SoccerAll in the Game

Irish teenager Rory Finneran breaks 143-year-old Blackburn Rovers record

Egg on the face of Mo Salah doubters; Ange Postegolou learns new word

Rory Finneran of Blackburn Rovers looks on during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Blackburn Rovers and Cambridge United at Ewood Park in Blackburn. Photograph: Gary Oakley/Getty Images
Rory Finneran of Blackburn Rovers looks on during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Blackburn Rovers and Cambridge United at Ewood Park in Blackburn. Photograph: Gary Oakley/Getty Images
Mary Hannigan
Mon Jan 08 2024 - 06:00

You will, no doubt, have heard by now about Rory Finneran playing for Blackburn Rovers in their FA Cup win over Cambridge United on Saturday, the Republic of Ireland under-16 captain becoming the club’s youngest ever debutant at the age of 15 years, 10 months and eight days. And you’ll have heard too that, quirkily enough, he wasn’t allowed to wear the club’s sponsor’s name on his shirt because they’re a vaping company.

This issue didn’t arise for Thomas Pickup Campbell when he made his Blackburn debut, largely because he did so in 1881. According to Harry Berry, author of a number of books on the history of the club, Campbell was Blackburn’s youngest debutant until Saturday, the circumstances of his call-up rather unique.

“One Saturday he was out riding with his Aunt when the Rovers wagonette, en route to Preston, pulled up and asked him if he would play for them against the North End since they were a man short. He agreed, turned out in his riding breeches and contributed one of the 16 goals the team scored.”

Campbell went on to become a referee, taking charge in 1908 of the FA Cup final and the Olympic semi-final between Denmark and France. While Finneran’s compatriot Sammie Szmodics scored a hat-trick against Cambridge, that feat paled next to the one achieved by Denmark’s Sophus Nielsen – he scored 10 in their 17-1 win over the French. Luckily there was no VAR back then, otherwise Campbell would have spent half the game staring at a TV screen.

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Word of Mouth

“When you lose you’re a nonce, when you win you’re a genius. I’m neither.”

At which point Ange Postecoglou was informed that nonce doesn’t mean idiot in England, as it does in his neck of the woods. “You learn something everyday,” he said, cheeks sizzling.

By the Numbers: 14

That’s how many FA Cup campaigns Seamus Coleman has now played in for Everton – one more and he’ll equal Neville Southall’s record. Some engine.

Mohamed Salah proves people wrong

It was back on June 22nd, 2017 that Sky Sports News’ Twitter account had some breaking news. “Liverpool complete signing of Roma’s Mohamed Salah on five-year deal for a fee that could rise to £34.3m, Sky sources understand.”

A few folks were rascal-ish enough to dredge up that tweet again recently after Salah scored his 150th Premier League goal for the club. Some of the replies back in 2017, most from chuckling Chelsea fans, who were less than impressed by Salah’s brief stint with the club, some from disgruntled Liverpool supporters:

“Why pay over £30 million for a player who can’t handle the pace of the Premiership? Sturridge is so much better”; “Liverpool’s have signed their very own Sissoko”; “Why are Roma selling him? Because he’s sh**e”; “Just a sh** Marko Marin”; “Egyptian Morten Gamst Pederson. Gonna flop”;”£34m down the drain. Ffs why did we sign this guy?”

You’d be guessing that none of the respondents went on to become football scouts.

Callum Hudson-Odoi’s odd situation
The fact that he was five at the time of Epstein’s arrest should, perhaps, have hinted at his non-involvement in the whole business. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Wire
The fact that he was five at the time of Epstein’s arrest should, perhaps, have hinted at his non-involvement in the whole business. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Wire

Callum Hudson-Odoi had a rather unusual reason for issuing a statement on Instagram last week – he wanted to deny he had any connection to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal after his name appeared on a list of celebrities who were alleged to have visited the late sex offender’s private island in the Caribbean.

“I wasn’t going to comment on it as it is absurd (and I would’ve been a child at the time),” he wrote. “However, understanding my position as a role model, I would like to make it absolutely clear that I have never been part of the Epstein scandal nor have I ever been to Epstein island.”

The fact that he was five at the time of Epstein’s arrest should, perhaps, have hinted at his non-involvement in the whole business.

You’d like to think that would have ended the silliness there and then. But the bulk of the replies sent to him on Instagram since? “Bro, what were you doing on that island?” Poor lad.

Benni McCarthy badly tricked at Celta Vigo

These days, Benni McCarthy is a coach at Manchester United, his chief task being to teach their forwards how to score. That isn’t going well, then, but back in his playing days the South African was a handy enough striker himself, his most successful spells coming at Ajax and Porto.

One of his less fruitful stints came at Celta Vigo where he struggled to establish himself, the locals not quite taking to him. The Daily Star reminded us last week why that might have been.

“Not a single person spoke English at Celta,” said McCarthy. “My team-mates would teach me all the wrong things. They told me that the words for ‘good guy’ were ‘you motherf***er’. So for two weeks I was going up to people all over Vigo and calling them motherf***ers.”

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Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times