The Englishmen came over in the year 2005
But little did they know that we'd planned a wee surprise
Sir David scored the winner, and Windsor Park went wild
And this is what we sang...
Getting way off the subject, I know, but this thread appears (finally!) to have just about run its course with, in typical Irish fashion, both sides probably claiming "victory"!
Anyhow, your post reminded me of a conversation I once has with a drunken and charmless (Boer) South African who was spouting off in a pub to all who would listen (plus those who wouldn't) about how much "better" rugby was than football.
The wind was somewhat taken out of his sails when I asked him to tell me in how many of the countries of the world is rugby the "national" (i.e. No.1) sport, in terms of participation and popularity etc.
He tried the obvious one - Wales. I pointed out that football has many more teams and registered players than rugby, covers the whole of the country rather than just a few valleys in South Wales and that even when playing in the lower tiers of their respective code, the football clubs in the three largest cities (Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham) invariably attract larger crowds than their rugby counterparts, who play in the top level of their code.
Next he tried France; when I pointed out that rugby wasn't even 2nd (i.e. behind football and cycling, for instance) and then only a niche/regional sport, he had to concur.
He had no better luck with his own country, though it hurt him sorely to admit that rugby there is still primarily the sport of choice of a small minority of South Africans, whose skin colour invariably more resembles that of FW Du Klerk than that of Nelson Mandela!
He then made a desultory case for Australia, even England, before conceding that rugby union is only the No.1 sport in New Zealand - a country of 4 million people and 10 million sheep - and a few scenic, but nonetheless isolated and sparsely populated specks in the South Pacific.
P.S. When you say that the top nine countries have a realistic even chance of beating each other etc, that is not actually true. For if you look at the playing records of the Test Nations, there are far fewer upsets in rugby than in football.
Taking Ireland, for example, how many times have they beaten New Zealand in the last 100-odd years? Or how do you explain one Grand Slam in the last 60 years, when that achievement entails winning four/five games in succession, with at least two of them always being against no-hopers (presently Italy and Scotland), and every other year two of the toughest three games (England and France) being at home?
As against that, "minor" countries like Uruguay or Sweden have won/reached the finals of the World Cup of football, or Denmark and Greece have been European Champions, from over 200 (50) countries who play the game, most of them as their "national sport".
I know why there's a list of basic human rights and what they are. They don't include or mention eligibility for football teams.Originally Posted by Janey Mac
As a compromise to letting the Police and other local authorities monitor parades?As a matter of interest, why do you think the Parades Commission in NI was set up in the first place
No, although I was in the Boys' Brigade while at primary school. Thanks for the tips and other detail, but they don't really answer the point- that it's not really credible that the Luftwaffe bombed Dublin accidentally because they mistook it for Belfast, Liverpool or anywhere else in Britain.I take it you were never a boy scout then
They are, everyone knows they are. Stop stirring.Just as well they are
Thanks for that, great analysis. Read the thread and you'll see I (like the other NI fans on it) have replied to the same old rubbish posted by others.Originally Posted by Bunk
Do you really want loyalist knuckledraggers following your team. I don't!
Indeed, and once the IFA drop their silly opposition to this we can all move on, and leave the NI team to be supported by fans of the Unionist persuasion who don't like hard questions asked of them.
NI nationalists are free to play for, and support, the ROI in a fantastic new UEFA 5-star stadium in a sectarian-free environment. Unlike that pitch, surrounded by 5 sheds, 100 miles up the road.
Landsdowne Road - 5 stars (and an upcoming UEFA final)
Windsor Park - 5 sheds (and a burger van)
Ah, I see you're still here and (presumably) following the thread. In which case, I have a question for you which ought not to be too "hard".
Namely, when you first entered this debate with a lengthy post, you seemed to be inspired by having been reading OWC, where you particularly noted a post by me which was taking the p iss out of the Thierry Henry situation etc.
You then went on to accuse me of being a hypocrite, on the basis of my complaining that this Board/its members were not "objective".
Yet when I pointed out that I had claimed no such thing (I had expressed reservations about the objectivity of some recent moderation), you have consistently ignored it, even at the third (fourth?) time of asking.
So are you going to retract* your entirely baseless allegation? Or are you going to continue to "drag your feet" [sic], even though it demonstrates that when it comes to it, you lack the basic integrity normally demanded by Message Boards like this, to maintain a civilised and tolerant standard of debate?
* - I've long since given up hope of an apology...![]()
You don't have any now, you've no realistic likelihood of attracting any in the future, so what's the problem (apart from the minority of cartoon provo knuckledraggers who already support you, obviously)?Originally Posted by Dan the Man
We have moved on, but there's still a need for some sort of local agreement between the IFA and FAI. I notice you don't answer the suggestion of a deal where neither selects adult players who've already appeared for the other.Indeed, and once the IFA drop their silly opposition to this we can all move on, and leave the NI team to be supported by fans of the Unionist persuasion who don't like hard questions asked of them
All the questions you've asked on this thread (actually, the same question over and over again) have been answered. They haven't been particularly difficult.
We're quite happy with the non-sectarian environment at Windsor, whose facilities will be perfectly adequate after refurb (although fair point about the burgers). Congratulations on your new stadium, although here's a tip- it doesn't guarantee qualification, or even that you'll necessarily beat any of the top teams in it.the ROI in a fantastic new UEFA 5-star stadium in a sectarian-free environment. Unlike that pitch, surrounded by 5 sheds, 100 miles up the road. Landsdowne Road - 5 stars (and an upcoming UEFA final) Windsor Park - 5 sheds (and a burger van)
Ah dear I was only having a joke ffs. I thought the 5 sheds was a good one! Considering the lack of humour on this thread, I was only trying to build bridges.
EG by the way I'm sorry.
Sorry you can't see past the end of your nose. If you could you'd see I, like you (and your "NI fans"), am not in favour of an AI team. So rest easy and get back to your poetry!!
I'll be sad to see this thread go.![]()
The standards obviously took a massive nosedive when one of the mods changed the name (who was it!?).
I'll no doubt have the opportunity to rejoice when it is resurrected in future though.
.....only to you!
You are entitled to believe in whatever takes your fancy, I have never stated anything to the contrary. From reading your exchanges with myself and others, I have no expectation that you would retract anything you have stated - no matter how obtuse!I'm neither stupid nor needing to retract anything.
On the stupidity.........that has already been displayed for all to see.
You have a response, not an answer.Have one now. The electorate can express their identity as they see fit; if 90% of the turnout in every election is for single issue unionist or nationalist parties, then I assume, quite reasonably, that those are the parties they feel comfortable with. Plenty of other parties exist, including those from Britain and the Republic.
You inferred that those voters who vote for either SDLP or SF, display their opposition to the 'existance of Northern Ireland' by doing so.
Once again you have failed to answer the question posed -
""clarify how you would expect the nationalist population of NI, and indeed the entire electorate of NI, to demonstrate their 'Northern Irish' identity."
Which party's 'main political program', as you put it, is 'Northern Irish' nationalism. You cite parties from Britain and the Republic - do they present this platform to the electorate.
The SDLP's 'main political program' throughout the last 40 years has been peace and reconciliation.The SDLP's main political program is for a united Ireland. It has no unionist support, no real claim to be cross-community. Hume made no attempt to hide his intentions. That's not to denigrate his long-term efforts at reconciliation and the peace process; the same can be said of many single-issue unionist politicians.
Where you are concerned one has two options; to ignore, or to copy and paste.Apologies if I failed to answer every single question in your previous posts. They were rather repetitive.
If people choose option one: to ignore, then you are right - they haven't had to endure anything. With option number two, considerable endurance is required.Don't be so precious, nobody had to endure anything. Reading this forum is voluntary, like. I selectively quote the relevant parts that I want to answer..
All fact.Some fact, some irrelevance, some cod-psychology, some opinion unsupported by evidence.
You, and you alone, have grasped very little indeed.Infer what you like. I've grasped everything you've said, however garbled much of it is.
It suggests a denseness on your part.Sure, I knew it; I asked you to stick to the point; neither suggests desperation.
It's suggestive of being a WUM.Suggestive that when there's a thread on foot.ie saying 'let's abolish the NI team', I come on it and suggest 'let's not'? I mean, it's quite straightforward.
Issues concerning football in Northern Ireland, and indeed the NI international side itself, are dealt with comprehensively on OWC. They don't occupy alot of your time, relative to the amount spent on foot.ie.
Last edited by The Fly; 14/12/2009 at 7:29 PM.
Another top post by The Fly;Generally, him & yer man Dan are the only people who're talking any recent sense in this thread.
Oh and a certain other gent, occasionally when he loses the fascination with the citizenship issue which is rather tedious!
It was nothing to do with whether you are in favour of a single Irish team or not.
Rather, my issue with you is that you falsely accused me of being a "hypocrite", on the basis of your misreading of one of my posts.
Yet when I point this out to you, you refuse even to acknowledge your error, never mind retract and/or apologise, resorting instead to sarcasm and deflection.
You know, you can get all the "Thanks" you like from your new chum Ardee Bhoy (as if that is any testimonial!), but your lack of integrity remains on the record for all to see.
Pathetic.
Don't worry, Predator. The Mods can keep it in abeyance until the next poor sap thinks: "Wouldn't it be grand if we all got together in one team - sure we'd bate the whole world and all..."
And so ad infinitum, adding 50 pages here, 50 pages there, until the only people left to contribute are Ardee Oul Bhoy, DanTheOulMan, and maybe even the World's Longest-Living Fly, as they mutually congratulate themselves on their cleverness and debating skills.
Meanwhile, if we are spared, GR, NB and myself and others will just get on with watching our team, with an open invitation to yourself, Gspain, Osarusan and all the rest to come and join us, any time you feel like it.
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