Quote Originally Posted by John83 View Post
No, it would make him a football fan, as opposed to a supporter. Some people actually appreciate the aesthetics of the game for their own sake. I realise it's tough to imagine that the game has some value other than tribalism.
Cheers for that John

Quote Originally Posted by NeilMcD View Post
I love good football and when I am a neutral I look for teams that play good football i.e. or try to play good football Barcelona, Man Utd, Derry City, Falkirk , Arsenal, Argentina etc. However when I am a supporter of a team I also look for that team to play good football but I would not stop supporting them because of the brand of football they are playing. You support your team through thick and thin and that also mean whether they are playing long ball ****e or good pass and move stuff, playing in triangles and the full back playing the ball to the centre mid etc and the game developing from there.
I agree totally, as can be proven by my support of Limerick FC throughout the Noel O'Connor era, when he really gave new meaning to the term 'skyball' at Hogan park. That said I have never built up any great love of the Irish national team that would enable me to see past the team's technical flaws. I supported Ireland during Italia 90 because I was a kid caught up in the excitement of it all (well that and the fact that most teams played dour football back then, so I wouldn't have known any better), in USA 94 I was still a supporter, mostly because I felt I had to be, and in Japan/Korea 02 I didn't give a toss about how Ireland did. That's pretty much been my life as an Ireland fan, generally I don't watch qualifiers or friendlies unless forced to, and I don't see myself changing now