Is Foot.ie just becoming a talking shop?

**NeilMcD** · 09/06/2009, 12:19 AM

I hope this is not deleted as I am not having a go at anyone but there was a time when the fans forum on foot.ie in the Ireland section was vibrant. You had people arranging flags and buses for away trips and various other things. It seems to me now that the Ireland section has just become a talking shop and a discussion board for the merits of Stephen Ireland or Kilbane at left back or the tactics of Trap. All that is fine and I contribute towards that but I certainly think that in relation relation to the Fans forum aspect of thing YBIG has stolen a march and the fans forum bit here has become nearly redundant. Any thoughts and again I am not having a go at anyone.

**Claret Murph** · 09/06/2009, 6:35 AM

YBIG has taken over as simple as that Neil ..............

**theworm2345** · 09/06/2009, 6:56 AM

Originally Posted by Claret Murph

YBIG has taken over as simple as that Neil ..............

Except YBIG has turned to **** with all the new members (no offense Count

). It used to be good craic because there were sort of inside jokes and the like. foot.ie is good but its different. This is the place to go to for information on Irish footy, whether its a link to watch a match, the latest on someone's injury, historical stats (though Donal at YBIG had a penchant for that as well), or anything. YBIG has/had the more personal effect to it, the Sofia and Bari t-shirts, the 12th man jersey (one of which I got free for making the 100,000th post on YBIG, something you won't see here), travel guides, the fanzine, etc. Hell I've been here over three years and I still don't know most the people who post on here's mannerisms, etc. and I'm sure its the same vice versa (well maybe I'm the David Connolly guy to many...a distinction I wear with pride).

**paul_oshea** · 09/06/2009, 8:13 AM

The YBIG thing are more about meetups and organising things and having the craic on away trips etc, a fanzine. Foot.ie is really what people use who want to converse on all things, not just football, but the Ireland section is for those, many of whom are abroad, like to discuss all things related to the Irish international team. Not a lot seem to go to away matches but use it as a home-from-home place where they share a common interest and a form of escapism from the place in which they have inhabited away from home.

But I see your point Neil and I'd agree, assuming its the fans forum section you are only referring too.

**John83** · 09/06/2009, 8:48 AM

Originally Posted by theworm2345

...the 12th man jersey (one of which I got free for making the 100,000th post on YBIG, something you won't see here)...

That's not entirely fair. Dahamsta stumps up for a prize for post of the year.

...the fanzine...

A fanzine from a group here launched at the same time as YBIG. It didn't have the kind of sponsorship they did and consequently the production values or the distribution network, and was quietly shelved. For all their contributions to fan culture, I don't think YBIG have ever run an article that got them into the kind of trouble with the FAI that the Don Givens article from that fanzine did.

**Ash** · 09/06/2009, 1:02 PM

Originally Posted by John83

A fanzine from a group here launched at the same time as YBIG. It didn't have the kind of sponsorship they did and consequently the production values or the distribution network, and was quietly shelved. For all their contributions to fan culture, I don't think YBIG have ever run an article that got them into the kind of trouble with the FAI that the Don Givens article from that fanzine did.

Wasnt that The Geneisis Reporter ... came out the same day as the 1st YBIG
as far as I remember. Content was good but the printing was shocking, looked
like a botched photocopy job where as YBIG was championed by The Star I
think and looked like a proper mag.

**pineapple stu** · 09/06/2009, 2:08 PM

Yeah, that's the one. Twas photocopied by Troy McClure, who used to be on here. I think it stirred YBIG into action, so something good came out of it!

**Sono_il_capo** · 09/06/2009, 6:09 PM

YBIG is just a better site with better discussions about everything and anything end of.

Great bunch of lads on there too with some great banter.

Worm - You have a poxy attitude problem.

**dahamsta** · 10/06/2009, 9:29 AM

Sono_il_capo, if you can't have a conversation without getting personal, don't join in.

If there's anything we can do to improve the Fan's Forum, then let us know, via here, the mods, or me. If it's gone off topic then we can push it back, if we need to change something then we can change it, if we need to add something then we can look at that. Don't be passive, be active.

John83, at this stage I think we're up to 1 jersey, 3 tshirts and various other odds and sods on the fly, per year. We just don't make a big deal of it.

adam

**Sligo Hornet** · 10/06/2009, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Sono_il_capo

YBIG is just a better site with better discussions about everything and anything end of.

Great bunch of lads on there too with some great banter.

Worm - You have a poxy attitude problem.

Sono......don't be turning Neil's "Talking Shop" into a "Knocking Shop"

**tetsujin1979** · 10/06/2009, 12:26 PM

I see a lot of comments on ybig along the lines of "not like that shower on foot.ie"
Don't see similar comments about ybig here

As for better banter, there's little moderation on ybig, which has its positive and negative sides

**Junior** · 10/06/2009, 2:21 PM

Do many people use ybig? I very rarely go on there but have just viewed a bit more in the last few weeks, rarely does there seem to be more than a dozen or so viewing the Republic of Ireland forum????

**Kingdom** · 10/06/2009, 2:32 PM

I'd refer to ybig as being more clubby/matey than foot.ie

I'm on the other site occasionally, but this is still my reference point for all things informative.

While there are a number of good posters on YBIG, there is nothing to equal the posts of Tets, Stuttgart and occasionally Eirebhoy (

) here, as I find when reading their posts that my head is nodding more than one of those dashboard dog toys.

Both sites have their merits, I love the fanzine myself, but the constant references to foot.ie does wear thin on me I have to say.

**Sligo Hornet** · 10/06/2009, 2:40 PM

Originally Posted by Kingdom

I'd refer to ybig as being more clubby/matey than foot.ie

I'm on the other site occasionally, but this is still my reference point for all things informative.

While there are a number of good posters on YBIG, there is nothing to equal the posts of Tets, Stuttgart and occasionally Eirebhoy (

) here, as I find when reading their posts that my head is nodding more than one of those dashboard dog toys.

Both sites have their merits, I love the fanzine myself, but the constant references to foot.ie does wear thin on me I have to say.

That may be fuelled by a few who were "red carded" from here

**eaststand85** · 10/06/2009, 3:24 PM

Originally Posted by Kingdom

I'd refer to ybig as being more clubby/matey than foot.ie

I'm on the other site occasionally, but this is still my reference point for all things informative.

While there are a number of good posters on YBIG, there is nothing to equal the posts of Tets, Stuttgart and occasionally Eirebhoy (

) here, as I find when reading their posts that my head is nodding more than one of those dashboard dog toys.

Both sites have their merits, I love the fanzine myself, but the constant references to foot.ie does wear thin on me I have to say.

Agree with that Kingdom, personally I find the discussion on foot.ie more informative (the foot.ie Sofia thread had a lot more about the various flight and accommodation options available for example in my opinion) and the posters more open to debate (generally!), whereas some of the posters on ybig seems to be more concerned with promoting their 'brand' than anything else (via flags, tshirts etc.).

To return to the original question posed by NeilMcD, maybe foot.ie is more of a talking shop but that's why I prefer it because I think it's what a forum should be.

**Sligo Hornet** · 10/06/2009, 3:29 PM

Originally Posted by eaststand85

Agree with that Kingdom, personally I find the discussion on foot.ie more informative (the foot.ie Sofia thread had a lot more about the various flight and accommodation options available for example in my opinion) and the posters more open to debate (generally!), whereas some of the posters on ybig seems to be more concerned with promoting their 'brand' than anything else (via flags, tshirts etc.).

To return to the original question posed by NeilMcD, maybe foot.ie is more of a talking shop but that's why I prefer it because I think it's what a forum should be.

Well said........STAND UP for what you believe in

**paul_oshea** · 10/06/2009, 3:31 PM

Stand up, sorry im lys dexic, sit down for the boys in green

**dahamsta** · 10/06/2009, 3:39 PM

Out of curiousity, is the problem with the Fans Forum in particular or the site in general? Some of the comments in the thread seem to suggest that the Fans Forum has kind of gone off-topic, i.e. discussions there are about football, rather than fans -- with all the associated stuff like banners, displays, meetups, etc. If that's the only problem, surely all that's needed is an adjustment in moderation?