Rant about Irish fans of english soccer.

SteM

Originally posted by pdh
Your very sensitive there.........

You make my point, you have no interest in Irish Soccer at local level yet expect this country to support an international team....

As for Croke Park, would not have soccer in the place, that stadium is for Irish homegrown sports played by and watched by Irish people.

pdh, I've come across people like you before. You're a GAA man who loves to point out that Irish soccer is in trouble. Yeah, irish homegrown sports played and watched by irish people blah, blah, blah.


Stop trolling the soccer board and move along will you? :rolleyes:

WhiteWashMan

Originally posted by pdh
Maybe, thank God we have reunited with the Six Counties and gone back into the UK ! ! !

and proper order too!

Britain for the British I say!

hoolio

I'm just echoing what Irish1 said - how can you expect him to support Kilkenny, Waterford etc when they arent local? I'm from Kerry originally - should i support Cork City? Waterford Utd?I don't see why i should.

The whole point of being a supporter is to give a damn about the club and want it to suceed etc but wouldn't supporting say Cork just because they are in the Eircom League and vaguely geographically close to where i'm from be a total mockery of the word "supporter"? I have no connection with any Eircom League team and i'm not going to invent one just to spite the queen.

I do however have a connection with soccer and enjoy watching it so obivouisly i want to watch it at it's hghest possible level so therefore i watch the premiership every week and bits and pieces of serie a, la liga etc whenever i can - its a much higher standard of soccer so why shouldnt i watch it?

And one final question to the anti-england brigade - will you be watching Euro 04?f so why?Ireland aren't playing,though i guess we'll have to support England - our 'local' team by your reckoning.

Thats my 2 cents basically

DerekD Goldfish

Eireboy gald to see youve decided to suport pats they could use the money as were a bit smashed at the moment.. there is a friendly against sligo rovers next friday at richmond park.
Altough as its a friendly at the start of the season and the crowd wont be massive and there will be a number of frindge player and trialist playing you could do worse.
They currenly have four former african internationals on trial including a camorunian who was in the 98 and 02 world cup squads.
The African player youre proberably refering to is Charles Mbabazi Lininstone unfortunatly after collapsing during a game last season(one of the most depressing sites of my life) he had to retire due to a heart condition. He is currently seeking a second opinion on wheater he can play again but its unlikly.
As for managing them in CM get rid of delaney and mcphee there rubbish and eat up the wage bill try get vinsent pericard or craig fagan on loan and about one seson in spicer will be released by aresnal sign him alan white is also a decent cheep centre half and andy williams from bath add depth to the midfeild.
the official pats website isnt great and isnt updated that regularly the Independant Saints (a pats suporters group) site http://indsaints.proboards9.com/ is good for general discousion on the club
and www.foot.ie is good for general discusion on irish football.

AthAnRi

Well here is what I think.

I'm from Galway, Athenry to be more precise. From a GAA perspective I support my local team, i.e Athenry and Galway, why? because I know a lot of people,My brother and sister included, who play for both team, hence they are family, neighbours and friend and it is only right that I would lend them some support no matter how painful it may be at times. Because 80% of the Irish population have a GAA background of somekind they find it hard to understand why people don't support their local team.

However when it comes to soccer it's a different kettle of fish. There are no laws which dictate who you can and cannot play for. Therefore your neighbour can play for cobh ramblers if he wants so hence it may be possible that his friends and family would support this team.

Another reason is because when Soccer was outlawed in the sixties and seventies, anyone from reland who wanted to play proffessional football had no choice but to move to England. This combined with the general imigration pattern that existed between Ireland and England in these times led to a large Irish population springing up in London, Liverpool and Manchester. More so the latter 2 cause they were the more affordable option, transport wise, for the irish people back in the day. This is the reason so many Irish people played for Liverpool, Everton and Manchester Utd etc. This is also why there is such a strong support for both ManUtd and Liverpool in Ireland.

These are partly the reasons why so many Irish people support teams other than their local teams. However it is also to do with freedom of choice. No one can dictate to some one else who they can and cannot support. I support Man Utd, and I have done since 1986 when they were crap. Why because they played the game I love the way I loved it to be played. Exciting attacking and without a care in the world for defence.

jank

i used to be a season ticket holder for cork city
remember the league maybe 6 years back when it was neck and neck between city and pats
one of the best times of my life however the standard of football went down at city as I also had to get a job thus missing out on most matches the last few years.
I go to as many as I can especially any european ties and cup games.
Went to a few last year and the standard has definately improved in terms of facilites and football
Cork City also have the best crowds in the league
average attendance a year would be around 3-4000
and for the bigger games there would be a sell out of 8000
Not bad for a semi pro culchi team

But 3 things strike me as odd
1 the FAI dont give a damm about the league of ireland
2 Do fans of the league of ireland get preference to irish international games...NO!
3 The league is very dublin dominated and favours the teams from dublin much than outside the greater dublin area!

However i will make no appologies to others because I support Arsenal. This is a free country and if I want to support a team form england or fiji than i will and nobody can make me feel bad because there are not an irish team..etc etc
I support them because they are of a much higher standard of football where they have some of the best players in the world and also play consistently well, if they were fighting for their lives like leeds at the moment i would still support them

I know why people get angry about others supporting english teams but people are free to make up there own minds and at the end of the day you cant make them go to eircom league games! However you will never find me slating the local game as i know many people that put an awfull lot of effort into making it more desirable to watch, the blame lies with the irish people being lazy and the FAI

1 solution to the problem might be unification of the 2 leagues in ireland

Linfield vs Cork City hmmm.. atmosphere to rock and tackles flying in, now that would be worth going to

Try going to an eircom league game. You will be surprised and the atmosphere will be good especially if they are playing a local team or in city's case rovers.. or bohs..or shels or even pats. Nothing like a bit of dublin bashing at a soccer game especially when the away fans make a bit of noise too

basically what im saying why argue when you can have the best of both worlds!!

AthAnRi

As for Croke Park, would not have soccer in the place, that stadium is for Irish homegrown sports played by and watched by Irish people

So why do they allow American Football games to be held there not to mention Pop concerts. Tina Turner was born in a place called Nutbush and I don't think it is some 'Nutbush' from outside connemara. So she's hardly my Idea of an Irish homegrown sport.

Posted by PDH
thank God we have reunited with the Six Counties and gone back into the UK ! ! !

Maybe you should reunite with the society/politics board, and keep your narrow minded opinions away from this board

watman

When are the 2004 Eircom League Fixtures due to be released. Season is meant to start on March 21 which is what Five weeks away . I work Shifts and need fixture lists available so i book hours off and attend home matches at the RSC ?????
In England fixture lists are available well in advance of leagues starting !

Xterminator

Originally posted by jank
1 the FAI dont give a damm about the league of ireland
2 Do fans of the league of ireland get preference to irish international games...NO!
3 The league is very dublin dominated and favours the teams from dublin much than outside the greater dublin area!

1. I agree

2. Why should they? Do you think season ticket holders of say Hereford should get preferencial treatment to England internationals? Or Livingstone supporters get 1st choice for scottish internationals? Please justify?

3. I suppose the English premiership is dominated by Teams from metropolitan areas too? Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal with Liverpool and Newcastle usually accepted at the top 5.
Could that be that it is simply a sounder economic model to be based in an large city with a greater number of potential fans? I mean look at the % of population in the Greater Dublin Area, compared to the rest of the country.
Also there is less of the Homespun Irish Games fanatisicm in Dublin, than in the more rural areas.

Oh, and the top Spanish and Italian teams are all from, you guessed it, major cities!

Originally posted by jank

1 solution to the problem might be unification of the 2 leagues in ireland

I agree with you.

It might make a true professional top flight league economical.

I admire the way Irish Rugby have shown that a unified Irish team, with the provicences competing against each other, admittedly in a very european context has benifitted the entire sport, from grassroots to the top flight.

I'm not sure the will is there, for soccer to take the hard decisions, nor can i say what to do with the sectarian nutters associated with some if the norths teams .

X

cournioni

All I have to say is that as much as I would love to support Irish soccer week in, week out. The standard of football is simply too poor for the money. I would much rather watch Manchester United than Dundalk, because the standard is simply higher. I think some of the money paid to the players in EL football is stupid at their standard of football.

I think Pat Spillane was right in saying that the GAA players deserve the money more, because at least you are guaranteed 9 times out of ten to get a good match. The EL is a joke, and will continue to be so until the FAI sort themselves out and start supporting the clubs as much as they are supporting themselves with their first class tickets to Saipan etc.

The only sport I will follow in Ireland will be the Gaelic games until then. And I shall continue to support Manchester United, because that was who I was brought up to support. End of story.

pdh

Some of the contributions to my initial post were insightful and intelligent, however sorry to say that the majority missed my point and could only add infantile insults and misrepresentations of the points I was making.

Some people offered the excuse of the quality been offered by the eircom league as an excuse to abandon domestic soccer, to follow this to its final logic, they should stop supporting the FAI National team as in the majority of cases its made up of second rate players from the lower English leagues.

I just have to accept the fact that the cause of "Irish Soccer" is dead, however will still continue to support my local soccer team and also watch quality soccer from whatever country it might come from.
Unlike the majority of contributors to this discussion, I don't confine my watching habits to England only. Not Anglo centric, there is life beyond the English Channel.

Ciao

Shaque attack

they should stop supporting the FAI National team

i dont support the national team so your logic is fairly correct;)

DerekD Goldfish

When are the 2004 Eircom League Fixtures due to be released. Season is meant to start on March 21 which is what Five weeks away . I work Shifts and need fixture lists available so i book hours off and attend home matches at the RSC ?????

fixtures due in two weeks time another reason to suport the EL the constant comedy provided by those who run it.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by pdh
Some people offered the excuse of the quality been offered by the eircom league as an excuse to abandon domestic soccer, to follow this to its final logic, they should stop supporting the FAI National team as in the majority of cases its made up of second rate players from the lower English leagues.

How can you compare the likes of Duff, Keane, Carr, Finnan, Holland, O'Shea, Given, Cunningham, Miller, Z.Kilbane, etc. to players in the Eircom league?

You obviously haven't got a clue about fooball in any country as some of the the the things you have said have been ridiculous. As someone said already you are a GAA fan and by saying "No way would I let them into Croke Park" just justifies that.

AmenToThat

Originally posted by gandalf
OK a couple of issues here. You came on spouting about racism in English football providing no proof or links about it.

Secondally what did you expect people not to point out that there are problems with racists and football all the way across Europe. Infact Whitewashmans post was totally relevant to this thread as its about Irish People supporting English clubs over Irish ones. He was demonstrating that racism exists in Ireland as well.


Gandalf.

Your right I didnt provide any info and for that I am guilty.

I must say though that I find it hard to believe that anyone who has a tv with English channels on it would have failed to see the stories last week which were carried on all British channels with news programs.
The stories realated to a report dealing with the extent and nature of racism in the English game which is where I got my facts from

Also worth noting that Whitewashman didnt provide any back up information either but "he was DEMONSTRATING that racism exists in Ireland as well" where as "I came on SPOUTING about racism in English football providing no proof or links about it"

Seems highly unlikely that Im gonna get a fair trail on this one..................

AmenToThat

Originally posted by WhiteWashMan
i used to go and watch shamrock rovers when they were in milltown and then when they moved to the rds.
i used to hear people like you comment on the english game, who wondered how could anyone support english clubs when we have teams like rover to follow.

then someone would start up a rousing rendition of 'go on home british soldiers. go on home' or the fields of athenry, or some such song.

are you going to tell me thats not racist?

People like me?
What info have I provided that brought you to this conclusion?
Are you trying to link me with racist behaviour?

AmenToThat

Originally posted by WhiteWashMan

come on.
tell the truth.
people dont like it when irish people support an english cliub becasue they feel threatened over the whole english thing.
because they have no problem with scotish clubs. especially celtic.
so it really is just english clubs isnt it.
its becasue really, a lot of irish people are petty, racisit little bigots isnt it.
go on. tell the truth.
you will feel better for it.

Again I say are you trying to indicate that Im racist?
If so please provide some evidence to back up this claim?

If however I am mistaken and you are talking about Irish people in general then why are you linking this theory of yours to me and asking me to tell the truth for all Irish people and that I will feel better for it?

jank

Originally posted by Xterminator








I agree with you.

It might make a true professional top flight league economical.

I admire the way Irish Rugby have shown that a unified Irish team, with the provicences competing against each other, admittedly in a very european context has benifitted the entire sport, from grassroots to the top flight.

I'm not sure the will is there, for soccer to take the hard decisions, nor can i say what to do with the sectarian nutters associated with some if the norths teams .

X

2. Why should they? Do you think season ticket holders of say Hereford should get preferencial treatment to England internationals? Or Livingstone supporters get 1st choice for scottish internationals? Please justify?

why shouldnt they?
you will see at the game today how many glory hunters will be out at the game versus brazil. The people who go to the national league games week in wekk out and put real money into the game should get preference over idiots from D4 who dont have a clue, and im not saying that all the people who go to internationals are like that but i can think of very few people i know of who can get tickets to these games and ALL of them are involved at the grass roots level, does that seem fair! oh right life aint fair!:rolleyes:

I suppose the English premiership is dominated by Teams from metropolitan areas too? Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal with Liverpool and Newcastle usually accepted at the top 5.
Could that be that it is simply a sounder economic model to be based in an large city with a greater number of potential fans? I mean look at the % of population in the Greater Dublin Area, compared to the rest of the country.
Also there is less of the Homespun Irish Games fanatisicm in Dublin, than in the more rural areas.

Oh, and the top Spanish and Italian teams are all from, you guessed it, major cities!

well first of all get over yourself, dublin is big but is not ireland for feck sake and for the undispituted fanatisicm:rolleyes: of dublin teams, how come a much smaller club outside of dublin can produce crowds twice as large regularly than any other club in the land!?

also how many top dublin clubs ply their trade outside the inner city(Co dublin and surrounding commuter belt)?!
you will find none. the point I was making was when was the last time a non dublin team won the league
Dublin is where the money is invested and is not spread around the country to other counties/cities(what there are other cities in ireland other than dublin )who need it more

i think real success will be gaged i europe, irish teams have to do well in europe to be counted

TwoShedsJackson

Originally posted by AmenToThat
Again I say are you trying to indicate that Im racist?
If so please provide some evidence to back up this claim?

Perhaps you might give him more than nine minutes to reply at 1.45 in the morning?? :rolleyes:

AmenToThat

Originally posted by TwoShedsJackson
Perhaps you might give him more than nine minutes to reply at 1.45 in the morning?? :rolleyes:

Thanks for taking such a strong interest in my views, good to know that someone is taking what I have to say onboard!