Northern Ireland To Change Their Anthem?

BOHtox

Captain Havoc wrote: »

What kind of song would you have to appease both set of fans?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REw5-_rpFDE

BANG!

Fromthetrees

Why not this song to help entice more Nationalists into the NI fold?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBN5ROuCoF4

dan1895

eagle eye wrote: »

Personally I think we should have an All-Ireland team and we should use something like Ireland's call as the anthem. I don't think sports should be in any way involved in politics.

For this to happen the FAI would have to fold as they are a breakaway association and games would more than likely be played in Belfast.

Also, Ireland's Call? No, just no.

ArmaniJeanss

NIMAN wrote: »

Yeah as that article says, football is now so orchestrated to make sure the big teams do not suffer the embarrassment of not qualifying.

Back then big teams often missed out on tournaments.

The article does say that, and then contradicts itself straightaway.

It complains about the playoff system and accuses it of being a safety net because second in the group gets you into those playoffs.

And then proceeeds to reminisce about the the good old days of '94 qualifying when there was no safety net because only the top two in each group qualified automatically.

Top 2 qualifying is a bigger safety net than Winners only + playoffs.

dd972

Deleted User wrote: »

Strangely enough during the era of the likes of Pat Jennings (Catholic former Gaelic footballer) and George Best (Protestant boy from the streets of Belfast), Protestants and Catholics could celebrate Northern Ireland as a united team where the majority of good citizens were united in their success. Ironically the troubles coupled with a politically correct world which has fanned the flames of troubles if anything. It has played right into the hands of extremists on both sides of the divide who continue to call the shots and make everyone's life a misery.

If you took stereotypes seriously you'd think Jennings was the austere, clean living Calvinist and Best was the feckless, wastrel Catholic

spiralism

It's a step in the right direction if they do it but imo it doesnt matter. Fair play to McGinn and McCourt for sticking it but it's not really a team that Catholics can identify with, least since 93 anyways. It's got to the point now where Artur Boruc gets sectarian abuse in a game for Poland at windsor because of his Celtic/Catholic connections and Neil Lennon was himself threatened with assassination if he captained the Northern side against Cyprus in 2002. It's their team, they don't want us part of it, we're not part of it and northern catholics will by and large play for the republic as such.

Shame though but unionists by and large are extremely resistant to any change to the status quo, siege mentality and all that. Look how mental they went over the flag protests. Football is something very close to home for a lot of them too so any move to reach out to the catholic side will be largely hated by many of their matchgoing fans. I know i'll never see an All Irish side in my lifetime, shame that it is.

J Cheever Loophole

I'm open to correction on nearly everything I'm about to post but from memory I believe that Billy Bingham was seriously pi$$ed off at Jack Charlton's dismissive comments about Norn Iron in the first qualifier in Dublin - something like Jack being asked about the possibility of a Norn Iron upset and Jack dismissed it totally out of hand. I remember thinking it was not the most diplomatic response and then the Republic won 3-0 in a canter.

That was the background to Billy being seriously up for the return - unfortunately that match though was played against a background of a serious upsure in sectarian violence at the time which included the Shankill bombing and the Greysteel shooting - the whole thing produced a seriously toxic mix.

For myself, I recall roaring on Norn Iron at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and indeed attended Windsor Park on a few occasions to cheer them on despite the sectarian chanting. Nowadays though I'm largley indifferent to their fortunes and would never dream of going to watch them. That has been a gradual process I think rather than as a result of that one night in 1993.

J Cheever Loophole

J Cheever Loophole wrote: »

I'm open to correction on nearly everything I'm about to post but from memory I believe that Billy Bingham was seriously pi$$ed off at Jack Charlton's dismissive comments about Norn Iron in the first qualifier in Dublin - something like Jack being asked about the possibility of a Norn Iron upset and Jack dismissed it totally out of hand. I remember thinking it was not the most diplomatic response and then the Republic won 3-0 in a canter.

That was the background to Billy being seriously up for the return - unfortunately that match though was played against a background of a serious upsure in sectarian violence at the time which included the Shankill bombing and the Greysteel shooting - the whole thing produced a seriously toxic mix.

For myself, I recall roaring on Norn Iron at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and indeed attended Windsor Park on a few occasions to cheer them on despite the sectarian chanting. Nowadays though I'm largley indifferent to their fortunes and would never dream of going to watch them. That has been a gradual process I think rather than as a result of that one night in 1993.

There probably was a bit of digs to and from both directions but for Billy Bingham to incite a very hostile crowd even further was an absolute disgrace.

roanoke

NIMAN wrote: »

Yeah as that article says, football is now so orchestrated to make sure the big teams do not suffer the embarrassment of not qualifying.

Back then big teams often missed out on tournaments, and in the European Cup big teams often played early and knocked each other out.

Between 1992-94 Italy, Spain, England, Portugal and France all missed a finals qualification. Interestingly the very next Euros was 16 teams and the next World Cup had extensive play-offs for UEFA teams.

It's my own personal belief that these expansions and extra hurdles were implemented in part to make sure the big teams had the best possible chance of qualifying.

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

The article does say that, and then contradicts itself straightaway.

It complains about the playoff system and accuses it of being a safety net because second in the group gets you into those playoffs.

And then proceeeds to reminisce about the the good old days of '94 qualifying when there was no safety net because only the top two in each group qualified automatically.

Top 2 qualifying is a bigger safety net than Winners only + playoffs.

I hear what you say, but I also think play-offs work two ways. I think the play-offs *are* a nice safety net ..... for the big-teams, but not so much for the smaller ones like Ireland.

Take Ireland in 94 for example. We qualified in 1994 despite be unable to beat Spain or Denmark even once over four games. We basically qualified by beating the minnows very consistently and not allowing the big teams to beat us (for the most part). Now that's the sort of form/approach that might squeak you into 2nd place in a group if the results of 42 group games go the right way, but it probably won't be very successful in a play-off situation where it often takes "a bit extra" to get over the line.

I think the play-offs are not only a "safety net" but also effectively a "filter" to cut the weaker/ less dynamic teams and give the "big" teams the best possible chance in a cup situation.

iDave

Does anyone think its a bit silly they still refer to themselves as the Irish Football Association. Surely its time they added 'Northern' onto it.

iDave

iDave wrote: »

Does anyone think its a bit silly they still refer to themselves as the Irish Football Association. Surely its time they added 'Northern' onto it.

Technically they are the successor to the original whole Island team ran by the IFA, while we are the 'breakaway association much like Croatian FA is considered a breakaway of the original All Yugoslav FA or Ukraine is a breakaway of the USSR.
While we have the majority of the island, we are still seen as the 'dissidents' if you like and so they feel they are more within their rights to keep the IFA identity.

Im amazed we only played them for the first time in 1978 and it would seem apart from the Omagh benefit friendly in 1999 and the recent Carling nations cup that 8 of our 10 fixtures have been competitive.

Derek Dougan was a strong advocate for a whole island team and i believe George Best was very open to it.

iDave

Maybe we were dissidents in the 1920s but FIFA have long since recognised the FAI and the IFA have been competing as Northern Ireland for many decades. Its time their national association reflected this.
There just being precious if they still view the FAI as dissidents but this is the North were talking about.

iDave

iDave wrote: »

Maybe we were dissidents in the 1920s but FIFA have long since recognised the FAI and the IFA have been competing as Northern Ireland for many decades. Its time their national association reflected this.
There just being precious if they still view the FAI as dissidents but this is the North were talking about.

Nail on head pretty much Dave.

Dougan was probably the exception to all the petty mindedness that still exists. Has anyone ever read 'The sash he never wore' ? Meant to be an excellent read

roanoke

Deleted User wrote: »

Im amazed we only played them for the first time in 1978 and it would seem apart from the Omagh benefit friendly in 1999 and the recent Carling nations cup that 8 of our 10 fixtures have been competitive.

Yep, you'd think we'd have played them more alright. Although that said we haven't really played any of the home nations very much in our history. For example only England appear in the top 10 of teams we've played the most. For most associations their most played opponents are often their nearest neighbours. However in our case it's teams like Spain, Poland and Holland.

As to an explanation, I think during the early years of the Republic there was kind of an "elitist" attitude among the home nations. They were far less interested in casting the net out and playing other European teams than they are today.

For instance the "home nations" didn't even enter any of the first 4 world cup tournaments and even when they started playing qualifiers it was just doubling up the Home Championship as a qualifying group.

Effectively it meant there was no chance of the North and the Republic meeting in a competitive game until 1956 at the earliest. After that I guess it was just pot luck for qualifiers 56-78?

As to friendlies, I wonder if the North didn't want to play the Republic in friendlies either as it might have been seen as a way of "legitimising" the Republics team? Perhaps they might have just been seen as a potential flashpoint? Who knows.

briany

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

Windsor Park 1993 changed all that imo. As a kid me and my mates were all mad into NI n the 82 World Cup, that win against Spain stands out as one of my greatest childhood sporting memories. Not sure how it all turned sour but Billy Bingham that night in Windsor Park was a ****ing disgrace. Now we wwere watching in a jam packed jubilant pub in Mayo so didnt really realise what it was like until hearing the reports on radio etc next day and seeing the videos. Ah something changed that night i think, hard to put a finger on it really

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

My Dad said he supported the North in 82 and 86 also but like you it all changed after 93.

Lot of older people I knew supported the North those days but not same feelings since that night.

I suspect that Windsor '93 was more of a symptom than a cause. NI have failed to achieve anything in the game since '86 while the ROI team began an ascent in '88 and have, to be fair, there or thereabouts in the running to qualify for things ever since, while NI's performances have gone down and down. They're now sinking into the minnow zone of world football, currently ranked at 98.

'93 was a caustic mix of sectarianism, a rabble of disillusioned NI supporters wondering what the hell had happened to their football team and Bingham using some lowest common denominator head games. A couple more WC and EC qualifications would unite the players and football fans of NI much quicker than any anthem.

Fr Tod Umptious

iDave wrote: »

Maybe we were dissidents in the 1920s but FIFA have long since recognised the FAI and the IFA have been competing as Northern Ireland for many decades. Its time their national association reflected this.
There just being precious if they still view the FAI as dissidents but this is the North were talking about.

So the FAI should be the FAROI then ?

Fr Tod Umptious

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

So the FAI should be the FAROI then ?

Fair point. The FAI was originally the FAIFS actually until 1937 although both FA's were picking players from both sides of the border until 1950 or in our case we stopped in 46.

So basically you had 2 teams with the same pick from the same island until 1950. Confused? Your not alone pal.