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Bring in a Premiership Wage Cap The classic hard-men of footall, like Roy Keane, Patrick Viera, Denis Wise, Johnny Giles and Graham Souness, are gradually being replaced with what can only be described as diving, cheating, pampered, overpaid footballers. Young players are earning too much and are slowly changing the game of football, and not for the better. Players like Manchester United’s Nani, Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres of Liverpool, although talented footballers are letting themselves and the whole world of soccer down by their antics on the pitch. These antics are slowly ruining the game. The referee’s job is getting harder and harder. Players are getting labelled as divers and when they are genuinely fouled, they don’t always get the decision in their favour due to their reputation. Joey Barton was last weekend accused by Stoke manager Tony Pulis of feigning injury to gain a free kick - when Barton’s free kick request was denied, the injury miraculously disappeared. A regular sight on a football pitch these days. Stephen Ireland’s recent interview about young premiership players who have barely kicked a ball for their clubs, walking around with £10,000 watches and driving flash cars, is an indication of where football is going. Young players are given too much too young and are not ready for the responsibility or the intense media pressure which they immediately get thrown into once they make their debuts for their clubs. Their whole life comes under the spotlight on and off the pitch, as both John Terry and Wayne Rooney have found out to their own cost that
Sportsfile
Brian Kelly Sinéad Farrell spoke to Brian Kelly, captain of the NUIG Lacrosse club about the sport and his involvement. Lacrosse is similar to hurling in that the ball is controlled by a stick with a net pouch at the summit which nestles the ball safely while the player is in possession. The ultimate objective is to launch the ball into the opposing goal from outside a specific boundary surrounding the goalie. Each team are restricted to four players in each half at any one point in a contest and it’s forbidden to handle the ball with anything other than specially crafted Lacrosse stick. “My friend introduced me to the sport last year and me and my friends decided to set up a club here in the college the same year.” The panel contingency is continuously growing. Although still in its infancy, Brian has already seen expansion in the Lacrosse camp “when we started we had eleven players but that number has jumped to twenty since we restarted training and I still see new faces at training”. Like all traditional sports, Brian and his teammates compete in organised tournaments, but due to a limited number of entrants, there is only one division in which teams can participate. Assorting the competitors according to age limitations is unsuitable according to Brian: “Because of the small number of players, you’ll see lads of about eighteen tackling men in their thirties. It’s quite intense and although players are only allowed strike an opponent with the stick on the hand, you often see that rule being broken. Wearing a special face guarding helmet and gloves is compulsory to protect the players.” Discipline is not a rigid element in Lacrosse but oddly Brian can
nothing can go unnoticed under the constant glare of the media. Indeed, Graham Souness has stated he will never manage a club again due the way the majority of today’s footballers conduct themselves. Perhaps more managers will follow suit. Changes need to be made and quick. It’s high time that a wage cap is brought in and players are rewarded through loyalty and the number of appearances they make. This would stop the bumper contracts young footballers are offered once they make the first team as they would have to earn their money. This would also get rid of players who are happy to sit on the bench and pick up their wages without kicking a ball in competitive football, the likes of Winston Bogarde, formally of Chelsea, comes to mind. It would also stop the Footballer Manager style of spending that clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City have been involved in, in recent years, as they would no longer be able to offer ludicrous wages to entice players to join their clubs. Other players should look at the way Lionel Messi, arguably the world’s greatest player today, addresses himself, on and off the pitch and take a leaf out of his book if they dare to be regarded as one of the world’s greatest players. Until they do players like Ronaldo and Torres, although hugely talented, are not fit to lace his boots. By Damien McEvoy
Sport: Lacrosse Age: 19 Course: 3rd Science only recall one incident where a Lacrosse related injury ended with detrimental results. “I was playing on the Irish development squad in Manchester last year and one of our own players broke his hip during a game. If a player gets sent off it may only last for a few minutes, only extreme violence would see them being suspended from the game for a few matches.” Understandably, the club is not awash with financial comfort and they are reliant on public offerings. “Our equipment is compiled of donations and we’re hoping to organise a bagpacking scheme to raise funds and maybe buy a new set of jerseys. At the moment we’re kitted in vests and the sticks are quite old. The Lacrosse club has a great sense of co-operation and we work in conjunction with the ladies team who train at the same time as us, it’s a great organisation to be a part of.” Brian insists that the commitment requirements are far from the demanding spectrum and that heavy emphasis is reserved for enjoyment. They train twice weekly and welcome new players wishing to sample Lacrosse. “My ambition is to hopefully develop Lacrosse at a local level because I will be leaving after next year but I want to keep playing the sport”. If the new arrivals can extract Brian’s enthusiasm before he departs the club next year, there can be no doubting that the sport’s future in this University is sure to thrive. The next outing is Saturday 9th October in Dangan against UCD and it promises to be an enjoyable encounter that the NUIG student body should make an effort to attend.