Ireland's biggest sporting embarrassment?

Beaner1

JaseHeath wrote: »

A good few sprung to my mind:

-Michelle Smith-DeBruin
-Cian O'Connor and Waterford Crystal
-Ireland 2-5 Cyprus
-Dublin v. Galway, All Ireland Football Final 1983 ('The Game Of Shame')
-Saipan
-Euro 2012 (the manner of the defeats more than the defeats themselves)
-'The 33rd Team'
-Ireland 1-6 Germany (the manner of the defeat more than the defeat itself)

That's pretty much my list. The 33rd team thing I was more disgusted at Blatter who made it public and had a good laugh the ****.

Podge83

Larbre34 wrote: »

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.

I'd put this second to the 33rd team alright. Whether Nimbyism or not there is a collective element of "jaysas if we finish them properly they would indeed be world class stadiums - now we're Irish lads so we cant have that - that'd be too good for us!!"

Anyway, where else in the World would you build two stadiums at more or less the same time, one that will be full a handful of times in Summer and the other that will be full a few times in Winter - surely one would do??!!

The Bould Rabbit

Big Ears wrote: »

Ireland's 2 most successful sports are amateur boxing and professional boxing......

How is this measured or is it just a personal opinion ?



As for embarrassing moments, homecomings for teams that won nothing are cringe inducing enough without getting flutes like Joe Duffy and Des Cahill to host them.

tayto lover

Was Marty Morrissey mentioned yet?

Larbre34

Podge83 wrote: »

where else in the World would you build two stadiums at more or less the same time, one that will be full a handful of times in Summer and the other that will be full a few times in Winter - surely one would do??!!

Yes one would do, normally, but as we know the experiment of bringing the saathhsoide to da nortsayed was not entirely successful. And God knows the prospect of doing the opposite is just too awful to contemplate.

tayto lover

tayto lover wrote: »

Was Marty Morrissey mentioned yet?

He was, for his disaster with Barrett's family

Other than the whole sending him to the women's volleyball :eek:

Magico Gonzalez

Dunno about embarassment, but the 2007 rugby WC was pretty frustrating. Side full of genuinely world class players were poorly prepared and fumbled through the group and limped out against Argentina when they should have at a minimum made it to the semis.

youtheman

rossie1977 wrote: »

probably this

I remember the day the GAA officially voted to allow the 'foreign games' in Croke Park. RTE went around doing a Vox Pop and recording both sides of the argument. They recorded a GAA head at a match and he was saying "I wouldn't even leave that soccer crowd in the gate...". And there he was ..........wearing a Celtic Hat. Priceless.

Podge83

Larbre34 wrote: »

Yes one would do, normally, but as we know the experiment of bringing the saathhsoide to da nortsayed was not entirely successful. And God knows the prospect of doing the opposite is just too awful to contemplate.

But the gougers do come over - for the soccer

tastyt

The fact that we are supposedly a football mad country and every other nation gushes at our amazing supporters at big tournaments!!

If they knew the real story, most fans are only on a piss up and won't go to support a local football team a few miles down the the road from them because it's not a big enough ' event ' for them or they won't get to see the players that they watch on the telly so what's the point.

Irish football supporters attitude towards their own national league and the fai's total disdregard for it is both scandalous and very very embarrassing. Considered a joke by both GAA and the IRFU , and who could blame them.

chewed

Katie Taylor's accent!

Podge83

youtheman wrote: »

I remember the day the GAA officially voted to allow the 'foreign games' in Croke Park. RTE went around doing a Vox Pop and recording both sides of the argument. They recorded a GAA head at a match and he was saying "I wouldn't even leave that soccer crowd in the gate...". And there he was ..........wearing a Celtic Hat. Priceless.

Reminds me of an even deeper memory (both in time and darkness) of a young protester in Dublin during the H Block demos being asked a question regarding his "anti-brit" feelings....... and he was wearing a Man United Scarf!

Back to the point - wasn't it in LA when yer man twice knocked down the Hammer Cage, not Atlanta??

buck65

sup_dude wrote: »

I'm not a fan of Cian O Connor by any length. In his defence though, that was very unreasonable and not entirely his fault. Cian wasn't the only one who was taken out of the running. They were EXTREMELY strict that year. The trace of the drug found in Waterford Crystal was given to the horse months beforehand by a vet as a treatment and would ordinarily not have affected the results. Although the drug was in the system still, it would not have had any effect of the horse. Like I said, the FEI were very very very strict that year and have since apologised and admitted they made a mistake with the strictness of the drug testing.

Bull **** Cian.

MonsterCookie

CrabRevolution wrote: »

For the record, I dont mind people supporting English/Scottish clubs-their choice. If the reason is "The quality is better" or "I see them on TV more", or "They are more successful in Europe", then fine, support away.

But what is embarrassing is those who try to justify their support of a British club by claiming "They have an Irish connection". In that case why not support an actual Irish club. If it's "Irish Connections" you're after, then what bigger an Irish connection can a club have than actually being Irish?

What about supporting a club in another country because the quality is good and because they have irish players...or in my case, had irish players when I started following them when I was 8 years of age. Do I still embarrass you then?

Larbre34

Podge83 wrote: »

But the gougers do come over - for the soccer

Yeah but its under strict supervision, on special armoured trains and alcohol is banned. For the rugger you can drink your head off in your seat.

Big Ears

The Bould Rabbit wrote: »

How is this measured or is it just a personal opinion ?.

In World titles and performances at major sporting events.
All-time: 20 professional World Boxing champions
16 of our 28 Olympic medals were in amateur boxing

Currently 2 professional boxers holding World titles.
As for the amateurs:
1 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze at the last Olympic games
1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze at the last World championships
3 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze at the last European's
2 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze at the last European Union Championships
Also for Northern Irish boxers, 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 5 Bronze at the Commonwealth games.
All of these are inclusive of men and women.


I suppose you could argue Golf as being in our top 2 with McIlroy's recent success, although there is somewhat of a lack of depth here with an improving Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell our only other top 50 players currently.
I'm happy to be corrected though if someone can show a sport where we've won more titles/medals in than Boxing.

The only problem that I have with boxing is all the different weight classes. It's like the swimmers being classed the best Olympians as they can compete in several distances

Big Ears

Deleted User wrote: »

The only problem that I have with boxing is all the different weight classes. It's like the swimmers being classed the best Olympians as they can compete in several distances

Not really, as a boxer can only compete in one weight class at a time. They can not win more than one medal. Swimming is more like athletics having multiple distances to run over. Then multiple distances to run over with hurdles. Then you've got relays aswell. A sprinter/runner may be able to compete in up to 3 events !

buck65

Deleted User wrote: »

The only problem that I have with boxing is all the different weight classes. It's like the swimmers being classed the best Olympians as they can compete in several distances

Yes but boxers for the most part can only compete in one weight class. Apart from the women boxers who have a only 3 or something? classes.

Big Ears

buck65 wrote: »

Yes but boxers for the most part can only compete in one weight class. Apart from the women boxers who have a only 3 or something? classes.

3 for the Olympics and Commonwealths, 10 for the Europeans and Worlds.
It's actually more difficult to win medals at men's boxing events now, there was previously 12 weight classes, but now there is only 10.

wadacrack

tony cascarino..no irish heritage at all..just used the country for his football career

The_Kew_Tour

Over 200 posts and not mention of

New Zealand 60 - 0 Ireland in 2012.

So good nobody remembers.

con___manx1

tastyt wrote: »

The fact that we are supposedly a football mad country and every other nation gushes at our amazing supporters at big tournaments!!

If they knew the real story, most fans are only on a piss up and won't go to support a local football team a few miles down the the road from them because it's not a big enough ' event ' for them or they won't get to see the players that they watch on the telly so what's the point.

Irish football supporters attitude towards their own national league and the fai's total disdregard for it is both scandalous and very very embarrassing. Considered a joke by both GAA and the IRFU , and who could blame them.

I agree with you totally and there is no comparroson between the atmosphere at home games either the soccer crowd are useless apart from the hard core fans in the singing section .the atnosphere at the ire v oz test match was unreal.

buck65

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Over 200 posts and not mention of

New Zealand 60 - 0 Ireland in 2012.

So good nobody remembers.

I remember Sexton going for the corner late in the game, I know a try was needed but kick the ****ing pen and kill the duck egg!!

Big Ears

Big Ears wrote: »

Not really, as a boxer can only compete in one weight class at a time. They can not win more than one medal. Swimming is more like athletics having multiple distances to run over. Then multiple distances to run over with hurdles. Then you've got relays aswell. A sprinter/runner may be able to compete in up to 3 events !

I mean that the team has so many more chances to win a medal that say soccer or rugby

Stone Deaf 4evr

Not a sports fan at all, but the 33rd team thing and sep blatters smug face as he laughed at it.

The only time I ever felt like strangling a stranger. made me feel like we were the butt of the worlds joke.

Podge83

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Not a sports fan at all, but the 33rd team thing and sep blatters smug face as he laughed at it.

The only time I ever felt like strangling a stranger. made me feel like we were the butt of the worlds joke.

We were.... thanks JD

Putinovsky

Remember when the AFL actually gave a **** about International Rules and sent their best players?

Now that was embarrassing, seeing our GAA players being absolutely man handled and beaten up. These so called 'hard lads' were absolutely cowering and being swatted around like flies. It was so, so embarrassing watching it on tv. Every few minutes you'd see an Aussie throwing around a lifeless GAA player like he was a little girl.

Then all the crying started about GAA players being amateurs and not physically strong enough. If that was the case then maybe they shouldn't have been trying all their shouldering off the ball and mouthy bollix to the aussie players.

Basically the GAA cancelled the series for a year and demanded that the AFL send smaller players and the series was pretty much done.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Putinovsky wrote: »

Remember when the AFL actually gave a **** about International Rules and sent their best players?

Now that was embarrassing, seeing our GAA players being absolutely man handled and beaten up. These so called 'hard lads' were absolutely cowering and being swatted around like flies. It was so, so embarrassing watching it on tv. Every few minutes you'd see an Aussie throwing around a lifeless GAA player like he was a little girl.

Then all the crying started about GAA players being amateurs and not physically strong enough. If that was the case then maybe they shouldn't have been trying all their shouldering off the ball and mouthy bollix to the aussie players.

Basically the GAA cancelled the series for a year and demanded that the AFL send smaller players and the series was pretty much done.

The GAA players weren't instigating the aussies or shouldering them off the ball, the aussies have almost 100% been the deliberate instigators of any violence in those series in the last decade or so.The GAA players are not stupid and are hardly going to start a row that they obviously would never win.

whisky_galore

Ireland's Call.

The Bould Rabbit

Big Ears wrote: »

In World titles and performances at major sporting events.
All-time: 20 professional World Boxing champions
16 of our 28 Olympic medals were in amateur boxing

Currently 2 professional boxers holding World titles.
As for the amateurs:
1 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze at the last Olympic games
1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze at the last World championships
3 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze at the last European's
2 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze at the last European Union Championships
Also for Northern Irish boxers, 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 5 Bronze at the Commonwealth games.
All of these are inclusive of men and women.


I suppose you could argue Golf as being in our top 2 with McIlroy's recent success, although there is somewhat of a lack of depth here with an improving Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell our only other top 50 players currently.
I'm happy to be corrected though if someone can show a sport where we've won more titles/medals in than Boxing.

Impressive list of boxing achievements there right enough and yes our golfers are on a roll.

But no, I would argue that horseracing has been our most successful sport on a consistent level for over 50 years and especially the last 20 years in both National Hunt and on the Flat. Our breeders, trainers, jockeys and of course our horses are proven world beaters.

But its a debate for another thread because there is nothing embarrassing about out boxers or our horseracing people.

iDave

I was wondering how long it would be before someone would make a nonsensical comment regarding the IRS. There was nothing hard or brave about how the Aussies behaved. A jolly to the other side of the world to act the dick, that was it.
boards.au sporting embarrassment thread should mention that Australian team.

demanded that the AFL send smaller players

Simply did not happen.


Actually what was truly embarrassing from an Irish point of view was how a lot of Dublin fans (among others) high fived each other over Graham Geraghtys injury.

robbiezero

tastyt wrote: »

The fact that we are supposedly a football mad country and every other nation gushes at our amazing supporters at big tournaments!!

If they knew the real story, most fans are only on a piss up and won't go to support a local football team a few miles down the the road from them because it's not a big enough ' event ' for them or they won't get to see the players that they watch on the telly so what's the point.

Irish football supporters attitude towards their own national league and the fai's total disdregard for it is both scandalous and very very embarrassing. Considered a joke by both GAA and the IRFU , and who could blame them.

Completely agree with this. The nonsense about being the best fans in the world over in Poland cos they kept singing even though we were being hammered. It was because most of them didn't give a ****e.

illdoit2morrow

Not a direct sporting moment, but that mental Irish priest attacking the Brazilian runner near the end of the marathon at the Olympics in Greece in 2004.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/athletics/3610598.stm

Putinovsky

illdoit2morrow wrote: »

Not a direct sporting moment, but that mental Irish priest attacking the Brazilian runner near the end of the marathon at the Olympics in Greece in 2004.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/athletics/3610598.stm

We cost the Brazilians two gold medals in that Olympics.

One from the priest and one from our juiced up horse.

Kermit.de.frog

...go to 40 seconds. Cringe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHUiEUa0weY

CrabRevolution

Putinovsky wrote: »

We cost the Brazilians two gold medals in that Olympics.

One from the priest and one from our juiced up horse.

"We" didn't cost the Brazilians anything. Its not like Horan was an official representative of Ireland. He was just a deranged former priest who happened to be Irish, unlike the various teams/athletes mentioned in the thread so far who were actually representing Ireland at events.

Since O'Connor was disqualified, the Brazilian would have gotten the gold medal in the end too.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Drawing nil all with Liechtenstein in a Euro 96 qualifier was a fairly low moment

superfurry1

Irish Tennis is an absolute disgrace badly organised at a junior level probably because there is no money invested an un-tapped source of potential.

HIB

5/6 nations rugby.

A tournament with only 5/6 teams and we've only won it 3 times in the last 30 years.

Maybe not THE most embarrassing, but embarrassing none the less.

Muahahaha

Larbre34 wrote: »

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.

As Australian mate of mine has been to both Croker and Lansdowne since they were renovated. He later remarked "You guys seem like world leaders when it comes to building three quarters of a stadium". He's right too. The funny thing is that when Croke Park was built the Irish media and GAA were falling over themselves to tell us how it is "one of the finest stadiums in the world". Maybe it would have been if they'd finished it :rolleyes:

Henlars67

The fact that everyone thinks Thierry Henry's handball done Ireland out of a place in the World Cup.

It didn't. It done us out of a penalty shoot-out.

Who knows how that would have went.

Big Ears

HIB wrote: »

5/6 nations rugby.

A tournament with only 5/6 teams and we've only won it 3 times in the last 30 years.

Maybe not THE most embarrassing, but embarrassing none the less.

You do also have the European Nations Cup, where there are 6 tiers below the Six Nations. 31 European teams in total play at a level below the 6 Nations.
Of course most of the countries that play at a standard below the 6 Nations the game is very much a minority sport (with the exception of countries like Georgia, Romania and Andorra).
We did lose 2 Championships in the last 10 years on points difference, which during the start of your selected 30 year period would have resulted in shared Championships.

But yes we had a very bad spell in the late 80's and early 90's where we were pretty rubbish. Anyway despite there being only 6 teams competing, the sport is played at an extremely high level, and I while I don't think we've achieved anything near what we could of in the last 30 years I wouldn't say it's anything to be embarrassed about either.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Muahahaha wrote: »

As Australian mate of mine has been to both Croker and Lansdowne since they were renovated. He later remarked "You guys seem like world leaders when it comes to building three quarters of a stadium". He's right too. The funny thing is that when Croke Park was built the Irish media and GAA were falling over themselves to tell us how it is "one of the finest stadiums in the world". Maybe it would have been if they'd finished it :rolleyes:

To be honest I'd rather Croke Park to the characterless bowls that most Australian (and most other modernly developed) stadiums are, they're horrible to look at.

Frankly Croke Park was over developed they should have had terracing at the canal end as well, but the horseshoe shape gives it a distinctive feel also if you look at the NFL in America Seattle and New Englands stadiums have a similar looks to Croke Park where one side is different to the other 3 so it isn't just in Ireland that have so called uncompleted stadiums.

nerobert

I know its not really an embarrassment but when Theirry Henry hand balled the ball in the 2010 qualifier I was pretty disgusted

NoMore MrNiceGuy

Big Ears wrote: »

You do also have the European Nations Cup, where there are 6 tiers below the Six Nations. 31 European teams in total play at a level below the 6 Nations.
Of course most of the countries that play at a standard below the 6 Nations the game is very much a minority sport (with the exception of countries like Georgia, Romania and Andorra).
We did lose 2 Championships in the last 10 years on points difference, which during the start of your selected 30 year period would have resulted in shared Championships.

But yes we had a very bad spell in the late 80's and early 90's where we were pretty rubbish. Anyway despite there being only 6 teams competing, the sport is played at an extremely high level, and I while I don't think we've achieved anything near what we could of in the last 30 years I wouldn't say it's anything to be embarrassed about either.

You shouldn't feed the anti-rugby trolls. The irish rugby team is not an embarrassment.

JC01

Roy Keane. He was a hero of mine growing up but the way he acted in Saipan was a disgrace. It's a further disgrace that the FAI took him back afterwards.

And some of the crap he's come out with over the years since just shows how arrogant the man is

DEFTLEFTHAND

Muahahaha wrote: »

As Australian mate of mine has been to both Croker and Lansdowne since they were renovated. He later remarked "You guys seem like world leaders when it comes to building three quarters of a stadium". He's right too. The funny thing is that when Croke Park was built the Irish media and GAA were falling over themselves to tell us how it is "one of the finest stadiums in the world". Maybe it would have been if they'd finished it :rolleyes:

I think the railway line behind the Nally/Hill 16 end is why they can't finish it off. With the Aviva the residents at that end protested about blocked sun light so they had to revise their plans.

Grandeeod

Here's a really embarrassing one that had nothing to do with results and made world news. In 1985 the Republic of Ireland played Italy in a friendly soccer match in Dalymount Park, Dublin. It became a free for all as it became evident the FAI had under estimated the turn out. I had reserved terrace tickets which was in front of the original stand. When I arrived at the ground with my father all the gates were open and people with no tickets were being allowed in. Ended up in the school end. People were even sitting around the side lines. A ****ing shambles that only the FAI could orchestrate.

Here's a decent article on it.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/seconds-from-disaster-26571556.html

Tugboats

JC01 wrote: »

Roy Keane. He was a hero of mine growing up but the way he acted in Saipan was a disgrace. It's a further disgrace that the FAI took him back afterwards.

And some of the crap he's come out with over the years since just shows how arrogant the man is

Having no training gear and the majority of the players treating it as a holiday camp was a bigger disgrace