Rule Britannia : How dare the Welsh "berate anything British". Oh wait - hang on ! This was a Welsh team, not a British one... Seems the other 'home nations' have no issues asserting their own individual identities over the British one when they play representative sports under their own banners. Only our good friends in Northern Ireland appear unable to present a local 'Norn Irish' identity in place of a British one. Possibly because there is no such thing as a Northern Irish identity ? Would Linfield fans get annoyed if they played Newcastle United and the Toon Army felt it more appropriate to sing 'The Blaydon Races' than God Save the Queen...? I suspect they would. Anyhow - if you want to be with fans who will subside their 'national' identites within the uber-British one, may I suggest the Olympics...?Quote:
Originally Posted by -lamb-
Inclusiveness : Firstly, it is absurd to try to suggest that the Nationalist community, lock stock and barrel, has no interest in supporting Northern Ireland. So your observation falls at the first hurdle. Secondly - it is correct that a substantial number of northern Nationalists support the Republic over the north. But tell me this : why do you think that is so ? Undoubtedly there is a 'political'/cultural angle, and also one of relative levels of success. But something also went very wrong with Northern Irish football in the late 80's and early 90's that drove a lot of nationalists away from supoorting the team. I'm talking about the rabid sectarianism that was evident on the terraces, and that has only recently been suppressed. How dare northern Catholics refuse to support their own national team, when that team's fans were often to be heard singing anti-Catholic chants at games !! I know of middle-class Catholics in Belfast who used to take their kids to Windsor Park in the 80's, until the sectarianism got to them and they stopped. Their kids now travel to watch Republic of Ireland games. Coincidence....?
As for nationalists supposedly going out of their way to NOT support the north - it cuts both ways. As Exhibit A, your honour, I present a Mr N Lennon of Lurgan Co. Armagh. A Nationalist who WANTED to play for his home nation, but was hounded out by terrace cat-calls, culminating in a bullet in the post, because he played club football for a team very closely identified with the Catholic tradition. As Exhibit B, i give you a Mr A Rogan - also turned-on regularly by his own fans at international games. Much, much worse than some spide in a Republic top chucking stones on the Westlink. And you really wonder why nationalists turned their back on the north....? And when faced with a trickle of Nationalist kids declaring for the Republic rather than the North, did the IFA attempt to understand why and tackle the core issues ? No - instead they threw their toys out of the pram and declared to FIFA that the FAI was actively poaching these kids. If Northern Ireland often struggles to get Nationalists to declare for the playing squad, and actively abuses some of those who do, how the hell do you expect it to get Nationalist support on the terraces ?
The simple fact is that, not so long ago, Northern Ireland had the unambiguous support of both sides of the divide in the North. For a variety of reaons - some out of their control, but many within their direct realm of responsibility - the North lost a large part of that support over a period of probably no more than 10 years. There are still Nationalists who do support Norn Iron - but to have this 'feck them, and feck the others if they won't support us' attitude is pathetic for a team that is trying to present itself as inclusive and which must bear a large chunk of the responsibility for many Nationalists no longer supportin it in the first place. If the positive strides made recently off the pitch continue to be combined with stronger performances on it, more Nationalists will slowly be won back to the team. But if you'd rather supporting Norn Iron was a nationalist-free affair (as some undoubtedly do) then fine - look towards kids throwing stones on the Westlink to justify an outcome that the IFA and the Norn Iron fans are largely themselves responsible for. But drop the pretence of 'inclusivessness', and forget about looking for serious grant aid for anything.
