Airtiricity League XI v Manchester United confirmed for Aviva Stadium on August 4

**Murfinator** · 05/08/2010, 12:26 PM

And people saying "WUM" as a reply to every post they don't agree with are being downright childish.

**peadar1987** · 05/08/2010, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

I think you have it the wrong way around. The league should be capable of being attractive to the public on its own merit. The fact that the public don't have an interest in the LoI I would view as more a failing of the league than a failing of the public attitude.

The evidence would suggest otherwise. The disparity in attendances between National League Games and the All Ireland, the fact that last decade's Leeds supporters are now almost all cheering for Man U or Chelski, the obsession with Spanish an Italian football (as opposed to the Bundesliga, which has better crowds, more goals, and is cheaper) would all point towards the public attitude being that they want to slavishly associate themselves with success. It's pathetic really. I've used this analogy before, but the people who were cheering for Man U last night are like the kid who'd hold someone's arms behind their back for the school bully to hit them.

**Louth4sam** · 05/08/2010, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

And people saying "WUM" as a reply to every post they don't agree with are being downright childish.

WUM!!

**Sam_Heggy** · 05/08/2010, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

And people saying "WUM" as a reply to every post they don't agree with are being downright childish.

So you do think people watch Liverpool to be entertained?

**Murfinator** · 05/08/2010, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by peadar1987

The exact same argument could be made for cheering on Argentina in a few days time.

[barstool]
I wouldn't pay 20 quid to watch Ireland play, the standard is crap, and most of the crows spend the game moaning, so where's the appeal?

I'll be cheering on Argentina, because I love watching the boys, Carlos, Leo, Sergio Kun Aguero (If you use his nickname it makes you a proper fan, like saying Stuart Psycho Pearce every time you mention him)... Argentina have the appeal Ireland don't have.
[/barstool]

No it can't, Ireland is my country. It represents me. There is no LoI club within even a 2 hour drive of me. Most of them are near or from a city I can't even stand and barely tolerate let alone support. When they're representing Ireland I'll support them, when they're representing Dublin they can **** off I'll support the team that play the game better and are more attractive to watch.

**Murfinator** · 05/08/2010, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Sam_Heggy

So you do think people watch Liverpool to be entertained?

I can't think of any other reason why anyone would watch any team in any sport other than to be entertained by it.

**passinginterest** · 05/08/2010, 12:38 PM

A quote from Facebook that sums up the scale of the issue really;
"My god what a nyt we had last nyt!!!! We had a fab time!!!! The Aviva is som place, was fantastic. A nyt that will never be forgotten for a number of reasons, but most of all for the happiness & excitment that shone on my boys faces everytime united scored!!!"

That's how most Irish children are brought up if you come from outside a traditional League of Ireland stronghold, I can remember how much I wanted to go to see Liverpool playing in Dublin when I was younger, the Irish opposition was irrelevant. There's a sea change that needs to be made that is probably impossible and as others have pointed out clubs are better off concentrating on taking small steps and gradually expanding their catchment areas and community appeal than hoping for a miraculous conversion of the masses because a representative side beat "United" or a team qualifies for the group stages of a European competition.

**punkrocket** · 05/08/2010, 12:41 PM

I'll support the team that play the game better

Winning is always everything. Glory! Glory!

**passerrby** · 05/08/2010, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

I can't think of any other reason why anyone would watch any team in any sport other than to be entertained by it.

lemons or is that lemmings

**pineapple stu** · 05/08/2010, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

No it can't, Ireland is my country. It represents me. There is no LoI club within even a 2 hour drive of me.

So you reckon a two-hour drive is the absolute geographic limit that a person can overcome to support a team?

**Murfinator** · 05/08/2010, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by passinginterest

A quote from Facebook that sums up the scale of the issue really;
"My god what a nyt we had last nyt!!!! We had a fab time!!!! The Aviva is som place, was fantastic. A nyt that will never be forgotten for a number of reasons, but most of all for the happiness & excitment that shone on my boys faces everytime united scored!!!"

That's how most Irish children are brought up if you come from outside a traditional League of Ireland stronghold, I can remember how much I wanted to go to see Liverpool playing in Dublin when I was younger, the Irish opposition was irrelevant. There's a sea change that needs to be made that is probably impossible and as others have pointed out clubs are better off concentrating on taking small steps and gradually expanding their catchment areas and community appeal that hoping for a miraculous conversion of the masses because a representative side beat "United" or a team qualifies for the group stages of a European competition.

A Question. Why do you think the notion of supporting foreign club rugby teams is non existent in this country while kids in particular are rampant in their support of Munster and Leinster?

**passinginterest** · 05/08/2010, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

A Question. Why do you think the notion of supporting foreign club rugby teams is non existent in this country while kids in particular are rampant in their support of Munster and Leinster?

There's no media saturation coverage of foreign club rugby? Munster and Leinster rugby have massive PR marketing machines behind them and they've managed to be relatively successful in a minority international sport?

**Duggie** · 05/08/2010, 12:45 PM

who gets the money from last nights game????

**peadar1987** · 05/08/2010, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

No it can't, Ireland is my country. It represents me. There is no LoI club within even a 2 hour drive of me. Most of them are near or from a city I can't even stand and barely tolerate let alone support. When they're representing Ireland I'll support them, when they're representing Dublin they can **** off I'll support the team that play the game better and are more attractive to watch.

Seeing as you can get most of the way across the country in 2 hours, I find that incredibly hard to believe.

Also, take a look at your argument; "League of Ireland clubs are too far from me, and don't represent me, so I'll "support" a club that plays even further away and represents me even less".

**pineapple stu** · 05/08/2010, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Duggie

who gets the money from last nights game????

Man Utd mostly.

**Dodge** · 05/08/2010, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

I can't think of any other reason why anyone would watch any team in any sport other than to be entertained by it.

Thats because you're not a football fan. You might as well support Eastenders or Greys Anatomy.

Its hilarious that people think last night's game changed anything. Bohs beat Aston Villa in a friendly last week and nobody rushed to claim the LOI was now the equal of the EPL.

Man utd are a great side and they played a team haggled together for 1 training session with their mind on more important league issues next weekend.

if the likes of murfinator want to continue to watch football on TV and attend the add game as an impartial observer, then so be it.

They'll never expereince the thrills real football fans do, so its there loss.

**peadar1987** · 05/08/2010, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

A Question. Why do you think the notion of supporting foreign club rugby teams is non existent in this country while kids in particular are rampant in their support of Munster and Leinster?

Because Munster and Leinster have international success because there's no huge marketing machine behind English rugby. Why don't Connacht have the rampant support? Probably because they're not winning enough for the pathetic glory hunters.

**Murfinator** · 05/08/2010, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by punkrocket

Winning is always everything. Glory! Glory!

Originally Posted by passerrby

lemons or is that lemmings

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

So you reckon a two-hour drive is the absolute geographic limit that a person can overcome to support a team?

Its bitter, backwards ****s like you why the LoI has such a bad name. oh whine whine nobody likes our ****ty league despite losing to welsh part timers and getting steamrolled by a Man United side on their summer holidays its still all THEIR fault and in no ways a failing of our beloved league. Curse them supporting sides that embrace success, develop actual Irish internationals, play an attractive brand of the game and display other positive attributes, REAL fans hang out in wet lifeless stadiums on a friday night watching a 0-0 draws supporting a team purely because they're based geographically near to me. Its boring but we get to complain bitterly about barstoolers afterwards so its OK. Actually no its the GAA's fault for being more popular than us, screw them too. And the FAI, and Fianna Fail and many other who we'll continue to blame to disguise the fact the actual blame lies with the league having no attraction values whatsoever to the public.

</end rant>

**Duggie** · 05/08/2010, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Man Utd mostly.

the crowd money, who gets this?? FAI?

**peadar1987** · 05/08/2010, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

Its bitter, backwards ****s like you why the LoI has such a bad name. oh whine whine nobody likes our ****ty league despite losing to welsh part timers and getting steamrolled by a Man United side on their summer holidays its still all THEIR fault and in no ways a failing of our beloved league. Curse them supporting sides that embrace success, develop actual Irish internationals, play an attractive brand of the game and display other positive attributes, REAL fans hang out in wet lifeless stadiums on a friday night watching a 0-0 draws supporting a team purely because they're based geographically near to me. Its boring but we get to complain bitterly about barstoolers afterwards so its OK. Actually no its the GAA's fault for being more popular than us, screw them too. And the FAI, and Fianna Fail and many other who we'll continue to blame to disguise the fact the actual blame lies with the league having no attraction values whatsoever to the public.

</end rant>

Temper, temper!

TNS are actually a full time side, for starters.

And if you'd suggest to most football fans in England, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Turkey, Chile, Sweden, Russia or Greece that they should give up following the team that represents them and their city, that this is a "backwards attitude", and that "real fans (TM)" "support (TM)" "Big Clubs (TM)", like Liverpool or Real Madrid, they'd laugh in your face.

I know you've rationalised this all into a Gordian knot, but your attitude could easily be used to justify supporting a foreign team over the national side. "They're crap", "the stadium is wet (not any more)", "They don't get 150,000 to games like Brazil do"...