Richie Sadlier: Steve Staunton squared up to me in Copper Face Jack’s

leonidas83

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/richie-sadlier-steve-staunton-copper-face-jacks-966854-Jun2013/

RICHIE SADLIER HAS revealed that then-Ireland manager Steve Staunton squared up to him in Copper Face Jack’s in 2008 following criticism from the RTÉ pundit of the national team’s style of play.
In an interview on the Second Captain’s podcast, Sadlier told host Ken Early that the incident was sparked by an article he penned for the SundayIndependent in which he was critical of Ireland following a 2-1 win over San Marino. Staunton’s side needed a last-minute Stephen Ireland goal to claim all three points again the minnows.
Sadlier said, “Stan came out and said things like ‘Well, we won the game. You cannot do more in a football game than win it and we won it. What are you on about?’
I remember all these journalists and RTÉ, and whoever was showing it, saying surely that’s not good enough, it’s a disastrous night, this is a little embarrassing for everyone. And [Staunton] was like ‘no, we won the game, what are ye on about?’
“So I kind of wrote about that at the weekend, which was hard to do at the time but I was thinking ‘This is my job’. In a scenario like this, anything else than being honest [was necessary] and being honest, in this example, was being critical.”

Sadlier remarked that his “comeuppance” eventually, in a popular Harcourt Street, Dublin, nightclub. Having played in a testimonial match — for Bohemians player Kevin Hunt — in Dalymount Park, with Staunton as a teammate in a best of Irish select XI, the pair’s paths met later that night. Sadlier continued:

We ended up in Copper Face Jack’s that night. Stories generally don’t end that well that begin with ‘We ended up in Copper Face Jack’s’. [Staunton] just approached me, and I was standing at the bar with my cousin. He just came up to me and came right up to my face, just eyeballed me, and said ‘Well, you’re on the other side of the fence now, aren’t ya?’

I just looked back at him and, I went, I didn’t know what to say and he said something like ‘You couldn’t even look me in the eye’. I hadn’t spoken to him that day [of the testimonial] and he took that as I was avoiding him.”
Sadlier explained that he had not talked to many of his teammates that day as he had been out the night before and was feeling “sheepish”. The former Millwall forward was, however, not about to back down to the Ireland manager. He continued:

We were looking at each other, eyeball to eyeball, and I said ‘Well, I’m looking at you now. What’s your point?’ Things started getting a little bit heated and then Gary McAllister actually came over, and Neil Lennon was there. They came over and calmed things down.”

He added, “That’s the risk you run. It’s not, generally speaking, you don’t sit there and soften your comments because you risk meeting people in Copper Face Jack’s.”
With Staunton relieved of his scouting duties at Sunderland last week, the Dundalk native may seek to pursue a career in football punditry. Perhaps Second Captains would have a slot for him.

This is gas, the gaffer in copper face jacks, Sadlier should have flattened him:)

Borat_Sagdiyev

I didn't realise that when the Gaffer said he was only going to concentrate on "younger talent" at the time that Copper's was what he meant !

roanoke

The San Marino game was Feb 2007. The Kevin Hunt testimonial was (iirc?) late 2008. I just love the notion that the Gaffer was walking around with this bugbear on his mind for nearly 2 years.

DeepBlue

Find it hard to believe anyone would go for a pint with Sadlier who's got to be the moaniest panelist on RTE.
I guess he could only find a blood relative to have a drink with him. :pac:

mike65

DeepBlue wrote: »

Find it hard to believe anyone would go for a pint with Sadlier who's got to be the moaniest most honest panelist on RTE.
I guess he could only find a blood relative to have a drink with him. :pac:

FYP

DoctorGonzo08

I always liked Sadlier, but these kind of revelations make him go down a mark. Why only bring it up now when it happened 5 years ago, self worth boasting & name dropping. I would have prefered Stan to knock him out tbh.

The_Kew_Tour

Reading those comments that Stan said I know if he said it in his tick Louth accent to me I would just laugh. Could not take him serious. Great player though. Pity it's his time in charge will be what most remember.

Rikand

DoctorGonzo08 wrote: »

I always liked Sadlier, but these kind of revelations make him go down a mark. Why only bring it up now when it happened 5 years ago, self worth boasting & name dropping. I would have prefered Stan to knock him out tbh.

As long as someone got knocked out, it would have been better. Even the cousin!

djPSB

What happens in Coppers, stays in Coppers.

CSF

Can't stand either of them. No problem letting them inflict their worst on each other.

Dempsey

DoctorGonzo08 wrote: »

I always liked Sadlier, but these kind of revelations make him go down a mark. Why only bring it up now when it happened 5 years ago, self worth boasting & name dropping. I would have prefered Stan to knock him out tbh.

True, whats the point of telling people now? Its irrelevant and cheap point scoring at this stage.

The Rooster

Dempsey wrote: »

True, whats the point of telling people now? Its irrelevant and cheap point scoring at this stage.

The lads in Second Captains need something to make people talk about them again!

Lennonist

The Rooster wrote: »

The lads in Second Captains need something to make people talk about them again!

This is exactly it. They need stories that will get them attention because they've lost their Newstalk audience. I haven't listened to them since they started podcasting with the IT, but actually clicked on the link there. Are they being paid exclusively by the IT for this? They couldn't be getting much for this. Still it's a funny story, Stan was an awful clown of a choice to be national manager.

sReq | uTeK

I haven't been swayed from NT and if honest I don't think there has been any drop in quality probably an increase if anything + I don't have to listen to that cnut ken early.

Lennonist

Just listened to the podcast. Sadlier told the story in a fairly matter of fact way in the context of changing jobs from being a player to a pundit. It's hard to summon up any kind of sympathy for criticism leveled at Steve Staunton in his stint as Ireland manager, he was an unmitigated disaster.

Dempsey

Lennonist wrote: »

Just listened to the podcast. Sadlier told the story in a fairly matter of fact way in the context of changing jobs from being a player to a pundit. It's hard to summon up any kind of sympathy for criticism leveled at Steve Staunton in his stint as Ireland manager, he was an unmitigated disaster.

The FAI hired an International Football Consultant aka Bobby Robson to advise Staunton but his health failed and Staunton was a lamb to the slaughter. A spectacular failure by the FAI especially when Staunton, one of our most distinguished players ever, is reduced to squaring up to a hack in Coppers over a desperate 2-1 win over San Marino! What a low!

dfx-

Dempsey wrote: »

The FAI hired an International Football Consultant aka Bobby Robson to advise Staunton but his health failed and Staunton was a lamb to the slaughter. A spectacular failure by the FAI especially when Staunton, one of our most distinguished players ever, is reduced to squaring up to a hack in Coppers over a desperate 2-1 win over San Marino! What a low!

Any excuse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH64IfJLy8g

They're all brilliant...but the slowmotion replay is the best.

Lennonist

https://twitter.com/SecondCaptains/status/349898047628640256

Pedalstool

sReq | uTeK wrote: »

I haven't been swayed from NT and if honest I don't think there has been any drop in quality probably an increase if anything + I don't have to listen to that cnut ken early.

I really liked the show with Ken, Eoin et al. Needless to say I find it very boring now. Ger is good but the rest are dreadful. Quality is quite poor now. Eoin was a much better interviewer. Just my 2 cents.

ebbsy

Thing was, the top 2 qualified from that group in that particular campaign.......what a missed opportunity.

When you buy a cheap pair of shoes be prepared to replace them soon after.

NufcNavan

Get over yourself Richie.

I've had loads of lads square up to me in Coppers.

Fizman

This came into my head last night while on the beer so said I'd give it a go for my first meme. Funnily enough.....I was actually in Coppers at the time!

Obviously only those familiar with Game of Thrones will get it.

dreamers75

Sadlier being sheepish after a night out thats a shock......played up front with him before and he was awful assume he was "sheepish" then too. Pat Byrne ex rovers and pats was 54 and he made a show of Sadlier that day. Should have been the perfect front 3 but Sadlier let us down!!!

artanevilla

I DESPISE Richie Sadlier.

Neil3030

Early had just interviewed Michael Owen, and one discussed point was the difficulty switching from player to pundit and criticizing former peers, colleague etc. They then asked Sadlier how he found this issue and he gave this anecdote involving Stan. Pretty important contextual info missing from that article imo, as it otherwise looks like Sadlier resurrected this story 5 years after events for no good reason.