Problem - eligibility

Im not sure who else will agree with me but I have to say I am sick of the amount of threads that get hijacked with the eligibility issue. Currently there are three threads at the top of the Ireland forum all of which are debating various nuances of eligibility. One of those is the actual eligibility thread, the thread that was established for this purpose.

One of the other is a thread about a young prospect who hasnt actually declared his intentions yet. Though i know there is an eligibility issue in his case, i strongly believe that the player threads should be kept to the players, their form, appearances, news etc.

The other is the Celtic Cup thread where eligibility has crept in and is a main source of discussion, though not as bad.

I know i can choose not to check the eligibility thread becasue i find that stuff and the inevitable arguments tedious so i dont (not very often anyway). But the other two are threads where i have an interest in the actual topics (player and tournament) and I find having to wade through reams of argumentative rubbish to find gems of information really really annoying. Im not trying to have a go but i do think it is something that could be moderated quite easily if it is stayed on top of from the get go.

Anyone else find this irritating or is it just me?

We have common cause. It’s impossible to avoid this guff because it crops up in threads where it shouldn’t. And those threads are stultifying. They’re a trolls’ charter, and I suspect that they’re turning people off posting in threads that might otherwise be interesting.

I hesitate to advocate anything that smacks of censorship, but anytime eligibility is mentioned outside the single appropriate thread, it should be binned. Not added to the eligibility thread, just binned. (I rather imagine that that would reduce the work load on mods.) Being more reasonable, could the eligibility thread (and any misplaced posts) be hived off to a separate sub-forum so the half dozen or so who get their jollies out of dissecting CAS rulings ad infinitum (ad nauseum!) can continue to drive each other one step closer to collective madness, but in privacy? I know it’s another form of partition, but if it gives the rest of us a break, I’m all for it.

Al-Qaeda! Queen Elizabeth! Gay parade! Palestine! Charlie Sheen!

OK Mr. Mod, now that we have your attention...please see SkStu's post above.

Hmm, I suppose I'll have to take a fair share of responsibility for some of this. :p

A few things though...

Obviously, player eligibility is an issue to which many posters are sensitive; both in the sense that it will inflame passions within some whilst its continued discussion will become a source of tedious nuisance for others. I'd argue that it's an issue especially close to the hearts and minds of northern-based posters or posters with roots, friends or relations in the north as it is an issue that cuts right to the question of their identity. Naturally, one would feel compelled to uphold and defend their identity when attempts are made to doubt it or compromise its validity. If player eligibility isn't your thing, avoid the thread titled so when you see it at the top of the forum. However, it's not as if the issue permeates even a significant minority of threads on the forum.

Regarding the Celtic Cup thread, player eligibility cropped up as a side-issue as our game with NI on Tuesday night is now subject to a mass NI fan boycott where what NI fans claim to be the "sectarian poaching policy" of the FAI is being disingenuously cited as the rationale behind it. I wouldn't have thought that inappropriate to a thread set up to discuss issues relevant to the Celtic Cup. As an aside, I also feel it is worth defending the FAI against this rather annoying accusation.

As for player threads like Shane Ferguson's, the issue will inevitably arise as these players are northern-born and our interest in them is the source of significant tension and disagreement with the IFA and its fans. Clearly, plenty of posters feel these issues are relevant to the threads mentioned; otherwise they wouldn't continue discussing them on what is a forum for free discussion within reason, after all. I'm an advocate of letting threads take their own path, as long as things don't turn ridiculous, and I don't see why such discussion should necessarily inhibit the discussion of other issues relevant to, say, the Celtic Cup or Shane Ferguson threads, but if it is a source of annoyance for some forum users and the mods wish to invoke a blanket ban on all eligibility discussion outside the thread specifically dedicated to it, I'm content enough to keep my musings within its confines.

I have to say I agree but it's hard to control - I'll post a note in the player threads asking people to stay on topic