Week four, and already the cream seems to be rising to the top. Bohemians and Derry City lead the way on 10 points each, and St. Pat’s are only a point behind, despite their disastrous start to the campaign at home to Galway United.
Longford Town legend Seán Prunty made his MNS debut on Monday and faced the biggest challenge of his working life: trying to get a word in edgeways when sitting beside Roddy Collins on the couch. Actually Seán acquitted himself very well, so much so that a former teammate of his Ger Robinson emailed the show to suggest that 'Choons' would be a great replacement for Pat Kenny in the Late Late show hotseat next season.
Seán 'Choons' Prunty - 'Late Late' replacement?
I asked him where he got the nickname 'Choons' from, and he said it wasn't his nickname, but Brummie Steve, our editor had christened him 'Choons' for some obscure reason. I also learned that Mr Prunty is related to Emily Brontë (author of ‘Wuthering Heights’) and her sisters. So when he waxes lyrical in future programmes, you'll know that he comes from a long line of wordsmiths. In fact he's gone one better, because as far as I'm aware Emily Brontë never appeared on a football show as a pundit.
The good news is that Roddy hasn't demanded an apology from RTÉ for the use of the Cowen-gate style picture at the end of the show, depicting the Rodmeister in the manner of the Taoiseach in his recent Art gallery outing. If you haven't seen it, it comes towards the end of our show which you can watch back on the RTÉ website 24/7. I think Roddy really enjoyed it to be honest, and I fully expect to see it hanging on a wall in his house when he invites us around.
Once again, the ‘Karaoke King’ item has drawn a mixed response. Seán Kelly’s singing was about as good as Tommy Bowe’s effort on Dawson Street, but Seán’s dancing far outdid anything the Grand Slam winning winger could produce, at least on the evidence of what we've seen to date. In fairness, it takes some bottle to get up in front of your teammates and the MNS cameras to sing your heart out, and I think Kellyer’s effort is worthy of a thumbs up. We've run it by a lot of people around here who have no connections with the league, and almost invariably it gets a laugh.
Campaign for the return of '60'......
Some fans might frown upon it, but these are the same people who slaughtered ‘60’ last season, and are now clamouring for its return. By the way, I spoke to Jacqui on Sunday, which is no great surprise bearing in mind we co-present Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1, and she said she met a load of people at the international on Saturday night who told her they'd love to see her back on the programme.
I'd be interested to get your views?
I still think a banner campaign at the games around the theme of "Bring back 60" would go some way towards changing Brummie Steve’s mind. We'll see.
Click here for Jacqui Hurley's '60 Sixty' with Mark Rossiter of Bohemians.
Would you like to see '60' back on the show? E-mail MNS@rte.ie
I couldn't believe it when I heard that St. Pat’s had lost two players to broken legs on Friday night against Dundalk. It must be stressed that no Dundalk can be blamed in any way for the misfortune. Mark leech and Gary Dempsey will both be missed by the Saints over the coming weeks, and no doubt months, and I'm sure you'd all join me in wishing the two lads the speediest of recoveries. Pat’s have a smaller squad this season than last, and can ill afford to lose two first team players, but such are the vagaries of playing sport, and another example of the way luck can sometimes play a part in how a teams season maps out.
'Conditions 1-0 Football' at Terryland Park
I also felt very sorry for Galway United, whose hopes of a bumper crowd for the game against Sligo Rovers were surely hit by the incredibly inclement weather by the Corrib on Friday night.
It was a night for the long johns, many layers, a big woolly scarf, and a hat. Alternatively, it was one of those nights when the blazing fire, cup of coffee, chocolate biscuit, and watching the match on the telly, was a very tempting prospect.
Having said that, it wasn't a bad crowd at Terryland - just not quite what it might have been given Galway's top of the table status going into the encounter. Shame the game was so poor for those who did go along, or those who watched our live offering on RTE 2 on Friday night. The very windy conditions made it very difficult to play good football, and it was a case of “Conditions 1-0 Football”.
Incidentally, we were broadcasting from the TV gantry at Terryland Park. It was cold, but there was also another challenge for me to deal with. There was a light over my head - not switched on I hasten to add - and there was a pool of water inside it which regularly dropped big droplets of water right on to my face. I'm not sure if it happened while I was on air, but if you see me recoiling at any point, it's not due to anything Dave Barry was saying – it’s the drip drop Terryland water torture!
Italy v Ireland - on RTÉ Radio 1 from 7pm on Wednesday
It's been a busy few days, with Galway versus Sligo on RTÉ 2 on Friday night, Ireland versus Bulgaria on RTÉ Radio 1 on Saturday night, Sunday Sport on Radio on Sunday afternoon, MNS Monday, Crimecall RTE 1 TV on Tuesday, Italy versus Ireland RTÉ radio 1 from 7pm on Wednesday, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Don't forget to give us a shout on our 24/7 phone lines - email us, or post your comments to us at MNS, RTE TV, Dublin 4 - and feel free to email your photos to mns@rte.ie. I was accused of showing too many Shamrock Rovers pics this week, but these are the snaps sent in to us and fans of other clubs are welcome to send us their shots too.
We got a great video of the Drogheda fans doing the Conga on a train journey recently, all good natured, with high fives from the other passengers. A good laugh but we couldn't put it out because, apparently, it's illegal to Conga on a train that isn't stationary!
Until next Monday at 8pm on RTÉ 2, take care.
