Why do you think the league of Ireland declined in popularity ?

micks

Le King wrote: »

It took 4 pages to mention barstoolers? :eek:

And I'm one of them;)

Chardee MacDennis

major bill wrote: »

how can someone from dublin/cork/limerick have any connection to a city like leeds/manchester/ newcastle etc and can understand why that rivalry is so intense or heated?? They aint from there or have grown up there its all fake theres more to a rivalry than on the pitch.

im not one for been a LOI superhero but it wrecks my head that someone from dublin sitting in a pub can identify himself as a scouser or a manc and call the opposition scouse bastards or manc scumbags.

So What your saying is fans from Kerry, Offaly et al have no business supporting decent football as they can't understand the rivalries etc?

cson

BastardPrince wrote: »

So What your saying is fans from Kerry, Offaly et al have no business supporting decent football as they can't understand the rivalries etc?

Tullamore Town and Tralee Dynamos ftw :pac:

major bill

BastardPrince wrote: »

So What your saying is fans from Kerry, Offaly et al have no business supporting decent football as they can't understand the rivalries etc?

support arsenal support united who cares but why have a disliking or hatred for city or spurs you aint from there you never grew up there....

Chardee MacDennis

cson wrote: »

Tullamore Town and Tralee Dynamos ftw :pac:

so why dont you lads support your proper local teams then? i'm sure there are teams closer than a Prem or Div 1 team?

tdv123

Well it was never really that great to begin with. Not enough money in it for top players to say.

Ok people are saying the likes of Sky & BBC came along but then why have the likes of Rangers & Celtic been able to attract quality players over the years & fill the huge stadiums every week?

And why do the likes of Roy Keane, Robbie Keane, Bonner etc...rather finish there careers up in Scotland for Celtic than back in there home country?

Chardee MacDennis

major bill wrote: »

support arsenal support united who cares but why have a disliking or hatred for city or spurs you aint from there you never grew up there....

that makes no sense imo...

Tchaikovsky

It's fairly similar to the national leagues in Eastern Europe since the Berlin Wall came down. There are more distractions so going to a football game isn't the sole entertainment outlet.
Added to the fact that the GAA is so popular here, it's difficult.

Tchaikovsky

tdv123 wrote: »

And why do the likes of Roy Keane, Robbie Keane, Bonner etc...rather finish there careers up in Scotland for Celtic than back in there home country?

Eh? Bonner played his whole career at Celtic and Robbie Keane was only 29 when he went on loan to them.

tdv123

Tchaikovsky wrote: »

Eh? Bonner played his whole career at Celtic and Robbie Keane was only 29 when he went on loan to them.

Yeah but the point is they'd rather go to Scotland than to there own league & try to help boost its popularity.

Gavin "shels"

cson wrote: »

To answer the OP; most other European countries [as well as having larger populations] don't have 3 other sports in GAA & Rugby that are ahead of Football in popularity.

Iirc the viewing number peaked at around 1 million for the Champions League Final on RTE last year, take in that say the overall attendence combined of all LoI matches on an average weekend (going by figures on foot.ie) is about 21,000.

event wrote: »

the quality isnt/hasnt been good enough

simple as that.

good football will attract people.
there isnt enough good football being played to attract people

If you only "support" Leeds because they supposedly play attractive football well then you're missing out on a lot tbh.

Tallaght Saint wrote: »

Because most people over here would rather watch "their" English team. They don't realise they're missing out. The feeling they would get when, say, United beat Liverpool is nothing comparison to what we LOIer's feel. I get genuine happiness when Pats beat Rovers, because I understand and experience real rivalry.

This is the way is see it, I watch football while the rest watch television

+1

BastardPrince wrote: »

Oohhh I understand the rivalry. Well why's that then? Explain to me what's different about me supporting an English team? Why can't I understand the rivalry?

And youre actually saying your happiness is better than other fans happiness when our team wins, f*** off tbh...

Hard to explain in words, but how can you understand the rivalry between Spurs-v-West Ham or whatever your choice of British derby is?


And the main point is, why the f*ck can't people support a LoI team and a British club? LoI is usually played on Friday night and British football usually Saturday and Sunday, people just make excuses "****e football", "LoI fans mock me when I wear a Celtic jersey", or whatever other tripe I've heard come from people on here. For the price of a trip to say Man Utd-v-Man City match with accomdation, flights, novalty Norwich scarf, and the rest you'd be able to buy a LoI season ticket for most clubs at that price.

major bill

BastardPrince wrote: »

that makes no sense imo...

il try to make it clearer....you are watching a match on the telly city for years were never in the same wavelength or league as united but yet irish people got so excited when the teams would play each other why?? for an irishman its no differant to united playing sunderland!!!

Tallaght Saint

BastardPrince wrote: »

so why dont you lads support your proper local teams then? i'm sure there are teams closer than a Prem or Div 1 team?

Well I don't go and watch Shamrock Rovers, for obvious reasons. But I do go out and watch schoolboy games.

Gavin "shels"

Tchaikovsky wrote: »

It's fairly similar to the national leagues in Eastern Europe since the Berlin Wall came down. There are more distractions so going to a football game isn't the sole entertainment outlet.

Sure I remember posting on here with a figure of the average LoI attendence and that of the average attendence in the Conference in England, and the conference attendence was higher. Now I was at the FAI Cup Final and seen a good quality match and the other day on Setanta I watched the 2nd half of some Conference match, and I'll be frank, Mervue Utd played better football.

flahavaj

1 page - the warriors are never off duty.:pac:

Augmerson

major bill wrote: »

how can someone from dublin/cork/limerick have any connection to a city like leeds/manchester/ newcastle etc and can understand why that rivalry is so intense or heated?? They aint from there or have grown up there its all fake theres more to a rivalry than on the pitch.

im not one for been a LOI superhero but it wrecks my head that someone from dublin sitting in a pub can identify himself as a scouser or a manc and call the opposition scouse bastards or manc scumbags.

I'm from Laois and support Bohs :P

major bill

flahavaj wrote: »

1 page - the warriors are never off duty.:pac:

people shouldnt make ignorant comments then maybe the warriors wouldnt have to come on duty.....SIMPLES!!!

major bill

Augmerson wrote: »

I'm from Laois and support Bohs :P

practically dublin sure half of dublin is locked up down there:D

cson

BastardPrince wrote: »

so why dont you lads support your proper local teams then? i'm sure there are teams closer than a Prem or Div 1 team?

Me? I'm an Arsenal fan but I catch LOI games when I can.

Home = Galway County = Galway United
College = UL = Limerick 37
Work = Dublin 9 = Bohs

Wouldn't say I have an affiliation to any of the above as I didn't grow up supporting them unlike Arsenal but I go to the matches because I enjoy going to matches in general; I'll probably be up in Dublin for the next few years so I could see myself getting a season ticket to the club nearest me - I had good craic in Dalyer on a few Friday evenings [The night Galway beat Bohs 3-2 was an unbelieveable match].

The one thing I will say is that Dalymount is a bit of dump tbh and I can see how people would prefer say Croker or the RDS or simply the Sky box at home.

flahavaj

Gavin shels wrote: »

And the main point is, why the f*ck can't people support a LoI team and a British club? LoI is usually played on Friday night and British football usually Saturday and Sunday, people just make excuses "****e football", "LoI fans mock me when I wear a Celtic jersey", or whatever other tripe I've heard come from people on here. For the price of a trip to say Man Utd-v-Man City match with accomdation, flights, novalty Norwich scarf, and the rest you'd be able to buy a LoI season ticket for most clubs at that price.

The whole point of this thread is to debate the reason why this doesn't happen, not engage in the same tired old debates that have been done to death before.

Chardee MacDennis

Gavin shels wrote: »

Hard to explain in words, but how can you understand the rivalry between Spurs-v-West Ham or whatever your choice of British derby is?

I honestly think i understand the rivalries between my club and other teams just as well as any proper local fan or as much as any proper league of ireland fan does with their club.

by proper i mean not hooligans and not fair weather fans.

Gavin shels wrote: »

And the main point is, why the f*ck can't people support a LoI team and a British club? LoI is usually played on Friday night and British football usually Saturday and Sunday, people just make excuses "****e football", "LoI fans mock me when I wear a Celtic jersey", or whatever other tripe I've heard come from people on here. For the price of a trip to say Man Utd-v-Man City match with accomdation, flights, novalty Norwich scarf, and the rest you'd be able to buy a LoI season ticket for most clubs at that price.

Its not easy becoming a fan of LoI teams if you're not local to a stadium. I grew up in dublin 15 and Dalymount was about an hour away from me, so i never really attended games. I tried to get into it and went to a couple of games when I was about 14 but I remember the football being poor which was forgivable as it was live football, a rarity outside of EPL friendlies and internationals. What I really didnt like was the group of scumbag kids there boozing and giving people **** on both occasions. I understand that carry on has been largely stamped out though.

I'll watch MNF when I see it on but find it difficult to maintain any interest at this stage especially with my own clubs goings on tbh...

aidan24326

applehunter wrote: »

Can't comment on the 50's/60's/70's/80's but I don't imagine it has been any different in those times either.

It was different once upon a time. Shamrock Rovers, for example, used to get crowds of 15,000+ back in the day. Then again this was long before Sky and Super Sunday and saturation TV coverage.

tdv123 wrote: »

Yeah but the point is they'd rather go to Scotland than to there own league & try to help boost its popularity.

It's not Robbie Keane's (or any other players) job to boost the LOI. Coming here to play is not an option for any top player when the most a LOI club could afford to pay them right now might be a grand per week or maybe a bit more at a stretch. Would you expect him to turn down 40 grand a week at Celtic to accept LOI wages at Rovers or Bohs? Hardly.

GLaDOS

I've given up trying to explain why I follow LOI , it's easier to just ignore the "hurr durr, it's ****e" crowd. I suppose it's just easier to follow a successful English team.

cson

MNF, the Summer Season and the Friday night k/o's are three big things the League has going for it imo.

Chardee MacDennis

ScienceNerd wrote: »

I've given up trying to explain why I follow LOI , it's easier to just ignore the "hurr durr, it's ****e" crowd. I suppose it's just easier to follow a successful English team.

i havent read the whole thread but has anyone actually asked a LoI fan to explain why they follow a LoI team?

Tallaght Saint

It's MNS. Not MNF

dfx-

To answer the OP, Match of the Day in the 70s..

Turner's Cross is the second best ground in the country, it is not a patch on Tallaght. Its advantage comes from the superior facilities than counting the stands. That's a viewpoint of someone who has stood in that ridiculous 'stand' running along the touchline labelled "diabolical view" in Cork.

GLaDOS

BastardPrince wrote: »

i havent read the whole thread but has anyone actually asked a LoI fan to explain why they follow a LoI team?

They haven't, but it's a question that has been posed before

Chardee MacDennis

Augmerson wrote: »

I'm from Laois and support Bohs :P

you're not a real fan if some people here are to be believed!!!

Tallaght Saint

BastardPrince wrote: »

you're not a real fan if some people here are to be believed!!!

At least he takes an interest instead of dismissing it as "Shite"

Chardee MacDennis

ScienceNerd wrote: »

They haven't, but it's a question that has been posed before

so why post it again? no one asked that and I dont see why they would - its a retarded question.

me thinks sciencenerd doth protest too much...

Revolution9

I go to the odd Shelbourne game, attended a few Fingal matches during their stay at Morton Stadium recently. Don't support any team as such, just go for the craic every now and then. But it's really hard to respect a league in which maybe one club (Rovers) can say they run themselves well. And there is a lack of style about the football. It's the old English "kick and rush" game taken to the extreme.

Chardee MacDennis

Tallaght Saint wrote: »

At least he takes an interest instead of dismissing it as "Shite"

eh where did i call it sh1te?

GLaDOS

BastardPrince wrote: »

so why post it again? no one asked that and I dont see why they would - its a retarded question.

me thinks sciencenerd doth protest too much...

Well we got to exactly one reply until we hit the "it's ****e" response so I thought it appropriate.

I wasn't aware I was protesting.

mikemac

Most counties in Ireland don't have a team and even then it's very concentrated in Dublin.

A real shame about Kilkenny

My nearest team would be Limerick and that's in the next county and quite a distance away. I've no affinity to them even if they are my nearest team

Chardee MacDennis

ScienceNerd wrote: »

Well we got to exactly one reply until we hit the "it's ****e" response so I thought it appropriate.

I wasn't aware I was protesting.

i hoped that was tongue in cheek, it seems i give posters way too much credit in here...

Tallaght Saint

BastardPrince wrote: »

eh where did i call it sh1te?

Not you, just seems to be the general consensus

GLaDOS

BastardPrince wrote: »

i hoped that was tongue in cheek, it seems i give posters way too much credit in here...

Tongue in cheek posts are useless without a smilie

Tallaght Saint

Revolution9 wrote: »

I go to the odd Shelbourne game, attended a few Fingal matches during their stay at Morton Stadium recently. Don't support any team as such, just go for the craic every now and then. But it's really hard to respect a league in which maybe one club (Rovers) can say they run themselves well. And there is a lack of style about the football. It's the old English "kick and rush" game taken to the extreme.

Wrong. Lots of clubs are managed properly (Rovers, Pats, Sligo etc)

Gavin "shels"

BastardPrince wrote: »

What I really didnt like was the group of scumbag kids there boozing and giving people **** on both occasions

Could be worse and be grown men like at the Sunderland-v-Newcastle match on Sunday.

Revolution9 wrote: »

But it's really hard to respect a league in which maybe one club (Rovers) can say they run themselves well.

Don't want to get into this, but yes Rovers run themselves well now (even though they made a loss last season) but they did get away with nearly all their debt a few years back and basically got a free stadium. Clubs like Shels and Longford made profit last season while still paying off historical debts.

feelingstressed wrote: »

Most counties in Ireland don't have a team and even then it's very concentrated in Dublin.

A real shame about Kilkenny

My nearest team would be Limerick and that's in the next county and quite a distance away. I've no affinity to them even if they are my nearest team

How would you have an affinity to a British club which is in the next country?

Kilkenny never were going to stay afloat, I remember my first trip down there in 2007 and we were driving down, asked a bunch of kids in football jerseys and kicking football where Buckley Park was, they'd never even heard of it, sums up why Kilkenny died.

Chardee MacDennis

Tallaght Saint wrote: »

Not you, just seems to be the general consensus

well if you want get opinions from stupid people who counter arguments with 'it's sh1te', grand but you cant go around with that comeback when people are actually trying to engage in the issue... :pac:

Chardee MacDennis

Gavin shels wrote: »

Could be worse and be grown men like at the Sunderland-v-Newcastle match on Sunday.

not a nice view but not as intimidating...

Gavin "shels"

BastardPrince wrote: »

not a nice view but not as intimidating...

Grown Men > Drunken teenagers!

Xavi6

It really isn't sh*te, it's just not up to the standards of multi millionaire clubs that the Sky generation (myself included) have become accustomed to.

The problem for me is that too many people prefer to sit inside with their mates and a few cans or pints instead of actually having the live experience of football. It's too much effort to go to a ground, hence why the majority of Premier League supporters would be lucky to make it across the water even once a season.

I would be of the thinking that I'd rather spend the extra hour or two trekking to a ground just so I can see a game live. I did it for Shels for years and now I do it for Perth Glory. I still barstool with the best of them when I want though.

TV is the biggest killer IMO because you can get more than enough football to not have to leave your armchair. If for example there was one game on tv per week folk would be more likely to head out to their local grounds to catch a game. That obviously won't happen though and the more games that get put on tv the more the LoI loses out.

Chardee MacDennis

Gavin shels wrote: »

Grown Men > Drunken teenagers!

well to a 14 year old i mean, you dont imagine a group of drunk adults are gonna start on ya!

OPENROAD

Gavin shels wrote: »

How would you have an affinity to a British club which is in the next country?

.

Personally London is a city I have spend a lot of time in and a city I really love therefore I feel a close affinity to the place.

eagle eye

There were two reasons I stopped following it. Louis Kilcoyne selling Glenmalure Park was a big reason but there was an element coming to games that really put me off as well. Idiots that came drunk to games and were foul-mouthed and abusive to others.

I didn't like it as much anymore due to the crowd but I still went but when Kilcoyne sold Glenmalure it just kind of took the magic out of it for me. To see probably the greatest club(and I wasn't a fan) in the game being left homeless just destroyed it for me. Going to Glenmalure was always a special occasion, it was like the Anfield or Old Trafford of Ireland, just a very special place, steeped in tradition. You would be delighted if your team came out of there with a point, it was as big as a win at almost any other ground.

Xavi6

BastardPrince wrote: »

well to a 14 year old i mean, you dont imagine a group of drunk adults are gonna start on ya!

I thought the same until a certain Bohs/Rovers game a few years ago :pac:

Paparazzo

Bad grounds play a big part. You're lucky if there's a light on in the jacks at tolka park. And the roof that looks like a barn, crap seats with no room, horrible bar etc.
Although, i'd still go most weeks, but when a Leinster Rugby season ticket is the same price and they have some of the best players in the world, play some of the best rugby around and are genuine contenders for the european cup, beers for sale so you can drink in your seats, nice stadium etc etc it's hard to pick a night in Tolka over a night in the RDS

Gavin "shels"

Xavi6 wrote: »

It really isn't sh*te, it's just not up to the standards of multi millionaire clubs that the Sky generation (myself included) have become accustomed to.

The problem for me is that too many people prefer to sit inside with their mates and a few cans or pints instead of actually having the live experience of football. It's too much effort to go to a ground, hence why the majority of Premier League supporters would be lucky to make it across the water even once a season.

I would be of the thinking that I'd rather spend the extra hour or two trekking to a ground just so I can see a game live. I did it for Shels for years and now I do it for Perth Glory. I still barstool with the best of them when I want though.

TV is the biggest killer IMO because you can get more than enough football to not have to leave your armchair. If for example there was one game on tv per week folk would be more likely to head out to their local grounds to catch a game. That obviously won't happen though and the more games that get put on tv the more the LoI loses out.

You've got it spot on here Xavi, nearly to a tee, but take Gortekeegan few cans with the cows before the match, and there's a bar inside the ground for pre,half-time and post match pints.:D

OPENROAD wrote: »

Personally London is a city I have spend a lot of time in and a city I really love therefore I feel a close affinity to the place.

You'd be one of a minority I'd say though OPENROAD, I'm speaking moreso for the majority so that wouldn't include yourself.