Mayor, County Manager, special guests and ladies and gentlemen.I can't believe I'm here tonight. When I first got the rumour of this award, and if I was a betting man, I'd have given odds of 1000/1 I wouldn't have been here tonight, and I would have been very sure of collecting that bet.The reason being, I believe sports people get their pound of flesh on the field of play. All my life I've managed to dodge these awards, and I must say I've done a very good job of it - anyone out there who wants to write the book, I've all the information at home and it will be a best seller, and I'm proof of that.When I threw all this at John McIntyre, and you can see John McIntyre is a big man, but I tell you by the time I was finished with him, he had to go on a week's holiday. I'm sure he was saying at the time I'm glad this fella hasn't a hurl in his hand. But to be fair to John he stood his ground and he said that although I had a point, this wasn't the time to prove it. He felt the people who being honoured here tonight were high achievers and were very deserving of their awards, and I didn't doubt that for one moment.He also felt that the people who pick these awards are very passionate and had put a lot of time into it, and there aren't many journalist awards and they are occasions to say thanks to those sports people.He also said that, and everyone knows the plight Galway United are in at the moment, and he felt they always wanted to honour soccer and he felt there was no better year than this to do it, and he felt that I was the one to receive that award.When I thought about it, and I thought of all the fellas who played soccer in Galway, all the great players who have passed on, all the great players passing through now - and we have one here tonight in Stephen O'Donnell - and all the ones going to come through in the future, I was very chuffed and honoured to be mentioned in the same breath as them.But when I think of these awards, I think of all the people who put the nets up and down around the country, line the pitches, turn on the showers, bring out the bottles of water, these are the guys I think of when these awards are being given out, these are the people who do not want to be recognised, they just want to do their jobs, but without them, sport wouldn't be worth playing.Also, when I see highly professional players all around the world, being paid huge amounts of money, and showing disrespect to their teammates, to the press, not wanting to play for their country, not wanting to sign autographs for young kids, for me they have no place in the game.When you compare them to all the subs who make all the panels all around the country, and I know enough about subs 'cause I sent enough time on the bench in Villa Park, I spent so much time there they were going to put a plaque up to me.The excuse these give is that they are under pressure, well I'll tell you, the people who are under pressure are the people who sit on thse benches all over the country, the subs who make up all these teams - they're a manager and a coache's dream, 'cause I know, I was one of them.They never miss a training session, they turn up for every single game, they never complain why they are not in the team, the only time they get on is when somebody is injured or somebody plays bad, and if the team loses, they are usually blamed for it, and when the medals are given out, they are usually the last to receive one, but they are the fellas who the pressure is really on.I know from being abroad, every week, no matter how hard you train, you want to see your name on that team sheet, and when it's not you go down the corridor and knock on the manager's door and go in to see him and ask him why you're not on the team, 'cause if you don't, he'll think you're not interested.The first thing he used to say to me was, 'well, you're always number one on my team sheet', and I felt like saying, 'don't put me on the team sheet, put me on the field of play', but if you said that you'd be out the door. These are my heroes, so when awards are being given, I think of these people.We made great progress in sport in the last number of years but I feel we may have lost our way a bit in that we only want the best. Now there is nothing wrong with that, but I think it was the American coach Vince Lombardi, who 50 years ago quipped 'winning isn't the only thing, it's everything'.Well, I've never adhered to that, I don't believe in that for one second. Socrates - a famous Brazilian footballer who also qualified as a doctor - died recently in his mid 50's. Socrates played the game his way, he knew you had to have the will to win, but also knew you need to entertain.When he died recently, all these people who believe you have to win everything felt that they had the last laugh and said he was a loser because he won nothing. How wrong they were, because he was respected, loved and adored all around the world, and the greatest accolade that can be bestowed on any sportsman was that he was unique.I'm delighted to say we in Connacht here can relate to Socrates, because as far as everybody else is concerned we have been battered and bruised but we keep coming back all the time, we play sports in the right manner, always have a smile on our face and we produce the goods.If there was a gold medal to be given out to any province in the world, it should be given to Connacht. Although we might not get the trophy at the end of the year, if you just look around here tonight, and you see the talent we keep producing year in year out, we have the formula and long may it continue.Also can I say when these awards are presented, the person who receives it is usually able to tell you how much they value the award. I know tonight everyone in the room is very honoured and proud to have in our presence John Treacy, a world champion and an Olympic champion, and a champion who has done it in the right and honest way.I know sport has been tainted a bit in the last number of years, but as long as we have John Treacy looking after these games, the good will always outweigh the bad.While I'm on the sport of athletics, we have our own Gary Thornton here competing for the marathon, and he is short a few minutes at the moment, and when the final run comes, if he is short a few seconds and John wants to bend the rules a small bit......... I can assure you, this is no slight on John or anybody, but if he does bend the rules it will go into the Guinness book of records, because it will be the first time anyone has bent the rules for anyone here in Connacht, but we wouldn't have it any other way.Also, the way sport is gone now, it has gone so expensive, I know the panel here and all the people involved are very delighted to have Pad McDonagh's Supermac's on board. I have great respect for Pat McDonagh, not because he sponsors these awards, which get all the publicity, but he sponsors many other awards, and he also does lots of other charity things, which never get a mention.To sum up Pat McDonagh, everyone knows the plight Galway United is in, and he is willing to put his good name, and his good money, behind them, and that says a lot about him. He is one of our own, and long may he continue in business, and we're very proud to have him in Galway.Another reason I was delighted to receive this award, and I say this with my hand on my heart, is that it is the first one I have received from a panel of journalists. The panel of journalists who picked this award, and those who didn't, all of them here tonight from all the different papers, and all the journalists in Connacht, I have the height of respect for them, I really have, from the first ball I ever kicked they gave me nothing but good, they have been complete behind my career, in Galway, everywhere. I've played badly, I've had injuries, I've been sent off, they've never said one bad thing.I have the utmost respect for them, I really have, and not alone are they good journalists, they are good family men and I regard them as my true friends, and I say that from the bottom of my heart, and I am very honoured to receive an award selected by them.When I look back now, I don't think of all the medals I won or lost - and I lost two good ones, missing out on the cup final with Galway United and a European Cup medal with Villa - I don't think of those things at all, I think of all the friends I made, and I hope I made a few enemies as well because if I didn't, I didn't do my job right, and to be honest if I was to go back, I'd make a lot more enemies.The amount of goodwill I have received since I was nominated for this award has been overwhelming, both in Ireland and across the water - my head is so big now I couldn't get into the Ardilaun tonight, and I am very grateful for that. I'd also like to thank all my frineds, and also my family, my wife Mary, my children, my sister Mary, my brothers, my nieces, my cousins, my nephews, for the wonderful support they have given me, on the field of play, without them I wouldn't be the person I am today, and I wouldn't be the person I am today, and I wouldn't be here receiving this award tonight.On behalf of all the sports stars here tonight I'd like to thank all their parents, all their friends, their coaches and their managers for the wonderful support and encouragement they have given.Finally, this will probably be the last award I receive, and I'm going out on a good one, and although the night is young I'm already looking forward to next year's awards, as I know I won't be getting anything!Thank you very much.
Folks; can you let me know if you can see this image? As you may guess I'm experimenting as I don't know how to upload these images. If not someone may be kind enough to guide me.Thanks
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Topic: Eamonn Deacy - RIP (Read 92327 times)
