with women: suddenly, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain it would bring."
That’s a sentiment expressed as a supporter, and – regardless of whether its soccer or rugby or hurling that provides the addiction – such words as those used by Hornby can surely resonate across the sporting divides.
But how must it be for a manager? Anyone who has watched the sideline reaction of Mick McCarthy to Wolves’ recent wins over Liverpool and Chelsea can not but admire the passion this man brings to his job.
Clearly, despite whatever heartache has been thrown his way over the years, McCarthy has stayed very much in love with the role of management. He is, more than ever, a solid citizen who, in my mind at least, has earned even greater respect with each passing day for his honesty and conviction and commitment to soccer management.
There is a genuineness about McCarthy, and thankfully the legacy of Saipan and what happened in that far-off isle has dissipated as he has gone about making his way in the shark-infested waters of management in the English Premiership.
What has always seemed strange, though, is the lack of Irishmen at the helm – in management speak – in the elite division across the water.
With Chris Hughton’s sacking at Newcastle United, McCarthy is all alone as the only Irish manager . . . and, of those other Irish managers who in the recent past have managed in the FA Premiership, Martin O’Neill is awaiting the next phone call and David O’Leary has taken flight to look after a club team in Dubai.
Listening to former Manchester United manager Frank O’Farrell on The Marian Finucane Show on RTÉ Radio 1 recently, where he told of the obstacles put in his way by his predecessor Matt Busby on taking up the managerial job at Old Trafford, the picture painted was far removed from the glamour and big salaries you’d associate with inheriting the hottest seat in management.
But Alex Ferguson has made it his own, becoming probably the greatest manager of our time in continually remoulding winning teams, and it would seem the Scots – who have a disproportionate number of managers in what is the richest league in world soccer – seem to have a managerial gene when it comes to the beautiful game that somehow bypassed the Irish.
For sure, we’ve great managers – Brian Cody in hurling, Mickey Harte and Jack O’Connor in Gaelic football, Declan Kidney in rugby – and there remains a strong suspicion Pat Fenlon was denied a golden opportunity to spread his wings and blossom even further when prevented from leaving Bohemians for the Scottish Premier League.
Who knows where that touted move that never happened to Motherwell would have led to? But in terms of garnering the big soccer management jobs, we Irish are languishing well behind our Scottish cousins who account for no fewer than five – a quarter – of the posts in the English Premiership: Fergie at Manchester United; Alex McLeish at Birmingham; David Moyes at Everton; Steve Kean at Blackburn Rovers, and Owen Coyle – okay, he played once for the Republic but is very much a true-and-true Scot – at Bolton Wanderers.
And with Roy Keane having just been shown the door at Ipswich Town in the second-tier Championship, it would seem McCarthy will be steering a lone course for Irish managers in the top flight for the foreseeable future.
For his sake, more than anyone’s, let’s hope that Wolves – finally out of the relegation zone after the win over Chelsea in midweek – survive in the Premiership. His passion on the sideline defines football, far more than the laid-back continental arrogance of the Roberto Mancinis and the Carlo Ancelottis of this world.
Pressel initiative deserves credit
ALL GOING well, Morgan Pressel should be on the United States team which defends the Solheim Cup against Europe’s best professional women golfers later this year at Killeen Castle in Dunsany, Co Meath.
It’s fair to say, however, the Solheim was far removed from her mind this past week. Rather, demonstrating that professional sportspersons can’t always be accused of solely looking out for themselves, Pressel was playing host to her annual golf tournament – the Morgan and Friends Golf Tournament – which added another $500,000 to a foundation set-up in memory of her late mother, Kathryn, who died from breast cancer.
One of the innovations of Pressel’s foundation has been the purchase of a specially designed van – known as the MammoVan – which has been named in her mother’s honour.
The Kathryn Krickstein Pressel MammoVan is a state-of-the-art, mobile mammography unit to help detect breast cancer while it is still treatable and it is the LPGA star’s intention to purchase more such vans for use around American cities in the coming years.
Pressel is just 22 years of age but her mother’s death – in 2003 – dealt her a hand which she has learnt to live with. That she has been proactive in promoting breast cancer awareness since making her major breakthrough in 2007, when (at aged 18) she became the youngest winner of a women’s major in claiming the Kraft Nabisco championship, says much about her as a person.
As her fellow LPGA player and Solheim Cup team-mate Angela Standford put it this week: “Any time you have a young person who gets it and understands the importance of using their talent to help others, that’s pretty cool.
“A lot of people don’t ever get it. Unfortunately, she’s had the circumstances that forced her to get it, but she’s made the most of a bad hand.”
Great to see Fallon's ambitions undimmed
ISN’T IT good to see Kieren Fallon’s ambitions to be the very best at his trade remain as fresh as the day he first threw a racing leg over a saddle as a young apprentice at trainer Kevin Prendergast’s stables?
The Co Clare jockey – a six-time flat racing champion in Britain and three-time winner of the Epsom Derby – has passed the 45-year-old age barrier but shows no signs of abating and has talked of challenging again for the British Flat Racing title, having finished third behind Paul Hanagan and Richard Hughes in last year’s championship.
Fallon has told the Racing Post of his desire to claim a seventh title and cement his reputation as the greatest flat jockey of the modern era. “This year I’ll be really hungry, probably more so than any other jockey and I’m going to be working really hard,” said Fallon, who will get most of his rides from Luca Cumani this coming season but also expects the likes of Mark Johnson, Mick Channon, Brian Meehan, Ed Dunlop and Michael Stoute will also use him.
While the British flat racing season remains some time away, Fallon is following the sun to add more glory to his CV. He is currently in the UAE – where the Dubai International Racing Carnival starts next Thursday – and will be the main jockey for owner Saeed Nasser Al Romaithi for the racing festival which runs right up to March 26th, when the featured Dubai World Cup will be staged. Fallon is due to be on board the Freddie Head-trainer Marinous that night.
McKenna fare hardly appetising
HOW MUCH can be really gauged from the McKenna Cup, the O’Byrne Cup, the McGrath Cup and the FBD League which get under way around the four provinces this weekend? As far as intercounty fare goes, these competitions are well down the pecking order behind the National Leagues and, even more so, the Championship. They’re even well behind playing club matches.
The fact that Cork are away on their well-deserved sunshine holiday to celebrate their double-whammy of winning both the League and the Sam Maguire last year says it all, really. The Cork team that goes out to face WIT in the McGrath Cup will be a Cork team in name only and a shadow of what you would expect.
Very few can expect to be figuring when the time comes to go about the real business of defending Sam when the ground is firmer under foot.
€50 schoolboy ticket - they must be kidding
I'LL PUT my hands up straight away and admit procrastination is a trait of mine that has been hard to overcome. LastMinute.com, that's often the way of things – but, hey, what's wrong with spontaneity? Sometimes it is given a poor deal.
Still, we got a rude awakening on our somewhat late decision this day last week to hightail it across the city for a family outing for the Magners League outing between Leinster and Connacht at the RDS.
With no tickets available on-line, the decision was made to tempt fate by seeking to purchase at the box office outside the grounds and, sure enough, about an hour before kick-off, there were plenty of tickets available.
The shock, though, was at the cost: €50 for an adult ticket. Okay, the three kids we had with us could avail of the €10 a head for the South Stand – and so they went their separate ways while we settled for seats behind a pillar (until moving to unused, unblocked seats in the row behind) in the Anglesea Stand.
However, the man in front in the ticket queue didn’t have such a luxury of allowing his offspring go it alone; he was asked to part with €50 for his six-year-old son. Not surprisingly, he opted to find a local hostelry instead to watch the game.
