Opening weekends fixtures

Was at Richmond as a neutral. (Was also in McDowells beforehand, but in the bar side rather than the lounge so didn't see what went down at all. Sounded like fairly serious ruck for 3/4 minutes. Brian Kerr was at the bar shaking his head but possibly because he was next in line to order when they stopped serving.

Anyway, I thought Pats deserved the win, but mainly for the resilience they showed to a late Cork onslaught, because it wasn't pretty. Very few chances created by either side other than from set plays. Pats played some nice combinations but in completely innocuous areas. Cork were much more direct but utterly ineffectual in open play - the three Pats centre backs were all up for the challenge and very impressive.

Clifford got man of the match and it's hard to disagree, although I thought Webster was very impressive for Pats on his debut. On the other hand, Drennan sturggled to make an impact, Forrester was anonymous and Rhys McCabe played like a wind-up mouse, charging around the place sometimes to good effect but often recklessly.

Not much to shout about for Cork. I liked the look of Griffin the fullback, and Daire O'Connor had some bright moments but the game bypassed him a lot too,

Great to see such a big attendance and that it was matched around the grounds. No doubt it'll be an outlier for the season, but hopefully the average will trend upwards.

Vojic has been given the winning goal for rovers last night. One goal for both of our strikers, a good way to start the season.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by desaintsno.12

Half time .... Cork with the two best chances. Have to feel ripped off.

A fee cork fans disgracing their club in McDowells and the black lion.
A few arrests and seemingly a few in ambulances .

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jack B

Also not indicative of all Cork fans but was an absolute embarrassment that they caused trouble to the point McDowells had to close earlier. Throwing bottles about with elderly people, women and children there made the whole vibe quite sour. Hopefully the few involved get caught and dealt with.

---

Ye make it sound like City fans threw bottles at each other while pious Pats fans looked on. Come back to reality lads. For balance, I wouldn't bring a kid to a match in Inchicore after previous incidents, the matchday experience is an embarrassment to Irish football.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CityRebel

Ye make it sound like City fans threw bottles at each other while pious Pats fans looked on. Come back to reality lads. For balance, I wouldn't bring a kid to a match in Inchicore after previous incidents, the matchday experience is an embarrassment to Irish football.

---

Despite what you're trying to say here it does not take two people to start throwing bottles and from what I've heard from various sources Pats fans did nothing and to try shift any of the blame onto them is just not on

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RathfarnhamHoop

Despite what you're trying to say here it does not take two people to start throwing bottles and from what I've heard from various sources Pats fans did nothing and to try shift any of the blame onto them is just not on

---

Throwing bottles isn't acceptable by anyone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CityRebel

Ye make it sound like City fans threw bottles at each other while pious Pats fans looked on. Come back to reality lads. For balance, I wouldn't bring a kid to a match in Inchicore after previous incidents, the matchday experience is an embarrassment to Irish football.

---

There has never been trouble in the pubs in Inchicore until your mob rolled in.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RathfarnhamHoop

Despite what you're trying to say here it does not take two people to start throwing bottles and from what I've heard from various sources Pats fans did nothing and to try shift any of the blame onto them is just not on

---

Well here's a Pats fan saying he responded to taunting with slaps
https://twitter.com/WilloRyan/status...968763392?s=19

And apparently the City team bus had windows smashed after the game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CityRebel

Ye make it sound like City fans threw bottles at each other while pious Pats fans looked on. Come back to reality lads. For balance, I wouldn't bring a kid to a match in Inchicore after previous incidents, the matchday experience is an embarrassment to Irish football.

---

There has been many reports in recent seasons of Tinkery behaviour, Cork have now replaced Dale Farm as the common denominator in these stories and seem to have copied the "fire bottles at a child's tactic of the latter.

I was in McDowell's before the game on the bar side. Chatting to a few pats fans and having a quiet drink. All was grand and I left then and was queueing for a ticket. I was only out of the pub barely a minute when there was a commotion. Didn't see anything that went on but it's something I can't stand seeing happening. Anyone going for the first time or bringing their kids for the first time could be put off going again over things like that.

Great attendance at the game last night, biggest crowd I've seen at Richmond. Thought it was a very poor game. Silly penalty cost us what would've been an acceptable point. We could've been 2 up before that if it wasn't for Brendan Clarke. One point blank save from a corner and then an unbelievable Gordon Banks-esque save got down very low to deny what looked a certain goal.

I was happy enough with the first half despite being a goal down. But the second was abysmal. The amount of times we retrieved the ball in defense and it was aimlessly kicked out for a throw or given straight to a pats player.

Hoping for an improvement next week, I think it will take time for us to gel with the new lads coming in.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Burnsie

Anyway, I thought Pats deserved the win, but mainly for the resilience they showed to a late Cork onslaught, because it wasn't pretty. Very few chances created by either side other than from set plays. Pats played some nice combinations but in completely innocuous areas. Cork were much more direct but utterly ineffectual in open play - the three Pats centre backs were all up for the challenge and very impressive.

Clifford got man of the match and it's hard to disagree, although I thought Webster was very impressive for Pats on his debut. On the other hand, Drennan sturggled to make an impact, Forrester was anonymous and Rhys McCabe played like a wind-up mouse, charging around the place sometimes to good effect but often recklessly.

Great to see such a big attendance and that it was matched around the grounds. No doubt it'll be an outlier for the season, but hopefully the average will trend upwards.

---

Would agree with most of that. Not a good footballing spectacle at all, more of a battle, but we stood up to it well, which probably wouldn't have been the case in the last few years. The three centre backs in particular stood up well to the late Cork onslaught. Shows that Harry has probably a more pragmatic side than Bucko, you'd wonder did he go with the three lads on this occasion knowing what to expect from Cork. We tried to play a bit in patches, but didn't really create anything of note. Hopefully we can improve in that respect. All in all a very good result though. Cork will remain hard to beat.

Great to see such a big crowd too. Hopefully a good number make it a regular thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by patrickccfc

We could've been 2 up before that if it wasn't for Brendan Clarke. One point blank save from a corner and then an unbelievable Gordon Banks-esque save got down very low to deny what looked a certain goal.

---

Yeah two great saves, first was straight at him I suppose, but good reactions. Second looked a terrific save from where I was. It reminded me a little bit of the Banks save too. Appropriate given the week that's in it.

Poor game of football, It was a dogfight in the end. Our formation was a huge change from previous seasons and was a brave move by Harry. It took some hard working performances to get us over the line particularly from Clifford who must be in ribbons today after the work rate he put in, Lennon had a good game aswell his range of passing is very impressive for a chap of twenty. It was all in all a great night with a fantastic crowd expect for the unsavoury incident before the game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crosshead

Well here's a Pats fan saying he responded to taunting with slaps
https://twitter.com/WilloRyan/status...968763392?s=19

And apparently the City team bus had windows smashed after the game.

---

Not only does that tweet not say where the "slaps" took place it doesn't give anything like a full story as to what happened.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RathfarnhamHoop

Not only does that tweet not say where the "slaps" took place it doesn't give anything like a full story as to what happened.

---

No but I'm pointing out that this narrative forming on here that poor innocent Pats fans were blameless for any wrongdoings last night is nonsense. The bystanders in that pub were innocent, and those responsible are scum, pure and simple, but there were a tiny minority of troublemakers among both sets of supporters last night which is disappointing when the vast, vast majority of both supporters just wanted to watch a game of football.

I'll denounce scumbags regardless of who they proclaim to support, I think they're a poison on our sport, but this notion that it's only City fans causing trouble is head in the sand stuff does nothing to address the bigger picture problem.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RathfarnhamHoop

Not only does that tweet not say where the "slaps" took place it doesn't give anything like a full story as to what happened.

---

And yet people saying "Cork City fans are the devil!!!!!!!111111111" are giving the full story.... :rolleyes:

Some weird responses here. Was just condemning the actions of folks who rocked up and initiated the grief, not cause a tit-for-tat on the quality of match day experiences (weird) or deny that there are Pats fans who haven't behaved questionably both on this occasion and previously.

But it's far from a common occurrence at home games so it stands to reason that there'll be a bit more emphasis placed on the behaviour of a small number of away fans who, across two separate pubs, turned up singing about and mocking a fan that had passed away and caused enough grief that a pub had to be closed and children ended up in tears outside.

This isn't to say that it's representative of all Cork fans, nor that all Pats fans who responded are completely innocent, just that it was pretty unfortunate and unsavoury. Think we can all calm down with going on the defensive as if the integrity of the club itself has been targeted. On the whole it was a great night for the league and that shouldn't be overshadowed by the actions of a few muppets.

Especially because we won, obviously. That should be the central theme here really.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jack B

Some weird responses here. Was just condemning the actions of folks who rocked up and initiated the grief, not cause a tit-for-tat on the quality of match day experiences (weird) or deny that there are Pats fans who haven't behaved questionably both on this occasion and previously.

But it's far from a common occurrence at home games so it stands to reason that there'll be a bit more emphasis placed on the behaviour of a small number of away fans who, across two separate pubs, turned up singing about and mocking a fan that had passed away and caused enough grief that a pub had to be closed and children ended up in tears outside.

This isn't to say that it's representative of all Cork fans, nor that all Pats fans who responded are completely innocent, just that it was pretty unfortunate and unsavoury. Think we can all calm down with going on the defensive as if the integrity of the club itself has been targeted. On the whole it was a great night for the league and that shouldn't be overshadowed by the actions of a few muppets.

Especially because we won, obviously. That should be the central theme here really.

---

Very well put !

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crosshead

No but I'm pointing out that this narrative forming on here that poor innocent Pats fans were blameless for any wrongdoings last night is nonsense. The bystanders in that pub were innocent, and those responsible are scum, pure and simple, but there were a tiny minority of troublemakers among both sets of supporters last night which is disappointing when the vast, vast majority of both supporters just wanted to watch a game of football.

I'll denounce scumbags regardless of who they proclaim to support, I think they're a poison on our sport, but this notion that it's only City fans causing trouble is head in the sand stuff does nothing to address the bigger picture problem.

---

Nobody was talking about anything other than what happened in the pub and you came out with this, trying to pass some blame for what happened in the pub onto Pats fans which isn't on.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CityRebel

Ye make it sound like City fans threw bottles at each other while pious Pats fans looked on. Come back to reality lads. For balance, I wouldn't bring a kid to a match in Inchicore after previous incidents, the matchday experience is an embarrassment to Irish football.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RathfarnhamHoop

Nobody was talking about anything other than what happened in the pub and you came out with this, trying to pass some blame for what happened in the pub onto Pats fans which isn't on.

---

We're not the same person :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RathfarnhamHoop

Nobody was talking about anything other than what happened in the pub and you came out with this, trying to pass some blame for what happened in the pub onto Pats fans which isn't on.

---

I didn't post that second quote.