REVEALED: Football managers’ new (definitely not fake) books

The internet, you may have noticed, was broken in recent weeks. Not by Kim Kardashian (thank God), not even by Donald Trump, but by the literary stylings of football’s Steve Bruce. Some of you may not be aware of this, but…

Post fact reality, protest votes & Ireland’s Trump

It was, American President-elect Donald J Trump announced, a “movement”. During his victory speech at a rally in New York on Wednesday morning Irish time, Trump chose the word “movement” over “campaign” to describe what had seen him sweep…

“I’m the boss, I’m the gaffer”: Iceland

With Euro 2016 upon us, we have given each of our Hurlers on the Ditch team the choice of managing any of the countries who will play in France this summer. Here…

“I’m the boss, I’m the gaffer”: Belgium

With Euro 2016 upon us, we have given each of our Hurlers on the Ditch team the choice of managing any of the countries who will play in France this summer. Here…

Irish football: The next step

What a journey it was. Whether you were over in France or jammed into a packed pub back home, it has been impossible not to be carried away by the ups and downs of the Irish team at Euro 2016. From the kick off in that first game against Sweden to the ultimately futile…

College Football Players protecting their Future

With the conclusion of the Superbowl, the NFL’s yearlong juggernaut turns its attention to the NFL Scouting Combine taking place this week in Indianapolis , where the best college players are invited to perform a series of physical and mental…

NBA: America’s most exciting sports league

I’ll be honest with you; when I pitched the idea for this article it was as a preview for the NBA season, which started in the late hours of Tuesday night (25th October). One loose word however, meant I had started a debate within Hurlers on the Ditch the…

No country for tribal men

At the end of June, Britain will go to the polls to decide whether or not to remain part of the European Union. While the weightier topics in the campaign have been economic and legislative matters, a large part of the debate has also focused on the notion of identity. The ‘Leave’…

Chaz Mac, Bertie the Pundit and Mick Wallace FC

We are often told that sport and politics should never mix. Players are warned about making any kind of political gesture at all, and feel the full force of sporting administration if they do. Clearly sports stars are not meant to publicly air…