What are the biggest “what ifs” in Irish sports?

Did you smash it

for example, if Michelle de bruin never returned a manipulated urine sample would her achievements be accepted as genuine (and brilliant)?

if Paul McGrath had the knees of a normal person and no addiction or mental health issues could he have become the best or close to the best defender in the world?

osarusan

What if Roy Keane was at WC 2002.

pgj2015

What if Roy stayed at the 2002 world cup?

Ficheall

Didn't she submit unmanipulated samples for a good while before the manipulated one? People had no interest in accepting it.

If Thierry hadn't handballed, presumably we would have gone on to win the world cup.

Cluedo Monopoly

We should have beaten Spain in normal time in 2002. They were absolutely rattled but we were nearly mentally afraid to win it. Roy would have won that game. Mick timed his spat very badly.

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032493#Comment_120032493

Why did she ever need to submit a manipulated sample?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032487#Comment_120032487

He would have got himself sent off in the first 10 minutes of the Cameroon game and we would have lost to them and not qualified from the group.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032503#Comment_120032503

There were traces of androstenedione in the sample according to the evidence given at the 'trial' at CAS.

This was not banned in 1996. It was banned by 1998, when the whiskey sample happened.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058276923/what-are-the-biggest-what-ifs-in-irish-sports

McGrath was ability wise, the best defender in the world, maybe aside from Franco Baresi…great reader of a game the best timer of a tackle, great header of the ball and he had great positional awareness…. Injuries / fitness and addiction though… he had some of the strongest willed and toughest willed disciplinarians in the game both internationally and at and clubs for managers. Alex Ferguson, Graham Taylor, Big Jack….

He won the PFA player of the year in ‘93 in that Villa team that were beaten to the title by United.

something I didn’t realise was that he had an opportunity to go to Napoli from United… wonder had that move happened would the change of culture have enabled him to maybe get on a better path regarding his health and addiction…or maybe being away might have seen him spiral further…

who knows, a ‘what if’ for sure.

Mad_maxx

If we had had a half decent keeper, we’d have qualified for Euro 92 and were good enough to win a competition with poor teams

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032537#Comment_120032537

Twas good stuff.

That was one of my takeaways from the whole thing. I knew drugs would improve performance but the kind of crazy performance improvement that de Bruin showed going from an average olympian maybe even a below average Olympian to a world beater was startling.

WesternZulu

What if Mayo never passed that funeral in Foxford when they last won in 1951 when the 'curse' was put on them?

What level of domination would they have attained in gaelic football?

Instead of a measly 3 All-Ireland's they might have had 33!

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032556#Comment_120032556

And in 1994 I believe Alan Kelly was better than packie.

Star Bingo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032563#Comment_120032563

Could he grit his teeth and hoof the ball though like pakie. Probably, it’s just Pat looked more chiselled doin it where time seemed to.. stand still…..

👏🏻 right, off to bed with me so.

JPup

I don’t think there are any real what ifs with Michelle Smith. The circumstantial evidence was already extremely damning and the failed test put it beyond doubt.

Sonia O’Sullivan unfortunately was on the other side of a similar situation with the Chinese girls robbing her of a world title a few years earlier.

MightyMunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032559#Comment_120032559

Don't think she was very fast though, seemed to be good at a time when the competition was light. She wasn't smashing world records and most of her Irish record's have been broken.

Fred Astaire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032487#Comment_120032487

See this a lot but no reason why we would have been randomly immune to the blatant corruption that surrounded the South Koreans.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032500#Comment_120032500

Mick didn't time anything badly, Roy turned up Day 1 in foul humour and was looking for reasons to have a go at anyone. Roy was 100 percent in the wrong.

MightyMunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032754#Comment_120032754

Shots fired 😂

orourkeda1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032561#Comment_120032561

What if the Mayo public accepted the shortcomings of their footballers and their inability to see out an all ireland final.

They should have beaten Dublin at least twice in those recent all Ireland finals. Instead of blaming a funeral in the 1950's it would so much more accurate and refreshing hearing them admit that they have been psychologically incapable of getting themselves over the line for 70 years.

They've played in 18 All Ireland finals in total and lost 15 of them.

They've played in 10 All Ireland finals since 1989 (13 games including replays) and they haven't managed to come out on top in a single one of these games.

Let's drop the facade and call this what it really is. WEAKNESS. Plain and simple. They haven't got the bottle and need to change this to win an All Ireland.

sbs2010

What if IFA and FAI never split? Kept their sh!t together like rugby. Would we have been to loads of Euros and WCs ?

orourkeda1

What if Ireland won a match at Italia 90.

I enjoyed it as much as the next man but can you imagine what would have happened if we won a match in that world cup?

orourkeda1

What if Ian Harte had scored that penalty against spain in 2002?

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032754#Comment_120032754

A good manager would have dealt with it a lot better. A lot better.

StevenToast

What if Michael Lynagh didnt sneak in for a try in the corner vs Ireland in RWC 1991.....Gordon Hamilton with that famous try winner???

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032949#Comment_120032949

How many different ways can you say

“You’re out of order, and out of here. Off home with you”

Thats what a good manager, which Mick was, would have done.

Say Your Number

If Bonner hadn't made a bollox of Donadoni's shot.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032958#Comment_120032958

Nope. In all aspects of sport and even life, you manage your best players and staff. I am sure if Roy turned up at United training in "foul humour", Fergie would have know what to do or what not to do. Mick should also have gone to that WC to try and win it with the class players he had but the preparations were diabolical e.g. no footballs for example.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120032956#Comment_120032956

That still hurts. As does the last second NZ try and repeated conversion - I think it was 2013. Bad tackle decision by that Leinster No. 10 whose name escapes me. Sean OBrien was livid because he had his man.

Madigan it was !

Hesh's Umpire

What if we had VAR back in 1988 for that Wim Kieft goal? Could we have won the feckin thing?

hynesie08

On a slightly more depressing note, what if Darren Sutherland had lived?

He'd beaten DeGeale twice at amateur level and was coming along nicely as a pro, think he could have been a contender.

Say Your Number

2015 Rugby World Cup, if the team weren't so decimated with injuries after the France game.