QuoteAh AB, come on, read what went before. You knew what he meant.Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
I'm presuming you mean Lifford? Donegal is hardly convenient. :P
We could do that I suppose. I prefer my plan though for stoking the fires. :O
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Ah AB, come on, read what went before. You knew what he meant.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Oh, I have.
However, it's in the gift of the IFA to weed out those who play for them out of "convenience".
Follow your dream - ASAP.
Last edited by Not Brazil; 06/02/2012 at 12:30 AM.
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...
Lifford is good too.
Donegal is closer to Derry than Belfast.
Why would "united" Irelanders want to "stoke the fires"?
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...
With respect to NB and other aspiring gardeners I'll refer to post #2732 above. Somehow doubt FIFA will look kindly on revisiting the whole debate when they've already adjudicated on it, backed by the CAS, for the foreseeable future.
Or perhaps certain people also expect them to also rewrite the GFA also...
Last edited by ArdeeBhoy; 06/02/2012 at 12:36 AM.
This is just hysterical and alarmist scaremongering.
Anyway, must we assume the upkeep of good cross-community relations takes precedence over all else these days? Cross-community relations aren't necessarily the be all and the end all. I hope I'm not committing a grave faux pas.
Some people will always be offended by something. It's not a player's/the FAI's duty to keep everyone in NI happy. These players prioritise the expression of their national identity over keeping NI fans/individuals from the other community happy; not that I'd advocate someone setting out to offend someone for no other sake, but this expression, of which causing offence might be a by-product or consequence, must be accepted as their discretion.
There's nothing underhand going on here. It's all within the rules and choice was ultimately still O'Kane's, as Noel King rightly points out. Naming these intermediaries might get them into "trouble" with disgruntled NI supporters, but they aren't doing anything wrong, as far as FIFA are concerned.So who were these intermediaries?
“I don’t want to say that,” says O’Kane. “I don’t want to get people into trouble. They don’t want anything to do with it and if I was them I wouldn’t want anything to do with it either.”
Shadowy intermediaries, secret meetings, agents, political posturing and a paper trail leading to Zurich may sound like a reworking of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. These are the elements, however, that make up the increasingly bitter fight between the two football associations as they wrangle over the best young footballing talent on the island.
Good lord. Is this just accepted as fact now?The Irish Football Association (IFA) in Belfast is crying foul over the increasingly predatory tendencies of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) towards some of the best players born in the north.
Anyway, there's nothing "foul" going on.
Armstrong is one to talk about tapping up players. All of this is pretty much irrelevant, self-pitying twaddle anyway. Is the insinuation that FIFA should favour the IFA because they are a smaller/financially-weaker association than the FAI? Should they hand out favours and grant exceptions to other small associations too? Attempting to relate to this issue the relative "glamour" and "success" of the FAI is also to intentionally obfuscate matters. It implies these players are making mercenary decisions and conceals the reality that they merely seek to express (or better express) their national identity.“We are a small nation and the republic has twice as many people and twice as many resources financially,” said Gerry Armstrong, a former Northern Ireland player who has been hired by the IFA to stop the drain of talent to its more glamorous and successful neighbour. “They are tapping up our players and it is a kick in the teeth for us.”
Fought with renewed vigour? By whom? Gary Mac and the AONISC?Gibson’s declaration for the republic in 2006 signalled the start of the tug-of-war between the two associations, one which eventually ended up in the international sports courts and is now being fought with renewed vigour in Ireland.
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 06/02/2012 at 12:43 AM.
C'mon, NB; be reasonable with the lads. Have you seen the Donegal pot-holes?!
I'm an Irelander. Nothing more nothing less. I was making such a comment in jest. Some on. Don't go all AB on me.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Hey, mine are mainly in jest too...
That ellipsis says otherwise...
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Sure, you're not familiar with 'The Wild Rover' then?
Why would Robinson having attended a GAA match oblige Sinn Féin to support the IFA in the "FAI row"? Sinn Féin have a mandate to protect the interests of northern-born Irish nationals and the FAI happens to be the national association of a very significant minority of the population in NI.
Besides, haven't the IFA given up rowing? Isn't the current official/public stance of the IFA one of acceptance of the right of players to switch under the current legal framework and an acknowledgement that the ball is entirely in their court with regard to somehow making their teams relevant to the nationalist community?
At least, erm, one of their fans think otherwise...
I'm quite curious as to who these "shadowy intermediaries" are - that Eunan seems frightened to talk about.
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...
Where you thinking of anyone in particular?
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...
I thought exactly the same when I read Ferguson's piece.
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...
The term you quote is that of Paul Rowan, who seems content to stir without actually knowing the facts. The intermediaries could have been friends or family contacting the FAI on his behalf. This idea of "shadowy intermediaries" is just outrageous. Rowan is feeding the paranoia of the likes of Sam Gamble and Gary McAllister.
The Sunday Times could be in receipt of a letter or two - Rowan's assertion is pure balls. Nothing more, nothing less.
Indeed. I was warmed by Kinger's words on the matter. Another instance of the FAI conducting themselves impeccably throughout this farce.
But of course! "You will not grind us down"Fought with renewed vigour? By whom? Gary Mac and the AONISC?
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
For greater clarity, it appears he's "frightened" for their sake rather than his own sake, in case anyone interpreted that as indicative of possible duress.
I suspect Rowan has mixed and matched different quote sources.
At least I wouldn't put it past him.
There is a BBC report based on an interview Eunan did with Radio Devon last Sept,
What I understand from it, is that he doesn't appear to have a positive world view of the IFA
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/footbal...medium=twitter
"I just felt my opportunity wasn't going to come playing for Northern Ireland and the Republic have come and asked me to come and join them, so it's kind of a no-brainer to take the decision to the country that want you," O'Kane told BBC Radio Devon.
"I just want to play football and if the Republic are going to give me that chance then I'm prepared to take it."
O'Kane, who has won four caps for Northern Ireland Under-21s, would not disclose exactly what discussions he had had with the Irish FA about his decision.
"There's a lot of things that go on that not a lot of people know about," he added.
"I'm not going to come out and say what's really happened behind closed doors because that's nothing to do with anyone else"
It's possible the "shadowy intermediaries" are within IFA circles so to speak ......
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