FIRST he was the most cunning, then the most devious. Now we're told the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, "is the dirtiest of them all".
The earlier, political accolades came courtesy of former Taoiseach Mr Charles J. Haughey. Yesterday, according to Mr Brian Kerr, manager of Ireland's Under-20 soccer team, the Taoiseach's political opponents should be watching for sliding tackles, sharp elbows and sneaky nudges from the Drumcondra "player".
At yesterday's Government Buildings reception for the team, which came so close last week to winning the youth World Cup, Mr Ahern blushed as Mr Kerr reminded him of their days in Dublin's amateur league. "You were a dirt-bird, always looking to give someone a kick," he said. "I only jest," he added.
When asked what position he remembered the Taoiseach playing, Mr Kerr said he was a "kind of full-back."
Mr Kerr used to play for the College of Technology at Kevin Street while Mr Ahern played for a club called All Hampton and Mr Kerr said the Taoiseach had a "serious reputation for sticking the boot in".
Despite this, Mr Kerr was quick to remember the help he had received from Mr Ahern when he was manager at St Patrick's Athletic - a reference to Mr Ahern's part in the campaign to redevelop Richmond Park.
After being told of Mr Ahern's hard-man image, the players seemed to be wary of possible off-the-ball incidents and the arrival of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, did not calm their nerves.
Mr Kerr said he had noticed the Taoiseach had recently chosen a "strange" team for his cabinet, who might get "a battering" in their matches ahead. This drew a small smile from Fianna Fail's answer to Vinny Jones.
Mr Ahern said the tournament in Malaysia had had its bizarre elements, for example the fact that seven players on the Ghana team were born on the same day. The manager then thanked the players for the effort they had put in throughout the tournament.
The Taoiseach said the players had achieved a "remarkable feat" and had given everybody "a huge lift".
The players, who expressed distaste for the food in Malaysia, cleaned the reception out of sandwiches and said they were relieved not to be eating "any more bloody rice