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surely the Ulster Rugby team is for the 9 counties of Ulster and not the 6 counties of 'Northern Ireland'. Tommy Bowe is a Monaghan man I believe. Proud Ulsterman!!! Fair play to him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Not Brazil
So ya can't really equate the Ulster rugby team to the Northern Ireland soccer team....
Ulster Rugby has already changed the crest some time ago, has a red hand with a strong life and heart line visible :)
found a picture
http://www.ulsterrugby.com/images/st...a-01-Enter.gif
I am sorry if this offends you osarusan but that is a ridiculous statement, most probably made in haste to defend a league you love which is understandable. The LOI has not sustained itself 'Properly" for quite some time. Almost every club has suffered financial difficulty, in fact almost every club still does. The clubs that have been successful in recent times have all been involved in financial irregularities of some shape or form, not all illegal in the eyes of Irish law by any means by the way. Some have just been guilty of gross mismanagement or over expenditure. Shels, Pats, Cork, Derry and Rovers have all been on the brink of extinction but have been bailed out or given reprieves. They represent what was once the elite of Irish football yet they were all based on foundations of sand. They have made a mockery of Irish football but they have also highlighted the need for change. I would like to see a system something like this,Quote:
Originally Posted by osarusan
Celtic Premier league.
Ulster
Muster
Connaught
Leinster
Swansea
Wrexham
Cardiff*
Celtic
Rangers
Hearts
Hibs
* Cardiff most likely would not be interested so replace with A.N. Other
All Irish based players on central contracts and attached to a current LOI team which would carry on as normal as a breeding ground for players as the AIL does for rugby. Same would apply for the Irish League.
The problems would be obvious for Scotland and Wales as to how the would pick the teams to represent them, but a similar set up would not be entirely unfeasable. Instead of looking at it as the demise of LOI, IL, SPL and WL football think of it as an extra football product to follow, on top of the ones we already have.
I don't think anyone has suggested the change would be easy, but then, what is?
You might not all agree with the ideas posted on here, but surely we all agree that change of some sort is needed??
Without getting into the mechanics of the "Ulster Rugby" brand, and what it represents, it is absolutely true to state that Ulster consists of 9 Counties.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fixer82
Tommy Bowe is, indeed, a Monaghan man.
The last time I checked, all 6 Counties of Northern Ireland are within Ulster - therefore, representing "Ulstermen".
LOI football has been around since 1921. It has sustained itself for 88 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by SilkCut
I was responding to a post saying that the LOI had proven itself unsustainable. That is clearly wrong, as it has been going for 88 years.
There is a suggestion being made that the league being crap (which I'm happy to accept) means it is unsustainable. This connection is simply wrong.
So Northern Irish men plus men from an extra 3 counties....;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Not Brazil
Eh?:confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by Fixer82
I merely point out that as all six counties comprising Northern Ireland are in Ulster, it is therefore not that hard to work out that Northern Irishmen are, er, Ulstermen.
Not that it matters a damn, but whilst Tommy Bowe is indeed proud of his Monaghan roots (Emyvale, I believe?), afaik he was actually born in Craigavon Hospital, which technically makes him an Armachian (sp?).Quote:
Originally Posted by Fixer82
Moreover, he developed his rugby skills at Armagh Royal School, before attending University at Jordanstown.
Never mind the 6:9/Border split, I'd say the presence of those in the Ulster squad with no local connections whatever (eg Botha, Danielli, Diack, Horua, Nagusa and Schifcofske etc) screws any comparison with the NI football team.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fixer82
In that respect, it's more like the ROI football team...;)
Have a Happy New Year!
P.S. For any individual who is already starting a reply with "Whatabout Maik Taylor blah, blah, blah...", there's no need, it's understood. :D
let old acquaintance be forgot.... :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
You appear to be making my point. All the players you list are now (or shortly will be) playing in England! My starting point is to improve the standard of club soccer in Ireland by keeping more of our better players at Irish clubs. Surely you agree that it would be better (ie a better product for Irish socer fans) if a large number of the players currently playing in the Championship, Leagues 1 and 2, Premiership reserve sides and the SPL were playing in Ireland? That will only happen if Irish clubs can provide players with increased and competitive financial rewards. Hence the suggestion of a new structure that makes that viable. To take GR's point, maybe the Celtic League idea is a trifle conservative, and the ultimate transnational structure should be expanded further? Whatever, you have still failed to put forward a constructive alternative or a viable means by with the EL can hope to progress to the point where players like Deegan, Fahey and co dont all automatically end up playing abroad.
With respect to Liverpool, I tend to make my contributions on that subject on a forum where I imagine my musings may appear slightly more pertrinent. Last time I checked this was an Irish football forum.
...don't try and head me off at the pass. It aint just Maik Von Taylor either. Did that Norwegian defender of yeers turn up because he heard about ze Harp? :DQuote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Happy New Year EG! Stay safe on the roads in this weather. Sure Capaldi may have a spare set of tyre chains in the boot ...him being from Norway and all.
ha ha touché.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
and may i take this moment to wish all my brothers and sisters to the North a very happy new year! Bainigí sult as mo chairde!
Dear, dear, Lionel - that reference to the Ice Cream Man is not so much "Dancing on the Ceiling" as "Scraping on the Bottom of the Barrel".Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
You see, the boul Tony had a choice of countries to represent:
1. Norway - where his Da (ex-Aston Villa) was playing out the tail-end of his career and Tony was born;
2. England - where his Da was born;
3. Italy - where his Granda was from;
4. Republic of Mexic... er Ireland - they'll take anyone; and (drum roll):
5. Norn Iron - where his dear oul Mammy was born and rared.
I think you'll find he chose his country wisely - even if his better judgement doesn't extend to his choice of club! ;)
http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2006/...y-capaldi.html
P.S. No need for Snow Chains in the Polar North; our Reindeer, like our footballers, are ultra sure-footed.
I think it would be a bit more than 'roots' with Emyvale. He played up to U-21 with the local GAA club & up to U-16 for Monaghan. He also won sprinting medals with the local athletics club in the Community Games. Oh, and he played underage rugby for Monaghan Town RFC. It would seem that his rugby coach in Royal Armagh (a fee paying school, I presume) was a neighbour of his in Emyvale and possibly why he went to a rugby playing school with the hope that he could become a professional rugby player.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
His mother worked in Craigavon Hospital which is more than likely the reason he was born there (His mother is from Kildare & father is from Waterford).
A nice tribute to him here (and his family) in the Hogan Stand. I love the bit where they talk about how the pupils and staff of Armagh Royal School were shocked to discover that their new head girl Hannah (Tommy's sister who is a hockey international) had played gaelic football in Croke Park.
http://www.hoganstand.com/monaghan/A....aspx?ID=66932
And according to this, he went to Queens University.
Sorry, I didn't mean to downplay his Emyvale background - I couldn't say he was born there, so I said "roots" to mean that's where he is from (rooted in)Quote:
Originally Posted by janeymac
Armagh Royal does accept fee-paying pupils, which presumably Tommy was (unless he got some ROI Government grant?). However, it is also the state Grammar school (i.e. non-fee paying) for local boys/girls who pass their 11+/entrance exam.Quote:
Originally Posted by janeymac
And whilst his Da is obviously a big rugby man, the quality of education it offers may also have been a factor over a more local Monaghan school?
Well, it's only to be expected that Tommy wanted his mother close by when he was being born...;)Quote:
Originally Posted by janeymac
According to his Wiki entry, he studied at UUJ, but played rugby for QUB (much higher standard of rugby than UUJ):Quote:
Originally Posted by janeymac
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Bowe
Fine rugby man, anyhow - and it's nice to know that if he ever decided to "do a Tony Ward" and take up real football, he's qualified to play for NI. :cool:
Sounds a bit like the North team fielded by the great Lawrie McMenemy :rolleyes: in 1999Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Maik Taylor (Born Germany)
Iain Jenkins (Born lancashire)
Jim Whitley (Born Zambia)
Kevin Horlock (Born Kent)
Mark Williams (Born Cheshire)
Jon McCarthy (Born Hartlepool)
Danny Sonner ( Born wigan)
James Quinn (Born Coventry)
Jeff Whitley (Born Zambia)
Ian Dowie (Born Hertfordshire)
Beggars !! ;)
I think you'll find everyone of those bar Big Maik had at least one, and as many as six, parents/grandparents from NI.Quote:
Originally Posted by co. down green
Somehow, I don't think that applies to Messrs. Schifcofske or Nagusa, for instance, which was the point I was making.
this thread is awesome guys!
I'm originally from the island of celebes in indonesia but I love the Robbie Keane :)
Soccer stars 2010. woooo!
What do ya mean? Northern Ireland doesnt have a Gaelic Football team :)Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
What do ya mean? Tony Ward never played Bogball...Quote:
Originally Posted by Fixer82
[QUOTE=osarusan;1298583]LOI football has been around since 1921. It has sustained itself for 88 years.
I was responding to a post saying that the LOI had proven itself unsustainable. That is clearly wrong, as it has been going for 88 years.
There is a suggestion being made that the league being crap (which I'm happy to accept) means it is unsustainable. This connection is simply wrong.[/QUOTE]
I can understand where you are coming from, yes the LOI has been around for years. Some of my own family were part of it during its glory days and from their descriptions it was once a wonderful advertisement for Irish football. Some of the greatest footballers ever to play finished their careers in the LOI. To suggest that there is no correlation between the quality of the league and its sustainablity is however both wrong and a little naive. The LOI is a product, its something that is produced so that people will pay to enjoy it and therefore make it viable. If a mars bar was made of excrement would it be such a popular product?
The LOI as we know it ( a semi professional league) is completely unsustainable, yes it may continue as an amateur league but thats like saying mars bars still existed because someone kept pushing **** into a wrapper. The name lives on but no one is interested in the product.
You seem to know your stuff osarusan and I don't mean to offend but you really need to take the blinkers off and see that the LOI is dying and needs drastic change, the same goes for the SPL, IL and LOW.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
?????
how can ya have 6 parents or grandparents? I'm hugely confused Ted!
2 parents + 4 grandparents = 6 parents / grandparents?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fixer82
It didn't at all help that i was half cut when i typed that replyQuote:
Originally Posted by geysir
62 pages.
Could this be the longest surviving thread to feature Northern Ireland?
In summary - what have we learned.
Well.............. ....... ..... wait now...............................feck it.
Anywho, any update on the proposed match against Belgium?
No game against Belgium in March- the KNVB have organised a game with Croatia instead.
kbvb?Quote:
Originally Posted by gather round
Whoops. Apologies to all my readers in Belgium.
It's a shame, I quite fancied that game. Maybe Luxembourg instead?
Belgium manager Dick Advocaat has rejected the possibility of playing a friendly with Northern Ireland as the Dutchman supposedly wants tougher opposition.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
The Belgian FA (KBVB) and Northern Ireland had been discussing a friendly while Advocaat was reportedly under the impression that it concerned Ireland Republic, rather than their northern neighbours.
"We spoke with Northern Ireland and there was the possibility to play a friendly," said KBVB Chairman Jean-Marie Philips.
"Our coach was then brought up to date, but communication went wrong. Advocaat thought we meant Ireland. When in an e-mail he read that it concerned Northern Ireland, he informed us that he preferred stronger opponents."
According to media reports, Belgium have already found a replacement and face Croatia in a March 3 encounter.
http://uk.soccerway.com/news/2010/Ja...land-friendly/
Koninklijke Belgische VoetbalBondQuote:
Originally Posted by joe_denilson
Bascially means Royal Belgian Football Association
Perhaps you were thinking about the NKVD?Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
Fair bit of arrogance there from Dickie....Quote:
Originally Posted by co. down green
... like Belgium are good enough to take on our boys. :rolleyes:
The problem is not the team, its the country. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
Dont get me started on this. It would be a very long post indeed :mad:
Too right! The last two occasions we've played Belgium, we've humped then 3-0 each time.Quote:
Originally Posted by ifk101
And we don't smother our chips in Mayonnaise, either :rolleyes:
Steady on. There are many things wrong with Belgium (and its football), but Vlaamse frites ain't one of them. Pass the sauce :)Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
What's wrong with Belgium exactly? Having worked there I think its a very badly maligned country and far from the cultural desert it is portrayed. Its just that the French lay claim to all their creative icons (Rene Magritte, Jacques Brehl, Tintin / Herge, Georges Simenon / Maigret) in much the same way as the English used to appropriate ours.
What was it Colin Farrell said to Brendan Gleeson when offered some quality Belgian beer in Bruges (or Bruggee)? "nah, that's fcuking gay beer."
I like Belgium myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
I wouldn't call Stella Artois gay ffs. Farrell can't act to save his life. Gleeson is alright.
I'm a big fan too (although only as a tourist). You can overrate a culture dominated by fictional detectives, mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by third policeman
Apart from the underachieving football team, I was thinking of the constant ethnic/ language bickering and threats to split the country. Of course these may be exaggerated to foreigners.
I think the French probably appropriate Sam Beckett more than the English do.