Category: 2022

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May 31 2022

Stay up late enough on any weeknight and you might have the good fortune to stumble upon “Mannix” on MeTV at 2 a.m.

To which you might ask: With all of the tonnage of high-quality, provocative TV shows in production today and running by the hundreds on our TV networks and streaming services, why single out some old show from the ’70s (1968-75 to be exact) for discussion in this TV Blog

The answer is that I have come to appreciate the way TV shows were once produced and presented — precisely as a result of my immersion in the new world of television we are in now.

There is nothing wrong with the current era, of course. The choices we have are infinite (or sometimes feel that way), and much of it is very well worth watching in small doses or in binges.

In addition, when you think about it, the streaming services are not all that expensive for what you get for your monthly subscription when compared with typical monthly cable bills.

I won’t say how much my household pays for cable TV every month in New York City, but it far exceeds what we would pay if we subscribed to a half-dozen of the top streaming services.

Having said all that, “Mannix” — a show about a private eye with tousled hair and fists of fury — represents what I like to think of as “TV” in all its glory.

The majority of TV shows today are simply not made like the shows of the “Mannix” era. Shows today aim higher, you might say.

They deal in “important” subjects, and strive to delve deeper into subjects related to a wide range of human experiences.

The dramas made for the streaming services are arranged in episodes, but in their look and feel, they play more like small-screen cinema than the TV shows of a bygone age.

In the “Mannix” era, TV shows had a straight-ahead, what-you-see-is-what-you-get quality. They gave you very little to really think about, but that was an asset, not a defect.

Moreover, they were designed specifically to accommodate commercial breaks, something that the buzzy, attention-getting scripted shows presented today on pay-cable and the subscription streaming services obviously do not need to do.

“Mannix” was a case in point. Played by Mike Connors (photo above), Joe Mannix was a relentless private investigator in L.A. who got into fights, gun battles and car chases just about every week.

The action sequences were exciting. No story ever went unresolved by the end of each hour. And Mannix always won, no matter how banged up he became.

Watching “Mannix” and other vintage TV shows makes it possible to peer through a window at TV history that still lives on film and videotape.

All that and action too. When it’s 2 o’clock in the morning, what more do you want?

June 5 2022

Stephen Kenny’s side will be low in confidence after a dreadful loss.

Joaquín Caparrós was smiling like a Cheshire cat as Armenian journalists clapped the manager into the press conference room.

And then he got down to the brass tacks of the matter.

“Football is only about the result, nothing more. We don’t have to argue about anything else,” said the former Sevilla boss after delivering one of Armenia’s greatest ever wins.

It’s hard to argue with him.

Possession may be nine tenths of the law, but Ireland owning 65% of the ball isn’t worth a jot when you struggle to lay a finger on opposition who were there for the taking.

The Republican Stadium in Yerevan was less than half full at kick-off, with about 6,000 or so turning up.

Revenge was in the air, sure, after their games with Ireland in 2010 and 2011. But confidence in delivering a result was low after a 9-0 thumping by Norway in their last game.

Yet the more that Ireland misfired, the more hope the hosts gained and by the closing stages there were considerably more fans inside the ground.

Word had spread around the neighbouring streets that Ireland were making a dog’s dinner of things and that maybe, just maybe, this could be a historic night for the 92nd ranked team.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that Ireland were on easy street just because Caoimhin Kellher had so little to do in goal.

Kenny prides his teams on attacking flair, but there was none of it on show here as the forward division flopped and wilted in the heat.

But as Seamus Coleman flagged before the game, the conditions cannot be used as an excuse and Ireland had enough of the ball to do more damage than they did.

All the effort in the final third was half baked at best. Nothing clean, and nothing even vaguely threatening.

“It’s not a game that we deserved to lose – you couldn’t say that on the balance of play or chances,” said Ireland boss Stephen Kenny.

“But we have lost and we only ourselves to blame and we’re disappointed.”

Kenny continued: “For the last 25 minutes of the first half we were in control but we didn’t start the second half like we ended the first and were susceptible to counters.

“We watched Armenia’s last 20 games and they don’t usually play with five at the back. We found them difficult to break down and we only had half chances.”

There were shades of Ireland’s nightmare home defeat to Luxembourg about this performance, with Kenny’s team labouring despite bossing possession.

Kenny responded: “That was a long time ago and there were reasons for that. Tonight I accept the criticism and we didn’t unlock the door or create more clear cut chances.”

Troy Parrott was disappointing and Callum Robinson found the side netting before seeing another effort hooked out of the goalmouth, but the execution wasn’t clean.

Ogbene can’t be faulted for effort but should have done better with a header before the break when completely unmarked in the box.

“I’m very disappointed with myself for not hitting the target that close,” he sighed. “If you create those chances you have to put them away otherwise you feel like this.”

Armenia already had a goal chalked off – late – for offside before Eduard Spertsyan unleashed a stunning strike from distance with 16 minutes to play.

And nobody can say they didn’t deserve it because they played with more composure and purpose on the break.

Ireland, on the other hand, continued to make heavy work of it and the introduction of in-form Michael Obafemi did little to aid the cause.

At the end, it was hit and hope with Ogbene peppering the box for Shane Duffy or John Egan to get a head on to it.

Both men did, but never with conviction.

It was all so desperate.

Kenny targeted top spot in the group before the draw was even made – and will need a run of impressive results now for it to happen.

Ogbene said: “It’s a big mountain to climb but we have seen teams do it before.

“We are capable of doing it but it has to start from Wednesday. We need to put points on the board on Wednesday if we are going to top the group like we say we want to.”

But the night belonged to Armenia.

Caparrós added: “I have to praise my players as Ireland are a very good team and a victory here against a team like that is very important for us.”

The pity is that it was handed to them on a plate.

Nigeria – June 5 2022

by Admin

Republic of Ireland extended their torrid record in the UEFA Nations League as they fell to a shock defeat to Armenia.

The Boys in Green were expected to record a comfortable victory over the European minnows but fell to a 1-0 defeat in Yerevan.

Despite dominating possession with 68 per cent of the ball and having 13 efforts at goal, Stephen Kenny’s side were made to rue a number of missed chances as Ireland’s lack of composure proved costly.

After a wasteful performance, Eduard Spertsyan got the decisive goal for the hosts as a powerful drive beat young Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher between the sticks.

As a result, Ireland have plenty of work to do in Group B1, with fixtures against Ukraine and Scotland scheduled for the coming weeks.

In addition to the uphill challenge that is ahead of them, a woeful defeat to Armenia has extended an unwanted record in UEFA’s competition.

The Republic Of Ireland have played 11 matches in the Nations League since its inception, winning none in the process.

Not only that, but the luck of the Irish hasn’t been with them in front of goal either, with Kenny’s side scoring just two goals in that time.

June 5 2022

Armenia 1, Republic of Ireland 0

A minute before the hour mark at Yerevan’s Republican Stadium, an injury to an Armenian player opened up the opportunity for an additional water break. Green shirts showed urgency to get to the sidelines, keen for hydration in the conditions. Only a handful of Armenians wandered towards the physio to do the same. It was an informative response.

This isn’t a build-up to arguing that the weather was the reason for Ireland’s difficulties here. Yes, it would be disingenuous to rule out the 33-degree heat as a factor, but Seamus Coleman had stressed on the eve of the game that it wouldn’t function as an acceptable excuse.

What was more telling was that Stephen Kenny and his assistant Keith Andrews were keen to get in another team talk, whereas the natives seemed content with the state of play. Their coach, Joaquín Caparrós, said they had a good discussion at half-time to understand where they could improve after offering little before that. “Football consists of two halves and not one half,” said the experienced Spaniard.

His position looked to be in jeopardy after a nine-goal drubbing at the hands of Norway in March. The 66-year-old was applauded going into his press conference.

Kenny’s face wore the story of frustration, a familiar feeling he was hoping to leave behind. On the eve of the game, he took issue with Ireland’s 2020 Nations League record being raised, a window where a decimated squad with Covid problems toiled in empty stadiums. He had no such problems this time, yet there were parallels in terms of the bottom line. More worryingly, there was a crossover with the World Cup nightmares at home to Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.

Ireland had more possession and completed 312 more passes than the hosts, but faced with a conservative approach, they weren’t cute enough to pick open the locks. Innovation against strong sides indicated things were trending in the right direction, but it will count for nothing without a killer instinct.

The Nations League is Ireland’s safety net if regular qualification goes awry, and it’s also a method to secure a better seeding. If the last dozen games reflected a step forward, this was two back. Kenny admitted his team’s beginning to the second half was a source of concern and said he will accept criticism. He’s got a job on his hands to lift his players for Wednesday’s Ukraine clash. This is another test of this group’s resolve and will reignite the factional debate about the manager, which had threatened to subside with the awarding of a new contract.

In some respects, Ireland’s first-half performance could be explained through the contribution of Nathan Collins. On his competitive debut, the Burnley defender was one of the visiting starters with no excuse for rustiness, given he was active right up until the end of the Premier League season.

Yet he was guilty of sloppy touches in an early spell that set the tone as it became clear that Armenia were prepared to sit deep and defend in a back five, a strategy Kenny was not expecting, saying it had only appeared once in the homework on their last 20 games. “They always played 4-4-2 and we found it difficult to break them down,” he said.

Under minimal pressure, Ireland succeeded in passing themselves into trouble and Caoimhín Kelleher was called to action from a Tigran Barseghyan snapshot. From another Collins misplaced pass, Shane Duffy went into the book for a rash challenge. Self-inflicted pain.

Yet as the half progressed, Ireland’s back three spent more time around the halfway line, enjoying plenty of time on the ball and calm touches from Collins to cut out potential counters illustrated his confidence. With the Armenians providing little threat, Ireland required subtlety to break down a narrow low block of red shirts.

Chances were created with Jeff Hendrick, who later faded, having his eye in as regards slotting through balls. Callum Robinson twice could have profited from his vision with the West Brom forward, out of action since May 7, with his last start coming on April 15, lacking sharpness when it mattered, although he was unlucky when a shot from a Chiedozie Ogbene cut back was turned behind.

Troy Parrott, the other member of the front three, drifted in and out of the match, yet this was another one of those Irish internationals where the absence of a natural attacking playmaking number ten was evident. Ogbene missed a free header before the break, another sign of potential Armenian vulnerability; Ireland just needed to expose it more regularly.

From the restart, there was no real additional penetration. There were isolated moments of opportunity without being of enough significance to concern the unconvincing netminder David Yurchenko. Ogbene, a major threat in previous outings on the road, was rarely able to get on the shoulder of the last man because the centre halves sat back. Surprise packages only hold that status for so long; Armenia were capable of reading Irish intentions.

Warning signs were flashing. A correct offside flag chalked off a Tigran Barseghyan left footer from inside the area, yet minutes later he was allowed to curl another narrowly wide. Kenny sprung Obafemi for Parrott, dropping Robinson deeper and later went for James McClean and Jason Knight in place of Stevens and Robinson. Obafemi’s introduction was eagerly awaited but he looked like a new signing finding his feet.

More significantly, when Armenia did advance forward, the Irish structure appeared shaky with space between lines.

The ball was worked to Eduard Sperstyan, a Russian based talent viewed locally as the heir to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was given ample time to unleash the shot that arrowed a way past Kelleher.

Ireland had 15 minutes to react and Will Keane and Alan Browne were chucked into the mix while Ogbene assumed the departed Coleman’s position at wing back and the cross count stacked up. Alas it was frantic rather than calculated and Armenia, in keeping with the entire match, were content to absorb pressure and gamble on Ireland being devoid of ideas.

It was the right call.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/devoid-of-ideas-in-yerevan-ireland-are-authors-of-their-downfall-in-armenia-41721533.html

READ ALSO

Armenia 1 – 0 Rep Ire – Match Report & Highlights (skysports.com)

https://www.skysports.com/football/armenia-vs-republic-of-ireland/461649

Ireland undone in Yerevan | Where did it go wrong against Armenia? | STUEY BYRNE & JOHNNY WARD | OTB Sports

https://www.otbsports.com/podcasts/otb-football/ireland-undone-in-yerevan-where-did-it-go-wrong-against-armenia-stuey-byrne-johnny-ward

June 5 2022

June 5 2022

Armenia’s Varazdat Lalayan won the silver medal of the men’s +109 kg at the European Weightlifting Championships held in Tirana, Albania.

Lalayan lifted 211 kg in the snatch and 240 kg in the clean and jerk.

Gor Minasyan won the bronze in the same weight category with a total result of 236 kg (210+246).

Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze became the winner of the event with a result of 462 kg.

June 5 2022

Armenia – June 5 2022