Barstool facepalm

[RathfarnhamHoop]

Either way it is still what most football fans cringe most at, often in a patronising way of 'the poor auld fool changing his favourite team, how sad and pathetic'. Often deserved contempt for the common glory hunter? I still see the odd Blackburn shirt about that I scoffed at in the past but now think fair dues as the once maligned glory hunter is still in some way standing by the 1st EPL winner to drop to the 3rd tier.
Click bait or not he is spoofing it as it was more the Taylor report that changed the game in England imo. Sky Sports helped with the financial burden of meeting requirements of new or adapted stadia. I dont recall marketing the game specifically at middle-classes but soaring ticket prices changed the demographic attending the top flight clubs - maybe thats what he is getting at. People started drifting back toward their smaller affordable local clubs in many cases in England and many rediscovered their 'enjoyment' of the game in the way that is closest to LoI fans' masochistic nature and in some cases small clubs started improve their stock, Barnsley, Burnley Bournemouth examples.
Fans did have their glory teams like Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea but were more often at Oldham, Orient, Brentford games, and didnt expect the same product at their 'home' clubs as their glory clubs, they didnt walk in to Griffin Park and after a few minutes say 'well its no Stamford Bridge' or 'football is desperate I am never going again to see that useless pub league team'. Eddie May being manager at the time piqued my interest and it was dire, much worse than his Dundalk or Drogheda sides yet there wasnt the derision of the club that happened probably in every pub in Ireland at some point on our domestic league.
Who was filling the seats in the English Premier League that had been vacated by those who couldnt buy a ticket (£35 in to Loftus Rd to see a 3rd Division game v Reading in 1996, though the exception rather than the rule here) the many Irish day trippers and no shortage of Scandanavians but even the likes of the Finnish were fair to their own local teams and domestic league, acknowledged limitations yes but no spitting at the mere mention of Bord Gáis/Eircom Premier League et al. I have seen many eyes being rolled by the 'us' type comment in a thick Irish accent in pubs prior to games - ironic in Old Trafford when the attitude was coming from someone what had travelled from Plymouth. It wasnt the 'us' that really was the source of amusement of the 'locals' so much as it was accompanied with lots of bragging about what great fans us Irish lads are and not like the barstooler United fans at home who have never even been in Old Trafford/Anfield or wherever etc. It was all very fake and plastic in the way that elite football is in many ways now and embaressing. That wee piece above just reminds me of those facepalm moments back in the day. The whole us Irish fans are the best fans in the world wasnt just the mantra of those supporting the national sides and the irony was never seen even when pointed out that there was a league in Ireland for Irish to follow too. Meeting English football fans that had more interest in the LoI game on in the local than most of the Irish in the same Paddy Pub was tough to try and explain. I have to say that Dundalk's European run las year did buck the trend Odd sort of rant I know......

The last bit there is scarily accurate. The amount of times I've been somewhere in a rovers jersey or something and a foreign person will tap me on the shoulder and ask me about rovers and club football in Ireland while the Irish person will go so rovers are your Irish team but who's your real team, an Irish person once did that while a German guy was asking me about rovers and the German lad went on a big rant at him about supporting local football and stuff, scary how people from other countries can care about our league more than people who are born and raised here.

[bennocelt]

And they would die for Ireland too

[ciaraa]

Either way it is still what most football fans cringe most at, often in a patronising way of 'the poor auld fool changing his favourite team, how sad and pathetic'. Often deserved contempt for the common glory hunter? I still see the odd Blackburn shirt about that I scoffed at in the past but now think fair dues as the once maligned glory hunter is still in some way standing by the 1st EPL winner to drop to the 3rd tier.
Click bait or not he is spoofing it as it was more the Taylor report that changed the game in England imo. Sky Sports helped with the financial burden of meeting requirements of new or adapted stadia. I dont recall marketing the game specifically at middle-classes but soaring ticket prices changed the demographic attending the top flight clubs - maybe thats what he is getting at. People started drifting back toward their smaller affordable local clubs in many cases in England and many rediscovered their 'enjoyment' of the game in the way that is closest to LoI fans' masochistic nature and in some cases small clubs started improve their stock, Barnsley, Burnley Bournemouth examples.
Fans did have their glory teams like Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea but were more often at Oldham, Orient, Brentford games, and didnt expect the same product at their 'home' clubs as their glory clubs, they didnt walk in to Griffin Park and after a few minutes say 'well its no Stamford Bridge' or 'football is desperate I am never going again to see that useless pub league team'. Eddie May being manager at the time piqued my interest and it was dire, much worse than his Dundalk or Drogheda sides yet there wasnt the derision of the club that happened probably in every pub in Ireland at some point on our domestic league.
Who was filling the seats in the English Premier League that had been vacated by those who couldnt buy a ticket (£35 in to Loftus Rd to see a 3rd Division game v Reading in 1996, though the exception rather than the rule here) the many Irish day trippers and no shortage of Scandanavians but even the likes of the Finnish were fair to their own local teams and domestic league, acknowledged limitations yes but no spitting at the mere mention of Bord Gáis/Eircom Premier League et al. I have seen many eyes being rolled by the 'us' type comment in a thick Irish accent in pubs prior to games - ironic in Old Trafford when the attitude was coming from someone what had travelled from Plymouth. It wasnt the 'us' that really was the source of amusement of the 'locals' so much as it was accompanied with lots of bragging about what great fans us Irish lads are and not like the barstooler United fans at home who have never even been in Old Trafford/Anfield or wherever etc. It was all very fake and plastic in the way that elite football is in many ways now and embaressing. That wee piece above just reminds me of those facepalm moments back in the day. The whole us Irish fans are the best fans in the world wasnt just the mantra of those supporting the national sides and the irony was never seen even when pointed out that there was a league in Ireland for Irish to follow too. Meeting English football fans that had more interest in the LoI game on in the local than most of the Irish in the same Paddy Pub was tough to try and explain. I have to say that Dundalk's European run las year did buck the trend Odd sort of rant I know......

very well said

[DannyInvincible]

Maybe it is parody. Or simply attention-whoring.

The guy was actually a guest on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show last Friday and things got quite amusing as he genuinely incensed a few callers. There's audio of the discussion here: https://audioboom.com/posts/5912218-...choose-another

For football fans, the season is drawing to a close. For some fans, it's been a good year. Others, not so. But how about this for a radical thought... If you are not happy with your team should you choose another? That is what one football fan is proposing. Damian Reilly, writing in The Spectator, is a former Manchester United supporter - he is now an Arsenal fan and has said that those not happy with the club and manager Arsene Wenger should find another team to support. He joined Stephen this morning along with former Nolan Show editor and football obsessive David Gordon.

Whilst Reilly does actually identify many of the undesirable realities of modern football at elite club level - such as the commodification of the game and the fleecing of loyal fans ("consumers") by what are now essentially commercial enterprises that employ what in many cases can be fairly described as mercenaries - this doesn't seem to remotely trouble him. His interest in the game is clearly rather casual and passive. He's evidently not a serious football supporter and he just doesn't seem to get that there's a communal, tribal or identity aspect to supporting a football team.

He asserts that "everything else in your life, you choose", and so asks why the same principle shouldn't be applied to supporting a football team. He compares supporting a football team to choosing a restaurant and suggests that, just like how you'd choose a different restaurant to visit if your favourite restaurant changed beyond all recognition, you should similarly "appraise [your support of a football club] fairly regularly" and choose to support another football club if your favourite club deteriorated in terms of football played or whatever.

Whilst supporters are ideally the heart-beat of the club for most people who follow football, Reilly obviously sees supporters as contributing little and as having little to contribute to the identities of clubs, but I wonder how he'd feel about supporter-owned clubs; he's possibly unaware of the concept. I'd also be interested to know if he applies his logic to the international team he supports. He's English, but would he choose to support Brazil, Germany or Spain instead of England because they are more successful and play better football?

It is suggested to him that his passive approach to football likely means he misses out on the "true highs" that more seriously-involved supporters will experience from the game, but he rejects this notion and states that that's a "crazy argument where you think that some human beings are capable of enjoying something more than other human beings, or you're a more 'supporty' supporter", yet, oddly, he sees no contradiction in then proceeding to do the very thing he has just criticised by advising football fans that "the purest way to enjoy football is to just enjoy the game" and "if you can just enjoy the game and sort of separate yourself from this mad tribalism, you're more likely to appreciate it".

[Nesta99]

A gentleman called to the house yesterday and my my 8 year old nephew was in the hallway (while wearing a Dundalk jersey) and was asked by the quite pleasant elderly man who he supported and and my nephew replied Dundalk, he was asked again who he supported and once again he responded Dundalk FC with a kind of confused look on his face and pointing at the jersey. The man then said 'who do you support like though like in England...the English leagues' spluttering. My nephew then just said 'eh Dundalk only' and walked off with this man floundering and saying 'not Man Utd?... they have a game next week worth €50million its huge!!' Completely perplexed I think both of them were for different reasons. The auld guy s a friend of my Dad's and was just trying to make small talk but came up against 8 years of my brainwashing my nephew (isnt quite so hard 'round Dundalk just at the moment). But it was quite funny to see this man struggle with the idea that the 8 year old is a one club lad and not only that but his one club is Irish and local. As the auld fella was leaving he said to me in an apologetic, even embarressed way 'my son's a United fan' as if he was starting to deny his own allegiance. I enjoyed watching that little exchange! I softened the blow a little bit by saying naw all Dundalk fans here but if there was an English club followed it would be Watford! I think he was sorry he started and was wtf as he was leaving ha!

[Nesta99]

It is suggested to him that his passive approach to football likely means he misses out on the "true highs" that more seriously-involved supporters will experience from the game, but he rejects this notion and states that that's a "crazy argument where you think that some human beings are capable of enjoying something more than other human beings, or you're a more 'supporty' supporter", yet, oddly, he sees no contradiction in then proceeding to do the very thing he has just criticised by advising football fans that "the purest way to enjoy football is to just enjoy the game" and "if you can just enjoy the game and sort of separate yourself from this mad tribalism, you're more likely to appreciate it".

There is something in that very last line as i cannot say that i actually enjoy or enjoyed say the last game of the 2015 season v Cork. Yes the first and then the second goal from Gartland was incredible and you would never swap that extreme emotional high but i didnt really enjoy the game, the same against BATE when you knew that one slip, misskick, deflection and yer done even at 2-0, until Benson finished the tie. So there is certainly a different type of enjoyment as a neutral and you do see that game in a 'purer' way I think. As for the restaurant analogy - ye just have this feeling of him switching from McDonalds to Burger King cause he didnt get pickle on his hamburger

[BonnieShels]

That's balls.

I am rarely ever neutral watching almost any game (whatever the sport). I find it difficult to be interested if I don't feel I have a horse in the race. In fact it's almost a guarantee I will have a horse in most races for one reason or another, no matter how spurious. There are certain conundrums that pop up (Barca v Bayern, Shams v Bohs, Pats v Cork, Sporting Fingal v ... no wait, Kerry v ... nah, they're both certs in my eyes for ire! Or were!), But I'll manage to eventually come down one side or another.

And like you Nesta, I didn't enjoy a lot of Dundalk's games until they were more than assured of a result. My favourite sporting moments have usually been preceded by the most gut-wrenching of times be it Ireland, Dublin, Jordan F1 or Shels etc. Wouldn't have it any other way.

[Mr A]

The 'mad tribalism' IS football FFS.

Agree with BonnieShels above. I generally always want one team or another to win no matter what the sport. I can't take any interest in the likes of horse racing which are utterly meaningless unless you have money on.

[Nesta99]

That's balls.

And like you Nesta, I didn't enjoy a lot of Dundalk's games until they were more than assured of a result. My favourite sporting moments have usually been preceded by the most gut-wrenching of times be it Ireland, Dublin, Jordan F1 or Shels etc. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Ah I suppose I would have a preference on who wins in most things, usually the underdog, but am more or less indifferent if the result goes against my preference. But I enjoy a game of almost any sport myself even as a complete neutral for like the brilliance of an individual or the tactical set-up, the fine margins where over a complete season and a team wins or loses the league on a single goal. Watching for the psychology maybe particularly in penalty shoot-outs etc. So I find enjoyment in watching sports beyond having a favourite. But i understand what you are saying too that the enjoyment is in rooting for a team, tennis player or whatever.

It is true what you say that the truely amazing moments in sport is the contrast between complete heartbreak and total euphoria. Excuse this example as a Shels fans BonnieShels (cant abbreviate to BS lol) but in a matter of 2 or 3 minutes in Kildare from despair and trudging out of a ground like whipped dogs to moments later standing on the pitch celebrating promotion is the best example of misery to ecstasy in sport for me and visa versa no doubts for you and as i mentioned above it is the dark days that make the good days special and why we carry on regardless in eternal hope. It is also imo why there is this attitude of superiority or something from the likes of LoI fans over the average barstooler - its that they miss out on that unique high. If it is easy to support a club, and in realtive terms supporting Man Utd, Barcelona, even Liverpool is easy and you dont get those deep dark days then there is something missing for that supporter. For a person from the likes of Barcelona it is a bad day to lose to Real Madrid and there is the relative nature of what i am saying as it is patronising to say they are missing out by their club not being a basketcase, but for the guy above changing teams is just pish for him. Maybe it isnt superiority of the 'real football fan' that is the attitude toward the barstooler but more a 'you are missing out' on these potential highs - if i am making any sense here at all.

Ireland, Louth (try being a Louth supporter never mind a county like Dublin), Jordan F1 (F1 lost some serious sould when EJ sold up. The maiden 1st by Hill and 2nd by RS and the freak out as they looked like they could knock eachother off the track...and the following year for the team to finish 3rd and with 4 retirements in the last 3 races and HHF having a couple of disasters never mind the run in when he had an outside chance of the drivers title well this is the perfect example of the underdog sticking it to the big guns and great memories so thanks for mentioning that). Then Dundalk - many many times I said I am not doing this anymore especially when in the 1st Division but the last day wins in '91 and especially the drama of '95 those highs kept myself among many i'm sure plugging away and then this patch happened to top us up for another 25 years

[sbgawa]

Well said I think its the bad times that make the good times so great enhanced by the connection between the players and fans that really exists in LOI.
We know the players and club/ officials /stewards etc to a point where we can really feel a part of it good or bad.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Wasn't sure where to put this, but wanted to share the below conversation I had with a higher-up at a work do last Friday:

Him: (a bordering on OAP academic): David, you're still into the League of Ireland, right?

Me: (Knowing this is going nowhere good) Uh, yeah, sure.

Him: I was watching part of that Dundalk game the other night, they did very well.

Me: "Bland agreement, waiting for the inevitable"

Him: (In deadly earnest) Can I ask you, do you know why Dundalk are called the Lilywhites?

Me: Well, I suppose because they play in mostly white?

Him: Yes, but aren't Kildare the Lilywhites?

Me: Sure, but, I mean, two different teams could have the same nickname.

Him: "Frowning, turns away" Just seems like a bit of a cop-out.

Me: "Genuinely at a loss for how to respond."

[CorribsideSteve]

Wasn't sure where to put this, but wanted to share the below conversation I had with a higher-up at a work do last Friday:

Him: (a bordering on OAP academic): David, you're still into the League of Ireland, right?

Me: (Knowing this is going nowhere good) Uh, yeah, sure.

Him: I was watching part of that Dundalk game the other night, they did very well.

Me: "Bland agreement, waiting for the inevitable"

Him: (In deadly earnest) Can I ask you, do you know why Dundalk are called the Lilywhites?

Me: Well, I suppose because they play in mostly white?

Him: Yes, but aren't Kildare the Lilywhites?

Me: Sure, but, I mean, two different teams could have the same nickname.

Him: "Frowning, turns away" Just seems like a bit of a cop-out.

Me: "Genuinely at a loss for how to respond."

That interaction serves as a microcosm of how LOI clubs are viewed by the Irish public : nefarious, underhanded, to be viewed with disdain and suspicion.

[Ashbohs]

That interaction serves as a microcosm of how LOI clubs are viewed by the Irish public : nefarious, underhanded, to be viewed with disdain and suspicion.

Or maybe the work colleague is just a gob ****e. It reminds me of one of my own ex workmates. This fella had 2 Utd season tickets right behind fergie. Goes over every single home game(never saw them in an away game) for years still does. He would be back creaming himself over the weekends game and I would leave it a bit and ask " what formation did yernited play or how did Mata fit in etc etc . " Blank look and silence

[redobit]

That interaction serves as a microcosm of how LOI clubs are viewed by the Irish public : nefarious, underhanded, to be viewed with disdain and suspicion.

For sure ... people seem to think its ok to have a go.

I had a similar conversation recently. There was me and two lads I know through a common (non-football) interest.

Fella 1: Have ye been watching much of the Womens World Cup, my daughter is big into it. The standard has been very good!

Me: Yeah I have seen a few games and the standard was good, some very enjoyable games to watch.

Fella 2: Better than the crap in the LOI.

Me: Careful now, big Sligo Rovers fan here (joking but not joking)

Fella 2: Silence.

Me: Have you been to many LOI games yourself.

Fella 1: None (answering for Fella 2)

Fella 2: More silence.

[mcgonigle]

Wasn't sure where to put this, but wanted to share the below conversation I had with a higher-up at a work do last Friday:

Him: (a bordering on OAP academic): David, you're still into the League of Ireland, right?

Me: (Knowing this is going nowhere good) Uh, yeah, sure.

Him: I was watching part of that Dundalk game the other night, they did very well.

Me: "Bland agreement, waiting for the inevitable"

Him: (In deadly earnest) Can I ask you, do you know why Dundalk are called the Lilywhites?

Me: Well, I suppose because they play in mostly white?

Him: Yes, but aren't Kildare the Lilywhites?

Me: Sure, but, I mean, two different teams could have the same nickname.

Him: "Frowning, turns away" Just seems like a bit of a cop-out.

Me: "Genuinely at a loss for how to respond."

That's a new one for me, I usually just get the "How much would those lads be on?" question

[joey B]

For sure ... people seem to think its ok to have a go.

I had a similar conversation recently. There was me and two lads I know through a common (non-football) interest.

Fella 1: Have ye been watching much of the Womens World Cup, my daughter is big into it. The standard has been very good!

Me: Yeah I have seen a few games and the standard was good, some very enjoyable games to watch.

Fella 2: Better than the crap in the LOI.

Me: Careful now, big Sligo Rovers fan here (joking but not joking)

Fella 2: Silence.

Me: Have you been to many LOI games yourself.

Fella 1: None (answering for Fella 2)

Fella 2: More silence.

Not quite barstoolers,but just on the women's world cup, I seen a chap on twitter from Donegal suggest the US women's national team would beat Harps, suitable derision followed!

[PartySaint]

Not quite barstoolers,but just on the women's world cup, I seen a chap on twitter from Donegal suggest the US women's national team would beat Harps, suitable derision followed!

Didn't the USWNT lose to an under 15 boys team a couple of years ago? So it could be fairly close against Harps..

[pineapple stu]

Yep. 5-2 as well; wasn't even close.

I think it was FC Dallas or someone like that.

A boys' club 17s team beat the Australian women's team 7-0 a couple of years before that.

[Ezeikial]

That's a new one for me, I usually just get the "How much would those lads be on?" question

That's a tricky one.

If you give a low (average) figure you risk it being derided as indicative of poor quality

If you qive the high (upper end) estimates, you risk it being derided as a waste of money in comparison to amateur GAA.

[Park_Lane]

Same type of lads in my job, all about the event be it 'The golf' or 'The 6 nations' or fcuking Coldplay or whatever shoite is playing in croke park, its all about being able to say that you were there
They will never have what we have, the buzz of comming into the stadium, seeing the pitch, players warming up, kick off. Shoite goals conceeded or the biggest highs.
I've been a LOI addict since me oul fella brough me to dalymount to see a homeless shamrock rovers play a friendly against Luton town, a cobbled together team and a set of jerseys is all we had.
Still going under much better circumstances, its more than an event or a way to spend the hours, its life and always will be. And will be passed down to my kids too.