Give Em The Old Razzle Dazzle

Was just looking at RTE's coverage of the Champion's League tonight featuring Liverpool and pondering how we could make the LOI 'sexy football'.

When you think about it, Sky, BBC and indeed RTE have perfected the art of elevating hum drum English league games into massive occasions, which are often followed by atrocious games, yet we tune in again week after week to more of the same.

Could you imagine if our own TV stations were to put similar efforts into building up the hype for LOI games, the effect that would have on attendances.

Shamrock Rovers seem to have cracked the 'razzle dazzle', which is being picked up on by the media, where something of a bandwagon is developing, with demand for tickets outstripping supply sometimes.

I'd love to see other LOI clubs doing the same in their own localities, which in itself would create greater pride in the local team, which hopefully would lead to similar bandwagons as Rovers'.

yep the razzle dazzle hooked me in! Well you see MNS giving it a go but i agree that theres definitley room for improvment i wish they could have a game on tv every weekend and make a big deal of it! it cant be that hard really??:confused:

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Originally Posted by wedwood

Was just looking at RTE's coverage of the Champion's League tonight featuring Liverpool and pondering how we could make the LOI 'sexy football'.

When you think about it, Sky, BBC and indeed RTE have perfected the art of elevating hum drum English league games into massive occasions, which are often followed by atrocious games, yet we tune in again week after week to more of the same.

Could you imagine if our own TV stations were to put similar efforts into building up the hype for LOI games, the effect that would have on attendances.

Shamrock Rovers seem to have cracked the 'razzle dazzle', which is being picked up on by the media, where something of a bandwagon is developing, with demand for tickets outstripping supply sometimes.

I'd love to see other LOI clubs doing the same in their own localities, which in itself would create greater pride in the local team, which hopefully would lead to similar bandwagons as Rovers'.

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I remember a few years ago someone writing an article on the hype surrounding the premiership. If memory serves me he said he would love to see a premier league match between two of the lower teams minus the sky hype and take away the 25,000 crowd, play it in a small stadium in front of 1,800 and then compare it with a top Eircom league game. He thought there would be little difference.
There is no doubt that the masters of hype,Sky, would make a game between 22 fleas sound like the event of the decade and get top viewing figures but when it comes to our LOI teams our national broadcaster looks upon coverage as more of a chore. Just watched six one news tonight on rte.ie to see our goals from last night. Not only was the editing of the goals atrocious but the VT lasted 43 seconds for the FOUR quarter finals, where as we had 52 seconds of the Liverpool and Arsenal lads having a bit if a kick about and then an aul chat with Rafa. I'm not counting the introduction in the timing which was far more on the CL.
On another note I applaude the work done by Shamrock Rovers this year with the support at games etc.

Was anyone mesmerised by Liverpool V Debrecen tonight? I bloody hope not.

Typical rubbish that we get shoved down our throat. It has neither all the Champions of Europe in it, nor is it a League. What is it then??

Yet RTEngland etc. will hype up this rubbish every year. A fecking group match between Liverpool and the Hungarian Champions?!? What a joke. It's all about the €€€€ with UEFA.

Give me a cold Friday night in United Park every time.

It is true Intenazionale of Milano and Barcelona of Barcelona was the match to show tonight, if a broadcaster only had one game to show.

But Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club reminded me of a LoI club tonight. And I recognise the heroic defeat, so villified by some commentators. Normal to me.
DVSC website (English)
http://www.dvsc.hu/helyek/eng/Lapok/defaulten.aspx

Debreceni Vasutasa Sport Club (please note 'Sport' and not 'Torna')
History of DVSC
http://www.dvsc.hu/helyek/eng/Lapok/tortonet.aspx
Obviously if Irish fans gave a toss they wouldn't refer to us as 'Debrecen'.

For me I identify with DVSC (English spelling) because they are from a nation that does not do well, and the individual club has broken trough to a preceived plateau, and that their first game 2-0 at home versus Kalmar (FF?) of sweden was a big deal to me, I didn't think a two-nil lead was big enough for the second leg.

DVSC (Magyars have a point of reducing the names of clubs to intials) remind me of LoI teams, so it's proper that the National Station may identify aswell.

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Originally Posted by HarpoJoyce

It is true Intenazionale of Milano and Barcelona of Barcelona was the match to show tonight, if a broadcaster only had one game to show.

But Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club reminded me of a LoI club tonight. And I recognise the heroic defeat, so villified by some commentators. Normal to me.
DVSC website (English)
http://www.dvsc.hu/helyek/eng/Lapok/defaulten.aspx

Debreceni Vasutasa Sport Club (please note 'Sport' and not 'Torna')
History of DVSC
http://www.dvsc.hu/helyek/eng/Lapok/tortonet.aspx
Obviously if Irish fans gave a toss they wouldn't refer to us as 'Debrecen'.

For me I identify with DVSC (English spelling) because they are from a nation that does not do well, and the individual club has broken trough to a preceived plateau, and that their first game 2-0 at home versus Kalmar (FF?) of sweden was a big deal to me, I didn't think a two-nil lead was big enough for the second leg.

DVSC (Magyars have a point of reducing the names of clubs to intials) remind me of LoI teams, so it's proper that the National Station may identify aswell.

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I was disgusted with Ronnie Whelan's comments that the Hungarian champions 'lowered' the standard of the Champion's League and lessened the competition.

He may as well been describing Bohs if they had qualified for the group stages, which is an insult to ordinary supporters who follow their local team.

As a license payer, I'm demanding RTE pay our national league proper respect (with respect to MNS) and stop pretending we're still part of the United Kingdom.

I want to be cheering an Irish team in the Champions League, not pretending we live in Liverpool, London or Manchester.

nobody except about 25,000 people in this country cares whether an irish team qualifies for the Champions League. Thats tragic.

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Originally Posted by wedwood

I was disgusted with Ronnie Whelan's comments that the Hungarian champions 'lowered' the standard of the Champion's League and lessened the competition.

He may as well been describing Bohs if they had qualified for the group stages, which is an insult to ordinary supporters who follow their local team.

As a license payer, I'm demanding RTE pay our national league proper respect (with respect to MNS) and stop pretending we're still part of the United Kingdom.

I want to be cheering an Irish team in the Champions League, not pretending we live in Liverpool, London or Manchester.

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Endorsed, but Whelan has been living in England most of his life and has embraced that nation`s contempt for "foreign" football clubs outside of the top eight. If it was Bohs, Rovers, Merthyr Tydfell, competing in the Champions League, they would be seen as one of their own and described as "plucky underdogs" with a special feature on some clown of a player pretending to deliver post or the manager selling sausages in the local butcher etc.

i watched it last night (pool and drogs fan) and i have to say debrecen were crap and drogs/shels/bohs/cork/derry of the last 5 years wouldve prob beaten them in a preliminary round(i think according to bert thingy on his co-efficient table they are around loi level).. but i was interested to see how they were dealt with by liverpool...(they were muck too)... debrecen relied on set peices and off scraps exactly how a loi team wouldve played

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Originally Posted by SkStu

nobody except about 25,000 people in this country cares whether an irish team qualifies for the Champions League. Thats tragic.

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25,000 Canadians care about Irish football?! that's not tragic at all!

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Originally Posted by mandrake

i watched it last night (pool and drogs fan) and i have to say debrecen were crap and drogs/shels/bohs/cork/derry of the last 5 years wouldve prob beaten them in a preliminary round(i think according to bert thingy on his co-efficient table they are around loi level).. but i was interested to see how they were dealt with by liverpool...(they were muck too)... debrecen relied on set peices and off scraps exactly how a loi team wouldve played

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I dispute this. Debrecen played a bit of football and had a few chances, particularly the striker at the end.

The media driven hype was that Liverpool were brock. No credit was given to the opposition for stopping them playing. They set themselves up tactically to stop the opposition and it was mostly successful.

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Originally Posted by wedwood

I was disgusted with Ronnie Whelan's comments that the Hungarian champions 'lowered' the standard of the Champion's League and lessened the competition.

He may as well been describing Bohs if they had qualified for the group stages.

I want to be cheering an Irish team in the Champions League.

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That would be the case most years, unfortunately not for our fans this year.

I wouldn't waste much time on Whelan's comments. Sky say the same. They love marketing and hype, and Debrecen offer neither. Ditto Urziceni and Kazan. For the good of football, they're welcome in it.

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Originally Posted by Redkenrover

I remember a few years ago someone writing an article on the hype surrounding the premiership. If memory serves me he said he would love to see a premier league match between two of the lower teams minus the sky hype and take away the 25,000 crowd, play it in a small stadium in front of 1,800 and then compare it with a top Eircom league game. He thought there would be little difference.
There is no doubt that the masters of hype,Sky, would make a game between 22 fleas sound like the event of the decade and get top viewing figures but when it comes to our LOI teams our national broadcaster looks upon coverage as more of a chore. Just watched six one news tonight on rte.ie to see our goals from last night. Not only was the editing of the goals atrocious but the VT lasted 43 seconds for the FOUR quarter finals, where as we had 52 seconds of the Liverpool and Arsenal lads having a bit if a kick about and then an aul chat with Rafa. I'm not counting the introduction in the timing which was far more on the CL.
On another note I applaude the work done by Shamrock Rovers this year with the support at games etc.

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What he said.
Full houses = Razzle Dazzle
Crap always seems better in a full house with a bit of passion coming from the stands. Easy to put the TV glossies and package around that sort of product. Until we start filling out our grounds then it will never look sexy.
How may Irish people would support a Liverpool playing in front of 2,500 each week in say a 15,000 capacity ground. The event junkies in this country couldnt possibly get a hit off that.

As for Ronnie Whelan and his dismissal of the Hungarian champions (and other so called little leagues) as lessening the competition. You would think he should know better, considering his brother was a stallwart of this league for years.

Just a quick question.

I think I read somewhere that the National Broadcaster in a country MUST show their country's team live in the Champions League Group/knock-out stages. Therefore, that would mean if a LOI team qualified for the Group stages, RTE on a Wednesday (or TV3 on a Tuesday) would have to show the LOI team. Is this true?

RTE/TV3 at the moment can pick whichever game they want, as there is no LOI team involved.

However, if a LOI team was involved, do you think RTE would role out Giles/Dunphy/Whelan to cover these games?

We are a funny breed of people the irish.
I know people who would draw the curtains if Rovers and Bohs were playing in their backyard (We all do I'm sure) but would sell their firstborn in order to watch Man U, Liverpool etc play in the champions league.

The sad fact is this:

We as a nation are hardwired from birth to think that foreign is better.
Its a vicious circle. People won't become interested in Irish football until matches attract 10,000 or more people.
We won't get those kind of crowds because, well, people won't come to matches!

An Irish team in the group stages of the champions league will not make one bit of difference. We'd be the Debrecen or Rubin Kazan of the time. Lowering the tone of the competition! And that would just be the opinion of the Irish!

Something that really annoys me about barstoolers; they will assert that the LOI is "League 1 standard or below", despite never having seen a League 1 or LOI match.

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Originally Posted by sonofstan

25,000 Canadians care about Irish football?! that's not tragic at all!

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you pr1ck! :D

I actually contemplated changing that before posting but decided that once im posting on an irish website i can take liberties with my location!! ;)

I was in Tallaght for the first time a few weeks ago and have to say I was very impressed by the set-up. It felt like a proper football ground and it was well organised - apart from the ticketing situation.

Inside it was also very good but one thing I felt made a huge difference was that there were proper floodlights. In most other LOI grounds they have the old floodlights which hardly light up the pitch properly let alone the stadium! Yet in Tallaght it was bright and comfortable and it really did make a difference. Dalymount is also well lit up but unfortunately the Connaught St side lets down the ground.

As regards RTE's coverage last night the lads didn't seem to grasp that Debrecen were there in place of the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Celtic and Anderlecht. To say that having the Champions of Hungary in there instead of the runners up in Portugal/Scotland/Belgium lessens the competition is simply wrong.

Not too sure but in my opinion the Fai cup semi finals will be a perfect oppertunity for RTE get people in LOI football .

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Originally Posted by Titan

We are a funny breed of people the irish.
I know people who would draw the curtains if Rovers and Bohs were playing in their backyard (We all do I'm sure) but would sell their firstborn in order to watch Man U, Liverpool etc play in the champions league.

The sad fact is this:

We as a nation are hardwired from birth to think that foreign is better.
Its a vicious circle. People won't become interested in Irish football until matches attract 10,000 or more people.
We won't get those kind of crowds because, well, people won't come to matches!

An Irish team in the group stages of the champions league will not make one bit of difference. We'd be the Debrecen or Rubin Kazan of the time. Lowering the tone of the competition! And that would just be the opinion of the Irish!

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agree with this but as someone who has been at Anfield, Old Trafford (among others) I would not swop it for one night in Dalymount Park. As anyone at the Bohs X1 V Liverpool X1 (and I dare say Shamrock Rovers V Real Madrid game) would vouch most of the punters just sat there waiting to be entertained. These people are not, and never will be football fans (no matter how many replica jerseys they buy). Unfortunately an Irish team qualifying for the group stage would be another day out for the "event junkies" embarassing this country by going along to support a foreign team (cheer leader = Bertie Ahern) against our own.

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Originally Posted by marinobohs

Unfortunately an Irish team qualifying for the group stage would be another day out for the "event junkies" embarassing this country by going along to support a foreign team (cheer leader = Bertie Ahern) against our own.

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I dont agre with this bit, althouh most of what you say is true.
IF an Irish team qualifies, and are drawn against english or scottish opposition, the resulting confusion of who "*we" as a nation should support would be highlighted in the media.
While it wouldnt quite be the will *we/ wont *we situation of the current Lisbon Treaty shambles I think it would create a healthy debate about the sheep like behaviour of barstoolers versus the enlightened fans of the League of Ireland.


Lastly, of the 11,900 people who went to the Rovers -Real game, I would approximate that 5,00 were actively there to cheer on Rovers while the rest were interested onlookers. The efforts of the Rovers fans to creata a decent atmsophere as opposed to a library-esque exhibition game has resulted in some of these people subsequently going to Rovers games.

* This we is Irish people as a whole as opposed to LOI fans

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Originally Posted by marinobohs

agree with this but as someone who has been at Anfield, Old Trafford (among others) I would not swop it for one night in Dalymount Park.

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Agreed!

The sheer tension of those last few minutes at Dalymount a few weeks back at the Bray game, and the amazing feeling that followed were a million times better than anything your average Big 4 supporter has experienced on his barstool. Sorry to use that example, but Bray have had precious little to cheer about this season!

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Not too sure but in my opinion the Fai cup semi finals will be a perfect oppertunity for RTE get people in LOI football .

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its there chance but i dont expect there'll be much hype to be honest its very sad. but if man utd U12 reserve team were playing rovers itd be all over the news!!

A question: do Shamrock Rovers do their own marketing or do they hire a company to do it?
The reason I ask is that some of their promotional work this season has really been top notch (the LUAS ads especially), and I find it hard to believe that a professional company isn't involved.

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Originally Posted by brianw82

A question: do Shamrock Rovers do their own marketing or do they hire a company to do it?
The reason I ask is that some of their promotional work this season has really been top notch (the LUAS ads especially), and I find it hard to believe that a professional company isn't involved.

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It's all done in house. One of the directors works in marketing I think and one of the members is a top notch graphic designer who does all the promotional ads and branding design.

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Originally Posted by HulaHoop

It's all done in house. One of the directors works in marketing I think and one of the members is a top notch graphic designer who does all the promotional ads and branding design.

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Correct

Just after watching Cliftonville thump Linfield 4 nil on Sky Sports and I must say there is something appealing about watching a live game on Sky Sports rather than RTE, TG4 or TV3.
It's much better hyped, bigger names in commentary (Gerry Armstrong) and analysis (Keith Gillespie and Steve Lomas).

Also have to commend the Cliftonville fans, the atmosphere was cracking and the microphones were placed in suitable positions to pick it up too, came across really well on TV.

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Originally Posted by Sam_Heggy

Also have to commend the Cliftonville fans, the atmosphere was cracking and the microphones were placed in suitable positions to pick it up too, came across really well on TV.

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I was also going to post that. :D

Although even with the older stand practically empty the camera crews always seemed to be able to keep the empty spaces out of camera shot.

The two stands behind each goal were full and as sam-heggy said the boom mikes were well positioned to pick-up all the singing etc,


Looking even more forward to playing Linfield on sat week now as they were brutal. :D

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Originally Posted by Candystripe

I was also going to post that. :D

Although even with the older stand practically empty the camera crews always seemed to be able to keep the empty spaces out of camera shot.

The two stands behind each goal were full and as sam-heggy said the boom mikes were well positioned to pick-up all the singing etc,


Looking even more forward to playing Linfield on sat week now as they were brutal. :D

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Have to say if Linfield continue like that, DJ might come under pressure for the first time.
Also Kev is only half the player he was at Harps, obviously not happy in Belshaft.