Irish Players and "Drink Problems"

[republicofwhite]

I don't really know what to make of this, whether its actually a valid point, or if RMK really needs to just shut up and stop spouting pointless bile. Talk about blackening our name anyway. See what ye think yourselves I suppose...

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_6126420,00.html

[republicofwhite]

I'm actually quite embarrassed I saw it on F365 before the Times and realised it was a Humphries piece... Jaysus I've been out of the country too long

[kingdomkerry]

think this thread should be closed

[kennedmc]

what a cnut!! It's just as bad with English, Scottish and Welsh players?

I don't recall other managers who manage multiple Irish players saying it is all down to us.

[seanfhear]

Putting a microphone under Roy Keanes nose is getting akin to waving a c**k in the face of a porn actress.

Both just have to put the respective organ to use ! ! !

[Razors left peg]

I honestly think he has a valid point.Forget for a minute that it was Roy Keane that said it,all that was said was that in this country we do have a culture of drinking and that every occasion revolves around drink to a ridiculous degree. I cant argue with that..... even as Im gettin ready to go on the p1ss for the night at 4.30 in the evening :)

[SkStu]

I honestly think he has a valid point.Forget for a minute that it was Roy Keane that said it,all that was said was that in this country we do have a culture of drinking and that every occasion revolves around drink to a ridiculous degree.

any more so than the english pub culture though? Really?

or the Germans? Czechs? Aussies?

More bollax from Keane.

[Razors left peg]

We definately have a bigger drink culture than anywhere Ive ever been,including a year in australia and all over europe

[SkStu]

did you take in England on that trip? Easily as much, if not more, of a booze culture going on there.

[Razors left peg]

Im not trying to dismiss that England along with other countries do have issues with drink. Its just my opinion but from what I see in England its mainly a binge drinking problem, I dont think that alcohol is an accepted part of their leisure time as it is over here. In Ireland its almost seen as unusual if u dont drink

[Dodge]

Here's the original piece
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0501/1224269478826.html

[Lionel Ritchie]

I honestly think he has a valid point.Forget for a minute that it was Roy Keane that said it,all that was said was that in this country we do have a culture of drinking and that every occasion revolves around drink to a ridiculous degree. I cant argue with that..... even as Im gettin ready to go on the p1ss for the night at 4.30 in the evening :)

Correct. It's societal -and that permeates the football culture too. We can speculate til doom what mischief Keane is up to flagging it but there is a valid point there to be made.


any more so than the english pub culture though? Really?

or the Germans? Czechs? Aussies?

More bollax from Keane. I'm guessing you're talking in societal terms. The more valid question to ask is -do any of the German squad turn up at their team hotel expecting to drop their bags off before hitting the pubs and the clubs? I doubt it. I don't know if it's a problem with the current regime but it has been a serious problem with previous squads and managers. Brian Kerr attempted to tackle it, Mick? ...I'm not sure was he too flexible, Stan? christ he might've been a ringleader and Jack? ...well -the carry on in Jacks day cost us qualification for Euro 96.

There is a problem in the culture of professional football in this part of the world ...not unique to us by any means, GR or EG will likely confirm they've had their probs with the northern lads, the Scots have it, the Welsh have it. The English have it but cover it up a little better because they're contantly being trailed by bottom-feeder tabloid scum looking to turn a couple of pints into a riot.

[SkStu]

Correct. It's societal -and that permeates the football culture too. We can speculate til doom what mischief Keane is up to flagging it but there is a valid point there to be made.

I'm guessing you're talking in societal terms. The more valid question to ask is -do any of the German squad turn up at their team hotel expecting to drop their bags off before hitting the pubs and the clubs? I doubt it. I don't know if it's a problem with the current regime but it has been a serious problem with previous squads and managers. Brian Kerr attempted to tackle it, Mick? ...I'm not sure was he too flexible, Stan? christ he might've been a ringleader and Jack? ...well -the carry on in Jacks day cost us qualification for Euro 96.

There is a problem in the culture of professional football in this part of the world ...not unique to us by any means, GR or EG will likely confirm they've had their probs with the northern lads, the Scots have it, the Welsh have it. The English have it but cover it up a little better because they're contantly being trailed by bottom-feeder tabloid scum looking to turn a couple of pints into a riot.

thats the point i was making. I know we have it but so do the English and so do the Scots. And i was talking in societal terms as that is the way RLP phrased his responses.

Reading Keanes comments in context he is talking very much so in terms of players who are injured or who stop playing. I think that applies across the board, irrespective of nationality. Keane made a valid and important point (the devil makes work for idle hands) and then went for the controversial headline by bringing it back to just "irish laddism". Even when Keane makes a good point, he ruins it in my opinion due to his personal and vindictive streak.

[rebelmusic]

I dont think there was anything vindictive in what he said. Honestly reading it I thought it came across that he does really care about it, and is acknowledging that we are raised in a drink culture. You cant compare us to the likes of Germany, because they are very controlled drinkers, and are more specifically beer drinkers. Irish people would drink anything, and most are proud of it.
England has problems, they're just not as bad as us. And while it's not a big deal to the average joe blogs, it's a problem for a professional athlete

[SkStu]

explain to me how England arent as bad as us.

[MuckaTucka]

explain to me how England arent as bad as us.

We've an awful hard time in admitting that as a society, Ireland has a huge drinking culture. I've lived abroad for a few years, in North America and in the UK, and it's plain to see the difference.
Every event in Ireland revolves around drinking. Do you think Irish funerals are normal? Where the drink flows?
It's pretty hard to function in Ireland socially if you don't drink.

Irish worst binge drinkers in EU (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6451019.stm)

[SkStu]

ive lived in the same places MT and, yes, theres a huge difference between Ireland and american drinking. The canucks love their booze too by the way though the binge drinking isnt as much of a problem for sure. But ive spent time in London, Manchester and Liverpool and i can honestly see no difference between the drinking culture there and what i witnessed in Dublin and Galway. And i do admit that Ireland has a drinking culture and a bad one, i just dont think we're alone in that.

[bennocelt]

explain to me how England arent as bad as us.


For the simple reason that when they are finally gone home to bed its the Irish that are searching for the next pub - know from living in the UK that this is def the experience with the Irish, hell i have found this out on all of my travels

[Crosby87]

Drinking is bad all over, I mean it is definitely not held to Ireland. What about Russia?
I find it hard to believe that newly minted Irish players are any different than young players from other countries. They are better off doing that than doing what Cristiano Ronaldo does with his spare time anyway.

[tricky_colour]

God I need a drink after reading that.

[Crosby87]

You of all people Tricky?

[SkStu]

sorry about that stuff i wrote earlier - i was hammered writing it. ;)

[tricky_colour]

Not referring to your post rather Roy's comments.
Maybe his players have drink problems because he is their manager - lol.

[Crosby87]

Oh I know Tricky and I agree.

[Charlie Darwin]

sorry about that stuff i wrote earlier - i was hammered writing it. ;)
You mean there are Irish here that aren't hammered? You lied to me Roy!

[Acornvilla]

next month Keane will be saying Anthony stokes used to come to training off his face on bath salts

[Torn-Ado]

Boozing by the Irish team? Naw, that was bonding! If all our lads didn't go out and get sh!tfaced together surely they wouldnt have created such a tight unit and made us hard to beat.

;)

[Dodge]

BTW I blame the IT sub editor more than Keane. its a small enough part of the article and seeing as Keane continues to sign Irish players in great numbers for Ipswich 9and before that Sunderland) he obviously doens't have too much of a problem with it

[Den Perry]

what does Ronaldo do that is so bad?

[gustavo]

They are better off doing that than doing what Cristiano Ronaldo does with his spare time anyway.

Yea cos whatever it is has really affected his career

[Fergie's Son]

As someone who lives in Chicago and spends a lot of time in New York and Dublin, my personal experience is that drinking permeates American culture as much as it does Irish. Absent certain groups (Jewish, Islamic etc.) most all Americans drink to excess. Not sure they have the same "team drinking" culture that our sports teams seem to have mind.