A new dawn for the League of Ireland

The new Airtricity League season kicks off on Friday after a three-month break, although it feels like it never went away following the demise of one club, the last-minute survival of three more and an ongoing court battle.

PA PhotosFans of reigning champions Shamrock Rovers will be expecting more of the same this season

The domestic game in Ireland may rarely, if ever, pop up on the radar of an everyday football supporter, but those that do take a closer look will discover that it is a league that keeps on giving.

Whether it is an extended run in European qualifiers, players suspended for betting on games, clubs expelled for operating dual contracts or just the average financial crisis, there is always a story to be told.

Of course, the off-field problems have long plagued a league that is desperate to revert to a structure that works. After switching to summer football, the league engaged in a merger with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) in 2007. That helped take the first steps towards a solid base by introducing tighter regulations, a sense of professionalism and luring in new sponsors.

However, a lot of issues have been swept under the carpet, only to reappear and cause serious damage. The most striking example would be the case of Sporting Fingal, who were promoted to the league in 2008 despite only forming the previous year and have since folded after their main financial backer withdrew his support.

Other clubs have struggled to pay off debts and players' wages, with Bohemians, Drogheda United and Galway United barely surviving the bleak winter. And this season sees a 66% reduction in the prize money compared to what was on offer in 2008, which indicates just how far the league has fallen.

League director Fran Gavin is trying to stay upbeat though. He points out that several clubs actually made a profit last year and the structure now in place is actually forcing clubs to keep their affairs in order.

"Two clubs made a six-figure profit last year, nine others made a smaller profit. More than 1,500 businesses went bust in Ireland last year, we lost one club," Gavin said at this week's league launch.

"In any industry you don't know what the future holds for certain but we have sat down with every club and seen their forecasts on income and expenditure. Clubs look in a healthy position but that is not saying that some external issue might happen during the year."

The off-field insecurity has led to some of the league's best players recently departing with Paul Keegan (Doncaster Rovers), Conor Powell (Colchester United), David McAllister (Sheffield United) and James Chambers (Hamilton) all securing moves to the UK.

Some have gone further afield to semi-professional football in Australia, the fourth division in Germany and even to China, just to escape a league where contracts are not always honoured. But the dawn of a new season promises to move past those problems. The FAI are confident that everything is moving in the right direction even though they are locked in a court battle with Limerick FC over the refusal to grant the club permission to host Barcelona in a friendly last summer. Not the kind of leadership that the association should be showing.

The spotlight will swing back towards the football this week though as Shamrock Rovers begin their quest to retain the Premier Division title. Michael O'Neill's team won the league on goal difference on the final day of last season, but their recruitment of ten players should ensure that they are a lot stronger this term.

Undoubtedly, there will be plenty of contenders ready to knock the Hoops off their perch with Sligo Rovers and Dundalk best equipped to mount a challenge. Bohemians, Derry City and St Patrick's Athletic will also be in the mix in what should be another highly competitive ten-team league.

In the First Division, the race for automatic promotion should be as intense as recent years with Waterford United, Shelbourne, Cork City and Limerick strengthening well in the off-season. This season sees two promotion places up for grabs as the top flight will expand to 12 teams for the 2012 campaign.

GettyImagesShamrock Rovers got a taste of the big time when they faced Juventus in Europa League qualifiers in 2010

Shamrock Rovers, who attracted an average attendance of 3,913 last year, will fly the Irish flag in the Champions League qualifiers. After beating Bnei Yehuda and faring well against Juventus despite losing 3-0 on aggregate last year, they could prove to be a surprise package once European football rolls around again in the summer.

The other Irish representatives will be Bohs, Sligo and St Pat's, who will all compete in the Europa League qualifiers. But there is a lot of domestic football to be played before then and excitement is steadily building for what could be a season that marks a fresh beginning for the Airtricity League.

With wages drastically reduced, clubs running tighter operations and a new generation of talented youngsters coming through, the league could finally be at a sustainable level.

As long as the emphasis is on the football and not off-field controversies, then the domestic game in Ireland can start to fulfil the potential it has showed in recent years.

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Quiniela - Week 26 - Losing appeal

"We didn't come here to compete for the three points, this match was just a formality", were the words of Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini after his team lost 7-0 to Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. "I only played those three starters (Weligton, Martin Demichelis and Eliseu) because I had no one else to replace them with. Our priority always was our next match against Osasuna, not this one."

GettyImagesManuel Pellegrini virtually surrendered when facing his former side in midweek

The icy relationship between the former and the current Real Madrid coaches is well known, especially after a week loaded with barbs from Mourinho in the direction of Malaga. Therefore, Pellegrini's statements could be directed to provoke the Portuguese coach, who had previously complained about other Primera Division managers because, according to him, they were playing weakened squads against Barcelona.

However, regardless of any personal differences between two specific managers, the current lack of balance in La Liga increasingly generates instances of this 'We Don't Stand A (Expletive) Chance, So Why Try At All' approach from the smaller clubs, and with each of these occurrences the competition loses a bit of appeal. A body like the Spanish FA or Liga de Futbol Profesional should be looking into this matter, and building a more even tournament, but that would be a lot to ask, wouldn't it? Let's start. As usual, it's '1' for a home win, 'X' for a draw and '2' for an away win.

1. Mallorca (10th) - Valencia (3rd): 2

This column's opinion of Mallorca's stunning win against Espanyol in Sarria? A swan song. In the second half of the season, the now depleted Mallorquinistas have earned only seven points in seven matches, scoring just five goals in the process. Even if Valencia arrive on the beautiful island after playing - and losing - a demanding match against Barcelona, the Ches are in the midst of a fantastic streak away from home, with four wins in their last five, including three amazing comebacks. You have to love a '2' here.

2. Barcelona (1st) - Zaragoza (15th): 1

The Fatal Distraction Syndrome could very well apply to this apparently easy home match for Barcelona. Most of their players, staff and fans will understandably be thinking of Barca's upcoming Champions League fixture against Arsenal, and the fact that the Catalans now enjoy a seven-point cushion over arch-rivals Real Madrid only reinforces the possibility of a relaxed Blaugrana display which could see them drop a couple of points at home. On top of that, Gerard Pique keeps publicly explaining how Shakira has nothing to do with his football form, quickly building a classic suspicion of distraction in the dressing room.

That all sounds like a strong case for a draw, until you factor in the aforementioned 'We Don't Stand A (Expletive) Chance' approach, quite likely be applied by Zaragoza on Saturday. The Maños will be missing up to seven players, four of them due to injuries - apparently real, as far as we know - while another three starters picked up their fifth bookings of the season against Athletic, conveniently leaving them out of this match. Do I even need to bother writing '1'?

3. Atletico de Madrid (8th) - Villarreal (4th): 2

A tricky match. In the visitors' corner are Villarreal, who have already proven that they suffer when they play several matches in a row, as is the case now with five in 13 days. They also have a poor away record of late having enjoyed only one win in their last five games. In the hosts' corner, I give you the inimitable Atletico de Madrid. Enough said.

However difficult to predict this match might be, do not dare, dear reader, to miss it if you have the chance. Atletico - Villarreal is becoming a classic in its own right, and given that the former have started to struggle when they play in front of their fed-up faithful, '2' it is.

4. Sporting de Gijon (18th) - Getafe (11th): 1

Getafe president Angel Perez is doing his club no favours. During the past week he's given several interviews in which he insinuated that current boss Michel won't keep his job at the end of the season, even pointing at Luis Enrique, Barcelona B's manager, as an excellent candidate for the position.

We all know what happens in almost any club when it becomes evident that the gaffer has no support from the president, right? Michel will immediately lose control of the dressing room. Factoring in that Sporting desperately need these three points, it's a clear '1' here.

5. Hercules (17th) - Almeria (20th): 1

GettyImagesDavid Trezeguet has impressed by scoring ten goals so far this season

Welcome to the first six-pointer of the week, courtesy of two strong relegation candidates. Hercules boss Esteban Vigo must feel great to be back in Alicante as his team haven't been able to score in the past 953 minutes they've played away. However, Almeria are almost as bad in the visitors' role: with eight points in 13 matches, they're hardly a threat. Time for David Trezeguet to score another cracker and win some breathing space for his coach?

6. Malaga (19th) - Osasuna (16th): 2

The second six-pointer of the week. According to Pellegrini, this is the match his squad really cared about, and not that farce which for some unfathomable reason they were obligated to indulge in on Thursday night at the Bernabeu. The Chilean has now an almost full, rested squad ready to face Osasuna, who didn't have that benefit in their boring, but tense midweek contest against Deportivo.

I know I should go for a '1', but this is a pick decided by karma. The Gods of Football will come back to haunt Pellegrini, not because of his somewhat understandable prioritisation of effort, but because of his complete lack of shame about it.

7. Levante (13th) - Espanyol (5th): 1

Are Levante suddenly good? Since the second half of the season kicked in, the Levantinistas - who incidentally enjoy the smallest budget in La Liga - have won five matches, drawn one and lost just one. Compare that to Espanyol, who during the same period have won two and lost a depressing five. Add to that the sensible loss of Joan Verdu, the influential Periquito midfielder, to injury and what is your pick for Monday? I thought so.

8. Athletic de Bilbao (6th) - Sevilla (7th): X

Athletic still are an exciting team to follow as they are physical, motivated and have a bunch of enjoyable players to watch. Amazingly enough, they've lost their past four games in a row, and now face Sevilla in the third six-pointer of the week, as both teams struggle to secure a Europa League spot.

Sevilla have won five times in their past six visits to San Mames, a respectable feat indeed. The sneaky Sevillistas, now a bizarro version of Athletic, aren't fun to watch anymore, but are somehow managing to stay around the top six, and should take advantage of Athletic's poor streak to get one more point in La Catedral.

9. Racing de Santander (12th) - Real Madrid (2nd): 2

Mourinho's press conference after his side destroyed a bunch of players dressed up like Malaga at the Bernabeu would give any half-decent journo enough material to write a book. My personal highlight: "Assuming that the club management aren't happy with my job at the end of the season, it's easy, I'll leave. And then I'll come back here as a rival." As usual, the Portuguese is not lacking in self-esteem.

GettyImagesJose Mourinho has been endlessly quotable ever since dubbing himself the 'Special One' at Chelsea

On Sunday the Mou team visits Ali Syed's Racing, an undefeated team since the Indian millionaire took over the club four matches ago. Despite the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo misses out due to injury, an away win is likely. However, if Racing beat Real Madrid, get ready for one of the most contagious demonstrations of joy ever seen in any La Liga presidential box.

Note: Don't forget to join the 'Munitis and Gio dos Santos should play together at all times' group on Facebook. It only makes sense.

10. Deportivo de La Coruna (14th) - Real Sociedad (9th): 1

At this stage of the tournament, the insightful observer may have concluded that Real Sociedad will end up in mid-table when all is said and done. The donostiarras have wasted several chances to get closer to the top six - their home draw against Levante on Wednesday a relevant example - but are doing enough to avoid getting pulled into trouble. In this case, with four starters likely to sit out due to injury, a more motivated Depor side get the nod.

PS. A quick reminder: you can follow me on Twitter! (@Papamoskis).

Use this easy 'Copy and Paste' summary to write your own Quiniela and share it with us in the 'Comments' section. If you get ten correct results, your name will be mentioned in the following Quiniela column!

1. Mallorca (10th) - Valencia (3rd): 2.
2. Barcelona (1st) - Zaragoza (15th): 1.
3. Atlético de Madrid (8th) - Villarreal (4th): 2.
4. Sporting de Gijón (18th) - Getafe (11th): 1.
5. Hércules (17th) - Almería (20th): 1.
6. Málaga (19th) - Osasuna (16th): 2.
7. Levante (13th) - Espanyol (5th): 1.
8. Athletic de Bilbao (6th) - Sevilla (7th): X.
9. Racing de Santander (12th) - Real Madrid (2nd): 2.
10. Deportivo de La Coruña (14th) - Real Sociedad (9th): 1.

Last week: 3/10 (30%)
Season: 115/230 (50%)

Football Soccer matches reviews and highlights from Fiesta

From it's humble beginnings in 1930 the Soccer World Cup has grown to be one of the most spectacular sporting events in the world. The 2010 Soccer World Cup promises to be the planet's biggest sporting event ever. Well over a billion people are expected to follow the month long tournament between the world's top 32 soccer playing nations.The World Cup is the most important competition in international soccer and is organised by FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), the sport's governing body. The tournament takes place every four years. The previous tournament was held in 2006 in Germany and Italy won the World Cup. 2010 will be the first time that the final tournament will be hosted by an African nation. For your convenience, you can get all the updates and news of 2010 Football World from Fiesta Football blog which is now one of the world most rated Soccer/Football blog. And if you are a avid Cricket fan, you must catch the on going series between the worlds best test playing nations and also the T20 ones from Cricket Sports Blog.

Game of poker

The family is coming back from their camping summer and I had one last day of poker. I decided to play poker in a local charity poker Tournament. It was $125 and it 80 players. It was "deep stack", but now I truly understand why players are now dissing on the "deep stack" label. Yes, it was deep stacked, but there are TWO big issues.

1. The early levels are all donkey levels with bad players willing to shove 10k on a flush draw.
2. The later levels are way escalated to make up for the early ones and thus at the end it turns into a WPT TV type event with everyone shoving or folding.
In this case, both this MTT turned out to be the CASE STUDY for the above complaints.
I made two mistakes in the tournament. The first was making a $1k river call when I flopped a set on a all heart board. The BB bet every street and made a bet big enough on the river, that I knew he had it. I called anyway to see Th4h. No blame on anyone by myself.

I played very well after that and was finally rewarded with an opportunity. I have KK Utg and I make it 3x BB. But its early and Utg+2 calls, MP calls, MP Calls and my KK is looking in bad shape. Suddenly, the Hijack re-raises! I have a stack of like $8k and the pot is now about $9k. I make a grand gesture of counting the pot, re-counting my stack, and then saying out-loud "There is already 9k out there". I move in for $8k. The first called is all-in now (but he was very short stacked and so it almost did not matter). Folds back to the re-raiser who has me covered. He thinks for a while and decides because of my speech that I must have AK and calls with 99. A king in the door and a king on the river and Dem's Quad's Bitches!99. Gez. Bad.

I bleed alot of chips for the next hour. I had some good starting hands, but not one panned out and I folded them all post-flop. I was just unable to get chips. I was all the way back down to 12k when I raise with AQ and flop the straight. The TAG on my right flopped a set of Kings. They money goes in and I show the nuts on the turn and dodge the board pairing on the river.

Just before the next break, I make my second mistake. I CALL a raise from the SB with 88. Now I have 37k, the raise is to 3k and I call OOP with a middle pair for 10%. A third person tags along (limp-call) and the flop is J34. Here is my problem. This guy always bets out when he hits top pair. And he hits top pair ALOT. I have gone broke in this situation before, and now with two opponents, I got to figure out who has the Jack? The pot is like $9k. What can I bet here? Two checks to the original raiser, who bets 9k. Ugh. I put myself in this bad position. I fold.
I will make no further mistakes.

24 or so left and money weighted to top 3. A shorter stack shoves UTG+1 (a real talked) and it folds to me in the BB with TT. Now UTG+1 is a special donkey place. When bad players have less than average, they feel this need to shove BEFORE the blinds comes up. A9 is an easy hand to put him on here. Still it was $34k and I had $45k. But who plays for 9th, right? I CALL!!! He has AQ and the board is a gut tearingKQ3... Ugh, this sucksT... yeah, I made a setJ AYKM?
and now I am short stacked.
Never say die. I play short stack like a monster. I steal, I abuse and I take races. I am back to $35k when there are 14 left and some starts a chop discussion. Its late and the blinds are now ridiculous compared to the stacks (All M=5). One buy does not want to do it, 13 others do.
I make a button steal and get called from the SB. The blinds were 4k/8k and I have $35k. I was stealing with ATC if it folded to me on the button, which it did. In this case, I had A6. I am scared when I see QQ. An ace in the door and now I have $70k with 13 left and he have a break. I take the time to casually explain to the no voter that he also has 90k (much worse than it appears he realized.) and that with the new blinds of $6k/$12k, he really only had 5 rounds of play and his equity was shot. I think he liked my presentation and changed his vote to YES. We return from the break to chop and everyone gets 5th place money.
But hold the phone. The poker room wont allow us to chop?
Discussions start, some bordering on yelling. A guy demands to see the posted rules. We are forced to start playing again and this time I am stealing much less. I am biding my time a bit like a sit n go. One of the managers is reading the ruling to the most vocal player in regards to the chop. Finally, he says, "lets just all go all in and then who can complain?". The room manager was not happy, but decided to tell us not to talk about it. Well, the train had left the station, so next hand all the money went in. (I made a straight with 8T and become the representative from our table.) We repeated the process one more time and 13 players chopped. The blinds when we quit? 7k/14k. Average chips stack? 36k.
I wrap it up with a win and some cash. What more could I ask for?

The Return of the English Premier League

The Premier League did not disappoint for drama in its first weekend back. The latest Soccer News of this week is that the Big Four all created some intrigue and raised more questions about themselves than a summer of speculation ever could. But the most surprising result of the weekend was certainly Arsenal’s, a 6-1 thrashing of Everton at Goodison Park.

Playing the type of beautiful soccer we knew they were capable of, the Gunners ran riot through the Everton back line and never looked troubled by a side that finished fifth in the league last season. Does it mean that the pundits have badly underestimated Arsenal? Not necessarily. Arsenal’s problems usually come later on, when the long season ravages the squad and weaker sides begin to prey in November and December. Still, Arsene Wenger could not ask for much more to start to the season than a morale-boosting victory like that one. This season, in the Football Betting world, Arsenal's rating has gone down.

After Manchester United edged out Birmingham, 1-0, the questions about how much they will miss Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez followed close behind. But with his first goal of the season, Wayne Rooney showed that he is prepared to shoulder the burden. It may have only been 1-0, but the Reds had a slew of opportunities and are not always known for winning pretty. The way Alex Ferguson saw it, a win was a win. And whether you win 1-0 or 6-1, you get the same three points.

It took Chelsea until the second minute of stoppage time to sneak past Hull 2-1 and it left people still wondering what to make of this team. How long will it take new manager Carlo Ancelotti to really get used to the Premier League? And is this a team that is well enough put together to last the full season?

But perhaps the most shocking result of the weekend was Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat against Tottenham. Liverpool made very few changes to its squad over the summer — the most notable being the offloading of Xabi Alonso — and it could soon come back to bite them. Impressively or not, the rest of the Big Four all did what was required in the first week. Liverpool really can’t afford to start by spotting them all a three-point lead in a season that promises to be highly competitive at the top.

Another result worth noting was Wigan’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, not so much for Wigan’s accomplishment, but rather for a return of harsh reality to Martin O’Neill’s squad. Villa sat in fourth place for much of last season, hoping to edge Arsenal out of the top four, but faded badly down the stretch. Have they still not broken out of that slump?

The beauty of the season’s returning is that we only have to wait until next weekend for the next set of answers but still I can enjoy Fantasy Football for more coming days.

Man United stars to miss Champions League match

Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville have been left out of Manchester United's squad for their crucial Champions League clash against Aalborg on Tuesday.

England midfielder Hargreaves is struggling with a knee injury that has bothered him since his arrival from Bayern Munich last season and has been left at home for more treatment.

United captain Neville seemed to come through Saturday's win over Bolton unscathed after almost 18 months on the sidelines following major ankle surgery and several other injuries.

His absence from the trip to Denmark is yet to be explained by United and Wes Brown is likely to deputise at right-back.

Ferguson's side need a win on Tuesday after drawing their opening match against Villarreal and Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are vying for the striking positions.

UK minister supports knighthood for Giggs

A British minister and senior opposition politician threw their weight behind a campaign to secure a knighthood for Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs on Monday.

Their backing for the honour - which would mean the 35-year-old would become Sir Ryan - lends weight to an internet campaign launched in recent days by political blogger Tim Montgomerie.

“Ryan Giggs, as well as an outstanding record on the pitch, has a proud record of voluntary work off the pitch, including with young players in Salford,” said local government minister Hazel Blears, whose Salford constituency borders the northwestern English city of Manchester.

“He is a positive role model in so many ways that he deserves the recognition of a knighthood.”

Opposition Conservative Party home affairs spokesman Chris Grayling, a self-confessed Manchester United fan, chimed in, describing Giggs as “the outstanding British footballer of the last generation”.

“His achievements deserve to be recognised with a knighthood.”

As part of the internet petition, which he launched through unofficial Manchester United fansite www.mustbered.com, Montgomerie has listed 11 reasons why Giggs should be knighted, ranging from his footballing accomplishments to his charity work.

Giggs was on Sunday evening named the English Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year for the first time, despite starting just 12 league games this season.

The Welsh midfielder, who could win his 11th league title with United this campaign, had twice won the Young Player of the Year award but can now add the ultimate mark of esteem from his fellow professionals to his long list of prizes.