Ireland lost but no one died

It's goals are wide of the mark but now it's over and behind us. phew!

Did you hear?

Ireland lost both matches against Australia (and thus lost the series) in this year's International Rules fixture in Croke Park.

So eh no you didn't hear?

Oh well.

Both matches were close: 40 - 47, and 52 - 55.

Who cares anymore anyway?

Trick shots

Cool:

Yawn, why even bother:

Zizou cool as always:

Brazil 1970? Our survey says inn ehh

The Pelé Maradona argument has raged for years
but we all agree on Brazil 1970. Right?

This week Pelé turned 70 and next week Maradona turns 50. Unless you are a small annoying creature that knows the middle names of Cruyff, Beckenbauer and Platini and just wants to be difficult, we all agree they are the two greatest players of all time.

But which is better? Debate over the subject is divisive: friends drop their snooker cues, become even angrier and decide to pick them up again; work colleagues throw precious water cooler plastic cups at each other and then apologise for being oh-so-foolish; house mates ignore each other for weeks on end and play the well-I-didn’t-really-use-the-bins-this-week-so-I’m-not-taking-them-out or other such passive aggressive games.

The Pelé Maradona thing cuts deep.

But there's no cutting when it comes to Brazil’s 1970 World Cup team.

wtf?

I'd like to think that I know a bit about sport. Not lots, but enough. Ditto for youtube.

I'd like to think that it'd take a good bit to confuse me.

And then, eh... well, answers on a postcard please.

Click here, tis worth it

The Managers Strike Back

Holloway is talking about Wayne Rooney and he's angry. Really angry.

Ian Holloway, manager of Blackpool, is passionate about football. His witty one liners and bizarre metaphors have endeared him to the press and fans alike.

He loves Blackpool, he is in fact dedication personified and said that guiding Blackpool into the Premier League was the greatest moment of his life (apart from the birth of his kids). For him, Blackpool is special. So how does he sum the place up?

"I love Blackpool. We're very similar. We both look better in the dark."

Rooney could leave for £5 million next summer

Click here for the story.

If true that means a club could buy him for nothing and give him say a £20 million lum sum as an insentive.

Come on John W Henry.

Alternative World Cricket XIs

The Invincibles of 1948, captained by Bradman (seated centre)

As stated earlier Cricinfo are selecting an All Time World Cicket XI. If half of my eleven guys don't make the list I might just pack in this sports blogging thing altogether.

In the run up to the announcement of what could be the best cricket team ever imagined, the panel of selectors are releasing some of their alternative teams - each centred around a theme.

I know. Calm down.

The House of Ireland

Steve is the one in the Star Trek suit

So Mr Football Player:

- You are 24 years old, earn about £3 million a year and have no hair.

- You have skills, a trophy girlfriend and a chiwawa.

- You have also lied about your grandmothers' death (yes both of them) to avoid playing for your country, painted your Range Rover alloys pink and (allegedly) shaved off your hair after a transplant.

Should we then, dear readers, expect that Stephen Ireland resides in a modest, run-of-the-mill semi-d close to the training pitch?

Eh... spose not, no.

Brett Favre in the sweet spot

Outstanding

Also Outstanding

New Mastercard Ad

Brett pursues, txts and fails

Brett Favre had it all. And in one fell swoop he may have thrown it all away.

Allegations put him somewhere on the Tiger scale of scandal, though I really don't know where...

His reputation, was seen to be all but untouchable.

How's that?! World Cricket XI

The team over at cricinfo.com have started to try and pick an all time cricket XI. It's a fairly hopeless task but of course I had to have a go myself.

Great players down the ages have had the ability to singlehandedly change games in a session, to win "unwinnable" matches, and to shatter records with the panache of the head waiter at Patrick Guilbaud's.

D'oh!

Northern Ireland held Italy to a nil nil draw.

Stephen Davis kicked the corner flag.

Who says soccer isn't exciting?

It's the 10th of the 10th of 10 but this is going up at 9.

Art innit? A goalkeeper’s story

When the wonderful Mary Hannigan wrote in last Monday’s Irish Times of the bizarre artistic efforts of Derby County’s Stephen Bywater I had to take a closer look.

For once Hannigan was almost lost for words, but of course she found some:

“The Derby County goalkeeper insisted the work he, eh, created in his back garden was a ‘masterpiece’ but the couple next door were so offended they called the police.

Rossi vs Lorenzo in 3 Lap Thriller

Italy's Valentino Rossi vs Spain's Jorge Lorenzo

Photograph: bbc.co.uk

Last weekend at Japan, an epic battle took place between infamous biking superstar Valentino Rossi and the current leader of the Moto Grand Prix championship Jorge Lorenzo.

For the final three laps of the race, the two pushed each other right to the limit, with the pair bumping into each other at speeds in excess of 100mph on multiple occasions.

Irish Ryders on the Storm

Victorious European Ryder Cup Team 2010

Photograph: rydercup.com

Yesterday an Irishman clinched the vital point for Europe in the Ryder Cup. Graeme McDowell was well aware that in securing the crucial point he followed in the footsteps of fellow Irishmen Christy O’Connor (1989), Philip Walton (1995), and Paul McGinley (2002).