BBC Sport - Joel Taggart's blog

O'Neill needs time to revive Northern Ireland

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:55:17 +0000

So Michael O'Neill's vision for the future was the reason he got the nod over Jim Magilton and Iain Dowie for the Northern Ireland job.

Neither Irish FA president Jim Shaw nor chief executive Patrick Nelson shared at the media conference what that vision actually was, but I think in fairness to both men they know what is fantasy and what is achievable.

Michael is an intelligent man who is thorough in his preparations.

Michael O'Neill will need to be given time as manager of Northern Ireland

When you speak to people who have encountered him as a player, coach, manager or just a person, they usually have only positive things to say.

His playing career should earn him respect and his recent success with Shamrock Rovers saw his managerial star rise at just the right time.

But, like Shaw and Nelson, Michael is a realist. He is well aware of the massive challenge that is ahead.

Managers can do everything in their power to help prepare a team and make sure circumstances are right, but they can't win you football matches. Players do that, and that will be Michael's biggest problem.

Players, good ones, are in short supply when it comes to the international team.

Then you have some players who are good, but leave themselves vulnerable to questions regarding their commitment in recent times.

Few things have worried me more than an interview I recorded with Maik Taylor in Italy following Nigel Worthington's resignation.

He spoke of a resentment within the squad, of players who were turning up for games regularly unhappy with others who didn't seem to care.

His disappointment didn't mask the anger. Here was a senior pro and former captain, who simply could not fathom why another generation seemingly regard playing international football as, at best, an inconvenience. Changing attitudes will be just as challenging as scoring goals.

With this in mind, I hope the Windsor Park employers are not expecting to qualify for the World Cup qualifiers in 2014, let's forget that right now.

Michael should be judged on progress over the next two years, not the group table.

Progress in terms of results yes, but progress in terms of how we can best develop our elite young players, how we then keep them from the clutches of the FAI and how we persuade others that the grass is not always greener.

Transition is not easy, just ask Andre Villas Boas.

During the last campaign Aaron Hughes, Stephen Craigan and George McCartney all retired. The hanging up of Maik Taylor's gloves cannot be far away. Grant McCann, Warren Feeney, David Healy and Gareth McAuley, four of the most commited to the cause, are all the wrong side of 30.

I would like to think Michael has built up plenty of credit as a player to ensure the fans give him time to oversee the changes required. Time is something he will need if we are all to catch a glimpse of that vision.

No stopping Linfield's surge to 50th title

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:37:17 +0000

Whisper it around the corridors of Windsor Park, but the league title is done and dusted.

David Jeffrey will no doubt tell me I am 'talking tripe' next time I see him, but after Tuesday's Big Two victory for the Blues, the fat lady is clearing her throat and picking her favourite song.

Linfield are on course to lift a record 50th Irish League championship

Managers of those teams in the chasing pack have to say the right thing, go through the motions to appease the faithful that they will keep pressing until the end of the season in the hope that Linfield may slip up. But privately they probably all have that resigned feeling, they know they are playing for second place.

Let's be honest, Glentoran are not capable of picking up nine points more than Linfield in the 15 games that remain and the others are too far behind and have not shown the levels of consistancy required.

Scott Young received criticism from some quarters when, after watching his team lose to 10 man Portadown, he claimed the standard of the league was poor.

His logic was that, despite his team having lost six league games already, they were still within striking distance of the leaders. Now, while I think Scott was wrong to say what he did in public, I have to say I have sympathy with his comments.

Yes, games in the Carling Premiership on many Saturday afternoons or Tuesday evenings are exciting, but I am not convinced that the quality of the football is as high as it was.

You could look at the defeats Linfield have suffered this season at Donegal Celtic, Dungannon, Crusaders and Cliftonville and say it is a sign that the league is so strong that all the teams are capable of beating each other. Indeed, the same could have been said last season during one of the most exciting title races for years.

I would contest that it came as a result of the top teams coming back towards the chasing pack and not the other way around.

It is not just the case in the Carling Premiership. It is exactly the same in the Barclays Premier League.

I am fed up hearing how it is the best league in the world and the fact that it is so close this year proves it. Yet again, it is the same story, the top teams have moved back towards the bunch, the bunch have not caught them.

Would the current Chelsea team live with Mourinho's Chelsea? No chance. Is this the worst Manchester United team we have seen in the last 10 years? Probably. The fact that they are still unbeaten proves the lack of quality in the Premier League this season.

If, as everyone suggests, United have been pretty ordinary this season by recent standards then why is it the other teams have been incapable of beating them?

Back home, and this month has proved once again how difficult it will be for any of the 'smaller clubs' to build a squad capable of mounting a title challenge.

Take Ballymena United for example. Trying to put a young squad together, as soon as star players like Nathan Hanley and Michael Smyth catch the eye, the 'Big Two' come knocking on the door.

It is not a criticism, it is the way the system works. They are quite entitled to enquire about players who are out of contract in the summer.

Scott Young was right. There simply are not enough top players to go around. Yes, there is a sprinkling of real quality stars who have remained loyal to provincial clubs. Stephen Carson and Kevin Branniff spring to mind.

Unlike years of old, there are not as many of those top drawer players, and not enough left over after the Blues and Glens have had their pick to give anyone else a chance of a push for the title.

Ports prove Euro success is possible

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:23:46 +0000

I don't mind admitting I was more than a little surprised on Thursday night when I got a text message from Paul Kirk telling me Portadown had won the second leg of their Europa League qualifying tie in Latvia.

For so long we have been used to Irish League teams going through the motions of fulfilling European fixtures and hoping to make a few quid along the way - if they didn't have a nightmare trip to pay for.

Portadown celebrated Europa League success against Skonto Riga

As a result, the whole question of whether qualification for Uefa competitions was actually a benefit to Irish League teams raised its head - with different answers depending on who you happened to ask.

We all know the history. Uefa want to save the latter stages of the competitions for the big teams with the big players and the qualifying rounds are effectively a token gesture at weeding out the clubs from the smaller nations and throwing them some Swiss Francs to appease them.

That means the days of Linfield being stoppage time minutes away from a trip to the San Siro to face AC Milan are a thing of the past.

Or what about the Glentoran team that lost out to Benfica on away goals in 1967-68? A Benfica team that went on to contest the European Cup final at Wembley that same year.

Instead, we have become used to our sides losing to teams from Scandinavia or clubs from far flung corners of Eastern Europe with names that would earn you an impressive Scrabble score.

That is why the exploits of Portadown this week have been so refreshing and surprising.

Totally unexpected, barely back into pre-season, Ronnie McFall's Irish Cup runners-up, minus a number of key players, managed a home draw and an away win to book themselves a trip to Azerbaijan in the next round.

They will do well financially from it and they have given Irish League fans hope that with a little bit of belief, the right attitude and the luck of the draw, it is possible to win in Europe.

Skipper Bailie deserves a trip to the Palace

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:23:29 +0000

On Saturday I was lucky enough to witness something that I will not see again. Any of those at Seaview for the Carling Premiership clash between Crusaders and Linfield saw a unique footballing moment.

When it comes to the ultimate all-time appearance record you only need look to Northern Ireland because one of the local game's most worthy recipients was taking the plaudits from players, managers, fans, seasoned journalists, all equally dumbfounded by the achievement being celebrated.

For the first time - as far as I am aware - in the history of senior football, a player had reached the milestone of 1000 appearances for the same club. That man was Noel Baillie, the captain of Irish League champions elect Linfield.

Linfield captain Noel Bailie makes his 1000th appearance for Linfield

Not even the great Paolo Maldini managed to clock up 1000 games for AC Milan, Ryan Giggs has not made it to 900 yet for Manchester United. Baillie is in a league of his own.

At 39 years of age 'the skipper' has won dozens of medals including eight Irish League championships, and another this year is a real possibility.

Yet it is his modesty, his unassuming nature that is his most endearing trait.

It is also refreshing that during an era when money turned heads in Irish League football and "is that net or gross?" was the first question players asked when deciding to sign a contract, Noel Baillie has remained a one-club man, his 1000 games spanning 22 seasons.

I have no doubt that Linfield will mark the achievement in a way that they deem to be appropriate. Noel started his career at Windsor Park as a left winger and when Trevor Anderson moved him into the middle of the back four, he took the number 11 jersey with him.

When Noel decides to retire, I think it is inevitable the number 11 jersey will be retired at Windsor Park along with him. Who else could possibly try to fill it?

However, Noel Baillie deserves greater recognition. For years I have watched as professional footballers in England and Scotland have been handed awards on the New Year and birthday honours lists.

I have often wondered why those playing in a part-time league in Northern Ireland, making more sacrifices for less financial rewards, have been overlooked for so long.

Most players here juggle the responsibility of their employment and their families with training two or three nights a week and two games a week for most of the season.

To sustain this as Noel Baillie has done since making his debut in 1989, is nothing short of remarkable.

So here is a question to those in authority and to those who have the power to make it happen. Is this achievement not worthy of an MBE or an OBE?

Noel Baillie is an ambassador for his club and for Irish League football. He has won every major honour in the local game more than once, has played in European competition more than any other Irish league player and is a role model to every young player in the game here.

If that is not worthy of an honour from Her Majesty, then I really don't know what is. Portadown boss Ronnie McFall deservedly received such an accolade recently. Noel Baillie should follow.

Young faces huge task at Glentoran

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:44:31 +0000

So Scott Young is to be given the chance to revive the fortunes of Glentoran after a season of turmoil.

On a personal level I am pleased. Scott is a genuinely nice lad, was one of the first players I ever interviewed when I started working at Irish League games.

He always made me laugh with a smart one liner, even during the worst moments of his career when he was in the Ulster Hospital recovering from a serious leg break.

He will need that sense of humour to maintain his sanity in management and when I watch and listen to what is going on at Celtic it is hard not to think of the antics at the Oval this season.

Scott Young watched as Glentoran's title hopes disappeared in a 3-1 defeat by leaders Linfield at Windsor Park

An interim manager battling to win the right to manage a club that he loves dearly on a more permanent basis, and lumbered with players who appear to have lost the appetite to fight for the cause or who just are not good enough. Rings true for both doesn't it?

At least Young can point to a trophy success. Yes, he was only in charge for the final but it was an improvement on the previous couple of results against Coleraine who deserve some silverware for their efforts this season.

You don't always get what you deserve in life or in football and I am not so sure that Coleraine will get the trophy that their brand of football this season warrants.

Linfield look to have the bit between their teeth. They are on the march towards a fourth domestic double in five seasons and are in the Setanta Cup semi-finals.

All this after a winter of discontent at Windsor Park when many in the south stand wanted David Jeffrey out. I often wonder if they are the same Linfield fans who hounded Roy Coyle out after one bad season. What a good idea that was.

Once again the Linfield boss has proved the doubters wrong, building another championship-winning side with a new group of young players who haven't been down this road before.

For Burns, Lowry, Allen, McAllister, Garrett and Blayney to name a few, it is all a new experience. But it was the signing of a familiar face that swung the title Linfield's way.

From the moment Peter Thompson arrived back at Windsor Park they had a new lease of life, an injection at just the right time.

Before he made his Blues comeback at Donegal Celtic, Linfield had won just one of their previous seven games. They have only lost two of their 13 league games since.

At the same time the manager settled on pairings in important areas of the pitch. Mulgrew, the driving force of the team, found the perfect foil in Robert Garrett. Billy Joe Burns and Philip Lowry on the right and perhaps most importantly, reintroducing Noel Baillie and/or William Murphy to the heart of the back four to provide the wise old head of experience to steer through the second half of the season.

Rebuilding for a crack at the title is exactly the task now facing Scott Young at the Oval with the man who brought him to Irish League football, Roy Coyle, taking on the role of sounding board.

As I watched Glentoran bow out of the title race with a whimper at Windsor Park last week I could not believe that a team that had played so badly for spells this season, but yet were handed an opportunity to go top, could throw that chance away without a fight.

There is no doubt that players at Glentoran are blessed with ability, but I would suggest Young learned a lot about their character and that will be a deciding factor when he does a Neil Lennon and writes out the list of players that he wants rid of.

Immediately after the Glentoran game last week, David Jeffrey spoke on BBC Radio Ulster about the desire of his players, about how he signs not just a player with ability but with a certain type of personality to cope with the demands placed on their shoulders at a big club.

It doesn't take me to tell Scott Young that it is the blueprint he needs to follow. If not, then I fear his managerial career could be cut short just as his playing career was in such cruel fashion.

Refereeing standards are causing concern

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:22:11 +0000

It was the result that those in the corridors of footballing power in Northern Ireland did not want - Loughgall 1 Newry City 1. I suppose after waiting six weeks for the game to be played, three more days was not going to make that much difference.

It is just a pity that those who look after the disciplinary procedures at the Irish Football Association are not blessed with the same levels of efficiency as their colleagues who have sorted out the fixture congestion the weather caused in our Premier League schedule, and that those deciding what to do with Larne and Newry caused to this year's Irish Cup.

Those wise old heads, unable to take swift and decisive action over the scenes of shame in the Newry and Larne Irish Cup clash, did manage to find the time to hand Dungannon Swifts boss Dixie Robinson a six, yes a six-match suspension for the unforgivable crime of taking his coat off in frustration at a questionable decision by a referee and throwing it towards the dugout.

Most of the bans handed out after the Newry v Larne boxing match were not for as many as six matches. The disciplinary system here is a laughing stock and no wonder.

I have resisted for many weeks the temptation to criticise referees when it comes to this blog. I know most of the guys, they are good people who go out and try to do their very best in difficult circumstances.

But I am increasingly alarmed at the sheer number of bad decisions and mistakes that are directly effecting, or could have the potential to decide, the outcome of matches here this season. The bad decisions result in understandable frustrations from managers and players that lead to unjust bans and suspensions.

The list is becoming increasingly long. Matt Burrows takes a dive in the box against Ballyclare Comrades, penalty is awarded and costs Ballyclare Comrades a replay. At least the referee Keith Halliday, just like Colin Burns who wrongly sent off Michael Collins at Seaview recently, admitted the mistake.

But what about the others? Crusaders v Linfield in the Shield final, awful tackle directly in front of the fourth official is missed, Linfield break and score what could have been a winning goal.

Linfield v Coleraine in the 4-2 league thriller, Coleraine striker Richard Gibson is standing off the pitch as Stephen Carson hits a shot, goalkeeper saves it but Gibson walks back onto the pitch and the back post and scores. Referee and assistant award the goal.

Portadown v Cliftonville, Peter Hutton knocks the ball back to the goalkeeper with his thigh/knee. Referee decides to give an indirect free-kick for a back pass and only the intervention by his assistant saves total embarassment.

Cliftonville v Glentoran, exactly the same thing happens involving Peter Hutton again only this time the referee refuses to change his mind and the result is an absolute farce. Thankfully Glentoran did not score, but if they had done, I have no doubt that Hutton (already on a yellow card) would have been sent-off for his natural complaints, his manager Eddie Patterson probably would have followed, and then those wise heads at the IFA disciplinary committee could hand out a few more jail sentences, despite the fact that those that they were punishing, in this hypothetical case, would actually have been quite right.

It is interesting to see how a list of all those players and managers suspended is sent out to the media by the IFA and yet when a manager or player happens to win an appeal, no such information is forthcoming.

To be fair, it does not happen often. The odds are so heavily stacked against managers and players when they do go to appeal that most of them now think it is not even worth the effort. Just ask Davy O'Hare or Stephen Baxter.

Unfair pressure is placed on officials by those at Windsor Avenue who take pleasure in handing out suspensions.

Effectively they work from the assumption that referees never make a mistake and therefore the referee's report and his verdict is gospel.

So for example, when Keith O'Hara is accused of violent conduct, and the player that he is alleged to have landed a head-butt on provides written evidence to the contrary, the disciplinary panel read the letter, ignore it and ban O'Hara for six matches. Just as well he did not take his coat off like poor old Dixie.

I know many people have asked the question over the years 'who would be a referee?'

On the basis of what they have to put up with, I would ask a different question. Who would be a manager?

Irish FA risk losing face after Cup fracas

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:13:04 +0000

When I looked at the photographs from the Irish Cup tie between Newry City and Larne, I was shocked, stunned and horrified by many of the images of violence that resulted in referee Raymond Crangle deciding to abandon the game.

Unfortunately, the people who should have been looking at the photographs weren't able to. The Irish Football Association disciplinary committee did not agree to the admission of photographic evidence as they reached their decisions on the sanctions to take against certain individuals involved.

You couldn't make it up. It's 2010 and photographs aren't used in making a decision of this magnitude.

It begs the question that if video footage of the incident had been available, would they have been permitted to use it? I think back to the infamous 'leg of lamb' at Ballymena when Tommy Wright and Paul Kirk were accused of throwing punches after a game between Ballymena United and Lisburn Distillery.

The incident was captured on camera

Video evidence was available to show that neither manager had indeed thrown a punch, but the disciplinary committee refused to view it while making their decision.

Yet again it appears that football here is stuck in the dark ages. Had the photographic evidence been used then perhaps they may have come up with an appropriate punishment.

I understand why those involved in the decision making process are reluctant to comment with possible appeals pending, but you really do wonder why they have been so soft in dealing with an incident that saw Irish league football viewed in the worst possible light.

In a previous blog just after the game, I said that "on the basis of what my colleagues who were there told me, and the photographs that were taken during the violent exchanges, it is clear that a number of players involved do not deserve to be anywhere near an Irish Cup final. I sincerely hope that those found guilty by the footballing authorities are not given the chance, for this season at least".

Obviously those on the IFA disciplinary committee don't share that view. In fact, should the authorities order the game to be replayed, as they could do, three of the players who received a ban could probably play in the tie.

By the time it's organised, the three players (Robert White, Brian Neeson and Cullen Feeney) will probably have served their two-match suspensions. How can two matches be a reasonable punishment for some of the scenes that we witnessed, especially as a straight red card can carry a three-match ban.

As for Anthony Lagan, the Larne player who appeared to be kicking Newry's Cullen Feeney in the head in one of the most used photographs of the game, he could've been banned for up to two years, but the IFA disciplinary committee suspended him for three and a half months.

It makes you wonder what it is that you actually have to do in an Irish league game to earn that two-year ban.

In my opinion, the punishments were inadequate. The opportunity to draw a line in the sand and take firm and decisive action has been missed and the credibility of the IFA has taken another hit.

Why did they not take stronger action against the players? Why did they refuse to view photographs of the scenes? Why did they not charge the players involved with bringing the game into disrepute? Why fine two clubs that don't have any money - the people who will have to pay up are not those on the pitch throwing punches. The wrong people surely are being punished by a fine.

As for the future participation of the clubs in the competition, that will be down to a three-man IFA commission set up to deal exclusively with the incident. Whether they will have the power to throw teams out of the Cup is not clear.

But if not, the credibility of the IFA in terms of its ability to deal with incidents just as these will hit an all time low.

Away form has to improve

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:36:04 +0000

For the Northern Ireland players drinking in the last chance saloon of major tournament qualification, the barman in Warsaw could've been a little kinder.

Nigel Worthington has an age-old problem to solve if Northern Ireland are to negotiate their way through Group C and reach the promised land of the finals of the European Championship in 2012.

It's been talked about at great length for years and their are small signs that Nigel and his players are finding a solution, but if Northern Ireland don't find a way of winning away from home against decent opposition, then it doesn't matter which of the nine groups they had been drawn in. They won't qualify.

Home form under Lawrie Sanchez and Nigel in the big games has not been a problem - Spain, England, Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia and Poland have all been put to the sword in recent campaigns - but these days that is not enough.

A group that contains three teams that qualified for this summer's World Cup finals highlights the difficulty of the task ahead, but none of the other five teams in the group, including Italy, will be licking their lips and looking forward to the prospect of a Windsor Park Wednesday night.

Will Nigel Worthington opt for Italy in the first qualifer for Euro 2012?

I firmly believe that the two defining matches in Northern Ireland's campaign will come in Serbia and Slovenia. Whether they can achieve wins in those games is questionable. Serbia were impressive when they beat us 1-0 in a friendly in Belfast in November while we lost to Slovenia in Maribor in the last campaign.

Our recent away record in competitive games is awful. Just three wins in the last 34 competitive away matches spanning a 16-year period - and those wins came against the footballing super powers of Malta, Liechtenstein and San Marino.

You could argue that a 2-1 win against Austria in 1994, when Keith Gillespie announced his arrival on the international stage with a wonder strike, is the only victory away from home against notable opposition since we qualified for the World Cup in 1986.

That has got to change if the current crop of players are to have any chance of appearing at a major finals, an appearance that so many of them deserve for the service that they've given. A return of 19 points from a possible 96 in the last 32 away games is nowhere near enough to help make that happen.

I must say I've been encouraged by the last two away performances in the Czech Republic and, in particular, Poland, where I've no doubt that the injury to Kyle Lafferty cost Northern Ireland the three points.

But that highlighted the other problem, a lack of squad depth in certain key areas. When Warren Feeney and Lafferty were ruled out with injury for the home game against Slovakia - at a key stage of the campaign - we were toothless. Luck with injury and suspension will be a factor.

Before all of that, Worthington will head to Belgrade for the fixture meeting involving all six countries in Group C and try to work out an agreed schedule for the order in which the games will be played.

He'll keep his cards close to his chest, but he must be tempted to go for Italy away as a group opener, in a bid to catch the current World Champions cold after this summer's finals and before their domestic season has got anywhere close to full swing.

Slovenia we know all about. Truth be told, we were lucky to beat them 1-0 in Belfast during the last campaign and they were brilliant in the two-legged play-off against Russia, booking their place in South Africa this summer.

We may have beaten Estonia twice in friendly games in recent years but both were narrow 1-0 wins. And many may remember the last time the Faroe Islands, now managed by former Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr, came to Belfast and earned a 1-1 draw in a European Championship qualifier in 1991, their first ever point away from home in competitive international football. Nigel will certainly remember it, he played that night.

From experience, the manager knows nothing can be taken for granted. But to qualify, 12 points are a must from the games against Estonia and the Faroes. Hopefully, Nigel and the players will have found a way to banish the disappointing away days to the history books and by maintaining our impressive home form of recent years we might just go close to qualifying for the European finals for the first time ever.

Brawling players await punishment

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:16:46 +0000

It is nice to know there is a demand for pictures of Irish League football around the world. Just a pity it was not for the right reasons on this particular occasion.

There I was sitting in the BBC sports office when my colleague who many listeners to Sportsound will know, Grant Cameron, sitting opposite me in the office, set his phone down with a chuckle.

He had just taken a call from a Swedish television station and, would you believe, they wanted to know if we could get them pictures of an Irish league football match. But not just any game, no they wanted to see the cup tie between New Ry City and Lar Ne.

That is because of the disgraceful scenes at the Newry Showgrounds.

I listened like many of you I'm sure, as Paul Gilmour and Alan Paterson described in total amazement what they were watching unfold before their very eyes. Many of the photographs made for gruesome viewing.

It really does leave you scratching your head at times, wondering what goes through the mind of a footballer. What brings a player to the point where, as one photograph shows, he feels the need to seemingly attempt to gouge an opponents eyes. Or in another case, apparently attempt to kick an opponent while he is lying on the ground. What are they trying to achieve?

I wasn't there, so I cannot and will not attempt to apportion blame, but the referees report makes interesting reading.

The IFA disciplinary committee's action against players, coaches and managers who they feel overstepped the mark must be swift and decisive. I understand the maximum ban that they can impose on any player is two years.

I hope, if they feel it is appropriate based on evidence that they receive, they are brave enough to use such a sanction.

As for the future participation of the clubs in the competition, that will be down to an IFA-appointed commission, set up to avoid the all too familiar wave of appeals and counter appeals that we have seen after similar cases in the past.

It removes the power from the Challenge Cup committee, and means that representatives of clubs still involved in the Cup this season, who would sit on that committee, cannot be accused of handing down a punishment with an eye on protecting their own patch or trying to settle a previous score with one of the clubs involved. At least someone at the IFA had the foresight to head that one off at the pass.

Personally, if the evidence is damning, then expulsion from the cup for this and possibly future years for either one or both clubs has to be considered.

Fines are not the answer here. The two clubs involved, from what we are lead to believe, do not have two beans to rub together. What positive purpose would a fine serve when everybody knows the clubs cannot pay it?

The people who must suffer are the players who were involved, not the man on the board of directors who has to go begging and borrowing to get the money together to pay the fine. I doubt the players will be dipping their hands into their pockets.

On the basis of what my colleagues who were there told me, and the photographs that were taken during the violent exchanges, it is clear that a number of players involved do not deserve to be anywhere near an Irish Cup final. I sincerely hope that those found guilty by the footballing authorities are not given the chance, for this season at least.

It is a pity that television cameras were not at the game to help identify the main cuplrits. At least it meant we could not send that nice man in Sweden the pictures that would have resulted in Irish League football being seen in the worst possible light. Next time, and there will be a next time, the players may not be so lucky.

Welcome to BBC iD

BBC Sport blog editor (BBC Sport) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:49:23 +0000

Early next week, there will be a change to how you leave comments on this blog - we're upgrading our current registration system to a new and improved one. When you log in to the new system, you will be prompted to upgrade your existing account, and you should be able to do that with a minimum of fuss. More details on this can be found on the BBC Internet Blog.

Should Derry return to the Irish League?

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:22:12 +0000

As I read this week about the problems facing Derry City, my mind went back to a Setanta Cup semi-final last season when Glentoran played Drogheda United.

Drogheda were facing financial meltdown and winning the Setanta Cup was the only chance the players had of getting some of the wages they were owed.

Now, apart from the obvious irony that Setanta were to be the financial saviours and they themselves have fallen on hard times, I cannot help but wonder why so many of the teams in the League of Ireland got it so wrong when it came to chasing the full-time dream.

I remember speaking to an official at Drogheda that night with Roy Walker who was working with me on BBC Radio Ulster. He told us that the weekly wage bill for players, coaches and other staff at the club was somewhere in the region of $40,000 Euros. I nearly fell off my seat.

This was a club with a ground capacity of less than 3,000. I am no accountant but to me it did not seem to make economic sense.

This road to nowhere for Derry, Drogheda and the rest probably started in 2004 when Shelbourne reached the third qualifying round of the Uefa Champions League, just one tie away from reaching the group stage.

Such was the interest in the game against Deportivo La Coruna that it was switched to Lansdowne Road and Shels managed a 0-0 draw in front of their home fans before losing in Spain despite a heroic performance.

The problem came when Shelbourne, and many other clubs thought this type of progress would be the norm and that it was only a matter of time before an Irish club side made it through to Europe's top table and the promised land of the group stages of the Champions League.

Looking from the outside, it appears to me that a fundamental mistake or oversight, call it what you will, occurred at this point.

When the clubs decided to go full-time to follow the dream they forgot one small detail. While budgeting for the best case scenario of winning the league and booking their place in the qualifying rounds, it would appear that nobody had the sense to point out that only one team could qualify for the Champions League qualifying rounds each year.

This reality was forgotten in the excitement and nobody thought to ask the question of what happens to the teams with full-time players and staff who do not make it into the moneybags matches in the Champions League.

We all know the answer to that question now. Just ask the fans of Drogheda United, Shelbourne or Cork City who appear to avoid administration as often as Cheryl Cole cries on X Factor.

Now it is Derry City where the axe is about to fall with players being left without wages. Six years or so of full-time football has still failed to deliver a league title. So where do the Candystripes go from here?

Well back to part-time football and possibly the Irish League. When you sit down and look at things in the cold light of day it is probably the most viable way of Derry City being able to maintain their senior status.

Manager Stephen Kenny has already hinted at the possibility of the current financial problems forcing the Candystripes to drop down a division in the League of Ireland.

Former Glentoran chairman Stafford Reynolds has already leant his support to the idea suggesting that he and many others associated with Irish League clubs would be happy to roll out the welcome mat after an absence of almost 40 years.

Former Derry and Glentoran striker Liam Coyle told Sportsound on BBC Radio Ulster that he thought Derry returning to the Irish League was the best way forward if the club was to survive.

However, it is important to remember that the Irish League is not some sort of footballing paradise, free from the evils of financial ruin. Certainly not.

Another crazy figure that left me almost speachless came from a colleague of mine who told me that the combined wage bill for Linfield and Glentoran for one season is currently in the region of £1.1million. Is that sustainable?

Glenavon chairman Adrian Tear on the programme rammed home the point that 75% of the revenue at his club has to be generated from income streams other than gate receipts.

Having said that, I have no doubt that Derry City in the new Carling Premiership would make it a better league. It would be foolish for those in authority not to make representations to the Brandywell to investigate the possibility of bringing a club of that size and stature back into the Irish League fold.

With such a fan base and travelling support such a move could only be good for the game here and surely politically the time is right.

If Derry City decided to come back to Irish League football then the top flight north of the border would be stronger for their presence and it would be another reality check for those who believe that full-time football is sustainable in Ireland.

Northern Ireland's missed opportunity

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:17:38 +0000

I cannot remember feeling as low during a match commentary as I did on Saturday night when that Jonny Evans clearance hit Aaron Hughes and bounced passed Maik Taylor into the net to level the scores in Chorzow.

I was gutted for the players who had given so much and came within a whisker of recording an away win against significant opponents, probably for the first time since we beat Austria in 1994 and Keith Gillespie marked his arrival on the international stage.

Kyle Lafferty scores Northern Ireland's goal away to Poland

Just like that game in Vienna, one player will forever be associated with the game on Saturday night. It was the game in which Kyle Lafferty fulfilled all the great potential that we knew he had as a target man through the middle, the perfect foil for David Healy.

He was outstanding, led the line brilliantly, showed great composure when presented with the chance from which he scored in the opening half and gave the two Polish central defenders a torrid evening.

The biggest compliment that I can pay Lafferty is that the game changed as soon as he had to leave the action with his injury and, if as it seems, he will miss the game against Slovakia, it will be a huge blow to Northern Ireland's chances of qualification.

Away wins in the group are precious, if you disregard the matches involving San Marino, there has only been one away win in Group Three so far - Slovakia managed it in Prague against the Czech Republic.

The extra two points from a win in Poland would have given us such an advantage, would have eased the pressure just a little bit more, and perhaps have taken the wind from the sails of the Poles.

Yes, it was a great point away from home, and while the squad and the manager are making all the right noises in public, they probably know in their heart of hearts after seeing how the game developed, it was a Polish team there for the taking.

Luck, they say, evens itself out. Remember Slovenia hitting the crossbar just before we scored in Belfast, remember the Boruc bobble, perhaps the luck was being evened up when Lafferty was forced to go off.

However, that result has gone, we got a point. We will only know if it was one gained or two dropped at the end of the campaign, so let's regroup and move on.

The scenario is now a simple one. Two wins are required from two games and at worst we should have a play-off place.

The incentive for the players on Wednesday night could not be greater, win the game and you head back to your clubs knowing that Northern Ireland will sit proudly at the top of the Group Three table.

The pressure will have shifted to the shoulders of the other sides who play in the first round of October games while we have a night off.

A draw in the other game on Wednesday night would be ideal. Slovenia at this stage are effectively level on points with us and ahead on goal difference as their final game of the campaign is against San Marino.

We need them to drop points against Poland or Slovakia. Draws for the others are the name of the game, but it will count for little if we do not win our last two matches and that is going to be tough if Warren Feeney and Lafferty are missing for both.

So let us prepare ourselves for what could be the greatest of all those Windsor nights in our recent international history, better even than England, better than Spain, simply because of the significance of the match.

For the first time in a long time there is something at stake. It is even more important than Denmark in the last campaign because this time our destiny is still in our own hands.

Slovakia will not relish the thought of coming here so let's get ready for the biggest game at Windsor Park for nearly 28 years and give the players the backing they deserve on what could be the most nerve-jangling, spine-tingling, emotional roller-coaster of an evening.

I just have a really bad feeling that the journey could come to a shuddering halt. I hope I am wrong.

Some other bits and bobs. Well done to the 900 or so fans who made the long trip to Chorzow. I met many of them while they were there and I am so pleased to hear that they made it home safely.

Also thanks for the song while you were all locked in the ground after the game which gave some advice regarding what we should do with our copy of a local Sunday newspaper.

I can always be sure that on every away trip there will be a song from the fans that will make me laugh. You never let me down.

Also thanks to the fan who came and introduced himself to the BBC team for the game.

Proudly he marched towards John O'Neill, capped 39 times for his country and member of two World Cup squads. The fan extended his hand and said, 'Michael, great to meet you'. We pointed out to him that Michael Hughes was the one sitting opposite John at the other side of the table! I suppose they look alike after a few pints.

Northern Ireland's massive task in Poland

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:03:00 +0000

I have been spending some time looking for positives ahead of the trip to Poland, and I have to say it is not easy.

I do get bouts of supreme optimism at times when I think about the game, but I then tell myself that I am allowing my heart to rule my head - you have probably all been there.

It is the same scenario when you sit with the group table, work out how you think all the games are going to work out and what the results will be, and when you' have finished, hey presto, Northern Ireland have qualified for the World Cup finals, simple as that.

But never mind the Spirit of '58, or even '82 or indeed '86. Let us ask the current squad of players to call on the spirit of 1962, the only previous visit by Northern Ireland to Chorzow in a European Nations Cup match which ended in a 2-0 win with Derek Dougan and Billy Humphries on target. It is our only ever victory in Poland.

Jonny Evans in training with the Northern Ireland squad

For that to happen, the players have to put right a dismal away record in competitive matches, just three wins in the last 32 away qualification games in nearly 13 years of trying, and those wins coming against the footballing superpowers of Liechtenstein, San Marino and Malta.

Depressing, is not it? Couple that with the fact that Poland are unbeaten at home in competitive games for three years and you will see just how big the job is for Nigel Worthington and his players.

This, however, is not like previous away games, this is serious.

For many of the players in the current squad it is the last chance to play at a World Cup finals, and believe me, they know it. Opportunities like this do not come along often and seven members of our squad were not even born when Jennings and co were struggling in the Mexican altitude in 1986.

If ever there was a time to be positive away from home, this is it. In my eyes this is the biggest game for Northern Ireland since they went to Wembley in November 1985 and fought for a famous draw that booked their place at the finals. It is also the key to the group with Slovakia playing Czech Republic on Saturday.

Let's go to Poland with a positive attitude. I have no doubt the manager will be looking to win the game, nothing other than a 4-4-2 formation and an attacking frame of mind will do. There is no point trying to go and contain the Poles who will be thirsty for revenge after their 3-2 defeat in Belfast.

May the spirit of 62 live on in Chorzow on Saturday evening, and I hope all of you who are travelling enjoy the game and return safely.

The game of course will be live on BBC television and Radio Ulster. Jackie Fullerton and John O'Neill will be in the TV commentary box while I will be joined by former international Michael Hughes.

Making headlines for the wrong reasons

Joel Taggart (BBC Sport) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:51:15 +0000

What a weekend that was. I mean, Friday night and Saturday morning we have the Carling Premiership projected into the limelight with the news that former Northern Ireland international Keith Gillespie is going to sign for Glentoran.

By 5.00pm on Saturday afternoon we have an idiot on the pitch trying to attack one of Gillespie's new team-mates and, but for the intervention of most of the Glentoran players and to his great credit manager Alan McDonald, we could have had a repeat of the Oval riot on our hands.

I was unfortunate enough to be at the Oval that fateful day, I was also at Pittodrie commentating when Rangers and Aberdeen fans confronted each other during a game that had to be stopped for 20 minutes.

But it is the first time I have ever witnessed a fan making his way onto the pitch and throwing a punch at a player. I hope it is the last.

As for the brainless idiot involved, I hope he never sees the inside of a football ground again.

He has taken Irish League football from the back pages to the front pages for all the wrong reasons. He has tarnished the good name of many good people at Portadown Football Club and in one mindless act managed to undermine a lot of the good work pre-season to market the new Carling Premiership.

Players should not have to run the gauntlet of thugs just because they happen to score a goal against a former team. That applies to any team. If our friend on Saturday at Portadown could not stomach the thought of Gary Hamilton scoring a goal against his former club then he should have stayed away. It should be a criminal offence for a fan to enter the field of play at an Irish league game, end of story.

The IFA have 'issued a statement' at this stage. Action is sure to follow, but it raises once again the role of a steward at Irish League games.

Now, to avoid any misunderstanding, let me get this on the record before I go any further.

I have the highest regard for stewards who give of their time freely at Irish League games and take physical and verbal abuse without provocation or justification. I admire them all and their efforts should be applauded, especially those who acted swiftly at Shamrock Park to remove the intruder.

The question that I would like to ask is whether these stewards are receiving the instruction and training that they deserve in order to help them do the job that they want to do as effectively as possible. Why is it that when you attend a game in England or Scotland that the stewards sit facing the crowd. At an Irish League game they all seem to be watching the match. Just a thought.

And while we are on the subject of unanswered questions, can somebody please tell me if they can come up with a logical reason why a round of derby fixtures in the new Carling Premiership is being played on a Tuesday night?

They are the biggest fixtures in the calender, so let's shunt them onto a midweek date when attendances are usually lower and when there is football on the TV. Brilliant idea!

I suppose it was the big fixture computer that just threw them out that way. The one that just happens to make sure the derby games can be played on Boxing Day.