38 THE STAR, Monday January 31, 2011
Pitch-perfect
change for
HISTORY MAKERS: Crawley Town
celebrate victory after beating Torquay
TUBBS TOLD
Burns
TO FORGET
THE BACK DOOR
UNITED TIE
CRAWLEY hero Matt Tubbs is dreaming of FA Cup
glory at Old Trafford — despite being told to concen-
trate on promotion.
Tubbs’ strike at Torquay made history as it sent his
side through to the fifth round of the competition for
the first time and an away tie with THE
Players have been told promotion from the Blue
Square Premier League is the priority but Tubbs has a
taste for the cup.
“It’s okay to trot out the old clichés that the League is
the bread and butter and promotion is our priority, and
they are true,” he said.
“But as a kid you don’t dream of growing up and
playing in the league, you dream of playing and scor-
ing in the FA Cup.
Pleased
“I’ve done that now and
I’m really pleased for all
the lads.”
Tubbs netted his 25th of
the season when he
banged in the winner on
Saturday, latching onto a
long ball and rifling
home.
But he and Craig
McAllister then BOTH
missed penalties in the
second half and it led to a
nervous finale.
“Of course I am disap-
pointed to have missed a
penalty,” he said. “But
thankfully in the end it
didn’t cost us.
“And we can now go to
CHEER HIM: Crawley Town manager Steve
Evans and Matt Tubbs celebrate their win
THE BACK
BACK
Manchester DOOR
DOOR
United.
■ Torquay 0 Crawley 1
Old Trafford with our
heads held high because
we deserve to be there. It’s
a fantastic achievement
for a club of our size.”
TorquayTHEhad ChrisBACK
THE
Zebroski dismissed, BACK
with
his second booking for
handball in the area for
Tubbs’ penalty, while
Crawley’s Dean Howell
also went for two yellows.
Gulls boss Paul Buckle
said of his side’s red: “Isn’t
the penalty enough? I
thought it was touch and go
whether it was even that.”
Buckle added: “Tubbs’
goal proved to be the dif-
ference. We got punished
for poor communication.”
MOVING
FORWARD:
John Burns
in action for
Shelbourne
in 2002 and
(above) on
the ball for
Nottingham
Forest
THE STAR, Monday January 31, 2011 39
DUBLIN IS WELL TUNED IN
DION Dublin’s musical connec- ■ KIERAN CUNNINGHAM Establishment, it didn’t take heard, they will do really well.
tion didn’t start when he agreed him long to get on board. “I’m in the fortunate position
to manage The Establishment. was always music time. My “As soon as I heard these guys that I’m not in this to make
He is an accomplished musi- dad’s music friends used to I wanted to get involved. They’re money.
cian in his own right and has come round with their not just five blokes messing “I did alright out of football.
even invented a percussion instruments, make a lot of around - they’re proper musi- I’m in this to help the lads and
instrument - The Dube - noise and annoy the cians,’’ he said. I’d love to see it working out for
that has been adopted by neighbours! “I’m just trying to help get them.
Muse, among others. “I ended up just tapping these boys to where they need to Urban legend had it that
“Music has always things. People will tell you be. We’re getting there slowly. Dublin’s dad was the drummer
played a big role in my that even now I’m always in ‘70s pop combo
life. My love of music tapping things and try- Quality Showaddywaddy.
is down to my dad,’’ ing to make music. “The product is of a very high Alas, it’s not true, but Dublin’s
he said. “When I was at quality. It’s getting people to bassist father was close friends
Kieran “He plays the bass Manchester United I hear the product that is the with the Showaddywaddy’s
guitar and my mum started playing the hard bit. drummer Romeo Challenger. WOLVES OUT THE DOOR: Empty
CUNNINGHAM used to play the
mandolin. My sister
played keyboards for
saxophone, not that I “They’ve been doing it for
am particularly good at quite a while now.
playing it!”
“It began as a joke and seems
to have become part of football
folklore,’’ he said.
seats at Molineux as Saturday’s
FA Cup clash between Wolves
TAKING A STAND a while and my
“They’re not in it to make
Dublin has his own loads of money. They’re in to be “My dad knew Romeo and and Stoke obviously didn’t catch
kieran.cunningham@thestar.ie
brothers are all pret- record label, Cubit professional musicians, just as I played with him and the story the imagination of the masses
ty good as well and Recordings, and, when was in football to be a profes- was started as a bit of a laugh.
play to a decent John Burns sent him a sional footballer. “It’s been bandied about for
ASIAN OFFICIALS
standard. few tracks by The “I’m convinced that if they get around 10 years now that my
“When we were dad was in Showaddywaddy but
young, Christmas STRIKE THE RIGHT NOTE: Dion in his pomp he never was.”
Kieran
CUNNINGHAMTHERE was a time NEW GROUP TALENT: Andy
Reid on guitar
PONDER REFUND
ASIAN Cup organisers around 700 of them
IS MUSIC TO
when John Burns are considering giving held valid tickets for
a refund to the 700 the final in which
shared a dressing-room
TAKING A STAND fans who were locked Japan beat Australia
with Damien Duff as out of the final despite 1-0 in extra-time.
JOHN’S EARS
kieran.cunningham@thestar.ie
Ireland finished third in holding valid tickets When asked if
the world. because of a heavy refunds would be
A time when he was billed as security presence. given, QLOC director
the new Roy Keane, in a town
spotted,” said Burns.
AMBITION: John Burns with Supporters were still Jassim Al Romaihi
complaining at half- said: “We will consider
OTHER MUSICAL FOOTBALLERS
where Keane was god. spare time so I got more and more into his band The Establishment
A time when he had Stuart “We had some great music sessions with time that they could that.
music. and (below) the four-piece
Pearce behind him, Bryan Noel. “I’d go to the Nottingham Irish Centre not enter the Khalifa
Roy beside him and Stan “There were loads of sing-songs in
where there were gigs and I went there to with Les Ferdinand ANOTHER Irish footballer with a Stadium on Saturday Late
Collymore in front of him. Malaysia. I think that’s one of the reasons love for music; Andy Reid was where the gates were “They can go to our
we did so well — the team spirit was learn the bodhran.
That time went all too quickly “That was the first instrument I picked famously dropped by Ireland boss locked 55 minutes website and they can
Kieran CUNNINGHAM
and Burns, now 33, hung up his brilliant.” up. I’d go to classes on a Monday night Giovanni Trapattoni after he stayed before kick-off as part protest regarding this,
Burns went to Nottingham Forest at 16 up late on an away trip singing songs
boots six years ago. and that stirred me on to learning the of security measures we will discuss this
But Burns, a native of and, given that he was a midfielder and guitar. and playing guitar. for a number of VIPs issue also with AFC.
Loughlinstown in Dublin, has Irish, he was quickly billed as ‘the new “Then I bumped into the drummer Reid, though, isn’t the only foot- including the Qatari “We were urging eve-
swapped one dream for another. Roy Keane’. Quite a millstone to have baller with a passion for music.
TAKING A STAND
Instead of chasing his child- around your neck.
Steven Landon one day in a guitar shop in
West Ham’s Christian Dailly is the
●Rod heir to the throne. rybody to come early
“Keane was a legend at Forest,” said Nottingham. The Qatari Local yet people still contin-
singer in a band called Hooligan.
kieran.cunningham@thestar.ie
hood fantasy of bossing the
midfield for Ireland, Burns Burns.
“We got on really well and I ended up
American Alexi Lalas fronted a
Organising Committee ued to come late.
DOOR giving him an ‘Aslan in Vicar Street’ CD. (QLOC) said around
DOOR is making his mark on “It’s always hard when young players
“We started up jamming in my house rock band called The Gypsies, who 3,000 fans had been
“There are issues
that have been raised
guitar and vocals with are tagged like that because there’s never and it all grew from there.” had a single called Kicking Balls.
outside the ground and we will consider
rising Nottingham ever going to be another Roy Keane. The football family played its part in Ruud Gullit scored a hit with the
before kick-off but only
band The “I did have a lot of ability and had some song South Africa in 1988. them.”
getting The Establishment off the “I had a good chat with Dion and sent
Establishment. great years at Forest. him on about eight of our tracks. And Rod Stewart was once on the
ground.
Boot in mouth
“Football was a great “I was only on the fringes but I enjoyed “He absolutely loved our stuff, rang me books at Brentford. ●Gullit
“I just sent a letter to Gordon Taylor, the
job, it’s a dream. But you retire early. my time there. chief executive of the PFA, explaining back and we had a meeting.
Then, when Saturday comes around, you “I broke through into the first team for “He loves his music, always been
what my plans were,” said Burns.
miss the buzz, it’s hard to replace. So I set a couple of games and that itself was a “I didn’t expect much from them. It was involved with it through his brothers
Kieran CUNNINGHAM ‘Made me think a lot about the
up the band,’’ he said. great achievement because of the stand- who’ve had a couple of bands.
quite a surprise when I got a letter back
“I’ve played football in front of 30,000 ard of players that were there at the saying ‘yes, we’ll help you’. “He has a good ear for music and he just
people but playing music in front of a few time.
modern day footballers hearing
“The PFA were fantastic. They gave us wanted to be on board straightaway.”
hundred is easily as good. Massive the first backing, helped finance a demo Burns has a day job as a mortgage advi-
“All the footballers want to be rock
Gordon Taylor talking about how
sor and has also taken
The PFA gave
and we got a thousand
TAKING A STAND
‘’
stars. All the rock stars want to be “Stuart Pearce, Stan Collymore, Bryan copies pressed of a four- coaching badges, working
footballers. Roy, Mark Crossley — there were some at Notts County’s Academy
players used to be just normal people’
track EP,” he said.
kieran.cunningham@thestar.ie
“I’ve been lucky to be on both sides of massive players at the club.
the fence.” “I think in my first year there, we fin-
Burns’s football contacts
also helped the video for us the first
for a while.
Back in 1997, Burns was part of the ished third in the Premiership so the team
Ireland Under-20 squad that stormed to was very strong.
third place at the World Championships “After five years, an offer came in from
their recent single ‘Be
That Way’ get noticed. backing, helped chasing
Focused
But he is fully focused on — Kevin Davies via Twitter
mo
The video, shot in black his music dream.
in Malaysia under Brian Kerr.
And he has special memories of that Far
Bristol City that was too good to turn
down.
and white, mixes footage
of the band playing live finance a de “We’re close to securing
support slots on UK tours
and we got a with
Eastern adventure — especially the jam “But I made bad decisions in my career.
sessions in the team hotel set up by the Went to Carlisle and ended up living out of
with a sequence in a two massive bands,” GREAT DAYS: Dean Delaney leads the
nightclub. he said.
the boot of my car. celebrations after Ireland beat Saudi
thousand copies firmed
late Noel O’Reilly. Stuart Pearce and Des “They haven’t been con-
“Noel was a “I ended up playing semi-pro and there’s
money to be made there too but eventu-
Walker play nightclub yet but we’re very Arabia in 1999 and (below) Burns (back
great one. I bou ncer s, Teddy excited. row, second left) with Ireland Youths in ’96
knew Noel
from
days with
my
ally the penny dropped and I looked at
doing something else.”
When he reached that crossroads in his
Sheringham schmoozes
with women inside the club pressed “It’s looking good and
it’d be a big breakthrough AC MILAN midfielder Mark van Bommel had
and Les Ferdinand is one for us. a debut to forget when he was sent off on
B e lve de r e. life, Burns had little inkling that he’d be of the barmen. “And we have a few festivals lined up for
swapping the pitch for the stage. his first outing for the Italian giants on
That’s where
“I came over to England during
“Des Walker still lives in Nottingham. the summer. Saturday.
I got
the Britpop era which I loved,’’ he
I’m good mates with Des and he’s been “We’re hoping to play in Ireland in the The 33-year-old, who has attracted much
supporting the band for the past three or next few months as well. controversy throughout his career for his
said. four years,” said Burns. “We’re not reinventing the wheel. Our uncompromising style, was shown the red
“I’d go to bands
like Oasis, Cast,
The football connections don’t end there. music is a mixture of all the bands we like card nine minutes into the second-half
The La’s all the
The Establishment’s manager is former — Oasis, The Beatles, The Rolling during Milan’s trip to Catania.
Manchester United striker Dion Dublin. Stones.
time. “Dion was on Soccer AM one morning “This is what I want to do, what we
Having just joined from German big-
hitters Bayern Munich, the Dutch
“It was a great talking about music so I thought he might want to do. veteran could hardly have
time for music.
“Footballers
be interested,” said Burns. “We have enough material written for pictured a worse
IN THE EARLY DAYS: John Burns (left) with have a lot of
“A mutual friend, Darren Fletcher from
Five Live, got me in touch with him.
the first two albums and are ready to kick
on.”
scenario.
Ireland youths teammate Paul Whelan