League of Ireland manager spot

Well ex manager.

Johnny Mac passed me in his 01 Merc taxi on the Howth Road today. Add him the list of LOI head driving taxis.

If only Roddy would stop appearing on Newstalk and just drive a taxi instead. His guff has no place on the national airwaves.

Fancy a pre Cheltenham punt?

Harps are 7/4 on to beat Salthill at home. Surely worth a punt if you are into that type of thing......

Here we go again, we're on the road again.....

To most people it is just a normal Friday. To a small band of football supporters across the island, it is the first day of the season.

I can’t make the game, something which pains me more than I can even write about. Working on a project in Laois, a 7.45pm kickoff in the Brandywell and an exam at 9.30 tomorrow in Dublin meant something had to drop out and unfortunately it had to be the game.

I met someone wearing a Shelbourne scarf on Grafton Street this morning, there was an imperceptible nod and the fella shouted “Best of luck against the Langers” as he passed me by. It’s like a secret club, 99% of the population don’t know exist but for those of us that do, it is truly special.

Midway through a season, when you are driving home from getting hammered away from home you promise yourself you’ll get another interest. Something that doesn’t take over your life. Something that doesn’t mean you spend most Fridays driving hundreds of miles and meaning that your Friday night meal consists of a bag of chips from some terrible mobile outlet. Something that means that you’ll be able to answer “Yeah I’m free this Friday” instead of “Naw, I’m going to Longford for a game”.

But you know you won’t. You know that being there, to see it, means more than anything. Knowing that the craic on an overnighter in Cork is unmissable. Knowing that sure once you hit Ardee you will be home in two hours. Know that if you meet Tom the Gom and he backs your team for the League your f*cked.

This is the mental anguish of the League of Ireland fan. Once you are bitten, you can give it up. You can’t just give up on like an underperforming fantasy football team. You may be mid-table and it is an 12 hour round trip to Waterford, but fuck it you’ll go.

The first night of the season is what I imagine an addict feels when they relapse. The hit, the high and whole buzz. It has been building for weeks, you have seen snatches of the team in a friendly but this is the real deal. There may be only 500 there, but they are your 500. 500 people who feel the same way about the same thing about it as you.

It always reminds me of that scene in Fever Pitch

“Sarah Hughes: Paul, it's only a game!

Paul Ashworth: DON'T SAY THAT! Please! That is the worst, most stupid thing anyone could say! Cause it quite clearly isn't "only a game." I mean if it was do you honestly think I'd care this much? Eh? Eighteen years! Eight-teen years! Do you know what you wanted eighteen years ago? Or ten? Or five? Did you want to be Head of Year at North London Comprehensive, I doubt it. I'd doubt if you wanted anything for that long. And if you had, and if you'd spent three months thinking that finally, FINALLY you were gonna get it and just when you think it's there it's taken away from you... I mean I don't care what it is, a car, a job, an Oscar, the baby... then you'd understand how I was feeling tonight. But there isn't, and you don't, so...

Roll on 7.45pm and the start of the madness once again.

The Cork City Story, in summary

Not quite the Jerry Springer Opera, but not far off it. I reckon I could probably break the word count on Blogger trying to explain that has happened on Leeside in the last few years.

However for the modern reader, with the limited attention span, here is a great audio round up of the events in the last few days

Part A: Bit of a preamble to bring you up to speed
http://www.ccfcforum.com/audios/96fm24022010parta.mp3

Part B: Jonathan O'Brien
http://www.ccfcforum.com/audios/96fm24022010partb.mp3

Part C: Jim McCarthy, Peter Grey, Tom Coughlan & Jonathan O'Brien http://www.ccfcforum.com/audios/96fm24022010partc.mp3

Part D: Michael O'Connell
http://www.ccfcforum.com/audios/96fm24022010partd.mp3

We've had "I Keano", surely events on Leeside necessitate another musical opera?

Lost: A load of syllables

Last seen somewhere on the Louth border.

We were on the road for the first time on Saturday, off to Dundalk for the friendly. Myself and Marty D were in the car and we left Dublin on a beautiful winter lunchtime. The temperature display in the car read +4 degrees when we were at Dublin Airport and it was -2 when we arrived in Dundalk.

To be fair, it was obvious that the temperature was dropping as the freezing fog cloaked the motorway for the short hop north.

Unsurprisingly, there was no great crowd about Oriel and we got parked right in beside the ground. Tickets acquired, albeit at a rip off €9, we made our way in. In that classic LOI fashion we managed to get down the players tunnel as we made our way to the seats.

Deagy, Brendy Narr and JOT turned up and there was a sizeable enough City support down. I reckon the City support was 30% of the total crowd and they were plenty of familiar faces. Whilst we drew a blank on "Tom the Gom" watch we did spot Dermot Ahern and Dermot Keely. With the state of some of the JSB when they turned up, I thought the Justice Minister might have to place a call to the Gardai.

The game itself was one to forget. That Champsionship Manager blast from the past JJ Melligan got on the score sheet for the hosts but Gerard Doherty only really had one more save to make. City were neat and tidy and McBride impressed me in the middle of the park. I don't know what to make of Patrick McEleney, is he a front man or is he a winger? It will be interesting to see where Kenny will play him for the rest of the faces.

It was absolutely baltic at the game although Deagy showed he has travelled with Northside once too much by turning with a flask, proper cups and snag rolls. Though he still had time to prank me at half time by getting it announced that I was engaged. It is a long season Barrett and revenge is a best served cold......

There was also the "Jumping Church of Kildemock" which is probably worth a blog entry all to itself......

Err, a load of lads in tracksuits have turned up, what do I do

Read the hilarious account of Shaktar Donetsk in Harrods here

City are back!

Fixture list out tomorrow.

Chalkie, in a John the Baptist style is away round the country to spread the word.

The working title for the story of the season is "Only two monkey sanctuaries in Ireland, are ye serious?"

First trip? Dundalk on Saturday.

"We can't go on together........."