QuoteStephen Hunt was born in Laois.
Laois off the list as well actually
http://www.laoistalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Byrne_(footballer)
Stephen Hunt was born in Laois.
Do the FAI employ a policy of non-selection of Leitrim-born players then? Decades of practice would appear to indicate they do.[/strictly parody]
Hunt's "Laoisness" is being discussed in the first link above, but the fact he didn't grow up there means some people (like some of the thread posters) might not see him as a fully-fledged Laois native.
Taken from the McClean thread but is it not really a massive let down to know that the poaching of McClean went this way and not as follows ....Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
Edit: very reliable source, who could it be?"Heard an interesting story about James McLean from a very reliable source prior to his switch to the FAI. Not only pressure from the FAI but pressure from other bodies and groups." http://niandthebeautifulgame.weebly.....html#comments
Last edited by ifk101; 05/03/2012 at 9:27 AM.
The voice inside Sam's head?
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
Baron Münchhausen.
Currently sporting a shiny new codpiece fashioned from some journo's credibility.
Just thought I would throw this hand grenade in as it's gone quiet on here of late. And who are we to argue with Martin particularly if he finds out where you live!
http://www.independent.ie/breaking-n...m-3041565.html
Meh, I guess the Independent can't have it looking like they're out of the loop on this one. Putting the all-island team twist on it must be their way of justifying publishing an article - in compliance with the rest of the media - about the complete non-story that was McGuinness attending Windsor Park last night along with a couple of hundred other Derry City fans.
The Derry Journal described his visit as "historic". It wasn't even his first time in Windsor Park... Not sure what the big fuss is all about. He was just there as another Derry fan in the stadium, Raymond McCartney seated beside him. If he had been in the stadium in an official capacity to support NI (or Saudi Arabia, Nigeria or Mexico) or to watch a NI match on an invite from the IFA, that might have been slightly more newsworthy.
Anyway, I don't know why people keep banging on about a single 'de jure' island team at this current point in time; we already have a 'de facto' all-island one. I've noticed Sinn Féin have been doing so quite a bit of late. I suppose it's an unconvincing attempt to reconcile Martin's prospective attendance at a NI game in the near future with Sinn Féin's republican principles. Of course, as much as people might long for it, the ideal is a complete non-starter for both legal and practical reasons. Do elements within either association want it? NI fans certainly don't want it. I dunno if even I would want it, to be honest. The prospect of Phil Coulter writing our new shared anthem really isn't all that appealing. Would other posters support the idea of a single island team at this current point in time in theory? There'll be a single island team when a united Ireland comes about, but it won't be before that.
Taking politics out of sport wouldn't equate to having one island team; I imagine it would equate to having one global team.
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 06/03/2012 at 10:42 PM.
Everyone's a winner!
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
While it is impossible to rid sports of politics, it is certainly an aspiration that is worth pursuing, particularly within an Irish context. This mixture has tended to create division and if last night's bus incident in Sligo was politically motivated, we have a long way to go.
There has been absolutely no indication whatsoever that what happened in Sligo was politically motivated. It was a robbery. If it had been politically motivated the thieves would have made a political statement.
Cultural/political difference, or the acknowledgement of it, doesn't necessarily have to be divisive in the most malignant of senses. Nor does tackling division have to mean forcing everyone under the one umbrella. It's about people being mature enough to accept, respect and embrace difference and working from there. I have no urge to support NI or the IFA because I don't think they're relevant to me culturally; it doesn't mean I want to break into the next empty Glentoran supporters' bus I see, steal handbags and smear **** on the floor.
Under which category of statement would the smearing of **** on a bus floor fall?
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 07/03/2012 at 12:55 AM.
Dirty protest?
Impressed in a 0-3 defeat. Who's he kidding?
You referring to Shane Ferguson? Thought Martin McGuinness had lined out for yous for a second there!
The Indo' is talking rubbish, btw.
While there is no doubt that a robbery did occur, the motive behind this has yet to be clarified. The extreme nature of what happened is disgraceful and I would be mortified if it was politically motivated.
Danny, in regards to my last post about politics in sport, what angers me is how soccer has been tainted by politics in NI, in a way that other sports have not had to experience. For example, rugby and golf seem to build bridges to some degree, while in soccer, the old divides continue to hold true. And this is the key to my ongoing frustration with many arguments on this thread.
As regards your comments about 'forcing everyone under one umbrella' I assume you are referring to Martin McGuinness!
Obviously all just speculation, but if it was merely items stolen, it would be possible to construe it as an ordinary case of otherwise-unmotivated theft. I suspect, however, that the added smearing of **** on a bus floor (if it was indeed intentional) amounted to a message of sorts. Of course, it could have been a case of mindless vandalism for little other reason, but it's a peculiar way of going about it. You'd imagine it would require quite a degree of hostility to do something like that and, unfortunately, the most obvious explanation for any hostility would be a perception by those who perpetrated these acts of Glentoran as a club affiliated with the Protestant/unionist community. Maybe I'm being overly presumptuous and some people just get their kicks out of very, very simple pleasures these days...
I don't think rugby is immune from debate of a political nature now and again - I can see why northern unionists might feel that the IRFU's notion of compromise is a bit of a sham and why they might feel they're getting a raw deal as far as cultural representation goes, for example - and doesn't the question of Rory McIlroy's nationality crop up in golf now and again? I acknowledge your general point, however. I don't think these issues are as contentious and divisive for Irish rugby and golf followers as issues of politics and identity can be when it comes to football on the island. I'm not sure if you're blaming football though or northern politics. The social dynamics that surround the respective games are, admittedly, very different. Naturally, the course each sport takes will reflect that. Those following will be those who define. Division in Irish society, and obviously amongst those following the game of football especially, was what led to the creation of two football associations on the island; it wasn't the other way around. Thus, I think division in society, as the root cause, has to be tackled first if amalgamation is to be considered as a realistic possibility. Could forced amalgamation really build bridges or would it merely serve to foster further animosity and grievances over the dilution of identity and whatnot, for example?Danny, in regards to my last post about politics in sport, what angers me is how soccer has been tainted by politics in NI, in a way that other sports have not had to experience. For example, rugby and golf seem to build bridges to some degree, while in soccer, the old divides continue to hold true. And this is the key to my ongoing frustration with many arguments on this thread.
As regards your comments about 'forcing everyone under one umbrella' I assume you are referring to Martin McGuinness!
The "umbrella" mention was a reference to those who would advocate trying to push or coerce the IFA and NI fans into a single island team against their wishes; not necessarily singling you out or anything in case you thought I was. If they don't want it, what can you do though other than trying to understand that, respecting it and letting them be?
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 08/03/2012 at 12:26 AM.
Good news for us, while NI falls in the rankings. The eligibilty issue and NI's inability to accommodate the Nationalist community may become an even bigger cause of consternation for some NI supporters.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...w-3042837.html
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