College Tribune | November 12th 2008
Sport
Look out below
19
WESTY’S SUPERLEAGUE FOOTBALL’S NOT COMING HOME
soccer executive Diarmuid McNally about the Student’s and Bray would have spent a fair bit of money.” The League of Ireland has constantly been in the press for the wrong reasons with clubs overspending. The Students are one of only four not to experience some sort of financial difficulty this year and it is obviously very frustrating for everyone at UCD including the soccer executive. “Obviously we have an issue with the clubs overspending. We seem hard done by. We continued to obey the rules while the other teams went and overspent and took points off us, I believe unfairly. One club, bought players off us, played them against us and we’re still waiting to be paid. That’s just an example of what’s going on.” While McNally didn’t explicitly say which team this was the aforementioned Conor Sammon and Darren Quigley are two players that fit into this description. Both moved to Derry
and played against UCD earlier on in the season. While it is possible that Premier Division teams won’t receive licences to play in the Premier Division next year the Soccer Executive believes that “it is a possibility but I think it’s a long shot.” Realistically the Students can’t dwell on the past and have to be aware of the reality of life in the First Division next season. 2003 was the last time that UCD were relegated but they bounced back up the next year finishing second in the First Division in 2004. However, McNally is well aware of how tough it will be next season. “It will be a strong First Division next year. You’re going to have twelve teams in it; the likes of Dundalk, Fingal, Cobh, Galway, ourselves and you’re going to have to win it to come back up so it will be tough. There will be three or four clubs who will possibly have a bigger budget
ent to us. There’s going to be a readjustment in the league as regards players wages and players demands as reportedly 80 percent of players in the league will be out of contract by the end of this year. With the budget next year, you’ve got to see what players you want to keep. It’s well known we need to bring some players in, we need to get some forwards in here and after that, there’s no real problem with the rest of the team. But as I said it’s all about if we can hold onto the players. It’s very difficult to produce and develop players in the Premier Division when you’re getting beaten most weeks. That only leads to players losing confidence and without confidence it’s very hard to win matches. So maybe from that point of view, the First Division could give some of the lads a chance to develop, become more confident footballers and get that winning feeling back again. But the first division won’t be easy either. Shelbourne or Dundalk will
than us so it will be difficult. “ Once again UCD will have trouble of trying to keep players and that is added to after relegation. “We will lose players for two reasons,” the club official says. “The budget will be cut as prize money, potential sponsorship and gate money all drop and also players might not want to play in the first division.” So it seems all doom and gloom at the Bowl but there is some light. UCD’s youth structure is as strong as ever and they are playing in the A-League final on Tuesday night in Belfield Bowl. McNally is well aware of the quality of young players available. “If we do lose a lot of first team players we have a number of players who will be able to come through and compete at First Division level.” It will be difficult to get out of the First Division but UCD have done it before and next season they will be looking to do it again.
win the First Division this year, but the side’s left behind in that division (coupled with two of Galway, Cobh and Finn Harps) are very competitive and we won’t have it as easy as we might think. On my own future and position, I’ve got to assess things. I have got to take a lot factors into account. I’m six years at UCD now and that’s a long time to be at the club. I don’t know if I have one kick left in me, but we’ll see. Obviously over that break, we’ll get the chance to relax a little bit because to be honest we’re all tired. The players are shattered. I’m tired myself! It’s been a long hard season for us, travelling up and down the country and playing against good teams every week takes a lot out of you. So hopefully we can recharge the batteries over the close season and Christmas time, and after that I’ll have a perspective on things. But right now, I’m just looking ahead to our final game of the season next week at home to Galway United and then taking it easy for a few weeks after that.
SUPER LEAGUE
The referee’s a wanker
Welcome back, its been a long two weeks, made even longer by the onset of the quickly approaching exams and essay deadlines but fear not! In an effort to stem the tide of monotony the ever pleasant Superleague Administration Project by Services (SAPS) employees have started up the League Cup, how is it organised? No one knows. Why bother? Why bother indeed. All any of us know is that there is beer to be won. But lets be honest, who gives a shit about the League Cup, Spurs won the English one last year for Christ’s sake. Lets instead turn our gaze to the lawmen, the infantry, the P.C. Plods of our fair campus. Yes, ladies and gentlemen the referee’s. Appointed by SAPS the referees rule the roost on the pitch throughout the academic year. Never will 22 men bend to one mans will as quickly as you will see the two teams of any given match bow before their overlord. So sure of their decisions they will have you believing that, “Ah I probably did deserve that red card” immediately after you were sent to the showers early for spitting. While many of us have done like
the Sports Department wanted us to do and coughed up fifty smackers to partake in the glory that is Superleague. However, there is one or two bright spark wandering the halls of the campus. While we are swanning around on astro pitches laden with empty cans of Dutch Gold and real pitches covered in used and semi-used condoms (one goal mouth over the weekend looked like Calum Best’s bedside table), they are firmly planted in the centre circle dealing out justice with an iron fist. Not only are they doing absolutely nothing, but they are getting paid nearly €50 a game. So all they have to do is blow there whistle a few times point in one direction or another (it makes very little difference which direction because no one takes Superleague that seriously, except for Brazilchester, my sources tell me they train nine times a week, loosers) Sorry for the digression but I really hate those smug bastards. Anyway the point is refereeing is a serious business. While strolling through UCD,D over the weekend I happened upon one of the afor mentioned League
Cup games. It was administered by the oddest little toad I have ever laid eyes on. Dressed entirely from head to toe in waterproof apparel, none of which was matching, he had is hood up and his whistle clamped firmly between his teeth. Truly a god amongst referees. Had this fella been twenty years younger he would have got the staring role in Lord of The Rings no question asked. While chatting to one of the subs I discovered that this ref has a bit of a reputation; “Last year that hobbit stopped a match 35 minutes in so he cold go and take a shit! Like what the f**k! He was gone for twenty minutes.” Very odd indeed. Perhaps, more confusing is the fact that a sixty year old man is refereeing a student orientated competition. Isn’t there some young children he could be abusing, I would have thought a load of 20+ students would be unappealing to him. But then of course they were all wearing shorts and as any good pervert knows, thats half the battle.
STEPHEN WEST