Frank Coughlan: I’ve supported the Irish team for decades, but the beautiful game has turned ugly after a century of neglect
Alan Browne, Kasey McAteer, Robbie Brady and Will Smallbone after Ireland’s defeat in the Uefa Nations League match against Greece at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo: Sportsfile
I watched a bunch of teenagers having a kickabout on a strip of green the other day. It was a proper, old-school jumpers-for-goalposts contest, the ball pinging about and the odds being shouted with great urgency.
Impressive stuff, all silky passes skimming the short grass and no Hail Mary hoofing. The beautiful game as the gods intended.