Barry's Blog

FRANCE TO HOST 2023 RWC France will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup after beating rival bids from South Africa and Ireland. A World Rugby council meeting was held on Wednesday and France was chosen to host the 10th event. France has staged the competition twice before - in 1991 and 2007. MY OPINION This is a disaster for me as France had only hosted the RWC a few years ago and you know that they are sort of I and out as a fan base. I think that Ireland need to get good stadia if they are to host any big event and should have made sure that they had that before bidding . 

WORLD CUP  QUALIFYING ROI 1-5 DENMARK ERIKSEN STRIVES ON BIG OCCASION After a goalless first leg, the hosts made the perfect start by scoring after just six minutes as defender Shane Duffy nodded in his second international goal when the visitors failed to clear a free-kick. But the Danes netted twice in the space of three first-half minutes, courtesy of Cyrus Christie's own goal and Eriksen's stunning strike. That left the Republic - who could have gone further ahead after taking the lead, but saw striker Daryl Murphy flick an effort into the side netting and winger James McClean drive wide following a slick team move - needing to score twice more to qualify. But in the second half Tottenham midfielder Eriksen curled in from the edge of the box and then thumped in from inside the area to secure his treble and seal the tie. Former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner came on with six minutes to go and slotted a late penalty after he was brought down as D...

WORLD CUP  QUALIFIER ITALY 0-0 SWEDEN  agg 0-1 DEFENSIVE MINDED NATURE DESTROYS ITALY Midfielder Jakob Johansson's deflected strike in the first leg was the difference as the second leg at Milan's San Siro stadium ended goalless. Sweden sat back on their advantage and, despite the hosts enjoying 76% possession, they failed to find the breakthrough - Italy's best chance saw goalkeeper Robin Olsen palm away substitute Stephan El Shaarawy's thumping late volley. Striker Ciro Immobile missed a number of chances and his low effort in the first half was cleared off the line by centre-back Andreas Granqvist. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41955834 MY OPINION Italy are one of the powerhouses of the World Cup and next year they will not be playing in it. The have to learn how to attack in the right way or I could see this happening again. One of the best goalkeepers in Buffon is retiring and you wonder how the nation will back them now. ...

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS SHAUN MURPHY 10-8 RONNIE O  SULLIVAN MURPHY BECOMES CHAMPION  OF CHAMPION O’Sullivan raced into a 2-0 lead at the Ricoh Arena it looked like another long day ahead for Murphy. The Magician’s response was first class though as battled back to lead 5-4 at the end of the first session and then continued his dominance to open up a 9-5 lead at the start of the evening session. O’Sullivan battled back well to make it 9-8 only to miss frame ball to force a decider and present the Murphy to title. There were times during Ronnie’s fightback that it seemed the snooker gods were conspiring against Murphy and perhaps there was some truth in his lack of belief to beat O’Sullivan. https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/shaun-murphy-stuns-ronnie-osullivan-to-win-champion-of-champions-title MY OPINION Both players would have learned something from this the first is that Ronnie still has that sense of fight traditionally known buy John Hig...

WORLD CUP  QUALIFIERS SWIZERLAND 0-0 NI agg 1-0 EVENS JUST CANT GET HIS GOAL Northern Ireland came within inches of forcing extra time in injury time at the end of the tie, only for West Brom defender Jonny Evans to see his header hacked off the line by Rodriguez. Both sides wasted chances to score in a nervy contest at a rain-soaked St Jakob-Park, with Switzerland striker Haris Seferovic particularly guilty following a string of missed attempts. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41874404 MY OPINION  How this game ended at 0-0 I am not sure as I think that the game was open in the way they North wanted it to be and to lose a game like this is harsh but it is not the same as the Henry as they had time to score a goal and a good game with bad weather also. I think if O Neil stays they will stay in the Euros next time which with the talent pool Northern Ireland have was an amazing  achievement. GREECE 0-0 CROATIA agg 1-4 DRAB MATCH A...

SNOOKER CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS John Higgans hit a 50, a 75, a 78, and a 85 to beat fellow Scot Anthony Mc Gill 4-0 It took Ronnie until the second frame to hit a big break with a 70, a 78 and a 134 Ronnie seemed to be tearing Higgans to schreads but not scoring which was odd in the first 4 frames as he lead 4-0 with only having a 81 but after that in the fifth he hit a 101 and then he hit a 138 to win the match by 6 frames to 0 MY OPINION I was very surprised to see John Higgans put in such a poor performance I the final. Ronnie was able to control the final without hitting any big breaks in the first 4 frames which showed the momentum of the match. 

UEFA QUALIFIERS  WORLD CUP CROATIA  4-1 GREESE MODERIC MAKES MAGIC Greek keeper Orestis Karnezis' clumsy touch led to him conceding an early penalty, which Luka Modric converted. Nikola Kalinic was unmarked to tap in a second but Sokratis Papastathopoulos' fine header gave Greece an away goal. Ivan Perisic headed Croatia's third before half-time before Andrej Kramaric tapped in after a botched backpass. Konstantinos Stafylidis' attempt to chest the ball back to his keeper summed up Greece's defensive display as Sime Vrsaljko stole in to square, giving Kramaric an empty net. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41895994 MY OPINION Grease are now going to have to try and not concede and score 3 goals at home but this will lead to a Croatia break time after time and I feel that this will lead Grease to having a lot of the ball but being afraid to push forward. NI 0-1  SWITZERLAND RODRIGUEZ  GETS LUCKY PENALTY  Rica...

GROUP SEMI-FINALS Mark Selby showed that he had the form to win a close first round match against Liang Wengbo in the first match Luca Brecel was able to win the second match of the day by 4 frames to 0 and show the damage that he can do going forward In the final Brecel probably got the biggest win of his career so far after beating Mark Selby 6-4 and showing the damage that he can do from when he was a young player. 

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP   QUALIFIERS  1 ST LEG NORTHERN IRELAND SQUAD Goalkeepers: Roy Carroll (Linfield), Michael McGovern (Norwich), Alan Mannus (St. Johnstone) Defenders: Aaron Hughes (Hearts), Gareth McAuley (West Brom), Jonny Evans (West Brom), Chris Brunt (West Brom), Conor McLaughlin (Millwall), Lee Hodson (Rangers), Paddy McNair (Sunderland), Daniel Lafferty (Sheffield United), Rory McArdle (Scunthorpe), Tom Flanagan (Burton) Midfielders: Steven Davis (Southampton), Niall McGinn (Gwangju), Oliver Norwood (Fulham), Corry Evans (Blackburn), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Stuart Dallas (Leeds), Paul Paton (St. Johnstone), Matthew Lund (Burton), Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock), George Saville (Millwall) Forwards: Kyle Lafferty (Hearts), Josh Magennis (Charlton), Conor Washington (QPR), Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest) Predicted team Mc Govern, Mc Laughlin, Mc Auley, Evens, Brunt, Norwood, Evens, Steven Davis, Magnus, Washington, Dallas http://www.bbc.co.uk...

8-11-17 MURPHY REACHES SATURDAYS SEMI FINALS Michael White had booked his place in the Group Two final at the Champion of Champions event at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry with a 4-3 win over Marco Fu with Murphy overcoming Mark King 4-2 boosted by breaks of 78, 50 and 69. Murphy dropped the first frame to White, but hit back strongly to reach Saturday night's semi-final with breaks of 123, 121, 101, 93 and 78. White was hardly disgraced in fighting back from 3-1 behind to level at 4-4, but his opponent's heavier scoring power was a key factor in the outcome. http://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/champion-of-champions/2017-2018/michael-white-overcomes-marco-fu-at-champion-of-champions-in-coventry_sto6402469/story.shtml MY OPINION I think that Murphy can make some damage on Saturday and has to be seen as one of the favorites for the whole thing as he has had experience on a constant level at a high level. I think that Murphy can play well both defensively an...

SNOOKER CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS In the early matches today in the snooker Ryan Day from Wales beat Barry Hawkins from England 4-2 in the first match. In the second match of the Afternoon session Anthony Hamilton from England beat Ding Junhai from China 4-2 Anthony Hamilton then beat Day to reach the main event in this competition at the end of the week he won 6-4   http://www.championofchampionssnooker.co.uk/ MY OPINION This was definitely a shock as I cannot believe that anyone thought Hamilton would win from the group that he is in including Ding who had to be seen as one of the favourites for the whole competition. 

SUNDAY MLS PLAY OFFS NEW YORK CITY FC 2-0 COLOMBUS CREW AGG 3-4 STRUNA GOAL NOT ENOUGH  City got just the start it needed when Rodney Wallace was toppled in the penalty area by Frederic Brillant and David Villa slotted home the ensuing spot kick to make it 1-0. The host side clawed back one of the two goals it needed early in the second half when Crew defender Jonathan Mensah redirected Andraz Struna's shot into his own net. http://www.espn.co.uk/football/report?gameId=498045 MY OPINION New York had an impossible task but I understand it there was a massive difference in class between New York and Columbus in the first leg and it was that that made the difference. New York needed to get a good first leg deficit. TORONTO 0-1 NEW YORK RED BULLS Toronto win on away goals PERFECT WRIGHT PHILLIPS The Red Bulls got off to a dream start in the second half when Daniel Royer's shot from 40 yards took a deflection off Bradley Wright-Phi...

EUROPA LEAGUE In group A Villareal need a win and Astana need 4 points to assure qualification but Astana could qualify with results going with them In Group B Dynamo Kiev are through Partazan need 4 points In group C Ludogorets and Braga should qualify with a win In group D AC Malan need 4 points   In group E Both Lyon and Atlanta would qualify with a win but might play for a draw when they play each other Group f nothing is certain In group G FCSB would need a point to seal the next round In group H Arsenal need a point but it is hard to sort out second In group I Salsberg need a win to qualify and Marcille would need 4 points to seal qualification In group J Osersunds need a win to qualify Lazio are through in group K Nice need 2 wins Zenit need a point in group J while Real Sociadad need a win 

MLS QUARTER SECOND  LEG SEATTLE SOUNDERS 2-0 VANCOUVER  WHITECAPS DEMPSY KEEPS SEATTLE ON TOP Dempsey the former Fulham and Tottenham striker Dempsey bagged his first on 56 minutes, calmly wrongfooting the Vancouver defence on the edge of the area before curling a left-foot shot past The 34-year-old added a second two minutes from full-time, timing his run to perfection to pop up at the far post to bundle in Victor Rodriguez's cross.Stefan Marinovic. http://www.skysports.com/football/news/12096/11110923/seattle-sounders-2-0-vancouver-whitecaps-sounders-advance-to-face-portland-or-houston MY OPINION This is a good win for Seattle as it pushes them into the semi-final and makes you think they are going to be as team to watch out for. I think that the break will help them more than the others as they play on Sunday 

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE GROUP E LYON 3-0 EVERTON TRAORE ON TOP Former Chelsea player Bertrand Traore opened the scoring in the 68th minute when he outpaced the Everton backline and slotted past Jordan Pickford. Their second came 14 minutes from time when substitute Houssem Aouar threaded his shot past the reach of the England goalkeeper, who was already spread out on the turf having saved from Mariano Diaz in the build-up. It went from bad to worse for the visitors when they were reduced to 10 men after Morgan Schneiderlin received a second yellow for a foul on Maxwel Cornet. And with two minutes remaining former Manchester United midfielder Memphis Depay, who set up the strike for Aouar, applied the final blow when he headed in the third from six yards. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41806171 MY OPINION Everton seem to be on a downward spiral at the moment and there seems to be very little that can be done to sort thaqt out. Lyon look good and might b...

In group A Man United need a point to qualify for the last 16 In Group B PSG have qualified for the last 16 Bayern need a win Chelsea and Roma would both qualify with a win in group C In Group D Barcelona need a win to qualify In Group E Liverpool need a win Sevilla need 4 points In group F City are through but a point will do the job for Schactar Besiktas need a point in group G In group H Spurs are through Real need a win 

GROUP H DORTMUND  1-1 APOL GUERREIRO GIVES DORTMUND  EUROPA LEAGUE HOPE Dortmund took the lead in the 29th minute when Shinji Kagawa's pass opened up space behind the defence for Guerreiro to chip the goalkeeper. Pote hit back for APOEL in the 51st. Carlao hooked in a low cross from the left and, though Pote almost lost the ball with his first touch, he recovered to turn and shoot past Dortmund keeper Roman Burki. http://www.espn.co.uk/football/report?gameId=495292 MY OPINION Both of these sides would be genuinely shocked if they could catch Real in second position so they are both playing for second place. I am genuinely disappointed at how Dortmund have done this season.   SPURS 3-1 REAL AWESOME  ALI Dele Alli gave Spurs the lead after 27 minutes when he turned in Kieran Trippier's cross from close range, then doubled the advantage early in the second half with a shot that took a deflection off Real Madrid captain Sergio ...

GROUP G BESIKTAS 1-1 MONACO TOSON KEEPS BESIKTAS IN CONTROL Monaco took lead away at Besiktas just before half-time when Rony Lopes curled into bottom corner However, Cenk Tosun equalised from the penalty spot after Jorge brought down Ricardo Quaresma http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5040119/Besiktas-1-1-Monaco-2017-semi-finalists-brink-exit.html MY OPINION For a team to have done so well last season to have done so poorly this is a major surprise. With the amount of money that Monaco have you would think that it should be easier to qualify but this has been a bad one for them.   PORTO 3-1 LEIPZIG DECISIVE DANILO Hector Herrera put the Portuguese hosts ahead with a shot from inside the area early in the first half before Timo Werner came off the bench to equalize for Leipzig just after halftime. Danilo broke the deadlock from close range after a free kick later in the second half and Maxi Pereira sealed Porto’s victor...

GROUP F NAPOLI 2-4 MAN CITY AGUERO BREAKS RECORD TO KEEP CITY CONTROL The hosts were on top for the first 30 minutes and deservedly led when Lorenzo Insigne played an excellent one-two with Dries Mertens and steered the ball past Ederson. City started to see more of the ball after Napoli's blistering start and were level when Nicolas Otamendi headed in a cross from Ilkay Gundoga. They led when John Stones headed in off the underside of the crossbar for his third Champions League goal this season - matching Lionel Messi's haul. Napoli - now in danger of dropping out of the Champions League - stepped up the intensity again and Insigne hit the crossbar from 20 yards. As the game ebbed and flowed, they equalised when Leroy Sane fouled Raul Albiol and Jorginho sent Ederson the wrong way from the penalty. But there were more big moments to come - the ball broke to Aguero, who guided the ball home from the edge of the box. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/f...