Championship opener a dull affair

                               
The first game of the Ulster Championship kicked off at Celtic park on Sunday with Derry hosting Armagh in the preliminary round of this year’s senior football competition, both teams had been talked about as possible championship winners and the match had a lot of potential, sadly because of the defensive tendencies and negative tactics of both teams this potential was not fulfilled and the 10,000 supporters at Celtic park on Sunday will surely have left the stadium feeling slightly disillusioned by this first Championship match which was very short on entertainment and excitement.


Right from the start both teams applied a cautious approach and both teams played with blanket defences, Derry player Gerard O’Kane sat in front of Armagh captain Steven McDonnell and similarly Armagh player Ciaran McKeever’s role was to sit in front of the two Bradley’s playing in Derry’s front-line. Both teams noticeable fear of losing the match seemed to outweigh their desire to win the game and this provided supporters with a dreary and uninspiring 70 minutes of football. Referee Maurice Deegan’s rigorous enforcement of the new hand-pass rule in the opening half of the game didn’t help the fluency of the game.

                                                                                      
Armagh deserved to win the game, they worked hard in defence and created a pressure-cooker setting, Derry’s build-up play was always too predictable and this meant Armagh always had time to get many men behind the ball, crowd Derry out and win back possession of the ball. Although Paddy Bradley scored the Oak Leafers only goal he often drifted into isolated positions and had no other impact on the game. Eoin Bradley was having more success until he was dismissed from the field after receiving a second yellow card for committing a foul on Aaron kernon on 54 minutes.

Just a minute after the dismissal of Bradley, Mcdonnell delivered a long pass into the box and it found Armagh sub Jamie Clark who scored the important first goal for the Orchard County which give them a 1-10 to 1-6 lead. At this point in the game Armagh had an advantage not only on the scoreboard but also on the pitch and they should have shown more self-belief and went onto to win the game with some style and confidence, instead they withdrew into their own half and relied on their defensive capabilities to see the match out.

For the last 10-15 minutes of the match Armagh worked very hard and put on a typical Ulster display, until they gave away a penalty with just 5 minutes left on the clock but Gerard O’Kane’s strike was saved by Armagh keeper Paul Hearty, this summed up Derry’s day they looked flat and lacked invention from the start.

After the game Paddy O’Rourke admitted that his team did not play with a great deal of style, he said

“Maybe we would have liked to win it with a bit more style, but it was a first-round game and it was always going to be a bit more tense and players were going to be a bit nervous.”

The Armagh manager did not agree that the game was a bad advertisement for Gaeilge Football he said

“Derry have not been beat here since 94, it’s not an easy place to win a game.” “We could have played a bit more football, it didn’t happen but I’m immensely proud of the boys.”

Armagh will probably receive a fair amount of criticism for their defensive strategy but if they continue to win games and progress in the Championship, I am sure their supporters will learn to live with it, just as Tyrone fans did when their team was criticised for using a blanket defence back in 03 even though it ultimately proved successful, Tyrone used the blanket defence strategy to such devastating effect that it was just a matter of time before other clubs and counties followed suit even though it is now known as “Puke football.”

To operate a blanket defence effectively the team must defend in with a lot of men behind the ball when they do not have possession of the ball, then they must break fast and swarm forward when in possession. To get the best from this strategy the team must be fit and organised with accurate passing and speed breaking forward. Tyrone developed their team and their tactics following their All-Ireland triumph in 2003 and went on to great success, so don’t be surprised if we see more “Puke football” in this season’s Championship.

Robinson scandal

 Robinson scandal shocks the country

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson held a press briefing at his home last Wednesday, journalists from BBC, UTV and the major newspapers were summoned to Mr Robinson’s east Belfast home after rumours had been circulating around Stormont concerning the First Minister’s marriage to Strangford MP Iris Robinson. Rumours began in December 2009 after Mrs Robinson announced that she would stand down as an MP and MLA after the next election, there was also rumours regarding a forthcoming BBC Spotlight special about Iris Robinson. The First Minister’s wife has never been far from controversy, she was suspended from Stormont in 2007 after refusing to withdraw a comment she made, about Health Minister Michael McGimpsey misleading the Assembly over a health budget. But it was Mrs Robinson’s beliefs about homosexuality that caused outrage in Northern Ireland and further afield, speaking on Stephen Nolan’s radio show in June 2008 she described homosexuality as an “abomination”, and she later said that she stood by those remarks. The Robinson family were under scrutiny again earlier this year after the Westminster MPs expenses scandal broke, Iris described the reporting of the story as “A witch hunt”, among the Robinson’s expense claims was £30,000 for food over a four year period and £160,000 in mortgage interest.

Sunday World Editor attacked in Belfast City Centre

Journalist attacked in Belfast City Hall

The Sunday World newspaper is well known for its investigative journalism and over the years it has exposed and uncovered some of Northern Ireland’s leading and most ruthless killers, terrorists and drug-dealers, but because of this the newspaper and it journalists have had to suffer the consequences. Their newspaper office has been firebombed and a bomb was left on the premises, former Sunday World editor Jim Campbell was shot and seriously wounded because of his association with the paper and Sunday World journalist Martin O’Hagan was shot dead by Loyalist paramilitary group LVF.

No Justice for victim’s families

In previous blogs I talked about the issue that was dominating the news, that issue was of course devolution of policing and justice to Northern Ireland, whilst our politicians love to bang on about this subject to anybody that will listen it seems that the ordinary people of Northern Ireland don’t share the politicians enthusiasm on who has responsibility of our country’s policing and justice. At present Policing and justice matters remains the responsibility of the UK Government and Parliament at Westminster.

People of Northern Ireland would show more interest in this issue if politicians did their job better by demonstrating to people how this will have an effect on their lives and how it is significant to them, in the news this past week there has been a few examples of families who feel hard done by at a lack of justice, and these are regular people in terrible circumstances that anyone could find themselves in.

Holland family make “Compelling case” to Attorney General

Holland family make “Compelling case” to Attorney General                   
The family of Harry Holland the West Belfast greengrocer who was killed near his home two years ago have met with the British Attorney General Baroness Scotland this week to protest at the sentences that were handed out to those involved in his death, members of Mr Holland’s family were joined by the West Belfast MP Gerry Adams.
The 65 year-old was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver when he tried to stop a group of joy riders who were trying to break into his delivery van in September 2007 he was found outside his house by neighbours and he later died in hospital.
Two teenage boys and two teenage girls were arrested for Harry’s murder, but one of the girls was not charged. Before the case went to court, the Public Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence to charge Patrick Crossen and the other girl with murder.

Gaddafi to compensate protestant victims

The DUP released a statement on their website today stating that they have had a series of meetings at a very high level in Tripoli at the invitation of the Libyan authorities- The meetings were held to negotiate with the Libyan government over compensation for protestant victims of IRA violence, The DUP believe that Libya should compensate the victims because Colonel Gaddafi supplied the IRA with weapons and explosives during the troubles, the DUP said their MPs met with the Mayor of Tripoli, the Libyan minister for Europe and the Speaker of the General Peoples Congress. On his return from Libya Nigel Dodds said “This has been a constructive and positive first direct engagement with the Libyan authorities. It constitutes a major milestone in our campaign on behalf of Libyan involvement in helping IRA terrorism.”

Devolution of Policing & Justice to Northern Ireland

The devolution of policing and justice has always been a contentious issue between political parties in Northern Ireland, back in 1999 when power over matters such as Education, Health and Agriculture were devolved to the N.I Assembly, policing and justice was shelved until a later day. Well that day has arrived and last week Prime Minister Gordon Brown unveiled a proposed budget to Northern Ireland’s first and deputy first minister’s, Gordon Brown said his Billion-pound offer to complete devolution in Northern Ireland would secure peace and prosperity in the region but the two main political parties are feeling far from peaceful and prosperous.