Barstool facepalm

[pineapple stu]

I can't watch football in busy pubs, at all. It's an incredibly mental experience.

Watching Ireland games in pubs is a painful experience. I hate it.

Should point out it wasn't a busy city centre pub; just down the local. Not a mad fan of watching games in packed pubs, but this place is grand.

[Mr A]

Should point out it wasn't a busy city centre pub; just down the local. Not a mad fan of watching games in packed pubs, but this place is grand.

UCD Fan.

Doesn't like crowds.

Makes sense.

[pineapple stu]

Helps me get over my agoraphobia, etc, etc.

[Real ale Madrid]

Was down the pub last night watching the match. Two lads started talking about how ****e we were midway through the first half - which in fairness was the only sensible thing they said to each other.

The solution was to do what the IRFU did. Four provinces, playing abroad. It's the only way. Leinster FC in the Premiership - sure they'd watch that. I mean, Bray Wanderers is all well and good, but there's only a few hundred people at the games, and what's the point of that? Anyway, once you get to that level, you won't be going any further. Leinster in the Premiership is the solution.


Anyways, both had left by the time Shane Long (whose career stalled irreparably after playing for Cork) set up Stephen Ward (who never went anywhere after four whole years at Bohs) for the Ireland goal.

Cool that you bumped into the bear - he has changed from Celtic league to Provinces in the Premiership I see - I hope you invited him back
http://foot.ie/threads/167866-Celtic...premier+league

[Brusher]

The IRFU/Connaught Rugby people surely only have to talk to their colleagues in the Aviva how dangerous it can be pumping money into new stadia depending on the long term support of the Irish sports fan !!

[IsMiseSean]

If Galway United were to make the FAI cup final they'd get a big crowd going. But building a consistent crowd in the city is difficult, perhaps because there are so many from outside the city living here.

I'd like to think they would get a big following but I wouldn't be to confident. We started this season quite well but that didn't result in an increase in attendances.
There's almost a snobbery towards football in Galway especially outside the city. If it's not GAA or Rugby it's not worth watching.

[Strongbow10]

If Galway United were to make the FAI cup final they'd get a big crowd going. But building a consistent crowd in the city is difficult, perhaps because there are so many from outside the city living here.

Not trying to wind anyone up by saying this but is the bolded bit not an irish problem rather than a Galway one? Its very prevelant with football but it exists in all sports. Most sports in Ireland soccer included have a very small hardcore following i.e they will support their club and country by attending games regardless of the result. The rest of the crowd is made up of casual supporters who will choose whatever is hot at that particular moment in time (this isnn't Kenny Cunningham by the way )

The irish equate winning with happiness and will chase the happiness in sport by following the best bet to give them that. For alot of them you can take the booze out of the equation and the interest dries up aswell.

I know one bloke in particular who is from Galway originally, went to college in Cork and now works in Dublin. The guy unashamedly followed Munster rugby in college, hopped on the Leinster bandwagon whilst working in Dublin and all of a sudden hes at the Sports ground wearing his Connacht jersey since Christmas when there was a sniff of glory. His apparent passion for all 3 teams coincided with their best spells in terms of success of course. Now the guy is otherwise a very intelligent bloke, successful, has all of his mental capacities intact but he is symptomatic of the casual irish sports fan. This is the majority of fans in all irish sport. They follow boxing at the olympics, gaa when their county is on a high, and football during the major tournaments.

In terms of LOI, I don't think the casual fan will ever be attracted unfortunately. I see it at my own LOI club, attendances are shocking. When theres a chance of winning the league theres a buzz sure, but casual fans make up 90% of these numbers and they are simply attracted to winning or complaining something is crap. Generally speaking, I don't think Irish people are cut out for long term attachment or effort it takes to support one club in good times and bad and actually attend. Its not in our DNA. Most blokes have an opinion on 4-4-2 or tiki taka or hidden gems playing in south america and they might fool you into thinking football is their passion. But its like having a passion for your favourite TV show really.

If Ireland had a side in the English premiership there would be serious buzz for a season at most, maybe 2. The passionate cries of fields of athenry of our sell out crowd would soon dwindle to feck all when we got a hiding and finished bottom of the premiership. Irish fans only want to align themselves to something successful and if success isn't provided then they will find it somewhere else, regardless of the standard. Standards are supposedly the reason LOI football isn't attractive, yet the same people go and watch Ireland toy with Italy every year in the six nations. Whilst at the same time deride the national soccer team for being ****e despite the fact we are opening ourselves up to a higher level of competition year in year out.

Its that simply folks

[bennocelt]

Thats excellent Strongbow, got it in a nutshell

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Was down the pub last night watching the match. Two lads started talking about how ****e we were midway through the first half - which in fairness was the only sensible thing they said to each other.

The solution was to do what the IRFU did. Four provinces, playing abroad. It's the only way. Leinster FC in the Premiership - sure they'd watch that. I mean, Bray Wanderers is all well and good, but there's only a few hundred people at the games, and what's the point of that? Anyway, once you get to that level, you won't be going any further. Leinster in the Premiership is the solution.


Anyways, both had left by the time Shane Long (whose career stalled irreparably after playing for Cork) set up Stephen Ward (who never went anywhere after four whole years at Bohs) for the Ireland goal.

Leinster in the 8th or 9th tier of English football and work their way up like AFC Wimbledon have done.

[wonder88]

Maybe it was only a small number, but I would also be aware of some Galway people who were big Munster rugby fans a few years back. However the competition that Connacht won had no English teams in it, so entering the Scottish league might be a better comparison. Has this been tried before? did Colm McCarthy, Ray Tracey and others plan to buy Hamilton?
Also after the Emmet Malone front page splash about the boss of the FAI singing a song in a pub, it seems that according to the Irish Times Shane Duffy and James McClean are foreign born.

[legendz]

I can't watch football in busy pubs, at all. It's an incredibly mental experience.

Many pubs have bad seating or the TV in an awkward spot. Happy enough to watch matches from the comfort of the living room unless I happen to be in Limerick which is the nearest Lol club.

[Pablo Escobar]

I watched a piece that was done by a Polish guy during Euro 2012. He travelled to a few games a filmed/interviewed the fans. Before the Ireland and Spain game he found 3 guys wearing Ireland jerseys;

Interviewer: "where are you from?".
Lads: "Cork"
Interviewer: "Who do you support?"
Lads: "Munster"

They didn't even get the right sport.

[BonnieShels]

Considering Connacht were only getting 3000 at games at the start of the season and nearly 8000 by the end of it & could of easily got over 10k if they had the ground, that's a pretty big bandwagon.

I agree though, what they've done is fantastic but when their star players leave and there back to being average the crowds will dwindle again and the Galway sporting public will all be GAA fans again if they can manage a SF/Final appearance.

Listen I'm sure there's a fair whack of that 5000 who are pure shams and will not be next or near the Sportsground come next November when Connacht limp out of the EPRC. But give it time I suppose.

The stories about the missing Munster fans are kinda hilarious. I remember during the Munster period of dominance and the great rivalry with Leinster at Europe's top table almost all Connacht boys I knew would dine out on their love for Munster and hatred for Leinster. And sure as discussed above there's a fair whack of Lunsters who have disappeared too since the days of Felipe and Cheika. Ah yes, we're a great wee "sports mad" nation.

That being said I have a weird ambivalence towards my "home" province of Leinster. But they never got under my skin like Shels or Dublin GAA or Ireland (in any sport). And all that despite loving Union. Anyway...

[Charlie Darwin]

I kind of like Leinster. There's never been the whole myth-making thing with Munster where everybody was born in a turnip field and raised in a shoebox in the middle of the dual carriageway in Limerick. Everybody knows they're rich boys whose relatives will one day foreclose your house, but they don't try to dress themselves up as anything else.

[Nesta99]

Ah yes, we're a great wee "sports mad" nation.

...but world champions at being fickle!

[osarusan]

Irish by birth, Munster by the Grace of God.


F**k off.

[BonnieShels]

Irish by birth, Munster by the Grace of God.


F**k off.

I kinda like that phrase it has to be said.

Despite ye all being a shower of turnip eating savages.

[Real ale Madrid]

I know one bloke in particular who is from Galway originally, went to college in Cork and now works in Dublin. The guy unashamedly followed Munster rugby in college, hopped on the Leinster bandwagon whilst working in Dublin and all of a sudden hes at the Sports ground wearing his Connacht jersey since Christmas when there was a sniff of glory. His apparent passion for all 3 teams coincided with their best spells in terms of success of course. Now the guy is otherwise a very intelligent bloke, successful, has all of his mental capacities intact but he is symptomatic of the casual irish sports fan.

apologies for the swear word but....

Attachment 2426

[Strongbow10]

apologies for the swear word but....

Tis true.

Everyone knows someone like this, plenty of them out there

[Nesta99]

It is true in my experience. One chap, well known locally for his vehement support of Munster Rugby and SCOFFED at the Leinster 'D4' stuff. As Leinster started to compete and the IRFU, in fairness, had even Dundalk with flags and banners up for their first European final and then success. Low and behold when I met him during the Ireland November series he was sporting a Leinster shirt, proper stato he became too! He used to laugh at many a Dundalk FC fan for bothering to go to Oriel yet now he boldly heads to games or out for televised matches in a club shirt. The irony is that he seems to know plenty (too much) about things happening at Oriel and takes significant pleasure of asking obscure questions about the club and it stumping people, eg 'who was the first chairman of Dundalk FC (not Dundalk GNR)....