Club or Country

OPENROAD

Club for me, I hate the thought that we have two weeks until club football returns, I hate weekends like the one coming up

For me I would rather Arsenal won a corner than a world cup win.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

I love it when United win the Premier League or any cup, one of the reasons is that I get to slag off all my Liverpool supporting mates. But mos of the people around support Liverpool so there's no one to really celebrate with and most of the adults around don't care about club soccer, so it's deadly craic when Éireann do well in a tournament or even qualify for one because everyone celebrates together.

CHD

jethro081 wrote: »

i am.

Might come as a shock. They kinda do represent you.....

Sorry to break that to you.

Kev_ps3

OPENROAD wrote: »

For me I would rather Arsenal won a corner than a world cup win.

Why exactly? There seems to be some real anti-Irish people on boards.ie. Love to know where it stems from.

Holsten

Country without a doubt.

I cannot imagine what it would be like if Ireland managed to win even the Euros, let alone the World Cup!

OPENROAD

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

Why exactly? There seems to be some real anti-Irish people on boards.ie. Love to know where it stems from.

Cause I love Arsenal, I feel more emotion when we play, I love The Emirates just like I loved Highbury.

I simply have no emotional feeling towards the national team, how does that equate to being anti Irish

CHD

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

Why exactly? There seems to be some real anti-Irish people on boards.ie. Love to know where it stems from.

Being a LOI fan obv. To be fair the FAI aren't the greatest bunch so they hate the national team and everything that goes with it.

pablomakaveli

CHD wrote: »

Being a LOI fan obv. To be fair the FAI aren't the greatest bunch so they hate the national team and everything that goes with it.

I a LOI fan and don't hate the national team. My interest in the national team has waned over the last few years but i don't hate them. I still like to see them do well.

GLaDOS

CHD wrote: »

so they hate the national team and everything that goes with it.

Nobody has said they hate the national team, at its strongest its just complete lack of interest.

Melion

Holsten wrote: »

Country without a doubt.

I cannot imagine what it would be like if Ireland managed to win even the Euros, let alone the World Cup!

Everyone would be hammered drunk making fools of themselves all over the streets of Ireland. Therefore its Liverpool for me!

L'prof

Melion wrote: »

Everyone would be hammered drunk making fools of themselves all over the streets of Ireland. Therefore its Liverpool for me!

That's different from a regular weekend how?

Melion

All the bandwagon jumpers would be drunk too

Warper

Melion wrote: »

Everyone would be hammered drunk making fools of themselves all over the streets of Ireland. Therefore its Liverpool for me!

You like your soccer hooliganism then

Mr.Nice Guy

Country. Ireland winning the World Cup would transcend the sport itself and would impact on the nation as a whole. Would be way more special to me.

Melion

Warper wrote: »

You like your soccer hooliganism then

Have i missed something?

HalloweenJack

Club all the time.

There's a lot more involvement when you support a club. Internationals only come around every months or so but you have a club match every week.

There's also a lot more emotion involved in supporting a club. You can be relegated, promoted, win the league, European trophies, etc.

In international football, the worst you'll ever do is end up in the bottom pot for the seedings.

There's also the fact that your money reallly matters for your club. I mean international sides aren't financially motivated. Even if the FAI went bust, they'd still be able to field an Irish team. Your money can really make a difference at club level whether it be through buying jerseys, merchandise, match tickets, entering raffle draws, etc.

Club football is so much more exciting than international football. I'd take a Bray win (and we need as much as them as we can get at the mo) over Ireland winning the World Cup anyday.

Bandit12

I love LFC but if i had the choice i'd rather see Ireland win the World cup than LFC win the league. Country will alway's come first.

stovelid

CHD wrote: »

Being a LOI fan obv. To be fair the FAI aren't the greatest bunch so they hate the national team and everything that goes with it.

Horsehit.

The majority of English people that I know feel the same about club vs England.

You can't rationalize it as purely an anti-FAI thing.

Paparazzo

Melion wrote: »

Everyone would be hammered drunk making fools of themselves all over the streets of Ireland. Therefore its Liverpool for me!

Are you serious? There really should be a scarcasm font if your not. Do you believe the scousers in Liverpool would stay sober if Liverpool won the league?

This isn't directed at you Melion, for all I know you could be from Liverpool. But I do think 99% of English football fans in Ireland have no clue about the English city they support. Like to Man-u fans here just hate Man City because they're supposed to?

pablomakaveli

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Club all the time.

There's a lot more involvement when you support a club. Internationals only come around every months or so but you have a club match every week.

There's also a lot more emotion involved in supporting a club. You can be relegated, promoted, win the league, European trophies, etc.

In international football, the worst you'll ever do is end up in the bottom pot for the seedings.

There's also the fact that your money reallly matters for your club. I mean international sides aren't financially motivated. Even if the FAI went bust, they'd still be able to field an Irish team. Your money can really make a difference at club level whether it be through buying jerseys, merchandise, match tickets, entering raffle draws, etc.

Club football is so much more exciting than international football. I'd take a Bray win (and we need as much as them as we can get at the mo) over Ireland winning the World Cup anyday.

Well put. With a club you spend most of the year following them. Their matches are on regularly, you have the oppurtunity to go to more of their games. Basically most football fans will end up investing more time into supporting the club.

With international football it only comes a few times a year which makes it hard to put in that time that will ultimately make you care more.

daniel91

I think with the major sucess of the english clubs and our un-achieving national side, people have lost touch with the national side.

I follow a Premier League club, and am a season ticket holder for a LOI club but at the moment would have to say I would prefer to see sucess for the national team.

Would love to see the excitment back in the country like Euro '88, Italia '90, Usa '94 and even Korea & Japan in 2002. This is the most excitment ive had about the Irish team in ages and just praying we can get to South Africa.

Also as a LOI supporter, sucess for the national team can only do good for the LOI.

jethro081

CHD wrote: »

Might come as a shock. They kinda do represent you.....

Sorry to break that to you.

mmaybe i phrased it badly, but i feel no real affiliation to the national side. i think the fact too that many of the players past and present are not quintessentially irish taints my view of them as representing Ireland. thats not an anti english thing as i support an english club. i just have little or no heed in the international game and as previous posters have said, when the country loses i'm mildly annoyed but when the club loses i'm sickened all week.

Mr.Nice Guy

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Well put. With a club you spend most of the year following them. Their matches are on regularly, you have the oppurtunity to go to more of their games. Basically most football fans will end up investing more time into supporting the club.

With international football it only comes a few times a year which makes it hard to put in that time that will ultimately make you care more.

I'm a bit bemused by this view to be honest. The team are representing the country. What "time" do you have to put in exactly? Surely if you are Irish you can easily identify with those flying your nation's colours?

CHD

stovelid wrote: »

Horsehit.

The majority of English people that I know feel the same about club vs England.

You can't rationalize it as purely an anti-FAI thing.

No its not horsepoopy my friend. It is a reason for some. Ask 100 LOI fans or something.

If i were English i'd hate the national team too. According to the papers they should have won the last 10 tournaments easily. Even the one they weren't at.

Gavin "shels"

Got bored there so asked a few LoI fans, everyone of them said club over country. 2 Waterford fans, a Shels fan, 3 Shams fans (one a female, does that count!?:p), 2 Derry fans, a Cork fan and a Bohs fan.

I'd say outta the 800 odd Shels fans that do be at home matches 9 out of 10 would be club first.

Peyton Manning

Id probably pick country just so you wouldnt have to listen to the bitter begrudgery from opposing club fans which can get more than a bit tiresome at times.

OPENROAD

CHD wrote: »

If i were English i'd hate the national team too. .

Even John Terry,Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard?

CHD

OPENROAD wrote: »

Even John Terry,Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard?

If i were English i wouldn't support a English team, don't be so silly. Foreign teams FTW.

bUILDERtHEbOB

I'd rather watch Galway United live than Liverpool or Ireland, I'd rather watch Liverpool on tv, but I'd rather Ireland win the world cup as opposed to either clubs winning something, if that makes sense?

Reasons being at a Galway match I can get involved singing//chanting with mates and stuff, Liverpool are of a better 'quality' but Anfield is pretty rubbish and Ireland winning something would lead to one massive nationwide piss up.

Xavi6

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

eh Ireland every time. If you asked me whether I would like Man Utd to win every cup this year or see Ireland qualify for the World Cup then I'd choose Ireland every day of the week.

Would it be different if United had never won a trophy and Ireland had won via last 4 World Cups?

shane86

Gavin shels wrote: »

I'd say outta the 800 odd Shels fans that do be at home matches 9 out of 10 would be club first.

Strikes me as bitter small minded people point scoring more than anything. We are real fans, not like the goons who save up thousands to loyally follow their team abroad in plenty of unfashionable non holiday locations like Georgia, Iran, Albania etc etc over the years. Im not sure which is more embarassing- LOI fans who claim (yes, CLAIM) that winning a pre season friendly in a shed stadium against a Kerry amateur side is more important than Ireland winning the world cup, or fans of English sides saying league titles in a foreign land are more important. Bollocks, the lot of it. If we want to be small minded and claim little victories, I could say the goal I scored in a 7 a side this week in the far north of Queensland was without a doubt the most iconic moment in soccer since Maradona made his run from midfield to the England goal in 1986. Crying shame the cameras werent around.

See how petty we can make it? Pathetic. I can understand some English fans wishing to distance themselves from the whole Ingerland barmy army brigade given their less than exemplary off field history re the fans, but FFS, if its all about people with rubber hammers and leprachan hats, god help us. Do you think in Liverpool there are ex Everton fans who hang around stroking their chins and refusing to go to matches because of people turning up wearing the Fellaini wigs? Would the LOI fans here not fancy getting a bit locked if their team won the league? Apparently celebrating a victory with a few drinks isnt the done thing for real fans it would seem.

This real fans vs Oireland fans thing is utter sh1t tbh. As said, who is the better fan, the guy who goes to Tolka every week or the guy who has been following Ireland through thick and thin to the arsehole of Eastern Europe and every tournament during recessions for the last 30 years? Fans of English teams saying they take preference are glory hunters. LOI heads saying the Irish league is more important are attention seeking holier than thou types. Dont know which annoy me more tbh. I like Liverpool but Id rather see us win in Cyprus on Saturday than see Liverpool win a foreign league title.

pablomakaveli

shane86 wrote: »

Strikes me as bitter small minded people point scoring more than anything. We are real fans, not like the goons who save up thousands to loyally follow their team abroad in plenty of unfashionable non holiday locations like Georgia, Iran, Albania etc etc over the years. Im not sure which is more embarassing- LOI fans who claim (yes, CLAIM) that winning a pre season friendly in a shed stadium against a Kerry amateur side is more important than Ireland winning the world cup, or fans of English sides saying league titles in a foreign land are more important. Bollocks, the lot of it. If we want to be small minded and claim little victories, I could say the goal I scored in a 7 a side this week in the far north of Queensland was without a doubt the most iconic moment in soccer since Maradona made his run from midfield to the England goal in 1986. Crying shame the cameras werent around.

See how petty we can make it? Pathetic. I can understand some English fans wishing to distance themselves from the whole Ingerland barmy army brigade given their less than exemplary off field history re the fans, but FFS, if its all about people with rubber hammers and leprachan hats, god help us. Do you think in Liverpool there are ex Everton fans who hang around stroking their chins and refusing to go to matches because of people turning up wearing the Fellaini wigs? Would the LOI fans here not fancy getting a bit locked if their team won the league? Apparently celebrating a victory with a few drinks isnt the done thing for real fans it would seem.

This real fans vs Oireland fans thing is utter sh1t tbh. As said, who is the better fan, the guy who goes to Tolka every week or the guy who has been following Ireland through thick and thin to the arsehole of Eastern Europe and every tournament during recessions for the last 30 years? Fans of English teams saying they take preference are glory hunters. LOI heads saying the Irish league is more important are attention seeking holier than thou types. Dont know which annoy me more tbh. I like Liverpool but Id rather see us win in Cyprus on Saturday than see Liverpool win a foreign league title.

Why are you singling out LOI fans? A lot of English club teams supporters have also said they would like to see their club do well more than Ireland.

Also my lack of interest in the Ireland team has little to do with me following Cork City and the LOI.

stovelid

CHD wrote: »

No its not horsepoopy my friend. It is a reason for some. Ask 100 LOI fans or something.
.

Exactly. Not everyone.

And why are you confusing me with one of your friends?

gustavo

shane86 wrote: »

Strikes me as bitter small minded people point scoring more than anything. We are real fans, not like the goons who save up thousands to loyally follow their team abroad in plenty of unfashionable non holiday locations like Georgia, Iran, Albania etc etc over the years. Im not sure which is more embarassing- LOI fans who claim (yes, CLAIM) that winning a pre season friendly in a shed stadium against a Kerry amateur side is more important than Ireland winning the world cup, or fans of English sides saying league titles in a foreign land are more important. Bollocks, the lot of it. If we want to be small minded and claim little victories, I could say the goal I scored in a 7 a side this week in the far north of Queensland was without a doubt the most iconic moment in soccer since Maradona made his run from midfield to the England goal in 1986. Crying shame the cameras werent around.

See how petty we can make it? Pathetic. I can understand some English fans wishing to distance themselves from the whole Ingerland barmy army brigade given their less than exemplary off field history re the fans, but FFS, if its all about people with rubber hammers and leprachan hats, god help us. Do you think in Liverpool there are ex Everton fans who hang around stroking their chins and refusing to go to matches because of people turning up wearing the Fellaini wigs? Would the LOI fans here not fancy getting a bit locked if their team won the league? Apparently celebrating a victory with a few drinks isnt the done thing for real fans it would seem.

This real fans vs Oireland fans thing is utter sh1t tbh. As said, who is the better fan, the guy who goes to Tolka every week or the guy who has been following Ireland through thick and thin to the arsehole of Eastern Europe and every tournament during recessions for the last 30 years? Fans of English teams saying they take preference are glory hunters. LOI heads saying the Irish league is more important are attention seeking holier than thou types. Dont know which annoy me more tbh. I like Liverpool but Id rather see us win in Cyprus on Saturday than see Liverpool win a foreign league title.

Or maybe they'd genuinely rather see their own club do well than their country
Doesn't mean they'd want Ireland to do badly , Indeed they might want Ireland to win every game just that the question in this case is about preference/

stovelid

The same dopes that are going to make Stephen Ireland's life a misery are the same people that just can't get their head around the fact that club might trump country for some people.

I bet I've been to as many (or even more) Ireland games as a lot of people here, but I'm not being told what is and isn't more important to me.

The club or the league is irrelevant. You have the right not to prioritize the international team over your club without being questioned.

apoch632

The club or the league is irrelevant. You have the right not to prioritize the international team over your club without being questioned

Exactly

As Ian Brown once put it

"It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at"

I just don't feel anything towards the Irish national team. Some people do and more power to them. If Ireland won the world cup next year I wouldn't be happy or sad. It would feel the same to me as Spain winning the euros. I don't wish them ill but I just don't feel anything when it comes to them. Good or bad

Kev_ps3

Xavi6 wrote: »

Would it be different if United had never won a trophy and Ireland had won via last 4 World Cups?

Absolutely not. Ireland is where im from, Man utd is just some Brit team I picked as a young fella and have banter with my Liverpool/Arsenal supporting friends..

eirebhoy

Des wrote: »

Seeing as the Irish national team doesn't represent me,

That's what you want to believe I think. If you wore an Ireland jersey in a foreign country after a win people would congratulate you for it. Jesus I wore my yellow Celtic jersey in San Diego after the Brazil v America game and I was like a celebrity with people thinking it was a Brazil top.

_blank_

eirebhoy wrote: »

That's what you want to believe I think.

I do believe it.

It's my feelings on it, I have no connection to the Irish national team.

eirebhoy wrote: »

If you wore an Ireland jersey in a foreign country after a win people would congratulate you for it.

Fair play to them, but

a. I wouldn't wear an Ireland football jersey.

b. If, by some freak accident, say I'd lost my bag and someone had loaned me one, then I'd tell these people who were congratulating me that they are very welcome. Still doesn't change how I feel about it.

eirebhoy wrote: »

Jesus I wore my yellow Celtic jersey in San Diego after the Brazil v America game and I was like a celebrity with people thinking it was a Brazil top.

And these are the kind of people who would be congratulating me? People who can't tell one jersey from another?

Xavi6

Des wrote: »

a. I wouldn't wear an Ireland football jersey.

Ah now, I'm by no means a patriot, but that's a bit much.

_blank_

Xavi6 wrote: »

Ah now, I'm by no means a patriot, but that's a bit much.

What? Why?

Jaysis, the only football jersey I wear with any kind of regularity is an old Shels one I was bought as a present when I was going to Australia.

I don't buy or wear any football shirts.

Zebra3

eirebhoy wrote: »

Jesus I wore my yellow Celtic jersey in San Diego after the Brazil v America game and I was like a celebrity with people thinking it was a Brazil top.

Seriously, is that meant to be a good thing?

Warper

Whats with all these English wannabes. People seem to care more about a foreign team in a foreign land rather than their own country. Most have absolutely no connection whatsoever with the likes of Manchester or Liverpool yet go on as if they are from the area - our club?? It is not your club and it does not represent you. I support Barcelona, Juventus and Everton basically because it makes it more interesting when you have a "favourite team" when watching soccer on TV. If I had to choose any of these over my own country - well it would be a sad day if I didnt chose Ireland.

As someone mentioned earlier there is so much anti-Ireland blood going around - its as if a lot of people wish they were Scousers or Mancs (some go on as if they are).

eirebhoy

Des wrote: »

And these are the kind of people who would be congratulating me? People who can't tell one jersey from another?

Well it was mainly women and non-soccer fans from America and Mexico but I wouldn't be critisising too much for mistaking the jersey on the day of a Brazil v America final.
http://www.prodirectsoccer.com/prodinfo.asp?PID=PDS-010-009-435&BRAND=0&SS=1&GROUP=CELTIC

Many fans of clubs can't stand the board in control of the club but it's not going to turn them away from it. If you're a patriotic football fan you'll be a support your country imo.

ironictoaster

Des wrote: »

a. I wouldn't wear an Ireland football jersey.

Either would I, disgrace having a sponsor on our national kit.

stovelid

For some people, identifying with a club is patriotic in a way. It's just a more focused regional identification than a national one. You can have a much more substantial link to a club than to your country, especially if you are closely involved with a club on a regular basis, whether through attendance, membership and the likes.

eirebhoy

Zebra3 wrote: »

Seriously, is that meant to be a good thing?

Surely the main reason we celebrate wins and good performances is because of what fans of other teams or countries are thinking. It's embarrassing to lose 5-2 to Cyprus because others think we're rubbish. And the bigger the event, the more people that are watching, the more emotion that's involved.

If Brazil, America, England, Australia, Nigeria, etc. took up Gaelic but the only people that still watched it were the Irish it wouldn't mean much to beat them. But if you knew it meant a lot to the people in those countries then it's a completely different story.

_blank_

eirebhoy wrote: »

Many fans of clubs can't stand the board in control of the club but it's not going to turn them away from it. If you're a patriotic football fan you'll be a support your country imo.

Thankfully I've never had that problem with Shels

However, I can see what you are getting at here, and yes, you are right. The ineptitude of the FAI is part of the reason why I have stopped supporting the Irish team. Of course, back in 1990, when I was 11, I was jumping up and down when Ireland were doing very well, I saw them as "my" team. But by 2002 I had pretty much lost all interest in the team and set-up. In the twelve years in between I started to realise that they weren't "my" team, they were a team for a different person to what I am, or want to be.

Gavin "shels"

shane86 wrote: »

Strikes me as bitter small minded people point scoring more than anything. We are real fans, not like the goons who save up thousands to loyally follow their team abroad in plenty of unfashionable non holiday locations like Georgia, Iran, Albania etc etc over the years. Im not sure which is more embarassing- LOI fans who claim (yes, CLAIM) that winning a pre season friendly in a shed stadium against a Kerry amateur side is more important than Ireland winning the world cup, or fans of English sides saying league titles in a foreign land are more important. Bollocks, the lot of it. If we want to be small minded and claim little victories, I could say the goal I scored in a 7 a side this week in the far north of Queensland was without a doubt the most iconic moment in soccer since Maradona made his run from midfield to the England goal in 1986. Crying shame the cameras werent around.

See how petty we can make it? Pathetic. I can understand some English fans wishing to distance themselves from the whole Ingerland barmy army brigade given their less than exemplary off field history re the fans, but FFS, if its all about people with rubber hammers and leprachan hats, god help us. Do you think in Liverpool there are ex Everton fans who hang around stroking their chins and refusing to go to matches because of people turning up wearing the Fellaini wigs? Would the LOI fans here not fancy getting a bit locked if their team won the league? Apparently celebrating a victory with a few drinks isnt the done thing for real fans it would seem.

This real fans vs Oireland fans thing is utter sh1t tbh. As said, who is the better fan, the guy who goes to Tolka every week or the guy who has been following Ireland through thick and thin to the arsehole of Eastern Europe and every tournament during recessions for the last 30 years? Fans of English teams saying they take preference are glory hunters. LOI heads saying the Irish league is more important are attention seeking holier than thou types. Dont know which annoy me more tbh. I like Liverpool but Id rather see us win in Cyprus on Saturday than see Liverpool win a foreign league title.

What about a large about of them "goons" that also save up thousands to travel to support "their" team in Britain?

Who's the better fan, the guy who goes to Tolka every week and around the country and has gone to the arsehole of Eastern Europe to support Shels for 30 years or the guy who has been following Ireland throught thick and thin home and away and also jets off the following day to see his favour foreign team? We can all be picky and choosey Shane!

Utterly clueless point imo. You don't support a LoI team I'm guessing, you don't know the connections many of us fans have, look at Shams fans. As I've stated I have very little connection to the Irish team for many reasons whereas Shels is part of who I am, part of my life!

flahavaj

Waterford hurlers ftw.