Airtiricity League XI v Manchester United confirmed for Aviva Stadium on August 4

[peadar1987]

I thought the same myself! It's probably because there's only one woman in Monaghan! :D

[sligo23]

goo oonn Magicme!!

[PartySaint]

For the record, the loudest and longest cheer of the night was for Mulcahy's goal.

Thats because they knew if they didnt cheer Mulcahy would have murdered them

[Saint_Charlie]

Surely this is Magime,

I went on and gave it my best shot, still hate the show

Was that you? Fair play!

[PartySaint]

Was that you? Fair play!

Yeah twas me

Magicme has a sexy voice

[danthesaint]

Surely this is Magime,

I went on and gave it my best shot, still hate the show

were u ur man ciaran?? pats fan that shot ur man down?? haha

[peadar1987]

I only caught the tail end of that, but I got the impression the presenters were hoping for more barstoolers to come on talking ****e, and for a bit of a ruckus to build up. Did you hear how quickly they cut off that "ashamed to be Irish" guy when they founf out he was ashamed of the glory hunters, not the lads' performance?!

[DaveyPats]

I went on and gave it my best shot, still hate the show

Well done mate

[danthesaint]

Yeah twas me

Magicme has a sexy voice

yeah she does but altho she was hoarse
she probably has a thick farmer accent normally haha

[Lim till i die]

Magicme has a sexy voice

And we all missed it!!

If only there was something else on this damned internet designed to please men!!!

[PartySaint]

were u ur man ciaran?? pats fan that shot ur man down?? haha

Yep, Sent you a pm on the Pats forum:)

[Lim till i die]

How is this going anyway??

Only time I went on radio was around the time of Saipan to compare Roy Keane to Michael Collins in his treachery and ask just what the story was with Cork people.

Now THAT was entertainment!

[Murfinator]

(Casual LoI follower (at best) here, you may or may not care about what I think!)

I wouldn't agree with the sentiment here that your typical Irish sports fan doesn't support its own in games like these. There's a thread here from general soccer fans and their take on the game.
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055887755

A good quote here sums up my take on it as well.


As for the game. Poor showing by our lads overall. Thought Williams did well in the middle and Ndo showed at least an appetite for attack. We never tested their defence really, which was disappointing.

Valencia was very good as was Rooney. Nani could be a big player for them this season.

Basically it was a home match with all the Manchester fans in the ground. The brief "United clap clap clap" chant that went round was a real head in hands moment for me. Frankly a complete embarressment to be Irish.http://b-static.net/vbulletin/images/smilies/redface.gif

My Czech friend that came with me made the same point.

People wanted the Irish lads to equate themselves well as they would for Irish lads in any form of sport. Though it needs to be understood that the LoI is seen in a poor light by the typical person, partly due to its increasingly Dublin centric nature, antics of Delaney such as with the Barca fiasco and constant financial strains and clubs going under. It's a competition few support outside of certain corners of the country so there isn't a strong affinity there.

And another decent quote.


The match WAS a bit of a joke, but that shouldn't have any influence on allegiance. Irish people sitting in a stadium cheering on an English team against an Irish 1 is definitely going to be 1 of those social phenomenon that people look back on in years to come and think 'ah jesus' like flares and mullets.

I can relate somewhat with the ManU supporters, I know in the case of the match tomorrow that I own a Juventus jersey and not a Shamrock Rovers one, that I've grown up with admiration to the likes of Del Piero, Trez, Buffon and greats like Cannavaro, Nedved, Zidane, Zambrotta etc. I've been to Turin its a lovely place, I've been to Dublin. It's not. Hence the dilemma. I'd of course support any of them if they pull on the green of Ireland but right now they're representing Dublin who I have no desire whatsoever in them getting any sort of personal glory. I'd like them to win for the sake of the league, but in no way for them. So I can see the problem, a lot of people here just seem to be seeing "Ireland vs England" tonight but there's more shades at play here than that.

Worst of all was what the watching english supporters are saying about the league and the kind of image its given itself from this.

(from bbc)


Get over yourselves,you played against a bunch of shelf stackers and bin men,It was the League of Ireland not Barcelona.If he plays against Liverpool and defends like that,Torres will destroy him.It will however make a change from Torres destroying Vidic and Camelhead.


League 2 is generous in truth, more like a conference team. Owen hasn't been World Class since he left for Madrid, has been on a steady slide ever since, but he is a poacher and if he didn't score against this team I'd be worried. So all this says is he hasn't totally lost it, not yet anyway, probs won't be long though, I'd say another injury in about three weeks, out for four months, then come back score a goal, is 'world class' again lol, then injured and so on.

[Dunny]

Well done Magicme! Good luck with the voice!

(Must have been you)

[dcfcsteve]

Anytime our players got the ball all the fans around me were cheering them on which was great.

And it was so sincere too......:rolleyes:

A mixture of irony and sneering sympathy.

[elroy]

Is this Magicme on Adrian Kennedy right now?

Thought the exact same myself, surely it is??!? How many female Mons fans are there?

[Billy Lord]

(Casual LoI follower (at best) here, you may or may not care about what I think!)

I wouldn't agree with the sentiment here that your typical Irish sports fan doesn't support its own in games like these. There's a thread here from general soccer fans and their take on the game.
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055887755

A good quote here sums up my take on it as well.



People wanted the Irish lads to equate themselves well as they would for Irish lads in any form of sport. Though it needs to be understood that the LoI is seen in a poor light by the typical person, partly due to its increasingly Dublin centric nature, antics of Delaney such as with the Barca fiasco and constant financial strains and clubs going under. It's a competition few support outside of certain corners of the country so there isn't a strong affinity there.

And another decent quote.



I can relate somewhat with the ManU supporters, I know in the case of the match tomorrow that I own a Juventus jersey and not a Shamrock Rovers one, that I've grown up with admiration to the likes of Del Piero, Trez, Buffon and greats like Cannavaro, Nedved, Zidane, Zambrotta etc. I've been to Turin its a lovely place, I've been to Dublin. It's not. Hence the dilemma. I'd of course support any of them if they pull on the green of Ireland but right now they're representing Dublin who I have no desire whatsoever in them getting any sort of personal glory. I'd like them to win for the sake of the league, but in no way for them. So I can see the problem, a lot of people here just seem to be seeing "Ireland vs England" tonight but there's more shades at play here than that.

Worst of all was what the watching english supporters are saying about the league and the kind of image its given itself from this.

(from bbc)

Anyone who can favourably compare Turin to Dublin is an utter mongo.

[sligoman]

Thought the exact same myself, surely it is??!? How many female Mons fans are there?Not many fans in general, not just females. It was her yes.

[Billy Lord]

Irish people don't care about Irish football. Big shock.

[dcfcsteve]

It was nothing short of cringe-inducing to watch that game tonight. And I'm not referring to the result....

If I'd been in Dublin tonight I probably would have gone along to the game, but in hindsight if I ever get the opportunity to attend such a 'spectacle' in Ireland I won't. There must surely be nothing wierder or more wrong than being made to feel like a foreigner in your own country - and by your own people...

[Lim till i die]

Anyone who can favourably compare Turin to Dublin is an utter mongo.

Explain

[Billy Lord]

It's the difference between a competitive game between two clubs with a massively differenital budget and a friendly between an ill-organised XI and a club with an equally unimaginable just about to start their season.

[Park_Lane]

I saw one of the stewarts leap with joy when utd scored in the 1st half. Horrible to watch.

[Bry Boy]

For the derry fan that said i would go with my liverpool shirt if bray were playing liverpool.
i never f*****g said that i said that if liverpool were playing i would go beacuse i think i have a right to go for the simple reason that i travel across the country for bray and to be honest i would be chearing on bray, i never said i would go wit my shirt and chear on liverpool.
so get the facts true mate.

[Dunny]

I saw one of the stewarts leap with joy when utd scored in the 1st half. Horrible to watch.

Seen atleast three stewards withs hands on their heads when Rooney blasted over the bar aswell.

[dancinpants]

For the derry fan that said i would go with my liverpool shirt if bray were playing liverpool.
i never f*****g said that i said that if liverpool were playing i would go beacuse i think i have a right to go for the simple reason that i travel across the country for bray and to be honest i would be chearing on bray, i never said i would go wit my shirt and chear on liverpool.
so get the facts true mate.

I hope for your sake they don't podcast tonights topics.

[AnnaghRed]

First Irish man to score at the Aviva is a nordie. :D

And yiz cant get yer hands on him....:)

[passinginterest]

In fairness to the young lad from Bray he came across well and he was caught out by the question, he said he'd go but obviously hadn't heard the part about wearing a Liverpool jersey and cleared up the matter as soon as he could. I had to turn it off shortly afterwards as with every other occasion Adrian Kennedy is on the radio I was getting ever closer to throwing it out the window.

Match was a farce, League of Ireland players must have been told not to put in any tackles and starting Brennan was a disaster, Madden as a lone striker was also a shocking choice. Powell at left full against Valencia when Powell has been in shocking form for weeks was also baffling. As has been pointed out though the result will have zero effect on encouraging/discouraging the barstool fans to go to see a League of Ireland game, it was always just a promotional exercise for Manchester United PLC.

[Magicme]

yeah she does but altho she was hoarse
she probably has a thick farmer accent normally haha

Aye....I shur do bouy. Thats why I get accused of being a dub by my countymates!


And we all missed it!!

If only there was something else on this damned internet designed to please men!!!

Thats what the podcast is for...... :-D


Well done Magicme! Good luck with the voice!

(Must have been you)

Aw Dunny, its always this bad after matches and concerts, so will be fine!


Thought the exact same myself, surely it is??!? How many female Mons fans are there?

Actually quite a few and until recently almost a 1/3 of our committee were female! But sadly most of them aren't as brazen as me to ring up radio shows and give out to poor weak minded men like Adrian and Joe Duffy.


Not many fans in general, not just females. It was her yes.

Brat.

[Dunny]

Very well said about clubs over here becoming a family, you would never ever get that with a corporate club imo.

[Magicme]

Have said many times before that the league to me is like a family, I respect all the clubs but some of them I am not that fond of like old uncle Dundalk who just talks about the good old days and farts. :-p

[Dunny]

Old uncle Dundalk will show you lot a thing or two Tuesday week. :D

[Magicme]

Am scared of Old Uncle Dundalk....

Oh btw anyone who wishes me to record messages for their phones, I will only charge €2 a word, thats my "LOI FAMILY" rate. :D

[SkStu]

Anytime our players got the ball all the fans around me were cheering them on which was great. .

were they wearing Liverpool jerseys? ;)

[Fivesilver]

Peers and Ndo emerged uninjured - all that matters to me about that little skirmish last night.

[Macy]

I didn't watch it, but sounded like a great advert for United, a great advert for the FAI as it now cements "the LoI is crap" and they're justified in their disinterest, and a great night for Delaney as he gets to mix with Alex, Wayne and the rest of his boys.

[Comic Book Guy]

Was at the game last night and tbh I didn't expect anything different, one of the best club sides in europe against a weakened LOI xi that had at best a couple of training sessions together.
I agree that it is depressing to be in a stadium where the majority of the home crowd are cheering on a foreign side but that was a battle we lost long ago, what is sickening is to hear people use last nights result as a reason to dismiss the LOI out of hand, the same people conveniently ignored Bohs recent win over Villa (that game coming less than 24 hours after Bohs had played a league game in Bray).
My message is to be still proud of your league and your clubs.

[Supreme feet]

In a weird parallel to this Man Utd farce, Barcelona were in my current home country this week to play a K-League select in Seoul. My Korean friends were w*nking themselves silly about the prospect, and were even considering staying in Seoul overnight (we live 3 hours away) just to see the Barca players train. Yet these lads wouldn't go and see either of their closest K-League teams (Daegu FC or Pohang Steelers) if their lives depended on it.

The stadium in Seoul sold out for the visit of Man Utd against a similar K-League select last year, while attendances for K-League games are distictly average, given the fantastic stadiums, huge urban population, and soccer's undisputed status as the country's number one sport. Daegu FC get about 10-15,000 per game, despite playing in a 65,000 capacity stadium, with a population of 2,500,000 in the city. And they're one of the better-supported teams. Trouble is, EPL games are shown on free-to-air TV, and that's the opiate of the masses here. There's even a cafe in my little rural town called 'Manchester' which is ridiculously Man Utd themed.

I thought Irish people were the biggest event junkies in the world before I came here. During the World Cup, all my students would come into school with Korea shirts, going on about Park Ji-Sung, shouting 'Tae Han Min Guk' as loudly as they could. When I asked them what teams they had played in qualifying, they looked at me as if I had two heads - even though they had played the North twice. Imagine Irish fans not knowing that we had played our biggest rivals, twice, in competitive games, within the last two years?

This has put the LOI experience into perspective, for me. Ireland is only one of five countries in Europe where soccer is not the most popular sport (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland being the others). It's the only one of those five to have rugby as a popular alternative, and the only country bar Finland where an indigenous sport is king. Add to this, our mostly rural and fragmented population, compared to the metropolitan sprawl of Korea, and it's easy to see how LOI clubs would struggle. The numbers just aren't there, and the sports culture is too divided up to foster a strong league. My (admittedly pessimistic) view is that if Korea can't market their own league to the masses, even after hosting a World Cup, how can we expect to do it?

That said, I've always enjoyed going to LOI games, and if I come home (unlikely at the moment, with a 2-year contract and a Korean girlfriend), I'll be making a special effort to bring my nephews and friends to see Wexford Youths.

[Duggie]

it dosent matter to much in the grand scheme of things but it was really poor from our boys last night. i thought ken oman was decent at the back despite 7 goals going in but not all his fault. powell was ok going forward in the 2nd half but he was poor at the back. seemed afraid to do anything with the ball when they had it. very disappointing. it was an exhibition match, have a go for God's sake, no pressure. Sheppard was ok when he came on, should have scored.

[pineapple stu]

Supreme feet - I'd disgaree with your comment that football isn't the most popular sport here - it's the most played sport for starters, and I think Ireland qualifiers get higher ratings than all bar maybe the All Ireland Final and a Six Nations decider (but not the games v Italy); can't find any details for that latter point though. There's more than enough barstoolers cramming pubs each week to give us a league comparable to Denmark or Norway.

But the South Korean comparison is interesting; thanks for sharing!

On the game, I think Billy Lord is spot on. No surprise what happened (even down to presenters praising the utterly non-existent atmosphere); all anyone can do is work at the small things to make their own club better.

[osarusan]

But the South Korean comparison is interesting; thanks for sharing!
My experience with EPL teams touring Japan would have been the same. people who'd never never been to a J-League game were in raptures over visits by Man. United.

Football attendances differ greatly according to the team, but with a population of 120 million, they are still decent. Last week's attendances for J1, with the two figures in bold in the bottom corner showing total and average attendances. J2 games can get as low as 2000 for the weaker clubs. Still way higher than LOI on average, of course.


31 Jul Urawa Reds Omiya Ardija Saitama.S 40,326
31 Jul Kashima Antlers Vissel Kobe Kashima 16,415
31 Jul Yokohama F･Marinos Nagoya Grampus Nissan.S 29,964
31 Jul Albirex Niigata F.C.Tokyo Tohoku Den.S 36,910
31 Jul Jubilo Iwata Cerezo Osaka Yamaha 10,021
01 Aug Gamba Osaka Montedio Yamagata Kanazawa 11,036
01 Aug Sanfrecce Hiroshima Kyoto Sanga F.C. Hiroshima.B 16,193
01 Aug Kawasaki Frontale Vegalta Sendai Todoroki 16,326
01 Aug Shonan Bellmare Shimizu S-Pulse Hiratsuka 13,316 190,507 21,167

[WoodquayBoy]

Now I'm not a man to subscribe to conspiracy theories (okay, I am), but thought it interesting that tyhe 4 players who the ex-Shamrock Rovers manager decided to leave on for the full 90 minutes were all Bohs players. And who are Bohs playing on Sunday . . . . .
Ndo was very good, Keegan did well also, thought Sheppard posed more of a threat than Madden when he came on, Peers was an absolute disaster.
Mulcahy's goal got a great cheer, but the crowd was in the middle of a Mexican wave at the time which boosted the noise level. Didn't see many of 'the family' there, a few Sligo heads and United lads and lasses, you couldn't move for the Anti-Glazer brigade, a lot of whom bought Norwich scarves from stalls outside (can't imagine any of that money will end up with MUST) and were decked out in the new kit, putting money in the Glazers' pockets. Hilarious.

[Cuyahoga]

Peers and Ndo emerged uninjured - all that matters to me about that little skirmish last night. I think Peers will be mentally injured after the mess he made of that first goal!

[Straightstory]

What was supposed to be a celebratory night for Irish football turned into a complete humiliation. Every barstooler's perception and prejudice about the League of Ireland was confirmed. Hugely damaging.
Delaney should be ashamed of himself.
This is the man who, after the game against France, looking for an example of a meaningless, useless football match chose 'Bohs v Waterford' - a fixture from the league he's supposed to be supporting.
This is the man who made the pathetic approach to FIFA to make Ireland the 33rd team at the World Cup.
I suspect after the game last night he went for a slap up meal with the Man U big wigs and got his photo taken with Alex Ferguson. Go now, Delaney - you are hated, hated, hated.
I feel sorry for Damian Richardson, a passionate supporter and defender of the LOI. Complete embarrassment and humiliation for him as well.
Richard Sadlier can only induce bemusement. He can never find anything positive to say about the league (although admittedly last night was probably one of the worst days ever for domestic football). Why is he involved with the League at all?
I watched twenty minutes of the game with the sound turned down to avoid the spectacle of Irish people cheering on a team from Lancashire.
A terrible night for Irish football. A terrible, terrible night.

[pineapple stu]

If Rico was thet much a supporter of the LoI, he'd not have gotten involved at the outset.

[Duggie]

Richard Sadlier can only induce bemusement. He can never find anything positive to say about the league (although admittedly last night was probably one of the worst days ever for domestic football). Why is he involved with the League at all?

exactly...thankyou. hes depressing to listen to, he should be kicked off the TV. always moaning, hes so negative.

[Duggie]

If Rico was thet much a supporter of the LoI, he'd not have gotten involved at the outset.

why not? im sure he would see it as an honour to manage the league select. not his fault they let him down in fairness.

[pineapple stu]

The embarrassment for the LoI was the overall event, not the performance.

[Murfinator]

I never understood the perception of people on this site. I can understand people feeling frustrated that a competition isn't as popular as they'd wish but dragging national pride into it is ridiculous.
There was a time when supporting the 'foreign games' like soccer meant you had no national pride. Nowadays if you're not supporting an Irish soccer club side you have no national pride. Especially strange accusations coming from a site that are notoriously anti-GAA.
Maybe we should leave behind these silly notions and accept that people support the sports and teams that entertain them?

[marinobohs]

If Rico was thet much a supporter of the LoI, he'd not have gotten involved at the outset.

Fully agree Stu, Rico's "uncle Tom" role in this should not be forgotten. The things desperate people do to find work :o