What we’re watching - the dark reality of football
Five2Follow - today’s developing stories
4 May 2026; Waterford goalkeeper Arlo Doherty makes a save after a header from Dundalk's Séan Spaight during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Waterford and Dundalk at RSC in Waterford. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
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.
FIVE2FOLLOW
Squad pickers
Robbie ‘don’t care’
Owen’s on call
Hearts again for O’Neill
Gunning for glory
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
All photos on TheSportsHacks are provided by Sportsfile.com
Have you got something to share? Want to get involved? We’re always ready to hear a different view and we’re always on the look out for new contributors - young and old, experienced writers or fresh minds.
Simply reply to this email with your details and we’ll be in touch.
