Israel To Play Games At Home...

**Peadar** · 12/02/2004, 3:21 PM

According to soccercentral.ie Israel are almost certain to play their WCQ home games at home.

With the earthquakes and suicide bombings over there at the moment I have to say the prospect of visiting there doesn't appeal to me.

**sylvo** · 12/02/2004, 3:53 PM

Come as no suprise to me that we'll be playing there, after all the power's that be in Switzerland expected us to play in Belgrade when nato were about to drop bomb's on the place and also play Macadonia when the place was caught up in the Kosovo war and again nato were going to be dropping bomb's basiclly a stone's throw from skopje, as well as us playing Turkey in Bursa, the epicenter of the massive earthquake's that were happening @ the time there with ten's of thousand's of people being killed so again no suprise that we'll have to play in Israel.

During that campaign it seemed any country we played seemed to be @ war or seemed to have diaster's.

**lopez** · 12/02/2004, 3:54 PM

No earthquakes in Palestine hombre, although there is certainly a schism.

Was there in 84 and thought the place was brilliant. People, especially the Sephardic and Oriental Jews, are really nice too. Not like the greedy, arrogant w*nkers you find in London and Brooklyn, although there are a few over there - mainly walking around on stolen land. As for the Arabs, well I got my a*se pinched a couple of times by a bloke in a souvenir shop in Jerusalem so I can't complain about them either.

So it would be a shame that this great country was not visited.

However, it's hardly the place for tourism now - it was dangerous in 1984 as I visited Jerusalem the day before our match and there was a shootout in the morning - and I for one will not be going (money, been there before and the terror threat all convinced me not to bother). The plus side is that the suicide bombers target a. Jews and b. public transport (pubs and restaurants have bouncers to stop any attacks) and apart from that, you're safe. As most people will be going on a tour, with coaches provided, the main threat is reduced. I still think it is safer than visiting South Africa where violent street robbery is an epidemic.

I would like to add that Irish tourism suffered for years during the seventies and early eighties through the troubles, yet we all know the place wasn't as bad as potential tourists thought. And neither would I say is this place.

**sylvo** · 12/02/2004, 4:07 PM

Lopez amigo.
Do you think it would be more dangerous to watch the game V Israel in the 12 pins in finsbury park or go to the match in Israel.
After being in there watching the Ireland v Georgia game from Tiblisi with yourself and mr davros I think i'd be a lot safer going to the match in Israel, game's just should not be shown in pub's in the Finsbury park area, it's to dangerous the whole district's a war zone.

**Plastic Paddy** · 12/02/2004, 4:09 PM

Originally posted by sylvo
Come as no suprise to me that we'll be playing there, after all the power's that be in Switzerland expected us to play in Belgrade when nato were about to drop bomb's on the place and also play Macadonia

Macadamia? From what I've heard, they're all nuts over there...

(I'll get me coat.)

PP

**sylvo** · 12/02/2004, 4:17 PM

Can't say i'd rush back there and yer right most of the people were crazy. As for the coat i think it's the flak jacket that's the main fashion item there these day's.

**Peadar** · 12/02/2004, 4:23 PM

Originally posted by lopez
No earthquakes in Palestine hombre, although there is certainly a schism.

Reports from Jerusalem yesterday said that an earthquake was felt in Israel, West Bank and Gaza.
The whole region is a alive with Seismic activity.

**finlma** · 12/02/2004, 4:32 PM

Originally posted by sylvo
Lopez amigo.
Do you think it would be more dangerous to watch the game V Israel in the 12 pins in finsbury park or go to the match in Israel.

I'd sooner travel to the Gaza Strip than to Finsbury Park. South of the river is safer.

**sylvo** · 12/02/2004, 4:42 PM

Yer right, the gaza strip seem's a lot safer then finsbury park, just don't watch an Ireland game round there when the other team is from eastern europe, stay south of the thames, I wish i had gone to Tiblisi rather then watch Ireland v Georgia there @ least they were only throwing knife's around in the stadium.

**London Irish** · 12/02/2004, 5:51 PM

Originally posted by finlma
I'd sooner travel to the Gaza Strip than to Finsbury Park. South of the river is safer.

too true......need a visa to go north of the river! btw what is your manor so to speak???

.....guess the aim will be nine out of ten now!!!!!

**pete** · 12/02/2004, 6:38 PM

Originally posted by Peadar
The whole region is a alive with Seismic activity.

Do you mean Semite acxtivity?

**liam88** · 12/02/2004, 9:27 PM

Just please please please no one bring one of these Palestinian flags that have been flying around at Celtic and IL games-I know none of us are stupid but one flag can cause a lot of trouble.
Good luck to the guys going out there, raise a cheer from us.

**lopez** · 12/02/2004, 9:51 PM

I ain't going back to the 12 pints after that show against the Georgians. I haven't seen a performance like that since the 91 game against the tans. I'm going to watch the Israel game with the Brooklyn boys and my PLO flag in Bloom's (no relation to Joyce's honcho) in GG. As I take it you are boycotting the Zionist Occupation Government (hold on, wait, I feel some seismic movement from certain quarters) perhaps you might like to join us.

Peader, apologies, I never thought Palestine was prone to earthquakes. Never heard of one there in my lifetime, although plenty of devastation through other causes. I believe London had one circa 1700 and Luton is due one any week hopefully taking out the Arndale Centre with it.

Connor, always the one to pick a cyber-ruck. Call me anti-Semitic (I know that's what you are suggesting) but if you read my post again I said that a large substantial proportion of the world's Jewish population are fine. Now there was me thinking a supporter of FF would be against the illegal occupation of other peoples' lands.

Pogsly · 13/02/2004, 6:22 AM

There are a few posts stating ppl aren't going ; are there any posters' who will be going ?

**gspain** · 13/02/2004, 8:49 AM

Hopefully will be going.

Always wanted to visit Israel.

Just concerned that this will be one of those games moved or called off at the last minute.

**Duncan Gardner** · 13/02/2004, 9:18 AM

May I spring to the defence of the Twelve Pins bar, London N4.

First, and most importantly, they do an excellent Sunday lunch with plenty of cabbage.

Second, it's a pretty cosmopolitan area with large Irish, Turkish, Greek and recently Eastern European communities. I know there was trouble at the screening of your Georgia game (Davros and his bodyguard JK in the thick of it), but then again I watched the Moscow match, with Lopez and others, and all was quiet.

Palestine is indeed prone to earthquakes, mainly because it lies at the northern end of the great African rift valley. If I remember school geography properly.

The last decent-sized one here was in Dudley (west of Birmingham), where my brother lives. This at 4 am. Everyone rushed out into the street, some windows broken etc., but no serious injuries.

PS Davros, what's this being relatively nice about NEU? Have you joined the Alliance Party , or what

**lopez** · 13/02/2004, 10:14 AM

Originally posted by gspain
Hopefully will be going.

Always wanted to visit Israel.

Just concerned that this will be one of those games moved or called off at the last minute.

That is the prob with these games. I sympathise with you here not just that I've had to cancel two trips to the FYR of Macedonia and Serbia in the 2000 campaign. As already said I've been there and can do my bit for the tourism branch of the Zionist Occupied Government, but Zionist Occupied Palestine is definitely one of those countries that should be visited. However no doubt an upsurge in the intifada will occur around mid March 2005.

Originally posted by Davros
Part of my Heinz 57 persona,has both Jewish/muslim ancestary(Our'friends'in NE Ulster are more reasonable?!!),.....& don't for one moment agree with the antics of certain occupying forces,though have forewarned certain parties NOT to display certain badges,in the unlikely event of the game being in the Middle East.

Hey D, being partly from the Iberian peninsular I can say the same (although don't mention it to any Falangistas

). Apparently all surnames ending with -ez signifies that one's ancestors were roundheads and weren't partial to pork pies. I had to go to see my local druid about baptising the young one and was shown the door into a lecture about the importance of the RC faith by some convert. Asked 'why I was part of the HRAC,' I replied that perhaps the fact that some of my ancestors were given the 'choice' of leaving Spain or converting may well had something to do with it. This as you'd appreciate didn't go down too well.

Originally posted by Davros
Apart from the fact,they should be in the Asian group(!!)...

This would normally have been the case except for the political situation.

Originally posted by Duncan Gardner
May I spring to the defence of the Twelve Pins bar, London N4.
First, and most importantly, they do an excellent Sunday lunch with plenty of cabbage.

Second, it's a pretty cosmopolitan area with large Irish, Turkish, Greek and recently Eastern European communities. I know there was trouble at the screening of your Georgia game (Davros and his bodyguard JK in the thick of it), but then again I watched the Moscow match, with Lopez and others, and all was quiet.

Davros was not involved in that fracas although HB was, as was a son of Limerick who was previously witnessed in Brussels with the county's GAA top promoting abstinence from narcotics, while clearly under the influence of something stronger than Chimay. The Russia game was peacefull inside although Dr. Hook and his Holy Jihad were kicking off with the master race down the road that day.

Originally posted by Duncan Gardner
The last decent-sized one here was in Dudley (west of Birmingham), where my brother lives. This at 4 am. Everyone rushed out into the street, some windows broken etc., but no serious injuries.

My mother reckons she nearly fell out of bed during that one and she lives nowhere near Dudley.

**Paul03** · 13/02/2004, 10:33 AM

.

liam88 Just please please please no one bring one of these Palestinian flags that have been flying around at Celtic and IL games-I know none of us are stupid but one flag can cause a lot of trouble.

I expect there will be a number of Palestinian flags as there is a lot of sympathy within Ireland for the oppression under which Palestinians live within the occupied territories and not just from the Celtic Mob.

As much as politics and sport should be separated we all know that doesn’t always happen.

**fromthenorthffs** · 13/02/2004, 11:33 AM

liam88 Just please please please no one bring one of these Palestinian flags that have been flying around at Celtic and IL games-I know none of us are stupid but one flag can cause a lot of trouble.

I would imagine there will be quite a few of them floating around Lansdowne on the night