Ireland's biggest sporting embarrassment?

Dirty Dingus McGee

iDave wrote: »

Nothing wrong with Richardt Strauss. Its within the rules of the game. Nathan Hines doesn't exactly have a Scottish accent does he?
And the English are quite happy to have a paddy captain their cricket team. We are FAR from the only country doing this.

If I was English I'd be quite embarrassed about their cricket team.

Richardt Strauss is not Irish in any way. It may be within the rules but it's embarrassing that international teams can't just pick players who are actually from the country they are representing. Whats the point international sport if the qualification rules are so loose.

Diego Costa Marcos Senna etc playing for Spain is embarrassing as well.

iDave

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

If I was English I'd be quite embarrassed about their cricket team.

Richardt Strauss is not Irish in any way. It may be within the rules but it's embarrassing that international teams can't just pick players who are actually from the country they are representing. Whats the point international sport if the qualification rules are so loose.

Diego Costa Marcos Senna etc playing for Spain is embarrassing as well.

But what your highlighting is a rules problem, not an embarrassment specific to Ireland. Manu Tuilagi!!!


But on a similar theme that is specific to Ireland the Sean Johnson affair was a joke.

weadick

The pompous overblown nonsense that surrounded the Irish rugby teams win against England at Croke Park in 2007. They way they went on youd swear Ronan O'Gara and co solved the 700 year strife between Ireland and England.

The whole Munster rugby 'phenomenon' is fairly embarrassing at times too, especially their constant harping on about the bloody all blacks in 72.

GLaDOS

Hoop66 wrote: »

Does it matter? I don't know a single GAA fan that can read.

Leave out the insults please

errlloyd

weadick wrote: »

The pompous overblown nonsense that surrounded the Irish rugby teams win against England at Croke Park in 2007. They way they went on youd swear Ronan O'Gara and co solved the 700 year strife between Ireland and England.

The whole Munster rugby 'phenomenon' is fairly embarrassing at times too, especially their constant harping on about the bloody all blacks in 72.

Ah now, that was a huge game with an immense political backdrop and we smashed. England would go on to final the world cup 6 months later. They came to croke park for the first time with all the fuss that some elements of the GAA had kicked up (which was very embarrassing). We got our record victory against them. It was no Ray Houghton snatching a win, it was an absolute thrashing. Arguably still one of the most complete performances from an Irish rugby team.

As for Munster, I guess I do find the all blacks thing ott. Lots of club sides in Wales and Scotland have beaten the All blacks too. But the general hype and aurora around Munster is no worse than many sports teams. They are like the Manchester United of rugby. 2 Heineken cups and many very famous victories they've given us plenty to be proud of.

NoMore MrNiceGuy

Strongbow10 wrote: »

In Rugby, celebrating wins in meaningless games (Australia, South Africa and Georgia) like we have achieved something absolutely monumental.

Then when we actually get to the holy grail of the world cup (where the southern hemisphere teams actually give a crap) we end up getting whipped. And when we do turn over a giant, we usually piss it away by losing the following game which is winnable.

Sandwiched in between, we are spoon fed the 6 nations as being the absolute pinnacle of world rugby where we play giants such as Italy and Scotland on a yearly basis.

And also the fact that half the crowd probably have no idea whats going on in general in terms of why penalties are being awarded etc...

Tests in rugby, unlike soccerball, are important and beating Australia is a big deal.

We are 3rd in the world. Rugby is definitely not an embarrassment unlike the soccerball team.

Saipanne

ColeTrain wrote: »

What do you think is Ireland's most embarrassing moment on the sporting stage?

'Ireland's most successful Olympian' Michelle Smith and her doping gets my vote.

Did she have her medals removed from her?

Just curious.

Saipanne

NoMore MrNiceGuy wrote: »

Tests in rugby, unlike soccerball, are important and beating Australia is a big deal.

We are 3rd in the world. Rugby is definitely not an embarrassment unlike the soccerball team.

FFS, how many good rugby nations are there? Nine?

How many top soccer nations? Dozens?

Rugby is a minority sport. Soccer is global. Know your place.

Dirty Dingus McGee

NoMore MrNiceGuy wrote: »

Tests in rugby, unlike soccerball, are important and beating Australia is a big deal.

We are 3rd in the world. Rugby is definitely not an embarrassment unlike the soccerball team.

Beating Australia in a world cup knockout game would be a big deal but after Ireland beat them in the group stages the media seemed to lose the run of themselves and some of the players began talking about winning the competition which is fine in private but they'd be better off not to say it in public.Its was inevitable they would lose to Wales after that.

Winning any Autumn International for the northern Hemisphere teams in my opinion is not really that meaningful as the Southern Hemisphere teams are at a massive disadvantage playing away from home right at the end of their season when they must be bolloxed.The same applies for Southern hemisphere teams winning the matches against Northern Hemisphere teams in the summer.

Egginacup

nice_very wrote: »

didnt Sonia O'Sullivan leave the track in the middle of a race she was highly fancied to win, with a dose of the runs? IIRC

Pun?

Wacker The Attacker

I find Rugby to be a really dull sport (particularly attending a game).

Why are the Rugby bandwagonners so sensitive about non rugby fans expressing these sentiments in a public forum?

Wacker The Attacker

errlloyd wrote: »

Ah now, that was a huge game with an immense political backdrop and we smashed. England would go on to final the world cup 6 months later. They came to croke park for the first time with all the fuss that some elements of the GAA had kicked up (which was very embarrassing). We got our record victory against them. It was no Ray Houghton snatching a win, it was an absolute thrashing. Arguably still one of the most complete performances from an Irish rugby team.

As for Munster, I guess I do find the all blacks thing ott. Lots of club sides in Wales and Scotland have beaten the All blacks too. But the general hype and aurora around Munster is no worse than many sports teams. They are like the Manchester United of rugby. 2 Heineken cups and many very famous victories they've given us plenty to be proud of.

They are clearly nothing like the manchester united of Rugby.

An utterly moronic comparison. I'm not a Manchester United supporter but comparing these two sporting establishments in this fashion is nonsensical

louthguy25

iDave wrote: »

Louth fans

Ah so your one of them.... A meath fan :rolleyes:

Choochtown

grazeaway wrote: »

Hardly, the girls faith should have nothing to do with it. If she was cathloic and did a rosary before each bout would you be worried.

Met her once and what struck me was just how shy she was. Very different to many of the men's boxers who are all mouth. Hope she wins gold in rio again the pressure the poor girl must have been under in London must have been huge.

You can't be serious. Boxing is about the only sport I can think of where in the international arena we can be nothing but proud. I can't think of a single boxer male or female who has ever embarrassed the country.

errlloyd

Wacker The Attacker wrote: »

I find Rugby to be a really dull sport (particularly attending a game).

Why are the Rugby bandwagonners so sensitive about non rugby fans expressing these sentiments in a public forum?

I think it's because the embarrassing moments for other sports listed are defeats or off field things. For rugby a lot of people seem to be embarrassed about our victories. Seems like a lot of fans of other sports just have a problem with rugby to be honest.

Elmer Blooker

Euro 2000 qualifier: Macedonia 0 Ireland 1 - stoppage time, Ireland topping group and heading for automatic qualification, Macedonia get a corner ........
Ireland never made it to Euro 2000.

keeponhurling

Don't get the embarrassment of losing particular matches, i.e. Argentina in the Rugby WC or Italy/Spain in Euro 2012.

Generally, and much to do with us being a small country, we were never going to win them all.

If every time somebody lost a match it was an embarrassment, there'd be a lot of embarrassment.

I vote for the Joe Duffy/soccer homecoming thingy. Horrible to watch.
Also the Michelle Smith and Cian O'Connor incidents.
Some of the assaults that happen on GAA fields, and we're told it's just manly play

BattleCorp

murpho999 wrote: »

That mad priest Neil Horan who ran on to the Marathon course in Athens 2004 and cost the leader a gold medal.

Apparently when he was kicked out of the priesthood, he joined One Direction and hasn't looked back since.

keeponhurling

When some of the soccer team "retire from international football" because they're sulking of not getting picked.

Or not mentally ready to play as they were only a sub the last day.

Saipanne

Stephen Ireland?

Turtyturd

Roy Keane?

Narrowly pipping the LoI to top spot.

wicklowwonder

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Richart Strauss playing rugby for Ireland

Embarrassed to play by the rules? The rules state he can play for Ireland, so he does. In fairness likes of Isaac Boss played before him and didn't receive as much publicity I think it's the fact Strauss went so far out of his way to learn our culture, our anthems etc.

Also Ronan O'Gara and Jamie Heaslip both where born oversea, maybe by your argument they shouldn't play either.

Embarrassing moments are when rules are broken or small suspensions are handed down for vicious assaults.

My own biggest embarrassment is how the GAA treat their club players, the back bone of the game. Case in point in the Tipperary GAA county football final played this weekend, months after all other counties are finished, game is a draw so they bring them back Stephens Day at 1pm. Also they didn't even play the game in Thurles, a stadium the players would love to play in, instead they play it in some field with no stand etc. a disgrace.

spurious

NoMore MrNiceGuy wrote: »

There was a shot putter who knocked down the cage at an Olympics once.

Was it shot or was it hammer? Anyway, I think it was the LA Olympics which meant most of the Eastern European/Soviet bloc weren't there, so he was actually in with a chance, if he'd had a throw at all.

**edit note to self - read whole thread before replying to early post.

Dirty Dingus McGee

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Embarrassed to play by the rules? The rules state he can play for Ireland, so he does. In fairness likes of Isaac Boss played before him and didn't receive as much publicity I think it's the fact Strauss went so far out of his way to learn our culture, our anthems etc.

Also Ronan O'Gara and Jamie Heaslip both where born oversea, maybe by your argument they shouldn't play either.

Embarrassing moments are when rules are broken or small suspensions are handed down for vicious assaults.

My own biggest embarrassment is how the GAA treat their club players, the back bone of the game. Case in point in the Tipperary GAA county football final played this weekend, months after all other counties are finished, game is a draw so they bring them back Stephens Day at 1pm. Also they didn't even play the game in Thurles, a stadium the players would love to play in, instead they play it in some field with no stand etc. a disgrace.

Its embarrassing that anyone that has zero connection with Ireland plays for the country and that there doesn't seem to have been too many dissenting voices about it.I completely forgot about Isaac Boss and there have probably been many more.They may be playing by the rules but the rules are wrong in my opinion and make a mockery of international rugby where large amounts of foreigners play for a country they have no connection with except they moved their to work.

Heaslip and O'Gara were brought up in this country, it's a completely different scenario, Ireland would have been their first choice to play for.

The GAA's treatment of club players is scandalous but in a lot of ways they only have themselves to blame as they put up with it.The club players should have organised themselves like the GPA and got the GAA to get the fixtures issue sorted which would not be that difficult in my opinion but like so many things in this country they just soldier on and complain rather than doing something about it.

Saipanne

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Its embarrassing that anyone that has zero connection with Ireland plays for the country and that there doesn't seem to have been too many dissenting voices about it.I completely forgot about Isaac Boss and there have probably been many more.They may be playing by the rules but the rules are wrong in my opinion and make a mockery of international rugby where large amounts of foreigners play for a country they have no connection with except they moved their to work.

The GAA's treatment of club players is scandalous but in a lot of ways they only have themselves to blame as they put up with it.The club players should have organised themselves like the GPA and got the GAA to get the fixtures issue sorted which would not be that difficult in my opinion but like so many things in this country they just soldier on and complain rather than doing something about it.

Remember when Cork hurlers did that?

wicklowwonder

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Its embarrassing that anyone that has zero connection with Ireland plays for the country and that there doesn't seem to have been too many dissenting voices about it.I completely forgot about Isaac Boss and there have probably been many more.They may be playing by the rules but the rules are wrong in my opinion and make a mockery of international rugby where large amounts of foreigners play for a country they have no connection with except they moved their to work.

The GAA's treatment of club players is scandalous but in a lot of ways they only have themselves to blame as they put up with it.The club players should have organised themselves like the GPA and got the GAA to get the fixtures issue sorted which would not be that difficult in my opinion but like so many things in this country they just soldier on and complain rather than doing something about it.

So then you agree it's the rules that are wrong so it's hardly Ireland's Biggest Sporting Embarrassment when we play by the rules? Lots of cricket and soccer players are in a similar position, an Irish man is now England's ODI cricket captain. Ireland had two English men as captain of the 1990 and 1994 World Cup team. It's not just rugby but people seem to have a chip on their shoulder over rugby.

The GAA at county level should be run for the players simple as. Tipperary shouldn't be allowed enter a team in the hurling or football championship this summer, that would set down a marker for other counties. It is harsh I know but something needs to be done. The winners next week already have lost out in the chance to represent their county in the Munster series.

Fr D Maugire

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

We are not the only country in the world who plays a variety of sports but for some reason it seems to be an excuse every time this country fails at an international sport.

There are many countries that play many different sports, but in most soccer is miles ahead of the next most popular sport. In Ireland that is not the case with the GAA right up there with Soccer. As someone else posted GAA is more important to people in many parts of the country.

Croatia has a huge soccer tradition and no other team sports that come anywhere near its popularity. Apart from some of the Nordic countries, I am trying to think of a country that has a sport that rivals soccer in terms of popularity.

All that said, our National team have been poor for a very long time now so there are obvioulsy issues as well. But then look at Belgium who were decidely average for a long-time and have now re-emerged again. Meanwhile a country like Romania has fallen away when they were once a force. Can be cyclical.

jmayo

iDave wrote: »

Louth fans

Meath footballers who think they are playing for Leinster by diving over the line.

Podge83 wrote: »

Whether Delaney's, 33rd team comment was to straight Sepp in private or not he may as well have got a tin of paint, broke into the Soccer City Stadium, wrote it across the pitch and signed it in blood. This was an act of incredible stupidity, brought the nation into disrepute (never mind bringing the game into disrepute) and is hard to be beaten as an embarrassing moment in Ireland's sporting history, which isn't actually that bad given the size of our country.

The only thing that could be more embarrassing is that he's still in the job, parading around the world with a fancy piece on his arm..... Actually, when you think about it he probably would fit right in on FIFA's top table.

Delaney is made for high office in FIFA/UEFA.
He is more than capable of cocking up, being lavishly overpaid and has a hide that makes him immune to being embarassed.

Egginacup wrote: »

:pac:
Arsehole. That was the Atlanta Olympics wasn't it? I don't remember seeing the eejit.

84 was LA.
And I remember that acheivement of knocking the netting around the hammer.
96 was Atlanta where the Americans became indignant that someone else might be on drugs and beating them.

Hoop66 wrote: »

Does it matter? I don't know a single GAA fan that can read.

Maybe they pretend so as not to have to read some of the awful sh**e soccer and rugby autobiographies, sorry ghost written garbage.

I don't know why some are saying trying to coax foreign players to play for Ireland is embarassing.
In soccer you have Spain, Portugal, France to name a few who have actually competed a very high level with foreign born and reared individuals.
In rugby perhaps some should take a look at Australian and English teams before they comment about Ireland.

washman3

Saipanne wrote: »

Did she have her medals removed from her?

Just curious.

No. she didn't lose her Olympic medals. Actually I'm fairly certain she kept every medal she won, (European etc)
The reason for this is that she passed every dope test during competition.
It was actually out of competition that she was found to have manipulated a sample with drops of whiskey. I think swimming is one of the very few sports with 'out of competition' testing.


Imagine testing a GAA player the day after winning a county final.
There's a good chance he may have urine in his alcohol....:D:D

yipeeeee

Sonia o Sullivan soiling her shorts whilst racing.

Larbre34

yipeeeee wrote: »

Sonia o Sullivan soiling her shorts whilst racing.

Yeah but in fairness shes always competitive, her and Paula Radcliffe turned around to see who could shart closest to the finishing line.

foxy farmer

washman3 wrote: »

No. she didn't lose her Olympic medals. Actually I'm fairly certain she kept every medal she won, (European etc)
The reason for this is that she passed every dope test during competition.
It was actually out of competition that she was found to have manipulated a sample with drops of whiskey. I think swimming is one of the very few sports with 'out of competition' testing.



Imagine testing a GAA player the day after winning a county final.
There's a good chance he may have urine in his alcohol....:D:D

Mind what you say about Michelle Smith de Bruin. She's a barrister now.!

Larbre34

There have been many embarrassing Irish sporting moments of course, but also some great and unlikely successes.

However in my opinion, the most embarrassing aspect of Irish sport is that great endeavour went into building two showpiece stadiums in the capital, and that neither of them were finished.

Larbre34

foxy farmer wrote: »

Mind what you say about Michelle Smith de Bruin. She's a barrister now.!

So is Ian Bailey. Not that theres a correlation. Much.

washman3

foxy farmer wrote: »

Mind what you say about Michelle Smith de Bruin. She's a barrister now.!

I know. I've seen her in action and she's a good one too.
My previous post is correct though.!!

Dirty Dingus McGee

wicklowwonder wrote: »

So then you agree it's the rules that are wrong so it's hardly Ireland's Biggest Sporting Embarrassment when we play by the rules? Lots of cricket and soccer players are in a similar position, an Irish man is now England's ODI cricket captain. Ireland had two English men as captain of the 1990 and 1994 World Cup team. It's not just rugby but people seem to have a chip on their shoulder over rugby.

The GAA at county level should be run for the players simple as. Tipperary shouldn't be allowed enter a team in the hurling or football championship this summer, that would set down a marker for other counties. It is harsh I know but something needs to be done. The winners next week already have lost out in the chance to represent their county in the Munster series.

If you read back you'll see I pointed out that if I was English I'd be embarrassed by the make up of their cricket team.International sport is pointless unless there are very strict rules regarding eligibility. I cringe every time I hear Andy Townsend commentate on TV and his complete biasedness towards England despite having been the Irish captain.

I agree with your last point but there is no chance of it being done.

washman3

Larbre34 wrote: »

There have been many embarrassing Irish sporting moments of course, but also some great and unlikely successes.

However in my opinion, the most embarrassing aspect of Irish sport is that great endeavour went into building two showpiece stadiums in the capital, and that neither of them were finished.

What.......

cython

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Embarrassed to play by the rules? The rules state he can play for Ireland, so he does. In fairness likes of Isaac Boss played before him and didn't receive as much publicity I think it's the fact Strauss went so far out of his way to learn our culture, our anthems etc.

Also Ronan O'Gara and Jamie Heaslip both where born oversea, maybe by your argument they shouldn't play either.

Embarrassing moments are when rules are broken or small suspensions are handed down for vicious assaults.

My own biggest embarrassment is how the GAA treat their club players, the back bone of the game. Case in point in the Tipperary GAA county football final played this weekend, months after all other counties are finished, game is a draw so they bring them back Stephens Day at 1pm. Also they didn't even play the game in Thurles, a stadium the players would love to play in, instead they play it in some field with no stand etc. a disgrace.

Isaac Boss was qualified to play for Ireland through family, which makes him as entitled as any number of men who have played soccer for Ireland over the years (the Irish Granny rule, anyone?).

On the general case though, I would actually say that Tony Cascarino was as much or more of an embarrassment as any project player in rugby, given that while the FAI decided he was technically eligible in retrospect (covering their own arses), he was, by his own admission, a deliberate fraud by playing when he believed himself not to be eligible.

Muahahaha

kippy wrote: »

What kind of a precident would that set?
JD is am embarrassment. Probably the highest paid sports administrator presiding over a sport that relies on the English system to train and develop our top players, has a sham of a national league structure and in my opinion is a failure to those many volunteers that work within it. Worse still, despite all JD's fcuk ups noone within the organisation is speaking up about him.

I think I heard recently that John Delaneys wages are €330,000 a year, they were €400,000 at one stage till he generously took a 'cut'. The winning team of the Eircom League get a prize fund of €150,000 between the entire club while the head of the FAI enjoys a salary that is more than double their winnings. It says it all about Delaney really

Big Ears wrote: »

Well actually Andy used to be pretty well known in Ireland and spent some time in the nation's sporting limelight. He was our only boxing representative at the 2004 Olympics, and during the Bernard Dunne years (and for a while after), he was the main fighter other than Bernard to headline shows on RTE.
He headlined 5 RTE shows, aswell as being on 2 (televised fights) Dunne undercards. He frequently mixed up spells of fighting in Europe with spells of fighting in the US, but once RTE gave up on boxing he pretty much exclusively focused on fighting in the US, where he also had a failed World title attempt vs Julio Cesar Chavez jnr. That fight was massive in the US, but of course got little attention here.




The last time RTE showed a boxing fight was Willie Casey losing in a round to Guillermo Rigondeaux for the interim WBA Super-Bantamweight World title, back in March 2011. RTE had refused to show the fight, citing cost as a reason, so the promoter paid for all of RTE's production costs and they showed it at the last minute with virtually no advertisement.
This is the only boxing card RTE gained the rights for since Ryle Nugent's tenure as RTE head of sport began.

There was actually 4 other pro boxing cards since he took over, between September 2010 and November 2010, but these were all under a previous arrangement RTE had with Brian Peters (before Nugent took over). So 4 pro shows on RTE in 10 weeks in 2010.......0 shows on RTE in the last 3 years, 9 months.

Yeah you see the thing for me and boxing is that I'm not a die hard fan of the sport but if there is an Irish fighter competing at the top levels of the sport then I take an interest, just like I did for Barry McGuigan, Steve Collins,Francie Barrett, Bernard Dunne before. So call me a fair-weather boxing fan or whatever but the only way I'm ever going to see Irish boxers is by RTE because I don't pay for Sky Sports or Setanta. So when I saw on the RTE News that Andy Lee had won the World Middleweight belt I was conflicted in emotion- I was over the moon for him but I was raging at RTE that we had a world champion and because of their non-existant coverage of boxing I hadn't even heard of him. He is Irish and he is the world champion in his sport and our national broadcaster barely gave him a nod.

To put it into perspective I know all about Rob Heffernan the Olympic walker, he seems to pop up on RTE often enough for his races and that's great and everything, fair play to him for his success at the highest levels. But no-one I know has ever said "I'm staying up till 5am tonight to watch a walking race" whereas that happens all the time for true boxing fans.

I never knew the lack of boxing coverage coincided with Ryle Nugent becoming Head of Sport at RTE. Seems Ryle is a bit of a rugby man and maybe boxing is too working class for him ?

Paddyfield

I resent non-Irish people declaring for Ireland via a Grandmother. You're either a true Paddy or not.
St Ledger, Morrisson, Pilkington and all the other wannabes can go shove it up their ar$e. You too Aldridge, Houghton and friends


Give me a mediocre home grown player over a potential world class import anyday.

KungPao

If we are drawing with or beating a good team in football, and we go to the corner flag to waste time...in a friendly match.

Then celebrating when the whistle blows, as if it means something.

Billy86

"We could be the 33rd team" - and by quite a distance, off the top of my head at least. Got the whole world (barring France) to go from having a lot of sympathy over how badly we got screwed to laughing hysterically at us for months, in the blink of an eye. Possibly John Delaney's "finest" hour (when all he was looking for was a backhander from FIFA to line his own pockets with, no doubt).

keeponhurling

KungPao wrote: »

If we are drawing with or beating a good team in football, and we go to the corner flag to waste time...in a friendly match.

Then celebrating when the whistle blows, as if it means something.

I suppose a friendly is a dry-run rehearsal for a real match.

Holding the ball in the corner and time-wasting are integral skills of soccer, as per an earlier post by someone, we would have qualified for Euro 2000 if we'd been a little better at it

anncoates

keeponhurling wrote: »

Holding the ball in the corner and time-wasting are integral skills of soccer, as per an earlier post by someone, we would have qualified for Euro 2000 if we'd been a little better at it

Nobody wants to be David Ginola in 1993.

Breffnigolfer

KungPao wrote: »

If we are drawing with or beating a good team in football, and we go to the corner flag to waste time...in a friendly match.

Then celebrating when the whistle blows, as if it means something.

Like the Ireland Rugby team in the November internationals? Non competitive matches yet celebrated like they were the actual World Cup.

Billy86

Breffnigolfer wrote: »

Like the Ireland Rugby team in the November internationals? Non competitive matches yet celebrated like they were the actual World Cup.

Those matches are taken considerably more competitively than football friendlies. You must have missed New Zealand celebrating when they beat us with the last kick of the game last year?

washman3

washman3 wrote: »

What.......

Croke and Lansdowne both have huge parts of a stand missng

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Has this actually degenerated into a "my sport is better than your sport" debacle...? Now THAT'S embarrassing....

DarkyHughes

pajor wrote: »

And the 2003 British GP. Now that was nearly suicide.

I'd like to know how he got an invite to Thatcher's funeral.

Larbre34

washman3 wrote: »

What.......

Both Croke Park and Lansdowne Road are imcomplete. They have been stunted by bad planning and local NIMBYism. Both are three quarters of the venues they should be. The north end of each ground is a token stand.

Where else would you see such magificent stadiums with a piece cut out of them? Nowhere. National embarrassment. X2.