GB FC
I had just finished an interview for Talkback this lunchtime about today's North South Ministerial meeting, when the programme turned to more important matters - the proposal for a Great Britain football team in the 2012 Olympics.
Predictably the IFA and their Welsh and Scottish counterparts have given the suggestion a cool response. So in an attempt to be helpful I proposed a formula which I thought might preserve the associations' separate identities, whilst ensuring that 11 players take to the pitch in 2012. This was that the four GB teams should hold a one off "home international" tournament in the run up to the Olympics, and the winner should then represent Great Britain.
The football pundit Talkback had on didn't seem too impressed. But if the national associations continue to block the creation of a GB dream team, could a pre-Olympic tournament prove a possible compromise?
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Speaking of matters of British, Irish and otherwise: why is it that the list of newspapers linked to from the What It Says On the Papers page doesn't link to the Irish Times, Irish Independent etc while it certainly does link to London and Manchester based titles which have little or no relevance on this side of the Irish sea? What is it with the Ö÷²¥´óÐã NI inferiority complex?
The national (uk) papers are far more relevant to me. I hate it when sunday times fill their regional spaces with Dublin features. Im not trying to make a tedious political point either. Are you?
They may be relevant to you - however I note that the Irish Times, the Irish Independent and others have now reappeared on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Newsonline website following my contribution. So perhaps - notwithstanding your own attentions being focused on 'national' matters, someone in the Ö÷²¥´óÐã has copped on to the fact that, apart from Ö÷²¥´óÐã NI's political editor, there is nary a person in NI who's really as interested in what it says in the Daily Telegraph as you make out. The feeling is no doubt mutual.....
Would that we had an Alex Salmond here who could teach the Ö÷²¥´óÐã some manners....
MARK D. REPLIES I take it from these comments that you have assumed the remarks about newspapers posted by "Mark" were from me. He may be my namesake, but it's not the same "Mark". So a case of mistaken identity methinks. In fact I passed your comments on to those who deal with that section of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã NI website, which may explain any action they took.