Your own favourite mental reaction to an Irish goal?

[DeLorean]

I'm surprised to see the Italy Croke Park game get so much attention. The fact that a win wouldn't have been much more use than a draw in terms of qualification has it well down the pecking order for me. It would have been great to win and all that but wouldn't rank alongside some of the others, for me, even if we had held on. That said, I wasn't at the game so maybe I would have felt it more if I had been.

[Charlie Darwin]

I'm surprised to see the Italy Croke Park game get so much attention. The fact that a win wouldn't have been much more use than a draw in terms of qualification has it well down the pecking order for me. It would have been great to win and all that but wouldn't rank alongside some of the others, for me, even if we had held on. That said, I wasn't at the game so maybe I would have felt it more if I had been.
I'd say a lot of it has to do with how long it's been since we got a win over one of the big teams, plus it was at home.

[back of the net]

it was more - the belief and the passion was back , - the crowd turned out in their droves and they expected
The return of the old atmosphere.
I remember the teams walking out onto to the pitch and croker erupting....Glenn Whelan crying into his jersey as he celebrated his goal - bloody excellent!!
Tardelli going crazy on the sideline celebrating and ledger going bezerk when he scored against the advertising boards on the davin stand end of croker.

"Were all part of jackies army" blaring out over the tannoy - brilliant

Have always loved the below photo from that game - the expression on keanos face when the ledge scored and croke park went into meltdown
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/11/14/article-0-06C6F594000005DC-92_468x333.jpg

[Charlie Darwin]

Is that Martin Rowlands?

[back of the net]

Is that Martin Rowlands?

Yeah it is - he came on as a sub with about 5 mins left as far as I can remember

[paul_oshea]

I remember that the two Italians in front of me getting really angry with me when I was jumping and slapping them on the back and trying to get them to celebrate with me . idiots. ...

[tetsujin1979]

Yeah, I know I love it when a complete stranger hits me and starts screaming at me in a language I don't understand

[back of the net]

Yeah, I know I love it when a complete stranger hits me and starts screaming at me in a language I don't understand

But they should have understood ......it was PAULISIO O'SHEASIO afterall

[paul_oshea]

They had perfect English. They should have completely understood me and what going 2-1 up in croke park meant.

besides I was saying forza irlanda. ..and I wasn't on about some political movement or party! :D

[pineapple stu]

But you were hitting them at a time when they'd rather you'd ****ed off? (Having just conceded a goal and all that)

[paul_oshea]

Yes stu top marks I'm sure it was the slapping on the back.i didn't realise ye know yer self the backslapping at away matches....seriously though the backslapping was probably it ye don't realise how hard or often yer doing it when ye score!!!

I would have apologised after only he got thick!!

[pineapple stu]

Maybe hijinks at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight, it's a bit much to call them idiots for getting annoyed at you going up to them, hitting them and shouting at them when their team's conceded a goal.

Not surprised in the least that he got thick with you. What on earth did you expect?

[back of the net]

In fairness to paul .....the game was very tense.....which can cause fans to temporarily lose to logic due to the high emotions in the stands....myself included

Equally if some Italian fan started slapping me in the back when gilardino scored that injury time equalizer...im not sure I would have reacted very positively towards him

[pineapple stu]

Agree on your comments about at the time.

But it's a bit much, three years later, to be calling them idiots because of their reaction.

[Stuttgart88]

It's not like Paul to temporarily lose logic.

[ArdeeBhoy]

He looks...... hung like a pony.
'My Little Pony' ?

:rolleyes:

[back of the net]

That was one of the greatest Irish games ever. Stunning watch. Kennedy's goal was sublime.


http://www.rte.ie/archives/2014/0617/624266-ireland-fined-25000-for-not-playing-yugoslavia/

[OwlsFan]

Having been following Ireland home and away since the 1970s, this is a tough one and I don't think there's any one which can stand above the rest.

Greatest moment: Final whistle Bulgaria 0 Scotland 1. Watched it alone at home and agonised for the remaining minutes after Mackay scored pacing up and down the room and screaming at George Hamilton to stop talking about cracking open Champagne bottles as the Bulgars launched one attack after another on Leighton's goal. The Scots wore those shorts with a tartan ring around them. Phoned all my friends who like me had endured numerous campaigns of near misses, offside goals etc etc.

Longest time: the rest of the game after Houghton scored in Stuttgart in 1988. The locals were needless to say delighted we had put one over on England. Not a huge Irish contingent there like for example travelled to Poland in 2012 as the team hadn't
taken hold of the public's imagination.

Greatest home moment: Undoubtedly McAteer against Holland. I had seen us lose to the Dutch in crucial games and revenge was so so so so so so so sweet. The picture says it all.

2116

Best Irish moment when not there: McLoughlin against Northern Ireland for a host of reasons.

Greatest damage to the house: Robbie's equaliser against Germany. Wife had just got a new carpet and my friend's pint when flying all over it and the furniture as well. Unbelievable moment (the goal - not the pint). Flew over to see the Spanish game which also had a late goal but tarnished by the peno shoot out defeat.

Most prestigious event: Beating Italy in New Jersey but it was slightly deflating the lack of interest of the locals. Image if that happened in a football loving country.

Italia 90 ? Was there for the first three games but came home to hear my dad was very unwell so the rest of the games were played under a cloud. He died a month later. Strangely though I also feel that this tournament took the team away from the supporters who had followed the side through thick and thin and it was now suddenly national property. I suppose that interest was always there - I almost got crushed to death in Dalymount at internationals and indeed FAI Cup Finals involving Rovers - but I do recall only about 14k turning up for Charlton's first game against Wales.

Hopefully we have a few more great memories ahead of us (if a memory can be ahead).

[Stuttgart88]

Strangely though I also feel that this tournament took the team away from the supporters who had followed the side through thick and thin and it was now suddenly national property.
Don't worry, they gave it back to us as soon as we grew old and ugly. A football team is for life, not just for Christmas as they kind of say.

I'm convinced my post in another thread on BIRGing and CORFing encapsulates the whole phenomenon, combined with that weird Irish trait of needing external validation.

[Junior]

You can't see much to be fair... must've been colder than usual for June!

More a case of Danny Invisible?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I had a better mental reaction to meeting a Polish bird shortly after leaving the Aviva after the Poland friendly. Got the shift. :cool:

The result wasn't that bad either.