Take a leaf out of norn iron book!

[oconghc2]

felt very jealous watching spanish game tonight! Just feels like ages since I've really enjoyed an ireland performance, one where the team really lifts the crowd and shows pride and passion.

Never thought i'd be praising northern ireland soccer team but thought they showed massive character - a lot more than our boys! Outside of the WC02 i cant remember the last time i've been real proud of the irish team - Paris maybe but even that i thought there was something missing.

We have better players on paper than north but they showed tonight that heart and passion go a long way - i'm not having the argument that our team lacks the talent of say a germany or spain anymore. This irish team is playing below itself - the reason for lacklustre performance isnt down to lack of ability - somethings missing be it manager or players passion for the cause.

[Sunnyside Up]

There's an obnoxious element in the Fai (would you be proud playing for them?)

There's an obnoxious element in the supporters (would you be proud playing for them?)

There's an obnioxious element in the team (would you be proud playing with them?)

Add all 3 up and there's something rotten in the current Irish setup.

[oconghc2]

FAI - cant deny this - and maybe it does affect the camp - that said you should be playing for the greater good i.e. the country and supporters.

Supporters - some may be obnoxious but there arent many other countries with as loyal supporters. are you trying to tell me that some northern ireland supporters are not obnoxious?? must be joking!!

Team - Hard to comment on this one as you would need to be part of it to really know.

[oconghc2]

jesus I know that - but in 4 years of qualifiers youd expect more! It shouldnt be too much to ask for 1 performance that lifts the spirits - even a yougoslavia from McCarthy era!

Will still be there for the games - home or away - afraid of missing a big one!! :)

[joema]

felt very jealous watching spanish game tonight! Just feels like ages since I've really enjoyed an ireland performance, one where the team really lifts the crowd and shows pride and passion.
Never thought i'd be praising northern ireland soccer team but thought they showed massive character - a lot more than our boys! Outside of the WC02 i cant remember the last time i've been real proud of the irish team - Paris maybe but even that i thought there was something missing.

We have better players on paper than north but they showed tonight that heart and passion go a long way - i'm not having the argument that our team lacks the talent of say a germany or spain anymore. This irish team is playing below itself - the reason for lacklustre performance isnt down to lack of ability - somethings missing be it manager or players passion for the cause.

Agree with all you said except for the bit in bold - fans lift teams, not the other way around. Too many of our fans wait for the team to do something before getting fully involved. The Norn Iron fans got behind their team and lifted them from the start - they also had reason to be unhappy with their players for showing a lack of passion - humiliated at home to Iceland and absaloutley slaughtered in the media and booed of the pitch

Our fans point the finger at our players for not giving 100% but sometimes we are just as guilty ourselves - we have to lift our team like the Norn Iron fans did, always do



jesus I know that - but in 4 years of qualifiers youd expect more! It shouldnt be too much to ask for 1 performance that lifts the spirits - even a yougoslavia from McCarthy era!


We should lift the team and stop expecting the team to lift us, we have to support our team from the start for the full 90 home and away like the Norn Iron fans do - thats why Norn Iron are able to play to their full potential and beat the Spanish.

It could be said the team owe us a performance but I believe we owe the team an atmosphere as good as the Norn Iron fans always create home and away, big game or small

[Dodge]

Thats what ahppen when you get a manager in with LOI expereince and allow him to do his job...

[Stuttgart88]

For all the stale atmospheres we have at home friendlies, of which we have far too many, I'd be amazed if our crowd isn't absolutely up for it on 11th October (assuming we beat Cyprus). Performance, scale of occasion and atmosphere are all intertwined.

I'd like to have heard what the atmosphere was like at Windsor Park on Saturday.

[nedder]

Good point Joema. Are us fans there to be entertained or are we there to support and lift the team? I think too many people demand the former..

[Over the post]

Hats off to the northerners, a great victory. Mind you, Spain were so bad it was comic.
It just goes to show how a supposedly better team (on paper) bereft of ideas, can be beaten by a well-organised, spirited display by one of the minnows.
It reminded me a bit of our performances against lesser sides such as Israel and Switzerland.
The so-called minnows rely more on team effort and organisation to win games whereas the big teams generally have one or two players who can turn a game.
Which do we think we are?

[Dublin12]

Well done to the Nordies!,super David Healy ;-)

[Scram]

Yes, let's take a leaf out of their book...BOO the team if we don't win but hero worship them when we have a fluky win over the Spanish. Be fickle and volatile and spout sectarian chants. Why not aspire to be like the Englishs fans who booed Hargreaves (mainly because they can't see past Premiership players) until he proved their best option in the World Cup.

Our fans are more reactive than proactive in their support and certainly need to be louder and for 90 minutes, not just when goals are scored but aspiring to be like the above is not something we should be pushing.

ps. the 3-2 defeat of Spain is just one of those flukes that occurs now and again explained more by abyssmal defending than anything else. There will be no Lambeg drums, fife or Linfield flags in Austria or Switzerland 2008.

[Dublin12]

Yes, let's take a leaf out of their book...BOO the team if we don't win but hero worship them when we have a fluky win over the Spanish. Be fickle and volatile and spout sectarian chants. Why not aspire to be like the Englishs fans who booed Hargreaves (mainly because they can't see past Premiership players) until he proved their best option in the World Cup.

Our fans are more reactive than proactive in their support and certainly need to be louder and for 90 minutes, not just when goals are scored but aspiring to be like the above is not something we should be pushing.

ps. the 3-2 defeat of Spain is just one of those flukes that occurs now and again explained more by abyssmal defending than anything else. There will be no Lambeg drums, fife or Linfield flags in Austria or Switzerland 2008.

Bit harsh mate,give them credit where it's due,they played really well last night and deserved the win.

[youngirish]

Bit harsh mate,give them credit where it's due,they played really well last night and deserved the win.
True but it's a one off freak result. Happens every now and then. I for one don't envy there team or their passion. Where was there passion when they were getting hammerred by those powers of world football Iceland the other day? If they wanted to qualify that's who they should really be beating.

The Spanish had one of their fairly regular off days. That's all.

[Dodge]

Hmm.........wasn't that a certain Mr.B.Kerr.......:o

The last bit was pointedly NOT Kerr

[gspain]

Reminded me a lot of Spain 89. A lot of tickets went to corporate types after that and Lansdowne was dead in the early 90's despite all the success.

We had similiar atmosphere for Holland 2001 too but don't have that kind of noise and passion anymore on a regular basis. They had it for Azerbaijan last year as well

Some of it can be put down to expectations. Ours are a lot higher and the crowd can be more demanding and less supportive. .

[gspain]

The Spanish had one of their fairly regular off days. That's all.

Since losing to Denmark in March 93 in the qualifiers for WC94 the Spanish had lost 1 qualifying match before last night.

I wish our offdays were as "fairly regular" as that.

[NeilMcD]

Yeah the atmosphere Spain 89 was the best I have been at in LR. Northern Ireland were good last night but the post above by Scram is right, they did boo their team on Sat so not all is perfect. Lets not bash ourselves too much up but rather look at the positives and the negatives.

[shakermaker1982]

True but it's a one off freak result. Happens every now and then. I for one don't envy there team or their passion. Where was there passion when they were getting hammerred by those powers of world football Iceland the other day? If they wanted to qualify that's who they should really be beating.

The Spanish had one of their fairly regular off days. That's all.

Well N Ireland have had two 'freak' results in the space of 12 months. When are we due one???!!!

[youngirish]

Since losing to Denmark in March 93 in the qualifiers for WC94 the Spanish had lost 1 qualifying match before last night.

I wish our offdays were as "fairly regular" as that.

They couldn't have been that great for the last WC qualifiers. They had to come through the play-offs from a group that contained Serbia (who were sh**e in the WC). They drew a load of games that you'd expect them to win comfortably.

[oconghc2]

I 100% agree that we need to be more proactive than reactive in our support. I feel that most on here are the ones who make the effort to always get behind the team.

I still believe however that the team itself needs to do more to rally the crowd - manager as well - i find stan and some of the players very uninspiring. The crowd can do their part (look at swiss/France at home last campaign) but the main thing is the team.

The Norn Iron team came out of the blocks last night because they had a point to prove after saturday. Our team doesnt seem to have proven their point. I still reckon theres a big result there for us over next year and half but theres only so much we can do!

[gspain]

They couldn't have been that great for the last WC qualifiers. They had to come through the play-offs from a group that contained Serbia (who were sh**e in the WC). They drew a load of games that you'd expect them to win comfortably.

I take it you're not disputing my stat.

They still qualified and destroyed Slovakia in the playoffs.

Credit where it's due to Northern Ireland for beating them.

[Dassa]

Yes, let's take a leaf out of their book...BOO the team if we don't win but hero worship them when we have a fluky win over the Spanish. Be fickle and volatile and spout sectarian chants. Why not aspire to be like the Englishs fans who booed Hargreaves (mainly because they can't see past Premiership players) until he proved their best option in the World Cup.

.

what match were you at Scram lately that you heard this sectarian chants,where were you sitting? The team got booed on saturday because they were woeful and showed little effort. i believe that if the fans and media hadnt been so vocal in their response to saturday that we wouldnt have got that performance last night.

[Dodge]

The North were terrific and thoroughly deserved to beat Spain. Anyone who thinks otherwise is being petty

[joema]

The North were terrific and thoroughly deserved to beat Spain. Anyone who thinks otherwise is being petty

Spot on, well done Norn Iron

[deadman]

what match were you at Scram lately that you heard this sectarian chants,where were you sitting? The team got booed on saturday because they were woeful and showed little effort. i believe that if the fans and media hadnt been so vocal in their response to saturday that we wouldnt have got that performance last night.

congrats N Iron. shows what commitment and, crucially, organisation can do with limited resources

the atmosphere at Windsor is incredible. was up at a friendly game about 18 months ago ... would put us to shame.

Michael Boyd and IFA seem to be doing good work eradicating sectarian elements at the ground but there were the obligatory "F the pope and the IRA" chants last time i was there.

[ken foree]

very happy for them, in healy and davies they have two players of a type i'd love us to have.

[buachaill sord]

i think we need to organise our fans just like the germans did prior to the match alst sat...supporters groups need to get together and get stuff going prior to matches..we'd see a different set of supporters if that was the case

[Dodge]

Loads of clubs do that here but it'll never happen at Ireland games

You all know why I think that.

[youngirish]

very happy for them, in healy and davies they have two players of a type i'd love us to have.

Healy is s**te. Just because he had 1 good game last nigth doesn't change that. If he was any good he'd have been playing in the Premiership a long time ago. Doyle and Elliot are way better. Even Morrison is way better. All the above score more regularly than him in the Championship even though he takes the penalties.

Davis is good though.

[NeilMcD]

He does well at international level though.

[eirebhoy]

I think Healy shows that confidence is more important than ability. He is loved by the Northern Ireland fans and he's so confident up there he's like a man in with a bunch of kids. :)

[billybunter]

I am in no position to knock any aspect of northern Ireland's performance. They have given their fans 2 massive wins in a year. We have had 2 since 1988. as for suggestions for support (i had posted this under another string somlplace on here).
few suggestions. few good singing / lively supporters with loudspeakers (like ULTRAS at european games to whip the crowd in to a frenzy - not a gob****e with a mik and a Trinity accent. away fans should always be in the stands at landsdowne / croker - not behind a goal, as they can hang their flags along one end of the ground. wave green scArves in the air in that twirling motion when team come out. songs for the big games need to be rallying cries to stir the boys. on the one road, fields, molly malone, boys in green all work well, sing the anthem at half time right before 2nd half tip off. landsdowne in the late 80's early 90's, flags hung everywhere , and waved everywhere (north and south terrace. flares for the night games. drums, bodhrans. no more singing chirp happy tunes.... needs to scarethe shiite out of the opposition. think when we play away in eastern europe / turkey etc.

[tricky_colour]

There is a lot to be said for hoofing the long ball up the pitch.

[NeilMcD]

No there is not.

[Emmet]

I've got an old video showing all the qualifying matches we played for italy 1990 (including spain in 1989) and it is so noticable how lively and colourful lansdowne road is in every single match - even the matches against the lesser teams. No doubt Euro 88 had a lot to do with that but even so the difference with now is stark.

Just out of interest if we were to play northern ireland now how many people think we would beat them?

[wizzbizz]

Well if there is one good thing about northern ireland its that their manager knows when to leave. l think that Stan could learn a few things from him, like when to go.

You have to congratulate Northern Ireland on a great performance l was watching the England game and it was pure rubbish compared to that game

[Not Brazil]

Michael Boyd and IFA seem to be doing good work eradicating sectarian elements at the ground but there were the obligatory "F the pope and the IRA" chants last time i was there.

Deadman,

Would you be so good as to tell me what match that was?

Can you remember roughly when during the game you heard these, and what part of the ground they came from?

I'd like to re run the televised coverage of the game, to check out your statement.

I haven't heard such chants at any Northern Ireland game, home or away, for over 6 years.

Maybe you were simply referring to some individuals, rather than crowd chanting?

[backstothewall]

There were certainly quite a few thousand 'individuals' shouting "No Surrender" during the English national anthem at Windsor Park last night

[Packie88]

There were certainly quite a few thousand 'individuals' shouting "No Surrender" during the English national anthem at Windsor Park last night

Jaysus!!!

[Not Brazil]

Unfortunately a few hundred fans, mainly in the Kop Stand, continue to *******ise and disrespect the National Anthem of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with cries of "No Surrender" during the anthem.

This happens at every game, to a lesser extent away from home.

I believe the sentiment to be "No Surrender" to the IRA, and whilst I can understand that sentiment fully, our National Anthem should be fully respected.

[Not Brazil]

& the 'Holier than thou', along with the meek, shall inherit :rolleyes: the infamous 'Ulster' 'moral high ground'. :p
What about a less contentious anthem.....like 'Danny Boy', as opposed to a tribute to some disinterested disfunctional pan-European/German family...........


Personally, I support totally the idea of a new, unique "sporting" anthem for Northern Ireland.

Not because it might be "less contentious" (patronising bull****), but because I believe it would enhance our identity further - Scotland & Wales have their own "anthems". I would like the same for Northern Ireland.

[youngirish]

Have all traces of bwagner been removed from existence or did I just imagine him?