Ireland to play in 'Home Internationals' ?

[joeSoap]

here (http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/ireland-could-be-invited-to-home-internationals-1203907.html)

I think it'd be great.

[Jerry The Saint]

here (http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/ireland-could-be-invited-to-home-internationals-1203907.html)

I think it'd be great.


Need to change the name for a start. The way I read it is that Scotland, Wales, NI want to revive the British championship but England aren't interested. As a Plan B, they would invite us to replace England in a Celtic Cup but I don't see any way a 5-team tournament would get off the ground.

In any case, I imagine the competition would be rigged to keep England and Northern Ireland away from Croke Park.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Need to change the name for a start. The way I read it is that Scotland, Wales, NI want to revive the British championship but England aren't interested. As a Plan B, they would invite us to replace England in a Celtic Cup but I don't see any way a 5-team tournament would get off the ground.

In any case, I imagine the competition would be rigged to keep England and Northern Ireland away from Croke Park.

Celtic Cup will more then likely start either next summer or the summer after and then on every second summer between major tournemants anyway.

The story today is that England now want a slice of the cake as they might not be in the Euros.......

[onenilgameover]

sounds good to me........why not?

[jmurphyc]

I'd be up for it. But as someone pointed out the name needs to be changed.

[holidaysong]

I'd be up for it. But as someone pointed out the name needs to be changed.

Call it 'The British Isles Cup' then.. :D

[NeilMcD]

2 reasons I would be against it, firstly we learn nothing by playing against the same systems that are used in the Premiership and Championship each week which is where the majority of players will be coming from and where the majority of our players come from.


Secondly it makes for **** trips to Cardiff, Belfast London and Edinburgh rather than great trips to places around Europe.

So for a football and social reasons I would be dead against it.

[Eire06]

In any case, I imagine the competition would be rigged to keep England and Northern Ireland away from Croke Park.
Won't do us much good playing against teams that weren't good enough to qualify for the Euros. We need to be playing tougher opposition

England already played in Croke Park with the Rugby so can't see this as a problem.

[gspain]

Won't do us much good playing against teams that weren't good enough to qualify for the Euros. We need to be playing tougher opposition

England already played in Croke Park with the Rugby so can't see this as a problem.

no shouldn't be a problem for football as you say.

However given the furore over GSTQ for the rugby do you think there might be a bit more of an issue iof GSTQ was played at Croke Park as the national anthem of Northern Ireland? Surely this would be a far bigger issue for the GAA hardliners?

[Lionel Ritchie]

Won't happen with England. They'll scratch their arses, ponder on it for a while and then organise a couple of friendlies elsewhere.

I've yet to be convinced of the percentage in the idea for anyone but England in particular have little to benefit as their squad and managment is besieged by the red tops at the best of times and whoever's in charge of England would find his head on the block every time they came to a game in the thing.

For footballing reasons I'm in agreement with those who've already pointed out we'd learn little.

Finally I have a suspicion that I hope I'm well wrong about that a regular game between us and NI would bring out a lot of the gobsh1tes on both sides.
No thanks.

[Newryrep]

no interest whatsoever

[geysir]

Little chance that Croke Park would be made available to rent in June.
We could call them the "away internationals".

[Wolfie]

Given the time of year, there'd be a tonne of players dropping out of the squads for fairly lame reasons.

[endabob1]

I like the idea of the 4 celtic nations and I think that playing NI regularly would remove the "occasion" of the one in 10 year meetings and as such shouldn't be such a novelty for the respective knuckle draggers to parade their bigotry.
If England get involved I think it would be a problem, they have a history (the Rous cup, the previous home nations) of pulling out of these type of tournaments when it doesn't suit their needs. For it to have any kind of long term credence it would need stability and I don't think England would bring that to the party.

[Torn-Ado]

It won't happen.

Unless there is a major tournament, players would rather be tanning themselves in the Carribean.

[Ireland4ever]

Little chance that Croke Park would be made available to rent in June.
We could call them the "away internationals".

Very good point...Croker wouldnt be an option during the summer.

[bwagner]

lads we all that them brits WILL qualify there are the jammiest shower ever

[Sligo Hornet]

lads we all that them brits WILL qualify there are the jammiest shower ever

:confused::confused:

[Torn-Ado]

lads we all that them brits WILL qualify there are the jammiest shower ever

True.

England will anyways.

[NeilMcD]

lads we all that them brits WILL qualify there are the jammiest shower ever

Ehm who exactly are the Brits,

England,

Scotland or Wales.

[Jerry The Saint]

lads we all that them brits WILL qualify there are the jammiest shower ever


POTM. couldnt put have it BETTER meself.

[Rocky77]

That story was in the Daily Mail about six weeks ago

[CollegeTillIDie]

Northern Ireland it should be pointed out are the reigning champions of this competition which wasn't held after their last victory in 1984.

[geysir]

lads we all that them brits WILL qualify there are the jammiest shower ever


POTM. couldnt put have it BETTER meself.
Haven't the foggiest what he's on about, is it some form of Inchicore speak?
Could you try and put it better?

[Marked Man]

C'mon lads.. it's not that hard. Stick the word 'know' after 'we all' and you have it.

[geysir]

You mean I should have known that ?

So where does this fit in
"there are the jammiest shower ever"

Jammy showers always pull off the impossible?

[onephillyhughes]

England would pull out no doubt. Too much riding on it for them, imagine they lost to Wales or N. Ireland. McClaren out. AGAIN :rolleyes:

[EalingGreen]

England would pull out no doubt. Too much riding on it for them, imagine they lost to Wales or N. Ireland. McClaren out. AGAIN :rolleyes:

I'd be very surprised if playing/staffing considerations came into the FA's thinking.

They have supplied the bulk of the £757m - over a billion Euros! - needed to rebuild Wembley. Therefore, they are desperate to maximise revenue in any way they can, their chief cash generator being the senior England team.

Consequently, if a tournament like this were likely to attract large crowds and big TV money from Sky, Setanta etc, they will go for it - McClaren or no McClaren.

However if, as is more likely (imo), they could generate more income from their few free international dates by hosting Wembley friendlies against "big" teams like Germany, Brazil, France etc (90k crowds and huge overseas TV rights), then they'll do that.

Alternatively, it might be more lucrative to send the team overseas, since afaik, England can command appearance fees second only to that of Brazil (strange though that may seem).

In the end, the reason why they (and Scotland) withdrew from the old British Championships were solely financial. The fact that they were getting embarrassed* more frequently on the pitch didn't help, mind, but it won't have been decisive.


* NI - British Champions in 1980 and 1984. And since 1984 was the last year it was held, we are the reigning champions. :p

[geysir]

The FA have a mortgage of about €700m to take care off.
Away friendlies for the FA would not generate the cash they need.

The FAI have a few bills as well.
Hard to see that state of affairs not having some incentive to get something local going.

[CollegeTillIDie]

A new national anthem for the Wee North.... for the championships
That slogan years ago '' Come On Northern Ireland Come On''
It's better than '' Ireland's Call ''and as catchy as "Shang-A-Lang'' so it works.