All Eyes On Sunday: Weekly Review

Jason Burke is joined by Mo Brown and Haydn Milligan as we reflect on recent games against Cliftonville and Portadown, as well as looking ahead to Sunday's League Cup Final against Glentoran at Windsor Park.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:17

This is Jason Burke for the Windsor Way podcast's weekly review. Unfortunately, we had to skip last week due to sickness in the camp. We've got a bigger injury list than David Haley himself at the moment. Mo was struck down, I was struck down, Dean's away visiting Derry's Wall. I mean the Great Wall of China. Actually, he's been at. But we're back tonight with Mo and with Hayden. With Mo and with Hayden. I've got a Lem sit beside me. I've been on and off sick since probably the first podcast that we did has now turned into bronchitis. So I'm trying not to cough, and that's the worst sickness that you can have when you're trying to host a podcast. But what we want to do this evening is look back at the previous two games before looking ahead then to Sunday's League Cup final against our friends for me, S Belfast. But I want to come to you first, Mo, as we uh look back at the Cliftonville uh match. I know none of the three of us were there. Um we've all sort of tried to catch up with highlights, but I'm sure we heard enough about how things went uh to be able to say something about it. Um after the feeling, I think, of being on the march for a few weeks where it felt like we were kind of on the cusp of getting back into the title race, it feels like that Cliffinville match uh brought us back down to earth mo.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Yeah, no, absolutely. Um I think firstly I need to take my medicine, as I said here on Monday night at a different event um after the Glen Torn game. Probably a game that looking back on reflection, we probably didn't deserve to win. Um Glen Torn created the better chances. Um we were very optimistic that you know we were back in the title race, and it's amazing you know what a week does in football. Um you've gone from the foreign team to the least of the you know, now we're we're a game more than our other three rivals around us, and yeah, I think I think it's done. Um I certainly can't see this Linfield team winning five, six games on a row, unfortunately. Uh, but yeah, no, the Cliffinville game in particular was very, very disappointing. You know, we haven't actually reconvened since Lorne as well. Um, I think Lorne was probably the reverse of the Glen Torren game that we created the better chances, and unfortunately couldn't couldn't capitalise on it. But yeah, you know, we've gone from winning five out of six to dropping three, four, five points in the last three games and this time of the year, nah, it's done.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

I mean, my fear, and I said it I think on the previous podcast, that you know, that that feeling of being on the march, it felt like the team were playing with maybe a bit of a freedom, they had not much to lose, so they went and they you know they battered a couple of teams that Dun Gannon included, got ourselves back in with a shout, and all of a sudden, psychologically, you've got something to lose, you've got ground to lose. Then and my fear was always going into that Cliftonville match. I think actually we said it to Tim McGarry when he was on here that they would go there and try and keep it tight. He always does seem to the manager I'm talking about, he always seems to go and try and keep it tight at solitude, and maybe for obvious reasons, because you can't go there and get whacked, there's no doubt about it. But it felt like maybe they just needed to keep playing with that freedom which had got them back in uh with the shout. And just on the on the matter of Tim McGarry, he hadn't maybe come to you. He messaged me immediately after the game trying to invite himself back on the podcast for for comment about the match, as you can imagine. But when I sent him a message back to say, you know, how was it? He said you you boys were pretty awful. Um, was that your sense of how things went?

SPEAKER_00 3:47

Yeah, it was. I I I couldn't go to the game at a family get together that afternoon being a Sunday and so on. Um, and when I finished that, actually it was just at the end of the game, but I went on to the iPlayer and I watched the whole game on there. Um, it was the end of a 10-match unbeaten run in the league. And you know, you think, well, why why why have they put together a good a good run? And I I sort of my impression is that they had a good run because they had a settled team for once. And you think back the season, the number of changes have been, and so on, and so on. But this was just an unexpectedly dire performance from from a settled team. Uh, there's no fight, no desire, no pressing. And again, and not for the first time. Uh, you know, you think, right, half time, he's gonna give them a bit of a verbal kicking, and they're gonna come out and be better. But there was no change in the second half, there was no shots on target. Um, I just I just couldn't understand it, it was just so poor. And you mentioned about oh, well, the the way we might normally play at Clifford, but it was there for the taking, really, because they're not a great team, their league position shows that. Um, and it was a big chance missed uh to keep in touch with Larne. And uh and I really just realised today that's all three league matches against the Reds this season have been on a Sunday. So um I think we might prefer prefer prepare ourselves for another Sunday game because the way Cliffinville are going, it looks like they're gonna get into the top six.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Um so yeah, I'd agree with that actually. Um I think probably looking at about the amount of games left, you know, it'll be Cliftonville and then Gunn and Swift's making up the top six along with the four full-time teams. So I wouldn't say Cliffinville too much just yet, Hayden has clearly we'll have to play them once more. Hopefully not in the Sunday, but we'll know the way the Fixers have gone against us this year.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Well, moving on from Cliftonville, then I think we've depressed ourselves enough. Moving on to Port of Down. Uh chasing, it just gets worse. Last night again, I I I I couldn't go because I was I was working last night. But I mean, besides the football, setting the football aside for one second, even in the days leading up to it from a supporter's perspective mo, it felt like a really difficult one to motivate yourself for. And you know, having seen some of the clips of the highlights, you know, the crowd last night looked like it was the attendance looked like it was shocking last night.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Yeah, no, it was it it it even felt particularly poor. Um normally I try and get the game a wee bit a wee bit earlier on a Saturday afternoon, and maybe try and get into the ground for about a quarter past two or so. But last night, you know, working at school night and didn't get across, and I walked in the R box, our supporters club takes one of the boxes at Windsor, and you know, way, way down in numbers, which we you expect it to be down from a Tuesday to a Saturday, but you just uh just that resignation to it's not going to be our year, I think, is has hit the support. You know, you're gonna get the the regulars to go no matter what, but any casual fan, and obviously the weather's still not great, you know, but they're they're they're they're all not excuses, and it certainly doesn't excuse the the football that were being served up and the general fur of the stadium, you know. Port of town brought a couple of cardloads up and were sitting up the top end of the the cup, and either he's got a really loud voice, or there was an easterly wind blown at Windsor Park. But you know, my own personal highlight was let's listen to the Port of Town manager, uh Mr. Pete Roothead himself, Nal Curry, Gulderan. Um, because you could hear him. I haven't heard a voice like that at the side of Windsor Park since Roy Carroll played for us. You know, he's got a real booming voice I came across, so you can actually hear the instructions go on to Port of Town. As for Port of Down, um absolute hammer throwers, I'm sure you're going to cover off what happened to Kieran Kieran Offord as well, but that wasn't the only um industrial challenge they put in during the evening as well. And from my own point of view, um I I actually said this at the game last night. If you think that whenever our manager David Healy played for the Rangers, probably his most memorable moment in a Rangers jersey was whenever he cleaned out James Forrest, the parkhead. And we don't have anybody like that on our team, and even whenever Porter Down are making you know the more aggressive challenges, there's nobody up in the referee's face. You know, it seems like we're we're too nice. And for an awful lot of maybe the younger Linfield players, they need to start getting it into their head that the rest of the league hate us, and it's a strong word, but even with Linfield, maybe even finishing fourth, we'll go into next year, having finished fourth this year, we'll still be every other team's cup final. That's that's that's just the nature of being a Linfield fan and support and supporting the club.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

Having said all that, Hayden we we did record a 3-1 win in the end. However, I noticed today, just from looking back at some of the post-match interviews, um, notably from Darr Leahy and from David Healy, uh, both of them contained quotes such as, and I'll put a couple of them to you, uh, we weren't at the races tonight. Uh, we should have been better. Uh, and finally, from the manager, we need to play better going forward. And as I listened to those, I thought, how many times have I heard that after games this season? It it feels like you know, for most of the games, the manager's been coming out and saying, We need to be better, we need to be better. And it's almost like from a supporter's perspective, we've felt all year that you know something's gonna click, the team's gonna turn a corner or something. Now all of a sudden we're in the home street. It's like the season's gonna end before we even reach the corner, Hayden, to be turned that this is it. This is this is the Linfield team for this season.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Yeah, I saw that headline this morning um from Dial Dal Dial Leahy, and I I thought first of all, they put the wrong headline on that story, or you know, it was a different story, but then I read it and I thought, I know it was actually him, I'd heard him actually saying it. Uh, and yeah, I think you're right. That there's all these things, well, we should have done this and we should have done that. Well, you know, if you were an employer and you had people employees who were supposed to be doing things and weren't doing them week after week, you would get rid of them or you'd get somebody else in to do the job. And uh that's you know, and the what I've written down, the first thing I wrote down about the quarter down game was three points. And I think that's probably the the most important point of the whole thing. I mean, we had McGee suspended, um so uh uh there was a change in defence, and it showed at times as well. Um great start with the own goal. Uh, but Fitzy was right in position A just to knock that in, had it come across to him. But then, as often happened, we didn't push on after that. Um, a real opportunity to put the ports to the sword, but we didn't take it. And eventually it was no surprise whenever they scored. Uh, an excellent goal, but Brown just totally lost sight of Fife as he becomes new. If you see the replay on the Niffle TV, you can see him actually, he's ahead of Fife as he's gone towards gold. And then the last sort of 15 yards he tends to give up on it. And of course, the ball comes across and he he he gets it, he puts it in. Um, I was quite surprised, three subs at half time. I thought, is that a record? I haven't actually seen that for quite some time. Uh, it was great to see offered back, but what an awful tackle to bring an end to his game. I mean, that was just horrendous, and one, as Mo has alluded to, one of many bad tackles from Port of Down. Um, but the ports cut us out a few times. We were lucky to survive. Um, then the penalty in the sending off as quite often happens, changed things really. Uh, but we were still even at 2-1, we were not safe, and it was a great save from Johns at the end whenever the Port of Down game got through, and a clear not clearance off the line then from East, I think it was. Um, and then a lovely third goal from Lynn Field, I have to say that. But it should really have been over all before that. Um, and it was good to see McDay back, clearly playing for a contract. Uh I don't know who with, but that's one thing he was reckoned to do. It's a good opportunity for him. Um, apparently I didn't actually say it, but I I I heard that Shields was actually out in the pitch beforehand as well, doing a little bit of warming up, which is good from a psychological point from his point of view. But yeah, the crowd was absolutely awful. And um, you know, sometimes when you're sitting there you don't quite realise it. But at the end of the game, I went into the toilet, and most games, you know, you stand there waiting for people to move out of the way so you can have a pee. The whole place was totally empty. And I thought, well, yeah, poor crowd.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

I th I I think as as well, Hayden, you picked up on it. It was that moment at 2-1. Now, bear in mind, Porter Downs are already down to 10 men, and they hit us on the break. And um, Chris Johns, there was there was a whole scramble with six-yard box, and I think he actually clashed with Ben Hall. Had that not been cleared, I actually wouldn't have fancied Linfield to go on and make it 3-2. You know, that was that was a real defining moment. And thankfully, you know, a couple of minutes later you run up the pitch, and it was the the third goal was a good goal, but you need to caveat that with the fact that we're playing a part-time team midweek that have been down to 10 men for 15-20 minutes, whatever that is, you would expect to see a wee bit of space, and the spaces we did create, we we didn't manipulate fully, the what you would expect, certainly not the way that the other full-time teams in the league are putting the part-timers to the sword.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

The manager was very clear when he came out after the game that winning was the most important thing at this stage of the season. I always think it's funny when managers say that because they say it at different times throughout the year, as if there becomes a time where the performance becomes more important than the win. But when you think about it, the season starts, it's like right get the win. Doesn't matter about the performance, the performances have come before you know what it's Christmas, it's like right, you just need to get the wins over Christmas in this festive period. We're kind of in the February, March now period. The see the the end of the season's coming, and again, it's just about getting the wins. But when I think about it, I can't think of many good Linfield performances this season. You could probably do them on one hand.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

That's on the tip of my tongue, Jason. Yeah, you know, if if you had one question they asked David Haley in response to it's all about getting the win, say, well, then that suggests then that you're trying to play for the performance. And the question I would ask of that is, well, when was the last time the team played well? Crusaders at home is the last one I can think of.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

And before that, again, I think that the when I think about that, I I more often think about the really bad performances, you know, Palomina away, uh Glenavon away, Portadine away. You know, they they were shocking.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Yeah, and it says something that there's more there's more absolute stinkers that kind of stick out in the mind and that than there are really good performances, but I think that just sums up where where the team is. At the moment, uh having said all that, Mo, it's good to see Kieran Offered back. I was uh I was surprised it seemed to be a bit of a surprise in the build-up to the game that he was named in the team sheet, and you're thinking, Jeepers, you know, we might see him on Sunday here, that might make a bit of a difference. But uh he's he's had to go off then with what sounds like another fairly serious injury. The manager said it's the same foot but not the same injury, he's gonna have to be X-rayed. There's reports of him uh leaving the ground last night on crutches. It seems to be some sort of ankle injury. The manager then was very robust then as in his criticism of the referee and refereeing in general of the local game, and how and I don't know how serious he is about this, but he says he'll not be taking part in any of those sort of pre-season conversations with the referees next year in terms of um challenges which are legal and and illegal. He he said he's he's just not taking part in those because what what's the point? But uh what do you make of the manager's comments? I mean, is he is he is he on the money there?

SPEAKER_01 15:59

No, no, I I think he's absolutely right. The last couple of years we've heard from the officials and from the league and from the IFA around you know respect for these people. Respect is earned, Jason, and it doesn't matter whether it's in football, work life, business, family, or or or whatever. And if you look at that tackle last night, you would have expected, and I'm not sticking up for the port of down player here at all. But if you see Kearnoffer coming on, you know that would have been the pre-match thing if he comes on, lay one on him, and we nobody's protected by Irish League's referees because they they're border non-incompetent, you know. So, how can you respect these people that strut around the pitch um demanding respect whenever what they produce and whenever they actually work it out again, and I use that difference between the league, between the full-time teams and the part-time teams, there's a wee niche in the middle that the people that make the most money out of local football are the referees. Now, I will also then say that they probably don't deserve the level of abuse that sometimes is dished out at Irish League grounds. I I I I will I will stick up for them there. But I mean, that was bordered on a red card last night. Um, other tackles have gone on. And I go back to our Champions League qualifier at the start of the year, and we had the English referee over from the Premier League, and just the way that man conducted himself on the pitch, he commanded respect, you know. And I I bring that up from time to time. And the people we have officiating our games, it's it's substandard, which then feeds in that if you are a part-time player, you've been at your work, and you can get a kick at a limpfield player, and potentially maybe not look to put him out for a prolonged period of time, but certainly to make sure that he's limping for the rest of the game. That's exactly what happened. And one negative point as well, we've been a criticism of our own. It was very clear from where I was sitting and the people I was sitting beside that Offord was dumb after he got up with that injury. He slapped the ground, you could tell he was in a lot of pain. And considering he'd only been on the pitch six, seven minutes and was brought off after 12, he should have been taken off there and then they let him run around, and it was very visibly hobbling. It was neglect on our part for five minutes that should have been taken because clearly the player's got to say, No, I'm okay, I want to try and run it off, I want to try and run it off. If we are serious about our full-time model, our medical staff should have gone there and went, No, no, you haven't played any games. I mean, Robbie McDay's been scoring goals for the Swifts, you would have expected to see him the last five-ten minutes. He was more protected than what Kieran offered was to bring him on at half time, to be cluttered the way he was, and then still leave him on the pitch for five to six minutes afterwards, which is the more or less the exact timeline. But again, that's not good enough for my own medical department's part.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

And presumably, then just just to move ahead to Sunday, presumably, all those decisions are kind of being made in the background with with one eye on Sunday and with Sunday in mind. And looking ahead of that game, then Hayden, I know that you've got some stats there, but obviously Lindfield's going to meet Glenn's Horn in the League Cup final. I think it's probably now become our biggest game of the season. Um, and it represents probably our best opportunity for Crack at Europe for next season. Do you think that's fair to say?

SPEAKER_00 19:27

Yeah, I think it has to be fair to say, really. Uh as things stand. Uh yeah, just some stats. First of all, uh, this is the first time ever that Lindfield have played Glenn Torr on a Sunday.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

Hopefully the last.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Well, yeah. Um, the two teams have played each other in finals of eight different competitions. Um, this is the 69th time that the two teams will have played each other in a final, uh, the 25th final at Windsor. And I've got a question, I've got a quiz question for all the people listening in. Um, so the question is name the five grounds at which the two teams have met in finals.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

So you can look at the other.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Are we allowed to guess some of them now?

SPEAKER_00 20:12

Well, okay, you can have a go, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:15

Well, you well, you're obviously the oval and winds. I'm gonna throw Celtic Park in there.

SPEAKER_01 20:20

I'll throw Celtic Park in there, Solitude and Distillery.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Very good. Well, that's that's the question answered then it's everybody can forget about what's the prize well the what the prize it's easy and ticket flicking the blues and something. Well the prize was you could walk into the pub and say, Did you hear Windsor Way last night? They said, Yes. Did you hear that question? Uh I got it right. Who was it? And then they'll tell you it was. That was very good. Hey, I'll get you a pint. Distillery.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Distillery's a great shout. Our younger listeners wouldn't even know the significance of distillery having a uh a ground of that capacity.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

And even Solitude, you know, you think of what that used to hold for you know bigger games locally. Obviously, it predates me. The stories that you know I would have heard from my father and his father before him, yeah, you know, but it just does go to show you that the Irish League was once a much bigger product than what it is today.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

Mo, it's been a while, you know, given all the stats that Hayden has given us there about Linfield facing Glenthorn in finals, it's been a while from we have faced this lot in a final. Um, but I want to come back to you on attendances again because it does surprise me somewhat that Sunday hasn't sold out. When I when I thought initially there's a prospect of Linfield meeting Glenthorn in this final, I thought for sure there's going to be a scramble for tickets here. And there was a bit of an initial scramble, but we're still sitting here a few days out and there's plenty of tickets left by the sounds of it.

SPEAKER_01 21:50

Two words, Mother's Day. Yeah, I I I mean it it certainly plays a part. It certainly plays a part. Um, I bought four tickets off the bot. On the pretense that maybe my partner would accompany me to the final and you know we'll make a wee day of it and stuff like that as well. But I was put firmly in the place. Um I'm sure they're not I'm I'm not the only one who's had those kinds of conversations. You know, if you look and you are related, uh if you do have that woman in your life, whether it be your mother, your wife, your partner, your girlfriend, whatever, they spend a lot of the time of the year as a football widow. They really do. And they've got this one day in the calendar where they should be fussed over, you know, taken out for a coverage, a buffet, a Sunday lunch or whatever. And yet there's we're saying to them, right, you can have the morning, but we're all off the football again in the afternoon. Um, so I definitely think that impacts now whether and this isn't the first Mother's Day that the League Cup final's been on. Um so clearly, if they want to make it part of the calendar, there was an opportunity there. Linfield Glenthorn. And to be fair to be fair to Niffle in previous years, they've really marketed the final really well. I don't think they put the same amount of effort into it, certainly from what I certainly from what I've seen. Maybe that's because Linfield and Glenthorn essentially should sell themselves, yeah. But um certainly not in the most recent years. But it'll still be the biggest game locally this year, be a lot bigger than Boxing Day, and certainly now looking at the lineup, um the IFA announced today as well at the Irish Cup semi-finals be held at Windsor Park. They're not going to spend any money at all once you fork out for your events, second your security in different bits and pieces, too. So it will be the biggest game of the season. But yeah, you know, you it'll look relatively full on the TV, but and again, it's on 3DR TV as well as on Sky, so there's plenty, there's plenty of options, and no doubt that M feel clay and Torrent fans not going to the game and would be keeping one eye on it on their mobile devices while they're sitting down with uh lunch with their loved ones.

SPEAKER_02 24:02

Hayden, are you I'm not going to ask you for a prediction because I know you don't like it, but are you looking forward to it or are you nervous?

SPEAKER_00 24:07

Yeah, well, um yes, I'm nervous the same way as I was before the previous match. But I I agree with Mo about the uh attendance. I actually looked on the site um uh earlier on today, and I'm surprised how many seats were still available at the both ends, so for both sets of fans. Um, and also there are plenty of seats available on the South Stand Upper. Now I've I've spoken to, I see a lot of people saying, Oh, I'd love to sit up there, I get a chance to sit up there. Um I uh sat up there for the cup final against Cliffinville, and um I wasn't keen on it at all. Uh, haven't got acrophobia or anything like that. But it's just it was too high for me, really, whereas it normally is fine. But uh I was surprised that there was any seats available up there, and also the number of seats available at the two ends. Um I don't really I don't really understand that. But uh coming back to the game, um I'm just wondering from Lindfield's points of view, uh point of view, you know, the team more or less picks itself, but I'm just wondering whether we should have Frazel in instead of Baird. Um maybe more big game experience. Uh then we come on to the VAR. Um I'm wondering where the TV will be and how long it'll be before people start throwing things at it. Um will it will it will how many things will the the VA VIR team pick up that the referee misses? That should be interesting. Um but I think the Glens tend to struggle against a good defence. So is ours going to be that good? Um based on the last game, um Clark was getting up and down the wing for them, but we managed to deal with them. Uh Palmer has had a great season. We need somebody to stop him. Stuart, of course, was very good. And then there's Hoban, who uh we we didn't play against last time because he was suspended. Um, so it's uh yeah, it's a difficult one. I think it'll be quite tight.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

You've just met you've just met three of those four players there you've just mentioned couldn't seem to get off the treatment table for prolonged periods of Windsor Park. Yeah, uh you know, and I think there's a there's a wider question, and I know we've discussed a few times before as well, that how these guys all of a sudden go on, you know, 20, 25 games in a start 11. And I don't just mean for Glenn Torn, I mean I mean it's it seems to be something quite prolonged. You know, you'll hear things that was in Ross Clark's head. If it was just Ross Clark, far enough, Cami Palmer was another one, you know, Jordan Stewart we know has uh has had injuries. And I know this isn't really the time to be you know looking looking inwards, but whenever you mention three, whenever you mentioned four Glen Torren players, and three of them have previously played for Lymphy, you know, it's it's it's definitely worth noting. As for VAR, um my own opinion of it was this I'm careful not to swear. I would be quite swerry, as you well know, um, but this is an absolute disgrace from Niffle to trial this at the biggest game domestically, had they even have brought it in at the semi-final stage and done something and briefed it in, but to make it known to the teams, the supporters, and I'll stick up for the officials here after Slayton, the officials on the day as well, to bring this new technology in at what will be our biggest showpiece game of the year, it's a massive faux pas from Jared Lawler and his team. Yeah, I mean it's it's from the from the officials' perspective.

SPEAKER_02 27:39

I think, and I haven't looked to see who the referee is yet. Maybe one maybe one of you guys know, but you you think from the officials' perspective, it's a hard enough game to try and manage and look after you know the the the temperature of it, trying to keep that dial down without having this extra layer of complexity on top of it.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

And we've just only gonna be one, it's gonna be one of three referees because there's only three qualified to work with VAR.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I mean, we we we've just spent a wee bit of time there, Slating the referees, and and David Heady, the manager, spent a bit of time after the match last night, Slating the referees. I mean, how much and I'm sure they're all great guys, but how much faith do we have in them to handle the complexities of VAR among the complexity of the biggest game of the season with the biggest attendance, two teams going at it hammer and tong? And the other question is someone else raised this about the integrity of the tournament of the competition itself to just bring this in at the final stage, having not had it for for the rest of for the previous rounds, strikes me as a bit unfair. It's probably not not the right word, but it does raise a few questions, I think, about the integrity of the competition. And if a trial had to be done, perhaps it might have been done in in pre-season or or something else, do you know?

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Yeah, well, that that's right, or one-off game, you know, like charity shield final or something like that. It's unfair for the officials because they say there's only one of three is going to get it. Um, it's almost strikes as a little bit like uh the cup finals of of yesteryear, where they used to bring in um uh an official from England, you know Mr. Morris Fossey, ones like that, for those who remember the name, um, because it was a big occasion and they thought only an English referee would be able to handle it. Well that's not the case any longer. But and the other thing is, as David Healy was asking this morning, uh, is there going to be goal line technology? You know, is it going to be the full um suite of VAR tools, or is it just going to be a bit of this and a bit of that? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 29:45

I wonder what our equivalent of Stockley Park is. Is it Ormo Park?

SPEAKER_01 29:50

I I there there's there is real potential for this to go sideways very, very quickly. You know, if uh if you think back even to the big game in Scotland there at the weekend, this is this this is our comparison to that, you know, handballs, chopped-off goals at the at both ends, um, penalty shootout, you know, and it's not to try and dial it up in the same as the Bell Classico with the old firm, but it's got real potential. The referees, the officials are very, very aware of the significance of this game, and to throw technology at them, you're potentially throwing these guys under the bus. And what should be a great spectacle that is just a traditional game of football, refereed by one man, as arrogant as he may be, and as much as we don't like him and we shout dirty words at him, to then throw technology at him like that. And what happens? The last thing I want to see is a TV picture of a referee looking completely confused because he's got the VAR in one ear, maybe the fourth official in the other, um, surrounded by Glenmen, maybe maybe Kyle McLean or Jamie Mulgrew might be in there in one year, and you know, 13,000, 14,000 people as opposed to the normal Irish League attendance of anywhere between 500 and 2,500. You're setting these guys up for failure at a time whenever you should be trying to look after them a wee bit better.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

Yeah, and more tips earlier on about the Shelbourne game, I was going to bring that one up as well. Andrew Maidley was the English referee who did that, and I thought it was an absolutely excellent performance, the best I'd seen all season. Um you know, he every decision he was firm with it. It was a yellow card, or it was foul, there was no discussion about it. The players actually respected him. Um, and yeah, it's a recipe. It's it's just a um it's just a vanity project, I think, from Jared Lawler.

SPEAKER_01 31:51

I I I also I also think as well, a lot of it is to do with the fact that they probably didn't announce it and it maybe seem I don't Law it seemed to come out in the press. I don't know whether you picked up on it, there's just no expense to the clubs, bloody bloody blah blah. But there has to be an expense somewhere to somebody. This technology just isn't ran for free, so that money has to be coming from somewhere, and I am convinced until Jared Lawler comes out in the press otherwise and says different, I am convinced that the only reason we're getting it is because it's Limfield Glen Torr in the final with a bigger gate and ultimately more money coming into the coming into the covers. You're quite right.

SPEAKER_02 32:31

He hadn't about um about Madley and Mo referenced it earlier. In many ways, he he was like the standout performer of that game. He just he just looked like a consummate professional on the pitch, he just looked in total control. Having said all that, you know, we we had a bit of the we had a bit of a taste of the VAR in that game. And despite the fact that he was in total control and you know was having a great game, on the couple of moments where there were VAR consultations to be made, the vast majority of the people in the stadium didn't know what the hell was going on. And it was the same down at Shelbourne for the for the second game or for the the the second tie, where there were a couple of the penalty decision, there was a red card decision, both of them ended up at the VAR. Nobody in the ground knows what the hell is going on, and that's the that's the last thing that we want to be introducing to the game here, I think.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

Yeah, yeah. Well, because uh because the other thing is uh uh will they use the big screen at Windsor to show what's what's happened? You know, we'll show will you see the VAR looking at Peldy to say, you know, the not what you normally see Premier League, are you gonna see all of that?

SPEAKER_02 33:37

I would I would I would doubt it. But look, guys, if there's if there's no other business, that was an interesting chat about the VAR, but if there's no other business, um we're gonna leave it at that. We'll we'll be back in some shape or form after Sunday's final. It does remain to be seen whether we can do an immediate post-match reaction show, probably not, um, due to various competing factors going on, not least of all Mother's Day, as has already been mentioned. Um, but be rest assured that we'll be bringing you our thoughts on the matter one way or another. So until then, up the blues.