Celtic Discussion

[max power]

good idea, all el fans buy rangers jerseya and when a fromer rangers player is playing we'll cheer him on....its our duty to make him feel welcome

[max power]

i'll answer you with a question, what country are celtic from and are they irish, not almost are irish or connections with ireland are any of that, plain and simple.


what country are GLASGOW celtic from and ar thay an IRISH soccer club ??????

[max power]

celtic fan talks, i hear blah blah blah

[max power]

no problem answering but if you want to support a forigen club away with ya , just keep it away from international matchs and stop the booing, you got the boys bit right anyway because your acting like children, we don't like him because he played for a club wee don't like , blah blah blah.

[A face]

What Irish team do you support !!

[max power]

dante do you agree with the booing of former and current rangers players at international matchs

[max power]

dante any person who agrees with booing at international amtchs in a muppet like those who do it, it is clear you are looking for an argument re celtic, i've said what i wanted to say, best of luck in the spl ( in scotland not ireland ) next year and hope you win damn all just like last season, it might shut the muppets up for a while longer, bye now....

[A face]

Originally posted by the dj
dante any person who agrees with booing at international amtchs in a muppet like those who do it, it is clear you are looking for an argument re celtic, i've said what i wanted to say, best of luck in the spl ( in scotland not ireland ) next year and hope you win damn all just like last season, it might shut the muppets up for a while longer, bye now....

Hear Hear !!

[gspain]

Just wondering if you agree with calling Rangers/PSV players "dirty proddie", "Hun *******" and "orange *******" as done at Lansdowne Road by sectarian pro Celtic/anti Irish bigots.

Just wondering if you agree with dressing in monkey suits and throwing bananas at Mark Walters at his first Old Firm game at Celtic Park.

Just wondering if you agree with making aeroplane signs at Claudio Reyna at the Old Firm game a few days after September 11th.

Where do you draw the line?

[Forest Lad]

Originally posted by the dj
celtic are a very confused club, they are a scotish club , who think they are irish and want to play in england, i think they have a few problems.

Totally agree with you mate.They,and Rangers,want to play in England and think they have a god -given right to do so.Well we don't want them here,they have their own league so let them and their fans stay there.
We have enough troublemakers in England without 1,000's of Jocks joining in!

[eoinh]

Originally posted by Silvio Dante
Owner: Dermot Desmond (Irish)

Manager: Martin O'Neill (Irish)

Hardly waspish I would have though....


Wrong Dermot desmond is not the owner he is the largest shareholder with i think about 10% of the shares.

the largest shareholders would be British Pension Funds.

Celtics prime aim as a public quoted company is to make money. its one of the main reasons they are always trying to crawl into the english premiership. i doubt if you will see them appplying to join the eircom league. if they do ill give you €500.

REal Madrid in the other hand are owned by members and ther prime aim is to win trophies and entertain. hence maybe the difference in stlyl and flair.

[gspain]

I don't have a problem with anyone supporting a British club or indeed any other although I'd prefer if they supported an LoI side. I do have a problem when they say our league is rubbish though.

I'm a football fan and will watch any game but Limerick and the RoI national team come first.

Indeed I thoroughly enjoyed watching Celtic beat Ajax in a thrilling game in 1982 the night before Limerick met AZ67 in the ECWC eventhough our blue & white scarves got funny looks.

I would prefer to see other Scottish sides other than the Old Firm do well but then I also wanted Real Madrid to lose La Liga and Man Utd to lose the premiership.

My "problem" with Celtic however is that a sectarian element of their support has attached itself to our national side and associate the RoI national side with sectarian catholic nationalism/republicanism. This has already damaged the reputation of our team and our fans.

I've been following our national side home and away since I was 8 years of age and am justifably proud of the excellent reputation our fans have at home and abroad. My first away trip was Rotterdam 81 and 5,000 Irish fans had a party while England fans rioted in Oslo. We got treated with disdain on arrival in Stuttgart on June 11th 1988. I was genuinely concerned that the "black shoes, white socks and moustache" brigade would have responded to any trouble. They did but responded with good humour and a smile and the legend of Irish fans was born that weekend. A week later we were knocked out by a lucky offside goal 8 minutes from time and the response was to go have a party with the Dutch. Everywhere we've been since from Tehran to Tirana or from Brussels to Bursa we've enhanced that reputation. We have fans from all walks of life and all religions (or none). I met 2 Iranians (living in Germany) in Bursa who have been following us since Euro 88. I know of a Rangers fan who had to choose between Marseille for a champions league semi final in 93 or the Baltics so he couldn't and went to both. Any football fan over 30 will be conscious of bigotry from another code from glass been scattered over football pitches to Liam Brady being expelled from school for captaining his country at that "foreign" game. Anybody that tried to start any sectarian or racist stuff was quickly put in their place. A group of teenagers with Belfast accents tried to start some sectarian singing in Vilnius in 93 and they were quickly shut up. During that time Celtic were struggling badly - one championship from 1988-2000 and limited exposure in this country meant that they were not well supported. Celtic failed to even get 2nd place any season between 89 & 95 and only once got within 10 points of Rangers when they ran them to 8 points and also managed a creditable 4th place only 4 points behind 3rd placed Motherwell. I now realise how lucky we were that our first 3 appearances in major finals coincided with a dismal time in Celtic's fortunes and football fans in this country were more concerned with Man utd or Liverpool.

Now contrast that with today. Celtic have been discovered in this country (Donegal excepted where they always had good support) in the past couple of years. The success brought by Martin O'Neill along with Sky and later RTE's live coverage has given them exposure they never had. Many fans have discovered Celtic and the sectarian filth associated with a minority of their fans. Celtic have many many genuine non sectarian fans and I know a few of them however it appears to suit the club to allow this to continue and indeed encourage it. I was one of a handful of RoI fans at the Packie Bonnar testimonial in 1991 - Celtic v RoI XI. The prematch entertainment included Sean South and an IRA song I didn't know which I heard afterwards was "The Boys of the old Brigade". I was staggered by the size and passion of the support though.

Now Celtic have been discovered in this country in the past couple of years and it is now cool to be a Celtic fan. a minority of these fans have also deemed it okay to sing sectarian songs, boo and abuse current and former Rangers players. Terms such as "Dirty proddie", "Orange *******" and "hun *******" may be acceptable or even encouraged at Celtic Park but they are not acceptable here and paying €27 euro in does not give someone the right to say what they wish. Ironically the morons who directed some of the most disgusting abuse at Peter Madsen of PSV did so because they thought he was Peter Lovenkrands who indeed looks nothing like Madsen.

So now I hope that Martin O'Neill moves to a bigger club like West Ham and that Celtic go back to challenging Motherwell for 3rd place miles behind Noel Hunt & Gary Dempsey's Dunfermline and Alan Maybury's Hearts. More importantly I want the F.A.I. to take action and anyone that screams "dirty proddie" at an opposing player is thrown out of Lansdowne Road and never sees another ticket again and let them save their money for a one way Ryanair flight to Glasgow.

[eoinh]

without doubt one of the best answers in a thread that i have ever read.



Tell me gspain. i know i know your name from somewhere.

did you write articles in programmes and magazines?

or help me out with a college assignment in the early 90's?

[gspain]

Although there are also many decent Rangers fans they have a sectarian element too just as bad as the Celtic minority. No point in supporting them although thankfully their crowd don't turn up at our games and pretend to be Irish fans.

BTW 2 former colleagues watch the England game at Italia 90 in a Glasgow bar - everyone cheering for Ireland. Halfway through the 2nd half they started chanting "Packie Packie" to be tapped on the shoulder and told "this is a Rangers pub - you can't cheer for a Celtic player in here" Back to supporting Ireland and no problem. Nowadays the "British identity" is much more common at Ibrox and hence all the england tops.

[Gary]

I was talking to a guy the other day about football etc and when iasked him he supported he replies

"well i dont like the eircom, but i support Man Utd and (chuckles), obviously Celtic".

I sniggered and said "Ya, obviously". Funny thing was is that he thought i was a 'die hard' as well.

Anyway, my new favourite team are in the Peruvian league - Deportivo VVanka.

:D

[Jam]

British identity isn't more common at Ibrox at all. The gruesome twosome are steeped in bigotry hence the abundance of Protestant unionist regalia on one side and republican paraphenalia on the other. Scotland is almost invisible in these games although a lot fo Scottish auld firm fans are getting ****ed aff wi it.

This is worsened by the tens of thousands who come over from northern Ireland each week for the games.

At the end of the day these are just flags not really about identity more about incitement.

......Unless the abundance of Jewish and Palestinian flags on the Falls/Shankhill and now Parkheid and Ibrox suggests that they have something in common with these cultures too :rolleyes:

[gspain]

The point is really being missed here.

If you're proud to be a Celtic fan then fine - go to Parkhead - follow them away in europe. There are ample opportunities to show your pride. Why not go to Rangers away European games and sit with the home fans and hurl sectarian abuse at the whole lot of them?

Why do it at games that have nothing to do with Celtic?

[Tom Peppers]

Well i dont care what anyone says because as far as im concerned i am a celtic fan and that doesnt mean gspain that i have to fly over to glasgow to show it. Your points are good but i think even you are missing the point. You cant change a leopards spots and no matter what you say nothing s gonna change that fact. And the majority of so called anti celtic fans are just envious. And for the record i do support an eircom league and go to games regularly. But blaming celtic fans for being celtic fans is just not fair. I can say that i have always felt strongly about supporting celtic and i can say tghis for the majority of celic supporters also. And when some guy wearing a celtic jersey says the eircom league is **** he s got a point but not to us. He compares it to a game on sky sports and to be honest sky do have the skill of making bad games look great so maybe the real enemy here is actually sky sports. so stop this persistent argument. I was involved in the early stages of it but it just got too annoying because the majority of people here have a grudge against celtic and wont be happy till they get the last word in. Now i m not trying to get the last dig in. I am just trying to show skys influence

[Estar]

I'm sure uneducated Irish people are booing as well. Irish people are not all saints.
Finger pointing won't solve this. Action will.

[Schumi]

Originally posted by Tom Peppers
i am a celtic fan and that doesnt mean gspain that i have to fly over to glasgow to show it That would be what fans of a club would usually do: go to games involving that club to support them.

[Macy]

FFS - Threads like this turn me into more of an anti-celtic than I was.... People's minds aren't going to be changed, so can we please drop this sh!te?

[Colm]

Originally posted by Conor74
The anti-Rovers vibe transferring to other teams in hoops, including Celtic and Sporting Lisbon?

You could be onto something there Conor!:D

[Mayo_Bhoy]

Phew! Finally got to the end os this thread and want to make a few points.

1. i'm a Irish Celtic supporter but the Irish team comes first always and as such am disgusted withe recent incidents of booing Rangers or even worse ex rangers palyers. At an OF game, fine anything goes but what it's got to do with an Irish game is beyond me.
I can understand the frustration that non Celtic fans feel about this. Some of these morons are a disgrace not only to Ireland but also to Celtic.

2. Started following QPR when i was about 6 or 7 for a reason that i can still not fathom. About the same time as me and my mates became interested in English football (via MOTD and Big Match) we for whatever reason latched onto Celtic as well. (Maybe cos the older lads would be taliking about them?) Though we rarely got to see any actual coberage of the scottish game we'fd always look out for their result. Growing up in Mayo in a strong GAA house there was little or no mention of the domestic league. We had heard of Sligo and Shamrock Rovers but they might as well have been in Greece for all they meant to us. Though my Dad did take me to the Showgrounds when i was about 8 to see Rovers play the hoops in a a cup game (had the pleasure (?) of seeing Dunphy play) we had or felt no connection with any LoI teams. That i feel was mainly the fault of the soccer authorities as there was little or no media coverage of the league and no attempt whatsoever at marketing of the league. Whatever it was about Celtic - the colours, Irish connection, songs etc. they have always been close to my heart and i cannot or will not apologise for that.

3. Someone mentioned about The Boys of the Old Brigade been sung before Packies testimonial. Well so what it's an Irish song and i've often heard it on away trips. Even saw Denis Irwin and David Kelly belt it out standing on a bar i Orlando the night after Holland knockked us out in '94.

4. The point about Celtic jerseys at Irish games is ridiculous. Don't you also see Offaly, Limerick, Fermanagh GAA shirts and those old Liverpool away shirts. I have also seen Sporting Lisbon, Hibs and Real Betis jerseys worn. It's the colour stupid. If Man U had a green away jersey i'd see no problem in some one wearing one. I do not see Celtic and Ireland as two halves of the one coin but count myself lucky to be a fan of both. That the songs, colours and travelling supporters sometimes overlap all the better.

[belfastduncer]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tom Peppers
[B]
You cant change a leopards spots and no matter what you say nothing s gonna change that fact. And the majority of so called anti celtic fans are just envious. And for the record i do support an eircom league and go to games regularly. But blaming celtic fans for being celtic fans is just not fair.

I don't think Gary was blaming Celtic fans for being Celtic fans, he was questioning the appropriateness of sectarian behaviour. If by saying that a leopard can't change it spots are you admitting that Celtic fans are institutionally sectarian? I doubt it as I know many, many Celtic fans here in Scotland who I am proud to have as very good friends but that doesn't diminish the morons who disgrace both sides of the OF.
I'm a Rangers fan who cringes at some of the sh*t that our fans come out with, but at Norn' Iron games we have almost wiped out the "SuperProd", mentality previously displayed by too many numbskulls wearing Rangers tops. I totally agree with GSpain that International games, north or south, are no place for the excesses of Glasgow's 'finest'. Quite what this second hand allegiance has to do with supporting your country defeats me, and there are way too many of these people on both sides of the border.
Nothing against Rangers tops, I have many myself, but they belong at Ibrox, not Windsor Park.
I must say I was enjoying Scotsman's comntribution until he ruined it all by claiming that Airdrie have a large following. No Scottish club outside the big two has a following above English First Divsion standard, and without the big two some SPL sides would be Irish League sized in crowds.

[Gary]

I was working in the offy there last week and this feen of around 50 walks in. He was wearing an FAI t Shirt. On closer inspection, i noticed a Celtic crest there as well, with the slogan beneath

For club and for country

I was shocked and sickened. I had heard of these t shirts but i thought it was a joke.


Galsgow is not in Irealnd. Celtic are not an Irish club.

END OF STORY

[Bosco]

He was shocked that it was an fai t-shirt.I say these on sale in galway and i've e-mailed the fai about it and about them selling celtic jerseys in the fai shop in lansdowne but I havn't got a reply and i doubht i will

[Scotsman]

Hi people this arguement could go on for years and years and years.

Why waste time and energy.

Celtic does have a large Irish following as well as a large Scottish following.

That is matter of fact.

You are questioning things that cannot be changed - It is good to question though and not accept just anything.

We Scots question things like this - Why all the tri-colours and few Saltires? - Why Rangers fans wear England tops and wave Ulster flags?

We all know why and this is the society unfortunately we live in.

People can wave flags, sing the songs at the games and be completely different outside of these by having friends from both sides of the divide.

Example - My Brother-In Law had his baby's christening in an Orange Hall.

Me being a Catholic and a Celtic fan went with no probs - He held his Son beside a picture of King Billy (I didn't like that right enough as get the youngsters away from that crap) but nearly ALL his best friends are Catholics and Celtic fans - His best man was a Catholic.

He held his Son up at King Billy's picture to feel more of a Rangers fan I feel - Just like some people have an affiliation with Ireland so they feel closer to Celtic.

Mental but that's the way it is.

Que Sera.

About my comment of Airdrie having a large support - I didn't mean excessive amount of fans but the fans they have a large for a team of Airdrie and are fanatical fans.

I know I'm originally from Airdrie.

On a non-football note I watched Gangs Of New York the other night and I have to say I was disgusted the way the Irish were treated from these so-called Natives.

Anyway don't want to drag it on too much - Everyone on here has a valid point and good luck to you all and take care.

Robert

[Gary]

To be fair rab, i dont think anyone here questions ur support of Celtic, what the point is, is why do irish ppl blindly support them?

poor ol Peter Madsen.

[karl67]

If your interested in the Irish national team check out www.thepeoplesflag.com there's a few pics from the Scotland Ireland friendy from earlier in the year there aswell......
Slan
karl@thepeoplesflag.com

[Gary]

Originally posted by Silvio Dante
Where are you getting the blind support thing from? I'm fourth generation Celt. I will hand it down to the next generation aswell.

HAIL HAIL ! ! !


What a fool you are. Fourth Generation?????

[Scotsman]

The point is being missed here.

If Irish folk want to support Celtic then let them do so.

If Scottish folk want to support and Irish team then let them do so.

If Scottish and Irish folk want to support English then let them do so.

People have the right to support who they choose.

Live and let live.

Thanks

Robert

[gspain]

Originally posted by Scotsman
The point is being missed here.

If Irish folk want to support Celtic then let them do so.

If Scottish folk want to support and Irish team then let them do so.

If Scottish and Irish folk want to support English then let them do so.

People have the right to support who they choose.

Live and let live.

Thanks

Robert

I personally have no problem with Irish people supporting sides
from other countries although I'd prefer if they supported an Irish side. Personally I've gone to watch football in numerous countries and that includes 2 Scottish premier division games last season. I call myself a supporter of a premiership club although my last home game was 3.5 years ago and I'd always support an Irish side against them in Europe.

Robert the issue most people here have with Celtic is that some Celtic fans hurl sectarian abuse and boo Rangers or ex Rangers players at Irish games.

Hence the dislike and anti Celtic feelings among Irish fans.

I've no doubt that there are equally boneheaded Rangers fans and they come to Lansdowne Road pretend to be Irish fans and abuse ex Celtic players then they'll feel our wrath as well.

[Jam]

Support who you like. Couldn't care less.

There is a difference in Irish fans supporting Celtic than those that support an English team in that some people think Celtic is Irish or Ireland :D .

Celtic is a Scottish club from Glasgow. They play in the SPL, they represent Scotland in Europe. When they get to the final of the UEFA it is the Scottish coefficient that benefits not the Irish one.

Many of their fans may wave Irish flags but there are reasons for this - pre-war in Northern Ireland and the rise of the IRA this wasn't as popular. It is in a huge part the sectarianism of western Scotland and Northern Ireland. The other side of all this is the British/unionist/loyalist mirror of Rangers. Scotland, and I mean Scotland as the nation and the, hopefully to be independent nation state, is virtually invisible in this divide. But both are still Scottish even though in many aspects they are part of Scotland's shame.

I think some of the Irish fans think it is Celtic fans that boo Rangers players at Irish games. I'm in the Tartan Army and I can vouch for that although I wouldn't know if it's Irish people or east end of Glasgow guys that follow Ireland, some of whom aren't any more Irish than me (I'm 3rd generation Irish but consider myself to be Scottish not Irish - why should I when I'm so clearly not? :confused: ).

I've said before some in the Tartan Army are hostile to Rangers and Celtic fans because of their lack of Scottish identity even to the extent of taking the pish ootae the ones that follow Scotland - which seems a bit counter-productive as they seem to be the good guys in my opinion.

Similarly, the guys that follow Celtic here at least follow Ireland. So that is surely a good thing?

I suppose if I was Irish I would instinctively lean towards my home team (yer hame team is yer ain team ;) ) rather than Celtic and I do find it a bit peculiar. However, it's a great ground, a fantastic atmosphere, it has historical links to the Irish who came to Scotland and I'd imagine Scotland doesn't seem that foreign to Irish people anyway (Ireland seems similar to Scotland to me in a lot ways) so I can uinderstand why they feel a kind of belonging there.

[Scotsman]

Excellent post Jam.

I applaud you.

Rangers fans who used to go the Scotland games booed their own players because they played for Celtic.

This I think has died off but I was at the Belguim V Scotland game and a section of Rangers fans gave Joos Valgaren more grief than anyone on the pitch and that was before a ball was even kicked.

Swing and roundabouts.

Scotland and Ireland do have some similarities and unfortunatley bigotry is one of them.

Alot of Celtic fans support Ireland and alot Rangers fans suport England.

Also bear in mind alot of Celtic fans are patriotic Scots like myself and suport Scotland and not Ireland.

I like to see Ireland do well though, but in a Scotland V Ireland game I'd support Scotland.

We can change this by showing these people the benefits but not putting them down.

Thanks

Robert

[gspain]

Quite a few Scottish Celtic fans in both ends at the Feb friendly at Hampden.

My own view is that many Old Firm fans do not really follow any national side. When Rangers play the like sof Dundee and Killie they ar emet with Saltires and "Flower of Scotland" and the response is normally England shirts, Rule Britanna & union jacks. Interesting article in the latest Four Four Two on this.

I can't recall too many if any Scots travelling to watch Ireland - apart from 20 Celtic fans at the Niall Quinn testimonial (presumably en route back from Tony Adams test the previous night). We have a large travelling group of English based fans and a number from Northyern Ireland in recent years although the English tend to be 2nd or 1st generation Irish rather than further back as in Scotland where the emigration happened 100+ years ago.

Never a problem between the scots and the Irish.

Celtic's support in the Republic is very much a new thing even growing considerably this year with tv coverage of league games and the UEFA Cup run. However it has also attracted the sectarian element of RoI society which typically would not have followed football.

[nlgbbbblth]

Interesting thread
I never had any time for Celtic or Rangers and the bigotry that goes with it

The explosion in Celtic jersies is really sickening though. What a scummy bunch of p r i c k s.
The whole expectancy Irish : therefore must support the Beggars is complete rubbish

Someone bring a banner to Lansdowne for the Australia match and make it say "THIS IS DUBLIN NOT GLASGOW YOU BIGOTED ARSEHOLES"

expect any Aussie with a Rangers connection ie Moore to be booed.

Saw a great retort at the work canteen before the UEFA.
Mr A: I presume you'll be supporting the Bhoys tonight? It would be great if they won. what with the Irish connection and all
Mr B: I don't support Celtic. I don't support the armed struggle.

[Scotsman]

This shouldn't be but hey what can we do??

Celtic got absolutely hammered by Man utd last nigt!!

[joe]

Originally posted by Silvio Dante
I officially nominate this as Bullsh*t post of the year so far....

just in case you don't know, you're allowed nominate yourself for such awards too :)

[Jam]

thought I'd post a link to the 4-4-2 article about the changing faces of the tartan army (a guy on the TA website scanned it in)

http://www.t-army.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/topic.cgi?forum=12&topic=5315

the interest here is how the TA changed from having an OF fan base (particularly Rangers) to a small club fan base which is more nationalist (patriotic and with their vote) and is sometimes anti-OF (seen as anti-Scottish by some - particularly anti-Rangers).

Seems to me that the anti-Celtic thing here has some links in that supporters of Eircom sides see their sides as Irish and Celtic as not (which is fact basically) but more importantly don't like the links being made between Celtic and Ireland (which is a matter of opinion..

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it..

Robert - I follow Scotland home and away at every game and that stuff died out over 20 yrs ago.. At the big games i.e. belgium away you get the odd idiot but I wouldn't say they come from particularly clubs - they're just a*seholes. The hardcore of the TA is outward looking, friendly and wouldn't be seen dead indulging in that kind of behaviour.

Apologies - I know this is an Irish board.. :D

[Scotsman]

Hi Jam so are you saying that the TA does not give Celtic players any grief now and that in actual fact are more Anti-Rangers??

[Jam]

haven't given Celtic players grief for over two decades. That was in the sad days where Rangers thought our national team was their team - total bigotry basically. Only the paranoid at Parkheid would think otherwise. Players aren't given grief at all - we don't care which club they play for...

The fan base is more the small clubs noo- I'm Dunfermline. I suppose some of these fans are more patriotic than your average old firm fan and dislike more what Rangers stand for than Celtic.

In general folk try to get on. We avoid club colours (we dinnae want moronic h*ns and t*ms fighting) apart fae the Queen's Park away top which has a huge Irn Bru can on the front and is a stoater ;) .

I'd say the link to the article I posted is broadly correct overall if you want to get a feel for it - although I thought ye went yersel?

Also the fact that ye can never count yer chickens with regard to hooliganism coming back or just general bad behaviour which some folk hink they can get awa wi cos of the reputation of the TA is brought out well in the article. I wonder if the Irish fans have similar sort of problems i.e. arses turning up and acting a bit ootae order cos they think they can dae anything cos of the fans' good reputation..

[Éanna]

Originally posted by Jam
supporters of Eircom sides see their sides as Irish and Celtic as not (which is fact basically) but more importantly don't like the links being made between Celtic and Ireland (which is a matter of opinion..
I think you're spot on there to be honest. I personally have no problem saying that Celtic are a Scottish club with huge links to Ireland- the reason many other eircom League fans do have a problem with any linkage is because if one says to your average Irish Celtic fan that Celtic are Scottish, they don't agree. These people are so blind and caught up in their imaginary football-jersey wearing struggle against the British government that they will actually look you in the eye and say "Celtic are Irish." Which anyone with a brain can see is not fact. This level of extremity means that many eL fans take the other extreme in a "if they won't reason, neither will we" attitude.

[Scotsman]

Hi Jam I have only been to one Scotland game unfortunately.

I was not nterested in going to Scotland games when I was young - Was more interested in club games.

I always remember my dad watching Scotland games on the TV and I would not watch them as I thought they were boring.

I think the reason for that was that I was watching clubs week in and week out and Internationals were now and again and Scotland's football was not as free flowing as the Hoops.

As I got older I learned to appreciate Internationals more.

I always wanted Scotland to win.

I always loved the World Cup etc..

A couple of my mates had maybe been to 1 or 2 Scotland games but not a great deal - My dad used to go when it was the old Hampden and said the Scotland V England games were amazing.


Thanks

Robert

[Paddy Ramone]

More Irish people should support Hibernian as their favourite Scottish side instead of Celtic. The Hibees were the first football club to founded by Irish people ever in 1875. They were established by a Catholic priest Canon Hannan from Ballingarry, Co Limerick and their first captain came from Kilglass, Co Roscommon. Hibs' most famous supporter was the Irish Socialist Republican, James Connolly who led the 1916 rising. Connolly's parents came from Clones, Co Monaghan.

There is also the amazing fact that whenever a Hibee plays for Ireland, Ireland win and haven't even conceded a goal with a Hibee in the side. The full record is below.

17.5.1937 Paddy Farrell, v Swtizerland 1-0, Berne FR
23.5.1937 Paddy Farrell, v France 2-0, Paris FR
7.3.1954 Mickey Gallagher, v Luxembourg 1-0 Luuxembourg WC
27.3.2002 Nicky Colgan, v Denmark 3-0, Dublin FR
13.2.2003 Nicky Colgan, v Scotland 2-0, Glasgow FR
30.4.2003 Nicky Colgan, v Norway 1-0, Dublin FR

P W D L F A
6 6 0 0 10 0

A note on one of the players who is interesting, Mickey Gallagher was born on the Arranmore island Gaeltacht of the coast of Donegal and played GAA in Co Donegal before he moved to Scotland. He was the first native Irish speaker to play for Ireland and was an unsung member of the half-back line of Hibernian side that contained the famous five which was the best side in Scotland at the time.

So more Irish people should follow Hibs instead of Celtic (1888) who are just an imitation of the Hibees (1875).

[Paddy Ramone]

Yeah, you are right but that was only up until 1892, nowadays the Hibees have as many Protestant supporters as Catholic and are now completely non-sectarian unlike Celtic whose supporters are nearly all Catholic.

[Peadar]

Originally posted by Silvio Dante
No such nonsense at Celtic thankfully....

I heard that Rangers was formed by non-catholic people who weren't allowed to play for Celtic?
That sounds like sectarianism on the part of Celtic to me.

Football is a religion all of it's own.
I've seen God in Turners Cross.
He plays up front for Cork City FC.

If I ever start following Scotish football I'll consider Hibernian, is that ok?

[NigeSausagepump]

Good Jesus .

Can I now say that everyone who considers themselves to be Irish should support Botev rather than Nafteks in the Bulgarian first division.

Whereas Nafteks have an Irish setter called Paddykov as a mascot, Botev are more Irish as they show repeats of Father Ted dubbed into Bulgarian on the black and white TV in the club bar.
You owe them your allegiance.
:)

[James]

isnt there a scottish football website out there in the internet that ye can go and discuss this drivvel :D ;)

[Blueman]

During the early 1970's the Hibs chairman at the time wanted to sever all ties with Ireland and removed the Harp which stood outside the main gate. He also tried to rename the club but this was going too far.
In the last couple of years due to increasing pressure from supporters the Harp has been incorporated in the new crest.

[Scotsman]

Did he??

Why he's Irish!!!

That a strange one - Never heard that before.