It was a big one, alright. When it comes to the death of a sportsperson there aren't many out there who have had such a profound impact on the Irish nation as Jack Charlton. This morning we have plenty of coverage of his passing with a special commemorative supplement in today's newspaper. There aren't many better ways to haver lived your life than by making millions of people happy but that's what Charlton did in those six rollercoaster years from Euro 88 to USA 94. This morning Malachy Clerkin writes that the outpouring of emotion over the weekend was as much mourning for Charlton as mourning for those great times. Over the course of those six years, Peter Byrne was there all the way reporting on Ireland taking our place at the top table of the biggest sport in the world and this morning he remembers Charlton, who he knew well and collaborated with on his World Cup diaries, as a sensitive and warm soul with a gruff exterior.
It's been clear to see over the weekend just how much Charlton meant to his players and how much of an impact he had on them. Mark Lawrenson was part of the first few years of Charlton's reign and scored the crucial goal in the qualifying win over Scotland in 1987. This morning he writes that searing honesty and a sense of always being in control is what defined Charlton during his time in charge. Over the course of the last two days the tributes have poured in from all corners on television and radio with Mary Hannigan describing it in her column this morning as a proper Irish wake for the man who gave the nation notions.
In other soccer news, Tottenham managed to get one over on rivals Arsenal yesterday thanks to a late Toby Alderweireld goal but this morning Ken Early writes that José Mourinho continues to give a masterclass in going through the motions. "You might feel that someone who still has one of the biggest coaching jobs in the Premier League might make more effort to pretend his love affair with the game burns as brightly as ever," he writes. Meanwhile, in our Game Changers series this morning, Malachy Clerkin looks at the impact Stephen Cluxton has had on Gaelic football, in particular with his kicking game. "He has genuinely shaped his sport. Gaelic football at its sharpest end is a fundamentally different game now than the one that was played when he made his championship debut for Dublin in 2001," he writes.
Moving on to racing and Barry Geraghty called time on his glittering career over the weekend, citing a build-up of injuries as the reason to call it a day. "Even among a peerless generation of riding talent Geraghty was distinctive for the overwhelming cool he brought to bear when the tension was highest," he writes.
Finally to golf and Collin Morikawa held his nerve to seal the Workday Charity Open yesterday after a battle down the stretch and into a playoff with Justin Thomas. It means Morikawa now has more wins than missed cuts in his fledgling career.
