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I don't think any online forum is representative, to be honest. We're the people with a greater interest in the specific goings-on of Irish football, but we're the minority.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fly
As for foot.ie, there are many more threads in this forum bumped every day than in the LOI forums and the bigger threads have greater participation than anything the LOI forum could muster. Which is not surprising given the relative levels of interest in Ireland.
I'm going off on tangent now but I would suggest that certain club forums may be representative to a degree given the stronger and more consistent level of interest in the club game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
I'll have to take your word for that given the reasons outlined in my previous post. Thanks for info though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
I'd say they're still pretty specific. I think if you're going to get an accurate gauge of how people feel, you have to go out of forums. Much as I'm loath to admit it, Paul O'Shea has a point when he says the opinions on here aren't consistent with the fan at the matches. Any forum is liable to fall into a form of groupthink, and when you have ultra-charismatic figures like myself and geysir around well people are bound to be influenced by our superior opinions.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fly
For instance, the eligibility thread is probably the biggest thread on this forum, but I wager it's not an important consideration to the majority of Irish football fans - they just want the best footballers around playing for Ireland, whether it's Curtis Davies or Mark Noble or Seamus Coleman. In foot.ie's case, I'd say we have a fairly even split of domestic fans, Irish-based fans with no affiliation to an Irish club, and ex-pats.
Likewise, the consensus on here for some time has been that Delaney is a waster, and that's a common opinion around the country, but it's only recently it's been an issue for YBIG, and I'd say the greater quantity of Irish football fans who don't post on forums would have a more favourable opinion of him because he has a little bit of charisma and is a country boy come good. Add to that the much less appreciated aspect that the power and influence in Irish football is disproportionately represented in areas where the sport isn't actually particularly popular - the same areas that tend to get the benefit of grants and FAI funding - you can see why he has the power he does.
What Fly & Chuck? They are two people AFAIK...Quote:
Originally Posted by bennocelt
:rolleyes:
I was at a concert in my daughter's school on Thursday night. She's new there and I don't know many of the parents. I got talking to one guy and very quickly we both went off on a tangent, football related but more to do with football politics. It turned out he was part of Greg Dyke's commission into changing English football to be more advantageous for English players - you know, the EPL B teams to be entered into the lower leagues etc. I mentioned my idea of inviting some B teams into the LOI and he said it was something that was actually considered. We agreed that it was nice to meet someone else interested in talking about footbal beyond "my team's better than yours".Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Imaginative, though can see a few heads on here complaining...
EPL B teams in the LOI?Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Yep, it was something I mentioned here several months ago, around the time it was announced that the FA Commission recommended they play in the English League One or Two. A couple of the LOI fans here (bennocelt and Nigel?) thought it was a decent idea!
Anyway, a topic for another thread. I was just drawing a similarity between the type of thing we debate here and my conversation on Thursday - prompted by CD's comment above about "the specific goings on".
I did! Was I drunk?:confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
The FAI had considered inviting the 'B' teams of English Premier League clubs into the LOI or the FA had considered approaching the FAI about it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
More crucially though, whose team was better?
"Marginalising Protestant fans how exactly? Do you feel marginalised, Bonnie? Irish republicanism isn't anti-Protestant, nor is it pro-Catholic. It's an entirely secular ideology."
Irish republicanism and anti-Protestantism often go hand in hand, and are often times intrinsic, unfortunately.
There would be a lot of consternation if Jim Boyce was stupid enough to get caught singing The Sash or Billy Boys so all things equal...
Anthony Stokes got a lot of flak for his supposed sympathies but what do you call this?
Delaney's actions aren't that malicious but they are incredibly stupid considering his position as chief executive of the FAI, taking into account the well publicised behaviour of Celtic & Rangers fans when representing their clubs abroad and keeping in mind the Josip Simunic incident.
As for YBIG. They finally got mainstream attention because of the stupidity of the people that contribute to that forum, they finally got caught and they apologised. Hopefully they will finally implement some firmer moderation on that site. Some of the stuff people (including the mods) come out with on that forum would get them sued if they said it on Twitter. Hopefully it's a wake up call for them.
Hardly ever tbf in my experience. Most republicans aren't that ignorant.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Unlikely, given his club is Cliftonville? Though their few fans on here may tell us otherwise.Quote:
There would be a lot of consternation if Jim Boyce was stupid enough to get caught singing The Sash or Billy Boys so all things equal...
They really don't. There's not much that can be said in addition to that. Sure some people resort to terms such as "Papist" or "Prod" when referring to Republicans/Nationalists or Unionists/Loyalists but they aren't the majority and it's hardly often and rarely serious. I'm sure you think all Republicans are "Up the Ra-shouting Celtic tracksuit wearing idiots" and all Loyalists are Willy Frazer.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Of course they would. But Jim is not a moron.Quote:
There would be a lot of consternation if Jim Boyce was stupid enough to get caught singing The Sash or Billy Boys so all things equal...
Irrelevant. Was Ray Kennedy abusing Anthony?Quote:
Anthony Stokes got a lot of flak for his supposed sympathies but what do you call this?
This is the point, Delaney's actions were stupid. Nothing malicious was ever implied or inferred.Quote:
Delaney's actions aren't that malicious but they are incredibly stupid considering his position as chief executive of the FAI, taking into account the well publicised behaviour of Celtic & Rangers fans when representing their clubs abroad and keeping in mind the Josip Simunic incident.
Keeping in mind the Simunic incident I haven't seen how you can compare the two.
Have you managed to find maliciousness?
Ah sure, what would your experience or my experience or any other's experience matter, when TOWK can just make stuff up?Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
And the fact he's not a total idiot.Quote:
Unlikely, given his club is Cliftonville? Though their few fans on here may tell us otherwise.
Amen to that Bonnie.
Something is either intrinsic to another thing or it isn't, and anti-Protestantism is not intrinsic to Irish republicanism. [I have removed some of the more political content and posted it here instead as I suspect tets isn't too keen on seeing it in this thread.] Even if what you said above were actually true, it wouldn't make Delaney's singing of 'Joe McDonnell' an anti-Protestant gesture.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Godwin's law?... I think you're blowing things out of proportion a bit now.Quote:
Delaney's actions aren't that malicious but they are incredibly stupid considering his position as chief executive of the FAI, taking into account the well publicised behaviour of Celtic & Rangers fans when representing their clubs abroad and keeping in mind the Josip Simunic incident.
You're wasted on here Danny...
http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/201...with-john.html
Few thoughts on the whole story from the Scotland tickets allocation to now for anyone interested.
Good work as ever TC.
If we had not lost to Scotland, just how much of the content would have a different edge to it. Drums?
The balance of criticism of Delaney is getting bogged down in style, not substance which is much more important, add to that all the whining and a ton of scapegoating him for all the ills in irish football.
Just how a measly 3,000 or so tickets were distributed and not handled well overall, is an issue, but that's about all.
Delaney had a point, the FAI should have gotten more tickets for the FAI to distribute themselves for the one area in the grounds. The SFA went out of their way to prevent Irish supporters getting tickets and made sure the one single area populated by Irish fans was not very large and that whole attitude was personified by Strachan himself, who basically dictated that the SFA do everything in its power to prevent irish supporters getting tickets, and this was borne out by every action that followed.
Was that the worst treatment since Paris 1980 when fans were deliberately scattered around the ground to affect their impact? Just because it's the SFA's right to just offer less than the bare minimum cooperation, in no way excuses their attitude.
There is a standard by associations all over Europe to accommodate the visiting support. Even in the Europa league competition, on occasions when tickets are in high demand, you will see the visiting fans being treated generously with ticket allocations, time and time again.
Delaney use to be on top of these issues and also the superficial PR issues, but since he's got connected with that bimbo he's lost the plot and made poor decisions.
Nah, the SFA did right by their fans and restricted Ireland to their rightful allocation. I'd be disappointed if the roles were reversed and the FAI hadn't done the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
I think most would acknowledge that, but would be happy to let it slide for obvious reasons.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
I have to agree. Why should the FAI provide for the SFA extra tickets beyond the mandatory allocation simply because the SFA want more when thousands of Irish fans would gladly have them? Irish fans are the FAI's priority.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Nothing brings you fine chilly chaps together more than a non scandal.
It's actually fairly mild here tonight. Can't speak for Iceland though :oQuote:
Originally Posted by Crosby87
Except they didn't. At least double the official allocation got into the home sections.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Geysir's points stands (a good post. Sorry Fly!!!) whilst a good no. of Celts (& Alba fans) suggested we should have had the 7k away allocation that CP is set up to facilitate, all be it to accomodate our exact nemesis...
Stop standing up for JD lad :pQuote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
The SFA made sure the bloc of Irish fans was as small as they could make it, and the rest of the Irish fans were spread around the surrounding sections so they could be less effective as a unit. That's fair enough in my eyes. Again, I'd expect the FAI to do exactly the same and I'd be disappointed if they let Scotland have it their own way. Delaney's criticism and boycotting their dinner was pathetic.
Except I'm not even talking about JD. Just the SFA who're full of pish, as are the FAI and who'll be even less effective at stopping 20k Scots (or Poles) at getting into Lansdowne...
:(
The Scots and Poles will be entitled to, what, 2.5k tickets in Lansdowne? Would you be happy if the FAI gave them 5k off the bat in a closed-off section?Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
It's late and I'm far too tired to do anything about it right now, but suffice it to say anyone who's posted anything which goes against the rules I've posted in the last few days might want to delete or edit their posts before 3pm Sunday.
The clock is very much ticking gentleman and ladies
The Germans got 5k last time, plus another 1k or so dotted around the rest of the stadium. It's up to the Guards ultimately as they have to determine access and the like.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
And what rules have been broken now?
Well then the FAI let us down, again. Our major international games should be cordoned off for our supporters, regardless.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
Really? When we can barely fill the ground, on most occasions, with our own fans...
That's exactly why we should have kept Croke for most of the big games...almost unlimited space for away fans and far better access for all.
We fill the ground for big games, which is my point. I'd say we'd fill more games if they were better priced. That's not my point though - my point is not giving an advantage to the opposition team by allowing them to dictate allocation.
But they're not. Their fans will buy what they like via Ticketmaster...regardless.
There's only one imminent match which worries me like that and it's not Alba or Polska...
Except that goes against conventional wisdom, in terms of club and international football...
Slightly bizarre take on things here by Michael Walker
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/socc...2019304?page=1
Are calls for an AI team met with "something more than verbal abuse"? It depends who he asks I suppose, but I'd like to see that claim substantiated.
I personally have no appetite to share my football team with hard core loyalists, and nor do they want to share a team with me. And GR says it eloquently: why should his team be abolished?
Amongst NI fans, I think you might get a "wise up" or a "wind your neck in" at the height of it, because it's seen as a wind-up and not taken seriously. Amongst our own fans, some would have reservations, but many would also be cautiously open to the prospect, if not outright enthusiastic about it (ignoring the fact our team is already all-island representative). I don't think suggesting a single island team would provoke any significant degree of vitriol from either though. If, however, it somehow became a very realistic possibility and the NI team was facing abolition, I'd imagine NI fans growing significantly more agitated than our own fans and than they are about it now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Of course, they remain steadfastly against "footballing apartheid in Ireland", but only on their terms and so long as partition is retained... I'm not sure I'd have the appetite for it either, as romantic the notion of a single united team would be. But things can change and politics would have to lead the way in settling constitutional matters to the satisfaction of most people in Ireland (including the unionist minority in the north-east of the island) first.Quote:
I personally have no appetite to share my football team with hard core loyalists, and nor do they want to share a team with me.
Except you (& the rest of the island) already share teams in cricket, rugby, boxing, golf etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
As for whether any of the 4 Brit colonial soccer teams should exist, is purely down to the generosity of FIFA etc.
Only mentioned umpteen times on here previously...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ic/3189853.stmQuote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
[COLOR=#0066cc]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7401814.stm
[/COLOR]
Same event, same news service.
Pah, is that mere evidence? You'll need to come up with something better than that for TOWK.Quote:
Originally Posted by punkrocket
I understand hearsay and conjecture are kinds of evidence, would that suffice?Quote:
Originally Posted by DannyInvincible