The Boys in Green left their mark alright

You'll never beat the Irish...at singing anyway!

If ever proof was needed that the 30,000 Paddies who descended on Poznan for Ireland's Euro 2012 group fixtures with Croatia and Spain, left a major impression on the locals then here it is... The video clip below shows a bunch of Poles singing the now infamous chant of "Stand up/Sit down for the Boys in Green". Yet this clip was recorded not while the Green Army were still in Poland, but in the lead up to last night's dour semi final between Spain and Portugal, some 10 days after we got knocked out by Italy.

John Delaney 'Hard at Work'

John Delaney keeping things in check in Poznan

John Delaney has been on the defensive these last few days. In Poland the fans chanted "he used to be a w*nker.... but he's alright now" at him. But were they right? Is he alright? Or is he a w*nker?

There's nought wrong with having a few beers and heaven forbid being photographed having a few beers but given the current state of the League of Ireland and Irish football at the grassroots level, is it appropriate for the head man of the FAI to be caught langered and making a show of himself? Or does it show that he's an ordinary grounded bloke who is just really a fan at heart?

Here's an article of him defending his recent behaviour with Dion Fanning from the Irish Independent. One thing's for sure and that is he seems to like more than just the 'odd night out' judging by all the photos and videos on the web.
 http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/euro-2012/irish-news/fans-carried-me-headhigh-home-now-if-thats-a-crime-im-not-guilty-trust-me-3147496.html

Top 5 goals of the group stage

Here are my top 5 goals of the group stages:

1. Zlatan the Great - Sweden vs France.

A radical overhaul is required

So now we've finally been put out of our misery and lost our 3 group games, it's time to reflect on where we stand as a footballing nation and where we go from here into the future. There can be no doubting that a radical overhaul of Irish football is required. And I'm not talking about Trapattoni and his conservative tactics or team selections. That would be just skimming the surface. The real problem with Irish soccer lies in the grassroots.

Dunphy's always wrong

Last night when it was half time and 1-0 to England, Eamon Dunphy advised viewers the 2nd half was going to be a bore fest with no more goals and "they might as well just switch off and go down to the pub". In the end the game finished 2-2 after a great 2nd half of end to end football.

Time to hold your breath

Last night's football between Germany and Holland was in the words of Harry Redknapp "A fantastic game, with fantastic players and fantastic goals.. Absolutely fantastic". Thanks for that level of insight there Harry. But he was right it was a fantastic game. At this stage the Germans are still my favourites for the whole thing. They look so solid all over and they haven't won a major tournament since 1996 which for them is like a lifetime. Not to mention their squad is bulging with talent almost as much as the eyes on their talisman Mesut Ozil.

The boys march on

I was still really disappointed about Sunday's game until I saw this clip. The boys in green, the supporters I mean are doing us proud over there with the amount of banter going on. There's going to be a lot of sore throats by the weeks end. Hopefully the team will play a bit better against Spain and get the all important bit of luck for every minute of the 90 and sure, we might be grand...    

Best Ireland Football Songs

The build up tonight's game is everywhere. It's on the radio, on the streets, in the pubs. Everyone is talking about only 1 thing: how are Ireland going to fare tonight against Croatia? Instead of discussing this here however, the priority is to soak up some pre-match build up. So I thought I'd put up my favourite football tunes from this and our previous Euro and World Cup adventures. 'Put em under pressure' is my personal favourite. The Horslips guitar hook is what gives it it's knock-out punch. Let me know what yours is or if I've left any out.

Fever Pitch

The fever is setting in... You know it's setting in when you start singing 'Put em under pressure' in the shower first thing in the morning, doing your best impression of a Jack Charlton accent. I even bought an Ireland jersey for the first time in years today. I was backed into a corner because the only one I have is from USA 94 and the OPEL logo on it is starting to fall off, never mind the fact that its blue instead of white. There's retro and then there's crap, but I'm still gonna wear it, I just need to have a backup plan.

Poland and Greece squared off today to start the ball rolling, closely followed by Russia and the Czech Republic. I thought it ended up being a few hours of decent football. More likely the case that I was just starved of it over the past few weeks. Overall the Russians look like they should easily top Group A, whereas 2nd place is up for grabs, and could be taken by any of the other 3 teams. No surprises there then, but how will Russia fare against Holland/Germany/Portugal in the quarter finals, that my friends is the question?

Back home in Ireland meanwhile, the country is draped in tricolours , there's a buzz in the air, the football has started, we're part of it for the first time in 24 years, Roy Keane is laughing along with Patrick Vieira on ITV, everything is going to be brilliant... Ireland is smiling again. It's great to be here right now. But don't get me wrong it would be better to be in Poland. I keep saying to myself 'France 2016, that will be my chance'... One thing at a time, all that matters is Sunday night. Bring on the Croatians and their stupid looking jerseys.

Walters the best option for a tactical change now

For a man who could easily be described as a journey man, given that he has been with 7 clubs in the past 10 years, could Jonathan Walters spectacular rise to top of the professional game be topped off by forcing his way into the starting X1 against Croatia on Sunday?

Walters the best option for a tactical change now

Golden Boot Contenders

So many of the world's greatest strikers will be on display, but who will be the one to claim the glory and bragging rights of being the highest scorer at the Euros? A review of www.paddypower.com shows no surprises with the usual contenders at the top of the list. Mario Gomez and Robin Van Persie lead the way at 8/1 and 9/1 respectively, closely followed by Christiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema at 14/1.