Fields of Athenry - Ireland v Spain, Gdansk

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Mongahan's demise probably has more to do with the people of Mongahan than anyone in Poznan tonight. Start pointing the finger there.

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But the whole point is that they're the same people. I'll guess there were a couple of hundred Monaghan people in Poland, virtually none of whom have ever been to a Monaghan game.

Can you see that from the perspective of an LOI fan, it rankles somewhat to see terms like 'best fans in the world' being thrown about (and Delaney actually looking for some kind of recognition from UEFA) when this is the case, not just for Monaghan but for every LOI club?

On a similar thread on Boards.ie, a poster commented that the description 'best fans at the finals stage of a major tournament' might be more more accurate, and I'd agree.

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Originally Posted by Murfinator

Misleading stat considering the amount of mild social drinking and drinking with meals that goes on in other countries. The Irish don't consume alcohol the most but the Irish most certainly abuse alcohol the most.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=9624 - Irish spend most on alcohol in the EU
http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=5276 - Irish spend most on alcohol in the world
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...268876786.html - Irish highest rate of binge drinking in the EU
http://www.irishcentral.com/story/ro...111103999.html - Irish highest rate of pregnant women who drink.

I remember reading an article in the Indo prior to the tournament about this being the perfect time to show the world we've advanced beyond the drunken paddy caricature. Suffice to say we haven't, sadly.

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It does not matter what type of drinking you do really it is more the total amount.

Let's try dealing with some fact that really matter, binge drinking is not a problem, it's good for you.

Further more

Here are some stats you might not like at all.

1. Ireland has the second lowest death rate from liver cirrhosis in Europe!! 1/3 that of Austria, 1/2 that of France Denmark Germany Portugal
and lower than that of the UK, indeed everyone apart from the Dutch.

So if you want the Irish to drink more socially with meals and die of liver cirrhosis fair enough, personally I do not
think it is a price worth paying unless you are very image conscious and see having a good time as a 'bad thing'.

Here are the stats for you, careful you don't spill your glass of wine on the table cloth!!!
http://ec.europa.eu/health/archive/p...ctsheet_en.pdf

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Originally Posted by bennocelt

Didnt think that silly alochol stat needed a reply. Doh - Ireland and drink, really!!! Never

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They are meaning less stats to justify high rates of alcohol tax in Ireland,
and then they hav audacity to come out with "Irish spend most on booze" when the reality is "Irish have the highest regressive alcohol taxes in the world", mind you a right wing paper will want to keep quiet about high regressive tares so the millionaire can continue to avoid
paying any taxes.

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Originally Posted by tricky_colour

Here are the stats for you, careful you don't spill your glass of wine on the table cloth!!!

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That's A-grade bitch slappin' right there.

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Originally Posted by osarusan

But the whole point is that they're the same people. I'll guess there were a couple of hundred Monaghan people in Poland, virtually none of whom have ever been to a Monaghan game.

Can you see that from the perspective of an LOI fan, it rankles somewhat to see terms like 'best fans in the world' being thrown about (and Delaney actually looking for some kind of recognition from UEFA) when this is the case, not just for Monaghan but for every LOI club?

On a similar thread on Boards.ie, a poster commented that the description 'best fans at the finals stage of a major tournament' might be more more accurate, and I'd agree.

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I dunno. There's a big Monagahan United flag at every game. My mate from Monaghan is both a United and RoI die hard, and I even gave money to the "save the club" whip around he organised before the tournament.

I'd agree with the description on boards.ie, but that's splitting hairs. That's what people mean.

It seems the Irish livers are resistant, because that PDF shows that the Irish are top drinkers in terms of consumption per year and top binge drinkers as well, yet liver disease is low.

I was personally quite uncomfortable with the level of drinking going on in Poland. Thought the atmosphere was rubbish to be honest. Have had a much better time at less glamorous away games where a) there are real football people and b) people are less locked and more interested in talking about football.

Personally I prefer a swim, walk the dog, anything but alcohol to calm the pre-match nerves. Each to their own I suppose. The main thing is that the behaviour of those alcohol fuelled supporters stays well within the realms of social acceptability.

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Originally Posted by Philly

Football isn't just about being in big stadiums and having a sing-song though, that's the point. It's about alot more than that.

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What are the SUPPORTers who have gone to Poland to SUPPORT their team suppose to do? Be condemned for SUPPORTing their team? We are not talking about football in general terms or Monaghan United. We are talking about Irish supporters who went in their tens of thousands to support their team which they did yet they get attacked for it. Unbelievable. There are some huge chips on some people's shoulders here.

Just wanted to say a few things.

When I watched the match (at a **ty "irish" bar in the middle of knowhere in Italy), it was great to hear the fans singing. My friends were impressed that despite the massive loss they outsang the Spanish. Even tho we couldnt hear it well, it was still as clear as ive ever heard fans sing at matches through the TV.
When i posted on facebook several fans posted that its a the way football should be followed, not violently or aggressively but proudly. Many were envious.

That said my Spanish friend said something like

"but the Irish fans clearly dont care that they lost, i imagine if they lost at rugby they wouldnt still be singing".
this was down to his misconception that Rugby (international or otherwise) is more popular than soccer *because* we are more successful in it...

This is one of the problems that our sky football generation dont really undestand. Its not about winning. Its not about success. You dont follow a team because its successful (which is all too common now for irish fans following english clubs).
Real fans (and not just LOI fans) follow their club, their team no matter what. No matter how bad the coach might be, or the club board, or the players or the stadium etc but follow nonetheless and sing nonetheless...

Look, tbh I think its the fact that a lot of people find the 'best fans in the world' stuff very cringey, and the oh look how great we are comments. If we had heard the Danes singing like that we'd be impressed

The Irish rugby fans don't even sing when they're winning.

There's some massive chips on shoulders alright.

There are definitely casually interested people who made the trip mainly for the spectacle and for the craic, but what these tournaments prove is that there is a demand for a good quality football product among the Irish. Feck all people ever went to watch AIL rugby (I know, I was one of only a couple of hundred every second Saturday to watch Terenure College in the 90s) but, hey presto, introduce a league or a cup with some of the world's best players on show and people turn up in droves.

For years the RoI team drew great crowds until the recession and the Trap borefest turned them away - the latter being more important I reckon. There are a whole host of reasons, many outside its control, why the LOI doesn't draw big crowds. You can't just say the potential support base should just turn up out of some sense of local duty.

I wasn't embarrassed at all by the Irish fans.

1969.

The last time we were beaten by a four goal margin in a competitive match.

I suppose that's worth singing about.

ah get over yourself. We lost to a side that will go down in history. We should have all booed and thrown chairs around town instead. Would that have made you happier?

No, I didn't say that.

An unease with the idea of singing after a series of embarrassing defeats does not mean that one desires the opposite extreme.

The Polish fans were also in fine voice during the tournament from what I could hear. In fact, they feel so strongly about their team that they're willing to fight for it, great spirit, heart and pride. Best fans in the world.

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Originally Posted by Predator

An unease with the idea of singing after a series of embarrassing defeats does not mean that one desires the opposite extreme.

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Exactly

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Originally Posted by brine3

No, I didn't say that.

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So you'd have preferred if we just stayed quiet then. It's hard to know exactly what you are saying, other than you seem to be sneering at the thought of supporters singing during / after a bad defeat

As said often enough here, I don't think anyone was anything other than bitterly disappointed by the outcome of that game.

The fans were there to support their team and have a good holiday in Poland at the same time. I honestly don't see the problem with that. The players themselves said that the support made them even more determined to get something out of game 3.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

The players themselves said that the support made them even more determined to get something out of game 3.

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Lip service. I would expect them to be fully determined whether the fans sang or not.

He's saying fans can show respectful support through the pain of difficult circumstances. Like every other countries fans did who went out, you might not understand it but tears and sadness is in itself showing great support. It shows how much the team and the occasion means to you and that you share the players sense of importance in the outcome.

The scenes I've seen from our fans are what I'd liken to what I saw during the Ireland Rugby teams trip to the US a couple of years ago. The match was in a college stadium and the majority of attendants were from the local university. People who had never seen a rugby game before and didn't know the slightest thing of the rules but yet were interested in the occasion and the event. They were just happy to be there and enjoyed the day. They sang when their team did something well, when they conceded, when the ref gave them a decision etc. Singing and jeering out of irony a lot of the time and you could tell the match itself didn't mean the slightest thing to them, but the occasion was everything and they made sure to enjoy it.
Much nicer type of fans in opposition then say mouthy kiwis who the occasion means nothing and the result everything but I know which set of supporters I'd much rather for my country.