Wolves began their preparations for their opening game of the new season against Stoke with a comfortable win over League of Ireland champions Bohemians.

The champions started very well and almost caught the visitors on the hop, Jason Byrne worked a lovely ball to Aaron Greene but  his shot lobbed over the bar.

Moments later there was a first goal. From a Wolves corner from Ronald Zubar, Jody Craddock got his head to it and it flew past Chris O'Connor in the goal and Wolves took the lead only after 6 minutes. An early goal to give the 200 odd fans who travelled over something to cheer about but it was a totally un inspirational opening period and that goal was their only shot on goal in the first 20 minutes

Bohs had another golden opportunity on 21 minutes and really should have scored. Jason Byrne making his first start since returning from injury worked his way into the area and tried to launch the ball over the  keeper but got an un lucky bounce and it just went over the bar.

Bohs from then were putting pressure on the Wolves defence and once again managed to break them down. Lee Dixon was putting in an impressive performance and was certainly trying to claim his place on more starting teams, on the 25th minute he caught the entire Wolves defence napping and smashed a shot off Hennessey and out for a corner but the keeper did well to claim the ball coming across. Pat Fenlon said earlier in the week that this game was only going to be a run out for Wolves but credit to the Bohs team they really were causing problems.  Wolves went in leading 1-0 at the break.

The second half started the way the first finished with no pace at all, although this was only a friendly both teams could have put alot more of an effort into the game. It wasnt any surprise that Wolves had the first goal scoring chance of the second half and it was Stephen Fletcher but he shot well wide of goal.

Bohs had a good penalty shout on 52 minutes he was working up a good shot on goal and he was pulled off the ball by Andy Keogh in the box right infront of referee Richie Winter, but the atrocious referee clearly still hadn't made a switch to Specsavers waving play on and it allowed Wolves to clear their lines.

Wolves second goal arrived straight after that penalty claim, Kevin Doyle put a through to Stephen Fletcher who to his credit hit a beautiful shot into the net.

On 72 minutes Mick McCarthy decided he would confuse the living daylights out of everyone including journalists in the ground by bringing on his entire bench, Van Damme, Jones, Craddock, Berra, Doyle, Fletcher and Jarvis all came off replacing them, Elokobi, Halford, Ebanks Blake, Mujangi Bia, Edwards, Vokes and Foley. Then to make it easier for everone 10 minutes later after everyone in the ground figured out who came off and on, Monaghan native Aaron McCarey replaced Wayne Hennessey in goal.

Last kick of the ball was a third goal for Wolves, from a corner substitution Geoffrey Mujangi Bia got it into the back of the net. And that was where the game finished.

Bohemians: C O'Connor(GK), M Doherty, O Farrell, G Cronin, J McGuinness, M Rossiter, L Dixon, S Traynor, A Greene, J Byrne, G Burke SUBS; C Sexton, S Keeley, R lopes, Y Laro, J Dwane, C Forrester

Wolves: W Hennessey, R Zubar, J Van Damme, D Jones, J Craddock, C Berra, A Keogh, K Henry, K Doyle, S Fletcher, M Jarvis SUBS; G Elokobi, A Mc Carey, R Stearman, S.E Blake, G Halford, G.M Bia, S Vokes, D Edwards, K Foley,S Ward

Sir Alex Ferguson, in Toronto on the first leg of the club’s pre-season tour of North America, had a brief taste of international management when he replaced the late Jock Stein to take charge of Scotland during the World Cup finals in Mexico in 1986.

Having transformed United’s fortunes in the early-1990s, the Scot is understood to have been the first-choice candidate to manage among senior Football Association figures to replace Terry Venables in 1996 and Glenn Hoddle three years later.

The then FA executive director David Davies has since suggested he was “vaguely encouraged” about the prospects of hiring Ferguson in 1996, before admitting that conversations were “very brief” when attempting to hold similar discussions prior to the appointment of Kevin Keegan in 1999.

Ferguson, speaking on Canadian television, did not clarify the circumstances of the approaches from the FA.

But the 68 year-old admitted that he rejected the offers due to his Scottish roots and a sense that managing England is an almost impossible task. “I was offered the chance to manage the England team on a couple of occasions but, of course, it was just out of the question.

“It’s a poisoned chalice anyway. I think it’s a terrible job, plus the fact that I would have had a tremendous handicap being Scottish; no matter which way you look it, that’s important.”

After their dismal performance in South Africa, Ferguson believes that fatigue is a recurring problem for English players at major tournaments.

He said: “The English season is exhausting. Look at December, for instance, when we play eight or nine games even though it’s the worst time of the year for the pitches, when they are heavier and the weather is at its worst.

“In the second half of the season, you then find lots of players are carrying little strains and pulls. But because of the importance of the games they keep on playing and, when they get to the end of the season and there’s an important tournament such as the World Cup, they are not 100 per cent.

“They can’t be because they need that rest factor to bring the energy back into their system.”

The failure of Wayne Rooney to shine in South Africa, having scored 34 goals for United on the way to being crowned Footballer of the Year last season, continues to provoke debate and a search for the reasons behind the 24 year-old’s displays.

But Ferguson claims that Rooney suffered the same fate as players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, who also failed to live up to expectations at the World Cup.

“It was the expectation,” he said. “All the main players for whom the expectations were high had bad tournaments, including Messi and Ronaldo. At the outset, the expectation was built up that this was going to be Wayne’s tournament, but don’t forget that he doesn’t have great experience of World Cup football.

“For many players, they only get one World Cup, but Wayne will have other opportunities and he will be much better with experience.”

Asked why Ronaldo did not perform, he said: “It’s difficult to say why. I spoke to the Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz after the tournament and he was as baffled as anyone.”

Ferguson also defended referee Howard Webb after criticism of his handling of the World Cup final between Holland and Spain.

“He was given an impossible task with the behaviour of the players,” Ferguson said. “I think it got to the stage in the first-half that showing a red card would have put him under pressure, criticism-wise.

“A World Cup final, having a player sent off, it’s not the done thing and you don’t want to see that.

“The public doesn’t want to see that, the spectators who have gone to the game don’t want to see that, and he was left in that position.

“There was no way out for him. If he had sent a player off, he would have faced criticism. If he didn’t send a player off, he would get criticism.

“I think at half time he realised that, and in the second half, his momentum got less and less.”

United are due to fly to Philadelphia on Saturday ahead of their friendly against Philadelphia Union on Tuesday. Ferguson’s players are also due to play games in Kansas City, Houston and Guadalajara before returning to England on July 30.

The Shamrock challenge is now being led by  Ireland’s latest member of the Major Club Graeme McDowell on -5 after a truly horrible day for our latest superstar Rory McIlroy who saw a 13 shot swing between his first & second rounds after his record breaking opener. It’s ironic that G-Mac is the only man to have beaten that score of 63 at the home of golf St Andrews.

Surprise package Louis Oosthuizen is  sitting top  of the leaderboard .The South African won his first European tour event this year in Spain but he is playing for much bigger stakes now. A second-round 67 compiled in the early morning rain, before the winds came in and the scoring headed north, gave him a three-shot advantage over the field that seemed unlikely to diminish as the day went on.

Rory McIlroy, the overnight leader, was among the late starters, one of those who endured a fitful, fretful day – a victim of the links lottery. Two windblown bogies in the first six holes and all of a sudden the first-round champ was looking a bit of a chump. At least he was in exalted company. Tiger Woods was another who dropped two shots early in his round.

Play was halted for 65 minutes mid-afternoon when balls started moving on some greens & that changed everything. Darren Clarke is also moving into contention & will complete his second round early in the morning – he has moved to -4.

Bohemians 2 (Keegan 28, Oman 59) – 0 Sligo

Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division Champions Bohemians have moved up to third in the league table, thanks to a hard faught and well deserved 2-0 win over Sligo Rovers in Dalymount Park this evening.

Bohemians came into this game with tonnes of confidence after their win over TNS here in Dalymount Park on Tuesday, and right from the whistle were on fire and straight away had a great chance on goal. Mark Quigley put in a through ball to player of the month Paddy Madden who raced down the pitch and put a ball in for Raffaele Cretaro, who waited for Madden to get back into the box and Maddens shot wide, an excellent start from Bohs.

Sligo themselves who were aiming for third with victory tonight also started well. Gavin Peers but a ball down the left hand side for former gypsy Joeseph Ndo who crossed it to Alan Keane his shot well saved by Barry Murphy but out for a corner, which Ndo took but that was safely into the arms of Murphy. An exciting first five minutes in Dalymount.

Both sides were playing really well but when Darren Quigley put in a ball into the box for Conor Powell there was a lapse in concentration in the Sligo defence, Sligo keeper Brush tried to punch it away but that punch came off Gavin Peers and almost into the net, Brush got a second fist to the ball to clear the danger.

Sligo made up for that hiccup moments later when Eoin Doyle ran to the edge of the box on the left hand side and put in a lovely cross to John Russell but his headed attempt went wide.  Sligo took momentum from that and really pushed for an opener Alan Keane from the right crossed in for Amond who smashed his shot off Murphy in goal and out for a corner, from the corner the bohs defence cleared the area.

On 28 minutes the league champions took the lead, Mark Quigley ran down the left drawing in the Rovers defence, he then found room to cross to Madden who slid it to Paul Keegan and the ball was only going one place, great goal and from there Bohs started to pick up pace and start passing properly again.

With 5 minutes to go to half time Bohs could have and really should have been 2 up. John Dillon took too long to turn and pass a ball away from Peers, Paddy Madden intercepted it and raced to the edge of the area and released it to Cretaro but the ball ran too much away from him and the chance was lost. Bohs managed to kill off the rest of the half and although they were leading, manager Pat Fenlon will have had loads to say at the break about the amount of ball Bohs gave away and also about the chances that could well have been goals. 1-0 was the score at the break.

It took 10 minutes into the second half for either team to threaten the goals and on this ocasion it was Bohs. Raffaele Cretaro worked his way into the box lobbed over Richard Brush who had come out to him and it looked a certain goal but he gave the lob a bit too much and it bounced over the bar, heart in mouth stuff there.

Moments later Bohs had a second and a well worked and truly deserved goal as well. A Quigley free kick lofted in to the back post was met by the head of Ken Oman and the ball somehow slipped in between Brush and the post.

From that goal the game starting to die off with bohs knowing it would be extremely difficult for Sligo to score 2 or even 3 goals for the win and that 3 points were in the bag, pity it had to die out because it was an entertaining game and a great advert for the league.

This though didnt mean Sligo wouldnt try and give their 200 fans who travelled something to cheer about and kept pushing at the Bohemians defence but couldnt find or produce a good final touch. Joseph Ndo was seemed a little desperate to prove himself against the club whom he helped win the league last year but perhaps this Bohs team knew him a little too well.

Bohs saw off the game and took the three points they needed. They now sit third in the table, a turn around of sorts following a miserable start to their season, 3 points well deserved for Pat Fenlons men. Paul Cook would have been very disappointed considering his team bossed possession for most of the first half and really threw everything they could at the champions but it wasnt to be.

Bohemians  B Murphy(GK),O Heary, C Powell, R Higgins, B Shelley, K Oman, G McGlynn,P Keegan, P Madden, M Quigley, R Cretaro SUBS; J Byrne, K Brennan, J Mc Guinness, C O’Connor, G Cronin

Sligo R Brush(GK), A Keane, I Davoren, G Peers, J Lauchlan, R Ryan,J Dilon, J Russell, J Ndo, P Amond, E Doyle SUBS; D Ventre C O’Grady,M Mc Goldrick, G McCabe, C Kelly

Shamrock Rovers 1

Bnei Yehuda 1

It was seven years since Shamrock Rovers played European  football and it was the first time that the people of Tallaght got a glimpse of what could be on the cards in years to come. On a blustery wind swept night in West Dublin, Rovers welcomed Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv FC to Ireland for the Europa League, 2^nd qualifying round , First leg.

A near to capacity crowd of just under 4900, witness a late late show from super sub Robbie Bayly, as the hoops grabbed a valuable equaliser in time added on, to send the Tallaght faithful wild.

Shamrock Rovers looked the better in the early exchanges and were testing Beni Yehuda number one, Dele Aiyenugba, with some crosses and long throws, in which the keeper looked very suspect with his handling. Rovers best move came after 12 minuets when Gary Twigg released James Chambers on the right and a neat touch had him past Garridco and in space with time to pick out his cross. The ball slide across the greasy surface and into the path of Thomas Stewart who’s shot popped up into the keepers hands.

Rovers kept the pressure on their Israeli counterparts but had nothing to show for it after 25 mins with the rain increasing and the surface getting quicker under foot.

Disaster struck for the Airtricty league leaders on 26 mins when a through ball was met by front man Yavruyan. He seemed to push the ball slightly wide but with the help of some indecision from the hoops keeper Alan Mannus, who did manage to get a foot to the shot, and the delayed reactions from the rovers defence, the ball fell to Afek Haftke who was only on the pitch a few mins, and he had an empty goal to slot it into.

Rovers heads didn’t go down and they played out the rest of the first half with the same gusto they started with.

Twigg had a great chance but seen his shot saved at nearly point blank, and the rebound fell to Stewart who’s cross looked to hit the hand of a Beni Yehunda defender, but Rovers shouts for a peno were in vain.

Rovers went in at the half one down but were most definitely on top with position and chances.

The second period continued in much the same way as the first, with Rovers on top and pushing for the equaliser. Thomas Stewart fired  a powerful cross into the box with the ball hitting a Bnei Yehuda defender and going out for a corner but it could have ended up anywhere. James Chamber had a free kick slide wide as Rovers continued to knock on the door. It looked as if it was going to be one of those nights for the hoops as Twigg (twice), Chambers and Thomas Stewart all went close again.

The Israeli outfit looked to be tiring and you could tell that they were not in the middle of the season, when they brought on a midfielder Ezra Raly for a forward to try and hold onto what they had.

But Rovers percervance finally paid off  when super sub Robbie Bayle grad a goal late into injury time. He had picked the ball up close on the by line and looked to have an impossible angle, but turned and his shot went into the bottom corner to send the hoops fans ecstatic.

It finished one a piece in Tallaght but the hoops will take a lot from this game heading over to Tel Aviv for next Thursdays second leg. Bnei Yehuda got a vital away goal, but this match is still definitely in the balance and promises to be a cracker when the sides meet again.

Shamrock Rovers

1. Alan Mannus 4.Craig Sives 24.Dan Murray (cap) 5. Aiden Price (for 20.Billy Dennehy) 65mins, 3.Enda Chambers 6. Stephen Rice 18. Chris Turner (for Robbie Bayle on 73 mins) 15. Paddy Kavanagh 9.Gary Twigg 23. Thomas Stewart.

Bnei Yehuda

1.Dele Aiyenugba 17.Yitzhak Azuz 6.Ivan Garrido 21.Aviv Viktor Hadad 23.Kfir Ederi 5. Linic Sinisa Hrvatsko 10.Liroy Zhairi 8.Assi Baldut (cap) 26.Shalev Menashe 14.Moshe Biton (for 15.Hasan Abu Zaid) 19. Egiya Yavruyan( for7. Oz Ezra Raly)

The Thief  of St Denis,  Thierry Henry has announced he will retire from international football.

Henry,made the announcement only a day after joining MLS side New York Red Bulls, The former Arsenal striker had been playing with France for the last 13 years. The 32-year-old began his international career in 1997, making his debut against South Africa and he was a member of the 1998 World Cup winning team and the successful Euro 2000 side.

Henry’s time with Les Bleus was marred by his blatant handball goal against the Republic of Ireland in the World Cup Play off game in Paris last November. He handled the ball in the build-up to William Gallas’ goal which sent France to the World Cup.

Henry then in turn flopped for France in this summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa, failing to start any of his country’s three games a bad omen or Karma being a bitch, its up to you to decide what caused that!

In the wake of France’s disastrous campaign Henry has now decided to quit the international scene and focus on his new club career in America. Henry won 123 caps for France and scored 51 goals for his country to make him France’s top goalscorer of all time.

In a short statement, Henry said: “This is the end for me on the national team.”

Irish eyes are smiling after Rory McIlroy produced a  record breaking opening round of 63- the lowest in any major ever at the 139th Open Golf Championship at the home of the sport St Andrews The 21-year-old’s brilliant  round  saw him produce  seven birdies and an eagle.He tied the course record at St Andrews to justify his position as the second favourite behind Tiger Woods. McIlroy has never shot a round of over 70 at the grand old lady of golf.

The rest of the Irish had differing fortunes with last year’s surprise amateur winner at the Irish Open  Shane Lowry closest to the wunderkind on -4 after a cracking 68. Veteran Darren Clarke who only qualified after finishing runner up at the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond last week  shot a steady 70 for -2 a shot better than Ireland’s latest major winner US Open champion Graeme McDowell. Double Open winner Padraig Harrington found the water during his round as he was the only Irish star to finish over par on + 1 after a 73.

“I had to take advantage of the conditions – the course was there to be taken apart,” said McIlroy.

Bohemians prepare for a double header this weekend as Sligo Rovers travel to Dalymount Park for a vital Airtricity Premier Division clash on Friday evening, quickly followed by a friendly against Premiership side Wolves on Saturday afternoon.

After defeating T.N.S. 1-0 on Tuesday night, manager Pat Fenlon is well aware that Sligo Rovers, who lie just three points behind Bohs in the league table, are sure to provide a stern test for his team.

Dalymount Park hasn’t been a fortress so far for Bohs having won just three of nine home games but six away wins from ten has kept the side in the hunt to reclaim their Premier Division crown.

Bohemians will again be without long term injury victims Anto Murphy and Stephen Gray who both remain out with Achilles problems. Aaron Greene has had a scan and treatment on an ankle injury but may miss out again on Friday. Gareth McGlynn will return to the squad having missed the game with TNS due to suspension.

Saturday sees Mick McCarthy’s Wolves side visit Dalymount Park for a friendly. McCarthy has been manager of the Premiership side since 2006 and has brought in several Irish players, including Kevin Foley, Andy Keogh and star striker Kevin Doyle, who made 34 appearances for the club last season.

Ex-Bohemian Stephen Ward has made 90 league starts with the first team since joining in January 2007 though he has problems with a knee injury. Ward will make the trip with the team home to Dublin even if he is not fit to play.

Sportspeak’s Daniel “Pitchside” Pitcher caught up with Bohemians manager Pat Fenlon and Wolves manager Mick McCarthy.
 

The Thief Of St Denis Thierry Henry who memorably handballed Ireland out of this summer’s World Cup finals with a juggling act which should be part of  Cirque De Soleil , has signed for Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls from Barcelona  & is expected to make his debut for Red Bulls in a friendly against Tottenham in the United States on 22 July.

Henry signed for Barcelona in 2007 and had one year remaining on his contract but the club agreed to let him leave.

Henry said: “This marks an exciting new chapter in my career and life.”