Barstooler face offs?

[Salmon Coloured]

Hey folks, im new to this site as a member but i have been a lurker for years. One thing i always wanted to ask. Have any of you EL fans ever had a contratemps with a barstooler or fan of the premiership so much that it actually sickened you for a couple of days but after that it just rebaptised your faith in your home team?
Im a Longford fan living down in Cork (its ok Cork people we all know where your from etc etc), only joking. Anyway i used to work with this Liverpol fan from the City & he never bothered with Cork City or Turners Cross much but he read the papers or saw the odd match on tv. He regularly goes to Anfield & made his way to the last 3 Champions league matches of Liverpool last season & blew a fortune getting to the final in Athens. To cut this short we were drunk one night & a debate flared up between us. The main gist was that he started calling EL fans dreamers & that you would never get the Anfield atmosphere anywhere in Ireland. Its all about money, "Im a fan of great football" etc etc & basically rubbishing what we follow & with venom too. It all blew over after a couple of days obviously.
My main memory of the occasion was being actually sickened by what i saw in him & this exists around us still as you all know. It got to the stage where he started looking for support from the "buddies" but nobody said anything.
Anybody here ever had anything like that & how did you present your argument? All tales welcome.

Viva The Town.....

[jebus]

Constantly get laughed at for being a LoI supporter, some things they are laughing at I agree with, I mean this league can be a bit of a jokeshop at times, but I do dislike getting sneery remarks from English club supporting Irishmen for not supporting Man Utd/Liverpool/Celtic. To be honest though when I would have called myself a Sheffield Wednesday fan, more than a Limerick FC fan, I got the same remarks from the same fans, so it's probably just a 'big club' thing

[micls]

:D A liverpool fan saying he's a fan of great football....

[sheao]

Was watching a match in a hotel a few months back in Tullamore .Liverpool were playing and one of the lads asked me who i supported. I said Cork city and they laughed at me . One of them said that Cork city were terrible and that "real fans " support a team in the premiership. I said at least i support my local team and walked off. Fans of the eircom league can actually witness their local club,the club they support win the league. Something "supporters" of Man utd and Liverpool in Ireland will never experience.

[LeixlipRed]

It's a complete generalisation but when it comes to football fans I believe that those who follow the EPL are sheep and those who follow the EL are the more independent thinkers. Certainly among my friends it's the case. Of course, having this view is hardly going to help in persuading any of my friends to come along

[micls]

It's a complete generalisation but when it comes to football fans I believe that those who follow the EPL are sheep and those who follow the EL are the more independent thinkers. Certainly among my friends it's the case. Of course, having this view is hardly going to help in persuading any of my friends to come along

While I'd agree to an extent the El has a role to play too.

Until 2004, I was a huge football fan, 'supported(kind of followed' Manchester United, but had never been to the Cross. In fact wasnt even really aware of a team called Cork City until 2003.

It was only after I was dragged to the cross that I realised that I'd been missing out on, and what it means to support your local team.

So I think the onus is on clubs to get people to that first game. It wont be everyones cup of tea, some wont be cut out for really supporting a team, in more than name, but there'l be the few that realise that they've been missing out big time.

[pete]

I have the usual Manchester United & Liverpool factions at work. If I make fun of Liverpool I sometimes get the "at least not as bad as Cork City" joke. There is no use trying to convert people to the LOI as the EPL is just too easy to follow. I believe that a lot of EPL followers would not attend games if their team suddenly moved to Ireland as TV is just so much easier.

[oldyouth]

Friend of mine who is 'Dundalk through & through' made it to only one of the 2 Youths V Dundalk games last year. He lives all of 500 yards from Ferrycarrig Park. He is happy enough to travel to the UK a few times a year to see Arsenal though:confused:

[LeixlipRed]

Friend of mine who is 'Dundalk through & through' made it to only one of the 2 Youths V Dundalk games last year. He lives all of 500 yards from Ferrycarrig Park. He is happy enough to travel to the UK a few times a year to see Arsenal though:confused:

One more game than most people though

[thischarmingman]

Fans of the eircom league can actually witness their local club,the club they support win the league.
Unless you support Monaghan.


I think we've all experienced the converstaion that goes along the lines of;

"So, who do you support?"
"I'm a Derry fan."
"Yeah, but which proper team do you support?
"Um...Derry City."
"Look, ok, who do you support in the Premiership?"

[micls]

Unless you support Monaghan.


I think we've all experienced the converstaion that goes along the lines of;

"So, who do you support?"
"I'm a Derry fan."
"Yeah, but which proper team do you support?
"Um...Derry City."
"Look, ok, who do you support in the Premiership?"

I have that conversation at least once a week.

[Boh_So_Good]

I was visiting a person who was dying of cancer in hospital and the TV in the ward was blasting some Man U match and none of the dying were watching it. Two or three cleaning staff were under the TV giving the MRSA a chance to kill some more patients.

I have also been to wakes in this country were the body was in the coffin in one room and the family were in the other watching Liverpool in the CL.

We have to come to terms that when it comes to sport most Irish are retarded. Completely and totally retarded. Look at how the Irish sports journalists are in convulsions of grief over Gretna problems. This is not normal.

[gilberto_eire]

While I'd agree to an extent the El has a role to play too.

Until 2004, I was a huge football fan, 'supported(kind of followed' Manchester United, but had never been to the Cross. In fact wasnt even really aware of a team called Cork City until 2003.

It was only after I was dragged to the cross that I realised that I'd been missing out on, and what it means to support your local team.

So I think the onus is on clubs to get people to that first game. It wont be everyones cup of tea, some wont be cut out for really supporting a team, in more than name, but there'l be the few that realise that they've been missing out big time.

Very true, I was a ''die-hard'' Man utd fan until 3 years ago when i went back to Terryland, I had gone as a child with friends as we were living close by but that would have been back in the mid 90's, I always used to follow the results/reports in the local paper(as i still do for Connacht Rugby but don't attend, same as i used to for GUFC) so was always fairly familiar with the players.

One of the lads used to go so i headed up with him for the Monaghan game, then the following week for Kilkenny, and so on. From the time i started going back my interest in Man Utd declined week by week, i now see it for what it is, I'm not from Manchester so why the hell was i supporting them in the first place??. I would'nt even really go out of my way now to watch them play and if they scored a goal or conceded it would'nt bother me too much either way.

No point in trying to get older fans to games, it's the kids who are the target and this is obviously known when you look at the EL promotion you see going on the last 2/3 years!!.

[forza]

Things are improving I know of at least 3 lads who stopped going to Pats because the standard of the league was **** in there words.

They sat in the pub every week watch EPL.

There now back watching Pats since the Spurs game last relising we're not all half a bad. (I know it was a freindly but it still dragged them back.

Also in my Gaa club a lad whos been going to Manchester Uinted since the early 60's and also gave me a lot of Pats and general LOI related abuse as taken in a couple of games this year as well as his grandson is one of youth teams.

Said the standard of the league is not as bad as he thought.

Wont stop him going to England 20+ times a year but if he takes in one in every two Pats games even its good for the club imo.

Its about breaking attitudes and preceptians once this is done people have no excuses.

[thischarmingman]

I did used to support Leeds from the age of about 7 until I was about 16. However, I started going to Derry matches aged 11 and for the next 5 years Leeds gradually became less and less important. In my greatest ever football memories, I count the Leeds Champions League run, and a few other brilliant moments.

I think part of it is to do with how you feel you contribute to the club. If I don't watch Leeds play on TV, it has no effect on the team whatsoever. If I don't go to the Brandywell, it has a financial ompact, however small, on my team.

[noby]

I have that conversation at least once a week.

Stop bugging Derry City fans so.

[pateen]

When I used to live back in Ireland I used to go to the Turners Cross with the father as he supported the League as well.
Then I lived in Galway and went to Terryland when it re-opened to watch Cork but also Galway United’s other games.
I had a few mates who liked the Galway so they sort of became my second team.

The thing is though; I would regularly get slagged by barstoolers for supporting LOI and occasionally surprise when I said it to others.
Now I live in London for the past five years and I just started a new job. My work colleagues’ asked me if I support any team and I said Cork City. Its weird but the reaction over here is almost always the same, total respect. This is because you do also meet the Stevenage and Barnet fans who are loyal to the death.

Have to say it’s made my bond with City even stronger but also ironic that you get respect this side of the water.

[Jerry The Saint]

The Pats programme last week had a comment about Brendan Clarke visiting one of the local schools.

- Who do you support?

Clarkey: St. Pats.

- No, who do you really support?


We all hear this type of remark - people just don't seem to believe that you would actually choose to support a team from your own league. Even as a (very) young child, before getting into Pats, I'd always tell people I supported Dublin. Because that's who I supported, i.e. went to watch live games and wanted them to win more than anything. They'd always come back with "No, who do you support in England?" or even worse "No, what soccer/football team?" (the England part being assumed).

I'm not sure about the recent radio/TV ad campaigns ("Local Legends") putting so much focus on the fans. You could say if helps mark us out as weirdos who are happy in our own little world :) Might not be the best way to encourage the normal people (or "norms" as I call them) to join us.

[Boh_So_Good]

It's a complete generalisation but when it comes to football fans I believe that those who follow the EPL are sheep and those who follow the EL are the more independent thinkers.

There is so much truth to that. When I think of the people I met at LOI matches over the years I am constantly struck by how interesting many of them are. Also many are very well educated, involved in music etc.

[Red&White Rover]

I used to follow Leeds as a die hard, until i got into Rovers.

I still class myself as a Leeds supporter, and will always be, but definetely Rovers are my number 1 team.

I rather see Rovers win the league than Leeds win a Champions League.

THe thing with local teams is that, your a part of it, unlike cross channel clubs..

[Bluebeard]

The thing is though; I would regularly get slagged by barstoolers for supporting LOI and occasionally surprise when I said it to others.
Now I live in London for the past five years and I just started a new job. My work colleagues’ asked me if I support any team and I said Cork City. Its weird but the reaction over here is almost always the same, total respect. This is because you do also meet the Stevenage and Barnet fans who are loyal to the death.

I have a simlar experience as a Blues fan. I'd get grief and gloating, especially when living in Dublin, for going 20 minutes walk up the road to watch them in Dalymount or Tolka from people I knew. Now I am living in London, no one seems to think it remotely odd that I occasionally travel back for games to the point that when work colleagues hear I'm going back or see me with a big bag they presume I'm off to a game. I even get this from the non-football fans.

[GuisaSaigon]

I was over in Manchester a couple of weeks ago visiting friends of the wife. When asked who I supported I replied Galway United. Seemed normal to the Manchester lads, didnt get the usual Premiership follow up that you get here.
It was interesting to hear their views on the Irish Man Utd "fans". Basically they thought the Irish lads heading over there every second week to see Man U were absolute idiots. Wasting their money on a club that they have no real connection with.
Most of these lads are star struck glory chasers, who haven't a clue what it is to follow a real football team.

[Wangball]

I used to support Bohs (and Celtic - we have Scottish blood) as my Dad always did & he used to bring my brother & I to games, but when I was in school if anyone asked who I supported I'd always say Liverpool because of the grief I got for being a Bohs supporter, I was still quite young & in school when the oul fella popped his clogs so then I stopped going altogether. Then when I was around 19/20 I was working out past town & my route home was past Dalymount so I started going again with a lad from the office I was on placement in, then work took me to Glasgow for a few years & I started going to see Celtic & over 4 years or so developed an obsession as I suppose I was always pre-disposed to do so - anyhow when I moved back to Dublin I tried to start going to Bohs again & it just felt odd compared to going to Celtic so I think I'm pretty much the other side of the coin to you boys....think your being a bit harsh on some of the EPL fans though!

[WoodquayBoy]

Had a blaring - and drunken - row with a friend last week. He laughed at me for supporting United, I laughed back at him (a Galway man) for supporting Liverpool. His retort was that Liverpool were supposdely a bad team yet had won a Champions League and 3 FA cups in seven years, before asking me what had United ever won.
This clown claims to be a great soccer man. That is the mentality you are faced with.
We haven't spoken since

[noby]

Wangball, I don't think people have issue with your example, more with supporters of Premiership teams whose support doesn't go much further than Sky in the pub and the odd trip across the channel.
Personally I don't bother with silly arguments. I watched a lot of English football in the past, less so now. Each to their own.

[passerrby]

Unless you support Monaghan.


I think we've all experienced the converstaion that goes along the lines of;

"So, who do you support?"
"I'm a Derry fan."
"Yeah, but which proper team do you support?
"Um...Derry City."
"Look, ok, who do you support in the Premiership?"

so who do you support
derry
no i mean in ireland
derry
are they not northern ireland
ya but we were not winning anything in that league so we moved.
so how are you doing now
not so good but we hope to start our own league soon.
best of luck dont let the door hit you on the way out

[WoodquayBoy]

Saucer of milk for table 2 please

[dancinpants]

so who do you support
derry
no i mean in ireland
derry
are they not northern ireland
ya but we were not winning anything in that league so we moved.
so how are you doing now
not so good but we hope to start our own league soon.
best of luck dont let the door hit you on the way out


Oh dear :rolleyes:

[eamo1]

i just ask them "so what part of Manchester/Liverpool are you from"?and they give me a dirty look,f**k them.They will never know that feeling that we know.
i always get dragged into a conversation with a guy in work along the lines of "the standard is sh*te,so are the stadiums and theres only 10 fans there".i keep telling him to go along and see for himself and his reply is "i will when it gets better":rolleyes:.-Although lately in terryland park the standard has indeed been "sh*te but his other 2 reasons arent true:).

[depor]

i agree with nearly all the sentiments expressed on this thread. the eircom league is an occult as such, but thats the very charm of it. all of us want our league to be successful with more people attending games, but the amazing thing is if these barstoolers start supporting the league and it became huge, it might lose its charm. nearly everyone on this forum loves their team and the feeling they get when they win,a sense of belonging. the barstoolers will never know what it feels like

now ive been to a lot of big sporting events, soccer and rugby but i have never got the same buzz i get with a fraction of the crowd at a ramblers game. i brought a friend of mine who goes to old trafford but not eloi games to a rams game last year and the first thing he said when he went intyo the stand was that there was a better athmosphere among the people singing in the stand than there is in old trafford. and theres many people on this forum who would have similar stories.

the fact of the matter is that these so-called irish 'football fans'' dont have a clue what it takes to run a club, or dont want to know for that matter. they just like the convience of the premiership with its ''Grandslam Sunday'' and the like. they forget that its people like us(foot.ie people) in england that formed & supported these great english clubs, long before Sky came along. like in life irish people want things instantly, instead of supporting their own team/ league and seeing how far we can get it, they'd rather support a ready-made superclub who treat fans like customers. i watch premiership and a lot of other leagues but rams and the Eloi are my #1. and id be the 1st to admit (even as a fanatical ramblers fan) that i have over the years went to many games in the cross to watch top-flight irish football.

[LeixlipRed]

They will never know that feeling that we know.

Too ****ing right. While people have the right to choose to watch whatever they want, following the EPL is the equivalent of never questioning what the priest says in mass or what the teacher told you in school. Sheep the lot of them. They'll never know the real emotion of your team winning the league. And to be honest, I don't want a load of these people in our grounds anyway. They'd only convince the FAI to sterilise the football and it's atmosphere. The only people I want coming to games are those who are there for the love of it

[depor]

Too ****ing right. While people have the right to choose to watch whatever they want, following the EPL is the equivalent of never questioning what the priest says in mass or what the teacher told you in school. Sheep the lot of them. They'll never know the real emotion of your team winning the league. And to be honest, I don't want a load of these people in our grounds anyway. They'd only convince the FAI to sterilise the football and it's atmosphere. The only people I want coming to games are those who are there for the love of it

dead right, thats exactly what i wanted to say. english ground are sterile like a supermarket or the cinema.:D

[LeixlipRed]

Bring back the corner shop :D

[lofty9]

I was sat quietly having a pint and I was thumped in a bar in Derry for having the temerity to cheer a Derry City goal................ Thank you Ryan Coyle ;) - it was well worth it......

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NmUl6-OdnFc&feature=related

[passerrby]

clicked on the link expecting to see you getting a thump.... damt it i must read them links

[LeixlipRed]

I was sat quietly having a pint and I was thumped in a bar in Derry for having the temerity to cheer a Derry City goal................ Thank you Ryan Coyle ;) - it was well worth it......

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NmUl6-OdnFc&feature=related

All the Derry goals were class. Was that Beckett with the little chip at the start?

[lofty9]

clicked on the link expecting to see you getting a thump.... damt it i must read them links


:D I roped you in.


Yep that was Gary Beckett Lexipred.

[LeixlipRed]

Great goal. Now that Beckett no longer plays for ye I can admit he's one of my all time LOI favourites. A Legend :D

[thischarmingman]

so who do you support
derry
no i mean in ireland
derry
are they not northern ireland
ya but we were not winning anything in that league so we moved.
so how are you doing now
not so good but we hope to start our own league soon.
best of luck dont let the door hit you on the way out
Hello 71345100 Foyle taxis?

[passerrby]

Hello 71345100 Foyle taxis?
will you be sharing that cab
dont forget get a quote for a return journey.

[CvilleRovers]

the people i cant stand are the "fans" who cant even decide which english team they support for example i know a lad who supported leeds then man united and then chelski all in the space of about 4/5 years.at least if your going to support a premier**** team then make your mind up and stick with it ffs.
i support rovers but celtic is my true love tbh.also have a spot for cliftonville.hate that premier**** though

[LeixlipRed]

the people i cant stand are the "fans" who cant even decide which english team they support for example i know a lad who supported leeds then man united and then chelski all in the space of about 4/5 years.at least if your going to support a premier**** team then make your mind up and stick with it ffs.
i support rovers but celtic is my true love tbh.also have a spot for cliftonville.hate that premier**** though

Slightly ironic post I assume??

[sligoman]

i support rovers but celtic is my true love tbh.Really? So what part of Glasgow you from?;)

[Buller]

I think we've all experienced the converstaion that goes along the lines of;

"So, who do you support?"
"I'm a [LOI Team] fan."
"Yeah, but which proper team do you support?
"Um...[LOI team]."
"Look, ok, who do you support in the Premiership?"

Yep, its absolutely infuriating. I always go on a big rant if someone says that to me.

[jebus]

Really? So what part of Glasgow you from?;)

As long as he doesn't start going on about Celtic's 'Irish Heritage' we'll be alright :)

[superfrank]

Another barstooler bashing thread. :rolleyes:

I hate the "we are better than them" attitude that el fans have. Whatever happened to freedom of choice? People should be allowed to choose what football they want to watch and they shouldn't be looked down on by others because of it. This up-our-own-arses mentality, for me, is as good a reason as any for "barstoolers" not to go to el games.

Public humiliation and insulting is not going to win them over. They'll go if/when they want to. If they believe that the quality is poor then let them believe that and maybe when an el qualifies for the CL group stages they might stop and think about the quality of the league.

As humans, we will always prefer the best qualiy option at the cheapest price. So it's understandable why they would want to watch higher quality football in the comfort of their own home. It's human nature. And it's not just confined to football in Ireland.

GAA league games don't get big attendances but the Championship (higher quality)games do. The League Cup early rounds in England don't get much attendance because the fans know it won't be high quality. The NFL play-offs get more attention because it's the battle of the top sides. And this idea is passed on to Irish football fans. They have more interest in high-quality fare and, let's not kid ourselves, the eircom league is miles behind the Premiership, the Old Firm and most of the Championship in terms of support and quality.

These people are football fans but they continuously pursue the best quality football, not like most el fans who seem to have more interest in being local. These people obviously don't care about being local, it doesn't seem to be an issue to them. The thing is, until the league improves, these people will still chase better quality i.e. abroad.

[Lim till i die]

Does anyone else experience that wierd phenomenon - the barstool LoI fan??

Limerick is absolutely choc full of them.

Every single male of a certain age in this town will make a point of asking you how Limerick are getting on if you are wearing any gear:

"You follow Limerick ya? How are they getting on this year?"

"Ah you know, same oul $hite"

"I used to go to all the games but wouldn't give them the steam of my pee pee now. Market's Field, Pat Grace, Sunday afternoons, theives, mumble, mumble, etc. etc...........Fairplay to you anyway kid, keep the faith"

"Aw right ya."

[L37Ultra]

Does anyone else experience that wierd phenomenon - the barstool LoI fan??

Limerick is absolutely choc full of them.

Every single male of a certain age in this town will make a point of asking you how Limerick are getting on if you are wearing any gear:

"You follow Limerick ya? How are they getting on this year?"

"Ah you know, same oul $hite"

"I used to go to all the games but wouldn't give them the steam of my pee pee now. Market's Field, Pat Grace, Sunday afternoons, theives, mumble, mumble, etc. etc...........Fairplay to you anyway kid, keep the faith"

"Aw right ya."

Ya that is exactly the kind of attitude in Limerick.

I was walking through Limerick last week wearing a L37 jersey when one the lads I was in school with says " Your some saddo, supporting that ****e"

I said to him " Oh, so you only support teams that are good ya?"

He then opened his coat and showed me his Liverpool jersey and says " Am no, I support Liverpool and they are ****e" :D

Dont get me wrong I am a big follower of English football and everyone knows that but Limerick would come first in my eyes.

And there is the older generation that are just bitter about Limerick.

[Jamjar]

He then opened his coat and showed me his Liverpool jersey

Jaysus, is it any wonder we had to get the Garda rapid response unit down there.

[L37Ultra]

Jaysus, is it any wonder we had to get the Garda rapid response unit down there.

Why, because someone opened their coat? :rolleyes::p