Codify Infotech
Currency and Language Translation >>>
gbBritish Pound Sterling
gbEnglish
Currency and Language Translation >>>
Shopping Basket 0
Ireland's Breaking Point : The World Cup Feud That Shook a Nation by Payton Winns
Ireland's Breaking Point : The World Cup Feud That Shook a Nation by Payton Winns
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024

Ireland's Breaking Point : The World Cup Feud That Shook a Nation by Payton Winns

Regular price £23.93
"Saipan's Perfect Storm The Fight
That Tore Irish Football Apart"

In the annals of sports controversies, few incidents have captured a nation's attention quite like the Saipan incident of 2002, when Ireland's World Cup dreams imploded before a ball was even kicked. Payton Winns' "Ireland's Breaking Point" arrives at a fascinating time, as the wounds from this historic fallout continue to resonate in Irish football.
This compact but compelling work dives deep into what The Irish Times calls "a phoney war, where nobody died and everybody lost." The brilliance of Winns' narrative resides in its capacity to surpass the straightforward dichotomy of Team Roy versus Team Mick, instead delving into the intricate network of personalities, principles, and pride that precipitated this tumultuous conflict.
The book's greatest strength is its thorough examination of both principal characters. We see McCarthy, the manager, trying to maintain authority while preparing for Ireland's biggest sporting moment in years, and Keane, the team's best-known, most successful player, whose uncompromising standards clashed with what he perceived as amateur preparations. Winns skilfully portrays how their confrontation became a proxy war for deeper issues in Irish society and sport.
What sets this account apart is its exploration of the aftermath. While many know the basic story, Winns reveals how the incident's ripples extended far beyond football. The author shows how the Genesis report would later vindicate many of Keane's criticisms about the Football Association of Ireland's management, adding crucial context to the immediate drama.
The narrative is particularly strong when examining how this controversy divided Irish society. Through meticulous research and captivating storytelling, Winns demonstrates how the Saipan incident ignited discussions about Irish identity, professionalism, and the interplay between individual principles and collective duty.
However, the book occasionally resorts to rehashing well-worn territory. Some readers might wish for more new revelations or insights, especially given the wealth of material already published about this incident over the past two decades. 
The Film That Reopens Ireland's Most Infamous Football Wound
Despite this minor shortcoming, "Ireland's Breaking Point" succeeds in its ambitious goal of placing the Saipan incident within a broader cultural and historical context. It's particularly timely given that a film adaptation of these events is now in production, starring Steve Coogan as McCarthy, released in the summer of 2025.
For football fans, this book offers a thoughtful examination of one of the sport's most fascinating conflicts. For those interested in Irish society and culture, it provides valuable insights into how sporting moments can become cultural touchstones. Winns has crafted a narrative that shows how what happened on a small Pacific island continues to echo through Irish football and society today.
While the book might not definitively settle the debate about who was right or wrong in Saipan, it succeeds in something more valuable: helping us understand why this moment continues to captivate and divide opinion more than two decades later. In doing so, it makes a valuable contribution to both sports literature and Irish cultural history. This is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding how a football dispute became a defining moment in modern Irish history and why its implications continue to resonate today.
ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48
Publisher: Independently Published
Published:  November 23, 2024
Paperback: £23.93, 80 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8300958664
 Image
"Saipan's Perfect Storm The Fight
That Tore Irish Football Apart"

In the annals of sports controversies, few incidents have captured a nation's attention quite like the Saipan incident of 2002, when Ireland's World Cup dreams imploded before a ball was even kicked. Payton Winns' "Ireland's Breaking Point" arrives at a fascinating time, as the wounds from this historic fallout continue to resonate in Irish football.
This compact but compelling work dives deep into what The Irish Times calls "a phoney war, where nobody died and everybody lost." The brilliance of Winns' narrative resides in its capacity to surpass the straightforward dichotomy of Team Roy versus Team Mick, instead delving into the intricate network of personalities, principles, and pride that precipitated this tumultuous conflict.
The book's greatest strength is its thorough examination of both principal characters. We see McCarthy, the manager, trying to maintain authority while preparing for Ireland's biggest sporting moment in years, and Keane, the team's best-known, most successful player, whose uncompromising standards clashed with what he perceived as amateur preparations. Winns skilfully portrays how their confrontation became a proxy war for deeper issues in Irish society and sport.
What sets this account apart is its exploration of the aftermath. While many know the basic story, Winns reveals how the incident's ripples extended far beyond football. The author shows how the Genesis report would later vindicate many of Keane's criticisms about the Football Association of Ireland's management, adding crucial context to the immediate drama.
The narrative is particularly strong when examining how this controversy divided Irish society. Through meticulous research and captivating storytelling, Winns demonstrates how the Saipan incident ignited discussions about Irish identity, professionalism, and the interplay between individual principles and collective duty.
However, the book occasionally resorts to rehashing well-worn territory. Some readers might wish for more new revelations or insights, especially given the wealth of material already published about this incident over the past two decades. 
The Film That Reopens Ireland's Most Infamous Football Wound
Despite this minor shortcoming, "Ireland's Breaking Point" succeeds in its ambitious goal of placing the Saipan incident within a broader cultural and historical context. It's particularly timely given that a film adaptation of these events is now in production, starring Steve Coogan as McCarthy, released in the summer of 2025.
For football fans, this book offers a thoughtful examination of one of the sport's most fascinating conflicts. For those interested in Irish society and culture, it provides valuable insights into how sporting moments can become cultural touchstones. Winns has crafted a narrative that shows how what happened on a small Pacific island continues to echo through Irish football and society today.
While the book might not definitively settle the debate about who was right or wrong in Saipan, it succeeds in something more valuable: helping us understand why this moment continues to captivate and divide opinion more than two decades later. In doing so, it makes a valuable contribution to both sports literature and Irish cultural history. This is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding how a football dispute became a defining moment in modern Irish history and why its implications continue to resonate today.
ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48
Publisher: Independently Published
Published:  November 23, 2024
Paperback: £23.93, 80 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8300958664

More from this collection

Please select

0
Complete
gb United Kingdom
gb United Kingdom
af Afghanistan
ax Åland Islands
al Albania
dz Algeria
ad Andorra
ao Angola
ai Anguilla
ag Antigua Barbuda
ar Argentina
am Armenia
aw Aruba
ac Ascension Island
au Australia
at Austria
az Azerbaijan
bs Bahamas
bh Bahrain
bd Bangladesh
bb Barbados
by Belarus
be Belgium
bz Belize
bj Benin
bm Bermuda
bt Bhutan
bo Bolivia
ba Bosnia Herzegovina
bw Botswana
br Brazil
io British Indian Ocean Territory
vg British Virgin Islands
bn Brunei
bg Bulgaria
bf Burkina Faso
kh Cambodia
cm Cameroon
cad Canada
cv Cape Verde
bq Caribbean Netherlands
ky Cayman Islands
cf Central African Republic
td Chad
cl Chile
cn China
cx Christmas Island
cc Cocos (Keeling) Islands
co Colombia
km Comoros
cg Congo Brazzaville
cd Congo Kinshasa
ck Cook Islands
cr Costa Rica
ci Côte d'Ivoire
hr Croatia
cw Curaçao
cy Cyprus
cz Czechia
dk Denmark
dj Djibouti
dm Dominica
do Dominican Republic
ec Ecuador
eg Egypt
sv El Salvador
gq Equatorial Guinea
er Eritrea
ee Estonia
sz Eswatini
et Ethiopia
fk Falkland Islands
fo Faroe Islands
fj Fiji
fi Finland
fr France
gf French Guiana
pf French Polynesia
tf French Southern Territories
ga Gabon
gm Gambia
ge Georgia
de Germany
gh Ghana
gi Gibraltar
gr Greece
gl Greenland
gd Grenada
gp Guadeloupe
gt Guatemala
gg Guernsey
gn Guinea
gw GuineaBissau
gy Guyana
ht Haiti
hn Honduras
hk Hong Kong SAR
hu Hungary
is Iceland
in India
id Indonesia
iq Iraq
ie Ireland
im Isle of Man
il Israel
it Italy
jm Jamaica
Japan
je Jersey
jo Jordan
kz Kazakhstan
ke Kenya
ki Kiribati
xk Kosovo
kw Kuwait
kg Kyrgyzstan
la Laos
lv Latvia
lb Lebanon
ls Lesotho
lr Liberia
ly Libya
li Liechtenstein
lt Lithuania
lu Luxembourg
mo Macao SAR
mg Madagascar
mw Malawi
my Malaysia
mv Maldives
ml Mali
mt Malta
mq Martinique
mr Mauritania
mu Mauritius
yt Mayotte
mx Mexico
md Moldova
mc Monaco
mn Mongolia
me Montenegro
ms Montserrat
ma Morocco
mz Mozambique
mm Myanmar (Burma)
na Namibia
nr Nauru
np Nepal
nl Netherlands
nc New Caledonia
nz New Zealand
ni Nicaragua
ne Niger
ng Nigeria
nu Niue
nf Norfolk Island
mk North Macedonia
no Norway
om Oman
pk Pakistan
ps Palestinian Territories
pa Panama
pg Papua New Guinea
py Paraguay
pe Peru
ph Philippines
pn Pitcairn Islands
pl Poland
pt Portugal
qa Qatar
re Réunion
ro Romania
ru Russia
rw Rwanda
ws Samoa
sm San Marino
st São Tomé and Príncipe
sa Saudi Arabia
sn Senegal
rs Serbia
sc Seychelles
sl Sierra Leone
sg Singapore
sx Sint Maarten
sk Slovakia
si Slovenia
sb Solomon Islands
so Somalia
za South Africa
gs South Georgia South Sandwich Islands
kr South Korea
ss South Sudan
es Spain
lk Sri Lanka
sh St Helena
kn St Kitts Nevis
lc St Lucia
mf St Martin
pm St Pierre Miquelon
vc St Vincent Grenadines
bi St. Barthélemy
bl St. Barthélemy
sd Sudan
sr Suriname
sj Svalbard Jan Mayen
se Sweden
ch Switzerland
tw Taiwan
tj Tajikistan
tz Tanzania
th Thailand
tl TimorLeste
tg Togo
tk Tokelau
to Tonga
tt Trinad Tobago
ta Tristan da Cunha
tn Tunisia
tr Turkey
tm Turkmenistan
tc Turks Caicos Islands
tv Tuvalu
ug Uganda
ua Ukraine
ae United Arab Emirates
us United States
uy Uruguay
um US Outlying Islands
uz Uzbekistan
vu Vanuatu
va Vatican City
ve Venezuela
vn Vietnam
wf Wallis Futuna
eh Western Sahara
ye Yemen
zm Zambia
zw Zimbabwe
gbBritish Pound Sterling
gb British Pound Sterling
au Australian Dollar
cad Canadian Dollar
eur Euro
nz New Zealand Dollar
us United States Dollar
ae United Arab Emirates Dirham
ch Swiss Franc
cn Chinese Yuan
hk Hong Kong Dollar
Japanese Yen
an Netherlands Antillean Guilder
dk Danish Krone
gg Guernsey Pound
je Jersey Pound
sg Singapore Dollar
gbEnglish
gb English
fr French
de German
es Spanish
br Portuguese (Brazil)
in Hindi
tr Turkish
kr Korean
Japanese
cz Czech
cn Chinese (Simplified)
it Italian
fi Finnish
se Swedish
no Norwegian
hu Hungarian
pl Polish
ba Bosnian
hr Croatian
dk Danish
ee Estonian
We convert with