Setanta Cup Round 3

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Originally Posted by inchicore_saint

Didn't hear any sectarian singing or chants from Pats fans can someone please tell me exactly what was sung that was sectarian.Heard some local hoods sing up the IRA a few times but that is political.

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What makes a song/chant sectarian is the context of where, when and to whom it is directed. There were songs and chants from both sides that imo were clearly being used in a sectarian manner. It is not unique to Linfield or St. Pats and indeed my own club suffer from it from time to time. Linfield, like many IL clubs have made massive strides in dealing with and minimising the problem at games and should be congratulated for the progress they have made. When the FAI is next re-examining is Uefa 10 point strategy, maybe it could ensure they deal with this issue as much as they deal with the racist one.

I was at the game last night and didn't hear any Pats sectarian chants. That doesn't necessarily mean they didn't happen, just that I couldn't hear them from my seat in the main stand. On the other hand, I could hear the Linfield fans loud and clear. What stood out for me was that they were well organised and appeared to all join in; good supporters IMO.

Clearly Rule Britannia and GSTQ wouldn't be my cup of tea, but they are Linfield fans from Belfast, and I don't have a problem with them singing these songs in Dublin, the Brandy or anywhere else. I was in Windsor two years ago and they sang almost exactly the same repertoire at home. (it would be a different matter if they were singing the Billy Boys, or something similar).

I thought the game was a good one, though I thought it was heading for a 1-1 draw when Pats failed to put away so many chances.

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Originally Posted by inchicore_saint

Didn't hear any sectarian singing or chants from Pats fans can someone please tell me exactly what was sung that was sectarian.Heard some local hoods sing up the IRA a few times but that is political.

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The IRA being political and non-sectarian ? You forgot the smilie at the end of that post mucker.....:rolleyes:

If the IRA were 'political' then tell me why they needed a separate organisation - Sinn Fein - when they entered the political arena ?

I don't think I've felt this sorry for a poster on here in ages.....:o

Interesting to see that the Independent (tabloid version) had bloody pictures on the front & the back page but small match report buried severals pages from the back of the sports section. :rolleyes:

I am guessing this blown out of proportion? Was there fighting between sets of fans? Indo report makes it sound like was a full scale riot.

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Originally Posted by pete

Interesting to see that the Independent (tabloid version) had bloody pictures on the front & the back page but small match report buried severals pages from the back of the sports section. :rolleyes:

I am guessing this blown out of proportion? Was there fighting between sets of fans? Indo report makes it sound like was a full scale riot.

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I bought the Indo this morning and to be honest, if anybody looked at the 'story' with any kind of objectivity you could only come to the conclusion that a few ****ed up lads had a bit of aggro. Nothing more than you might see on an average Saturday night in Inchicore anyway.

They (Indo) have 7 pictures from the match. None of them have any football in them. One of them with Tardelli (hero!) sitting in his seat. Two of them are the same (front page and back page!!), one on the inside of some fool wearing a Queen Elizabeth mask (why?) and the last on the back page is of the fella that they've already two of the same pictures printed only in a different position.

In fact looking at it more closely, the lad beside the one being dragged out looks like he's the one in the other picture with two Gardai kneeling on him (printed twice). Front AND back pages of the Indo for two idiots having a row and it's the Gardai that spill the blood.

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Originally Posted by CharlesThompson

I bought the Indo this morning

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Mistake number 1.

First thing non-LOI fans said to me in the office this morning was about Linfield fans. No one mentioned Pats & glancing through the report might actually miss what team Linfield were playing. Of course this kicked off a whole debate about how football support is violent worldwide as opposed to GAA, rugby etc... Events seemed like non-event to me but I was not there so don't really know.

First of all the football - I thought Pats were superb (OK finishing was poor) but they played the game at a different pace to Linfield and were a different class. It was one of the best performances I've ever seen from an EL side.

The sectarian chanting was a disgrace and clearly audible in the mian stan dfor much of the game. Certainly some of them at least had Pats colours and the club has to stamp that out. It was also evident at the Glentoran game. Linfield fans did sing the Sash at the end which could also be deemed sectarian. That was the only sectarian song I heard from that end.

I think the trouble was overblown. I witnessed the guards giving 2 Linfield fans a beating just inside the main gate on the Pats side of the security fence. One was the guy with the bloody face all over the papers. I didn't see what they did to warrant it. It could have kicked off as 4-5 Linfield fans were pulling at the fence before being pulled away by their own fans.

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Originally Posted by pete

Was there fighting between sets of fans?

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Absolutely none. I wasn't even aware of any trouble until I got home last night. certainly a bit of tension in the air and obviously a few idiots singing sectarian songs, but absolutely no trouble.

There was no way there could've been trouble after the game (between fans) as we were clearly segregated (with a no mans land on either side of Linfield), and Pats fans kept back for 20+ minutes

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Originally Posted by gspain

The sectarian chanting was a disgrace and clearly audible in the mian stan dfor much of the game. Certainly some of them at least had Pats colours and the club has to stamp that out. It was also evident at the Glentoran game.

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Absolutely. These children were far more interested in winding up Linfield than watching the match. Celtic scarves and jerseys, "Who let the Huns out", "Go Home Huns", the modified Fields of Athenry, "Gerry Adams" :eek:, "Ian Paisley is a ******" (maybe they meant Stephen Paisley :confused:).

Nothing wrong with tricolours but how come they won't bring these flags to the Cobh game (if they turn up). Linfield did their bit as well but saying "They're just as bad" is just about the worst excuse for this type of behaviour.

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Originally Posted by inchicore_saint

Didn't hear any sectarian singing or chants from Pats fans can someone please tell me exactly what was sung that was sectarian.Heard some local hoods sing up the IRA a few times but that is political.

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Yes, these young folk clearly have shrewd political minds - "We're from Ireland we're better than you". Eire 26:confused:

'The I, the I, the IRA!' was clearly audible on Setanta last night at various times during the second half. It seemed like a poor enough crowd too on the TV. That is two reasons right there why I think an AIL should not happen at the moment. We don't need more excuses for trouble at games and I don't see it having that much of a change in attendances...

Any publicity is good publicity. Bring it on. What we need is a good few riots. Thats what it takes to make the front page. :)

Hold on lads I never said I agreed with the local hoods chanting up the IRA.Theese lads have no brains,as another poster pointed out they also sang "were from Ireland and were better then you".The point I am making is the word sectarian is used to loosely like a few drunk Linfield fans who clashed with the Gards because they refused to be searched was described by the media as sectarian trouble.

http://stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=2196

ST PATS THANKS FANS FOR PATIENCE & CO-OPERATION AT SETANTA CUP
Last night St Patrick’s Athletic hosted over 800 travelling Linfield fans to Richmond Park. This travelling fan base, one of the largest to visit Richmond Park in recent years behaved impeccably over the night and gave their team great support.

One incident where two Linfield fans were ejected from the ground following a scuffle with gardai was captured by the press and the resulting images shown in the national media may have given the impression of more widespread trouble occurring at the match which was simply not the case. The match night arrangements ensured that fans were successfully segregated at the game itself and also when leaving the stadium.

While St Pat’s fans were maintained in the ground Linfield fans were escorted directly to their buses. A small group of Dublin youths did appear in the area as the match finished, these were not supporters of the club and had not attended the game. With the home support being kept in the ground and the street outside the ground clear this group was easily identifiable to the gardai and were ordered to move on. One of this group was subsequently arrested for criminal damage to a wing mirror of a car. No further arrests or instances of match-related trouble are understood to have been reported to the gardai in the area.

St Patrick’s Atletic Football Club would like to thank both sets of fans for their patience and co-operation as well as our match night security teams and local gardai for their excellent work on the night.

Do the guards have a duty to arrest those making the sectarian chants. If the numbers are small even dragging a few lads out would send a message to the rest?

So the conclusion is that Linfield fans were fighting with the Gardai? This was before the match started? Assuming these were on official transport I presume they will be banned by Linfield?

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Originally Posted by pete

Do the guards have a duty to arrest those making the sectarian chants. If the numbers are small even dragging a few lads out would send a message to the rest?

So the conclusion is that Linfield fans were fighting with the Gardai? This was before the match started? Assuming these were on official transport I presume they will be banned by Linfield?

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I've been told the trouble kicked off because the two lads were pointed out as troublemakers by Linfield stewards.

If that's true then they're probably already banned.

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Originally Posted by pete

Of course this kicked off a whole debate about how football support is violent worldwide as opposed to GAA

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That's because GAA rules restrict violence to those on the pitch. :D

I wasn't surprised at a few little scumbags using the match as an ocassion to shout sectarian chants, it shows their serious lack of education. I was more surprised that the Gardai and stewards didn't at least move them further away from the Linfield section and back down to the shed. They went to the trouble of ejecting a supporter for letting off a flare.

I thought Linfield's fans were excellent. I didn't notice any sectarian chants until they were goaded by the scumbags in the second half.

As for Linfield's on-field performance, I can only assume that wasn't their strongest team. That was probably the worst performance I've seen by a visiting team in Richmond in many years, even some of the non-league teams we've played in the cup made for tougher opponents than that.

Main thing last night was the display Pats put on. Fahey is a real gem and his passing ability coupled with his vision has him top of the tree in the LOI at the minute.
Quigley and O'Neill caused real problems all night, if Quigley was at our club I would be so frustrated though, he has such ability, pace and power but his finishing is poor. He should have scored 4/5 against Harps on friday night and could have had a few last night too.
O'Ceiruill looks class at the back, tbh I thought when he signed he could be too big headed and not show the hunger for Pats but he has really been impressive imo.
Mannus in Linfield goal looked good (apart from his kicking which was dodgy at best). Gault was destroyed all night by Quigley and O'Neill.
Well done Pats, I really enjoyed the game, forget about the fact 6 people were arrested, it could happen anywhere, if it was 60 people I would be worried, best to talk about the football.

Watching Quigley for Pats is like watching Robbie Keane for Ireland.Both players have so much ability but sometimes their finishing lets them down.

Don't forget Quigley's only young. He will definitely improve and in fairness his finishing is normally fine

Nice statement by the club

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Originally Posted by Raheny Red

Was probably the minority but Setanta could have moved their audio equipment away from where the chants were coming from.

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Setanta surely don't have any obigation to censor what we hear crowds singing at grounds. Let them embarress themselves, it might help in the long run.

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Originally Posted by rebelarmyexile

Linfield fans better behaved during match in my opinion (when it comes to chants i find Rule Britannia or God Save Our Queen far less offensive than chants about terrorists).

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Originally Posted by crc

Clearly Rule Britannia and GSTQ wouldn't be my cup of tea, but they are Linfield fans from Belfast, and I don't have a problem with them singing these songs in Dublin, the Brandy or anywhere else.

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Exactly. Some people seem to go out of their way to get offended these days.

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Originally Posted by pete

I am guessing this blown out of proportion? Was there fighting between sets of fans? Indo report makes it sound like was a full scale riot.

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Undoubtedly.