BBC shock jock Stephen Nolan has egg on his face after he had to keep a promise to pay more than £1,600 to charity “after rashly predicting England would thrash Northern Ireland”. There are plenty of stories surrounding the Big Match, which seems destined to enter the realms of Norn Irish sporting legend. Even the BBC got in on the act, with a beautifully cheeky gloating graphic that caused more than a few double-takes.There are text messages and emails floating about too, so if you know of any post-match humour on the net, link to it or stick it in the comments.
The BBC reckons the IFA should capitalise on this ‘feelgood’ factor in what has been a tough financial time for local football.
Whatever you think of the team, it’s admirable that there was a significant increase in support for Northern Irelnad at a time when they were the laughing stock of European football. Now that we are out of the doldrums, the IFA should capitalise. That doesn’t mean ripping off the fans, it means listening to them too.