Originally white, the rainbow-themed Puma Future 6.1 football boots are adorned with a design very personal to James Maddison.

5 years ago

“Everybody’s caught on now. They’ve all caught on, every manager. They’ve all caught on!” – Paul Merson on Bielsa’s famous tactics.

5 years ago

Mings received two yellows in the space of six minutes Tyrone Mings was sent off on the stroke of half-time after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession against Crystal Palace. Aston Villa went into the half-time break a goal up but a man down after Bertrand Traore’s early goal gave the hosts the […]

5 years ago

Things go from bad to worse at The Emirates. Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Runarsson has deactivated his Twitter account after his error contributed to his side’s quarter-final exit from the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night. With only four Europa League appearances for the club to his name, the Icelandic goalkeeper was surprisingly given the nod to […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney After the Dublin Ladies footballers claimed a fourth TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship in a row, they took a moment out of their celebrations to lay a wreath on Hill 16 in memory of those killed on Bloody Sunday 100 years ago. Captain Sinéad Aherne was joined by Muireann Ní Scanaill for the […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Meath 2-17 Westmeath 4-5 Meath manager Eamonn Murray praised his side’s level-headed reaction to the concession of three early goals, as Meath put consecutive TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Final defeats behind them and overpowered Westmeath in a storming second-half display at Croke Park. Lucy McCartan’s two goals and a third from Anna Jones […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Dublin 1-10 Cork 1-5 Dublin Ladies football manager Mick Bohan praised his side’s powerful second-half display as they worked their way to a fourth TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship in a row in their seventh straight appearance in the Croke Park decider. Carla Rowe’s penalty early in the second half turned this game […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Meath 2-17 Westmeath 4-5 Meath put two years of Croke Park heartbreak behind them as seven Emma Duggan points helped them to glory against Westmeath in the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Final. Westmeath hit three goals in the space of four first-half minutes, and a fourth early in the second half, but goals […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Dublin 1-10 Cork 1-5 Dublin won their fourth TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship in a row as a powerful second-half display and Carla Rowe’s penalty got them past Cork at Croke Park. A goal from Áine Terry O’Sullivan early on gave Cork a brilliant start, but despite leading by three points at the […]

5 years ago

Mayo brought the fire and brimstone and, for the best part of 60 minutes, this was a battle. But Dublin eased their way home in the end and shut down the contest when the end was in sight. At half time though, it was all in the balance. Mayo looked the better team for much […]

5 years ago

Dublin are the All-Ireland champions. Mayo are the All-Ireland runners-up. In a year like no other, it’s ended like many others. After just 13 seconds, Dublin set out their statement of intent when James McCarthy burst from the throw-in, kicked to Scully, took the return as he came steaming straight through the middle and popped […]

5 years ago

“During these dark winter nights, people have gone to extraordinary lengths to make this a championship to remember.” A week to Christmas. A day to the All-Ireland football final. We made it. There’s no need to go back over what a strange and difficult year this has been for everyone and how there will still […]

5 years ago

Daryl Gurney is feeling good. In 2016 (the 2017 tournament), he backed up the hype that was building around him when he burst the whole way through to the World Championship quarter-final. Only Michael van Gerwen was able to stop him in his tracks but when the Derry man got motoring, you got a visible […]

5 years ago

Aston Villa’s captain arrived at court on Tuesday for sentencing after pleading guilty to two counts of driving without due care and attention. Jack Grealish appeared to use a car as a decoy to escape the attention of the waiting press pack outside Birmingham Magistrates’ Court this morning. Ahead of his arrival, a small crowd […]

5 years ago

A bombshell revelation from the former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra said that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry turns the TV off whenever he sees Granit Xhaka leading the Gunners out as captain. Evra was speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports, in the wake of Arsenal’s embarrassing home defeat to Burnley. Arsenal spurned a number […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Beforehand, talk of the impact of three consecutive Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Final losses, the five reverses in seven seasons, and for many of the players, six in seven appearances on the biggest stage, was batted away.  The past had no impact on the present.  But now, with a 1-14 to […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Meath forward Vikki Wall says she is fixated on creating some positive Croke Park memories next weekend for herself and her teammates after consecutive TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Final losses. Wall and Meath have had to endure excruciating defeats to Tyrone and Tipperary in the last two years, but next weekend Eamonn Murray’s […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir    When Tara Kenny walks out of the dressing room, jogs from the tunnel and sprints out onto the grass of Croke Park tonight, there may just be a temptation to smile and exhale a little sigh of relief, before resuming focus on what unfolds within the white lines and her job […]

5 years ago

By Sarah Stanley For the second year running Galway and Kilkenny will battle it out to see who is crowned the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior champions in what will be a unique winter All-Ireland Final. Both teams have showcased their experience on their run to the Final with neither team suffering a defeat along their […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir   The sirens wailing on the other end of the line as Collette Dormer navigates her way through Waterford city traffic to find a spot to pull in and chat, are mercifully neither to lock her away nor provide urgent medical assistance. It has been that kind of year, where health and […]

5 years ago

Have you noticed the pattern of players who have flat track bully accusations thrown at them? They’re usually amongst the best. Always amongst the most prolific. When Cillian O’Connor is finished his career – whenever that may be, he’s only 28 – he’ll finish as the All-Ireland football championship’s highest ever scorer and by some, […]

5 years ago

An Irish man and an English man walk into a lift… The Irish man is Roy Keane. The English man is Chris Kamara. The season is 2008/09. Roy Keane is manager of Sunderland where they have begun a second season in the Premier League after he got them back there in 06/07. Things aren’t going […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir   Having three young children at home under the age of two ensures that Anne Dalton has had plenty to occupy her in the build-up to Saturday’s Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final. Now 32, the Freshford star has her place in the annals of her sport long sealed, enjoying the […]

5 years ago

The Champions League tie between PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir was temporarily suspended following an alleged instance of racist abuse The players of both PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir left the field after the Istanbul assistant manager Pierre Webó was reportedly racially abused by a UEFA official. The game is set to restart without the fourth official. […]

5 years ago

Sit back and enjoy the show. Never before has live GAA been so plentiful in the month of December, with a proverbial feast for Gaels to gorge over this weekend TG4 are stocking us up with the U20 Hurling Championship and the Provincial Minor Football and Hurling Championships this whole month, while RTÉ will also […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir   Focusing on the short-term proved the key as Down put a number of recent disappointments behind them to end a six-year wait for Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Camogie Championship silverware by winning the Intermediate title at Kingspan Breffni on Saturday. So says Player of the Match Niamh Mallon, who was a star […]

5 years ago

By Anthony Newman Cork 2-17 Galway 0-13 Melissa Duggan and Ciara O’Sullivan scored first-half goals as Cork qualified for a TG4 All-Ireland Senior Final against champions Dublin following this comprehensive performance against Galway. With the game switched from Parnell Park to Croke Park at short notice due to an unplayable pitch at the Donnycarney venue, […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir   Armagh is viewed predominantly as a football county and Rachael Merry won her first Championship medal with Granemore while kicking the big ball. She was a regular for the county at underage level, playing up to Minor. By then, she was a supreme Camogie talent, a dual operator in tangerine and […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir    Maeve Connolly has had a taste of winning an All-Ireland at adult level with Antrim, as a panellist when the Jane Adams-inspired squad, in which the young Loughgiel Shamrocks defender was a member of, defeated Waterford in a replay to claim the Premier Junior title. A decade later, only Connolly and […]

5 years ago

By Alex Roberts “Straight Fred”, more like Manchester United midfielder Fred has somehow escaped a clear red card for headbutting PSG midfielder Leandro Paredes in their Champions League clash at Old Trafford. Shortly after PSG went 1-0 up through Neymar, a melee erupted in the middle of the park with Paredes down, holding his face. […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Looking at her All-Ireland winners’ medal from 2011 every day during lockdown kept Wicklow captain Laura Hogan focused on the job in hand: plotting her side’s immediate return to the Intermediate grade for 2021. Restored to the captaincy this year by new manager Mark Murnaghan, Hogan is hoping to follow her sister […]

5 years ago

Galway and Cork will play their All-Ireland senior ladies football semi-final in Parnell Park, Dublin. The game was originally scheduled for Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds, but with the Treaty hurlers reaching the All-Ireland final, Limerick made their ground unavailable for the game. In the Irish Examiner, Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald blasted the decision to bring Cork […]

5 years ago

It could be something to do with the lack of crowds, it could be something to do with the management team. But Ken McGrath is liking what he sees in this Waterford team and he freely admits that they have something that his team never had. That’s an ability to take the highs and the […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney For a player who tore her cruciate only last season, Aimee Mackin has had a remarkable year. For the third game in a row, Armagh’s performance was enhanced by the brilliance of Aimee Mackin. She was fouled for the first-half penalty that she scored herself, and after the break she scored a […]

5 years ago

Daragh Ó Conchúir Galway deservedly retained their grip on the O’Duffy Cup but though vanquished, Tipperary’s improvement continues.  There were some frustrations for defeated manager Bill Mullaney but he knows positive strides have been taken.  The victor, Cathal Murray was pleased to have seen off a dogged opponent to return to the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir. The Kilkenny camogie team aren’t going away any time soon. Winners write history and Kilkenny manager Brian Dowling was able to laud his players for staying with their game plan, even when it looked fit for the shredder in the opening quarter, while his Cork counterpart Paudie Murray had to reject […]

5 years ago

Wolves have confirmed Raul Jimenez fractured his skull in a clash of heads with David Luiz during their win over Arsenal on Sunday

5 years ago

It’s actually a waste of time having Joe Canning hit sidelines. Just give him the point and move on. The Portumna club-man has always been a sideline specialist, delighting crowds with his line-balls since 2005, but in 2020 it has gone beyond a joke. This year, the man is out there treating line-balls like they […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Dublin 3-13 Armagh 3-8 Carla Rowe inspired Dublin to reach a seventh TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Final in a row after a ferocious battle with Armagh at Kingspan Breffni. The returning Nicole Owens claimed an early goal for Dublin, while Aimee Mackin scored two goals for her side – including a brilliant […]

5 years ago

By Sarah Stanley And then there were four. The All-Ireland Camogie semi-finals take place this Saturday in a Páirc Uí Chaoimh double-header and Sarah Stanley previews the games here. Cork v Kilkenny, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork, 12.30pm, Owen Elliot (Antrim) For many years this was the clash that seemed destined for Croke Park Final day, […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Aoife McGrath says that Tipperary are just delighted to be in the last four and not considering the magnitude of attempting to dethrone the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie champions. Galway stand in Tipp’s way in the second of Saturday’s two Semi-Finals at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, both of which will be […]

5 years ago

A pack that can move. Jacob Stockdale at 15. Stuart McCloskey at centre for what is just his fourth cap. Andy Farrell has offered a different feel for his Ireland team to take on Georgia on Sunday (2pm). Ireland are in line to finish as group runners up in their Autumn Nations Cup pool when […]

5 years ago

Thinking about Diego Maradona makes people happy. You don’t need to waste time or money researching this to prove it. It’s a scientific fact that memories of Maradona’s control of a ball releases endorphins in the brain. The news of his passing at the age of just 60 came as a shock and a tremendous […]

5 years ago

11 nominations. Of course there was going to be room for The Greatest League In The World. Jordan Flores is competing with Son Heung-min and Luis Suarez for the prestigious Puskas Award, the best goals scored in world football at any level in 2020. The Dundalk midfielder is amongst 11 candidates to be recognised for […]

5 years ago

Slowly, slowly. Maybe not surely, but slowly. A maximum of 4,000 fans will be allowed to attend outdoor sporting events in the UK after lockdown restrictions are lifted on December 2nd, the BBC are reporting. Fan entry will only be allowed in low risk areas, and will be limited to 4,000 capacity regardless of stadium […]

5 years ago

A poignant moment on a hugely significant day. 100 years on from the Bloody Sunday tragedy that took the lives of 14 innocent people, the Dublin footballers led by their captain Stephen Cluxton, laid a wreath to remember the victims. A commemorative ceremony took place prior to the Leinster final in Croke Park, with An […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir   To the fascinated observer looking on from the sideline, without attachment to either of the protagonists, last year’s Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final between Cork and Galway was one for the ages. After more than 70 minutes of endeavour, the westerners had a point to spare. They would go […]

5 years ago

The FAI have issued a statement regarding the video that was reportedly shown to the Irish men’s football team before the friendly with England on Thursday. The squad were shown a video as a motivation tool in the build-up to the clash which was reported by Daily Mail and described as “anti-English”. The video is said to be […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Alannah Ryan is already looking forward to next season.  Clare produced their best performance in a number of years before fading very late on against Cork in the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Quarter-Final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Saturday and the appetite is already whetted for next season. Ryan, […]

5 years ago

Write Cavan off at your peril. Tasked with winning three games to get back to the Ulster final, Cavan have been pushed and kicked on the long road back and here they are. Back. Back knocking on the door. Back, as if they never went away. Cavan don’t go away, you see. Not when they’re […]

5 years ago