All Ireland Team?

CrazySka

Ok folks this might have been discussed here before but with the events of the last few days id like to bring it up

I feel that an all Ireland team would make a huge difference to the strength of irish teams in the future. While there are only two or three players at the moment from the north who would get into such a team(I think David Healy and Arron Hughes ) i think this move would open up the national pool, with the extra 1.5M people in the north we could have a decent base to pick from and the merging of the teams would serve to promote the game in both areas.

This is a theoretical question, im aware of the management and admin problems there would be and i also know the odd sectarian **** might get in the way but i think this would settle down in time. Whats everyones view, in the short term who would get in and in the long term what would be the benefits/disadvantages?

BaZmO*

We dont need the North to suceed

john_dub wrote:

and i also know the odd sectarian **** might get in the way but i think this would settle down in time.

The biggest understatement of the year tbh! Soccer supporters are not like Rugby supporters. There'd just be too much hassle.

B.

Necronomicon

We dont need the North to suceed

I don't think it would be a good idea. Apart from the political and religious reasons, as far as footballing goes I wouldn't replace any of our first team with anyone in the N.Irish team.

whiskeyman

We dont need the North to suceed

no, no and no.
Totally diff scenario to rugby or hockey.
No need to open up the national pool - we just need more funding for grass roots development here.
No need to "promote" the game either... this is soccer we're taking about, not international tiddlywinks.

jubbly

Originally Posted by daveirl
The people in the pub I was in cheered too and all I could think of is how the
people at the Northern Irish match were bloody delighted we lost. They hate us,
anyone who thinks otherwise is being pretty naive. At least the English would
have wanted us to beat France.

All I think of when I think of Northen Irish football is the match in Windsor
Park when trying to qualify for USA '94. We were treated like ****. Then you
have the Neil Lennon incident. Or the constant sectarianism at Windsor Park. Or
how about the fact Northen Irish football is so bigoted that Derry play in our
league. I'm so far from a Republican it's not even funny but how anyone can
support Northern Ireland is beyond me.

says it all really

por

As the Rev. Mr. Paisley would say 'Never, Never, Never'
We don't need the one or two players from the north who play football above Laegue 1.
We don't need 'Irelands Call'
We don't need a flag that is not our own.
We don't need sectarian loyalist scum at games
We don't need sectarian republican scum at games itching for a fight with sectarian loyalist scum.

And to all of you Norn Iron fans today after their win against England, one swallow does not a summer make....

CrazySka

No itll never work

Fair enough the sectarian problems are there to be seen but without starting a politics thread reconciliations gotta start somewhere (personally id have the home games in dublin and let the loyalists support england, check their tattoos at the border for screening.)
As for the national pool, you can always do with more players to pick from the more players-the better chance of quality.
And promotion is important lets face it there are people in this country with very little interest in soccer as compared to GAA an all ireland team might capture peoples imaginations.

tbh i think its an idea but even seeing the responses here i doubt it would work.

Guy:Incognito

In theory it would be a good idea. A few times in the past we have been a couple of players shy of a really good team. George Best would have been nice to have. In practice though, it wouldnt work. incidentally, wjy was it separated in the first place when other sports have an all Ireland team?

MrJoeSoap

We dont need the North to suceed

SO many stumbling blocks, it will never work. There's nothing wrong with it the way it is now anyway.

Jivin Turkey

We dont need the North to suceed

The North go do something stupid like winning two games on the bounce and look what happens............................

whiskeyman

We dont need the North to suceed

Stekelly wrote:

why was it separated in the first place when other sports have an all Ireland team?

info here http://www.fai.ie/history.asp?hlid=220468

Seems we played our first international after being a free state, and there was much hostility between the local associations here and the Governing IFA before then that forced a break-away.

The Irish Rugby team goes back way before our independence:
http://www.irishrugby.ie/htmlpage/62479.html

cournioni

Why? Just because they got a jammy win against England?! No thanks, we don't need them or the strings attached to them. Too much hassle.

jubbly

exactly pornapster !

whiskeyman

We dont need the North to suceed

well, actually maybe.
Only if the IFA fund a new 80,000 seater stadium... in Dublin.
then we'll think about it

Jonny Arson

We dont need the North to suceed

No no and no.

jubbly

whiskeyman wrote:

well, actually maybe.
Only if the IFA fund a new 80,000 seater stadium... in Dublin.
then we'll think about it

with Shelbourne F.C as anchor tennants

jonny68

No itll never work

I chose "Sounds good in theory" which it does although hardly any of their players would make it into the starting 11,one good thing though Neil Lennon could possibly return,who can ever forget the sickening abuse he had to endure from these Loyalist bigoted scum,that would be another condition no sectarianism or bigotry,that would have to be totally eradicated in the event of this happening which i can't see any day soon.

Nimrod's Son

We dont need the North to suceed

Not gonna happen. Too much hassle and pretty pointless from the Republic's point of view.... Until the next George Best comes along anyway!

colster

Sounds good in theory

I'd like it to happen but don't think it will.
Also, i think there are a lot more players from the north that would get into the squad and possibly the team e.g.

Maik Taylor instead of P.Kenny
Roy Carroll instead of Colgan
Aaron Hughes instead of Breen
Steve Davis instead of Miller
Damien Johnson instead of Maybury
Keith Gillespie instead of Elliot/S.Reid
David Healy instead of Doherty


Martin O'Neill as manager

Big Nelly

colster wrote:

Keith Gillespie instead of Elliot/S.Reid

Rest of squad changes I agree with but Keith Gillespie is no Elliott and S Reid is 10 times the player he ever was or is!!!

colster

Sounds good in theory

Big Nelly wrote:

Rest of squad changes I agree with but Keith Gillespie is no Elliott and S Reid is 10 times the player he ever was or is!!!

I don't know about that. Gillespie would be a good option for the right wing. Could give us a bit of balance there. He's got a bit of pace and is a good crosser.

Healy would give Keane a run for his money.

We would have 4 very good keepers as well, 5 if you include Kiely.

Aaron Hughes would be a decent option for left full (or center half when Cunningham retires). AFAIK he played there a few times for NUFC.

Johnson would also offer some cover down the right (fullback or winger).

Steven Davis would be a better partner for Roy Keane than Kilbane.

Berns

No itll never work

Well, I'm from the north & catholic, religion shouldnt really matter but the sad fact is that it does. Knew one of the NI players brothers when was younger so would like to go see them play. But with the fact of the chants & secterian stuff from the crowds that attend the NI matches I'd fear for my life tbh.

Only been till one Ireland soccer match, which was Republic v Yugoslavia in Dublin a while back. Says it all really. Half the population wouldnt support NI as their home team due till the secterianisim involved.

Have some mates from other side would be happy to see a All Ireland team though. Far better chance to win something like. Problem is that where would the stadium be. Of course Dublin is the capital & all, but something more central would be preferable.

Far bigger stadium would have more chance of being built. I beleive there is plans for a new soccer stadium in Dublin???? Also is plans underway here up North for a national (NI) stadium, but it hasn't been given the go ahead yet. If the teams had merged, this fundin could have been stuck together & well, massive stadium prob

Basically, minority of population, consisting of the bad elements of both sides, would make a combined team a problem. However they may have to live with it like Rugby.

Anyhow, gotta run, there my 2 cence

CrazySka

No itll never work

Gillespie would be a good option for the right wing. Could give us a bit of balance there. He's got a bit of pace and is a good crosser.

Defo the kind of player id like to see coming on for the last twenty minutes in a game, could cause a lot of problems for opposition with his energy.

Steven Davis would be a better partner for Roy Keane than Kilbane.

Sorry but id have to disagree with you there, maybe in a few years when he matures, but id still have Kev in the team hes a good honest pro works his socks off.

Bateman

Sounds good in theory

An all-Ireland league is a long way down the road, but it is coming. When it does come, it is going to make sense to unite the international teams too. It is going to happen, but it will be a long way off.

The sectarian problems could be defeated. Maybe it would involve something as ridiculous-sounding as segregating fans of the same team (although this already happens, outside the ground, all around whatever city England happen to playing a home game in). Sectarianism isn't something we should all just accept and be afraid of, it's something that should be tackled.

I don't think Northern Ireland have any players that would make it into our starting XI at the moment, but with Cunningham and Keane looking at retirement in the next year or two, the situation might change.

jubbly

The north should go ahead with the 30,000 seater stadium in belfast regardless. Putting the stadium 20 mile out the road on the side of a motorway is bóllócks. Ireland could play some of its smaller games in Belfast (and Cork if there was ever a 30,000 stadium there). Friendlies etc could be held there. As for players, only the best players start and same applies for the squad. I cant see the FAI IFA wanting to merge though