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Not for the first time we can say it’s been a difficult week for Ireland manager Stephen Kenny. Two of his coaching staff departing two months before the start of World Cup qualifying is not how he would have envisaged things going and it’s another difficult situation to deal with for a manager who is becoming very used to adversity in his short Ireland career so far. What happens away to Serbia and at home to Luxembourg in March could determine a lot of the public feeling towards Kenny but Emmet Malone writes this morning that the former Dundalk manager’s long-term value to the domestic game means he’s worth sticking with. In England, the hastily re-arranged Premier League meeting between Tottenham and Fulham saw José Mourinho’s side let an opponent off the hook again as the visitors equalised late on to earn a point. In the earlier match Manchester City moved within four points of Manchester United with a game in hand thanks to a goal from Phil Foden to see off a stubborn Brighton side.
Moving stateside now and Dave Hannigan writes in his column this morning that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady are turning a blind eye to Antonio Brown’s shameful past as the man accused of sexual assault plays a key part in their playoff run. “If the physical gifts that made Brown arguably the best wide receiver of his generation and earned him more than $70m appear more or less intact, there also seems a legitimate case against him being anywhere near the field at all,” he writes.
On to our women in sport pages and Sonia O’Sullivan writes in her column this morning that the Tokyo Olympics can go ahead if the organisers take some lessons from Australia. “Every effort should be made to allow as many athletes as possible to safely travel and compete at the Olympics, which for most is that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she writes. Meanwhile, Joanne O’Riordan writes this morning that we must remove the hurdles to exercise and make it easier for this with disabilities to keep fit. “The expectation was placed on me early on that I couldn’t do these things, so why bother trying,” she writes.
On to GAA and we have two All-Ireland winners speaking today after they were awarded the football and hurling PwC Player of the Month awards for December. Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan says that the seamless tradition seen within the All-Ireland champions is down to the relationship between the players and manager Dessie Farrell. Meanwhile, Limerick’s Gearóid Hegarty says winning the Liam MacCarthy Cup was like an “out-of-body experience”.
Finally, The Irish Times is putting together an online list of membership deals at golf clubs around the country for 2021. If you would like your golf club included simply fill in the details of membership prices here.