An injury free super-duper cup
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It was supposed to have been about the opening of a fabulous new stadium, but instead for League of Ireland fans it ended up being an embarrassment.
Manchester United came strolling into the brand new Aviva and hammered a selection of ill-prepared players from the LoI on their way to a 19th Premier League title nine months later.
It was as cringeworthy as it was sad. At times I felt like covering my eyes each time a United player would split the ‘Airtricity League’ defence.
So, with the Dublin Super Cup approaching next month, are we in for some more awkward moments?
Damien Richardson has been handed the task of managing the Airtricity team again this summer and he believes they will be better prepared this summer.
In the latest edition of Hot Press Rico said: “This season there’s a different personality entirely in that it is a proper competition and there will be better preparation than there was last year.”
Now I’m not one to begrudge players of the chance to play against Glasgow Celtic, Manchester City and Internazionale, but can you imagine how, say, taking an example entirely at random, Paul Cook would feel if one of his Sligo Rovers players picked up an injury and missed the rest of the league run-in?
Is that a risk worth taking for a player? Is running the slight chance of picking up an injury in a glamour friendly worth it?
Certainly for supporters, managers and team-mates at the club it would be a big blow to lose a key member of the side entering the business end of the season.
Rico has a difficult job on his hands, because he will risk the ire of clubs around the country if one of their players gets injured while on ‘super cup’ duty.
Indeed, will these players be giving it their all for a made-up team against sides that are only treating this ‘Super Cup’ as a warm-up before their own domestic seasons get underway?
Surely for them, as greedy and selfish as it sounds, it’s solely about being able to say you’ve played against some of the biggest clubs in world football? I know if I was in their position that that would be the case.
“It’s real football,” Richardson ambiguously states. Sure isn’t playing in AUL 3A hungover on a Sunday morning ‘real football’ too?
What is most worrying is that, in the case of Man City and Inter at least, there is going to be a huge gulf in class once again. It could very well end up being like shooting practice for them.
Ideally, all of the Airtricity League players will come through the competition unscathed and there won’t be any hammerings dished out.
Whether that will happen is another thing.
Manchester United came strolling into the brand new Aviva and hammered a selection of ill-prepared players from the LoI on their way to a 19th Premier League title nine months later.
It was as cringeworthy as it was sad. At times I felt like covering my eyes each time a United player would split the ‘Airtricity League’ defence.
So, with the Dublin Super Cup approaching next month, are we in for some more awkward moments?
Damien Richardson has been handed the task of managing the Airtricity team again this summer and he believes they will be better prepared this summer.
In the latest edition of Hot Press Rico said: “This season there’s a different personality entirely in that it is a proper competition and there will be better preparation than there was last year.”
Now I’m not one to begrudge players of the chance to play against Glasgow Celtic, Manchester City and Internazionale, but can you imagine how, say, taking an example entirely at random, Paul Cook would feel if one of his Sligo Rovers players picked up an injury and missed the rest of the league run-in?
Is that a risk worth taking for a player? Is running the slight chance of picking up an injury in a glamour friendly worth it?
Certainly for supporters, managers and team-mates at the club it would be a big blow to lose a key member of the side entering the business end of the season.
Rico has a difficult job on his hands, because he will risk the ire of clubs around the country if one of their players gets injured while on ‘super cup’ duty.
Indeed, will these players be giving it their all for a made-up team against sides that are only treating this ‘Super Cup’ as a warm-up before their own domestic seasons get underway?
Surely for them, as greedy and selfish as it sounds, it’s solely about being able to say you’ve played against some of the biggest clubs in world football? I know if I was in their position that that would be the case.
“It’s real football,” Richardson ambiguously states. Sure isn’t playing in AUL 3A hungover on a Sunday morning ‘real football’ too?
What is most worrying is that, in the case of Man City and Inter at least, there is going to be a huge gulf in class once again. It could very well end up being like shooting practice for them.
Ideally, all of the Airtricity League players will come through the competition unscathed and there won’t be any hammerings dished out.
Whether that will happen is another thing.
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile