Some years ago a late night conversation began over a beer or two at the tail-end of a Soccer Writers awards banquet with the manager of a well known Dublin club - and the opportunity arose to discuss the perils of his chosen profession.

It wasn’t a very positive discussion. We decided, based on both personal experience and hard historical evidence, that one of us was going to get sacked in the near future, most probably the one with the professional coaching licence from UEFA.

We were right. Within six months, my beer buddy was back on the market and he did, as so often is the case when a football manager is sacked, pick up another job fairly quickly.

That position’s gone as well now - as expected in a business where the only certainties are taxes and professional death. So the most recent time we met, as we reminisced on that previous conversation, we changed the subject and started to talk about the idea of bringing League of Ireland football to a county still awaiting a League of Ireland club.

The idea intrigued us both so much that we even began to speculate around home venues, training grounds, staff and players. And we almost fell out over my friend’s potential to be the manager of the first League of Ireland side to represent his native county.

Why? Because I told him, as the notional chairperson of said new club, that he wasn’t going to be appointed manager purely for his own sake, even though he would be the outstanding candidate.

Why you might ask? Because we would have to sack him and he’d probably fall out with me.

Somewhere along the line he would lose a few matches, lose the dressing-room, lose the supporters, lose the investors and the board and lose his job.

So instead of appointing him as manager of this fictional new club, I appointed him as his county’s first Director of Football and handed him the power to sack the manager - a much safer opportunity with far better job security.

It makes sense when you think about it. At most clubs, the sporting director hires and fires without ever coming under the level of scrutiny from so many sources that affects every manager.

Most Sporting Directors will outlive various managers over the course of their careers. They are closeted from the immediate impact of results, they are protected from dressing room squabbles and some of them will have very little inter-action with their club’s fan base.

The life of a Sporting Director is relatively safe. The life of a manager is in permanent danger.

Alan Reynolds will know that much as he prepares to take Bohemians to Dundalk tonight for game 16 of their League of Ireland Premier Division season.

Last weekend, Reynolds was in charge as Bohs drew at home to Derry on the Friday night and at home to Shels on the Bank Holiday Monday.

A point against the Candystripes and a point against the Reds are never points to be sneezed at but that wasn’t much comfort to the Dalymount faithful, some of whom let the world know that they want Rennie out whenever he walked within earshot of the Jodi Stand.

Never mind that Bohs will shortly go into European action and get the chance to annoy Michael O’Leary with airport pints this summer. Never mind that Bohs were top of the league for much of the early part of this season or that Rennie has given Dawson Devoy the freedom to play himself into serious conversations about an Ireland cap.

None of that matters when results go against a manager. They all know that - my friend from that bar and the man in charge of Bohs tonight when the away fans will be only yards behind him at Oriel Park, not the best ground for a visiting manager to run the gauntlet.

Such is the nature of football that the manager’s reign will almost always end in tears. Very few get to leave of their own accord. Managers are never as good as their last result - they’re only as good as their next result as at least one LOI boss will discover again tonight. It is indeed a funny old game.

The key stories developing today

James McClean has added his name to the growing list of people calling on the FAI to abandon the planned Nations League games against Israel in the autumn.

McClean went public on his Instagram account with his opposition to the away game in late September, probably in Budapest, and the home fixture at the Aviva Stadium in October.

The Derry-born former Ireland player also had a go at the FAI as he released his views on the same day that Sinn Fein voiced their support for the boycotting of the two games.

The Irish Mirror reports that McClean wrote: “You can write every letter, sign a million petitions, protest every day of the week but it will be like pissing into the wind for the sheer fact that there is not a backbone within the FAI.

“It’s a tough one in fairness for the players and I get it, it’s an opportunity to play a football game for your country, that being said I can’t see too many if any objecting to the game being played anyways, the decision should be taken out of their hands.

“Simply the game should never be going ahead, if there is one country that should recognise oppression and the turmoil that brings then it’s Ireland.. although with the decision makers in this country you’d be mistaken to think we ever had any history of it.

“There’s my thoughts for what it’s worth, have a great day.”

McClean’s remarks also came 24 hours after the Stop The Game group issued a public letter calling on the FAI to withdraw from the Israel fixtures with Brian Kerr, Louise Quinn, Kneecap, Paul Weller and Christy Moore among those to sign.

Shamrock Rovers captain and PFAI chair Roberto Lopes signed the letter and said: “We have to stop the game. As players and fans, our natural instinct is always to get out there and compete, but this is a moment where we need to look at the bigger picture.

“We can’t ignore the humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine; the sheer loss of life there has to take precedence over any sporting consideration.

“Ireland has an opportunity here to lead - to be a pioneer and do what others won’t. We need to be brave enough to say enough is enough. We can’t just stand by. Please, stop the game.”

Read the full story on the irishmirror here.

He may be favourite to land the manager’s job on a full-time basis but Michael Carrick would still like clarity around his Manchester United future.

Carrick has steered United into the Champions League after a run of 10 wins in 14 games in charge after his appointment as interim boss in January.

The club’s hierarchy will make an announcement on their next boss after the final game of the season at Brighton on May 24th but Carrick remains in the dark according to a report in the Irish Sun.

“Listen, clarity is important,” Carick said. “I think moving forward, it’s at the end of the season where I think we’ve finished strong, put ourselves in a good position.

“And obviously the situation of my role and what it looks like moving forward, I think it’s just the natural time. It was always going to be spoken about towards the end of the season, if not the end of the season.

“So nothing has really changed, to be honest. We have eyes on finishing the season strongly as well. So I understand the question, I understand the timing of it.

“But from my point of view, right at this stage, it’s just putting the boys in a place to finish the season strongly. And then, as I’ve said all along, I’m calm about it, it’ll get sorted out when it’s going to get sorted out. It’s out of my hands, so we’ll see what happens.”

Read the story on the thesun.ie here.

Birthday boy Luis Enrique has described Paris St Germain;s Champions League semi-final defeat of Bayern Munich as a ‘gift’ as he looks forward to a final date with his old mate Mikel Arteta in Budapest.

The Irish Examiner reports on Enrique’s reaction to the win ahead of his 56th birthday on Friday.

“Good memories,” said Enrique. “We could leave the match with a lot of intensity. The defence were better than the attack. The character we showed against a team like Bayern is so positive. We’re so happy to reach a second Champions League final in a row.

“It was very intense. Very difficult. They play football at the highest level. Both teams are similar, we love to press higher. We are very happy.

“In two days I’m going to celebrate my birthday. I’m very happy. We’re in the next phase of the competition, the final of the Champions League. We want to give our supporters that kind of gift.”

Read the story on the irishexaminer here.

US President Donald Trump is the latest voice to criticise the cost of World Cup tickets this summer - just a day after FIFA’s top dog Gianni Infantino defended the extortionate dynamic pricing model in use for the tournament.

Trump made the remarks after he was informed that the cheapest ticket for the US national team’s opening game against Paraguay is a whopping $1,120.

The Guardian reports that Trump stated: “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you. If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can’t go, I would be disappointed, but, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success.

“I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.”

Read the full article on theguardian here.

Fan power has forced Liverpool to reduce a planned increase in ticket prices for the next two seasons.

The current English champions will now increase ticket prices by three per cent for next season then freeze them for the 2027-28 campaign.

The club had planned to increase prices in line with inflation for the next three seasons but have now announced the new changes following discussion with the club’s supporters board.

According to the BBC, season tickets for the Kop will cost £734.50 next season, the cheapest available, while the most expensive will cost £931 in the Main Stand.

Match day tickets next season will cost £30 in the Anfield Road Stand and £62.75 in the Main Stand.

Read the full story on bbc sport here.

Football managers are only ever as good as their next result, not their last one

Cathal Dervan, Editor

Some years ago a late night conversation began over a beer or two at the tail-end of a Soccer Writers awards banquet with the manager of a well known Dublin club - and the opportunity arose to discuss the perils of his chosen profession.

It wasn’t a very positive discussion. We decided, based on both personal experience and hard historical evidence, that one of us was going to get sacked in the near future, most probably the one with the professional coaching licence from UEFA.

We were right. Within six months, my beer buddy was back on the market and he did, as so often is the case when a football manager is sacked, pick up another job fairly quickly.

That position’s gone as well now - as expected in a business where the only certainties are taxes and professional death. So the most recent time we met, as we reminisced on that previous conversation, we changed the subject and started to talk about the idea of bringing League of Ireland football to a county still awaiting a League of Ireland club.

The idea intrigued us both so much that we even began to speculate around home venues, training grounds, staff and players. And we almost fell out over my friend’s potential to be the manager of the first League of Ireland side to represent his native county.

Why? Because I told him, as the notional chairperson of said new club, that he wasn’t going to be appointed manager purely for his own sake, even though he would be the outstanding candidate.

Why you might ask? Because we would have to sack him and he’d probably fall out with me.

Somewhere along the line he would lose a few matches, lose the dressing-room, lose the supporters, lose the investors and the board and lose his job.

So instead of appointing him as manager of this fictional new club, I appointed him as his county’s first Director of Football and handed him the power to sack the manager - a much safer opportunity with far better job security.

It makes sense when you think about it. At most clubs, the sporting director hires and fires without ever coming under the level of scrutiny from so many sources that affects every manager.

Most Sporting Directors will outlive various managers over the course of their careers. They are closeted from the immediate impact of results, they are protected from dressing room squabbles and some of them will have very little inter-action with their club’s fan base.

The life of a Sporting Director is relatively safe. The life of a manager is in permanent danger.

Alan Reynolds will know that much as he prepares to take Bohemians to Dundalk tonight for game 16 of their League of Ireland Premier Division season.

Last weekend, Reynolds was in charge as Bohs drew at home to Derry on the Friday night and at home to Shels on the Bank Holiday Monday.

A point against the Candystripes and a point against the Reds are never points to be sneezed at but that wasn’t much comfort to the Dalymount faithful, some of whom let the world know that they want Rennie out whenever he walked within earshot of the Jodi Stand.

Never mind that Bohs will shortly go into European action and get the chance to annoy Michael O’Leary with airport pints this summer. Never mind that Bohs were top of the league for much of the early part of this season or that Rennie has given Dawson Devoy the freedom to play himself into serious conversations about an Ireland cap.

None of that matters when results go against a manager. They all know that - my friend from that bar and the man in charge of Bohs tonight when the away fans will be only yards behind him at Oriel Park, not the best ground for a visiting manager to run the gauntlet.

Such is the nature of football that the manager’s reign will almost always end in tears. Very few get to leave of their own accord. Managers are never as good as their last result - they’re only as good as their next result as at least one LOI boss will discover again tonight. It is indeed a funny old game.

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League of Ireland writer Darryl Geraghty and editor Cathal Dervan look ahead to Friday night's action in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland.

Subscribers can watch the full episode on TheSportsHacks.com

The key stories developing today

James McClean has added his name to the growing list of people calling on the FAI to abandon the planned Nations League games against Israel in the autumn.

McClean went public on his Instagram account with his opposition to the away game in late September, probably in Budapest, and the home fixture at the Aviva Stadium in October.

The Derry-born former Ireland player also had a go at the FAI as he released his views on the same day that Sinn Fein voiced their support for the boycotting of the two games.

The Irish Mirror reports that McClean wrote: “You can write every letter, sign a million petitions, protest every day of the week but it will be like pissing into the wind for the sheer fact that there is not a backbone within the FAI.

“It’s a tough one in fairness for the players and I get it, it’s an opportunity to play a football game for your country, that being said I can’t see too many if any objecting to the game being played anyways, the decision should be taken out of their hands.

“Simply the game should never be going ahead, if there is one country that should recognise oppression and the turmoil that brings then it’s Ireland.. although with the decision makers in this country you’d be mistaken to think we ever had any history of it.

“There’s my thoughts for what it’s worth, have a great day.”

McClean’s remarks also came 24 hours after the Stop The Game group issued a public letter calling on the FAI to withdraw from the Israel fixtures with Brian Kerr, Louise Quinn, Kneecap, Paul Weller and Christy Moore among those to sign.

Shamrock Rovers captain and PFAI chair Roberto Lopes signed the letter and said: “We have to stop the game. As players and fans, our natural instinct is always to get out there and compete, but this is a moment where we need to look at the bigger picture.

“We can’t ignore the humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine; the sheer loss of life there has to take precedence over any sporting consideration.

“Ireland has an opportunity here to lead - to be a pioneer and do what others won’t. We need to be brave enough to say enough is enough. We can’t just stand by. Please, stop the game.”

Read the full story on the irishmirror here.

He may be favourite to land the manager’s job on a full-time basis but Michael Carrick would still like clarity around his Manchester United future.

Carrick has steered United into the Champions League after a run of 10 wins in 14 games in charge after his appointment as interim boss in January.

The club’s hierarchy will make an announcement on their next boss after the final game of the season at Brighton on May 24th but Carrick remains in the dark according to a report in the Irish Sun.

“Listen, clarity is important,” Carick said. “I think moving forward, it’s at the end of the season where I think we’ve finished strong, put ourselves in a good position.

“And obviously the situation of my role and what it looks like moving forward, I think it’s just the natural time. It was always going to be spoken about towards the end of the season, if not the end of the season.

“So nothing has really changed, to be honest. We have eyes on finishing the season strongly as well. So I understand the question, I understand the timing of it.

“But from my point of view, right at this stage, it’s just putting the boys in a place to finish the season strongly. And then, as I’ve said all along, I’m calm about it, it’ll get sorted out when it’s going to get sorted out. It’s out of my hands, so we’ll see what happens.”

Read the story on the thesun.ie here.

Birthday boy Luis Enrique has described Paris St Germain;s Champions League semi-final defeat of Bayern Munich as a ‘gift’ as he looks forward to a final date with his old mate Mikel Arteta in Budapest.

The Irish Examiner reports on Enrique’s reaction to the win ahead of his 56th birthday on Friday.

“Good memories,” said Enrique. “We could leave the match with a lot of intensity. The defence were better than the attack. The character we showed against a team like Bayern is so positive. We’re so happy to reach a second Champions League final in a row.

“It was very intense. Very difficult. They play football at the highest level. Both teams are similar, we love to press higher. We are very happy.

“In two days I’m going to celebrate my birthday. I’m very happy. We’re in the next phase of the competition, the final of the Champions League. We want to give our supporters that kind of gift.”

Read the story on the irishexaminer here.

US President Donald Trump is the latest voice to criticise the cost of World Cup tickets this summer - just a day after FIFA’s top dog Gianni Infantino defended the extortionate dynamic pricing model in use for the tournament.

Trump made the remarks after he was informed that the cheapest ticket for the US national team’s opening game against Paraguay is a whopping $1,120.

The Guardian reports that Trump stated: “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you. If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can’t go, I would be disappointed, but, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success.

“I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.”

Read the full article on theguardian here.

Fan power has forced Liverpool to reduce a planned increase in ticket prices for the next two seasons.

The current English champions will now increase ticket prices by three per cent for next season then freeze them for the 2027-28 campaign.

The club had planned to increase prices in line with inflation for the next three seasons but have now announced the new changes following discussion with the club’s supporters board.

According to the BBC, season tickets for the Kop will cost £734.50 next season, the cheapest available, while the most expensive will cost £931 in the Main Stand.

Match day tickets next season will cost £30 in the Anfield Road Stand and £62.75 in the Main Stand.

Read the full story on bbc sport here.

Damien Duff was waxing lyrically the other night about the great job Keith Andrews is going at Brentford and how impressed he was on a recent visit to the progressive London club.

He rightly praised the way his fellow Dubliner has surprised so many of his pre-season critics with his management skills since he was appointed from within as Thomas Frank’s successor last summer.

Andrews had never managed in his own right before becoming King Bee. Nothing he did under Stephen Kenny’s tutelage with Ireland suggested he would have this club dreaming of Europe this late in the Premier League season.

His initial appointment as a set-piece coach by Frank was probably never deemed a route to the manager’s office by anyone outside of Andrews’ inner circle if truth be told.

Yet Andrews is now doing a very, very admirable job in charge of the team sitting seventh in the Premier League table in the Conference League qualification spot and potentially just one place away from the Champions League depending on how Aston Villa fare in Europe.

The Andrews story, as Duffer acknowledged after his recent visit to Brentford and a behind the scenes look at what makes the team tick under their rookie boss, is to be celebrated.

So too is the fact that Duff left Ireland on his managerial scouting trip. So too is his admission, at last, that he may well indeed need to travel again to kickstart his own desire to return to the dug-out.

When he took Shels and the League of Ireland by storm, Duffer made one very regrettable claim that he could never manage any other team, not just in Ireland but in football.

It was an admirable declaration of love but a naïve one. No club will ever love a manager back in the same way - if he hadn’t transformed things around Tolka Park then the only certainty for club and manager would have been the sack.

As it happened, Duff quit on his own terms. He got out when it suited him. And now, it would appear, he wants back. He has the coaching bug again.

He deserves to be back. He deserves to coach and to manage at a higher level than the League of Ireland, at a higher level than the Ireland Under 17s - unless he takes that on an interim basis for their upcoming World Cup return.

Duffer the manager needs to get abroad. Maybe to England, maybe to the continent like his good friend Robbie Keane.

He needs to work again. Not because he has to but because he wants to - and because he deserves to.

Talking about it on Irish TV is good but it’s not enough. Virgin Media and Premier Sports have never appointed a football club manager. Never. They’ve talked the talk as they should but they have never walked the walk.

What Damien Duff did at Tolka Park was remarkable but it won’t get him a job in England or elsewhere on its own. They won’t be talking about Shels winning the league at Celtic where Duff is 40/1 to get their vacant manager’s job.

He’s 20/1 to take over at his old club Blackburn where they do remember him fondly, marginally ahead of Pep Guardiola to become Chelsea boss at 33/1, the club who idolised him as a player, and 33/1 to take the job at Watford where they throw managers to the wind like confetti. You won’t get short odds on him for any managerial role in England right now.

Duffer needs to follow the Keith Andrews lead now, even if that means taking a coaching role at a big club outside Ireland and working his way into the manager’s office.

It worked for Keith and it can work for Damien. He deserves that recognition. And by the way, he needs to stop saying he fell out with everyone he’s met in football along the way to his success at Shels - that’s part and parcel of the game.

He will fall out with more people in his next big job. The sooner the better.

The key stories developing today

Shamrock Rovers’ World Cup bound captain Pico Lopes, Christy Moore and Brian Kerr have joined forces with a host of big names from the sporting, entertainment and business worlds to again call on the FAI to refuse to play Israel in the Nations League later this year.

The open letter from the Stop The Game movement to the FAI includes contributions from Lopes in his role as chair of the Professional Footballers Ireland players union.

Moore is the leading showbiz name on the letter which has also been signed by Francis Black, Fontaines DC, Kneecap, Paul Weller, Stephen Rea and Mary Coughlan.

The Irish Mirror reports that former Ireland manager Kerr, ex Ireland women’s team captain Louise Quinn and LOI legend Roddy Collins have also added their names to the open letter calling on the FAI to withdraw from the game in light of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine.

PFAI chair Lopes writes: “We have to stop the game. As players and fans, our natural instinct is always to get out there and compete, but this is a moment where we need to look at the bigger picture.

“We can’t ignore the humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine; the sheer loss of life there has to take precedence over any sporting consideration.

“Ireland has an opportunity here to lead - to be a pioneer and do what others won’t. We need to be brave enough to say enough is enough. We can’t just stand by. Please, stop the game.”

The Stop the Game open letter adds: “To the Football Association of Ireland, Irish fans are rightfully known across the globe as “the best fans in the world”, but with this comes a responsibility to the Irish people whom our country represents. We call upon you to refuse to participate in the two scheduled UEFA nations league games against Israel.

“Firstly, on the basis of the clear and ongoing serious breaches of UEFA & FIFA statute regarding Israeli teams playing on occupied Palestinian lands. As a member of UEFA you have a duty to upload these rules if UEFA will not.

“Secondly, on the basis of a brutal system of apartheid and acts of genocide, both of which are accepted by the Irish government. It is inconceivable that we would be willing to be silent and give cover to such crimes in the name of football.

“We call on you to ensure the Irish football team is not used to mask UEFA rules breaches, apartheid and war crimes. And to respect the call to boycott the game by the majority of players, fans and communities across Ireland.

“Last November, 93% of FAI members voted to instruct the Association to go to UEFA and call for Israel’s suspension under those statutes. We call on you to full respect and represent this mandate.

“Through your leadership and courage we show the world that whilst others may stand idly by, Ireland will not. Just as history rightly celebrates the Dunnes Stores workers during South African apartheid, the FAI will be celebrated by future generations of Irish people for doing the right thing when others did not. Yours in sport. Stop the Game.”

The Stop the Game group add: “This campaign is only beginning and we will do everything in our power to ensure Irish football is not used to give cover to apartheid and genocide.”

Read the full story on the irishmirror here.

FAI Director of Football John Martin has defended his previous actions as Shamrock Rovers CEO regarding the Michael Noonan contract issue which has emerged in recent weeks.

Speaking to the media at a briefing in the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday, Martin responded to reports that parts of Noonan’s contract prompted a complaint from the player’s family to the English FA.

Rovers have since self-reported the contract issue, over a potential breach of third party ownership rules, to FIFA who won’t take any action until Noonan moves abroad with strong interest in the teenager from a number of UK clubs.

Now working as the FAI’s Director of Football, Martin reflected on the Noonan deal during his time as Hoops CEO when he sat down with the media on Wednesday according to a report in the Irish Sun.

He said: “I know Rovers have referred to FIFA and they’re looking for clarity on that. I understand nothing has come back from FIFA yet on it.

“I suppose when something does come back maybe there’s something to discuss at that stage. My views on that agreement and any agreements I made were always made in the best interest of the football club. No other way of looking at it.

“I think when I was there I gave everything I had to the job. I gave my life to the job. I think anyone who’s close to me will know that. In all cases in Rovers you just want to sign the best players. You want to hopefully sell players. In some cases my job there was to make sure we got the best players in.

“There’s probably no specifics of any player contract in Rovers, I’d give away. I did what I thought was in the best interest of the club, which was sign good players.”

The paper reports on Martin’s response when he was asked if he would do anything differently in hindsight.

He said: “I don’t know. You were there for a couple of years and I probably made hundreds if not thousands of decisions. It’s a bit of the burden of leadership. You have to make decisions all the time. That’s the role.

“Of course you look back and say maybe I might have done this different or that different across a range of different things in the club.

“I think without getting into specifics of any agreements, there’s always things you would probably do a little bit differently for sure.”

Read the story on the thesun.ie here.

Title winning former Shelbourne boss Damien Duff has admitted he may need to move abroad to resume his managerial career.

The Ireland winger and Chelsea ace spoke of his future again during an appearance as a Champions League pundit this week with his quotes carried on by The42.ie and other outlets.

The website quotes Duff as saying: “I think I have to start probably looking outside the country, because there’s not a big industry here, as we know/

“I’ve no plan. I have absolutely no plan. I’ve cut my ties with many people but there’s not a lot of jobs, football jobs, coaching jobs in the country. The longer the year has gone on… I belong on the grass. And whether it be here, the UK, or somewhere else, I don’t know.

“The most alive you’ll ever feel for me anyways is on a football pitch. When I retired, I don’t know how I got into coaching but I did and I felt even more alive coaching.”

Duff also revealed details of his recent visit to Brentford’s training ground where he observed former Ireland team-mate Keith Andrews at work as Bees boss.

“It was amazing to see such a well-run club. So it’s not rocket science to see how well they’re doing from top to bottom. Brilliant people, honest people, energy, enthusiasm, obviously real quality. It was so refreshing,” added Duff.

“The minute I walked into the building, I just thought to myself, wow! I’ve known Keith for 15 or 20 years, I’m really pleased for him because I think people were sticking the knife in even before his first game. I think at times, even in the football world, people enjoy sticking the knife in.

“But he’s done brilliant. And even speaking to people away from Keith when I was there; they love him. They’re so fond of him and they’ve been blown away by what he’s brought to the football club.”

Read the story on the42.ie here.

Graham Coughlan has been asked to drag Waterford FC off the bottom of the Premier Division after his appointment as successor to the sacked Jon Daly.

Former Newport County, Mansfield Town and Boston United manager Coughlan has agreed a deal until the end of the season with the Blues and will face St Pats in his first game in charge on Friday night.

“I’m delighted to be here at the club. The move happened very quickly, as is the life of football, but I’m excited for this opportunity,” said Coughlan as Waterford still await their first win of the season.

“We’re straight to work now, focusing towards Friday’s game against St. Patrick’s Athletic and the games to follow after that. With a busy fixture schedule ahead of us, it’s time to get our heads down and prepare properly, starting with Friday night.”

Read the full article on rte.ie here.

Arsenal pushed their Champions League earnings to €139million with their semi-final win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night - and could make it €150million if they beat PSG in the Budapest final.

The Irish Examiner reports that the Gunners can add another €11.5million to their coffers if they win the Champions League for the first time in their history on May 30th.

Read the full story on irishexaminer here.

Duffer should take the Keith Andrews route to Premier League management

Cathal Dervan, Editor

Damien Duff was waxing lyrically the other night about the great job Keith Andrews is going at Brentford and how impressed he was on a recent visit to the progressive London club.

He rightly praised the way his fellow Dubliner has surprised so many of his pre-season critics with his management skills since he was appointed from within as Thomas Frank’s successor last summer.

Andrews had never managed in his own right before becoming King Bee. Nothing he did under Stephen Kenny’s tutelage with Ireland suggested he would have this club dreaming of Europe this late in the Premier League season.

His initial appointment as a set-piece coach by Frank was probably never deemed a route to the manager’s office by anyone outside of Andrews’ inner circle if truth be told.

Yet Andrews is now doing a very, very admirable job in charge of the team sitting seventh in the Premier League table in the Conference League qualification spot and potentially just one place away from the Champions League depending on how Aston Villa fare in Europe.

The Andrews story, as Duffer acknowledged after his recent visit to Brentford and a behind the scenes look at what makes the team tick under their rookie boss, is to be celebrated.

So too is the fact that Duff left Ireland on his managerial scouting trip. So too is his admission, at last, that he may well indeed need to travel again to kickstart his own desire to return to the dug-out.

When he took Shels and the League of Ireland by storm, Duffer made one very regrettable claim that he could never manage any other team, not just in Ireland but in football.

It was an admirable declaration of love but a naïve one. No club will ever love a manager back in the same way - if he hadn’t transformed things around Tolka Park then the only certainty for club and manager would have been the sack.

As it happened, Duff quit on his own terms. He got out when it suited him. And now, it would appear, he wants back. He has the coaching bug again.

He deserves to be back. He deserves to coach and to manage at a higher level than the League of Ireland, at a higher level than the Ireland Under 17s - unless he takes that on an interim basis for their upcoming World Cup return.

Duffer the manager needs to get abroad. Maybe to England, maybe to the continent like his good friend Robbie Keane.

He needs to work again. Not because he has to but because he wants to - and because he deserves to.

Talking about it on Irish TV is good but it’s not enough. Virgin Media and Premier Sports have never appointed a football club manager. Never. They’ve talked the talk as they should but they have never walked the walk.

What Damien Duff did at Tolka Park was remarkable but it won’t get him a job in England or elsewhere on its own. They won’t be talking about Shels winning the league at Celtic where Duff is 40/1 to get their vacant manager’s job.

He’s 20/1 to take over at his old club Blackburn where they do remember him fondly, marginally ahead of Pep Guardiola to become Chelsea boss at 33/1, the club who idolised him as a player, and 33/1 to take the job at Watford where they throw managers to the wind like confetti. You won’t get short odds on him for any managerial role in England right now.

Duffer needs to follow the Keith Andrews lead now, even if that means taking a coaching role at a big club outside Ireland and working his way into the manager’s office.

It worked for Keith and it can work for Damien. He deserves that recognition. And by the way, he needs to stop saying he fell out with everyone he’s met in football along the way to his success at Shels - that’s part and parcel of the game.

He will fall out with more people in his next big job. The sooner the better.

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Merseyside based Irish journalist Kevin Bannon and Cathal Dervan discuss the battle to beat the drop at the bottom of the Premier League.

Subscribers can watch the full episode on TheSportsHacks.com

The key stories developing today

Shamrock Rovers’ World Cup bound captain Pico Lopes, Christy Moore and Brian Kerr have joined forces with a host of big names from the sporting, entertainment and business worlds to again call on the FAI to refuse to play Israel in the Nations League later this year.

The open letter from the Stop The Game movement to the FAI includes contributions from Lopes in his role as chair of the Professional Footballers Ireland players union.

Moore is the leading showbiz name on the letter which has also been signed by Francis Black, Fontaines DC, Kneecap, Paul Weller, Stephen Rea and Mary Coughlan.

The Irish Mirror reports that former Ireland manager Kerr, ex Ireland women’s team captain Louise Quinn and LOI legend Roddy Collins have also added their names to the open letter calling on the FAI to withdraw from the game in light of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine.

PFAI chair Lopes writes: “We have to stop the game. As players and fans, our natural instinct is always to get out there and compete, but this is a moment where we need to look at the bigger picture.

“We can’t ignore the humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine; the sheer loss of life there has to take precedence over any sporting consideration.

“Ireland has an opportunity here to lead - to be a pioneer and do what others won’t. We need to be brave enough to say enough is enough. We can’t just stand by. Please, stop the game.”

The Stop the Game open letter adds: “To the Football Association of Ireland, Irish fans are rightfully known across the globe as “the best fans in the world”, but with this comes a responsibility to the Irish people whom our country represents. We call upon you to refuse to participate in the two scheduled UEFA nations league games against Israel.

“Firstly, on the basis of the clear and ongoing serious breaches of UEFA & FIFA statute regarding Israeli teams playing on occupied Palestinian lands. As a member of UEFA you have a duty to upload these rules if UEFA will not.

“Secondly, on the basis of a brutal system of apartheid and acts of genocide, both of which are accepted by the Irish government. It is inconceivable that we would be willing to be silent and give cover to such crimes in the name of football.

“We call on you to ensure the Irish football team is not used to mask UEFA rules breaches, apartheid and war crimes. And to respect the call to boycott the game by the majority of players, fans and communities across Ireland.

“Last November, 93% of FAI members voted to instruct the Association to go to UEFA and call for Israel’s suspension under those statutes. We call on you to full respect and represent this mandate.

“Through your leadership and courage we show the world that whilst others may stand idly by, Ireland will not. Just as history rightly celebrates the Dunnes Stores workers during South African apartheid, the FAI will be celebrated by future generations of Irish people for doing the right thing when others did not. Yours in sport. Stop the Game.”

The Stop the Game group add: “This campaign is only beginning and we will do everything in our power to ensure Irish football is not used to give cover to apartheid and genocide.”

Read the full story on the irishmirror here.

FAI Director of Football John Martin has defended his previous actions as Shamrock Rovers CEO regarding the Michael Noonan contract issue which has emerged in recent weeks.

Speaking to the media at a briefing in the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday, Martin responded to reports that parts of Noonan’s contract prompted a complaint from the player’s family to the English FA.

Rovers have since self-reported the contract issue, over a potential breach of third party ownership rules, to FIFA who won’t take any action until Noonan moves abroad with strong interest in the teenager from a number of UK clubs.

Now working as the FAI’s Director of Football, Martin reflected on the Noonan deal during his time as Hoops CEO when he sat down with the media on Wednesday according to a report in the Irish Sun.

He said: “I know Rovers have referred to FIFA and they’re looking for clarity on that. I understand nothing has come back from FIFA yet on it.

“I suppose when something does come back maybe there’s something to discuss at that stage. My views on that agreement and any agreements I made were always made in the best interest of the football club. No other way of looking at it.

“I think when I was there I gave everything I had to the job. I gave my life to the job. I think anyone who’s close to me will know that. In all cases in Rovers you just want to sign the best players. You want to hopefully sell players. In some cases my job there was to make sure we got the best players in.

“There’s probably no specifics of any player contract in Rovers, I’d give away. I did what I thought was in the best interest of the club, which was sign good players.”

The paper reports on Martin’s response when he was asked if he would do anything differently in hindsight.

He said: “I don’t know. You were there for a couple of years and I probably made hundreds if not thousands of decisions. It’s a bit of the burden of leadership. You have to make decisions all the time. That’s the role.

“Of course you look back and say maybe I might have done this different or that different across a range of different things in the club.

“I think without getting into specifics of any agreements, there’s always things you would probably do a little bit differently for sure.”

Read the story on the thesun.ie here.

Title winning former Shelbourne boss Damien Duff has admitted he may need to move abroad to resume his managerial career.

The Ireland winger and Chelsea ace spoke of his future again during an appearance as a Champions League pundit this week with his quotes carried on by The42.ie and other outlets.

The website quotes Duff as saying: “I think I have to start probably looking outside the country, because there’s not a big industry here, as we know/

“I’ve no plan. I have absolutely no plan. I’ve cut my ties with many people but there’s not a lot of jobs, football jobs, coaching jobs in the country. The longer the year has gone on… I belong on the grass. And whether it be here, the UK, or somewhere else, I don’t know.

“The most alive you’ll ever feel for me anyways is on a football pitch. When I retired, I don’t know how I got into coaching but I did and I felt even more alive coaching.”

Duff also revealed details of his recent visit to Brentford’s training ground where he observed former Ireland team-mate Keith Andrews at work as Bees boss.

“It was amazing to see such a well-run club. So it’s not rocket science to see how well they’re doing from top to bottom. Brilliant people, honest people, energy, enthusiasm, obviously real quality. It was so refreshing,” added Duff.

“The minute I walked into the building, I just thought to myself, wow! I’ve known Keith for 15 or 20 years, I’m really pleased for him because I think people were sticking the knife in even before his first game. I think at times, even in the football world, people enjoy sticking the knife in.

“But he’s done brilliant. And even speaking to people away from Keith when I was there; they love him. They’re so fond of him and they’ve been blown away by what he’s brought to the football club.”

Read the story on the42.ie here.

Graham Coughlan has been asked to drag Waterford FC off the bottom of the Premier Division after his appointment as successor to the sacked Jon Daly.

Former Newport County, Mansfield Town and Boston United manager Coughlan has agreed a deal until the end of the season with the Blues and will face St Pats in his first game in charge on Friday night.

“I’m delighted to be here at the club. The move happened very quickly, as is the life of football, but I’m excited for this opportunity,” said Coughlan as Waterford still await their first win of the season.

“We’re straight to work now, focusing towards Friday’s game against St. Patrick’s Athletic and the games to follow after that. With a busy fixture schedule ahead of us, it’s time to get our heads down and prepare properly, starting with Friday night.”

Read the full article on rte.ie here.

Arsenal pushed their Champions League earnings to €139million with their semi-final win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night - and could make it €150million if they beat PSG in the Budapest final.

The Irish Examiner reports that the Gunners can add another €11.5million to their coffers if they win the Champions League for the first time in their history on May 30th.

Read the full story on irishexaminer here.

RTE football pundit Alan Cawley drew some ire in recent days when he raised concerns around the standard of play in the League of Ireland Premier Division this season but there are times when the Sligo man deserves to be taken seriously.

There are other times of course when his opinion is just that - his opinion and only his opinion and not worth commenting on. That’s simply the fate that awaits anyone who comments on football in this world of modern day punditry and keyboard warriors.

I won’t bother reminding you what part of the human anatomy opinions are compared to. I’m sure you’re all well travelled enough to know what I am talking about.

But I will share my opinions with you on some recent Alan Cawley comments. I fully expect you to take them or leave them - and I will respect you and your own opinions whichever way you choose to go.

We will start with his concerns over the standard of play in the Premier Division of the LOI, the top level of football in this country.

Watching the Bohs v Derry City game from the comforts of the Jodi Stand on Friday night there were times when I agreed with Alan’s claim last week that the ‘quality of play’ in the League of Ireland is a ‘little bit concerning’. Many of the restless natives around me were clearly of the same mindset.

Granted, that view would not have held any water during the recent Shamrock Rovers v Bohs game at Tallaght Stadium but such was the stop-start nature of the flow of the football and the standard of passing on Friday night that I did find myself in Cawley’s corner on several occasions.

I was, to use his term, more than a little concerned about the fare offered by two of the teams still ranked as title contenders. Hopefully that concern will ease as the summer arrives and the pitches improve.

Then on Tuesday evening, listening to Alan on RTE’s drivetime sports show as I drove through Wicklow, I was in total agreement with the former Leeds United apprentice as he analysed the latest Ireland squad in the company of Marie Crowe and Keith Treacy.

I agreed when he suggested that Dara O’Shea is an Ireland captain in waiting and deserves the armband as one of the senior players going to Murcia later this week for the training camp and the friendly against Grenada.

And I completely agreed when both Alan and Keith urged us to give the younger players a break in what is essentially an experimental Ireland squad, particularly the Cork-born Benfica winger Jaden Umeh.

Jaden is only 18. He has yet to play for Benfica’s first team. He has yet to establish himself in the Ireland Under 21 squad even though he was one of the stars of Colin Healy’s side at the Under 17 World Cup finals in Qatar last year.

The RTE pundits even reminded us all on Tuesday evening that Jaden’s last game was for the Benfica Under 19 side. They warned that we have placed far too much expectation on young shoulders before with the likes of Troy Parrott and Aaron Connolly.

Thus they urged caution around Umeh and the other uncapped players in what is an Ireland B squad in everything but name, one without any players still involved in league or play-off action in England, Scotland or further afield.

Sure, there are times in life when it is good to throw caution to the wind but this isn’t one of them. Let’s all enjoy Spain for what it is - a training camp and a chance to reset after the disaster that was Prague.

Reading any more than that into what happens to Jaden Umeh and this latest Irish squad over the next two weeks is a waste of time. Jaden’s pace alone will give Heimir Hallgrimsson plenty of food for thought in Murcia but let’s not start picking him to start the Nations League in September just yet.

This week’s Spanish trip is the real start of his international football education. It is not a finishing school.

The key stories developing today

Heimir Hallgrimsson has left the door open for Shamrock Rovers teenager Victor Ozhianvuna to make the Ireland squad sooner rather than later after taking note of Stephen Bradley’s comments over the weekend.

Hoops boss Bradley had campaigned for Arsenal bound Ozhianvuna to be called up for the upcoming training camp in Spain, which includes a friendly against Grenada, or the end of summer games at home to Qatar and away to Canada.

Ireland Head Coach Hallgrimsson didn’t include the exciting midfielder in a 21 man squad named on Tuesday for that Murcia camp which begins later this week.

But he did admit to RTE Sport afterwards that he is now aware of Bradley’s backing for the youngster to receive an Irish call and may well do just that over the coming weeks after deliberately not including League of Ireland players in this latest squad due to their ongoing match commitments.

RTE reports that in response to Bradley’s comments, Hallgrimsson said: “We’ve been watching him, of course. He hasn’t made our Under-21s yet and I surely expect him to be there soon.

“We didn’t plan to have players in season for this camp, but with bringing in so many new faces and also experienced players from our squad, we open spots for the May/June window as well.

“Victor is just a good player, even though he is young, he is just a good player. If he is ready for the first-team, we will have to wait and see. But he is a good name in the mix. If he is available, we might pick him.

“He wasn’t in the frame until I heard this last night. We didn’t plan to take players from the League of Ireland for this camp. It is not Stephen who is picking the squad, it’s me.

“We only announced 21 players today and we have a place for adding one or two players in the squad. I think he is one of the players who has a really high potential. Whether he is ready for the national first-team, we wait and see.”

Read the full story on rte here.

Robbie Keane has again insisted he is only interested in Ferencvaros and his current job in Hungary as his name continues to be linked with the likes of Celtic and Crystal Palace.

Ireland’s record goalscorer sat down for an in-depth interview with Sky Sports in Budapest which is reported on in depth by Aidan Fitzmaurice in the Irish Independent.

Ahead this Sunday’s Hungarian Cup final, Keane reacted to all the speculation and again said: “To be honest with you, it doesn’t bother me, and it never did as a player. The speculation, it must mean that you are doing something OK.

“But I can’t take my eye off the ball where I am. I think my biggest strength is that I don’t care what happens outside of me. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t care about criticism because I’m not worried about people criticising me who don’t know me. So that outside noise never affects me.

“For me, it’s just about what I’m doing right now, at this minute, and continuing to do that. Because I think if you want to be successful, you have to go into training tomorrow and you have to demand again from the players.

“You have to set the standards, you have to set the tone yourself. If the players see any weakness in the manager or ask if the manager has got the eye off the ball, they will.

“I’m happy [with] what I’m doing. Of course, winning this is great, but I still believe there’s way more and I can’t take my eye off the ball. I have to believe that I can keep going, keep pushing myself, keep motivating myself every day.

“Whether I win or lose, I still motivate myself in the morning to come to training, to make the players better, to make them believe that we’re doing something special, that we can go up against anybody and have that belief that we can win.

“I think if you have that mindset and if the players buy into you and they see that the manager has that, they’ll dive into it as well.”

Read the story on the irishindependent here.

Owen Elding remains committed to Ireland despite recent speculation about the English FA checking out the former Sligo forward now making a name at Hibs in Scotland.

And Irish boss Heimir Hallgrimsson confirmed to the media at his squad announcement on Tuesday that Elding could feature for the end of season games against Qatar and Canada if he finally receives his Irish passport.

After calling up Killian Cahill, Tayo Adaramola, Eiran Cashin, Joel Bagan, Jack Moylan, Jaden Umeh and Aidomo Emakhu for the first time for the upcoming training camp in Spain, Hallgrimsson confirmed that Elding is also close to a call.

The Irish Sun quotes the Ireland boss as saying: “I just called him this morning. So I just wanted to have his word for it. Is he committed to Ireland? 100 percent he is.

“And even though he cannot play the games against Qatar and Canada, we might even bring him in, just to have him around the squad in May, June. But he’s committed to us, so I’m not worried about that one.”

The report adds that Hallgrímsson has only selected players for the Murcia trip - and a friendly against Grenada - who are out of season while Jimmy Dunne, Bosun Lawal and Gavin Bazunu were ruled out by injury.

Sammie Szmodics, Harvey Vale, Robbie Brady and Jack Taylor are absent on the advice of the medical staff at their clubs.

Hallgrimsson is expected to name an almost entirely different squad for the home game against Qatar at the end of May and the game in Canada in early June.

Read the story on thesun.ie here.

History chasing Hearts can become regular title contenders in Scotland according to Celtic manager Martin O’Neill as he prepares for this weekend’s big game against Rangers.

O’Neill is still doing his best to stop Hearts and their fairytale bid to become the first non Old Firm team since 1985 to lift the Scottish crown.

But after analysing their big 2-1 win against Rangers in Edinburgh on Sunday, O’Neill has tools the media that Hearts now have the resources to challenge Celtic and Rangers for the league on a regular basis thanks to the financial backing of Brighton owner Tony Bloom.

BBC Sport reports O’Neill as saying: “Why not? Absolutely. Tony Bloom has invested in Brighton and he has also done the same at Hearts. If you’re looking at it from a neutral viewpoint, which I certainly am not, but if you were, then there’s been excitement this season because Hearts have come up, thrown down the gauntlet to the two big teams and I think that can only be good for the Premiership.”

Read the full article on bbcsport here.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta guided Arsenal to their first Champions League final in 20 years then described the win over Atletico Madrid as ‘amazing’.

BBC Sport carries all the Arteta quotes from his post-match intervie with Amazon Prime. He said: “It’s an amazing night to live this kind of moment with the players and everyone at the club, it’s an incredible feeling. It makes sense with all of the things we do and we go through and I see so many happy faces and proud of what we’re doing.”

Read the full story on bbc sport here.

RTE Pundit Alan Cawley is right - let the likes of Jaden Umeh enjoy his moment in the Spanish sun

Cathal Dervan, Editor

RTE football pundit Alan Cawley drew some ire in recent days when he raised concerns around the standard of play in the League of Ireland Premier Division this season but there are times when the Sligo man deserves to be taken seriously.

There are other times of course when his opinion is just that - his opinion and only his opinion and not worth commenting on. That’s simply the fate that awaits anyone who comments on football in this world of modern day punditry and keyboard warriors.

I won’t bother reminding you what part of the human anatomy opinions are compared to. I’m sure you’re all well travelled enough to know what I am talking about.

But I will share my opinions with you on some recent Alan Cawley comments. I fully expect you to take them or leave them - and I will respect you and your own opinions whichever way you choose to go.

We will start with his concerns over the standard of play in the Premier Division of the LOI, the top level of football in this country.

Watching the Bohs v Derry City game from the comforts of the Jodi Stand on Friday night there were times when I agreed with Alan’s claim last week that the ‘quality of play’ in the League of Ireland is a ‘little bit concerning’. Many of the restless natives around me were clearly of the same mindset.

Granted, that view would not have held any water during the recent Shamrock Rovers v Bohs game at Tallaght Stadium but such was the stop-start nature of the flow of the football and the standard of passing on Friday night that I did find myself in Cawley’s corner on several occasions.

I was, to use his term, more than a little concerned about the fare offered by two of the teams still ranked as title contenders. Hopefully that concern will ease as the summer arrives and the pitches improve.

Then on Tuesday evening, listening to Alan on RTE’s drivetime sports show as I drove through Wicklow, I was in total agreement with the former Leeds United apprentice as he analysed the latest Ireland squad in the company of Marie Crowe and Keith Treacy.

I agreed when he suggested that Dara O’Shea is an Ireland captain in waiting and deserves the armband as one of the senior players going to Murcia later this week for the training camp and the friendly against Grenada.

And I completely agreed when both Alan and Keith urged us to give the younger players a break in what is essentially an experimental Ireland squad, particularly the Cork-born Benfica winger Jaden Umeh.

Jaden is only 18. He has yet to play for Benfica’s first team. He has yet to establish himself in the Ireland Under 21 squad even though he was one of the stars of Colin Healy’s side at the Under 17 World Cup finals in Qatar last year.

The RTE pundits even reminded us all on Tuesday evening that Jaden’s last game was for the Benfica Under 19 side. They warned that we have placed far too much expectation on young shoulders before with the likes of Troy Parrott and Aaron Connolly.

Thus they urged caution around Umeh and the other uncapped players in what is an Ireland B squad in everything but name, one without any players still involved in league or play-off action in England, Scotland or further afield.

Sure, there are times in life when it is good to throw caution to the wind but this isn’t one of them. Let’s all enjoy Spain for what it is - a training camp and a chance to reset after the disaster that was Prague.

Reading any more than that into what happens to Jaden Umeh and this latest Irish squad over the next two weeks is a waste of time. Jaden’s pace alone will give Heimir Hallgrimsson plenty of food for thought in Murcia but let’s not start picking him to start the Nations League in September just yet.

This week’s Spanish trip is the real start of his international football education. It is not a finishing school.

No noise, just the news & views that matters. The Sports Hacks is a reader supported publication - if you like what you read, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber and sharing our work.

Share

Liverpool and Ireland old boy Mark Kennedy rarely gives media interviews so this podcast with Woody and Horlock is well worth a look…

Subscribers can watch the Let’s Talk Football on TheSportsHacks.com

The key stories developing today

Heimir Hallgrimsson has left the door open for Shamrock Rovers teenager Victor Ozhianvuna to make the Ireland squad sooner rather than later after taking note of Stephen Bradley’s comments over the weekend.

Hoops boss Bradley had campaigned for Arsenal bound Ozhianvuna to be called up for the upcoming training camp in Spain, which includes a friendly against Grenada, or the end of summer games at home to Qatar and away to Canada.

Ireland Head Coach Hallgrimsson didn’t include the exciting midfielder in a 21 man squad named on Tuesday for that Murcia camp which begins later this week.

But he did admit to RTE Sport afterwards that he is now aware of Bradley’s backing for the youngster to receive an Irish call and may well do just that over the coming weeks after deliberately not including League of Ireland players in this latest squad due to their ongoing match commitments.

RTE reports that in response to Bradley’s comments, Hallgrimsson said: “We’ve been watching him, of course. He hasn’t made our Under-21s yet and I surely expect him to be there soon.

“We didn’t plan to have players in season for this camp, but with bringing in so many new faces and also experienced players from our squad, we open spots for the May/June window as well.

“Victor is just a good player, even though he is young, he is just a good player. If he is ready for the first-team, we will have to wait and see. But he is a good name in the mix. If he is available, we might pick him.

“He wasn’t in the frame until I heard this last night. We didn’t plan to take players from the League of Ireland for this camp. It is not Stephen who is picking the squad, it’s me.

“We only announced 21 players today and we have a place for adding one or two players in the squad. I think he is one of the players who has a really high potential. Whether he is ready for the national first-team, we wait and see.”

Read the full story on rte here.

Robbie Keane has again insisted he is only interested in Ferencvaros and his current job in Hungary as his name continues to be linked with the likes of Celtic and Crystal Palace.

Ireland’s record goalscorer sat down for an in-depth interview with Sky Sports in Budapest which is reported on in depth by Aidan Fitzmaurice in the Irish Independent.

Ahead this Sunday’s Hungarian Cup final, Keane reacted to all the speculation and again said: “To be honest with you, it doesn’t bother me, and it never did as a player. The speculation, it must mean that you are doing something OK.

“But I can’t take my eye off the ball where I am. I think my biggest strength is that I don’t care what happens outside of me. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t care about criticism because I’m not worried about people criticising me who don’t know me. So that outside noise never affects me.

“For me, it’s just about what I’m doing right now, at this minute, and continuing to do that. Because I think if you want to be successful, you have to go into training tomorrow and you have to demand again from the players.

“You have to set the standards, you have to set the tone yourself. If the players see any weakness in the manager or ask if the manager has got the eye off the ball, they will.

“I’m happy [with] what I’m doing. Of course, winning this is great, but I still believe there’s way more and I can’t take my eye off the ball. I have to believe that I can keep going, keep pushing myself, keep motivating myself every day.

“Whether I win or lose, I still motivate myself in the morning to come to training, to make the players better, to make them believe that we’re doing something special, that we can go up against anybody and have that belief that we can win.

“I think if you have that mindset and if the players buy into you and they see that the manager has that, they’ll dive into it as well.”

Read the story on the irishindependent here.

Owen Elding remains committed to Ireland despite recent speculation about the English FA checking out the former Sligo forward now making a name at Hibs in Scotland.

And Irish boss Heimir Hallgrimsson confirmed to the media at his squad announcement on Tuesday that Elding could feature for the end of season games against Qatar and Canada if he finally receives his Irish passport.

After calling up Killian Cahill, Tayo Adaramola, Eiran Cashin, Joel Bagan, Jack Moylan, Jaden Umeh and Aidomo Emakhu for the first time for the upcoming training camp in Spain, Hallgrimsson confirmed that Elding is also close to a call.

The Irish Sun quotes the Ireland boss as saying: “I just called him this morning. So I just wanted to have his word for it. Is he committed to Ireland? 100 percent he is.

“And even though he cannot play the games against Qatar and Canada, we might even bring him in, just to have him around the squad in May, June. But he’s committed to us, so I’m not worried about that one.”

The report adds that Hallgrímsson has only selected players for the Murcia trip - and a friendly against Grenada - who are out of season while Jimmy Dunne, Bosun Lawal and Gavin Bazunu were ruled out by injury.

Sammie Szmodics, Harvey Vale, Robbie Brady and Jack Taylor are absent on the advice of the medical staff at their clubs.

Hallgrimsson is expected to name an almost entirely different squad for the home game against Qatar at the end of May and the game in Canada in early June.

Read the story on thesun.ie here.

History chasing Hearts can become regular title contenders in Scotland according to Celtic manager Martin O’Neill as he prepares for this weekend’s big game against Rangers.

O’Neill is still doing his best to stop Hearts and their fairytale bid to become the first non Old Firm team since 1985 to lift the Scottish crown.

But after analysing their big 2-1 win against Rangers in Edinburgh on Sunday, O’Neill has tools the media that Hearts now have the resources to challenge Celtic and Rangers for the league on a regular basis thanks to the financial backing of Brighton owner Tony Bloom.

BBC Sport reports O’Neill as saying: “Why not? Absolutely. Tony Bloom has invested in Brighton and he has also done the same at Hearts. If you’re looking at it from a neutral viewpoint, which I certainly am not, but if you were, then there’s been excitement this season because Hearts have come up, thrown down the gauntlet to the two big teams and I think that can only be good for the Premiership.”

Read the full article on bbcsport here.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta guided Arsenal to their first Champions League final in 20 years then described the win over Atletico Madrid as ‘amazing’.

BBC Sport carries all the Arteta quotes from his post-match intervie with Amazon Prime. He said: “It’s an amazing night to live this kind of moment with the players and everyone at the club, it’s an incredible feeling. It makes sense with all of the things we do and we go through and I see so many happy faces and proud of what we’re doing.”

Read the full story on bbc sport here.

It’s the Thierry Henry factor that should drive the Arsenal players on tonight, the Arsene Wenger factor that should inspire Mikel Arteta to his finest hour.

The Gunners face Atletico Madrid at the Emirates with their Champions League hopes poised nicely after a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital last week though the same can be said of .

Chaos has been a word widely used in many debates about the night of the three penalties in that first leg, two of which were converted into goals and one of which was awarded then overturned by our old and unwanted friend VAR.

And chaos is an appropriate word for a game that epitomised just why a place in a Champions League final has to be earned, whether you do it by scoring five goals or four in Paris or by restricting chances to a bare minimum in Madrid.

London provides the stage tonight followed by Munich tomorrow with Budapest the final destination on the last Saturday in May.

Arsenal haven’t been in a Champions League final since 2006 when they were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona at the Stade De France in their only appearance at that stage of the tournament and a game also remembered for the 18th minute dismissal of their goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

Whilst many Gunners are fixated with the end of their 22-year wait for the Premier League crown, the European Cup remains a holy grail for the club.

To do that, they will need to take inspiration from any quarter they can tonight so let’s start with the history books.

Thierry Henry provided the assist for the Sol Campbell goal in that 2006 decider but his impact on Arsenal’s Champions League record is more far reaching than that. Henry holds two Arsenal CL records - the most appearances at 78 games and the most goals at 35 according to UEFA records.

Arsene Wenger was the coach for that 2006 loss to Barcelona and is the most successful Arsenal manager ever with 17 trophies to his name including three Premier Leagues and seven FA Cups.

What Henry and Wenger lack, what they are certain to have longed for in their impressive Arsenal careers, is a European success with the Gunners. Henry did win the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 but never with a cannon on his shirt. Wenger managed in two Euro finals, the second being the 2000 UEFA Cup final loss to Galatasaray.

Atletico can point to similar inspirations tonight. The only club to have ever lost three Champions League finals, winning one is the over-riding ambition of their brilliant manager Diego Simeone who has reached four semi-finals but never won one.

So hunger and ambition will be a crucial factor this evening. There is no doubt that both teams possess the skill levels and the ability to win this game but motivation is going to be everything in the white hot intensity of battle at the Emirates.

The Arsenal players can do a Thierry Henry tonight and make it to the final, likewise Arteta can emulate Wenger and steer the Gunners to Budapest.

It’s how much they want to surpass Henry and Wenger’s Arsenal achievements that will really decide how far they go in this season’s Champions League - and the history books.

The key stories developing today

Former Ireland star Enda Stevens has called on Republic boss Heimir Hallgrimsson to give youth a chance when he names his squad today for the upcoming training camp in Spain that includes a friendly against Grenada.

Capped 26 times by his country, Stevens is now back for a second spell at Shamrock Rovers where he is playing alongside talented teenagers including Victor Ozhianvuna, Michael Noonan and Adam Brennan.

Hoops boss Stephen Bradley has repeatedly called on Hallgrimsson to bring 17-year-old Ozhianvuna in his plans for the Murcia trip or the end of season games at home to Qatar and Canada while Bohs head coach Alan Reynolds wants to see his midfielder Dawson Devoy involved in next week’s training camp.

Stevens, now 35, is happy to back the calls for youth to be given a chance when Hallgrimsson goes public with his first post-Prague squad today.

He told the Irish Mirror: “They [Rovers’ teenagers] do seem like men. And the way they approach it, they are confident, they are gamey, they are not shy, they don’t play within themselves.

“They stick their chests out, they want to go out there and be the best players on the pitch, and it’s excellent to see. You have got to work for your opportunity. You look at Vic, you look at Michael and Adam as well, and they are putting in the performances to get recognition.

“Why not give them a chance? There is no World Cup now, there are a lot of games to be played; friendlies and that. So you might as well give them a chance and see how they get on.”

Read the full story on irishmirror here.

FAI Director of Football and former Shamrock Rovers CEO John Martin is set to be asked by the media to publicly explain the contractual issues that prompted Michael Noonan’s family to make a complaint to the English FA.

The Sunday Times reports, via its Ireland football correspondent Paul Rowan, that Martin is scheduled to host a briefing on the FAI’s strategy for football at the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday.

Rowan writes that Martin will also be given the opportunity by Irish football journalists to clarify his role in the contract saga involving teenage Shamrock Rovers striker Noonan.

The paper first reported earlier this year that Noonan’s family had made an official complaint to the English FA re his English agent David Moss over transfer details included in the contract which came to their attention after a move to German side Hoffenheim failed to materialise.

Shamrock Rovers have since self-reported details of the contract to FIFA with the initial report in the Sunday Times prompting a statement from the club around the deal agreed between Moss and Martin, in his then role as CEO.

The initial Rovers statement said: “When the chair and the board became aware of these agreements in August 2025, independent legal advice was sought, and Fifa was proactively engaged to discuss. The process with Fifa is ongoing and the FAI has been notified.”

The English FA confirmed to the Sunday Times that they had received the complaint from the Noonan family but said it is now a matter for the FAI. Both the FAI and FIFA declined to make any comment to the paper.

Read the story on the sundaytimes here.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will fight on in the title race despite Monday night’s 3-3 Premier League at Everton, a result that hands the initiative back to table toppers Arsenal.

A 97th minute leveller from Jeremy Doku may just have kept City in contention but Guardiola was honest enough in his post match interview with Sky Sports to concede favouritism to Arsenal.

“Really good performance,” Guardilla told Sky Sports. “We played an outstanding first half. It was so difficult with their physicality.

“Second-half, they made a step up. We didn’t have as much control and we gave away the goal. After that they come back and make a proper English game, so aggressive in the duels.

“We take the point and until it’s over, we’re going to continue. Everton away is always difficult and I give credit to them for their composure and aggression.

“It’s better than a loss. We played to win. It just shows what the team are. We tried and we have done it. It’s not in our hands. Before it was in our hands. Now, no.

“We have to do it in our four games that we have in the Premier League. It will be quite similar against Brentford. We will see what happens.”

Read the story on skysports here.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has labelled their defence of the Premier League title as ‘unacceptable’ and urged his team-mates to ensure Champions League qualification before their poor season comes to a close.

Beaten 3-2 at Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool can still confirm CL qualification with four points from their remaining three league games against Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford.

The BBC reports Van Dijk as saying post the United defeat: “I’m not here to make excuses. It’s been a very disappointing season, an unacceptable season, and it’s tough. We shouldn’t feel sorry for ourselves whatsoever.

“We have to work and turn this around and make sure that next season these things don’t happen. It’s not Liverpool. But we have three games left and the realisation has to come from ourselves, as a group and as players, to make sure that we are in the Champions League because of the impact of it for the financial side for the club.

“But also because we want to be playing against the best teams in Europe. It’s not easy. But we keep going.”

Read the full article on bbcsport here.

Saints boss Stephen Kenny wasn’t a happy camper as he left Sligo’s Showgrounds with a point in the bag and question marks over the penalty decision that led to the equaliser from Archie Meekison.

Rovers scored from the spot just before half-time to cancel out Kian Leavy’s opener but Kenny was aggrieved by the decision of referee Marc Lynch to penalise Luke Turner for his clash with Carl McHugh.

Kenny told the Irish Sun: “The game has turned on that decision. The lads feel a bit let down by it as it totally changed the flow of the game.

“We probably could have had two frees of our own in the lead-up. They were blatant ones. The Sligo player is on the ground when Luke makes contact with him. We feel it’s harsh.”

Shamrock Rovers were the big winners on Monday as they beat Drogheda 4-1 in Tallaght. That result moves them three points clear of Pats at the top of table with Bohs scoring late in a 2-2 draw with Shels to stay in third spot.

Read the full story on thesun.ie here.

Arsenal players need to beat Atletico, Henry and Wenger tonight

Euro records need to be rewritten at The Emirates

Cathal Dervan, Editor

It’s the Thierry Henry factor that should drive the Arsenal players on tonight, the Arsene Wenger factor that should inspire Mikel Arteta to his finest hour.

The Gunners face Atletico Madrid at the Emirates with their Champions League hopes poised nicely after a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital last week though the same can be said of .

Chaos has been a word widely used in many debates about the night of the three penalties in that first leg, two of which were converted into goals and one of which was awarded then overturned by our old and unwanted friend VAR.

And chaos is an appropriate word for a game that epitomised just why a place in a Champions League final has to be earned, whether you do it by scoring five goals or four in Paris or by restricting chances to a bare minimum in Madrid.

London provides the stage tonight followed by Munich tomorrow with Budapest the final destination on the last Saturday in May.

Arsenal haven’t been in a Champions League final since 2006 when they were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona at the Stade De France in their only appearance at that stage of the tournament and a game also remembered for the 18th minute dismissal of their goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

Whilst many Gunners are fixated with the end of their 22-year wait for the Premier League crown, the European Cup remains a holy grail for the club.

To do that, they will need to take inspiration from any quarter they can tonight so let’s start with the history books.

Thierry Henry provided the assist for the Sol Campbell goal in that 2006 decider but his impact on Arsenal’s Champions League record is more far reaching than that. Henry holds two Arsenal CL records - the most appearances at 78 games and the most goals at 35 according to UEFA records.

Arsene Wenger was the coach for that 2006 loss to Barcelona and is the most successful Arsenal manager ever with 17 trophies to his name including three Premier Leagues and seven FA Cups.

What Henry and Wenger lack, what they are certain to have longed for in their impressive Arsenal careers, is a European success with the Gunners. Henry did win the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 but never with a cannon on his shirt. Wenger managed in two Euro finals, the second being the 2000 UEFA Cup final loss to Galatasaray.

Atletico can point to similar inspirations tonight. The only club to have ever lost three Champions League finals, winning one is the over-riding ambition of their brilliant manager Diego Simeone who has reached four semi-finals but never won one.

So hunger and ambition will be a crucial factor this evening. There is no doubt that both teams possess the skill levels and the ability to win this game but motivation is going to be everything in the white hot intensity of battle at the Emirates.

The Arsenal players can do a Thierry Henry tonight and make it to the final, likewise Arteta can emulate Wenger and steer the Gunners to Budapest.

It’s how much they want to surpass Henry and Wenger’s Arsenal achievements that will really decide how far they go in this season’s Champions League - and the history books.

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In the season that keeps on giving, Spurs and Forest turn the tables on the Hammers…. Kevin and Cathal talk Champions League, the Premier League title race and who’s staying up.

Subscribers can watch the full episode on TheSportsHacks.com

The key stories developing today

Former Ireland star Enda Stevens has called on Republic boss Heimir Hallgrimsson to give youth a chance when he names his squad today for the upcoming training camp in Spain that includes a friendly against Grenada.

Capped 26 times by his country, Stevens is now back for a second spell at Shamrock Rovers where he is playing alongside talented teenagers including Victor Ozhianvuna, Michael Noonan and Adam Brennan.

Hoops boss Stephen Bradley has repeatedly called on Hallgrimsson to bring 17-year-old Ozhianvuna in his plans for the Murcia trip or the end of season games at home to Qatar and Canada while Bohs head coach Alan Reynolds wants to see his midfielder Dawson Devoy involved in next week’s training camp.

Stevens, now 35, is happy to back the calls for youth to be given a chance when Hallgrimsson goes public with his first post-Prague squad today.

He told the Irish Mirror: “They [Rovers’ teenagers] do seem like men. And the way they approach it, they are confident, they are gamey, they are not shy, they don’t play within themselves.

“They stick their chests out, they want to go out there and be the best players on the pitch, and it’s excellent to see. You have got to work for your opportunity. You look at Vic, you look at Michael and Adam as well, and they are putting in the performances to get recognition.

“Why not give them a chance? There is no World Cup now, there are a lot of games to be played; friendlies and that. So you might as well give them a chance and see how they get on.”

Read the full story on irishmirror here.

FAI Director of Football and former Shamrock Rovers CEO John Martin is set to be asked by the media to publicly explain the contractual issues that prompted Michael Noonan’s family to make a complaint to the English FA.

The Sunday Times reports, via its Ireland football correspondent Paul Rowan, that Martin is scheduled to host a briefing on the FAI’s strategy for football at the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday.

Rowan writes that Martin will also be given the opportunity by Irish football journalists to clarify his role in the contract saga involving teenage Shamrock Rovers striker Noonan.

The paper first reported earlier this year that Noonan’s family had made an official complaint to the English FA re his English agent David Moss over transfer details included in the contract which came to their attention after a move to German side Hoffenheim failed to materialise.

Shamrock Rovers have since self-reported details of the contract to FIFA with the initial report in the Sunday Times prompting a statement from the club around the deal agreed between Moss and Martin, in his then role as CEO.

The initial Rovers statement said: “When the chair and the board became aware of these agreements in August 2025, independent legal advice was sought, and Fifa was proactively engaged to discuss. The process with Fifa is ongoing and the FAI has been notified.”

The English FA confirmed to the Sunday Times that they had received the complaint from the Noonan family but said it is now a matter for the FAI. Both the FAI and FIFA declined to make any comment to the paper.

Read the story on the sundaytimes here.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will fight on in the title race despite Monday night’s 3-3 Premier League at Everton, a result that hands the initiative back to table toppers Arsenal.

A 97th minute leveller from Jeremy Doku may just have kept City in contention but Guardiola was honest enough in his post match interview with Sky Sports to concede favouritism to Arsenal.

“Really good performance,” Guardilla told Sky Sports. “We played an outstanding first half. It was so difficult with their physicality.

“Second-half, they made a step up. We didn’t have as much control and we gave away the goal. After that they come back and make a proper English game, so aggressive in the duels.

“We take the point and until it’s over, we’re going to continue. Everton away is always difficult and I give credit to them for their composure and aggression.

“It’s better than a loss. We played to win. It just shows what the team are. We tried and we have done it. It’s not in our hands. Before it was in our hands. Now, no.

“We have to do it in our four games that we have in the Premier League. It will be quite similar against Brentford. We will see what happens.”

Read the story on skysports here.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has labelled their defence of the Premier League title as ‘unacceptable’ and urged his team-mates to ensure Champions League qualification before their poor season comes to a close.

Beaten 3-2 at Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool can still confirm CL qualification with four points from their remaining three league games against Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford.

The BBC reports Van Dijk as saying post the United defeat: “I’m not here to make excuses. It’s been a very disappointing season, an unacceptable season, and it’s tough. We shouldn’t feel sorry for ourselves whatsoever.

“We have to work and turn this around and make sure that next season these things don’t happen. It’s not Liverpool. But we have three games left and the realisation has to come from ourselves, as a group and as players, to make sure that we are in the Champions League because of the impact of it for the financial side for the club.

“But also because we want to be playing against the best teams in Europe. It’s not easy. But we keep going.”

Read the full article on bbcsport here.

Saints boss Stephen Kenny wasn’t a happy camper as he left Sligo’s Showgrounds with a point in the bag and question marks over the penalty decision that led to the equaliser from Archie Meekison.

Rovers scored from the spot just before half-time to cancel out Kian Leavy’s opener but Kenny was aggrieved by the decision of referee Marc Lynch to penalise Luke Turner for his clash with Carl McHugh.

Kenny told the Irish Sun: “The game has turned on that decision. The lads feel a bit let down by it as it totally changed the flow of the game.

“We probably could have had two frees of our own in the lead-up. They were blatant ones. The Sligo player is on the ground when Luke makes contact with him. We feel it’s harsh.”

Shamrock Rovers were the big winners on Monday as they beat Drogheda 4-1 in Tallaght. That result moves them three points clear of Pats at the top of table with Bohs scoring late in a 2-2 draw with Shels to stay in third spot.

Read the full story on thesun.ie here.