Rovers in The Herald, again...

[Peadar]

Anyone see the Herald?
Story about Rovers singing 'Wayne O'Donoghue is a hoop, is a hoop, is a hoop, he kills corkies', down in Cobh on Saturday.

[Réiteoir]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k230/finglas_/herald2.jpg

[passerrby]

well done rovers fans another poor day in the history of a great club

[NY Hoop]

If you believe this story I feel sorry for you. Nothing of the nature of this song was sung at the game. And nice of the herag to blame us for the dundalk fiasco. All they had to do was ring the cops in dundalk to find out the true story.

Made up stories has been their agenda against the club for a number of years now. What goes around comes around. Same muppet who wrote this garbage claimed that some first team Rovers player had glassed a barman. The kid had played for the U15 team.

KOH

[hoopy]

If you believe this story I feel sorry for you. Nothing of the nature of this song was sung at the game. And nice of the herag to blame us for the dundalk fiasco. All they had to do was ring the cops in dundalk to find out the true story.

Made up stories has been their agenda against the club for a number of years now. What goes around comes around. Same muppet who wrote this garbage claimed that some first team Rovers player had glassed a barman. The kid had played for the U15 team.

KOH

Take my advice, don't reply to threads like these, as the same fools will always want to put the boot into Rovers whatever the herald says

[dcfcsteve]

I've no idea of the truth or otherwise behind this story, so won't comment on it any further than to say it obviously doesn't look good for Rovers.

Regardless of its truth - this is the latest in a series of newspaper reports/artciles presenting Rovers in a bad light. If such stories do contain little or no truth, then why isn't Shamrock Rovers doing something about it ? If the press are openly misrepresenting or lying in their reports, the Press Complaints people are there to refer them to. There's even legal address for cases that are clearly unfair/untrue/misrepresented..

Has the 400 club even asked for a meeting with the Sports Editor or Head Editor of the Herald to talk to them about this ? Surely somethign as simple as this to convey the club's concerns about what is being written and about a percieved agenda would be an obvious step to take ?

[forza]

Do you or do you not sing songs about Pierce McAuley being a hoop?

Nice song that praising the actions of a murder

Pattern emerging??

Although the WOD 'song' I think no set of fans could go that low taking into account its the Hearld (probably bull****)...then again dont think they could go that low to make something like that up or have the brain to? Or could they...

[Anto McC]

I've no idea of the truth or otherwise behind this story, so won't comment on it any further than to say it obviously doesn't look good for Rovers.

Regardless of its truth - this is the latest in a series of newspaper reports/artciles presenting Rovers in a bad light. If such stories do contain little or no truth, then why isn't Shamrock Rovers doing something about it ? If the press are openly misrepresenting or lying in their reports, the Press Complaints people are there to refer them to. There's even legal address for cases that are clearly unfair/untrue/misrepresented..

Has the 400 club even asked for a meeting with the Sports Editor or Head Editor of the Herald to talk to them about this ? Surely somethign as simple as this to convey the club's concerns about what is being written and about a percieved agenda would be an obvious step to take ?

Great Post. If it is lies,then Rovers have rights.

[soccerc]

why isn't Shamrock Rovers doing something about it ? If the press are openly misrepresenting or lying in their reports, the Press Complaints people are there to refer them to. There's even legal address for cases that are clearly unfair/untrue/misrepresented..

Has the 400 club even asked for a meeting with the Sports Editor or Head Editor of the Herald to talk to them about this ? Surely somethign as simple as this to convey the club's concerns about what is being written and about a percieved agenda would be an obvious step to take ?


There is no press complaints commission/procedure in the Republic of Ireland so they can say what they like.

[Louth4sam]

As much as i hate rovers i have to stick up for them on this one. No cobh fans have mentioned anything at all about this on here so therefore none of them heard it or knows anybody that heard it. At most id say it was a small handfull of people saying it if at all

[Dodge]

I knew Rovers fans were behind that killing, I knew it...

[dcfcsteve]

There is no press complaints commission/procedure in the Republic of Ireland so they can say what they like.

Is there no right to redress bar the courts then ?

Shocking lack of accountability if there isn't.

[Passive]

Is there no right to redress bar the courts then ?

Shocking lack of accountability if there isn't.

You can only go to the courts if you have been defamed. The Herald have written 'fans attached to Rovers did x and y' but that doesn't actually defame Rovers as a club.

[pete]

There is no press complaints commission/procedure in the Republic of Ireland so they can say what they like.

Is McDowell bringing that in soon?:confused:

[hoops1]

Im impressed that other clubs fans havent jumped straight in and hammered
us about it and have taken a measured view.
As one of the few sober hoops in the ground I can honestly say I never heard
this chant. I obviously wasnt in all places at all times but If Scum did sing
it then they really need to take a long walk off a short pier.
I dont believe it happened because of the lies previously told re the Dundalk incidents which I witnessed. I genuinely believe there is an anti Rovers agenda in that paper.

[dcfcsteve]

on what grounds?

if we could prove the fans, not the club, were damaged monetarially by the article, we would have to prove the song wasnt sung, which is the 26c libel process.

remember the nazi front page? not a thing the club could do about it as the article is about unnamed fans.

you can also write what you like about the dead, as their family cannot sue on their behalf.

if the cobh fans heard this song being sung, they would be all over it...

its another lie from a paper that has consistantly been out to get us, and what do they write about when we get silverware? some song that no-one heard at the game. predictible tosh

I'm not suggesting the courts in this instance, but I'm amazed and genuinely disappointed that there is no sort of Press Complaints Commission in the Republic to deal with this sort of thing. Shocking gap in consumer protection rules.

Have the 400 Club askled the Herald for a meeting over these ongoing stories, or will they just moan and let them happen regardless ? There is nothing to lose in asking and hopefully having a mature and professional meeting with the paper about perceived bias.

[forza]

mcliar tried to take on the herald, the sports desk have no control over the 'news' desk, so what are out options. ban them from games? if you keep issuing denials, all you are doing is giving credibility to the stories.

while the song suggested is sick, its not unique for horrible songs to be sung at football. why bring it up even if it had happened? its not even newsworthy if it had happened. riot cops and horses had to keep shels and bohs fans apart, yet not a word in the press.

we sell papers, and any old crap will be thrown at us.


No you just fill empty gaps :rolleyes:

[MrJoeSoap]

Can't take this report too seriously without any attributed quotes, typical Herald type stuff.

Was there really any sort of a pitch invasion and confrontation at the end of the game?

[dcfcsteve]

mcliar tried to take on the herald, the sports desk have no control over the 'news' desk, so what are out options.

Well - try arranging a meeting with the New Editor to discuss the whole situation, like I've suggested.

What have you got to lose ?

[WeAreRovers]

Is there no right to redress bar the courts then ?

Shocking lack of accountability if there isn't.

Correct, we've taken plenty of legal advice most of which amounts to "you haven't a hope against Tony O'Reilly."

We badly need a non-statutory Press Council to stop the Herald in particular and the other rags from printing this nonsense and even more dangerous stuff like the coverage of the Rachel O'Reilly murder.

Instead of a Press Council Herr McDowell is introducing stringent privacy laws which will hinder journalists going about their daily work and yet will not help the man in the street gaining redress from these lowlifes

The only consolation is that the way the Herald is losing sales Shamrock Rovers will be around long after they're gone.

KOH

[Philly]

I know somebody who was at the match (which is weird as he never goes to any soccer matches!!), his college mates are Cobh fans and he was up there for a few days. He told me about the chants. Said there was only a small bunch of "drunken retards" doing it. Nine or ten tops.

The Herald article fails to mention that the vast, vast majority of fans at the game didn't do anything wrong. Yet they get a story out of a tiny bunch of yobs acting like idiots. He said it was literally a handful and he wouldn't have heard it unless he was sranding a few feet away. Nothing to shame the club or league. Mind you, Rovers do need to get rid of the last few scumbags that will be reading this story tonight and feel proud of themselves. "Something for the scrapbook" they'll say, "another Herald article abou' me and Anto and the Boyz..."...

[A face]

For what its worth, none of the Cobh fans i work with heard it .... they would have been in earshot aswell so it definitely didn't happen unless Rovers fans were singing it amongst themselves, which is fine just as long as no one has to endure it.

The short of it ..... the Herald seem to have made up a complete crock ...... again !!

Edit :


I know somebody who was at the match (which is weird as he never goes to any soccer matches!!), his college mates are Cobh fans and he was up there for a few days. He told me about the chants. Said there was only a small bunch of "drunken retards" doing it. Nine or ten tops.

That seems to match to be honest ..... if it was sung then it wasn't loudly or by many people. But then again you could say that 5-6 Rovers slaughtered a lamb and offered it to the gods and put the same spin as the Herald did, all they say is 'prove it didn't happen' ....... the reasoning and intent behind that paper is what should be considered when ever they are mentioned. You just know its not for the good of the community anyway, they dont do 'for the good of the community' !!

[BohsFans]

explain to me why this story is in the paper while the fact riot cops are deployed in drumcondra on friday isnt?


That would be a lie.

[dfx-]

As one of the few sober hoops in the ground I can honestly say I never heard
this chant. I obviously wasnt in all places at all times but If Scum did sing
it then they really need to take a long walk off a short pier.
I dont believe it happened because of the lies previously told re the Dundalk incidents which I witnessed. I genuinely believe there is an anti Rovers agenda in that paper.

My opinion. I was also sober....I can honestly say that I never heard it being sung at the game or otherwise.

[Philly]

El Fans Boycott The Herald!!

[OneRedArmy]

El Fans Boycott The Herald!!Christ, I hope most of us are doing this already.

I personally take great delight in refusing the freesheet morning rag they produce every day on the way to work.

Gutter journalism, and worse, gutter journalism by someone hellbent on kicking the Eircom League further down, as if it needs it.

[Philly]

ask him was it inside our outside the ground?
I am quite sure he said he was in the ground a few feet from them.

[BohsFans]

If you want to feel sorry for anybody, feel sorry for the few genuine supporters that your club have that have you put up filth. Or feel sorry for the apologists that these scumbags have, who always appear to be looking the other way. The thing with Rovers is that the trouble is always some else's fault.

I also find it incredible that a debate on this incident has degenerated into a "Herald doesn't like Rovers" debate. This is really, reds under the bed, stuff!!

Agreed!

and for anyone who doesn't, have a read of this:

http://foot.ie/showpost.php?p=578707&postcount=13

:rolleyes:

[Louth4sam]

and this is very ironic from a dundalk fan after your head in the sand attitude twice this season.


And rovers fans have their heads in the sand all season!!
As i've already said in this thread i dont believe that it was a majority of rovers fans that were chanting that that it was very few but no rovers fans have condemed it at all. That aside i dont see how you cand defend this. http://www.foot.ie/showpost.php?p=578483&postcount=35 No matter what trouble happens that involves rovers fans its always someone elses fault. I know your not always to blame but it'd help once in a while if you held your hands up and said yeah that wasnt on. We have done it with the trouble that happend on the carrick road outside oriel where a few scumbag schoolagans waited for your fans.

[BohsFans]

what has that got to do with the issue in hand? they had one style open for 800 fans, so what?

So why didn't they give the guy money as they were going through the gate?


Your club really is unbelievable and your head in the sand attitude is $hels like to say the least. :rolleyes:

[dcfcsteve]

what have we got to gain?

we havent a legal recourse and they dont care. why would the news editor meet reps from our club? a murderer will probably walk free as a result of their coverage of late. this is part of a much bigger problem with this particular paper.

Holy fcuk - you're seriously asking what would you have to gain from talking to the Herald about your allegation of constant mistreatment at their hands ?!?!? :eek: :o

I would've thought it was blindingly obvious. If it only caused them to think twice, or alter even just one word, the next time they came to do a story about Rovers then it would've been worthwhile !

You can claim meeting with them would do no good, or even that they wouldn't weant to meet with Rovers, but until the club asks the question and/or has such a meeting you simply won't know ! And even if it did - so fcuk. The potential benefits of engaging with the Herald massively out-weigh the downside of spending an hour of your club's time in the hope of reducing, playing-down or stopping the extremely negative reporting Rovers receives from that paper.

But sure - just lean back with your hands behind your heads doing nothing but bemoaning the paper whilst the name of your club, and by association the League, gets dragged through the gutter on a regular basis. For a fan-rum club, that is a terribly negative/defeatist attitude to have.

[sniffa]

Just a thought.
If rovers really believe the conspiracy theory then could it be to do with Tallaght?
The whole thing seems mad. A Herald reporter going down to Cobh and standing beside a handful of "fans" singing that crap. No one, but a very small handful hear it, and it ends up big news in the Herald rag??
I would be looking for a connection between a South Dublin GAA club and the Herald.

[mypost]

We have done it with the trouble that happend on the carrick road outside oriel where a few scumbag schoolagans waited for your fans.

No you haven't dealt with it or ever will. There has been trouble caused by Dundalk "fans" against Rovers fans at Oriel for decades. It's as predictable as Dundalk playing there on Thursday nights.

There were no chants about the crime committed by WOD, sung by our fans at the game in Cobh.

[LFC in Exile]

Holy fcuk - you're seriously asking what would you have to gain from talking to the Herald about your allegation of constant mistreatment at their hands??

I don't think the Rovers directors should go anywhere near the herald editor. Next headline - "Herald Editor Threatened by Rovers Mob".

Reading this thread as an interested observer i am amazed that it has taken as much internet space as it has. It is a non-story. A few sh1theads sing a sick chant (but keep it low so hardly anyone can hear) and it gets this coverage? I can think of thousands of times that some young scut or idiot has tried to start a stupid chant but has been quickly told to shut the fcuk up by reasonable fans around him. If all these made it to the papers there'd be room for nothing else. I am sur emost of the Rovers fans at that game if they heard the chat would have given these fellas a smack around the head.

I think the critcisms of Rovers on this one is a bit OTT. IMO that club does need to do more regarding 'fan' behaviour and its tolerance (certainly we do as well after our last game against them - but I think we accept that, they don't) but by jumping up and down on every little inconsequential piece of coverage just trivialises the serious issues. There is nothing to this.

[Louth4sam]

No you haven't dealt with it or ever will. There has been trouble caused by Dundalk "fans" against Rovers fans at Oriel for decades. It's as predictable as Dundalk playing there on Thursday nights.

There were no chants about the crime committed by WOD, sung by our fans at the game in Cobh.

How can we deal with something that happened outside the ground??

So you still wont admit that your "fans" have ever done anything wrong?

If the chants were not sung by your fans who sung it??

[hoops1]

I don't think the Rovers directors should go anywhere near the herald editor. Next headline - "Herald Editor Threatened by Rovers Mob".

Reading this thread as an interested observer i am amazed that it has taken as much internet space as it has. It is a non-story. A few sh1theads sing a sick chant (but keep it low so hardly anyone can hear) and it gets this coverage? I can think of thousands of times that some young scut or idiot has tried to start a stupid chant but has been quickly told to shut the fcuk up by reasonable fans around him. If all these made it to the papers there'd be room for nothing else. I am sur emost of the Rovers fans at that game if they heard the chat would have given these fellas a smack around the head.

I think the critcisms of Rovers on this one is a bit OTT. IMO that club does need to do more regarding 'fan' behaviour and its tolerance (certainly we do as well after our last game against them - but I think we accept that, they don't) but by jumping up and down on every little inconsequential piece of coverage just trivialises the serious issues. There is nothing to this.

Excellent post.

[Irish Fan]

In fairness lads I was right down beside the singing Rovers fans and I never once heard anything like that being sung. I hope Rovers take action because its VERY bad press for them.

[thomas]

2 Rovers volunteers pointed out to a steward that a cash take should have been set up at the gate to speed people through (We did that at the cup game when the crowd showed up at the last minute).

Response: The stile (singular) has been open since 6.00.

[WeAreRovers]

Jaysus lads, some of you are in severe danger of spontaneously combusting from an overdose of self-rightousness. And all this hysteria based on an Evening Herald story. You sound like a bunch of old Tories after reading a Daily Mail story on immigration.

The Herald hate us, it's simple. And DCFCSteve, of course we've made representations but Ian Mallon, Mick McCaffrey et al see us as news - to them we represent "what's wrong with society" and we make good copy.

The Herald operates on creating and hyping up fear, especially re. crime. The building of an image of us as rampaging hordes out to destroy decent society fits the Herald bill perfectly. I know this is all fact from speaking to other Herald journalists who are embarrassed by this rubbish - at least one of the blokes I spoke to is a die hard Bohs fan.

These same journalists are equally ashamed of the Herald's handling of high profile murder cases. The official Herald editorial line is "we don't care."

In the last few years they've claimed that we are Nazis, we orchestrated the Orange riots in Dublin, we've attacked Dundalk fans and now we've sung this song at the Cobh game. I've forgotten the full list because it's too depressing.

But if the high horse brigade are happy buying into this agenda then good luck to you. Taking your opinions from a rag like the Herald does you no credit and the Herald will never even wound Shamrock Rovers not to mind destroy us.

KOH

[bluemovie]

In fairness, if two Rovers fans bumped into each other, the Herald would run a front page story on Football Hooligans Riot. They go way over-the-top about anything bad that has any connection to Rovers.

I've always thought they have some of the best and worst fans in the country. I don't know if that song was sung or by whom, but I wouldn't let it colour my judgement of the club as a whole. A couple of young idiots at our games have been known to sing about what they'd rather be than a Dub, but are quickly drowned out. That doesn't make all of us cross-burning racists.

The Herald definitely have an unhealthy obsession with Shamrock Rovers. Sure the day Joe O'Reilly was arrested, I said to the lads at our game, "What will the Herald do with their front page if Rovers actually do riot tonight?"

[TonyD]

Just a thought.
If rovers really believe the conspiracy theory then could it be to do with Tallaght?
The whole thing seems mad. A Herald reporter going down to Cobh and standing beside a handful of "fans" singing that crap. No one, but a very small handful hear it, and it ends up big news in the Herald rag??
I would be looking for a connection between a South Dublin GAA club and the Herald.


Funnily enough the same thought occured to me. I certainly took this report with a very large grain of salt. If the Herald does have an agenda against Rovers, and as a neutral it kind of looks that way to me, could it have anything to do with keeping them out of Tallaght ?

[Peadar]

Weren't Rovers fans involved in an incident in Longford where they sang something about Abbeylara? It's all well and good going on about the Herald having an agenda but there's always some controversy surrounding Rovers, which gives stories like this more credence.

[Schumi]

Weren't Rovers fans involved in an incident in Longford where they sang something about Abbeylara? It's all well and good going on about the Herald having an agenda but there's always some controversy surrounding Rovers, which gives stories like this more credence.That was Shels I thought.

[Peadar]

That was Shels I thought.

Apologies, if I'm wrong.

[Billy Lord]

See how this insidious stuff works? Make allegation a), back it up with rumour b), add in exaggerations c), d) and f) and it all becomes part of a perceived reality.

[rebs23]

a perceived reality.

I know this is going off topic here but isn't that part of the problem with Rovers, for as long as I can remember Rovers have been the "Millwall" of the Eircom League. The perception out there based on years of incidents involving Rovers fans is that there is a substantial minority willing to engage in trouble, sometimes with provocation, sometimes without and Rovers have not really done an awful lot about it over the years due to in fairness the circumstances the club has been in, financial ruin, no ground, etc, etc.

While I accept that this paticular story may not be true, there were incidents in Cobh before, during and after the game. Some seem serious enough. All the incidents over the last season(last few years) involving Rovers fans always seem to be a blatant exaggeration or someone elses fault, according to Rovers. While sometimes this may be true there is always that minority amongst Rovers fans willing to get involved or instigate trouble.

It would really be refreshing for a change for Rovers fans to come along and say yes we have problems and are doing x, y and z to eradicate it. If Rovers cannot break the cycle themselves then the Herald and other papers will always have a story to print. Blaming minor provocations of opposiong fans, blaming the media, boycotting the media, conspiracy theories, etc is not the answer when there are clearly problems with the behaviour of Rovers fans on a consistant basis.

[jebus]

Honestly I think the main problem that a lot of people have with Rovers (me included) is that if you make any sort of accusation/remark/etc. regarding the club their fans jump on the offensive and start insulting you straight away. I don't believe a word the Herald ever says, and I'm sure that even if there were a few Rovers fans singing an offensive song it was probably just two or three mindless idiots, every club has them so no big deal.

If that was the only incident involving Rovers at that game than that would be that, but according to reports from Cobh there was a pitch invasion during the game by some Rovers fans, threats shouted at a group of Ramblers supporters and a few fights in town afterwards. If thats true (I wasn't there, I don't know) than Rovers really need to stop pretending that they don't attract a certain variety of knobs and start weeding this element out of their club. We held our hands up at the last Limerick-Rovers game and admitted when some non-Limerick FC fans came into the ground with the specific intent of starting trouble with the travelling Rovers supporters, but they didn't do the same when a lot of non-Rovers supporting scum came down from Dublin for the first Limerick-Rovers match with the intention of starting fights in and around the ground.

I'm sure I'll probably get attacked for saying that, but in my eyes thats the way it is, and the proper Rovers supporters should stand up, stop denying that there is an element that 'follows' Rovers and put a stop to it if at all possible

[Passive]

In the last few years they've claimed that we are Nazis, we orchestrated the Orange riots in Dublin, we've attacked Dundalk fans and now we've sung this song at the Cobh game. I've forgotten the full list because it's too depressing.


You forgot my personal favourite - claiming a Rovers player had been done over glassing a barman in Bray, neglecting to mention that the bloke (now 19 years old) had only played for us for one season...on our Under 15s team.

Also, the story in Dundalk gets worse every time they mention it. First we rioted, then they claimed we broke through barriers, now they are claiming that we broke through barriers and smashed local shop windows.

The mind boggles over these fu*kwits. I don't know what they are, but they certainly aren't journalists.

In any case, we're all in agreement that the Herald are a bunch of c*nts who make up lies about Rovers. End of thread, I would have though.

[WeAreRovers]

rebs23 - That's the point, Millwall have done loads in recent years to rid themselves of the problem. They only had 10,000 at the cup semi the other year because of all the banning orders and membership scheme. They've also done more than most clubs in fighting racism. But no matter what they do they'll always be Millwall.

Similarly, I know from first hand experience that 99% of the rubbish written about Cardiff is just that, rubbish. Again, give a dog a bad name. The same applies to Rovers. No matter what we do, we'll always be Rovers and the tiniest incident will be news whereas the ongoing trouble between Shels and Bohs doesn't get a mention.

So yes, the perceived reality becomes reality and to be honest that perception has followed Rovers around for years. Hence the Herald's obsession and the hysteria on sites like this about a couple of drunken gobshítes acting the maggot.

Bohs fans are on their MB slating Rovers over this Herald story. Most of them seem to have forgotten that they taunted Tony O'Dowd about his dead brother. A far worse incident which didn't excite the Herald or the moral majority on here. Go figure..........

KOH

[Peadar]

That was Shels I thought.

I found the thread here... (http://foot.ie/showthread.php?p=369562#post369562)
It was Shels alright.
I guess the precedent has been set and if Shels fans sing distasteful songs, then the rest of the league must accept that it's the way we should all behave.