Leading members of the Ireland squad that reached the European Championships and World Cup back in 1988 and ‘90 under Jack Charlton expect to raise more than €100,000 for the Liam Miller fund from a reunion held over the last few days at the K Club.
Niall Quinn says he had been toying with the idea of getting all of the players and staff from the Irish team’s most successful ever era back together but had struggled to get the idea off the ground until an offer of major sponsorship and the focus provided by the Miller testimonial helped to bring everything, and everyone, together.
“It’s great,” he says, “the last few days have been really good. We hadn’t had a reunion ever and I got talking to Roy Barrett in A&L Goodbody and he gave me the go-ahead, that he would sponsor it if we could get everyone together.
“Then it worked out that we could do something for Liam Miller with his game on the following night and the lads bought into it and the big massive bonus was Jack travelling. That has made it special for everyone. It’s really buzzing now, it is like we are all back in the team again. The lads are just full of energy for it, it has been great.”
Captivate
Ostensibly a get-together for those were in Germany 30 years ago, the gathering actually included players from across the Charlton era with the likes of Andy Townsend, Mark Lawrenson and Steve Staunton joining players who helped the captivate the nation at Euro ’88 including Mick McCarthy, Ray Houghton and Packie Bonner.
Frank Stapleton was the captain at the tournament and remembers it as “a great era”, recalling that: “we had a fantastic time. We didn’t think that it was going to go as high as it did”.
“One or two aren’t here, the likes of Tony Grealish, who was part of the team I played for and we have to think about lads like that. But Jack looks great. He’s 83. He was out in the buggy today. John [his son] was driving him around and he was passing comments, if not as loud as he used to be, and enjoying himself.
Between the golf, Monday’s dinner and contributions from Goodbodys and other sponsors, the money raised for the Miller fund is expected to edge into six figures.
“No one would ever come in and watch us play football again,” says Quinn, “so this was the best way to do it for Liam; I won’t be able to play, I won’t be able to walk tomorrow!”
Special non-attendance tickets for the sold-out testimonial game in Cork are available at supportliammiller.com
