Roddy Collins

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Roddy Collins grew up in North Dublin. In his eighteen year career as a striker – spanning Ireland, Wales and England – he changed club 20 times. As a manager he specialised in surviving relegation battles, and in not surviving battles with chairmen and owners. He was a persistent thorn in the side of FAI boss John Delaney, at a time in Irish football when no other dared to stand up to him. Through the reality show The Rod Squad, his column in the Irish daily Star and his punditry work, Roddy has established as the biggest and wittiest personality ever produced by Irish Football.

His new book, ‘The Rodfather’ was published in 2022. The hilarious memoir was written in collaboration with the journalist and author Paul Howard.
Roddy puts his long career all down on paper for the first time – the adventures, the rows and the craic – in what is not only one of the funniest but also one of the most eye-opening books ever written about professional football.

As a guest speaker, Roddy captivates his audience with personal anecdotes and entertaining stories.

What others say –

-‘I could have listened to him all day’.

-‘It’s a pity the match had to interrupt Roddy’

-‘What a man, that was an incredible listen’

Quotes

‘Ever since Roddy Collins has come into the 2 Johnnies world, every other guest has had to work that little bit harder to try and come into the same ballpark as the Rodfather. Hes the master of the anecdote, the king of the one liner and one of those rare warm personalities who you don’t want to leave once the job is done’.

‘Roddy Collins was born to make people laugh until they get a cramp. An extraordinary human being, he is courageous, honest, sensitive, spiky, dramatic and empathetic. When he sits down in company, everyone else sits back and enjoys the show. Every time I have interviewed him I have alternated between fascination and helpless laughter, He is perhaps the greatest natural entertainer in Ireland, always leaving us wanting more’.

‘Cliftonville FC recently had Roddy at out pre match lunch as the guest speaker to entertain a healthy crown of over 100 seated guests. These slots normally last 20-30 minutes as we are limited due to the kick off time, however we started early to ensure we got as much time in as possible.
A few of us read Roddy’s book prior to the munch so we were excited to hear the stories from the horses mouth, what we did not expect was how personal Roddy made each anecdote to the audience he had in front of him. Roddy played 7 times for Cliftonville and we had more stories than appearances which meant the audience was captivated from start to finish.

“Roddy has spoken on a number of occasions , at various events in Ballymun. As a teacher in Trinity Comprehensive, I got him in on a number of occasions to talk to our Sports Scholarship students . He is probably the most engaging speaker we have had .
As a member of Ballymun Health and Fitness , we asked Roddy to speak to the most talented upcoming elite athletes from Ballymun. So last November, Sat 19th , Roddy ( with Kellie Harrington, Noel King and others ) gave of his time to inspire the next generation.
Previously we had him give a talk on the Top Ten Tips for managers – again he stole the show in a room full of reputable soccer people .
In a previous capacity, as Head Coach of the NECSL Emerging Talent Programme ( FAI ) , I had Roddy speak to the coaches on a number of occasions. He reads the room , thinks on his feet , is humorous and damn engaging .” –

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