Irish Sunderland fan here. Debate very interesting

[CollegeTillIDie]

Bored to tears with this, but I'll plough on as I've nothing better to do. The Ireland thing is relevant: why would any Irish person support Ireland when there are better international teams to choose from? If it's about choice, why choose Ireland?
Having said that, I fervently support Italy in international football, and have done since 1970. So that makes me a domestic football fan with an international barstool mentality. There's a dichotomy!
I still support Ireland by proxy, but gave up on going to games a year or so ago (after 35 years' service) because I felt it was a waste of time. And I hate the fans. The green wigs and Ole Ole chants make me want to puke, and I hate the bell-ringer on the South Terrace with a vengeance. It's like being at a GAA match.
Football is best when it has an edge.

Billy Lord

I like you have been a fan of Italy since 1970. I was delighted they won the World Cup last year as I was back in 1982.
I would cheer for Italy against almost anyone other than Ireland. That's the difference. Most ELOI fans I know who also support EPL teams would always prefer Bohs to Man City if they played each other for example. And I know some Rovers/ Man Ure fans who would cheer for the Hoops against United , and the people I have in mind were thrilled when the Hoops beat them in a friendly in Milltown in the mid 1980's. Oh by the way. Even beating United in a Friendly didn't seem to register on the radar of barstoolers at the time.

'' United only played their reserve team ,'' was the answer anybody got when this point was raised.

[Dalymountrower]

[QUOTE=CollegeTillIDie;679833]Billy Lord

I like you have been a fan of Italy since 1970. I was delighted they won the World Cup last year as I was back in 1982.
I would cheer for Italy against almost anyone other than Ireland. That's the difference. Most ELOI fans I know who also support EPL teams would always prefer Bohs to Man City if they played each other for example. And I know some Rovers/ Man Ure fans who would cheer for the Hoops against United , and the people I have in mind were thrilled when the Hoops beat them in a friendly in Milltown in the mid 1980's. Oh by the way. Even beating United in a Friendly didn't seem to register on the radar of barstoolers at the time.

QUOTE]

You`re either bitten by the League of Ireland bug or you`re not. I realised I was smitten when I ,as a Bohs and Man U fan, found myself cheering John Cervi`s penalty for Shels to equalise against United in a friendly in 1973? (You``ll remember Billy L. ) Yes there are lots of things to be embarrassed about in the Eircom League and barstoolers can take their pick of those to justify to themselves why they wont support their local team.Their loss, for all the admitted dross I have stood and sat looking at in Irish grounds over the years , what lives in the memory are the moments of sublime skill, the unity of purpose and passion of a local crowd and the sense of belonging to and being part of more than simply a sporting fixture. This is something that the barstoolers and bandwaggoners will never experience. Have some pity for them

[CollegeTillIDie]

so how many people on here follow an english/scottish/japenese team too??i do im not ashamed to admit that

Well I like a lot football in other countries and have 1 team in many of them.
Not least of which would be Red Star Belgrade. But last year in Turner's Cross I wanted Cork City to win even though I knew it was probably unlikely that City would go through.

[Réiteoir]

I also follow the Norwegian club Valerenga (purely based on going to Oslo every summer since 1999)

I look out for their scores and would watch any games of theirs on the net - but Bohs is the main club for me

and like CollegeTID - I like watching foorball in other countries as well (always try to catch a game live wherever I wind up on holiday - the last game I went to in Europe was a match in something like the Dutch 7th Division in a town I was staying in)

[Billy Lord]

If you're into football you'd more than likely to a) support a club near you for local perspective and a regular fix, b) have favourites in other leagues, and c) appreciate football at all levels and throughout the world.
In Ireland we have the strange circumstance where people pour scorn or ignore the local gane and consider it esential to support a British club and be ignorant of the game beyond England.
For me, it's Rovers first then Roma, Manchester United, Hammarby, Boca Juniors, Cardiff City, St Johnstone and other clubs across Europe. But it's Rovers first, second and third. Every other club is a trip away; a holiday. Rovers is my life and the other clubs are a mere indugence.

[gilberto_eire]

so how many people on here follow an english/scottish/japenese team too??i do im not ashamed to admit that

i follow man utd too..... started supporting them when i was 3-4 cause my father supported them all his life..... but if united are playing and GUFC are playing theres no Q where i will be!!.
have been to every game this year and dont intend that to change!

[Rocky]

Your not the only one Seagull I get that **** all the time. When I go into the local though I am like an ambassador for the club. I'm always asked how was the last game etc by the bar stoolers but i've managed to encourage a few of them to make the trip up the Dyke rd a few times. I always reply to the "Yere ****" comments by telling them they have to come to Terryland before they can pass comment on our soccer ability and only then are they entitled to have an opinion in my mind.

I get that too. A fella from Laois in London laughed quite agressively once when i said i supported Sligo Rovers. He was a Man Utd fan. I've been to few places but i've never seen so many people follow foreign football like in Ireland. It's actually embarrasing.

[Rocky]

I get that too. A fella from Laois in London laughed quite agressively once when i said i supported Sligo Rovers. He was a Man Utd fan. I've been to few places but i've never seen so many people follow foreign football like in Ireland. It's actually embarrasing.

Another point. In general, English football fans dislike those who come from somewhere else with no connection to their clubs. The Man U and Liverpool fans in Ireland should maybe remember that. And it will be the same in Sunderland when the novelty wears off.

[BohsPartisan]

so how many people on here follow an english/scottish/japenese team too??i do im not ashamed to admit that

1. Bohs
2. Everton
3. Nantes
4. Barca
5. Torino (but not so much as I don't have a soft spot for Napoli too)

[SkStu]

1. Bohs
2. Everton
3. Sevilla
4. Toronto FC

[monkey magic]

Longford town, first foremost and always
Arsenal, huge admiration for wenger
Lazio, first game of football i ever watched on the telly
Athletico Madrid, football manager
KAA Ghent Lived there for a while - long after bohs played there, would still have wanted bohs to win tho...

[jebus]

Limerick 37
Sheff Wed
---long drop down---
Inter Milan
Hellas Verona
Hibernian
Sevilla
---long drop down---
Rep. of Ireland

[GavinZac]

Any particular reason for bohs/everton?

[SkStu]

Any particular reason for bohs/everton?

there's a certain joy in suffering...

for me, no real reason really. I just started supporting Everton in the mid to late 80's (hopped on the bandwagon at the wrong time...). Went to see them 2 or 3 times and then stumbled upon Bohs in the late 90's and they've been number one by miles since then.

[dcfcsteve]

gretna(amazed by their rise still wanted derry to win)

What is so amazing about Gretna's rise ?

They've been playing in poor leagues where attendnaces are poor and money is extremely thin on the ground. No real surprise that a team with no support but pumped full of cash by a sugar daddy with no connection to them should be able to rise through medicore ranks so fast.

Would you be equally surprised if a millionaire threw money at Monaghan United and they romped the Eircom First Division ?

They'll be shown up next season. Annoyingly they probably won't get relegated, but their up against a few clubs with some serious money now, so their limitations will be cruelly exposed.

[BohsPartisan]

there's a certain joy in suffering...

for me, no real reason really. I just started supporting Everton in the mid to late 80's (hopped on the bandwagon at the wrong time...). Went to see them 2 or 3 times and then stumbled upon Bohs in the late 90's and they've been number one by miles since then.

Are you me?

That sounds remarkably similar to my story though I jumped on the Everton Bandwagon in time for the 1984 FA cup final.

[NY Hoop]

Seconded. Nothing you do or say will stop him posting like that, so please don't waste your time on replying. Reply to people who you can have a debate with.

I can debate while all you can do is whinge about your english club. Irish clubs for Irish people.

KOH

[gustavo]

I can debate while all you can do is whinge about your english club. Irish clubs for Irish people.
KOH

I couldnt help but think of these guys with that statement

What's going on? What all this shouting? We'll have no trouble here! etc etc

[The Dublin Red]

how about those of you on here who dont actually try going to a game,even once.im not saying this in an aggresive way,just a suggestion.try one game,near you,big teams if you like.maybe it will hook you and youll come back or maybe it wont and youll never set foot in a el ground again.but surely trying it once is no harm????

Went to every home game for years now get to the odd Bray game during the season. I do enjoy it all right but regardless of people's opinions on here still see Forest as my first choice.

I know many supporters of English clubs also support the LOI and go to games.

[dcfcsteve]

Went to every home game for years now get to the odd Bray game during the season. I do enjoy it all right but regardless of people's opinions on here still see Forest as my first choice.

I know many supporters of English clubs also support the LOI and go to games.

DR - you didn't answer the earlier question of how can you say it isn't ridiculous to support a domestic English team over Irish ones, but yet it would be to support the English team (international) over the Irish one....?

Where is the difference.....?