Rugby now more popular than football AND GAA?!

[Noelys Guitar]

Don't read it then.

I read every thread. And comment on most. Why not have a Jedward thread as you seem to be suggesting if its Irish and succesful then great. This thread is nonsense 2 days before a huge game for the Irish football team. This is a football thread not a Rubgy/Gaa thread. If you want to to comment on these games then go to the other games threads. Get this off the football thread. I don't care what ROG/POG have done/will do/have ever done. Not interested. If I was i would go on a Rugger/GAA specific site. Not waste my time on a (fan slipping!) football site.

[SilkCut]

I read every thread. And comment on most. Why not have a Jedward thread as you seem to be suggesting if its Irish and succesful then great. This thread is nonsense 2 days before a huge game for the Irish football team. This is a football thread not a Rubgy/Gaa thread. If you want to to comment on these games then go to the other games threads. Get this off the football thread. I don't care what ROG/POG have done/will do/have ever done. Not interested. If I was i would go on a Rugger/GAA specific site. Not waste my time on a (fan slipping!) football site.

???????
What's Jedward?
Im Irish, If its Irish and its successful I am quite justifiably proud of it and consider it great.
How is discussing the popularity and structure of Football v's other sports not a football thread?
Are you God? Must everyone bend to your will and submit to your every desire? There has been quite a valid discussion about football on this thread, now I admit it appears to have gone off topic - helped by you incidently - but we all have a right to discuss the topic of the popularity of our favourite sport (football incidently) and the challenges it faces. There are plenty of threads relating to the France game on this forum, so please feel free to contribute something positive to those threads as opposed to wasting your time reading something which you find offensive and then contributing nothing. Alternatively help get the thread back on topic.

[Noelys Guitar]

???????
What's Jedward?
Im Irish, If its Irish and its successful I am quite justifiably proud of it and consider it great.
How is discussing the popularity and structure of Football v's other sports not a football thread?
Are you God? Must everyone bend to your will and submit to your every desire? There has been quite a valid discussion about football on this thread, now I admit it appears to have gone off topic - helped by you incidently - but we all have a right to discuss the topic of the popularity of our favourite sport (football incidently) and the challenges it faces. There are plenty of threads relating to the France game on this forum, so please feel free to contribute something positive to those threads as opposed to wasting your time reading something which you find offensive and then contributing nothing. Alternatively help get the thread back on topic.

Yes I am God. And I would like this Rugby thread moved. How about that. No water into wine or bread & fishes stuff.

[SilkCut]

Yes I am God. And I would like this Rugby thread moved. How about that. No water into wine or bread & fishes stuff.

Best move it so. Don't want God spitting his dummy. Especially before the most important game in our history.

[Noelys Guitar]

Best move it so. Don't want God spitting his dummy. Especially before the most important game in our history.

Oggy, Oggy , Oggy. aye Aye aye. Ging gang gooly gooly gooly gooly ging gang. ging gang goo. Ging gang goo. I'm sorry Silkcut but there is something Stewie Griffin about Irish Rugby.

[Hibernian]

I dont give a sh*te if Brian O Driscoll arse is considered ****ing arse of the century I dont give a sh*t if some kid does not know his Zinedne Zidane from his Kevin Kilbane what we should all be worried about is how the **** we are going make Croke Park the noisiest and most colourful stadium the world will ever see at 8pm this Saturday.

I play Rugby used play GAA and Fooball too im into all sports im patrotic to the hilt in any sport. Thats me im a sportsman. But football has always been nationally my first love right with my county GAA team.

Anyway all I know is that there going be 80,000 of us in that stadium ready to sing cheer and do anything we can to make sure or boys can make it to the world cup

Let the fooking sugar daddys read there Irish times all they like we just concentrate on getting the job done not what some kid knows or does not know.

[SilkCut]

Oggy, Oggy , Oggy. aye Aye aye. Ging gang gooly gooly gooly gooly ging gang. ging gang goo. Ging gang goo. I'm sorry Silkcut but there is something Stewie Griffin about Irish Rugby.

Ha Ha mate thats your opinion and you know what thats fine, I respect it, thats what these forums are for, this is why this is the only site I post on almost all posters are respectful and intelligent. Don't get me wrong Football is my favourite sport, so much so that I am flying home on Sunday in the hope of being in Paris on Wednesday. However living abroad makes one fiercely proud of being Irish, and everything the rugby teams have done justify that pride. It saddens me to think that people are so opposed to restructuring Irish, Scottish and Welsh football into something similar to the Magners League despite seeing how well it has worked for Rugby. It would never be La Liga or the Premier League but it has to be better than the shambolic leagues that currently exist, clubs with no money, young players having to move abroad, stadiums falling apart and now Derry being forced to pay secondary contracts to survive. Even Rangers (horrible as they are) look like they are in serious strife and the EPL have said no to allowing them and Celtic join their league. Something has to be done or the reality is that football in Ireland, Scotland and Wales will suffer irrepreble damage and Sports like Rugby will take its best players. All you have to do is look at Rugby League since Rugby went pro, its dying a slow painful death, I don't want that to happen to our domestic game (It will never happen globally). Thats the point of this thread IMO, to highlight an important change, and to get people talking about the changes required to save our beloved game in our own country.

[Noelys Guitar]

I dont give a sh*te if Brian O Driscoll arse is considered ****ing arse of the century I dont give a sh*t if some kid does not know his Zinedne Zidane from his Kevin Kilbane what we should all be worried about is how the **** we are going make Croke Park the noisiest and most colourful stadium the world will ever see at 8pm this Saturday.

I play Rugby used play GAA and Fooball too im into all sports im patrotic to the hilt in any sport. Thats me im a sportsman. But football has always been nationally my first love right with my county GAA team.

Anyway all I know is that there going be 80,000 of us in that stadium ready to sing cheer and do anything we can to make sure or boys can make it to the world cup

Let the fooking sugar daddys read there Irish times all they like we just concentrate on getting the job done not what some kid knows or does not know.

I played all three. And at a reasonably high level. But to have (not you who I respect Hibernian) people trying to suggest that rugby is the number one Irish sport is laughable. And by the way How many 'soccer' players suggested Irish people invest in bizarre schemes in Bulgaria, Dubai, etc. None I would guess.

[Noelys Guitar]

Ha Ha mate thats your opinion and you know what thats fine, I respect it, thats what these forums are for, this is why this is the only site I post on almost all posters are respectful and intelligent. Don't get me wrong Football is my favourite sport, so much so that I am flying home on Sunday in the hope of being in Paris on Wednesday. However living abroad makes one fiercely proud of being Irish, and everything the rugby teams have done justify that pride. It saddens me to think that people are so opposed to restructuring Irish, Scottish and Welsh football into something similar to the Magners League despite seeing how well it has worked for Rugby. It would never be La Liga or the Premier League but it has to be better than the shambolic leagues that currently exist, clubs with no money, young players having to move abroad, stadiums falling apart and now Derry being forced to pay secondary contracts to survive. Even Rangers (horrible as they are) look like they are in serious strife and the EPL have said no to allowing them and Celtic join their league. Something has to be done or the reality is that football in Ireland, Scotland and Wales will suffer irrepreble damage and Sports like Rugby will take its best players. All you have to do is look at Rugby League since Rugby went pro, its dying a slow painful death, I don't want that to happen to our domestic game (It will never happen globally). Thats the point of this thread IMO, to highlight an important change, and to get people talking about the changes required to save our beloved game in our own country.

Good Stuff Silkcut. I owe you a pint. And lets hope we have it in Durban!

[mypost]

Biggest load of crap I've read in a long time.



Here's 65,000 munster fans traveling abroad to watch their team.



And the ones that didnt....

"a few hundred hardy snobs" my arse.

And there was me talking about International rugby.

[old git]

And there was me talking about International rugby.

ireland v australia rugby in croke park today ... 70,000 plus fans at match could have foo led me atmosphere is terrible ( sounds like stadium half full) even commetators have mentioned it 3-4 times the lack of support for team ... do the great /wonderfull fans only cheer / sing when they are winning... compared to atsmosphere last night when fans were magnificent backing an irish soccer team ..

[paul_oshea]

atmosphere was class alright. Croker is a night stadium.

Never stopped singing.

[elroy]

atmosphere was class alright. Croker is a night stadium.

Never stopped singing.

Was very good last night and having watched the game back on tv as well, it did come across very well on tv. The anthem sounded unreal. Its just a shame we couldnt swap the results.

[Jinxy]

ireland v australia rugby in croke park today ... 70,000 plus fans at match could have foo led me atmosphere is terrible ( sounds like stadium half full) even commetators have mentioned it 3-4 times the lack of support for team ... do the great /wonderfull fans only cheer / sing when they are winning... compared to atsmosphere last night when fans were magnificent backing an irish soccer team ..

You could nearly hear people talking to each other in the crowd it was that quiet.

[colster]

ireland v australia rugby in croke park today ... 70,000 plus fans at match could have foo led me atmosphere is terrible ( sounds like stadium half full) even commetators have mentioned it 3-4 times the lack of support for team ... do the great /wonderfull fans only cheer / sing when they are winning... compared to atsmosphere last night when fans were magnificent backing an irish soccer team ..

The Rugby match was a friendly. I've been at plenty of soccer friendly games where the atmosphere was as bad.

[Guts&Glory]

Biggest load of crap I've read in a long time.



Here's 65,000 munster fans traveling abroad to watch their team.



And the ones that didnt....

"a few hundred hardy snobs" my arse.

I like soccer a lot but the fanbase for it is far, far less likable than for the other 3 main sports in the country. What soccer for a start a large portion of the countries "fans" tend to be living in other countries. Even look at this forum you'll see a large number of people living in the UK, US, Australia and elsewhere. And they're the most "snobby" of all, they criticise rugby supporters and the game they follow, they criticise the GAA for being evil, they complain about barstoolers, complain about people who support the premiership, complain about this and complain about that. A lot of the so called fans of this sport especially on this site come across as begrudging auld men with zero tolerance for folk with other interests.

We have 4 great sports in this country that give great entertainment for different reasons. I pity those who feel that they must choose one and berate the rest.

Ya I saw many of these types leaving Croke Park with 20 minutes to go in the Heineken Cup Semi Final earlier this year..........where are the big crowds for the Magners league games??

It's easy being a fan in the good times.

Where were these crowds 10 years ago??

Sunshiners they are, sunshiners they will always be.

ALSO THIS SURVEY WAS OF 1,000 PEOPLE - 51% WOMEN & 49% MEN - HARDLY AN IN DEPTH RESEARCH OR POLL.

[Reality Bites]

The Key thing in this thread is the underlying metaphysical crux of the matter that is hard to articulate accurately but I'll give it a try.

FOOTBALL MATTERS RUGBY DOESN'T.

[bennocelt]

Was very good last night and having watched the game back on tv as well, it did come across very well on tv. The anthem sounded unreal. Its just a shame we couldnt swap the results.

Am I the only person who didnt get this on TV, hell maybe i had the sound down - but booing the French players is hardly great support, and singing ole ole a million times is a bit boring after a while - where was the fireworks, the fans jumping from side to side, the flares..................parts of the second half there was no noise - at least on TV.................or my TV

[Murfinator]

ireland v australia rugby in croke park today ... 70,000 plus fans at match could have foo led me atmosphere is terrible ( sounds like stadium half full) even commetators have mentioned it 3-4 times the lack of support for team ... do the great /wonderfull fans only cheer / sing when they are winning... compared to atsmosphere last night when fans were magnificent backing an irish soccer team ..

That's quite silly, did you not see Ireland v Wales in Croke Park and the ocean of silence there? Or the boo's being the only sound when Cyprus came to visit. And those were competitive games, plus the rugby game was almost a sell out, a friendly soccer game would be lucky to get half that.

[Emmet7]

It's all bandwagon stuff really.

When Munster and Ireland were poor in rugby, no-one wanted to know except a few rugby heads. The stands at Thomand Park would be half empty.

Munster win a few games and the Ireland rugby team win a few games and suddenly everyone follows rugby.

Before Jack Charlton arrived, Lanesdowne Road would be half empty for soccer internationals.