Celtic Cup thread

**bwagner** · 29/05/2011, 9:14 AM

Guys im stuck in france, i need to see this game..does anyone hace a link to where i watch it ????????

**ifk101** · 29/05/2011, 9:20 AM

Originally Posted by legendz

Rob Earnshaw calls for Nations Cup revamp: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13585705.stm

Perhaps the best option would be to run the tournament over a weekend in the same host city - ie have two semi finals on a Friday and final/ third place matches on a Sunday.

I'd drop NI from the tournament, rotate the hosting of the tournament between us, Scotland and Wales, and have the fourth team as an invite.

**Fixer82** · 29/05/2011, 9:31 AM

If Nigel and his mates want Northern Ireland to have a unionist football team, they're going the right way about it. - Eamon Sweeney

http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...p-2660613.html

Well said Mr. Sweeney

**Lionel Ritchie** · 29/05/2011, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Fixer82

If Nigel and his mates want Northern Ireland to have a unionist football team, they're going the right way about it. - Eamon Sweeney

http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...p-2660613.html

Well said Mr. Sweeney

A couple of salient points aside there's an amount of tired auld guff in there from Sweeney though ..."cauldron of hatred", GFA, Lennon, bullets in the post -and of the course the All-Ireland team solution because that'd solve it all and make everyone happy.

He's correct that Nigel is a bit of an eejit who doesn't understand that the rest of the world don't neccessarily see things as he does mind.

**Fixer82** · 29/05/2011, 11:03 AM

Yeah I agree but I though he nailed it with that particular sentence
Hence the quote.

What i really didn't like was the gloating at the end '5-0, 5-0, 5-0'. What is he, 10?

**Stuttgart88** · 29/05/2011, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Fixer82

What i really didn't like was the gloating at the end '5-0, 5-0, 5-0'. What is he, 10?

Yes, totally pointless. Totally fails to acknowledge how experimental and far from full strength NI were.

**Fixer82** · 29/05/2011, 11:19 AM

Indeed. Perspective and grace are two qualities that would go a long way

**Not Brazil** · 29/05/2011, 11:24 AM

Mr Sweeney's rant is riddled with inaccuracies.

It has a stench of bigotry to it too.

**ArdeeBhoy** · 29/05/2011, 2:30 PM

Really?

And his piece is an improvement on what passes for 'facts', in The Belfast Telegraph...

**ArdeeBhoy** · 29/05/2011, 2:33 PM

Originally Posted by gastric

Excellent article in the Indo about Nigel Worthington and his crap attitude towards players playing for the Republic. Eamonn Sweeney mentions too Derek Dougan who was a visionary in terms of where he felt English soccer should seek its influence and style of play and was often deemed controversial for these views. I never knew that due to his beliefs about a United Irish team that his international career was ended.

Yeah spoke to Dougan about this myself through work, an articulate and likable man.

**geysir** · 29/05/2011, 2:54 PM

As long as we get through the Scotland game without too much grief, I think these 2 games will prove to be important preparation for the qualifier against Macedonia.

.

**paudie** · 29/05/2011, 3:12 PM

Originally Posted by ifk101

Perhaps the best option would be to run the tournament over a weekend in the same host city - ie have two semi finals on a Friday and final/ third place matches on a Sunday.

I'd drop NI from the tournament, rotate the hosting of the tournament between us, Scotland and Wales, and have the fourth team as an invite.

This years format was desperate. Even the timing of today's game at 6.30 won't attract Scottish daytrippers. Then again if Sky are paying the money they make the calls.
2 semis and afinal over a weekend would be better as would double headers.

**ArdeeBhoy** · 29/05/2011, 3:43 PM

Didn't Craig Levein call for '10,000 Tartan Army fans to travel to Dublin for Sunday's crunch Carling Nations meeting' in the Scottish media on Friday?

Hmm.

**DannyInvincible** · 29/05/2011, 4:38 PM

Originally Posted by bwagner

Guys im stuck in france, i need to see this game..does anyone hace a link to where i watch it ????????

Should hopefully get something suitable here as kick-off approaches: http://www.livefootballol.com/stream...9-05-2011.html

You'll require Sopcast for some streams.

Something should appear here as well, just in case: http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=sports

Also keep an eye on the football section.

**ArdeeBhoy** · 29/05/2011, 4:44 PM

There was a stream mentioned on Friday for the Wales game which definitely worked back then.

And maybe, tonight also?

**richieos** · 29/05/2011, 4:47 PM

www.atdhe.ws has yet to let me down for any matches

**DannyInvincible** · 29/05/2011, 4:56 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Except the "loophole" Sweeney refers to is not the GFA but rather the "change of association" clause in the eligibility statutes, no?

That is correct, although you could include article 15 in that as well.

The Gibson hate campaign? Was he referring to Colbert Report?

Whilst dubbing it a "hate campaign" might be a tad strong, there is certainly a lot of vitriol and antipathy reserved for Gibson. I'm not sure why he's loathed by general NI fans so much in particular given he's been with us from under-17 level. Maybe it's due to his high profile and a mistaken belief that he was the first to "set the ball rolling" or "open the floodgates".

**DannyInvincible** · 29/05/2011, 5:02 PM

Originally Posted by richieos

www.atdhe.ws has yet to let me down for any matches

Ah, I was wondering where that site had disappeared. They changed their domain name.

**legendz** · 29/05/2011, 6:44 PM

Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

That might work, but I was thinking, too, about having concentrated numbers of fans in town for a week-long tournament, creating atmosphere and generally bigging up the event in a way that a prolonged series of games doesn't. The good thing about the 6 Nations format is that from start to finish, it's over within two months - short, concentrated and omnipresent for its duration. Spinning out the CC over 7 months makes it lose momentum.

I don't see the need for having a concentrated number of fans in a city for a week. Atmosphere can be created on the day or two before a game in the city of the team with the home game.
The idea of the Nations Cup was to use the friendly dates so I'm not sure where the current arrangement came from. The qualifying process is spread out over an Autumn, Spring and Autumn. The three dates mentioned would be an even enough spread within about 6 months and run within the season the players play in. The nature of the competition was to give a more competitive game than a friendly. It doesn't need to be concentrated within a week, just played on the regular friendly dates.