Curiosity Corner

KNOW YOUR INITIALS

This week: MC

1: A cross-Channel soccer player and later manager who wasn’t born in a Co Monaghan town
2: A Louth GAA competition that used to be played by under-18s.....
3:....and a trophy that’s presented to juniors in the same county
4: He made a racing bike go very fast
5: In this you scale the heights, but is it a sport or a pastime?
6: A tower of refuge for males, which can have a dart board, rings, a pool table and maybe even a bar
7: He’s a sportswriter with an Irish daily newspaper
8: A team is usually left to rue them
9: An astronaut, an Irish revolutionary and an English League footballer
10: He won an All-Ireland senior football medal with Down

HE SAID
“Right, you effing lot (not the way he put it), as far as I’m concerned, you can take all the medals you have and throw them in the bin. Hunter (Norman), you’re a dirty b (There were more letters in it than that) and everyone hates you. I know everyone likes to be loved, and you’d like to be loved too, wouldn’t you?” Brian Clough, on his arrival at Elland Road, according to Johnny Giles in his biography, A Football Man.

Clough’s teaming up with Leeds United came after he had formed a winning partnership with Peter Taylor at Derby County, the pair masterminding league success while at the Baseball Grounds. His fiery introduction to the players could have contributed to him losing his job after just 44 days.

Leeds’ loss was Nottingham Forest’s gain. Taking over at the City Grounds, Clough led his new club to unprecedented success, victory in the First Division League (now the Premier League), followed by successive wins in the European Cup (Champions’ League). Among the young players under his care at Forest was Roy Keane. He stands as one of only four managers to lead two different teams to success in the league’s top tier.

And Hunter’s reply to Clough? “Actually, I couldn’t give a .....” (By now, dear reader, you can guess what the word is.)

THE NAME’S THE SAME
I play for Meath and he played for Donegal.

ALL-IRELAND REFEREES
Louth referees have had charge of All-Ireland football finals in four different grades. One of them, Mickey Joe McArdle, from Louth Village, threw up the ball in two of them; but for one of the teams involved in another objecting to him, he would have brought up the hat-trick.

McArdle, regarded as one of the county’s best-ever officials, refereed the 1956 junior final (won by Monaghan) and four years later was in the middle for the minor, in which Galway beat Cork. He looked set to complete the three-timer in the following year’s senior final; but having been preferred by Croke Park, he stood down when Offaly, due to play Down, objected to his appointment.

The irony is, Down, who would go on to take the title, had no problem with an official based in their opponents’ province being in charge.

Drogheda’s Tom Burke, a veteran of the 1916 Rising, refereed the 1928 senior final between Kildare and Cavan. This was a significant decider in that the Sam Maguire Cup was on offer for the first time. Kildare, captained by Bill “Squires” Gannon, won.

The third Louth referee to be honoured was George Hoey. The Drogheda official had the whistle for the 1974 under-21, which went to a replay. Mayo eventually got the decision over Antrim, who included two players who would later play for Louth, JP O’Kane and Paul McKiernan.

FIND THE IRISH RACECOURSE
Rome Art (7)

ANSWERS
Know Your Initials: 1. Michael Carrick, 2. Minor Championship, 3. Macardle Cup, 4. Mark Cavendish, 5. Mountain Climbing, 6. Man Cave, 7. Malachy Clerkin, 8. Missed Chances, 9. Michael Collins, 10. Mickey Cole. Name’s The Same: Michael Murphy. Find The Racecourse: Tramore.