And so the mayhem has ended. I'm not just talking about the eircom League season 2008, but also the final MNS of the campaign.
As I've mentioned before on these pages, we operate out of the smallest TV studio in RTÉ, Studio 6, and it was quite a feat to get 10 analysts and a presenter all into the tight confines of said studio on Monday night, but we just about managed it.
As I write this piece, I do so with a tinge of sadness that our 36-programme run has come to an end, and also with a sense of pride too.
Even in the wake of our last programme we've received loads of emails to the show from people who cross the generation divide and from others who have had huge success in the television industry, patting us on the back for the job we did over the course of the season and applauding the irreverent stance we took on the final show.
The laurels may be laid out in front of us, but we don't intend to rest on them by any means. Already the production team is discussing new ideas and new potential features for 2009, and by the way, I really like some of them.
MNS has undoubtedly been the most fun to work on, of all the programmes I've been involved in over the years.
The ability to look at the not so serious side of life along with the important issues of the day has been very important for us, and when the season started, the mission statement from those putting the programme together was that we had to be a bit different to the other sports shows on RTÉ, and I think we've managed that.
Of course not everything has worked. Our piece when I threw a question to Tony O'Donoghue about his interview with Glen Crowe, which has already made YouTube, didn't quite come off. Tony didn't know we were going to do it, and the bleeper machine went into overdrive and just sounded like constant tone, when in fact we wanted it to intersperse Tony's answer with occasional bleeps, but we tried!
The behind the scenes on Sixty got a great response. Credit is due to the lads and Lady Hurley for putting that together. Likewise Graham Gartland was a good sport to play the role of questioner later on. For Sixty fans, the good news is that Ryan Guy has got a new car. The rust bucket is no more. Drive safely in the new motor Ryan.
To be honest it was a tricky enough show to present because there was mayhem in studio. Tadgh De Brun, the floor manager, was a picture of tranquillity trying to keep the show on the road, but it was difficult to know what was coming next because we were under pressure time-wise, and there was always a chance that the next item might have to be dropped to make more time.
The shift of gear from serious analysis of the Cup final and the chat with Fran Gavin, to monkeys jumping around the gallery is a delicate balancing act.
Eoin Hand wanted to make a point about fewer young Irish players going to the UK at a very tender age because of new FIFA rulings about compensation, but we didn't get a chance to get back to him, because he had no microphone and we were already over time.
We may revisit the topic next season.
Incidentally, on Friday the pundits play a match along with the production team. The venue is a secret because obviously the screaming girls supporting Disco Tony McDonnell and Richie Sadlier would be off-putting for everyone concerned, but it should be a laugh and with Jimmy Magee providing commentary it should be one not to be missed.
Small clue - 2pm kick off.....venue.....sorry, they just won't let me tell you!
As this is my final MNS blog of the season, I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank the production team, who put in very long hours, and had to put up with the editor, Brummie Steve, and his awful Birmingham accent, wrecking their heads day in, day out.
Director Kevin O'Connell, and the rest of the team, (in no particular order) Eamonn Donohoe, Stephen Finn, James O'Toole, and Seamus Leonard, who put the programme together on a week-to-week basis, are all League of Ireland fans, and I hope their love for the game here, and their passion for it shows through in the finished product.
The vast majority of people who contacted the programme by email, or by writing to us, have been extremely positive in their assessment of the show and the website that goes with it. Generally, when people write to the station it's usually to complain about something, so it's been very rewarding to get such an overwhelmingly positive response.
Having said that, I know that we're far from perfect, and will strive next season to up our game even more, but I hope viewers take a realistic view on the budget available to us, in comparison to some of our competitors across the water, and take that into account.
As Maureen Potter always said; 'If you enjoyed the show, tell your friends about it, and if you didn't, save your breath to cool your porridge!'
I drove past Shamrock Rovers' new ground in Tallaght the other night, and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Season 2009 should be a very exciting one for all Hoops fans, and indeed for supporters of the other clubs who'll be coming to Tallaght for the first time next season.
The ground is taking shape, and speaking to former Hoop Terry Palmer recently, he told me that the pitch surface is fantastic, which is very good to hear.
So 2008 might be remembered as the eircom League's annus horriblis, but if clubs take a more realistic approach to what contracts they offer, the future can be bright, and maybe we'll all need shades.
