We toyed with doing a 'Cas slams Irish journos' style headline here but we came (regrettably) to the conclusion that the Irish public are probably unlikely to feel offended on behalf of the Irish journalistic community. It's probable that Cascarino would only win support for such sentiments.
On the Times 'Game' podcast with Gabriele Marcotti, Cas was addressing Matthew Syed's article on footballers and their alleged deficiency in the manners' department. Inevitably, given the month that's in it, footballers were compared unfavourably with the less well-remunerated Olympians.
Cascarino turned it back on the journalists, saying that, in his experience, journalists had nothing to learn from footballers in the field of disrespectful carry-on.
In fact, footballers were saints compared to journalists.
And which nation of journalists distinguished themselves above all other nationalities with their crazy antics? Here's the exchange.
Cas: I've been on tour with footballers. I've also been on tour with journalists. I know what bunch I think are more respectable.
Marcotti: Which ones?
Cas: Footballers. I've seen journalists be worse than footballers.
Marcotti: Hey Tony, just to clarify, Tony Cascarino is not just a former teammate of, but he's good friends with one Edward Sherringham, is that right?
Cas: Yeah
Marcotti: Aka, Teddy.
Cas: Yeah. He's never bad on tour. I can't remember him doing anything that bad?
Marcotti: Was that him in the dentist's chair?
Cas: That was nine days before a game! He was told to go out. They were allowed to go out! Is that that bad? I've been with a good few journalists whose behaviour I'd say has been pretty despicable.
Marcotti: Is Matthew Syed one of them?
Cas: No, nor were you, I've not been out with you Gab, but I've been in Portugal with you and you were well behaved. I haven't been out with Julien (Laurens) but the French boys tend to be very good. But there's a good few others, especially, I don't want to say the wrong thing, but a few of the Irish journalists (laughs) would go a bit crazy
Cas said it haltingly and also laughs when he says it. We're sure he doesn't mean to get at the Irish footballing press too much here. But we are left wondering though. Which Irish journalists might he be talking about?
