Now that the Gaelic season is winding down I know I put my life in peril that trawl through the shark-infested and bloodied waters of the English Premier League, or 'that foreign sport' as we were told during 'The Emergency'. Now it goes without saying the money being paid to some of the 'top' soccer stars in Britain is nothing short of scandalous. No wonder they have more money than sense to spend on call girls or hookers as we learned when we first watched Miami Vice and Kojak (younger readers please Google), although they say you pay for quality and some of these guys like to talk their problems out with these 'listening' rather than 'call' girls because they claim the wife just won't listen. Any excuse will do.
It is only a matter of time that they experience what we have in Ireland – a major crash.
But to those clubs who are surviving on small beer in the Premier League we offer our heartiest congratulations and continued good luck.
That is why we like to see the mighty fall at the end of the day.
Take poor Manchester City, for instance, the club that has splashed out the most this season and for what?
Is Tevez happy? Will he ever be happy? He doesn't look too content.
No matter how much money you throw at a team, unless there is a team spirit then there are problems down the road and the City boys look like they will be singing a new manager before the Christmas is out.
Money can't buy you happiness, nor love, as The Beatles told us, but I think we all agree you'd would have a hell of a time trying to prove the theory wrong and a good few have died in their efforts.
Of course, we all know that true happiness comes from within yourself and that is why Sir Alex must be the happiest man on the planet at the moment, especially when he sees the goings on across the fence in City land.
The disease has spread. Chelsea went AWOL at the weekend and you just wonder when these gyps pick up a week's wages do they have any pangs of guilt at all? I should think so.
The only honest team, to my reckoning, is Arsenal, who have remained true to their values and persisted with a strong youth policy and have restricted their spending.
My loyalties to Liverpool remain but here again we have one of the big clubs that blows more cold than hot and Roy does not seem to be the answer, but I may stay loyal to my true values any my predication is there won't be any flags flying in Castle Street, Castlebark for a few years as the recession bites and Fergie tiptoes to the Christmas tree only to find Santa has left him nothing. You got to believe!

A good judge of football
It took a special envoy from Ireland to finally get Liverpool FC back on track.
Former District Court Judge John Garavan, officially appointed Mayo's ambassador to Anfield, paid a visit to the Liverpool shrine just in time to hear the Kop in good voice.
For a while the Liverpool bandwagon had been hurling downhill at the speed of sound but the brakes, for the moment at least, have been applied.
A devoted Liverpool fan all his life, John enjoyed his trip and will be returning in jubilant mood to see them lift at least one trophy next season.
Just an aside, and now that he is retired from the bench, we can certainly recall a famous story concerning John and some Dublin football supporters who arrived in Castlebar on the early train for a national league match against Mayo.
Apparently they bumped into John somewhere around the town and enquired would he perchance know where they might found a local emporium that would accommodate them slightly before the legal opening times.
"If you go up Main Street and call to a premises called Mick Byrne's, a little knock on the side door down the alleyway should secure your entrance, and should they ask who told you tell them John Garavan sent you."
The Big Fellow has confirmed surely that a handful of Dublin supporters did arrive for early morning coffer in the premises some years ago.
As they say, they were the good auld days, auld stock!

Search for Loyal supporters
Tommie Goonan tells me the Mayo GAA Board have come up with a good deal in an effort to raise funds for McHale Park.
The Board are looking for 1,000 loyal supporters and obviously they are looking at the Christmas market, and it may solve a problem for what to get that man in your life, if he is still in your life after Christmas, which has a good chance of being cancelled this year if we listen to the doom and gloom.
Anyway, this ticket cost €200 and incorporates a Croke Park season ticket for all national league games, home and away, for Mayo, Mayo's first championship match and all clubs matches at senior, intermediate and junior level for the season of 2011.
You can also purchase an All-Ireland ticket if Mayo are involved in the final. I don't think you'll have to wonder about that one unless James Horan gets a magic wand from Santa for Christmas, but the looks like good value nonetheless and is worth checking out on the Mayo GAA website.