They drew 0-0 with Institute in the second leg, so they win the tie 3-1 on aggregate. It'll be interesting to see how the people of West Belfast respond to having a top flight club, and by that I just mean numbers wise.
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They drew 0-0 with Institute in the second leg, so they win the tie 3-1 on aggregate. It'll be interesting to see how the people of West Belfast respond to having a top flight club, and by that I just mean numbers wise.
Well done DC but please don't go the CliftonVILE way of being super taigs to attract support. Hardlines Stute, always welcome at the Brandy lads.
From what I've read Donegal Celtic's entire selling point is a) representing West Belfast and all the obvious Nationalist ballyhoo that goes along with it and b) the 'Celtic' name.Quote:
Originally Posted by Speranza
Best of luck to them though, they seem to have done a lot in a short space of time and do a lot for grassroots football in the area. There's clearly talented people and hard workers in the club.
I think it's inevitable they will attract a large element of the Dublin Riots posse however. But they seem to have bigger problems on their hands finding somewhere to play next season.
I am glad they have reached the top flight given the attempts by the IFA over many years to keep them from playing Intermediate/Senior football. They have a huge untapped market in West Belfast and I really wish them all the best but I just hope they don't get the Celtic bandwagon and all it entails.
Well done Donegal Celtic - hope they can use this to build a proper grass-roots fan-base, and not the expected 'mini-Glasgow Celtic' hangers-on .
Hard luck Stute. Gutted that I'll have to watch them playing rubbish Intermediate level games when I'm back at Christmas. Their Premier games were hard enough to watch !! :eek:
Well done to DCQuote:
Originally Posted by el punter
Perhaps you can provide some evidence of the club adopting the "nationalist ballyhoo" as you call it.
The club stood up to severe intimidation in the past and went ahead with a game against the RUC despite threats from paramilitaries. Players are drawn from all communities
The Celtic name may be a bit cynical to tap into the great Belfast Celtic who were the last team from West Belfast to play in the top flight. I know the name is used by vastly inferior clubs also.at DC's ground.
I believe Limerick remain the only club from the Republic to have played
to have played what Gary. Jaysus you're killing me with the suspense here. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by gspain
Donegal Celtic themselves have said they intend to trade heavily on the Celtic name.Quote:
Originally Posted by gspain
Given that almost no fecker alive has any vague recollection of Belfast Celtic, it's clear that it's the Scottish version they intend to piggy-back off of. And it's clear that Glasgow Celtic support within West Belfast has more than a little to do with nationalism for many.
Well congratulations to Donegal Celtic on getting promoted. They have done a lot in such a short space of time. It will be interesting to see how things play out with their ground and will they ever fulfill their gaffer's claim that they will be as big as Glentoran or Linfield... I think that's more big talk than much else.
I agree with the sentiments on here with regards to people not wanting them to be "super taigs" to get in, but I think that is what we are going to get. As people have said, they intend to play heavily on the Celtic name, their colours and being in west Belfast. I am not sure I fancy more politics being mixed with the football.
It would be commercial suicide not to play on the Celtic name to be totally honest. That is what the club is, they have Celtic in their name and play in green and white hoops. Fair play to them.
But they are also a Belfast side - not a Scottish one. Yet it's the heritage of the Scottish one that they fully intend to sicophant off of.Quote:
Originally Posted by David
Almost no fecker alive has any recollection of Belfast Celtic, so any suggestion that they're trying to rejuvenate all of that is just nonsense. It's the Old Firm fans they're after, and just for their cash. It's a cynical ploy that will have a short life-span. Manufactured identities/loyalties never last. Just ask Dublin City fans.... :D
What the feck ?? 800 years of what ? Donegal Celtic aren't even 28 years old, let-alone 800. So what heritage does a 26 year old football club - most of who's existence has been in junior ranks - actually have to maintain ?? Their glorious victories over Ballgobackwards in the South Antrim Cup Final in 1987 ??Quote:
Originally Posted by gonzo
As they would say in West Belfast, 'time someone ate a packet of wise-ups'.....
And if you know your history... (and it would seem that plenty do, btw)Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfcsteve
http://www.belfastceltic.net
:ball: PP
sorry typo - to have played at Donegal Celtic's ground.Quote:
Originally Posted by LFC in Exile
They are a Belfast side and Belfast Celtic were a Belfast side too. They are still fondly remembered even by people who are too young to have seen them play. Belfast Celtic are still affiliated to the IFA and represented on it. Belfast Celtic incidently beat the full Scottish national team 2-0 in 1949.Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfcsteve
Now I realise there is huge support for the glasgow side in West Belfast and DC are maybe trading a bit on that.
I think it is positive for Irish League football that DC are promoted. I would also like to see Stute come back up. It's good to see senior football back in West Belfast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gspain
They didn't have to adopt it, it's inevitable that a team from West Belfast with Celtic in its name will set off all kinds of notions in people's heads about who they are and what they represent. They will be one of the very few teams in the Irish Premier League representing a predominantly Nationalist area and I think it's inevitable that the siege mentality is a factor in a) rousing support, b) motivating players.
But the team is there on merit and I can only applaud that.
The club has no significant support (from attendance reports), and the ground is not yet suitable to host Premier League football.
They've a lot of work to do, but they perhaps have the most marketable 'brand' (yuck!) in Irish football. So they are in with a fighting chance of bringing new supporters to the game on the island.
Hi Steve go easy, my Granda played for Belfast Celtic and he hasn't lost his memory just yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfcsteve
Except when it comes to my birthday, the oul fecker!!!
With Crusaders, Linfield, Glentoran, Cliftonville and Donegal Celtic, does that not take it to 5 Belfast teams in the top flight? How come we never hear complaints off too many Belfast clubs, yet a bigger city in Dublin has too many clubs?:confused:
You didn't hear complaints because last season there were only 3 Belfawst clubs in the premier. Only increased to 5 for next season.
If I read any more Belfast Celtic books, or watched another video about them, my head would be fried !:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Plastic Paddy
Simple fact is that few people have any recollection of them. That is a simple chronological fact - the team disappeared 57 years ago. You'd have had to have been at least 10 years old AND an active supporter at that time to have any decent memory of them. And if you were over 25-30yrs old at the time, you're highly likely to be dead now. Hence few people do have any meaningful recollection of them.
Belfast Celtic will always be a strong brand, but misty-eyed nostalgia will always work for some. A defunct Derry Celtic team would be a strong brand as well (if we hadn't had the good sense to kill them off 90 years ago... :) )
There's one particular associated-histoiry with the word 'Celtic' that Donegal Celtic openly admit they are looking to sponge off of - and it's the Scottish variety, rather than the home-grown one. It's great that West Belfast has a team back in senior football, but I really hope they build their own fan-base, ratehr than just live off blow-in's who want to wear a Scottish football top at a game and have a mini Old Firm with Linfield.
It was four until Crusaders got relegated though. Belfast seems to be able to sustain equally as big if not bigger clubs than the much larger Dublin can.Quote:
Originally Posted by Speranza
To be fair, Linfield, who some consider to be this island's biggest club, are not adverse in the slightest to capitalising on a likeness to Rangers.Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfcsteve
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Student
I wouldn't say the league is sustaining the multitude of Belfast clubs particularly well. The league is very lobsided, and the fans are far from happy at the structure of the league.
I think you'll find most Linfield fans would rather Rangers stayed in Glasgow and that the boys that wear Rangers jerseys to the Linfield games would get themselves off to Ibrox.
I'm basing the above on the not insignificant amount of time I spend on the ILF forum.
I find that hard to believe.Quote:
Originally Posted by el punter
As with all irish clubs, a great many Linfield fans support teams from England and Scotland.
By telling these fans to stay away, would mean the end for all Irish clubs.
I'd say the opposite based on my time there.Quote:
Originally Posted by el punter
Throw in Lisburn Distillery who are on the outskirts of the city and it makes it even worse but what can you do when DC won promotion fair and square.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Student
In what way do we capitalise on a "likeness to Rangers".Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Student
Depends on what you mean. There is an element within our support that is very anto Old Firm but as has been pointed out we are hardly in a position to turn people in Rangers tops away. However what we could do without, and there is no doubting that there is a small element of this, is those that simply see a football match as an outlet for their sectarian bile. Personally I do not care where they go as long as they would stay away from our games.Quote:
Originally Posted by el punter
You play Rangers relatively regularly. I don't think it does the club any favours as it kind of reinforces Linfield in people's minds as a junior Rangers. It yields a good financial profit though.Quote:
Originally Posted by David
That is not capitising on a likeness to Rangers though, that is capatilising on the support Rangers have, there is a difference. For a while we played Liverpool on a regular basis, we were not cashing in on any likeness to Liverpool. The only reason we play Rangers on a regular basis is that it is financially beneficial to do so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Student
Thats it if teams are promoted, last year Mid Ulster area had 6 teams in the top flight which is going to be the same this year.Quote:
Originally Posted by David
Armagh
Dungannon
Glenavon
Loughgall
Newry
portadown
the most under represented area is west of the Bann, always was surprised how enniskillen couldnt get a team sorted for IL football.
Would agree, would be great to have a team from that direction. It has to be said that support for teams west of the Bann isn't really there. Look at the size of the town of Omagh but they got more or less no support. Whether this is down to GAA or not I am unsure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dassa
Fair enough David, I choose the words badly.Quote:
Originally Posted by David
But the other point I was making was, do IL fans often moan about too many Belfast clubs? There seems to be a belief down here among a lot of people that there is somehow too many Dublin clubs and there should be a more even geographical spread.
Not a complaint that I hear too much to be totally honest although that may change this year as las year there were only the 3 Belfast clubs plus Lisburn Distillery. It is all well and good saying there should be a better geographical spread but what can you do when two Belfast clubs are promoted fairly. Personally I am gutted that Institute went down, it is a great away day and likewise an excellent day when they come to us and the more clubs from outside Belfast the better as far as I am concerned as I enjoy the away trips on the minibus.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Student
Away trips That would be my only complaint. At the minute 5 away trips for my club are within 20 miles hardly a big day out. Enjoyed going up to stute and would like travelling to Enniskillen, Omagh etc. But its not to be. i remember reading about a team from enniskillen selling their ground and they would become one of the richest in NI altough thats not hard, remember who it was David about two years ago the story first started.
found it http://www.impartialreporter.com/arc...story5979.html
Aye I remember that. You should make a day out of it when you come up to us and join us for a few beers before the game up on the Shankill.
Speranza - take that D(o)ire chip off your shoulder. Cliftonville have never nutured their potential by establishing themselves as a club with a firmly nationalist ethos.Quote:
Originally Posted by Speranza
As recently as 1989 God save the queen was played at the end of the night (every night) in the Cliftonville Social Club .... something which Cliftonville obviously persevered with to send out the right (wrong?) message to Cliftonville fans.
The club also banned any fans guilty of sectarian behaviour ... I can think of the infamous occasion where a Cliftonville supporter jumped on the pitch and paraded past portadown fans waving a tricolour (barred for life), also another occasion were someone slapped a kid wearing a Rainjurs shirt a mile away from thre ground (barred for life).
I personally think that Cliftonville have missed out on extra income by not 'playing the green card' - but am overall glad that we have chosen not to do so as my own politics are SDLP rather than SF - and I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable at Solitude if the place was full of neds in Celtic jerseys with bum fluff moustaches.
I can also confirm that Cliftonville fans from outside the North Belfast area (West Belfast, Lurgan Reds and Short Strand/Markets reds) have always been met with an element of mis-trust/scorn by the board because they are seen as jumping on a political bandwagon. (I remember an entire bus load of Lurgan Reds being denied entry to a match - because Portadirt buses were bricked in the Lurgan area a few weeks earlier when Cliftonville werent even playing).
Fair play to your boad but my issue isn't with them. Your fans behaviour is a joke, coming to the Brandywell and giving us abuse when we play Rovers then coming into our crowd during the Glens match and "supproting us" by shouting sectarian rubbish that no-one in our club wants and starting fights. I am well aware that there were Derry mouths mixed with the Cliftonville fans but there were Reds present and that group started the fights when asked to stop their singing.
Tri-colours galore despite playing in red and white and I think i remember seeing a smoke display of green, white and orange.
Our fans only fly tri-colours when we play in Europe. We are representing Ireland after all.
As I have said to David before there is nothing wrong with displaying your national flag but why is there a need to? There is a clear difference in another el club displaying a tri-colour and City fans doing it. The vast majority of our fans are from a nationalist/republican background but we don't feel the need to attach a republican image to our club. To me personally pride in my City comes when watching DCFC and I'll keep my national pride for Croker/Landsdowne.
Surely the fact that we abuse Derry Fans as well as Glens fans proves that we arent discriminatory about who we abuse -Quote:
Originally Posted by Speranza
There are about 20 C'ville fans who support Derry as their EL team and a similar number who support Rovers as their EL team. The other 300 regulars at Solitude on a Saturday have no interest in either team. Nobody seems to have a problem with this except you.
Not perfect - but Cliftonville fans have come a long way in the past 20 years and are now made welcome in most away social clubs in the IL.Quote:
Originally Posted by Speranza
Speranza - have a joint and chill... you come across as a very angry young man.
And as I have said to you many times, just because you decide not to do it does not make it wrong if someone else does it. That is their choice, there are too many hang ups over flags. If someone is offended by a tricolour or a Union Flag at a football match then I would suggest that it is they who have the problem and not the person with the flag.Quote:
Originally Posted by Speranza