Northern Ireland v Norway Official Match Programme

Don’t shout at me. I accept I am just an old traditionalist. Ancient and craggy, set in my ways and unwilling to consider change. SOME TRADITIONS ARE WORTH KEEPING

Gareth McAuley in the thick of the action during the friendly international against Norway in Belfast in February 2012.

There is nothing wrong with liking things to be as they have been. There is comfort in the certainty that such an approach brings. We are not blindsided by innovation and unsure as to what to do. In footballing terms I like referees to wear black (the chants don’t really work otherwise!), players should be made to wear black boots (none of this silly pink or pastel shades), the FA Cup Final should take place on a Saturday afternoon at three o’clock (preferably preceded by a Celebrity Cup Final It’s A Knockout) and Germany should always win the

penalty shoot-outs (what sort of a crazy universe would it be if they didn’t?). However, like all football traditionalists, there are some traditions that I would really like to see the back of. Our spanking brand new National Football Stadium has managed to put an end to the rusting barbed wire and weeds in the terraces that welcomed visitors to the old Windsor Park in its later years. That was a tradition we are delighted to have placed in the annals of history.

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