SIDELINE VIEWS:


SOCCER: Just finished reading David Peace’s Damned United ahead of a trip to the cinema this week. A fictionalized account of Brian Clough’s disastrous 44-day reign at Leeds United in 1974, it is quite simply the best sports book I’ve read. It’s even better than Mark Frost’s The Greatest Game Ever Played, and that is the highest compliment I can pay it. Can’t wait to see the movie now.
 
RACING: The Irish had a ball at Cheltenham this year, so it is probably only fair that the English horse Niche Market won our Grand National at Fairyhouse on Monday at very nice odds of 33-1. Spare a thought though for the connections of Wichita Lineman, who had to be put down after a fall at the first, just weeks after a thrilling win at the aforementioned Cheltenham.
 
RUGBY: Some 5,000 tickets for the Munster-Leinster Heineken Cup semifinal at Croke Park sold out online in less than half an hour on Sunday evening. Don’t tell the GAA, but this could be the best game at Croker all year.  Pity it clashes with my youngest’s Confirmation. And no, I won’t be going to the rugby. Not for love nor money.
 
SOCCER: Mick McCarthy is within sniffing distance of the Premier League. Victory for Wolves at home to QPR on Saturday will guarantee promotion, but ever the realist, Mick is still refusing to take anything for granted. He knows the hard work will begin once they go up.
    

HEROES OF THE WEEK

The Grand Slam hype was always going to be a hard act to follow for the men of Munster and Leinster, but follow it they did on Sunday with epic wins over the Ospreys and Harlequins respectively in the quarterfinals of the Heineken Cup. The Reds were all swagger in a comprehensive rout of the Welsh visitors at Thomond, and the Blues were all workmanlike in a 6-5 victory over the Quins in London. Now they will meet at Croker in next month’s mouth watering semifinal. Brilliant.
  

IDIOT OF THE WEEK

THE Green Party’s Eamon Ryan wants sports fans to suggest to the government what major events should be saved for free to air terrestrial viewing on television. I wouldn’t bother submitting any proposals to Ryan or the Green Party as they won’t be around for much longer after their pathetic performance as coalition partners to Fianna Fail. Come the local and Euro elections in June and the Greens will be a thing of the past, and we’ll still have our sports. Mark my words.