A few weeks ago, Rté took a break from its usual brutal domestic football coverage, getting offended by lads singing naughty songs, and showing its regular tedious dross to repeat the now infamous 1975 documentary on the Reds, In My Book You Should Be Ahead, as part of their TV50 series. The documentary was a behind the scenes, warts and all, exposé on various aspects of the club in the lead up to the 1975 Cup Final against Home Farm. Considered a snapshot of the time, fans are treated to the views of fans, players and directors as the trials and tribulations of running and supporting a football club are laid bare for all to see. Whilst many Reds and LoI fans in the main consider falling crowds, public apathy, stagnation of the game and declining standard of grounds as being synonymous with the modern state of the league, this eye-opening documentary proves that these sentiments are not a contemporary phenomenon at all and have been part of the fabric of Irish football for the past four decades at least. Highlights include a look at what you could have won as Irishtown Stadium lies idle, as well as a hilarious and unforgettable scene set in Clarkes in Ringsend. Anyway, you can enjoy it here……
