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For Airtricity League fanatics like myself this Friday has been too long coming, it will see the beginning of the new Airtricity League season and already the defending champions under new management are favourites to win the league and doing yet another 3 in a row, a fate achieved back from 1983/84 until the 1985/86 season on their way to the famous 4 in a row.
However since last years incredibly long season there has been a re-shuffle in players and management at the Tallaght club. their former manager, Michael O’Neill is now managing Northern Ireland and former Derry City manager Steven Kenny has taken over, in terms of the players Bohemians fans wont like seeing former Dalymount Park favourites Conor Powell and Killian Brennan playing for their most fierce rivals.
However they have lost some key players as well including the man who sent the hoops through to the Europa League group stages, Pat Sullivan, who like many Irish people have gone to Australia. They have also lost Pat Flynn and Dean Kelly to St Patrick’s Athletic.
Elsewhere this will be a big season for Cork and Shelbourne who are back into the Premier Division this season. For Cork they have been playing first division football for the past two seasons, while Shelbourne are back after 6 years out of the country’s top-flight. No doubt the two will be back for good.
The other club to gain promotion was Monaghan United, managed by Roddy Collins who won last seasons relegation/promotion play off against Galway United who are now known as SD Galway.
This will also be an interesting season for Bohemians who once again during the season break were once again surrounded by speculation about their future with the news they owed a six figure sum to Zurich bank, a deal was sorted out and the gypsies were able to apply for a Premier Division license, but depending on what happens, this COULD be one of the last seasons Bohs spend in Dalymount Park.
Bohs also have a new man at the helm, former Crusaders boss Aaron Callaghan takes over from Pat Fenlon who is current manager of Hibernian. Its been so far so good for Bohs with two impressive wins in the Setanta Sports Cup against Portadown home and away but considering they have lost the majority of their squad it will be interesting to see how their squad of young guns get on, especially now that as a result of EUFA’s rejection of Derry City’s application to participate in Europe Bohs will now take their spot.
St Patrick’s Athletic will also begin a new journey, now without the services of Pete Mahon and now with former Sporting Fingal manager Liam Buckley, Buckley was very busy in the transfer window bringing in a number of ex Bohemians players such as Christopher Forrestor, Barry Murphy, Ger O’Brien and Christy Fagan. Despite losing over the two legs of their Setanta Cup ties, they are favourites to be real title contenders.
Before I get to Friday night’s fixtures in the Premier and First Divisions, I better mention Sligo Rovers, winning the FAI Ford cup for the second year in a row last year in the Aviva Stadium, they face a brand new challenge without influential manager Paul Cooke who has returned to England to manage Accrington Stanley.
Fixtures for Friday March 2nd:
Fri. 2 March Derry City v Bohemians Brandywell Stadium 7.45 pm
Fri. 2 March Drogheda United v Shamrock Rovers Hunky Dorys Park 7.45 pm
Fri. 2 March St. Patrick’s Athletic v Bray Wanderers Richmond Park 7.45 pm
Fri. 2 March U.C.D. v Cork City The UCD Bowl 7.45 pm
Fri. 2 March Monaghan United v Dundalk Gortakeegan 8.00 pm
Fri. 2 March Shelbourne v Sligo Rovers Tolka Park 8.00 pm
FIRST DIVISION
Fri. 2 March Athlone Town v SD Galway Athlone Town Stadium 7.45 pm
Fri. 2 March Limerick v Finn Harps Jackman Park 7.45 pm
Fri. 2 March Mervue United v Longford Town Fahy’s Field 7.45 pm
Fri. 2 March Wexford Youths v Waterford United Ferrycarrig Park 8.00 pm
Click below to hear some interviews with some of the leagues players and managers, [...]

The countdown is well on for this weekend’s RBS Six Nations clash between Ireland and Italy in the Aviva Stadium. It’s been two weeks since the shambles of Paris and now everone looks forward to what should be a cracking game of rugby.

Some would say Ireland will have an advantage with the way fixtures have worked out, playing three games in a row, Italy, France and Scotland before finishing up against England on St Patricks Day; I’m not really too convinced.
Even when Italy were considered as the whipping boys all those years ago, the coach, whether it be Warren Gatland, Eddie O’Sullivan or now currently Declan Kidney will have always counted the cost of victory against the Azzuri. Italy have alway’s a strong physical side who would knock various shades of sh1t out of any team before coming out the wrong end of the result, but its the players who suffer after and there is always the question of who in the team has come out worse for wear. With that said I don’t see how Ireland can be considered as having an advantage with the return trip to Paris one week later, a place Ireland simply dont win.
Kidney this afternoon kept faith with the same team replacements and all from the team due to play France, now questions are asked about how Kidney will use the subs bench. Does he give Sexton and O’Gara a half each and keep them both relitively fresh for Paris? Should he do the same with the scrum halfs? The rest I suppose will be based on how things are going at 13 on day with Keith Earls starting at 13 and Fergus McFadden on the bench, the same has to be said for the scrumager’s.
The scrum itself will be rather interesting on Saturday, Ireland haven’t had a solid scrum in quite some time but how much of an advantage will it be to have Martin Castrogiovanni out for the Italians.
Speaking today Kidney talked about how important it was to hit the ground running in the first 20 minutes and not only have a good win for their own mentality but also to get the Irish support back onside. Since Ireland moved back to Lansdowne Road, they have only won three out of nine games and lost the last three. Kidney knows how vital it is to get a relationship going with fans having coached in the fortress of Thomond Park.
Click the link below to hear the thoughts of Irish headcoach Declan Kidney after he named his team today.

 

Republic of Irelands Jonathan Walters is set to make his first competitive international start for the Republic of Ireland as Traps boys in green begin their final preperations for tomorrow evenings massive Euro 2012 play off game with Estonia in Tallin.
Walters, one would presume will be starting upfront with Robbie Keane for the first leg with Kevin Doyle out suspended after the Wolves man picked up a red card in Irelands home group game against Armenia in the Aviva Stadium.
Simon Cox also did very well that night and Trap could easily spring a surprise when he names his team this afternoon but when Walters came on in the second half of that game he did very well, creating chance after chance and he is odds on favourite to take his place in the team.
“If I get a chance to play any part of the game I’ll be looking to improve on last time (against Armenia) 30 seconds after I came on, Doyle was sent off so that changed what I had to do and we just had to keep going”
“Ive not been told anything at the moment about starting, clearly with Doyle out and Long injured there are big decisions to be made but no matter what team the manager picks we will all be of support to eachother”
Click below to hear the views of Stokes Jonathan Walters

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given has taken full part in training today in Malahide in preparation for Friday nights massive Euro 2012 play off game against Estonia. Given sat out yesterdays session with a slight neck strain with the FAI saying pulling him from training was purely precautionary.
Shay refused to be drawn on the stories in the media about going into the two games as favourites, saying that the Estonians will fancy their chances against the boys in green.
“Expectations are high in this country and thats a good thing but Estonia’s expectations will also be high as they finished second in their group and they like us will have dreams of going to Poland next summer” “Saying that, ive said before that I feel this is our time to qualify but we have two massive games before we can start thinking about next summer”
In other injury news Richard Dunne and Keith Fahy also trained after sitting out yesterdays session.
Click below to hear Shay Given from this mornings media briefing in Malahide

Republic of Irelands Stephen Kelly has said that the boys in green will go into this Saturday and next Tuesdays massive games with Estonia not expecting wins but insists the squad has the belief that they CAN make it to Poland next summer.
The Fulham man is hot favourite to take a place in the starting 11 after it was revealed that John O’Shea is injured and Kelly is being tipped to take his place.
Kelly says that without sounding cocky it is vitally important that the squad feel confident heading into the games but also says he expects Estonia to throw everything they can at Traps army, “people like to rise to a challenge and it has been evident through this campaign especially with our performance in Russia where people didnt expect much” Kelly added “No dis-respect to Estonia because theyare in the play offs because like us they have played well to be there”
Estonia suffered a shock defeat to the Faroe Islands, formally managed by Brian Kerr during the qualification campaign and many have said that the play-off draw could not have worked out better for the Republic as they aim to qualify for their first major tournament since the World Cup in 2002.
Surly if a team with the resources that the Faroes had to engineer a win over Estonia, a man like Trapattoni with all his experience over the years can do the same with better resources and also with a better standard of players?
Kelly says “You would certainly think so, were so much higher ranked than the Faroe Islands so you would expect that, we are capable of getting a result over there and then back here, were not going to deviate from the way weve played or progressed through the group, were a very hard team to beat and hopefully we can qualify”
Irelands home qualifier against Armenia saw the Aviva Stadiums highest attendance in soccer since the opening of the Lansdowne Road venue as the FAI were once again forced to drop their ticket prices as very low soccer attendances were starting to become an embarrassing trend, according to insiders in the Association tickets are once again selling very well and we are close to seeing a sellout on Tuesday, Kelly says this will be a vital boost for all players.
“It was evident in the last game against Armenia with the FAI dropping prices the association have got the fans back onside which is fantastic because since the Aiviva opened there hasnt been the same atmosphere that Lansdowne road once had”
The Republic have experienced some pretty bad times over the years and most recently when  Ireland were cheated out of the World Cup 2010 via their play off in Paris with the famous incident of the hand of Henry. Stephen Kelly says the squad are desperate to wirte the wrongs of times gone by.
“Everybody still has the wond and scar from Paris still there and if we can go and qualify that will paper over the heartbreak from that night in Paris”
Click below to hear Stephen Kelly at the republic of Irelands mixed zone in Malahide.

When the FAI yesterday ruled Robbie Keane out of tomorrow evenings crucial Euro 2012 qualifier with Armenia due to injury, you would have put your mortgage on Shane Long partnering Kevin Doyle upfront, but journalists and the general public were left confused today when Giovanni Trapattoni put Simon Cox in the starting 11 instead of Long.
Surely it would have made sense for Long to start considering his form as of late and also the fact that Cox hasnt featured for the Republic of Ireland since he scored the second goal in the summer friendly win over Italy, it now seems that the debate isnt around who is the better/fitter player, its more technical than that, the debate is around who fits into Giovanni Trapattoni’s system and clearly Trap has answered that today.
Richard Dunne is back in the starting 11 after missing Fridays boring 2-0 win over Andorra through suspension, Sean St Ledger will start opposite Dunne.
Stephen Kelly also comes into the starting side, he was on the bench on Friday, and with captain Keane injured, Shay Given will take the captains role. On Keanes injury Trap today said that the Tallaght man would be out of action for atleast four weeks, Trap seemed unsure today when answering to journalists on whether he would be back fully fit in time IF the Republic of Ireland beat or draw with Armenia tomorrow evening and make it into the play-off draw.
Republic of Ireland starting 11 to face Armenia in the Aviva Stadium tomorrow evening K.O 6:45pm
Shay Given, John O’Shea, Sean St Ledger, Richard Dunne, Stephen Kelly, Damien Duff, Keith Andrews, Glen Whelan, Aiden McGeady, Simon Cox, Kevin Doyle.
You can listen to a podcast of Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni and captain Shay Given in the podcasts section on the right hand side of the page