Derry v Monaghan has Pundits Lovin’ It
Talking Balls Comments
In case you don’t know, we’ll give you a clue. It involved abuse, verbal and physical. Hypocrisy and outrage across print and broadcast media. A National disgrace no less.
If you didn’t know better you’d think we were talking about the Derry v Monaghan football, instead of the Report of the Commission into Child Abuse.
But no, to listen to the radio, read the papers or watch the TV you would think that between them the footballers, wrestlers, pretend-headbutters, off the ball-kickers, trippers, nippers, throat-grabbers, knee-ballers, sledgers and slappers, of Derry and Monaghan, had committed the greatest crime in Ireland last century or this.
A disgrace, howled one pundit. An embarrassment groaned another. I feel sorry for people who paid in to watch this intoned the solemn Spillane. There is no place for this in gaelic football declared Anthony Tohill without breaking into a smile.
It was left then to Damian Cassidy to point out the emperors of the media were riding naked again. We’re beginning to like this Cassidy fella. Calls a spade a spade and a pundit an arse and breeds wee terrier dogs to. How appropriate. Sez he:
“I can’t help but feel there is a rampant level of hypocrisy about this. You are talking about pundits who when they played could have been cited very handily themselves. Now they are sitting on television with halos over their heads.”
Spillane particularly got on Damian’s goat, or should that be up his wire fox terrier.
“I haven’t spoken to a Derry supporter yet who was disappointed with what they saw. There are people with their own agendas here. Being controversial is one way of maintaining your profile.”
Anyone who went to Celtic Park on Sunday and expected to see a match much different from what they saw is either a fool or doesn’t get out much.
It may have been bitter and mean spirited but that’s all it was. Move on.
