LOI Player Gets Cal Up to Ireland Squad

patmac

gustavo wrote: »

who are presumably even more brutal than Athlone Town

Yea but a lot closer and i know some of the lads playing

SectionF

premierstone wrote: »

I do support my ''home league'' but it happens to be a Junior league and not the farce that is the LOI (professional league my ar*e)

What team?

premierstone

SectionF wrote: »

What team?

Nenagh Town

stovelid

ibh wrote: »

That’s a fairly amazing figure tbh. It is also worth noting that the EPL is widely followed in Norway(much like in Ireland) as well as numerous other leagues and yet their local league doesn’t suffer.

I lived in Norway for a while and the lads I met there were all EPL nuts, but like you said, all went to watch the local team.

ibh

stovelid wrote: »

I lived in Norway for a while and the lads I met there were all EPL nuts, but like you said, all went to watch the local team.

TBH that is the catagory that i fall into myself. I go to all Dundalk's home games and the odd away one when possible. But i also go to a Pool game whenever possible and i would also follow them quite closely.
I do have friends who live in areas (like the one's i mentioned) and they have no local team to support. I understand why they are indifferent to the EL.

SectionF

premierstone wrote: »

Nenagh Town

You support Chelsea/EPL because LoI isn't good enough for you. But you also support Nenagh Town. No disrespect to them, but are they better than LoI?

stovelid

ibh wrote: »

TBH that is the catagory that i fall into myself. I go to all Dundalk's home games and the odd away one when possible. But i also go to a Pool game whenever possible and i would also follow them quite closely.
I do have friends who live in areas (like the one's i mentioned) and they have no local team to support. I understand why they are indifferent to the EL.

But most EPL fans live further away and never watch their team live either. The point is that people from those places don't say I like x_loi team but wish I lived closer. They say: x_loi team is sh*t.

What you say about Liverpool and Dundalk would be me, except that it's Rovers/Manu, and nearly every LOI fan that I know would fall into this category.

premierstone

SectionF wrote: »

You support Chelsea/EPL because LoI isn't good enough for you. But you also support Nenagh Town. No disrespect to them, but are they better than LoI?

Not really sure where you got the idea that I support Chelsea or the EPL tbh, think you have me confused with someone else I support Celtic and I make no apologies for it, and I follow Nenagh Town because its my local team and I know most of them and there is no local LOI team here, really is it that hard to understand??

ibh

stovelid wrote: »

But most EPL fans live further away and never watch their team live either. The point is that people from those places don't say I like x_loi team but wish I lived closer. They say: x_loi team is sh*t.

Yea but for someone who lives say 30 miles from a 1st Div LOI club and as a youngster never had the opportunity to go and see them play, and bond with the team, it is going to be very hard for them to pick-up support of said club.
On the other side, they have probably had tv coverage of the EPL available from a young age (something that the LOI Div 1 still doesn't have) and have had the chance to get to know their team, even if it isn't in the flesh and as they grow up, that allegiance to that club would remain.

Like if i'm honest i wouldn't expect someone from say Laois or Offaly to bother their arses to travel to Kildare to watch pretty low standard football.

CiaranC

ibh wrote: »

Yea but for someone who lives say 30 miles from a 1st Div LOI club and as a youngster never had the opportunity to go and see them play, and bond with the team, it is going to be very hard for them to pick-up support of said club.
On the other side, they have probably had tv coverage of the EPL available from a young age (something that the LOI Div 1 still doesn't have) and have had the chance to get to know their team, even if it isn't in the flesh and as they grow up, that allegiance to that club would remain.

Like if i'm honest i wouldn't expect someone from say Laois or Offaly to bother their arses to travel to Kildare to watch pretty low standard football.

All fair enough and valid points. as long as we dont confuse these people with, you know, real football fans.

SectionF

premierstone wrote: »

Not really sure where you got the idea that I support Chelsea or the EPL tbh, think you have me confused with someone else I support Celtic and I make no apologies for it, and I follow Nenagh Town because its my local team and I know most of them and there is no local LOI team here, really is it that hard to understand??

Sorry... wrong British team. I picked it up wrongly that you supported Chelsea. Must be thinking of someone else.

Still... you did say, didn't you, that the reason you didn't follow LoI was because it wasn't good enough (as well as enormous distance from north Tipp, which seems not to deter you in the case of a team from Glasgow).

premierstone

SectionF wrote: »

Sorry... wrong British team. I picked it up wrongly that you supported Chelsea. Must be thinking of someone else.

Still... you did say, didn't you, that the reason you didn't follow LoI was because it wasn't good enough (as well as enormous distance from north Tipp, which seems not to deter you in the case of a team from Glasgow).

Well the reason I dont follow a LOI team is because i never really had any exposure to the league or any proximity to any particular club and the reason I support Celtic is because my dad is a life long fan and lived in Glasgow for many years and I have been attending matches at parkhead since I was about 7.

SectionF

Well I think it's sad that a whole family can show allegiance to a British team and none to an Irish team, just because of media exposure.

patmac

stovelid wrote: »

I lived in Norway for a while and the lads I met there were all EPL nuts, but like you said, all went to watch the local team.

Norway get good local crowds because that is all they have, they love their winter sports but then the soccer season has it's winter break then. It's a lot cheaper for Irish EPL fans to hop over to England to watch games than for Norwegians. Soccer over here moved to summertime in direct opposition to the GAA and seems to be losing out in terms of fans etc. Somebody might be able to come up with attendance figures to see if they have declined since the move?
There was 10,200 at the Galway County Hurling Final last weekend which is probably more than the whole eircom league put together and that was just a club game, with similar figures for other county games around the country. I'm not saying anyone sport is better than others but the Eircom League has a lot of competition from the EPL, the GAA and rugby and only a small customer base so maybe that's why it is struggling attendance wise.

patmac

SectionF wrote: »

Well I think it's sad that a whole family can show allegiance to a British team and none to an Irish team, just because of media exposure.

Or a higher standard of football.

premierstone

SectionF wrote: »

Well I think it's sad that a whole family can show allegiance to a British team and none to an Irish team, just because of media exposure.

Your entitled to your opinion I guess, but as I've said already I dont think I need to justify who I support and why to anyone.

podge018

patmac wrote: »

Or a higher standard of football.

He wants a higher standard of football and chooses the SPL? Don't make me laugh.

stovelid

patmac wrote: »

Or a higher standard of football.

Where are you from?

Why doesn't everybody just support Kilkenny and Kerry if a high standard is the sole arbiter?

premierstone

podge018 wrote: »

He wants a higher standard of football and chooses the SPL? Don't make me laugh.

Firstly I never mentioned that I supported Celtic because of it been ''a higher standard'' and while you've brought it up do you honestly think that the LOI is the same standard as the SPL, now think carefully before you answer its a tricky one!

podge018

my point was why go one rung up the ladder? It's like slating Big Brother cos it's rubbish television, but being an avid Celebrity Jungle fan.

And anyway, majority of the SPL would be on a par with the top 4 in the LoI, I have no doubt about that.

premierstone

podge018 wrote: »

And anyway, majority of the SPL would be on a par with the top 4 in the LoI, I have no doubt about that.

But i dont support the majority of the SPL I support Celtic

podge018

Good man. Anyway, I was initially replying to patmc who inferred you might follow Celtic for the reason that it's a higher standard of football. I think that's funny.

patmac

stovelid wrote: »

Where are you from?

Why doesn't everybody just support Kilkenny and Kerry if a high standard is the sole arbiter?

Because were not from there but that's an alliegence to a county or club thing that a lot of soccer fans don't get except maybe EL fans. Look I'm not having a go at Eircom League here and I agree that it's wrong that people who live near Eircom League sides should spend all there money going to England and Scotland, I personally don't and I cancelled Sky and Setanta because I can't justify paying €90 per month to help players buy a 3rd Ferrari.
But the facts are that the EL is dying on it's arse and can't compete with the EPL probably a lot to do with Sky's marketing machine again it would be interesting to see attendance figures in the EL before and after Sky but these figures are not available,and all our top players are still heading to England where earnings and prospects are better, other factors being competition from the GAA and Rugby for local spectators and people do watch more than one sport in case you didn't know.
A lot more time should be spent by fans trying to come up with a way to arrest the decline in the EL instead of bitching about the GAA and fans heading overseas to watch games.

patmac

podge018 wrote: »

Good man. Anyway, I was initially replying to patmc who inferred you might follow Celtic for the reason that it's a higher standard of football. I think that's funny.

Not many teams in the EL drawing at home with the Champions League and Premier League winners in front of 60000 at the moment.

premierstone

podge018 wrote: »

Good man. Anyway, I was initially replying to patmc who inferred you might follow Celtic for the reason that it's a higher standard of football. I think that's funny.

Each to their own, I think the fact that you believe a LOI team is the same standard as Celtic is absolutely fu*kin hillarious :pac:

podge018

I never said that! You're talking rubbish pal, like you've done all over this thread.

stovelid

patmac wrote: »

A lot more time should be spent by fans trying to come up with a way to arrest the decline in the EL instead of bitching about the GAA and fans heading overseas to watch games.

Yes, it's called the LOI paradox:

1. Decline in the LOI caused directly by EPL fans heading overseas to watch games of their own volition.

2. LOI fans point out that this is the cause of decline in the league

3. LOI fans told that if we don't stop pointing it out, EPL fans will never come to LOI games.

4. See 1.

Do you think any league can survive without the support of its own countrymen? What would have happened 130 years ago if passionate, local supporters had given up on Newton Heath?

Is there any country in the world where you get football fans actually admitting to the ridiculous paradox of starving a league of money and support because it's not good enough? Why is it not good enough?

And the dreadful insult of those fans then saying that it's our fault for pointing it out to them?

podge018

patmac wrote: »

Not many teams in the EL drawing at home with the Champions League and Premier League winners in front of 60000 at the moment.

That's right. And what? By watching Celtic, you are therefore a viewer of the SPL. If you really want to watch a league of a higher standard than the LoI why would somebody choose the SPL? Why not the Premier league, Serie A, La Liga or the jaysus Dutch league!

Pure Cork

patmac wrote: »

There was 10,200 at the Galway County Hurling Final last weekend which is probably more than the whole eircom league put together and that was just a club game, with similar figures for other county games around the country. I'm not saying anyone sport is better than others but the Eircom League has a lot of competition from the EPL, the GAA and rugby and only a small customer base so maybe that's why it is struggling attendance wise.

Adding up the LOI clubs average attendances and dividing by 2, you'd be looking at averaging around 14000 people attending games on any given weekend. There's no denying that that's a poor turnout.

patmac wrote: »

Not many teams in the EL drawing at home with the Champions League and Premier League winners in front of 60000 at the moment.

I think he was pointing out that the SPL excluding Celtic and Rangers is about the same standard as the LOI. He's not wrong.

stovelid

patmac wrote: »

Not many teams in the EL drawing at home with the Champions League and Premier League winners in front of 60000 at the moment.

By drawing at home, you mean going ahead, playing 10 men in terror behind the ball all night before shipping an equalizer.

The Celtic analogy sucks. As people have said many times before, if standard is the only factor, why support a foreign team that are not even in the top 10 European teams? And as for the SPL general standard....

The Irish thing is an even worse no-brainer. Where else in the world would Irish people ignore Irish teams and support a Scottish team based on tenuous Irish connections?

I moved here from Manchester as a kid, and have a lot of family there, and it's no wonder so many Mancs just laugh at the Irish away brigade.

Pure Cork

premierstone wrote: »

Each to their own, I think the fact that you believe a LOI team is the same standard as Celtic is absolutely fu*kin hillarious :pac:

I think he was pointing out that the SPL excluding Celtic and Rangers is about the same standard as the LOI. He's not wrong.

premierstone

podge018 wrote: »

Good man. Anyway, I was initially replying to patmc who inferred you might follow Celtic for the reason that it's a higher standard of football. I think that's funny.

Pure Cork wrote: »

I think he was pointing out that the SPL excluding Celtic and Rangers is about the same standard as the LOI. He's not wrong.

Where do get that from in he's post PC he quite clearly said Celtic no mention of the SPL or the other 9 teams??

Pure Cork

premierstone wrote: »

Where do get that from in he's post PC he quite clearly said Celtic no mention of the SPL or the other 9 teams??

Celtic play in the SPL. The standard the they play against week-in week-out...;)

If he doesn't mean it fair enough, somebody else has mentioned the point I "interpreted".

Raskolnikov

This thread is frickin' hilarious.

The League of Ireland fanboi's will frequently belittle Irish people because they support a certain club playing in Scotland. However, they collectively wet themselves when a foreigner who plays for a British club is selected from a different country.

podge018

That's exactly what I meant.

A reason put forward by patmc for following Celtic over the LoI was the higher standard olf football on show. Unless you solely watch Celtic in training then it's a flawed argument.

Have you ever watched St. Mirren V Motherwell?

podge018

Raskolnikov wrote: »

This thread is frickin' hilarious.
However, they collectively wet themselves when a foreigner who plays for a British club is selected from a different country.

I have no idea what this is alluding to.

Raskolnikov

Pure Cork wrote: »

I think he was pointing out that the SPL excluding Celtic and Rangers is about the same standard as the LOI. He's not wrong.

You've got to be kidding! Aberdeen last season reached the last 32 in the UEFA cup. No Irish team has even reached the group stages of the same competition. Pat's and Bohs would maybe scrape their way into the SPL, albeit as relegation fodder.

_blank_

Raskolnikov wrote: »

This thread is frickin' hilarious.

The League of Ireland fanboi's will frequently belittle Irish people because they support a certain club playing in Scotland. However, they collectively wet themselves when a foreigner who plays for a British club is selected from a different country.

What?

podge018

Raskolnikov wrote: »

You've got to be kidding! Aberdeen last season reached the last 32 in the UEFA cup. No Irish team has even reached the group stages of the same competition. Pat's and Bohs would maybe scrape their way into the SPL, albeit as relegation fodder.

If you want to start doing comparisons, Elfsborg hammered Hibs and then Pats knocked them out of the UEFA.

patmac

stovelid wrote: »

Yes, it's called the LOI paradox:

1. Decline in the LOI caused directly by EPL fans heading overseas to watch games of their own volition.

2. LOI fans point out that this is the cause of decline in the league

3. LOI fans told that if we don't stop pointing it out, EPL fans will never come to LOI games.

4. See 1.

Do you think any league can survive without the support of its own countrymen? What would have happened 130 years ago if passionate, local supporters had given up on Newton Heath?

Is there any country in the world where you get football fans actually admitting to the ridiculous paradox of starving a league of money and support because it's not good enough? Why is it not good enough?

And the dreadful insult of those fans then saying that it's our fault for pointing it out to them?

I understand your point I just think that there is a lot of EL fans who should spend more of there time on finding a solution than bashing the GAA and EPL (even if you are correct on that one). All Ireland League or Celtic League anyone?

Pure Cork

Raskolnikov wrote: »

This thread is frickin' hilarious.

The League of Ireland fanboi's will frequently belittle Irish people because they support a certain club playing in Scotland. However, they collectively wet themselves when a foreigner who plays for a British club is selected from a different country.

:rolleyes: So I can't post my congratulations to McGinn without getting abuse? A DCFC player being called up to the NI squad is a big deal, mainly because he doesn't play for Linfield or Glens. And as has already been said, NI (and Lithuania) are ranked higher than than the Republic of Ireland and have called-up/started LOI players.

Raskolnikov wrote: »

You've got to be kidding! Aberdeen last season reached the last 32 in the UEFA cup. No Irish team has even reached the group stages of the same competition. Pat's and Bohs would maybe scrape their way into the SPL, albeit as relegation fodder.

Hibs got beaten 4 - 0 on aggregate against Elfsborg in the second round of the Intertoto. Pats then beat Elfsborg 4 - 3 on aggregate in the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round.

Motherwell got knocked out in the first round of the UEFA Cup this year, 3-0 on aggregate. (City did too, but then again with all the stuff that has happened at the club this season...)

Gretna 1 - 5 Derry City

SectionF

Raskolnikov wrote: »

You've got to be kidding! Aberdeen last season reached the last 32 in the UEFA cup. No Irish team has even reached the group stages of the same competition. Pat's and Bohs would maybe scrape their way into the SPL, albeit as relegation fodder.

:pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H1vFbv71Oo

:pac::p

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt488n5HFB4

CHD

I think Gareth37 only starts these threads for these pointless debates.

CiaranC

Raskolnikov wrote: »

You've got to be kidding! Aberdeen last season reached the last 32 in the UEFA cup. No Irish team has even reached the group stages of the same competition. Pat's and Bohs would maybe scrape their way into the SPL, albeit as relegation fodder.

Cant see SectionFs videos above, but I assume they are of the last time aberdeen took on LOI opposition. They were soundly beaten. Derry hammered Gretna, another SPL outfit, last year too.

You know nothing.

gustavo

CHD wrote: »

I think Gareth37 only starts these threads for these pointless debates.

As opposed to the copious other threads on this forum with a point