Unrest amongst the troops?

[billybunter]

just reading through some of the posts here, and there seems to be quite a bit of unrest amongst the Irish supporters. Seems like everyone is looking for a reason to have a go at someone else. The most simple things are getting under peoples skins, Rovers supporters v everyone else, Folks getting upset with guys in leprechaun suits, getting mad at people writing messages on their flags, people not wearing ireland shirts to games, people wearing ireland shirts with the eircom logo on them AND SO ON.......

Not to get on my high horse, but seems like there were a few gobshi*es out in san marino that tried to change the mood for everyone else (my opinion after reading a variety of posts - I was not in san marino myself)

in any event, It all seems like behaviour more typical of our neighbors across the water.

With the exception of the Cyprus game in 2001, I havent been to an Ireland home game since 1994 (emigrated). i love supporting ireland, and I have been known to take flights within the US to cities that were televising ireland games. I was at every home game from 1986 to 1992(was in germany in 88, malta in 89, wembley in 91, Boston 3 times to see them - so i know what its like to support them - the good, the bad and the ugly!!). Back then though as bad as the ugly got, was if someone used bad language on the south terrace, they would get reprimanded with a swift ' watch your language ya dopey ****** ya - there are kids here"..
I happened to be in the englisH end in wembley in 91 (in my irish colours -with plenty of irish around, mind you!), and it was as bitter and nasty an environment I have encountered. (although I understand from speaking with fans that were there, that Windsor park in Nov 1993 was even worse). The one thing that always ade me proud though ws how the irish conducted themselves - home and away.

My point / question is this. Have we gotten that bad? was there trouble in san marino amongst the irish fans? Is the good natured Irish supporter still in the majority? sure seems like there are plenty of genuine fans on this forum - so i'm hoping you will tell me thats not the case!.
I completely understanding booing, wanting delaney, staunton, robbie keane etc held to task, but seems thing were worse than the norm.

Am coming home for wales and slovakia games (ticket or no ticket), but am just curious for the inside scoop beforehand. .

[dr_peepee]

There's a classic case of deflection occuring at the FAI at the minute. Every Irish fan to a person expressed reservations at Stans appointment and have been proved right not only through results but through performances and comments since. And now quite rightly when the reservations are expressed more vocally the FAI and other more alloof sections of Fans deflect accountability by comparing us to mindless tabloid readers.

Some of stans peers and former colleagues cite that the expectations of Irish fans are unrealistic given that we haven't got the squad we had 10 or 15 years ago. That's only a half truth. We fully acknowledge that we haven't got the squad of yesteryear, but we asked at the time of his appointment was a man with no managerial experience really the guy to get the best out a limited bunch of players. The focus shouyld not be on the noises being made by Irish supporters but on the silence of those who should account. Where are those who thought stan was the man in the first place? What did they see last year that we didn't see? What do they see now that we don't see?

Delaney has been getting some positive and negative press the last week for his work in the FAI outside that of the senior team. But if he was never going to be judged on and have to account for the senior team wasn't was too easy for him to be so flippint in this radical appointment. He was never gambling with his own chips was he? (Not that I think he alone hired him but you get the point). I think the portrayal of the Irish football fan in all this is unfair. They travelled to San Marino in numbers and turned out with a good heart against the Czechs after the Cyprus fiasco.

[RogerMilla]

they need to earn our respect back. with or without stan at the helm

[bennocelt]

i travel to some away games, and it does cost me an arm and a leg, still havent paid off the loan for me and the brother to go to the germany game yet!

and hoping to go to the games in slovakia and wales

when an irish team struggles to beat cyprus and san marino, im entitled to boo them and give them abuse, you just try and bloody well stop me

when they try their best...like against France and dont win....yeah thats unlucky and i give them support, but the thing for most supporters now is that the team dont seem to care as much as the fans

i only support football, i cant jump on the rugby bandwagon cause in honesty i dont like the posh ****s that support that shower, and its an overrated game, i cant jump on the bogball bandwagon cause its not a game, so i only have football, and the present ireland team depresses me a lot