Serving Up Justice With The Guvnor

Kilkenny defeated reigning champions Tipperary after extra-time. This was a fantastically enjoyable high-scoring match as both sides really brought out their top game for this one.

Offaly gained promotion to the top tier next year as they were able to defeat rivals Wexford by virtue of a solitary goal.

The extra goal scored by Kildare was enough for them to beat Meath.

London fully justified their place in the National League as they defeated Roscommon with 6 points to spare.

Sligo were victorious over Monaghan in a competitive final that went all the way to extra-time.

NFL Roundup - Final Word

2009-05-01T20:41:00.000+01:00

Time to just reflect on this league campaign and to see how things all finished up. There were some very good matches throughout and the managers did give new talent a chance to shine. At the end of the day though, I don't think that anyone can have any complaints about their final league position.

The tables come courtesy of the official website of the GAA.

Division 1

Allianz GAA Football National League Roinn 1 Table

Team	Pld	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
Kerry	7	6	1	0	114	83	31	13
Derry	7	4	1	2	101	81	20	9
Galway	7	4	1	2	106	92	14	9
Mayo	7	2	3	2	90	85	5	7
Tyrone	7	3	1	3	96	97	-1	7
Dublin	7	2	2	3	124	110	14	6
Donegal	7	2	1	4	86	99	-13	5
Westmeath	7	0	0	7	68	138	-70	0

Champions: Kerry
Relegated: Westmeath & Donegal

Kerry end the campaign unbeaten with their 1 draw and 7 wins (including the final) and they should be favourites heading into the All-Ireland in the summer. The disappointing season for Tyrone was touching on previously. But it was even more so for fans of Donegal probably expected to do better than this. Westmeath just seemed out of their depth this year.

Division 2

Allianz GAA Football National League Roinn 2 Table

Team	Pld	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
Monaghan	7	5	1	1	130	91	39	11
Cork	7	5	1	1	110	75	35	11
Kildare	7	4	2	1	115	88	27	10
Armagh	7	4	0	3	108	103	5	8
Meath	7	2	2	3	82	87	-5	6
Laois	7	3	0	4	96	116	-20	6
Fermanagh	7	1	1	5	87	106	-19	3
Wexford	7	0	1	6	78	140	-62	1

Promoted: Monaghan & Cork (champions)
Relegated: Wexford & Fermanagh

In a bit of a strange twist, even though they finished second, Cork are named champions as they won that final one-off game. Those two sides should be a fine addition to Division 1 next year and it will give Monaghan in particular a chance to test themselves against the best. Wexford & Fermanagh had only just come up this year and so are going straight back down again.

Division 3

Allianz GAA Football National League Roinn 3 Table

Team	Pld	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
Down	7	5	0	2	109	87	22	10
Tipperary	7	5	0	2	104	90	14	10
Offaly	7	3	1	3	89	107	-18	7
Louth	7	3	0	4	109	98	11	6
Roscommon	7	3	0	4	91	94	-3	6
Cavan	7	3	0	4	91	94	-3	6
Limerick	7	3	0	4	81	92	-11	6
Longford	7	2	1	4	76	88	-12	5

Promoted: Down & Tipperary (champions)
Relegated: Longford & Limerick

Again the runners-up are crowned champions and this was an excellent campaign for Tipperary as they secured their second promotion in a row. Down as expected also go up a division. But just look how tight it was down at the other end of the table. You have to feel for Limerick getting relegated by virtue of having a worse points difference.

Division 4

Allianz GAA Football National League Roinn 4 Table

Team	Pld	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
Antrim	8	6	2	0	167	77	90	14
Sligo	8	7	0	1	133	81	52	14
Leitrim	8	5	1	2	128	101	27	11
Waterford	8	4	1	3	112	87	25	9
Wicklow	8	3	2	3	153	102	51	8
Clare	8	3	0	5	144	105	39	6
Carlow	8	3	0	5	114	122	-8	6
London	8	2	0	6	82	146	-64	4
Kilkenny	8	0	0	8	42	254	-212	0

Promoted: Antrim & Sligo (champions)

Sligo get the division trophey for winning that final match but the league table in this division is probably fairest of all most definitely the top 2 sides going up. Poor Kilkenny will just be glad that this campaign is finished.

NFL Roundup - The Finals

2009-05-01T19:13:00.002+01:00

In a repeat of last year's final, Kerry got revenge as they defeated Derry to finish off their sensational, unbeaten league campaign.

Cork were just too strong for Monaghan and gave an impression that they will once again be serious contenders for the All-Ireland in the summer. Monaghan should not be too disheartened though, they had a very good campaign.

In what could be considered a bit of a shock, Tipperary were able to defeat Down to take the title by a single point. The match was so close that it ended up going into extra-time as a winner was unable to be found during the normal 70 minutes of play. Down will most certainly be disappointed to lose a big game that they should have won, but Tipperary's incredible season just keeps getting better.

Sligo probably would have been favourites before this match, but they needed 2 points in injury time to seal the win against Antrim. It sounded like a keenly contested game with both teams obviously wanting to pick up the win.

NHL Roundup - Week 9

2009-04-24T19:22:00.004+01:00

Waterford won at Cork in a very high-scoring contest.

Kilkenny had a narrow win over Dublin.

Galway had a fine win away at Clare.

Tipperary had a home win against Limerick.

Offaly had an easy enough win against Antrim, which saw them advance to the final.

Wexford topped the table as they thrashed Carlow by 25-points.

Westmeath had a good home win against Laois.

Down produced a magnificent comeback to win by 9-points despite being 6-points behind at half-time against Kerry. This result meant that Kerry had lost all 7 of their matches.

Division 3A

The fixtures had already been completed.

London finished with top of the table with an impressive 100% victory record as they defeated Donegal.

Louth were much too strong for Tyrone.

Fingal had a fine win against Roscommon.

Longford had the weekend off.

Division 4

Again, all matches had been played.

NFL Roundup - Week 10

2009-04-24T19:14:00.002+01:00

As Division 4 has an extra team in it, they played out their final round of games this past week.

Division 4

Antrim had a win away at Waterford to top the table.

Sligo had a narrow win away at Wicklow, although they were already guaranteed a place in the final.

Kilkenny lost heavily yet again, this time to Carlow.

Clare had a very easy win against London, defeating them by triple scores.

Leitrim had the weekend off.

NFL Roundup - Week 9

2009-04-17T19:29:00.006+01:00

Derry won to send them into the final, however this defeat got Donegal relegated.

Dublin produced a terrific performance to secure safety as they destroyed Westmeath by 27-points. This result meant that the visitors had lost all 7 of their matches.

Kerry were able to defeat Galway to end their campaign unbeaten. It was bad luck for Galway though as they miss out on the final due to points difference for the second year running.

A draw would have been enough to keep both Mayo & Tyrone in Division 1, so rather unsurprisingly they drew. For Tyrone, it would have to go down as a bit of a poor campaign to only secure safety in the very last match. The manager tried out over 35 players in the 7 games, but the disappointing thing is that not many of them showed the quality that has become synonymous with Tyrone over the past decade. Hopefully things pick up during the All-Ireland Championship in the summer.

Monaghan secured their promotion with as they went to Laois and hammered them by a massive scoreline.

Cork were very impressive against Armagh as they gained promotion with this win.

Meath and Kildare drew.

As did Wexford and Fermanagh and it was probably fairly unenjoyable for all involved as both sides had already been relegated.

Down had a narrow win away at Roscommon but it gained them promotion as they finished top of the table.

Louth had a narrow home win against Cavan.

Limerick lost at Louth which saw them relegated. Unluckily for them, 3 other teams had the same number of points as them, but they went down due to an inferior score difference.

Longford beat Tipperary, but it didn't make much difference as they had already been relegated.

Sligo picked up a home win against Waterford to guarantee them promotion and a place in the final.

Carlow came from behind to pick up a win at home against Wicklow in a high-scoring game.

Leitrim finished up their campaign with a victory against Clare.

London had an expected win against Kilkenny.

Antrim had the weekend off.

NHL Roundup - Week 8

2009-04-10T18:51:00.004+01:00

Kilkenny had a very easy day's work as they hammered Cork. This win more or less gives Kilkenny top spot in the table and earns them a place in the final against...

...Tipperary, who had a good win at Galway which helped to secure them second place in the table.

Clare managed a draw at Dublin, but it was not enough as the result sees them relegated.

Limerick had a narrow win at home to Waterford, but a decent one nonetheless.

Antrim produced a very good away win in Laois.

Wexford scored 5 goals which helped them to a home win over Offaly.

Down were comprehensively beaten at Carlow as their disappointing season continued.

Westmeath secured a narrow 1-point win away to Kerry.

Division 3A

No games this week due to there only being 6 teams in this division.

London hugely impressed as they went to Longford and obliterated them by 38 points, scoring 7 goals in the process.

Roscommon had a decent home win against Louth.

Donegal beat Fingal by just 2 points in a very high scoring match.

Tyrone had the weekend off.

Division 4

Again, no fixtures this week for the aforementioned reasons.

WWE Wrestlemania XXV (2009) - Preview & Predictions

2009-04-04T11:03:00.010+01:00

This is the biggest show on the WWE's calendar, so big that it gets a whole extra hour to play about with, making it a 4-hour show. This is the event that the company has been building towards since the Royal Rumble back in January. It should also be noted that they are doing their annual brand draft just one week after 'Mania so there is a good chance many of these feuds will continue, but we'll get to that later.

They have been billing this as the "25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania", which is obviously wrong. Yet no-one seems to have copped on or they have been saying it way too much that they can't be bothered fixing it. It's even on the official poster for crying out loud. Anyway, let's see what is in store this year.

The Card

WWE Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton
(Additional Rules: If Triple H gets intentionally disqualified or counted-out he loses the title; If Triple H shows up with a sledgehammer he automatically loses the match and the title)
Triple H won the title at the last PPV and this is Orton's title shot for winning the Royal Rumble. The build to this match has been excellent and really personal. Orton systematically went beating through the McMahon family (owner Vince and his children Shane & Stephanie). Triple H then revealed the worst kept secret in wrestling in that he is married to Stephanie. Publicly acknowledging the marriage was an interesting move but it made sense given the set-up to this contest. Plus some of the events preceding this match (home invasions with a sledgehammer and man-on-woman violence with Orton beating up Stephanie) also pushed the boundaries of WWE's new PG rating. It was really rather funny that WWE are trying hard to promote their show as family friendly, yet they do stuff like that.

Realistically Orton should be winning this as he has had so much momentum and heat these past few months. But Triple H needs his day in the sun on possibly their biggest PPV ever, so he will be retaining and they will need something to make the majority of the fans 'happy'. And they can't really have this belt change hands for the 5th PPV running. It should be a fine match with most likely some interference from Orton's Legacy. But the problem is that overall it isn't terribly exciting as they have done this feud so many times before so it isn't exactly new.

Interestingly this is actually the Smackdown title, but Orton is on Raw and that is where most of the build-up has been happening. But the upcoming draft should change all this. So I reckon, Triple H retains, gets drafted to Raw which allows this feud to continue and Orton gets the title in the next contest.
Prediction: Triple H to retain

World Heavyweight Championship match
Edge (c) vs. The Big Show vs. John Cena
Conversely, this is technically the Raw title, yet Edge took it over to Smackdown when he sneaked a win last show out under bizarre circumstances. The build to this match has been embarrassingly bad, so the less said about it the better, but it was originally meant to be an Edge/Show match which would have been great as there was plenty of background to it and also it would have been something fresh. But Cena, who is meant to be a good guy, weaselled his way into this contest by blackmailing the GM and Edge's on-screen 'wife' Vickie Guerrero with perverted, voyeuristic material, and then proceeded to show it to everyone. It was simply awful. The addition of Cena has single-handedly ruined a perfectly good feud.

That said he looks a near certainly to win. Much like in the other match, it would give the fans a happy moment, plus he got a big loss and beatdown this past week on TV. Using the logic of 'reverse booking' whereby whoever looks weak going into a PPV usually picks up the win, it means there will probably be a new champion. However, again like before, I can see Cena getting drafted over with the title therefore leaving each of the main shows with a big title and also allowing this feud to continue.
Prediction: John Cena to win the title

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
This one falls into the category of 'dream match' and should be a great contest which in all honesty should be the main event. But I fear it may get buried down somewhere near the middle of the card so the crowd aren't burnt out when the two title matches come around. Anyway this one has developed nicely with both guys trying to get inside the other's head. Plus these two have rarely met in recent time so it is fresh and exciting.

The outcome is pretty predictable as The Undertaker has a win/loss record of 16-0 at Wrestlemania, but that does not really matter. It should be a thrilling bout and should well be match of the night.
Prediction: The Undertaker

Extreme Rules
Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy
The two brothers clash in singles competition for only the second time and it is hard to know what to expect from this one, but it should be a very good match. The hardcore rules can only play to their advantage and I'd guess that ladders will come out and join the party. To his credit, Matt Hardy has done a pretty good job at getting himself over as a heel and his promos have been the strongest in a long time, perhaps ever. Jeff has been playing the sympathetic character as usual and it has all come together very nicely.

Except it should be far more intriguing than it has been. Something just isn't clicking here but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's because everyone assumes Matt will be back as a babyface in a while, probably by the end of the year. It is unclear how long this feud will be drawn out too, you could get away with taking it through to the middle of the summer I think. Anyway I think Jeff will probably win to continue the theme of 'happy' victories.
Prediction: Jeff Hardy to win

Money In The Bank Ladder Match Christian vs. MVP vs. Fit Finlay vs. C.M. Punk vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry
(Winner receives a main title shot they can use anytime they want over the next 12 months)
This is the annual spotfest which is usually just a good excuse for carnage to occur. But this is the 5th year they have done this, and the shine is starting to wear off. The anticipation is not as great as it should be especially given the luxurious prize that the winner receives. It has not been helped this year by some bizarre selections to be in this match such as Mark Henry, who weighs near 400 pounds. Although the image of him climbing a ladder is pretty amusing.

As for winners, well the two obvious candidates are Christian and MVP. Christian will most likely be getting drafted off ECW, the C-show, and him winning the briefcase will offer plenty of storylines. But I think it might be a bit too early for him yet as he has only just returned to the company. So I'll go with MVP; a solid mid-card guy, been around for a few years, good on the mike/promos, and he currently has the US title which should help him to be built strong as a main eventer.
Prediction: MVP to win

Tag Team Titles Unification Match contested under Lumberjack rules
(World Tag Team Champions) The Miz & John Morrison vs. (WWE Tag Team Champions) Carltio and Primo
So the powers that be have finally decided that having 2 separate sets of titles in unnecessary. Pity they are only about 3 or so years too late. But this move should be the start of creating a competitive tag team division, although that will take a fair bit of work yet as most of the teams are made out to be jokes at the minute. Plus I guess the champions will be free to float around any of the 3 shows so that kind of makes the ideas of separate brands (TV shows) surplus to requirements.

This feud has been excellent and it really showed what could have been done if creative had bothered to put a bit of effort into this area of the roster. Both teams have beaten each other a couple of times without one being able to gain the upper hand. Plus each team is now accompanied by one of the Bella twins (who fought and split), which has added an extra dimension to things. The TV matches have been very sound so hopefully they will take it up another notch here. The 'lumberjack' element is just that everyone who isn't on the card gets to go to ringside and potentially interfere. Unnecessary, yes, but it's a nice way to get the whole roster onto the show.

The Miz and in particular John Morrison seem set for big things and so they should be locks for this match. But I can see this feud continuing with Carlito & Primo eventually triumphing.
Prediction: The Miz & John Morrsion to win the Unified titles

Intercontinental Title
JBL (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Bit of an odd match as both of these two guys have been on the fringes of the main event bracket for a while, yet they are fighting over the mid-card belt. JBL only won the title a few weeks back and there has been very little effort put into the set-up of this match. Unbelievably so, they actually gave it away on TV this past week with Mysterio winning in a non-title match. Which means that JBL will be retaining. A few years back this would have been an 'excellent' match but the best we can hope for is 'good'. Should be fine though.

What is possibly more important is that JBL has promised a "historic announcement". All sorts of rumours have been going around from him retiring as an undefeated champion to him buying the Money In The Bank briefcase off the winner and cashing it in later on that night. I'd go with the former as the most likely as he is apparently struggling with back problems.
Prediction: JBL to retain

Handicap Match
Chris Jericho vs. Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat, Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka & 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper with 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair and Mickey Rourke at ringside
(Additional Rules: The Legends only need to score 1 victory; Chris Jericho must defeat all 3 opponents)
This match is a complete waste of the excellent Chris Jericho and he has been on top form of TV, which unfortunately means he will have the indignity of losing to a bunch of pensioners. WWE like to have some kind of celebrity involved with Wrestlemania each year, which no doubt means that Rourke will get involved and punch Jericho, probably costing him the match.

WWE have a "Hall Of Fame" each year and this time around the incredibly awesome 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin is the main entrant but he has been conspicuously absent these past few weeks so I'd guess he would show up here (or at some stage) and raise hell, especially given that 'Mania is in his home state of Texas.
Prediction: Steamboat, Snuka & Piper to win

25 Diva Battle Royal
The winner gets crowned 'Miss Wrestlemania', but no-one really cares about that. Or this match, as the vast majority of the swimsuit models, erm, I mean 'wrestlers' are not talented enough to carry off a passable 2 minute match on their own. This is going to be a complete waste of time. Oh well, at least there is no Playboy bunny lingerie bra & panties pillow fight match this year.

They are using up all the women they have on the roster (18 or 19) and then filling the rest out with past workers. It's hard to call a winner, and they really should pick some current female to give them a meaningful push which could harbour future storylines, but I say it'll be between Trish Stratus (a joint record Women's title holder who will probably show up for a one-off appearance), Beth Phoenix (an excellent, dominant wrestler [one of the few talented workers they actually have]) or Michelle McCool (is banging The Undertaker and he has tons of backstage influence).
Prediction: Trish Stratus to win

Last Man Standing or Counted-Out?
Well it's really hard not to recommend Wrestlemania as a general rule, and it should be pretty good. The card is solid and you would like to think that all the wrestler would be bringing out their top-game given how big the occasion is. Hopefully WWE will hold-off on the swerves, the only ones that spring to mind are shock appearance from Batista or even 'Macho Man' Randy Savage. So yeah it'll most likely be okay. But it just doesn't feel like like the show has been built-up enough. The excitement levels should be going off the the charts, and yet, they aren't.

NHL Roundup - Week 7

2009-04-03T19:09:00.000+01:00

Kilkenny absolutely thrashed Clare.

Dublin showed how much they have improved this term, but they still came away from Tipperary with a narrow loss.

Galway had a very good win at Waterford.

Cork secured a narrow 1-point win in a very exciting game against Limerick.

Carlow had a fine win away at Westmeath.

Offaly put in a great performance as they beat Laois.

Antrim narrowly beat Kerry in an enthralling game.

Wexford had a very good win away at Down.

Meath had a good win away at Armagh in a game that was an exciting high-scoring affair.

Derry had a very comfortable home win as they decimated Wicklow.

Kildare had a decent home win against Mayo.

Roscommon had an easy win up in Tyrone.

Fingal had a home win against Longford.

Louth had a really handy win over Donegal.

London had the weekend off.

Leitrim had a narrow win at home against Fermanagh.

Sligo had an excellent win away at Cavan, beating them by more than double scores.

Monaghan had a tight 1-point victory against South Down.

NFL Roundup - Week 8

2009-04-03T11:39:00.000+01:00

I had the pleasure of attending Tyrone’s home victory over Derry in the Saturday evening game. It was probably our best performance since the opening game and it was a very exciting match, very cold mind you. Tyrone probably deserved the win and we even had the luxury of missing a penalty. Derry could have seen out the match though, and the referee was probably a bit more in their favour. Our penchant for strong finish continued as the scores were level but we got 3 points in the last 2 minutes to seal the win. So an enjoyable night overall and the job was done as our division 1 status is all but secured for another year.

Dublin drew at home against Kerry, but they really should have won as they threw away a 5-point lead as the game was coming towards the final stages.

Mayo produced a great victory as they won at local rival Galway by a single point.

Donegal won at Westmeath and in the process relegated the home side who have lost all 6 of their games so far.

Monaghan had a great and perhaps mildly surprising win against Cork as they handed the visitors their first defeat of the campaign.

Kildare had a very determined win away at Fermanagh, a result which relegated the Ulstermen.

Wexford’s terrible campaign got worse as they were comfortably beaten at home by Laois, a defeat that saw them relegated.

Armagh had a very tight home win against Meath.

Down had a very comfortable home win against Offaly, beating them by more than double scores.

Limerick had a decent win away at Longford, who ended up getting relegated by virtue of this loss.

Tipperary came from behind to win against Louth to secure an impressive and well deserved promotion up to Division 2 next year. This is Tipperary’s second promotion in 2 years which is an excellent achievement.

Cavan had a very good win against Roscommon.

Waterford continue to make strides in the right direction as they defeated Carlow.

Antrim made good use of home advantage as they had a fine win against Sligo.

Leitrim had a huge win at Kilkenny, triumphing by a margin of 27 points.

Wicklow had an expected home win against London.

Clare had the weekend off.

NHL Roundup - Week 6

2009-03-27T19:55:00.003Z

Cork fielded their strongest team to date and it paid dividends as they picked up a very good win at Clare. The turning point in a fascinating match came when Cork hit 10 points in 10 minutes.

Dublin had a fine and mildly shocking win at home to Dublin to continue their good campaign.

Galway had a narrow win at home to Limerick.

Kilkenny thrashed Tipperary by a margin of 17-points.

Offaly kept their winning record going as they beat Down.

Wexford emerged the victors in a tight enough game against Westmeath.

Carlow had an impressive win at home to Antrim.

Laois had a fine win away at Kerry.

Meath and Wicklow drew in an exciting sounding game.

Kildare notched up a home win against Derry.

Mayo were too strong at home for Armagh.

London had a home win against Fingal.

Louth chalked up a handy enough home win against Longford.

Donegal thrashed Tyrone with a 19-point margin of victory.

Roscommon had the weekend off.

Fermanagh had a surprising home loss to Monaghan.

Leitrim made use of home advantage to beat Cavan.

There was a draw in the game between South Down and Sligo.

NFL Roundup - Week 7

2009-03-27T19:25:00.004Z

Kerry kept their 100% record intact as they easily dispatched Westmeath.

Derry and Galway battled to an exciting draw.

Mayo needed a last minute point to secure a home draw with Dublin.

Donegal recorded a deserved home win against Tyrone, although the visitors had the chance to snatch a late draw as a shot came back off the goalpost.

Cork had a very comprehensive win at home to Wexford, who have yet to pick up any points this year.

Kildare missed a late penalty and it cost them dearly as they got beat at home by Armagh.

Meath and Monaghan played to a draw.

Laois won at home to Fermanagh in a high-scoring match.

6 unanswered points in a row helped Louth record a decent home win against Longford on a very windy pitch.

Tipperary had a very good win away at Roscommon, which sent them to the top of the table.

Limerick had a vital 1 point win over Down which helped them move off the bottom of the table.

Cavan will were left to rue a missed penalty as they lost away at Offaly.

Sligo maintained their maximum record with a home win against Carlow.

Waterford picked up a good home win against Leitrim.

Wicklow won at home to Clare.

Antrim destroyed London by a large margin.

Kilkenny had the weekend off.

NHL Roundup - Week 5

2009-03-20T19:53:00.002Z

Both of these matches were rescheduled games from Week 1.

Division 3A

Armagh came away from Wicklow with a 1 point victory.

Division 3B

London had a fine win away at Roscommon, which took them to the top of the table.

NFL Roundup - Week 6

2009-03-20T19:07:00.002Z

Division 1

Derry bounced back from last week's defeat to pick up a very fine win away at Dublin in a game that they completely dominated.

Kerry were too strong at home to Mayo, although they have a lot to thank forward Colm Cooper for as he scored 8 out of their 13 points.

Tyrone picked up a win at Westmeath thanks to a last-minute goal in a very dramatic TV game. It was especially heartbreaking for the home side as they thought they had won it with a goal only 2 minutes from time, but it was not to be. I'm not sad for them though as we needed a win, of any sorts, to at least temporarily ease any relegation fears. There is still plenty of room for improvement though.

Galway kept their winning record intact as they were able to get the better of Donegal.

Cork had a very comprehensive victory away at Laois as they beat them by double scores.

Armagh were able to pick up a 1 point victory when they visited Fermanagh.

A bit of a surprising result as Monaghan lost at home to Kildare, in what was a very exciting TV game on Sunday afternoon.

Meath had a good win against Wexford, although the home side were very wasteful and that cost them bad.

Cavan needed a very late point in order to pick up a home victory against Limerick.

Roscommon had a very respectable win away at Louth.

Tipperary had an impressive win as they beat Offaly.

Down had a handy enough victory as they came away from Longford with a win.

London made full use of home advantage to get a narrow win over Waterford.

Leitrim had a home win over Wicklow.

Antrim had an excellent win against Carlow and racked up a huge score in the process.

Kilkenny suffered another heavy loss as they were annihilated at Clare.

Sligo had the weekend off.

NHL Roundup - Week 4

2009-03-13T19:33:00.007Z

All these matches were rearranged ties that had been called off in due to bad weather earlier in the competition (Week 1).

Division 1

Galway were very poor at home and Kilkenny made them pay for it. The result will be bitterly disappointing for Galway as they would have been looking at this game in order to have a right go at the best team in the land.

Offaly had a fairly routine victory against Carlow.

Antrim and Westmeath shared a draw. It will probably be a bitter-sweet result for the Ulster side as while they had home advantage, they were not at full strength as they had some key players missing.

Laois had a decent enough victory at home against Down.

Meath made it a really impressive 3 wins from 3 matches as they were able to secure a 1 point victory over Kildare.

There was a cracking game between Donegal and Longford, as the visitors were able to come back from a large half-time deficit and score 3 goals, but it was not enough as the Ulstermen held on for a home win by 2 points.

Fingal had a fine win up in Tyrone and they had 4 points to spare in that contest.

Fermanagh battled hard in order to secure a win at Cavan.

Sligo had a very easy win at home against Monaghan.

NFL Roundup - Week 5

2009-03-13T16:34:00.004Z

Galway continued their 100% start to the league as they went up to Tyrone and won. This was the TV game on Saturday night but it was a terrible and for the most part boring match, as the conditions were atrocious. There was heavy rain earlier in the day and throughout the match and if the match had not been on TV, it may well have been called off. Credit to Galway though, they played the conditions better and on the whole deserved the win. A few alarm bells will start to ring for Tyrone as this is their second home loss in a row and again they did not turn up at all in the first half. We can not afford a slip-up in the next game otherwise we may get dragged into a relegation battle.

Kerry had a fine win up in Derry and they could even afford the luxury of missing a penalty. Kerry have gotten off to an excellent start and also have maximum points from the 3 games played so far.

Dublin had a very good, and much-needed result as they came away from Donegal with a win. This sort of victory was exactly what they needed and the team will now be looking to kick on into another gear.

Mayo had a handy enough victory when they hosted Westmeath.

In the early match, Meath had an expected win at home to Laois. It was so comfortable that the they could get away with not even scoring a single point in the second half. Laois were said to be poor though, as none of their points came from open play.

Monaghan had an excellent win at Armagh and that victory leaves them as the only team win a 100% record in this division.

Cork defeated Fermanagh in a result that many would have predicted.

Kildare had a very comprehensive and deserved victory against Wexford. And this also means that the visitors have yet to pick up a single point so they need to turn things around fast.

There was a bit of a surprise result on Saturday evening when Down lost at home to Cavan. This is a poor result for Down as they would have been expected to win this game and they had home advantage too, plus this is a bit of a blow to their chances of getting promoted.

Tipperary needed a late penalty to pick up the win, but it is a very fine victory away at Limerick who seem to be regressing.

Roscommon made full use of home advantage as they saw off Longford with 2 points to spare.

Offaly won by a single point at home to Louth to pick up their first win and will be using this as a boost to move in the right direction.

Sligo had a decent enough win over in London to make it 4 wins from 4.

Wicklow absolutely annihilated Kilkenny in a game where they were always going to win, but probably not by a margin of 42 points. To make the result seem all the more worse, Kilkenny were the home team.

Leitrim and Antrim battled to a cagey draw, although the Ulster side will probably be the happier of the two teams.

Waterford had a very good win away at Clare and seem to be getting more confident with each passing game.

Carlow had the weekend off.

NHL Roundup - Week 3

2009-03-06T16:57:00.009Z

Reigning champions Tipperary continued their impressive 100% start with a fine win over Clare.

Waterford gained some measure of revenge as they downed Kilkenny by a margin of 4 points.

The usual disclaimer applies to Cork as they were thumped at home by Galway.

Limerick had an important win at home to Dublin.

Offaly dominated their match against Kerry, winning by a massive margin of 24 points.

Antrim beat Wexford in a very exciting match that produced a total of 8 goals. These are 2 teams that are in-between the top and middle tiers in terms of quality so each team would have had a lot to prove against one another.

There were 8 goals once again as Down had an impressive win at Westmeath in what looked to be another enthralling contest.

And to conclude this goalfest of a division, Laois had a decent win against local neighbours Carlow.

Meath had a very good win away at Derry, who in their own right are a decent enough side. It probably would have been a bit of a shock for Derry to lose as while they are not good enough to be amongst the top sides, they can make a good nuisance of themselves against the second tier teams.

Armagh edged out Kildare by a point and having home advantage proved to be key.

The 2 goals proved crucial for Mayo as they have a very respectable win at Wicklow.

London had a very good victory as they travelled over to Louth, and it is results like this that justifies their participation in this competition.

Roscommon were firing on all cylinders as they chalked up a big win at home to Donegal.

Tyrone got their first win of the campaign, albeit an extremely narrow win at home to Longford. But hey, we'll take them any which way they come.

Fingal had the weekend off.

Home advantage proved crucial to Monaghan as they downed Leitrim by a single point.

A good win for Fermanagh away to Sligo, and they scored 2 goals as well so that should give them a huge lift going into their next match.

Cavan had a decent win at home to South Down.

NFL Roundup - Week 4

2009-02-27T15:33:00.000Z

There were no scheduled fixtures this past weekend, but it allowed 2 teams to catch up on their postponed game from a few weeks back.

Division 4

Leitrim had a comfortable enough victory at home against Carlow.

UEFA Champions League - Last 16 - Preview

2009-02-23T20:32:00.006Z

After a break from the competition over the winter, things start back with a bang as we approach the business end of the season and there are plenty of tasty encounters to look forward to over the next 2 matchdays.

All the rounds from this one on are straight knockout format. Both sides play each other home and away with the team that has the bigger aggregate score going through. Let's run down the matches...

Inter Milan vs Manchester United
The reigning European champions have to travel to Italy in what is arguably one of the ties of the round. Both teams are top of their respective league tables going into this clash and are odds-on to win their titles this year. This also gives the opportunity for managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho to lock horns once again, although it is a bit of a concern that Mourinho has a far superior record over his rival. United also have bad defensive injuries going into the first leg.

But I'd take a score draw in the first leg as we should be able to beat Inter once we get them over to Old Trafford in a couple of weeks time.

Real Madrid vs Liverpool
Onto the other big game and oh how the fortunes have been reversed since the draw was made in mid-December. Madrid were in all sorts of trouble but brought in Juande Ramos as the new manager until the end of the season and he has changed things around with 9 wins in his 10 matches including a 6-1 victory at the weekend. Liverpool meanwhile were cruising at the top of the Premier League until their manager Rafael Benetiz lost the plot with his now famous 'Rafa's Rant' and they have been on a horrid run of form as of late.

So everything points to a comfortable win for Madrid then? Well, not exactly. Benetiz knows how to play in Europe and it was incredible the way he guided them to 2 finals in 3 years a few season back and he will have knowledge of the Spanish game given it is his nationality. It's a coin-flip who will go through.

Chelsea vs Juventus
Another fascinating tie as current Juventus manger Claudio Ranieri gets to return to Chelsea. Both teams have realistically very little hope in winning the league so they will probably be going all out here. Juventus are still are very good side; they beat Real Madrid both home and away in the group stages. However, Chelsea probably have that bit more strength in depth and will perhaps shade this game but on the whole it looks like another close call.

Arsenal vs Roma
These two sides have not had the best of seasons as they are well off the pace in their respective leagues, so they may as well be throwing everything they have got into this competition. It should be an open, attacking game as both sides like to get forward. Arsenal's main concern is that they have problems scoring coming off the back of three consecutive 0-0 draws, but if they can build up a good lead in the first leg at home, they might be grand.

Lyon vs Barcelona
Lyon have dominated the French league for years and are a very handy team, with a number of quality players. But this game looks a step too far for them. Barcelona have just been oozing class this season and are well ahead in the Spanish league. Okay, they lost their match at the weekend which was at home to their city rivals (Espanyol), but they have been averaging 3 goals a match this season. This should be an entertaining match and Lyon will make a good nuisance of themselves at home, but over the two legs Barca should be too strong.

Sporting Lisbon vs Bayern Munich
Some bad news was dealt to Sporting as one of their star players, striker Helder Postiga, was ruled out for both legs. Bayern were always going to be favourites and Sporting are facing a huge uphill task now. On the whole, this should be a comfortable enough win for the German side.

Atletcio Madrid vs Porto
Porto surprised everybody by winning the competition (with Jose Mourinho as their manager) a good few years ago but they are nowhere near as good as they were then. They are the top team in Portugal, but that isn't exactly the strongest of the league. Atletico can give a decent account of themselves and boast the very highly-rated striker Sergio Aguero in their ranks. This though is a tie that could go either way.

Villarreal vs Panathinaikos
The Greek side were the surprise package of the group stages as they ended up coming top of a group that contained Inter Milan, even beating them in Italy. Though I think Villarreal will be a bit too much about them; they can attack when they want to, but they can also defend and grind out resutls when is needed and four 0-0 draws against Manchester United in recent times is proof of that.

Predictions To Go Through To The Next Round
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Chelsea
Roma
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid
Villarreal

NHL Roundup - Week 2

2009-02-20T14:18:00.003Z

The Saturday night game saw defending champions Tipperary win very easily against Cork. Although, bear in mind that this is a young and inexperienced Cork side so it probably doesn't reflect the bigger picture.

Kilkenny only managed a 1-point victory at home to Limerick, with the winner coming 7 minutes into injury time. It was a tough break for Limerick but they can't feel too bad with themselves as Kilkenny are the best team in the country and beforehand would have been expected to win quite comfortably.

Waterford had a good win away at Clare and they are a team I like very much. They have plenty of attacking flair and rarely resort to negative tactics. Perhaps they have underachieved in recent times and they will be desperate to bounce back this year after getting hammered in the All-Ireland final last year.

The surprise of the weekend was Dublin racking up a massive 12-point win against Galway. But from the reports it suggests they fully deserved their victory and the margin of their win was in no way flattering.

Carlow continued to show that they are an up-and-coming team as they beat Kerry with a few points to spare on Saturday evening.

Wexford are really impressing as they ended up with another very comprehensive win, this time against Laois. In the end Wexford ended up scoring twice as many points as their opponents in which looked like a great, open, free-flowing match.

Antrim are the best team in Ulster and they proved that once again with a decent win against their provincial rivals Down.

Offaly won away at Westmeath and the margin of the victory suggests there is still a gulf in class between these two sides.

Kildare narrowly won their home fixture against Wicklow.

Armagh and Derry shared a competitive draw in an all-Ulster clash.

Meath won at home to Mayo, who have now lost their opening 2 games and need to turn things around quickly.

London destroyed poor Tyrone by a margin of a whopping 34 points.

Roscommon had a very easy outing away at Longford and would have made for good viewing for any of their travelling fans.

Fingal had a decent win at home to Louth. It is worth noting that Fingal are not an official country, just an extension of the county of Dublin. I'm not entirely sure why or how they got a place in this League seeing as they do not compete in the Championship during the summer months.

Donegal had the weekend off.

Monaghan had a comfotable win over Cavan.

In an all Connacht clash, Sligo were able to win away at Leitrim.

South Down had their second successive drawn as they and Fermanagh could not best each other. South Down are pretty much in the same boat as Fingal with regards to their participation in the League.

TNA Against All Odds 2009 - Results & Review

2009-02-18T21:04:00.003Z

Entrance Video
They showed footage from earlier with people arriving at the show; the Main Event Mafia, minus Sting, entered via a Hummer stretch limousine, Team 3D came together in some form of pimp-mobile, and finally Sting arrived in a Lamborghini Diablo. The colour of it was a bit off, yellow and white, but it was still a gorgeous car and probably the prettiest thing we’ll see on this show.

The Matches

Alex Shelley defeated Eric Young to retain the X-Division title
Very good match to open things off with and it gives some hope that TNA will actually be putting an effort into making the X-Division seem worthwhile. Both men looked pretty good with Shelly hitting a lovely frog splash. Shelley won with a roll-up after sort of feigning injury. It was the exact same way he won the belt last month and made him look a bit weak. But a perfectly fine opener nonetheless.

Scott Steiner defeated Petey Williams
Williams came out still dressed as a Steiner clone which completely baffled me. This was a really slow and boring match and Steiner’s antics towards the crowd were more interesting. It could be viewed as a borderline squash match as Steiner pretty much dominated.

After he won the match, Steiner beat up Williams more before Samoa Joe appeared on the big screen, not live in the arena, and mouthed off to him. Joe had a pretend tattoo on his face that makes him look like a cheap rip-off of the WWE wrestler Umaga. That is not good. TNA completely dropped the ball on Joe last year and he needs some serious rebuilding but that new look is not the way to go about it.

Brutus Magnus defeated Chris Sabin
Magnus cut a promo before the match and I was pleasantly surprised as he spoke well enough. I was a little disappointed the opponent was Sabin; I was expecting a bigger name. The match was one of those throwaway contests but to his credit Magnus done pretty okay as he didn’t botch things and played a good heel. His finisher looks a bit weak but he could make something of himself if, and that’s a big if, TNA give him time and show a bit of faith in him.

Awesome Kong defeated ODB to retain the Knockouts title
At the start, there were a bit of unnecessary shenanigans whereby Kong’s associates came down with her before Jim Cornette shooed them away. Kong then squared off to Cornette and it was all a waste of time really, although hearing Mike Tenay saying Cornette was “goozled” almost made it worthwhile. No, I’ve not idea what he was on about either, but it was possibly the most sensible thing the commentators said all night. The match was pedestrian and a bit dull; Kong dominated, ODB had a small comeback, Kong then finished her with the Implant Buster. The problem they have now is that Kong has beaten all the babyfaces, so creative will have to do some thinking in order to come up with her next opponent.

Booker T defeated Shane Sewell to retain the Legends title
This was rubbish, nothing more than filler. Booker won with the axe-kick after wife Sharmell tripped Sewell up. The fact that Booker needed help against a part-time wrestler made him look really, really weak.

A.J. Styles came out after and beat Booker up for a bit. He then and cut a rather whiny promo which took the entire sting out of his appearance. A pity really, although Booker/Styles gives some hope.

Abyss defeated Matt Morgan
This was not a 'no holds barred' match as previously stipulated as the referee kept taking weapons away from both guys. That was rather lame and so the match was worse than expected. The ref took a bump for his troubles and then got hit in the head with a chair. Abyss won after a second Black Hole Slam when referee Slick Johnson ran down to make the cover. They fought in the crowd at the start which was cool but once they got into the ring it dragged big time. This feud will most likely continue for a while yet.

Beer Money defeated Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed to retain the Tag Team titles
Beer Money came down to the ring on a motorised keg of beer name the ‘Boozer Cruiser’. Ha, nice. They looked really good in this match too as they dominated aside from the mandatory brief comeback from the challengers. Jacqueline got involved as expected but Storm hit Lethal in the head with his fist wrapped in chain to secure the victory. A really fine match even if the dodgy ending was a bit unnecessary.

Sting defeated Kurt Angle, Brother Ray & Brother Devon to retain the World Heavyweight title
Horrible main event, although the crowd seemed to eat it up big time which was rather unfortunate. Angle was heeling it up big time trying to pin Sting at every available opportunity. But he nor really Sting couldn’t get into their grooves due to their vastly inferior opponents. Mick Foley handed Sting the title at the end, so at least they are doing something right in getting Sting away from being a heel. He is probably in the middle at the minute or a ‘tweener’, but it seems they are finally moving things along.

King Of The Ring or Jobber?
When the first contest is the best of the night, then you know your show is going to be in trouble. This was yet another rubbish event that was pretty much devoid of any interesting matches and a lack of big names that were absent from action (Joe, Styles, Rhino, still no Christopher Daniels). Looking at the bigger picture, there is no progress being made by TNA, none whatsoever and I dare say that if they are at a stage where they are putting Team 3D in a PPV main event singles match then they are actually regressing as a promotion.

NFL Roundup - Week 3

2009-02-17T23:31:00.002Z

The Saturday evening game saw a very thrilling draw between Donegal and Mayo, although the home side can be somewhat disappointed that they let a 9-point lead slip and ended up conceding 2 goals in the second half. Mayo had a bit of a poor year last time around and so will be using this league to build themselves up to the levels of years gone by, and on this evidence they are on the right tracks.

It really was a game of 2 halves up in Omagh as Tyrone, the home side, only managed 3 points in the first half, yet in the second period Kerry only got 2 points. I caught this game on the television and Kerry came racing out of the traps as they were most likely keen to avenge their All-Ireland loss in September and at times they were simply excellent. Both of their goals were very well taken and they could have had more if the Tyrone keeper had not made some great saves. Tyrone looked like a completely different team in the second half though as they picked themselves up for a very unlikely comeback and you felt that if there had of been 5 extra minutes then they probably would have won the game, they had that much momentum. While yes it was disappointing to lose at home, they will take some heart from earning back some respectability.

Galway had a very good win over Dublin and this also made for an enjoyable TV game, even if the 3 goals in the first half kind of killed the game as a contest. The goals themselves were great as they just sliced the Dublin defence open and one of them was a very well taken penalty. Dublin to their credit did not give up but it was just too big of a mountain to climb.

Derry had a very comfortable home win against Westmeath, but that was expected.

Division 2

Laois had a bit of a surprise win in Armagh and this result will do them a world of good.

And again in a bit of a shock, Fermanagh won down in Meath albeit by a single point. Fermanagh are a very hard-working and likeable team who always seem to put in maximum effort and it paid off greatly for them here.

There was a draw between Kildare and Cork, a very enjoyable one it seems based of the reports. Although Cork will probably be relieved with a point, deep down they know that this is a game they probably should have won.

Monaghan had a very good win at home to Wexford, racking in a huge score in the process.

Division 3

Down enjoyed a very tight win over Louth to go top of the table at this early stage. Down are probably favourites to take this league.

Limerick beat Roscommon with the very last kick of the match, which just goes to show that you have to concentrate right to the very end.

Cavan endured a very disappointing loss at home to Tipperary.

Offaly also needed a last-minute point but it could only snatch a draw at home to Longford. Offaly will rue that they missed a penalty though, it could have saved them all sorts of problems and would have helped them win.

Antrim had a good home win over Clare in the Saturday night match.

Sligo had a massive win over Leitrim in a game that really should have been a lot closer given these two sides are round about the same level.

Waterford easily beat Kilkenny in what must have been a bizarre match as both these counties prefer hurling.

Carlow had an expected home win against London.

Wicklow had the weekend off.

WWE No Way Out 2009 - Preview & Predictions

2009-02-14T16:41:00.007Z

Opening Promo
No Way Out is unfortunately scheduled in-between 2 of the WWE's 'Big 4' PPVs of the year. It is only 3 weeks after the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania follows in the first weekend of April. Also they can't really afford to shake things up too much with this show as they will need to build the champions/challengers up strongly ahead of their flagship event.

So No Way Out is regarded as nothing more than filler. In order to combat this, for the second year running the show is centred around a gimmick match, in the form of the Elimination Chamber. This is a huge steel dome with 2 wrestlers starting and then 4 others coming out of glass pods situated inside the ring every 5 minutes. These matches are usually pretty good, especially if you have the right mix of people in them. The problem is, the card is light on matches, yet there will be 2 contests fought inside the Chamber. To me that is overkill. By the time the second one comes around the excitement won't be there, but hopefully they will have the sense to space them out.

The Card

Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship
Edge (c) vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy vs. The Undertaker vs. Vladimir Koslov vs. The Big Show
This is the Smackdown title, which is the B-Show, but it should be the main event as it has much bigger names in the contest. And it should be a very good match. You can rule out The Undertaker winning the title as there are plenty of other options for him at Wrestlemania. Koslov too can be ruled out as he still looks a bit dodgy at times and switching the title from one heel to another would be strange. They have been teasing Big Show getting involved in something with Edge for a while now and he is in the midst of a babyface turn, but it is unlikely he will win the title. Jeff Hardy definitely won't win it back again after only just dropping it last month. Which leaves Triple H as the only likely contender, but I'd be sure they are saving that for 'Mania.

What is interesting is how they will book this one in regards to making guys look strong. Koslov has been portrayed as very dominant throughout his career so I'd guess that he might get a big elimination in the form of The Undertaker, who can get rebuilt easily enough. Big Show might be made to look weak enough as he has very little momentum. Jeff Hardy will probably get screwed out of it by his brother Matt, which would be fine as it keeps Jeff sympathetic and gets heat on Matt. Triple H most likely will be made to look especially strong, because that's how he will decide on things. He might even eliminate 2 guys all on his own.

So it'll come down to Edge against Triple H or Jeff Hardy, with Edge sneaking a win somehow. Which is fine enough with his gimmick being he seeks out opportunities to win. Should be very entertaining.
Prediction: Edge to retain

Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kane vs. Mike Knox vs. Kofi Kingston
This is the chamber for the flagship show, Raw, but strangely it is considerably weaker. This one is much easier to call since Mysterio, Kane, Knox & Kingston will most definitely not win due to them either being directionless for the past while or that they are mid-card talents. So that only leaves Jericho, but they been setting him up with something else for 'Mania and him winning, while awesome, would be really odd.

It's going to come down to Cena and Jericho with Jericho unfortunately putting the champion over yet again. Plus Randy Orton has a shot for a title at 'Mania and he needs a babyface to fight with, so Cena is going to retain. I have low expectations for this one due to the bizarre choice of talent that got chosen to be in the Chamber.
Prediction: John Cena to retain

ECW Championship
Jack Swagger (c) vs. Fit Finlay
These two have had a couple of good matches over the past month or so and I am fans of both of them. So I am really looking forward to this contest. Swagger only got the title a month or so ago which means he will probably retain the gold.

Now it is worth mentioning that Christian made his highly anticipated return this past week as a member of the ECW brand. This was strange because it was a surprise, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Christian is far better than being on the C-show, yet at least for the moment it allows the opportunity to re-establish himself as a singles guy without being lost under the presence of Cena or being known as his on-screen brother Edge's lackey on either of the other shows. He came out and confronted Swagger, so it looks like them two facing off for the title seems likely in the near future.
Prediction: Jack Swagger to retain

No Holds Barred
Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon
This is more or less Shane getting revenge for Orton kicking his father in the head a few weeks back. I'm expecting a crazy match and one which should be very fine indeed. Orton is solid enough and in the past Shane has given it his all in these types of contests, which usually results in at least one major, insane spot.

There should be weapons galore and possibly run-ins. I wouldn't rule out Vince returning and screwing either side out of the victory, or even his daughter Stephanie doing the same thing. But Orton will be winning here as he needs to get built up strongly if he is to look like a credible challenger for the title.
Prediction: Randy Orton

All Or Nothing
Shawn Michaels vs. JBL (If Michaels wins, he is free from JBL's contract/If JBL wins, he owns Michaels name & likeness)
Yes, those are some pretty stupid stipulations. But then again, this whole storyline has been dumb. Hopefully this match will see the end of their program but I doubt it. The bout will probably be decent, though Michaels will have to do most of the heavy lifting. It makes sense that Michaels will win seeing as how he has been treated like crap for months by JBL. Plus it would allow them to have a rematch at 'Mania in Texas, making it an all-Texan affair. If JBL wins, I just don't know how they will pull off him owning Michaels' image. Unless he ends up making Michaels advertise all sorts of rubbish just so that he can get the money from it, but that would just be silly.
Prediction: Shawn Michaels to win

Last Man Standing or Counted-Out?
Well, this card appears to be lacking in depth and it wouldn't surprise me if they threw on an extra match to bulk it out a bit. Maybe a women's match or something just as filler. Of the matches, Orton/McMahon and the Smackdown Chamber will probably be the two standouts. However, it all looks really predictable which makes it slightly unappealing. That is of course unless WWE continue their hard-on for the technique of 'bait-and-switch' in order to create some unexpectedness. But that would probably be counter-productive seeing as people need to look credible and there needs to be some stability leading up to Wrestlemania. On the whole, it probably won't be essential viewing.

Hiddink In At Chelsea

2009-02-13T19:26:00.002Z

A few days ago, Chelsea appointed Guus Hiddink as their manager until the end of the season. This is a very sound decision. Hiddink has a proven track record of success and is indeed a great manager with a lot of tactical know-how and he has been very good at man-mangaging players in the past. Which should come in useful as there is apparantly a rift in the dressing room. Hiddink has also come out on the offensive in saying that Chelsea can still win the Premier League title. You can't fault him for saying this as he had to instill a bit of optimism into the club, team and fans; but really it does look unlikely.

One potential problem is that Hiddink is also currently manager of the Russian national team and so is performing two tasks at once. Although this should not be a major problem as Russia only have 2 World Cup Qualifiers between now and the end of the season, and they are playing teams they should beat quite comfortably. Plus Hiddink has been in this situation before, with PSV Eindhoven and Australia, so he knows how to handle things.

Like I said, on paper it looks a good appointment and Hiddink is a manager I really like and it will be intersting to get a closer look at his tactics and managerial techniques. But of course I am hoping he does not do too well and knock Manchester United off the top of the league or even in the Champions League, if they meet there.

NHL Roundup - Week 1

2009-02-11T21:23:00.001Z

In a similar vein to the NFL, the National Hurling League plugs the gap between the Winter pre-season and when the All-Ireland series starts in the Summer. Hurling is probably the fastest played sport in the world requiring tremendous skill. If a game turns out to be good, it usually makes for fantastic viewing. They brought in a new, simpler league format this year and more on how the competition is structured can be found here.

Division 1

Tipperary began the defence of their title with a good win away at Waterford in what sounded like a very impressive display from the champions.

Limerick narrowly won at home to Clare. In terms of scoring, this was probably the match of the weekend and Clare showed great spirit coming back from a huge deficit at half-time, but it was not enough.

Cork are not known as the 'Rebels' for nothing and usually cause a ruckus at this time of the year and it is the same case this time around. From what I understand, the senior players have all refused to play and so they have had to field a fringe/youth team or risk being thrown out of this competition and the All-Ireland itself later in the year. Anyway, this was a very good display from them even though Dublin eventually won the match. Dublin are seen as a side that are that hover between the top and second tier so they will take something from this victory, and scoring 4 goals away from home is great.

The game between Galway and Kilkenny got called off due to the weather.

The only game to go ahead was Wexford getting an expected win at Kerry. Wexford are probably favourites to win this division.

The other 3 matches were all called off.

Derry beat Mayo in a tight, scrappy game. The result was probably expected seeing as Derry had home advantage.

The other 2 fixtures did not happen.

Division 3B

All 3 fixtures got postponed.

Louth had the weekend off regardless of the weather.

South Down and Leitrim shared the spoils. Draws are fairly rare in hurling as there are usually more points scored and the game is more free-flowing than gaelic football.

Postponed Matches

Here's a full list of all the games that got called off due to the poor weather conditions.

So overall it was a slightly muted start to the NHL, even though some of the bigger games delivered fascinating contests.

NFL Roundup - Week 2

2009-02-11T19:36:00.003Z

The only teams in action were the ones from Division 4, presumably because there are 9 teams in that division compared with 8 in the rest and therefore they need an extra weekend to run through all their fixtures.

Division 4

Waterford, who are mainly a hurling county, can be very happy with their draw away at Wicklow. They were winning too coming into the final stages of the game and this result will give them a massive boost. Poor display by Wicklow though.

Kilkenny getting hammered by Antrim was very much expected.

Sligo had a narrow win at Clare, but a good one nonetheless.

The game between Leitrim and Carlow got called off due to the bad weather.

London had the weekend off.

Axe Falls at Chelsea & Portsmouth

2009-02-09T23:42:00.004Z

I woke up to hear and then read the news this morning that Tony Adams had been sacked as the manager of Portsmouth after only 22 games in charge. Not a massive shock, but a mild one I felt. Sure they have been doing poorly recently and are sitting above the relegation zone. But they have had some terrible luck recently and his hands were tied during the Winter transfer window as the club had to sell, yet he couldn't use any of the money that was brought in. It just seems to be an unfortunate case that he came to a top job too soon and perhaps still had more to learn. He possibly had too much on his plate too. When he was mainly a defensive coach earlier on in the season, Portsmouth's defence was solid enough, but some of the displays recently have been absolutely shocking, so there must have been some neglect of those duties. The worrying thing for the fans is that they will now be on their 3rd manager this season and it will need to be a good appointment as surely survival is the only objective at this stage.

So I go out to class with that on my mind and what a difference a few hours make, because when I return home to hear news that is shocking.

This afternoon, Chelsea also sacked their boss as it was decided by their Russian owner that Luiz Felipe Scolari, someone who won the World Cup with Brazil, was deemed surplus to requirements after only 7 months in the job. Now Chelsea have had a fairly poor season, particularly their home form, but the board have ideas above their station if they think that a new guy can come in and thrust them up to the top spot in the league. They still have the Champions League to play for and honestly, they should be throwing all their eggs in that basket. If Scolari had of won that trophey then he might have got some stay of execution. Why not wait until the end of the season and evaluate things then?

Various names have been touted as replacements such as current West Ham boss & Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola (still a bit unproven), Avram Grant (a guy they sacked in the summer he led them to a whisker of a domestic and European Cup double; great decision that was to let him go then) and Guus Hiddink (a very good boss, but current manager of Russia). It is simply a sensational turn of events.

It all reminds me of that now famously laughable quote by that useless turncoat of a current Chief Executive Peter Kenyon when he stated that 'in a few years Chelsea will be the best team in the world'. He was a guy that left Manchester United (my team of choice) for Chelsea a few years back when the rich Russian billionairre entered town. I'll hold back my chuckles for a moment while we just compare things on the very slim chance Kenyon comes across this...

Last 2 Seasons - Trophies Won
Manchester United - 2 League Titles (with another very likely), 1 European Cup, 1 World Club Championship
Chelsea - 0

TNA Against All Odds 2009 - Preview & Predictions

2009-02-08T23:55:00.001Z

Opening Promo
TNA are just off the back of a largely successful tour of Ireland & the UK (2 shows in Dublin and nights in Manchester, London & Glasgow). Their live shows are always well received, more so than any of the WWE ones based on various accounts. This is presumably because on the live shows, TNA actually gives time to matches and you don’t get any of the rubbish segments you get on the TV. Just a pity TNA can’t transfer that success into their TV shows which would give their product a much needed boost.

The Card

TNA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
"The Icon" Sting (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. Brother Ray vs. Brother Devon
This continues the Main Event Mafia/Frontline feud with Sting & Angle representing the Mafia and the other guys fighting for the Frontline. Honestly this looks a terrible main event. Team 3D (Ray & Devon) should not even be in the main event, let alone a singles match as they are rubbish. They obviously aren’t going to win so it leaves the other two guys. They have been teasing tension between Sting & Angle and I’d expect that to continue. Angle will probably pick up the title here, just so that his ego can get that extra bit bigger. And hopefully Sting will be made to sensibly turn babyface.
Prediction: Kurt Angle to win the World Heavyweight Title

TNA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Beer Money (c) vs. "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed
This is effectively the challenger’s rematch, although they bizarrely had to win a match on one of the TV shows in order to receive this shot. It’s pure guesswork who will win; I don’t expect the champions to drop the belts after only a month...but then I didn’t expect Lethal & Creed to drop the belts after only 3 days last time around. The match should be fine and Beer Money should win, possibly through some cheating as they could draw this feud out for another month at least.
Prediction: Beer Money to retain the Tag Titles

TNA X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Alex Shelley (c) vs. Eric Young
It seems TNA are finally starting to take the X-Division seriously again, which is a very good thing. This should be a very fine match. Young probably deserves a good run with the belt as he has been screwed out of it a few times over the past couple of months, but I don’t think he will get it here. Shelley will be playing the heel and his partner Chris Sabin will most likely be at ringside and could possibly get involved, which isn’t exactly necessary (read: expect it to happen), so I say Shelley will retain somehow.
Prediction: Alex Shelley to retain the X-Title

KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Awesome Kong (c) vs. ODB
This should be different from your usual women’s contest as both of them are of a slightly bigger build, so the match will probably be a bit slow in places and could possibly be a bit of a slugfest. Kong is good and ODB is fine enough, so I’d expect it to be decent at the least. Kong is said to be carrying knee and back injuries so hopefully it won’t impact the match too much. Her associates have also been banned from ringside and we are possibly due a title change. So everything points to an ODB win and I’m going with that.
Prediction: ODB to win the Knockouts Title

LEGENDS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Booker T (c) vs. Referee Shane Sewell
The Legends Championship really has no meaning as Booker T just brought out the belt one week and declared himself the champion, but TNA have sanctioned it as an official title anyway. What’s to stop other people doing that as well, I don’t know. Sewell was pretty basic last time out but Booker should be winning this easily and more importantly cleanly. But no-one really cares about this match and it is such a waste of Booker T.
Prediction: Booker T to retain the Legends Championship

GRUDGE MATCH
"Maple Leaf Muscle" Petey Williams vs. "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner
This match is a part of the Frontline/Mafia story. A few months back, Williams used to be a lackey of Scott Steiner and trained under him, even changing his appearance to look like Steiner. But that all got done away with when Steiner joined the Mafia and they beat up Williams, who recently returned and cost Steiner a match. Hence this contest between the two. Steiner should be winning this; a loss against a smaller, albeit very talented wrestler will hurt him. But this won’t be a classic and again, there is very little interest to be had in this one.
Prediction: Scott Steiner to win

NO HOLDS BARRED
'The Monster' Abyss vs. "The Blueprint' Matt Morgan
As expected, these turned on each other. Although they probably made the wrong call in making Abyss the babyface, as he has been quite useless in that role for the past few years or so. Since weapons are allowed, it will probably take this contest up a couple of notches and it could get pretty violent. Not really sure who will get the win as this feud will probably roll on for a few months yet, so I’ll just randomly pick Morgan.
Prediction: Matt Morgan to win

OPEN CHALLENGE
‘The Modern Day Gladiator’ Brutus Magnus vs. ???
Magnus made the challenge on Impact this week, but TNA don’t have it up on their online preview so it’s unsure whether or not this will take place. It doesn’t matter as TNA will likely screw him up before he really gets started. This is a really risky move too as Magnus has only had 1 TV taping and a handful of live matches under his belt. They seem to have painted themselves a corner with this one; if the opponent is a jobber then it will be a waste of time or if the opponent is good and Magnus loses, it will hurt his credibility severely. I’d guess the opponent is A.J. Styles who has been on every PPV since November 2004 and he would get a workable match out of him but Styles would pick up the win. Or it could be Rhino and they might give Magnus the rub. They could also use the Suicide character, but the less said about that the better. Hard to call this one, that is if it even takes place.
Prediction: A.J. Styles defeats Brutus Magnus

Last Man Standing or Counted-Out?
The card for this show looks really weak on paper and not many matches stick out as being terribly exciting. So it’ll probably be a poor enough show. The main event is quite frankly a joke and the matches involving Steiner & Booker T will be a complete waste of time. There are also some big names absent from the card; A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe (though I’d expect him to show up) and even Rhino (who has been on his biggest push in years). Christopher Daniels is still in limbo somewhere. It looks as if TNA are writing this one-off which is simply a disgrace. If they don’t even care about it, why should the casual fan make any effort to?

WWE Royal Rumble 2009 - Results & Review

2009-02-04T23:47:00.003Z

Catch up with the preview if needs be and then get back here because “the road to Wrestlemania begins here”. Ugh, I feel like Vince McMahon now. I need a wash.

Entrance Video
They showed a really nice highlights video recapping the past Rumble winners and how big an achievement it is to actually win it. They then replayed Randy Orton kicking Vince hard in the head.

Raw commentators Michael Cole & Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler greeted us and they used their ‘quiet voices’ as there is was serious matter to be dealt with. They told us that nothing has been disclosed about McMahon’s condition...except he has at least a concussion. Yes, quite. Fireworks then go boom!

The Matches

‘The All-American American’ Jack Swagger defeated Matt Hardy to retain the ECW Championship
Really solid match to open things with and it was given time which was a bonus. Swagger played a good heel by at one stage waiting outside in order to waste time and catch his breath back. There was some good psychology as Swagger worked over the arm of Hardy nicely and the commentators played that up to good effect. Hardy hit a terrible looking moonsault for a near fall but Swagger won with a Gutwrench Powerbomb. Very fine showing from Swagger in his PPV debut. Afterwards Matt Hardy looked really despondent as he sat on the ring steps for a wee rest. Wonder what he was pondering?

Melina Perez defeated Beth Phoenix to win the WWE Women’s Championship
Well, this surprised me. It was a clean victory too after a roll-up and there was absolutely none of the outside interference that was expected beforehand. The match was sound, I actually wouldn’t have minded them give it a bit more time as these two work well together. Phoenix looked really strong, so while the loss was big; it didn’t hurt her credibility as much as it should have done. Really crazy part where Phoenix bent Melina’s leg back up so it was touched her head and then used Melina’s own leg as a weapon against her opponent. It was something you would expect to see in SHIMMER, which instantly made it awesome. The problem with the title change though is that Melina is short on credible challengers, but there is value in this feud yet.

John Cena defeated JBL to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
The match was what you expected; slow, boring and dull. All the focus was on what Shawn Michaels would do from ringside. What he did do, after a referee got taken out, was plant a Superkick on both JBL & Cena before throwing JBL on top to get the pin. But a second referee came running down and Cena kicked out at two (like they always do with the new ref) before he quickly won with his finisher. Michael’s actions made me a bit more interested in this story, which is more than I was expecting.

Edge defeated Jeff Hardy to win the WWE Championship in a No-Disqualification Match
Hardy came out in some silly facepaint that made him look like an alien. Before the match Vickie Guerrero came out and announced it was now a no-DQ match. Chavo Guerrero accompanied Edge to the ring for some bizarre reason. Oh wait, he is just carnage fodder as Hardy jumped off a ladder sending both of them through the announce table. It was more dangerous than it looked as the ladder buckled at the very last second. Hardy hit his finisher but Vickie came in and broke it up. Matt Hardy then came down and grabbed a chair before striking his brother in the head with it! Ahh, so that’s what he was thinking earlier. Matt sold his betrayal brilliantly with no emotion while the crowd didn’t know how to react. Edge then covered for the easy win.

The problem I feel with the heel turn is that Matt was insanely over with the crowd and ECW is really short of babyfaces now as he was transferred to Smackdown to be on the same show as Jeff. Also while they are on the same show, Matt will NEVER be the better of the two as Jeff does more high-risk moves which the fans eat up. Even so, really solid match, Matt’s heel turn was a surprise (typical ‘bait and switch’ by WWE though as everyone was expecting Christian to appear) and Edge has the title again, so I’m happy.

Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble match
They set the time limit so that a new guy entered every 90 seconds. Triple H was due to be #1 but for some strange reason Rey Mysterio and John Morrison started things. MVP came in at #4 and was pretty good. He is in the midst of a babyface turn which is something different; I’m not entirely sold yet but he played his role well in this one. Vladimir Koslov entered at #6 and was on fire, eliminating a few guys. He quite frankly looked awesome. But then Triple H came in and dumped him out. Damn. Randy Orton then entered after followed by Ted DiBiase, who immediately teamed up as part of their ‘Legacy’ faction. Chris Jericho came out at #11; lots of big guns in early. Orton went crazy dropping everyone with his finisher. Triple H threw out the tag team champions, The Miz & Morrison, further showing that WWE don’t care about their tag team division. Mysterio also went out but used people as stepping stones to stay alive which was pretty nifty. Cody Rhodes then entered to complete Legacy.

Bong! The lights go out and the crowd went mad and The Undertaker made his way down to the ring. The ring was pretty packed as there were barely any eliminations. At #25 there was surprise entrant...Rob Van Dam! The arena went absolutely nuts, and rightly so. RVD put in a really good showing of himself overall getting all his trademark moves in. The final entrant was The Big Show. But there was 15 people left in the ring which is way too many at this stage. Eventually it got down to The Legacy, Big Show, Triple H & The Undertaker. Show & ‘Taker fought on the apron before Show got knocked off by Orton and then he pulled ‘Taker down to the floor. They then fought and I really hope they don’t do these two guys in a feud again. So the final four were Legacy and Triple H. If you can’t see how this one ended then you need your brain checked. Triple H dumped DiBiase & Rhodes before being tipped over by Orton who celebrated as fireworks went off and Legacy posed in the ring.

The fun and randomness of the Royal Rumble was there and I really liked how Orton held up Rhodes’ & DiBiase’s arms with him at the end. But there should have been more people thrown out earlier, it just got too clustered in the latter stages.

King Of The Ring or Jobber?
This was a very solid PPV, none of the matches were below their expectations and Edge/Jeff Hardy probably took it up another notch than from what was predicted. I’ve no problems with any of the winners to be honest so the booking was spot-on. It was an entertaining watch on the whole with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. A fine start to the year then for the WWE.

NFL Roundup - Week 1

2009-02-03T23:51:00.004Z

No, not that NFL. This is the Gaelic football National Football League that fills the gap between pre-season and the beginning of the All-Ireland Championship at the start of the summer. The league has taken on greater significance in the last few years as many teams use it to sort out what will be more or less their final squads and to analyse the fitness of their top stars as well to see how youngsters have fitted into the team. Also the teams in Division 4 are forbidden from taking part in the latter stages of the Championship, unless they pull off some spectacular results when those games come around. So there is an emphasis to do well for all the teams involved.

Division 1

The first game was on Saturday night down in Croke Park where Dublin hosted reigning All-Ireland Champions, Tyrone. This also coincided with the 125th Anniversary of the GAA and there were video packages and fireworks after the game. I caught the second half of the match and it was a really good game. The tempo was of a very high pace as both sides wanted to get off to a good start and perhaps get a mental edge as there is a good chance that these two sides could meet again later on in the year as the Championship draws to a close. Dublin scored a good goal but Owen Mulligan scored an even better one. They were trading scores at one stage before Dublin had a 1-point lead in injury time, however Tyrone knocked over 3 in a row to win. The Tyrone forwards were absolutely sensational which was simply a joy to watch. The whole package of the match and celebrations afterwards were just superb and a fantastic way to kick things off.

Galway won as expected away at Westmeath.

As did Kerry, but what a disappointing and long journey home for Donegal as they would have had to travel practically from the bottom to the top of Ireland.

Derry produced a shock in winning at Mayo. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep this up, but if they do then Ulster will be all the more competitive later in the year.

Cork’s win over Meath was perhaps a bigger win than some may have expected. But Meath are going through a transitional stage and on the basis of this result, they have not settled on a strong enough team yet.

Monaghan are a team that seem to be improving each year and their win at Fermanagh would be testament to that. It sounded like a great game too.

Armagh racking up a huge score will probably silence the doubters, at least for a bit, who seem to write that side off as being too old. Wexford only scored 1 point in the second half is simply disgraceful, and they were the home team too. I wouldn’t have liked to have been in the dressing room after that one.

Laois are a team that seem to have regressed in recent years and their loss at home to Kildare would surely have hurt.

Roscommon winning handily enough against Offaly was expected.

Cavan’s loss at Longford was possibly a bit of a surprise. Cavan are a steely enough team who on their day can pose a stern challenge to anyone, but obviously this wasn’t their day.

Down's victory at Tipperary was a good one and they will probably be up near the top of this division; they are too good for it.

Limerick had a disaster at Louth, but they are more of a hurling county. And Louth on their day can give a real good account of themselves.