Sean Connor isn't just famous for his dodgy red tracksuit bottoms. Now we know that he likes to wear dodgy pink shirts too! And this week, Philip Quinn joined him in the wardrobe of shame with an equally loud pink effort. It could have been worse. After the programme Richard Sadlier told us he'd been in Dundrum on Monday and considered buying a pink shirt to wear on the programme.
Behind the Scenes with Con Murphy Archive
Richie also told us after the show, that his mother had called his mobile to ask him if he really did know what a tracker mortgage was! Mothers are great, aren't they!
Speaking of sartorial elegance, when Jeff Kenna joined us from Galway to chat about his new job with United we told him not to wear anything green as the background behind him in the studio was green. As it was, Jeff wore a white top that was more Star Trek than Connemara. However, Galway fans will be quite happy if he can beam the Tribesmen up the table over the coming months.
He has a big job on his hands, and we wish him well in his new venture. He may be a rookie manager, but he has played at the highest level for many years, under some of the best managers around. By the way, I wish he'd told us who the bad managers he'd played under were!
If Sunderland can gamble with a rookie boss in Roy Keane, Galway can do likewise, and hope that Kenna's professionalism transfers to the players at the club.
Speaking of Sunderland, Roy Keane's rant at Richie Sadlier made the front page of the Daily Star on Monday. I think it's fair to say that Richie is definitely off Roy's Christmas card list. Somehow I don't think he'll be the first, or the last.
Incidentally, with Cobh shaping up pretty well, it would be nice to think Sunderland will play them in a friendly at some stage during the English close season. It would be a great money spinner for Ramblers, and I'm sure the welcome mat would be laid out for the return to his old hunting grounds for Keano.
I feel a bit badly about describing Seamus Coleman's finish after a brilliant mazy run as 'more Madonna than Maradona'. The run was fantastic and the shot wasn't too far off target. Sean Connor reckons Coleman is a class act, and Sligo are lucky to have him. He could be another one of those in a few years' time who's pulling on the Irish jersey on a regular basis, and Sligo Rovers fans will be able to say: 'We saw him playing as a youngster at the Showgrounds.'
We got a great e-mail to mns@rte.ie this week from Aidan O'Byrne, who told us about his five-year-old son playing footie in the back garden. Did he want to be Ronaldo, Rooney, Drogba or Keane? None of those in fact, he wanted to be Mark Quigley. As Aidan said, it's the third generation of St Pat's fans coming through in his family. It would be brilliant if the kids in Sligo wanted to be Seamus Coleman, or Faz, or Rafael Cretaro when they kick the ball around the park. Why not?
Killian Brennan's audacious penalty in the last minute of injury-time at United Park took me back to the 1976 European Championship final. West Germany and Czechoslovakia had finished the game all-square and it eventually went to a penalty shootout. Up stepped Antonin Panenka with the opportunity to win it for the Czechs. His cheeky chip to the back of the net secured Czechoslovakia's greatest ever achievement in international football.
To have the balls to try that type of penalty in any competitive game was one thing. To do it in a European Championship final against West Germany to win the trophy was something else.
It was great to see that, and Helder Postiga's, and Zidane's on this week's show. I'm sure they're not that rare now, but Panenka did it all those years ago. He really was the original of the species.
Brennan's may not have been for such high stakes, but try telling that to any Bohs supporter, or his manager Pat Fenlon. Thankfully for the former Derry City man, his chip went under, rather than over the bar. Bohs took the three points, and Brennan takes the plaudits, albeit not from the disgruntled Drogheda fans.
Somebody said to me this week that they're worried that St Pat's might run away with the league. Although Johnny Mac's side are looking very good at the moment, I can't see anybody running away with the league this season. There are too many matches between the top sides, who I'm convinced, will all take points off each other.
This coming series of matches is a case in point: Cork v Drogheda, Rovers v St Pat's, Bohs v Derry...what a brilliant weekend of action to look forward to.
We'll have all the action in Friday Sportsnight on RTÉ Radio 1, Longwave 252 from 7pm, and I'll get to go along to the Hoops against Pat's on Sunday night at Tolka Park. I can't wait.
See you at 8pm on RTÉ Two and RTÉ.ie next Monday for the next MNS.
