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Says the self-same poster who introduced the NI team to the thread out-of-the-blue, after 13 other posts managed to keep it to the ROI team.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Silly as well as sad....
As usual, Shakespeare nailed it: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks"
To be fair to geysir, his post concerning the IFA team came after The Fly brought up the topic of 'OWC's brightest', having a laugh at Ireland being 33rd in the rankings, obviously alluding to the ongoing 'Team 33' jibe. I can see why geysir brought up the NI team's place in the rankings, not that it's a crime.
Is it possible that you might just have felt the need to be offended?
Each to his own. Personally, I've little concern how other teams populated with British or other nationals are performing.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Er, yes. Why mention it otherwise?Quote:
Do you seriously think I give a damn if NI are on page one, page 2 or page 3?
I imagine it's largely because they keep losing friendly matches.Quote:
Though I admit, last month for 2 seconds, I did wonder why they were not on page one
Fine, stop going on about it.Quote:
Your rivalry with the Republics team means absolutely zilch to me. I just don't relate or connect with it
It has already. Decades ago, when I lived there. Not that you are representative of or a spokesman for most RoI fans, as far as I can see.Quote:
When will it dawn on you that most Republic fans don't give a fiddlers about the NI team
Most RoI fans don't, you and Ardee Bhoy clearly do. Don't you get bored stirring?Quote:
Get over it if somebody remarks that you have climbed out the back pages of FIFA's rankings.
Nobody really cares
Not really. G's stirring is predictable, we expect and almost look forward to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
AreQuote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
youQuote:
Er, yes. Why mention it otherwise?
asQuote:
I imagine it's largely because they keep losing friendly matches.
pithyQuote:
Fine, stop going on about it.
inQuote:
It has already. Decades ago, when I lived there. Not that you are representative of or a spokesman for most RoI fans, as far as I can see.
realQuote:
Most RoI fans don't, you and Ardee Bhoy clearly do. Don't you get bored stirring?
life? ;)Quote:
Not really. G's stirring is predictable, we expect and almost look forward to it.
At first glance I thought the discussion had turned to underwear! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
Really? Fly's post was about 'Team 33' being ranked 33rd, a mildly amusing jibe which works whether NI are ranked 1st in the world, last in the world or anywhere in between.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
It was Geysir who gratuitously made the jump from there to having a pop at the NI team (even despite his "point" being completely contradicted by the facts).
Who said I was "offended"? Mildly irritated, perhaps, but that's about the height of it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
Anyway, half the content of any football message board consists of posters slagging off other teams, followed by the other teams' supporters defending them. Do you detect "offence" every time the latter occurs?
Why not play the ball, rather than the man? That is, do you concur with Geysir's clear implication that the NI team doesn't bear comparison with that of the ROI?
This is a Rankings thread, after all...
That's quite funny and earns you 16 points in the Foot.ie Rankings.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fly
You can use it to offset the 25 points your preceding post cost you...;)
In terms of ranking there always will be a basis for comparison - such is the nature of a ranking system. But I think we have a far stronger pool of players available to us. And, as you know, international footballer managers such as Dick Advocaat are of the same opinion. Indeed the status/ strength an international team holds is highlighted by the quality of opposition they are able to attract for friendly games. Granted this is also linked to financial clout but it's telling that the IFA's perception of what consistutes a glamour friendly is a game away to Albania.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
It is indeed.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
I am aware of who posted what.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Mildly irritated as opposed to taking offence? I see, I see. I just asked whether you were being a bit hyper-sensitive.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Sometimes, but some people are wont to be offended (irritated) at even the smallest, or vaguest, reference to their team.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
I don't agree that that was geysir's 'clear implication'. My opinion is that both sides are fairly close, with Ireland edging it at the minute.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
So you don't support the North now??Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
;)
Hmm, to be fair him, or even the average Irish citizen would know about 100 times more about the Irish soccer team than yer good self! Not that it would be hard!Quote:
Not that you are representative of or a spokesman for most RoI fans, as far as I can see.
Hmm. Besides the obvious hypocrisy, it's more an objection to the status of the North of Ireland and its institutional bigotry that have existed out of its very creation.Quote:
Most RoI fans don't, you and Ardee Bhoy clearly do. Don't you get bored stirring?
Not to mention the predictable paranoia (& hypocrisy again) displayed by its fans on here!
More like the subsequent ( & continually entertaining) displays of paranoia....Quote:
G's stirring is predictable, we expect and almost look forward to it.
And Fly, more pitiful than pithy.
;)
Pred, those paranoia scars run deep!
Not compared to you, evidently. But let's go on the pith and compare notes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fly
Don't worry, both our teams will be back on the skids soon enough, probably.Quote:
At first glance I thought the discussion had turned to underwear!
Aye, you have a stronger pool, but in practice not that much stronger, or maybe even under-achieving. Anyway, such potential can be overstated. Wales have more players than us, and disproportionately more playing in the English Prem. Yet we've outpointed them in the last three tournaments.Quote:
Originally Posted by IFK
Bully for him. The most obvious effect of Dick's boys playing Croatia reserves rather than NI's in a half-paced friendly was that they lost- against us I expect they'd have won. And so presumably improved their hopeless recent ranking.Quote:
And, as you know, international footballer managers such as Dick Advocaat are of the same opinion
You bet it does. On the strength of their recent hosting of Brazil's globetrotters, Estonia have really boosted their strength and status in World football. I believe they boosted their normal crowd quite a bit despite charging EU 100 at the gate.Quote:
Indeed the status/ strength an international team holds is highlighted by the quality of opposition they are able to attract for friendly games
In reality glamorous visitors- like big city centre stadia- are incidental to status and strength, frequency of qualifying for tournaments etc.
Gormless way for Kennedy to describe it. If we really must have a PR spin in IFA marketing, I'd call Albania, Montenegro etc. 'exotic' instead. In practice, NI won't play or even invite France, Spain, Germany, Argentina etc. in the foreseeable future because we'd lose money on the deal. Given a likely low crowd and high fee to the visitors.Quote:
Granted this is also linked to financial clout but it's telling that the IFA's perception of what consistutes a glamour friendly is a game away to Albania
Indeed. As this series has barely started, best to refer the WC qualifiers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
I think I am fair to Geysir. Merely pointing out that, in posting regularly on the NI side, he isn't typical nor representative of RoI fans here. Or, a bit more crudely, like you, me, Pred, EG, etc., he's one of the 'usual suspects' on related threads.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ardee Bhoy
Obviously I support another team and don't pretend more than a passing knowledge of the Republic's side. Much of which is provded by posters here, including you ;)
Look, we know you'd do anything to achieve a united Ireland (apart from actually live in it, maybe). But that's hardly relevant to a discussion on FIFA rankings, is it?Quote:
it's more an objection to the status of the North of Ireland and its institutional bigotry that have existed out of its very creation
Unsure exactly what you mean by that.Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
Anyhow, whilst FIFA's Rankings have many debateable aspects, nonetheless I consider them valid to use when comparing two teams from the same Confederation, provided a long enough period is used.
And the last four years sees ROI ranked 38th in the world, with NI ranked 39th.
When he introduced the NI team into this thread, Geysir implied that ROI are clearly superior to NI, yet he adduces no credible evidence to support this.
Certainly "stronger", arguably "far stronger", I grant you. But football is not played on paper or on Message Boards etc, it is played on grass, where "the whole is often greater than the sum of the parts".Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
"Managers" plural?Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
OK, Dick Advocaat didn't rate us, but so what? He may not have rated Slovakia the other week, either, before they inflicted Russia/USSR's second(?) competitive defeat in Moscow since WWII! Yet any NI fan could have told him that these days, Slovakia are stronger than they look, too.
Even the best managers can underestimate opponents to their peril, as Sir Alex Ferguson demonstrated on Tuesday by fielding a weakened team against Rangers.
And Geysir is no Sir Alex (even if he may be a Dick).
Wrong!Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
Unless there is some compelling footballing reason (usually as preparation for a competitive game against similar opposition - eg Chile vs NI before the World Cup Finals), "financial clout" invariably determines why Associations (not managers, btw) select opponents for friendlies.
Or why do you think eg Brazil play 95%+ of their friendlies away from home, were it not for the £1m+ appearance fee they can command, along with the financial incentive from NIKE (require to see their 'product' on display in as many markets as possible)?
The simple fact is, if NI had an 80k stadium (Croke), or even a 50k one (AVIVA) and could sell it out at high prices every time, then we'd be playing Brazil, England, Argentina etc every time, too.
Or better still, we'd be inviting giants of the game such as Scotland, Wales or, ahem, ROI, to compete in a "glamour" tournament every two years...
(Btw, no-one at the IFA ever described Albania as "glamour". Rather, when under pressure for different reasons, Kennedy promised the fans a "glamour friendly". Then when his original target fell through, it was too late to get anyone decent, since all the decent teams had already sorted their fixture list, in preparation for the forthcoming World Cup)
How do you know he's not typical? Have you done a straw poll of even 5 people??
The North only gets a mention because you accuse people of stirring (wrongly) about their ranking status. When as Geysir says correctly, we just don't care.
There are however other objectionable points about it's existence which I referred to in passing. But only to emphasise yer paranoia.
;)
And to EG, clearly in the last 25 years, Ireland has been ahead of the North in the rankings most of that time.
Though just think how much higher the average would have been with a UI team!
;)
Er, I read the threads. A few people (most prominently you personally, but also including Geysir and the others I mentioned) tend to dominate those on NI. No need for a straw poll, is there?Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
You and Geysir obviously do care, as demonstrated by posting frequently- in your case, incessantly- on the subject. Basically 'Let's take over the NI team even though it's rubbish and the fans are Orange bigots', 100-200 times per megathread.Quote:
The North only gets a mention because you accuse people of stirring (wrongly) about their ranking status. When as Geysir says correctly, we just don't care
You're the obsessive one on here, Dr Freud.Quote:
There are however other objectionable points about it's existence which I referred to in passing. But only to emphasise yer paranoia ;)
Are you on drugs? There's been a UI team far longer than that- supplemented by good players from beyond- yet you've qualified for one finals out of eight.Quote:
And to EG, clearly in the last 25 years, Ireland has been ahead of the North in the rankings most of that time.
Though just think how much higher the average would have been with a UI team!
;)
Stop trolling, troll.
No, you wondered whether I "felt the need [sic] to be offended". For the record, I was not "offended", nor do I feel any particular "need" for same.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
But if sticking up for my team when it is sneered at on a football message board makes me "hyper-sensitive", then I must be Guilty as Charged. Along with every other poster on this Board.
"Some people", perhaps, but not this one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
What was it, then? And in just about every other reference he makes to the NI team?Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
Fine. Like NI and ROI, we're "both on the same page", then...Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
Ba-Dum-Ch!!! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
If you say so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
Wrong, as usual. My only concerns are dealing with the predictable paranoia and hypocrisy every time the North is mentioned in passing from its deluded supporters.Quote:
You and Geysir obviously do care, as demonstrated by posting frequently- in your case, incessantly- on the subject. Basically 'Let's take over the NI team even though it's rubbish and the fans are Orange bigots', 100-200 times per megathread.
Clearly the first and last sentences are both ironic and hypocritical by yer goodself. But we'll spare the finer details.Quote:
Are you on drugs? There's been a UI team far longer than that- supplemented by good players from beyond- yet you've qualified for one finals out of eight.
Stop trolling, troll.
Have you bought that dictionary yet??
;)
As for a UI team, like the earlier post I made (unsurprisingly unanswered by yourself!), are you now saying the North don't exist?? Though I note they haven't (and won't) qualified in 25 years and counting.....
They aren't though and have never been in the past 20 years bar a very short period of time a couple of years ago when Staunton was in charge and we were at our lowest ebb and NI were punching above their weight when both teams were about the same i.e. sh*t. Only a deluded NI fan like could claim your team was every bit as good as ours. Ask anyone in England where I believe you live if NI are as good as ROI at the moment and I'd be surprised if you could find anyone that would agree with your assertion. Anyone that knew anything about International football anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
The rankings are a nonsense. NI being anywhere near us in it only serves to drive that point home. How many play-offs for final competitions have you reached in all that time you're meant to be as good as us?
Isn't he head of the UN?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fly
Strictly speaking, I think we were a bit better: more points, half as many wins again, going into the second half of the 12th game with a chance to qualify as opposed to finishing 12 points behind Czechia. 'Mediocre' and 'slightly less so' would be fairer- you did still finish ahead of Slovakia in that tournament, to be fair.Quote:
Originally Posted by youngirish
With you on the rankings generally, they don't reflect current real achivement because largely irrelevant recent friendlies and long-gone tournaments are included in the calculation. Actually, we aren't that near you (20th and 26th in Europe). A better comparison would be betwen you and Turkey, 14th in Europe despite even NI actually surpassing them in qualification.Quote:
The rankings are a nonsense. NI being anywhere near us in it only serves to drive that point home. How many play-offs for final competitions have you reached in all that time you're meant to be as good as us?
But to follow up Danny I and EG's points, you either accept the rankings (in their entirety), or dismiss them like I do. They're formulaic and the formula is there for all to see, however complex. Accept it, and Gabon and Turkey are better than RoI now; South Korea and New Zealand aren't. Look over a longer period (5-15 years, say) and for much of it NI are only just behind you. However odd it looks.
Fair enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
A "good" team is a team that produces a consistent and reliable level of performance everytime. Sort of like a functioning public transport system - a tram perhaps?Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Then again maybe he did and does.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Dick Advocaat?Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
"If" and "could" are the key words. Idle speculation.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
If the IFA learns how to govern itself, the dreams of a new stadium and the hosting of glamour tournaments can be yours.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Albania won the game, did they or did they not? Bit unfair to be dismissive of them like that, no?Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Except that the FIFA Rankings for September 2010 don't go back 25 years, only four.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
Indeed, they don't go back eg to the late 60's/early 70's, when the ROI team went 6 years (to the day) without winning a single home game, competitive or friendly (including a 20 game run where they didn't win home or away).
In fact, why stop at 35 or 40 years? If you were to go right back to 1921, when the "splitters" broke away, I suspect you'd find that our complete record compares quite respectably with yours.
Who knows? The example of West & East Germany suggests it is hardly a foregone conclusion.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
Anyhow, whatever the ranking if my team were subsumed into a UI team, it would still be lower than if we were subsumed into a UK team, and I most certainly don't want that, either.
No, unlike you, I'm sufficiently happy with my own team not to want to see it disappear.
It's something to do with our achieving meaningful victory against half-decent teams every now and then...
Small countries don't need expensive vanity project stadiums. Equally, larger countries with deranged FA CEOs and a big stadium aren't necessarily any better governed. Our existing-upgraded stadium will be fine for all appropriate tournaments, thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
That's if the funding for the upgrade is forthcoming.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
I'm confident that it will be. Briefly, the threats to it (whether from government cutbacks generally or IFA in-fighting specifically) are outweighed by the opportunities (bigger crowds/ more income/ political credit etc.). A cost-benefit analysis, basically.
I never said anything about "the last 20 years".Quote:
Originally Posted by youngirish
Following the publication of the most recent FIFA Rankings, which only cover the most recent four years, Geysir used this self-same Rankings Thread to insinuate that ROI are clearly superior to NI.
I pointed out that the Rankings themselves clearly disprove that.
Since then neither he, you, nor anyone else has been able to dispute that, since it is clearly, er, indisputable.
P.S. If you really do want a "stroll down Memory Lane", why not review our respective records over the last 40 years, rather than 20? You see, all being well I'll celebrate the 40th Anniversary of watching my team in a few months time. In fact, my first game saw NI knock five past Cyprus*, including a hat-trick by some bloke called George Best. Who could imagine either team scoring five in a game between Cypriot and Irish opponents these days, eh?
Still, "Long Runs the Fox", as the saying goes.
* - Oh, and it was the whole of Cyprus, too, btw
In my long experience, most England fans know little about the ROI team and even less about the NI team, so why would I seek their opinion on either?Quote:
Originally Posted by youngirish
Christ, half of them don't seem to know much about their own team, if their insanely optimistic hopes when going into major tournament finals are anything to go by...
No, if I want to know how teams are doing, I look at their results, since they count for considerably more than opinions, informed or otherwise.
No doubt that certain aspects of the Rankings are highly contentious, including the respective weightings between Confederations, plus the relative importance given to Friendly and Competitive matches etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by youngirish
Nonetheless, when they comparing teams in the same Confederation, over a four year period, they are reliable enough (imo).
So that's your infallible guide then, is it? Funny, that.Quote:
Originally Posted by youngirish
I am tempted to go by how many ranking teams have been beaten in competitive games over, say, the last 8 or 9 years, but somehow I suspect that that would be no less transparent than your barometer.
No, I'll just stick to wins, draws and defeats we've had, both friendly and competitive, against a range of opponents over a suitable period.
Oh wait, I must mean the FIFA Rankings...
Except that each tournament runs over two seasons, not four. The league club rankings don't aggregate last term's positions with 2008-09. Although if they did Spurs wouldn't have made the Champions League, so maybe they're not so bad after all...Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
"Consistent" and "reliable" is it? If an EPL team were to draw every game this season, they'd certainly be both. Mind you, 38 points would also likely see them relegated.Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
As I see it, the ROI under Trapp are certainly hard to beat, so they can't be called a "bad" team. Then again, they can't seem to win their "big" games, so they can't be called a "good" team, either. I'd say they're pretty average.
By contrast, NI have a very good home record, so cannot be deemed a "bad" team. That said, our away record is so ****-poor that we can't claim to be a good team, but put the two together and they add up to "pretty average", too.
Which is only what the Rankings reflect.
Either way, you cannot completely rule out the hopes of either team of qualifying for a major tournament, but in each case it has still got to be "odds against".
Which is only what the last few Qualifiers reflect, too.
And as regards the 2012 Euros, I would agree that the ROI have a marginally better chance of getting to Polkraine than NI, but that is only because they have a noticeably easier Group than ours.
As against that, I think they'll still struggle, unless Trapp and the players manage to shed the idea that some (many?) of the fans seem to have i.e. that they're better than they actually are.
The fact that DA asked the Belgian FA for certain opposition does not negate my point that Associations invariably arrange Friendlies for financial reasons, since I qualified it by adding that this "rule of thumb" may occasionally be overridden by the manager on "footballing" grounds.Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
An illustration closer to home is that of the FAI organising so many home friendlies, on the basis that with a large stadium debt to repay, home friendlies in front of decent crowds paying high ticket prices undoubtedly bring in more money than appearance fees for away friendlies. (The same applies eg to Brazil and Argentina, only in reverse).
"Hypothetical", yep, "speculative" certainly and as for "idle" - most definitely.Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
None of those makes it untrue, mind.
What was that you were saying about "idle speculation"?Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
It is hardly "unfair" to decline to characterise an away friendly in Albania as "glamourous" - I was there for Christssake!Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
Neither does the fact that their team won make it any less "unglamourous", either. Rather, it just reflected the fact that they were poor, but we were awful.
Which experience has told me can always happen with NI, especially in away friendlies etc.
But experience also tells me that conversely (perversely?), we can also be thrilling, often when least expected, which is why I also went out to Maribor a fortnight ago.
And if you put the two together, it averages out to, well, average. However, unlike certain other teams who arrive at Average "by tram", our progress is better characterised as a "roller-coaster" ride.
And no-one ever queued up for 3 hours at Alton Towers or Disney World for a bloody tram ride!
Onwards and Upwards!
OK, that's simply pedantry. My query was genuine and the implication was that you might have been somewhat hyper-sensitive. The reason I asked, is because you picked up on what geysir said (that NI have returned to the first page of the rankings) and made it out to be a 'sneer'.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
No, picking up on the vaguest of references to your team and making an issue out of it makes you hyper-sensitive, in my opinion.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
I don't know about every other reference he makes to the IFA team, but in this instance, I don't believe the implication was that Ireland are vastly superior. The statement was fairly clear and simple. It even had a bit of humour in it, I believe ('brand Ireland').Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Good stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
I always thought that the improvement in Northern Ireland's status was due to a re-drawing of the results counted and the weighting given to them in the aftermath of the 2006 World Cup? Hence Lawrie leaving as it was in his contract that he was due £2,500 for every World Ranking place that he improved NI?
I think it might be a bit simpler than that, 2NZ.Quote:
Originally Posted by twoenz
NI's competitive record before, during and after Sanchez's tenure:
EC 04: P8, W0 D3 L5 pts3. Seeded 4/5, finished 5.
WC 06: P10, W2, D3, L5 pts 9. Seeded 5/6, finished 4.
EC 08: P12, W6 D2, L4 pts 20. Seeded 6/7, finished 3.
WC 10: P10, W4, D3, L3, pts15. Seeded 3/6, finished 4.
Sanchez's part-time salary at NI: ca £125- 150k
And full-time at Fulham: ca £750k- £1 million.
So he used them as a stepping stone?
Big deal.
NI amaze me sometimes, they must be both very very frustrating and exhilarating to watch for their fans! They have beaten some of the top teams in recent years, Spain, Sweden, England etc, but then followed them up with results like losing to Iceland. And yet again this campaign seems to be heading the same direction, they have got a fantastic win against World Cup finalists Slovenia, but I wouldnt back them to get a win against Estonia for example.
Whereas in our case in recent years we have been particularly good at beating the lower level teams but have by and large failed to beat the top teams.
Nail on head, sir. On both counts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
And backs up the points I made earlier, albeit in a more articulate fashion.
You flatter me AB!Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
Tram's tend to go from A-B. Rollercoasters go round in circles.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
It's quite common for managers to resign international jobs for more money in English club football. See also McLeish or Hughes. Or even McCarthy (I know he was sacked, but his next full-time job must have paid more than the part-time one for the FAI).Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
Isn't almost all international football like that? You can wait six months for the next games, look forward to a trip across Europe, then see the squad playing like they've just lurched out of the pub in yet another beating.Quote:
Originally Posted by elroy
Actually this campagin is significantly different to most in the recent past, even after one game. We haven't started with a win since 2000, or beaten a bigger/ higher ranked team in an away qualifier since Euro 96.Quote:
And yet again this campaign seems to be heading the same direction, they have got a fantastic win against World Cup finalists Slovenia, but I wouldnt back them to get a win against Estonia for example
I'd back us to beat Estonia at home. As will the bookies, probably.
Not quite. In the last four years you've failed to beat Montenegro (twice), Cyprus (twice) and Wales in qualifiers.Quote:
Whereas in our case in recent years we have been particularly good at beating the lower level teams but have by and large failed to beat the top teams
It does seem a recurring theme in Geysir's posts. Of course, EG and I may be more sensitive to digs at the NI team than you and AB, given that both of you make clear you'd like it abolished.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
Good luck in boosting Brand Republic, btw. After some of our recent friendly beatings the image has been as bad as Brand Russell.
Or of course you could just ignore any posts, good or bad, alluding to the North's team rather than post the same tedious and deluded paranoid drivel on a team you barely ever see FFS!
Yeah, but then they go back from B to A again, maybe after a change of driver.Quote:
Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton
At least we have trams, they don't.
There was a discussion with radio (football) personalities in front of a live audience on BBC Radio 5 last evening, Newcastle or Sunderland can't remember - prob Newcastle as most of the debate was Newcastle fans making the case that they were a bigger, better and more successful club than Sunderland. Some sort of myopic obsession that makes sense to the natives.
As long as you get off at the right stop - say Stuttgart, Genoa, New York or Suwon - you're doing OK. Although sometimes you can fall asleep and end up back where you started....Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88