Thats right and one of very few people to receive a hero,s welcome in Ireland for winning .....nothing.
Well said Deise. joer, you said he won nothing, that is such a poor statement it really needs to be corrected. Ireland under Jack won Ireland's first ever qualification to a major tournament. They then won qualification to the World Cup for the first time. Under Jack we qualified for 3 major tournaments. They reached 6th in the FIFA world rankings .... 6th!!I had despaired of ever seeing Ireland at a major International tournament - forever cursed by bad luck and appalling refereeing decisions , at the time you never celebrated an Irish goal without checking first that the officials had allowed it.
Jack’s pragmatism enabled myself and my mates to travel to Germany , Italy and the USA and to enjoy unparalleled good times , it was a joy to be among brilliant supporters and to be welcomed by people from those countries.
Most importantly Jack should be remembered for more that his managerial skills , he was an excellent one club player ( player of the year in 1967 ) , a World Cup winner but more than that a great warm hearted , generous and good humoured family man.
I even got to see him playing in Kilcohan Park for Leeds v Waterford in Peter Fitzgerald’s testimonial.
I was also working in a factory (I've always worked in factories) and we downed tools and all watched all the matches in the canteen and shop floor. No drink though; you can't operate machines when under the influence. I was in Genoa at the Romania game. It was one of the most vivid memories I have. A fantastic 42 hours!I heard "Put 'em Under Pressure" twice today. I recall the day of the Romania game, working on a factory assembly line. We were waiting word from management to be allowed clock out at 1pm in order to get home to watch the game. Some of the senior workers were adamant they were downing tools regardless of what management said.
Fortunately, word came through early in the day that the factory would close at 1pm and we could watch the game. Confrontation between staff and management was avoided and instead, one of Irelands greatest sporting days would unfold before us all.
Great times.
We sometimes forget what a rotten little country we were in the 80's and what joy and fun we had because of big Jack and that for all the giving out people do nowadays, the 80's were a pretty bleak time that is beyond the comprehension of the Celtic Tiger generations.
Qualifying for the tournaments could not be described as "winning nothing". The heroes welcome was largely for being part of the tournament in the first place.received a hero,s welcome for winning nothing
Qualifying for the tournaments could not be described as "winning nothing". The heroes welcome was largely for being part of the tournament in the first place.