One of the best aspects of a major tournament for those of us who live in Ireland is without a doubt the airing of Après Match following the live coverage, but one of the stars of the show has us extremely worried after he admitted that he isn't sure whether or not the trio will return for Euro 2016 due to spending elsewhere.
Gary Cooke, who along with Risteárd Cooper and Barry Murphy make up the Après Match team has explained to LimerickPost.ie that as of yet the group are unsure whether or not they will be involved in RTÉ's tournament coverage this year:
With a lot of funds going into 1916 commemoration and the Olympics, they are a big financial drain this year. We’re not quite sure what we are doing yet.
A worrying thought for any fan of the show, especially considering some had expected something bigger than usual for the 20th anniversary of the show.
Of course, there is still time, but we were hoping for something more solid considering Après Match has been such a big part of major tournament viewing in Ireland since Euro 96.
Cooke also explained that during tournaments he must pay close attention to those who he mimics, such as the one and only Eamon Dunphy.
When you are doing a tournament you are a hostage to fortune, to a degree, like living in Eamonn Dunphy’s slipstream really. He is the gift that never stops giving.
We do bump into them and talk to them a little bit. We are doing two different jobs, it is a slightly uncomfortable relationship. On the one hand they are there to do their thing and we are there to take the piss, to try and make comedy out of what they are saying.
That is a duality that could only exist in Ireland.
For the moment we'll cross out fingers and hope that good news is just around the corner, but we must admit that we're a little concerned.
Thankfully there are countless clips on YouTube to distract us and keep up amused.
via LimerickPost.ie
