Annoying Monday morning soccer conversations

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Yep, scousers and mancs might despise day trippers there to support Liverpool/Man U (complete with kit, scarf etc etc) but as I'm just there to have a few beers and watch a bit of ball they treat me far better than they do my Liverpool/Man u supporting mates. It actually ****es my mates off that I can swap stories about bus breaking down and last minute equalisers and being kept behind while home fans throw ****e at us.

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Best advice I could give anyone (over 7 yrs of age) is to never, ever wear one of those jesters hats to Anfield ! saw some guy get (verbally) slaughtered by the crowd around him for same "crime" recently (difficult to feel sorry for him either mind you).

Not sure how they would react to Leprechaun outfits :rolleyes:

Most real fans have many memories of crap trips in crap conditions, getting lost in East Belfast (jeez was that fun) or getting stuck in the middle of nowhere (to see a LSC game), than we have of glorious days out - its what makes the good times enjoyable*.


* this is a standard excuse to be used to justify our condition.

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Originally Posted by marinobohs

Most real fans have many memories of... getting stuck in the middle of nowhere

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Ah, the days when Kilkenny were in the league.

Another annoying conversation many of you may relate to is the "There's a lad playing for the local junior side that is twice as good as anyone at the local LOI club". I always ask why they haven't asked for a trial and the response is usually that the guy wouldn't be bothered with the travelling or some such. Never mind the fact he playing in a crap league and would prefer to remain the main man locally than actually prove he's good enough for senior football. Or maybe he knows he wouldn't cut it. Although in fairness these statements rarely come from players but just muppets looking for another excuse about supporting senior football.

On the conversation above- I spent a few days selling Harps draw tickets door to door years ago. It was demoralising in general but the interesting part was that every single house I went to where the people were English or Scottish they knew exactly who Harps were, bought a ticket and wished us well. They had an automatic affinity to the local club that is rarely seen among Irish people.

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Originally Posted by Mr A

Another annoying conversation many of you may relate to is the "There's a lad playing for the local junior side that is twice as good as anyone at the local LOI club".

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Which of course explains the excellent record non-league sides have against senior clubs in the FAI Cup.

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Originally Posted by John83

I'm published in combinatorics

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I think we were there in the Intertoto a few years back.

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Originally Posted by Schumi

Ah, the days when Kilkenny were in the league.

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i was thinking more along the lines of that walk from Foster's Avenue.... *shudders*

;) ;)

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Originally Posted by SkStu

i was thinking more along the lines of that walk from Foster's Avenue.... *shudders*

;) ;)

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Yes, that 100 yard walk which takes one from a wealthy suburb of Dublin to the middle of nowhere in dozens, even tens of seconds. :p

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Originally Posted by Mr A

On the conversation above- I spent a few days selling Harps draw tickets door to door years ago. It was demoralising in general but the interesting part was that every single house I went to where the people were English or Scottish they knew exactly who Harps were, bought a ticket and wished us well. They had an automatic affinity to the local club that is rarely seen among Irish people.

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As I've said in other threads, I got into Bray through my Dad, who is from Stoke. To him, getting out and watching your local side is just something you do!

Clearly what we need is some sort of exchange program where we transfer our barstoolers for proper English football people. Although I'm not sure Liverpool could cope with the stress of 1.5 million Irish immigrants.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

It's their way of standing out from the crowd I'd say. But to do this, it seems you still have to support an English team.

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Not really Stu. I still get quizzical looks. and most certainly stand out from the crowd like a sore thumb.
I remember back in August my lil bro's (Slowly and surely introducing him to the wonders and beauty of supporting Shels) club Beech Park got to play against Ballyfermot United in Richmond Park at half time of the 71st meeting of Pats and Sligo this season. Anyway during the first half Sligo had some sort of a attack coming down the left hand side and I started cheering on Joey Ndo. My brothers mates (all 8 and 9 yo) were cheering on Pats and thought I was mad.
Anyway to make a long story boring, I was asked who did I support and I said Shels. They then said ah no really, I said Shels. No but who are your main team, I said Shels. All looked at me like a I had 10 heads. I then turned it around and rather cruelly asked who they supported (Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea predictably. No Man U surprisingly.) and then commented on their lack of Scouse/London accents. All of them to a boy cowered in their seats.
I was unreasonably smug. :)

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Originally Posted by Schumi

Ah, the days when Kilkenny were in the league.

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Or the hellish experience of a November night seeking out Station Road with no map and only a vague recollection of directions. Great ground and great soup mind. I treasure my Kildare County mug.

Heading to Edinburgh in a couple of weeks to a gig and the GF doesn't realise that she's coming to see Hibs and St Johnstone as a bonus. :)

I am a sport obsessive and will next to near go and watch whatever the locals are into and get stuck in and ask questions and learn and then some team will crawl under my skin and that's it. Eg. Maple Leafs, Carlton.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Woodquay, you need to move jobs. For their safety as much as anything else.

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If it wasn't for this feckin recession, I probably would. As for local fans in England hating the daytrippers, I wss said dyatripper in Old Trafford a few years ago, about 10 minutes into the game two lads a couple of rows in front of me and clearly sozzled, got in a bit of a row with each other, each accusing the other of being blow-ins, pushing and shoving before both took off their tops to reveal their copious amount of tattoos, proving they were Mancs. I didn't open my mouth for the rest of the game

I had one last thursday during playing astro with lads from the job.

Tipperary lad: Did ya see the back of the sun (if it wasnt bad enough he was from Tipperary but he reads the sun, and a man u fan) should have really been put down haha
Me: No
TL: yeah they were saying a pub is the ideal local to watch a match, and laughed.
Me: So, TL, did ya go to the All Ireland Final?
TL: Yeah
Me: So you are saying that it would have been better to watch that match in the pub rather than go to the game in croker.

He didnt know what to say.

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Originally Posted by Mr A

I spent a few days selling Harps draw tickets door to door years ago. It was demoralising in general but the interesting part was that every single house I went to where the people were English or Scottish they knew exactly who Harps were, bought a ticket and wished us well. They had an automatic affinity to the local club that is rarely seen among Irish people.

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Same happened meself. Heard the English accent at the doors and were suprised when they more than happy to buy a ticket of us and have a chat about the club. More and more english accents at LOI grounds it seems and Rovers have some english fans that will travel over for games too. Standing on terraces, good banter, hardcore fans, decent prices - everthing they have lost at their highest levels.

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Originally Posted by BonnieShels

Anyway to make a long story boring, I was asked who did I support and I said Shels. They then said ah no really, I said Shels. No but who are your main team, I said Shels. All looked at me like a I had 10 heads. I then turned it around and rather cruelly asked who they supported (Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea predictably. No Man U surprisingly.) and then commented on their lack of Scouse/London accents. All of them to a boy cowered in their seats.

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Remember going into Ireland v Brazil in Lansdowne Road a few years ago; start of 2004, cos we'd just been relegated. Some kid - no idea why - was asking me who I supported.

Idiot kid - Who do you support?
Me - UCD
IK - No, who do you support in the Premiership?
Me - UCD
IK - UCD aren't in the Premiership
Me - Yes we a...ah ******.

Saw that bit in one of the tabloids danthesaint mentioned too. "A match isn't the same unless you're watching it with a big crowd" - well duh. Read on - "So watch it in your local pub". Just risible.

Actually to go mildly off topic, there's a serious debate raging amongst the smarter NFL fans in the US about whether watching a game in the stadium is better than at home. Compared to College Games (where no-one really argues staying at home is a better experience) there are the issues of stadium location (more likely to be in local equivalent of Abbotstown), and lack of atmosphere aside from a few stadia (unsurprisingly they are the more central located stadia). Obviously that doesn't apply to the pub one here too much but it's an interesting one in it's own right.

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Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

Actually to go mildly off topic, there's a serious debate raging amongst the smarter NFL fans in the US about whether watching a game in the stadium is better than at home. Compared to College Games (where no-one really argues staying at home is a better experience) there are the issues of stadium location (more likely to be in local equivalent of Abbotstown), and lack of atmosphere aside from a few stadia (unsurprisingly they are the more central located stadia). Obviously that doesn't apply to the pub one here too much but it's an interesting one in it's own right.

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american football is very technical and in grounds of 70/80 thousand it is impossible to know what is going on. saw some games in Meadowlands NJ where given the distance fom the pitch etc it was well nigh impossible to figure what was going on. TV with close ups and instant replays is probobly a far better vehicle for viewing american football.

In "soccer" (apols now for using the term but only to differenciate) this is not as abig an issue and it is easier to follow what is going on*. Also average american footie game takes about 3 hours - think 3 hours in most LOI grounds might be pushing it somewhat :(


* this does not apply to LOI refs.

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Originally Posted by marinobohs

american football is very technical and in grounds of 70/80 thousand it is impossible to know what is going on. saw some games in Meadowlands NJ where given the distance fom the pitch etc it was well nigh impossible to figure what was going on. TV with close ups and instant replays is probobly a far better vehicle for viewing american football.

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I'd totally disagree, but it would be way off-topic.

All Amercain football stadiums have big screens showing replays and the usual TV graphics (down & dostance etc). Most have announcers telling you what happened on each play.

The debate in America (and I'm not sure its all from the "smarter" NFL fans either) usually boils down to "Are you getting value for money spending $100-$300 surrounded by drunken yobs, in the cold, watching your crappy team compared to watching it on your HDTV complete with choice of games to watch (from NFL Sunday package) in comfort?"

Well there's that Dodge and all of those are valid but I think the drunken yobs and cold are generally more tolerable in grounds where there is likely to be a buzz, hence the college game (almost all on-campus in college towns) or more centrally located pro stadia tend to not have this debate as much.