John Byrnes Eircom League Focus
Felt it was worth posting here, highlights the work BD have done over the past couple of years, it's been immense really.
Aertel page 232...
Quote:
Last Friday I was in Tolka Park an hour
before kick-off. Only a trickle of fans
were in attendance at that stage but
there were several signs of activity at
the Drumconda end of the ground.
The Briogáid Dearg were well into their
pre-match preparations. For anyone who
doesn't know, Briogáid Dearg is the
Ultra element among Shels' support, the
people responsible for a variety of
flags, banners, drums and the creation
of noise during games.
Most Premier Division clubs have a
similar group of fans who make it their
business to add colour and atmosphere
at games.
It's brought a whole new dimension to
Irish football. Unfortunately, the low
roof of the main stand at Tolka - where
the press area is located - prevented
me from seeing Shels' display as the
teams came out.
But I certainly couldn't miss the
racket that ensued for the full 90
minutes.
Contrast that to the situation at
Lansdowne Road last Wednesday. The
Republic of Ireland were playing the
Czech Republic, one of the top sides in
the world, and the atmosphere was dire.
The pre-match display, where thousands
of green cards were placed in the seats
of the East Stand so fans could hold
them up as the teams came out, looked
forced and laboured, with only about
half the crowd bothering to join in.
The distinction between the average
Ireland fan and the colourful hardcore
who support the eircom League couldn't
be more stark than it is now.
While the former tend to see football
primarily as something to sit back and
enjoy, the latter are deeply involved
in the match-going experience, and
consider themselves part of the fabric
of football rather than mere spectators
I remember having an argument with
someone at a party.
He insisted that a match attended by
50,000 people simply HAD to be more
enjoyable than one witnessed by 5,000.
Those who travel the length and breadth
of the country following an eircom
League team know different!
completley true too. it's amazing how poor the atmosphere in lansedown can be.
