Capital punishment - Givens slams u21 venue - February 27, 2000
Ireland u21 manager Don Givens is hopping mad over the time and venue for this afternoon's friendly against Denmark. Givens believes that the 14:30 kick-off and the fact that there are two FAI Cup matches in Dublin tonight will conspire to ensure a poor attendance.
Playing the match at Dalymount is a break from the recent practice, started during Ian Evans' tenure, of playing u21 internationals in provincial towns. Cork, Kilkenny, Birr, Galway and Arklow have all hosted u21 games in recent years.
"It's easier for players to perform in front of three or four thousand people in somewhere like Cork, rather than in front of four men and a dog in Dublin on an afternoon," Givens fumed.
"With two other games in Dublin, I feel it would have been better to move it somewhere else.
"These matches should be played down the country where there are people who mightn't travel up for the senior game."
But the last matched to be played in the provinces - the European Championship qualifier against Estonia in Kilkenny last October - caused controversy. The match was played in torrential rain and Kilkenny City claim their Buckley Park pitch has not been right ever since and that it will cost them £40,000 to repair it.