Fields of Athenry

**eekers** · 18/06/2012, 3:26 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

I don't know eekers, you were there in Poland to see for yourself, that you thought Dion Fanning was spot on, you tell us how different it was in Poznan from that you tube thing?

You'd have to be at both Galway rag week and in Poland to compare them.
But my point is people looked at Youtube footage of Galway Rag week and through it a disgrace, then people look at footage from Poland and think its all a great laugh.

Kids were kicked out of college because of drunken behaviour at Galway Rag week, yet its completely acceptable for the man running Irish football holding court to a throng of drunken eejits.

As far I'm concerned this man should look at his behaviour once he gets home and resign.

**tricky_colour** · 18/06/2012, 3:46 PM

Originally Posted by eekers

I thought this was spot on http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...e-3140410.html

Also the exact same behaviour back at home a few months ago caused all sorts of outrage and controversy, but out in Poland we're the best fans in the world etc.
Remember this? how is this different than how we're behaving in Poland?

Seems a severe distortion of reality, the Poles loved the Irish fans.

Funny how everything is twisted around isn't it, we have the best fans in the world but some are
trying to make out they are the worst, you could not make it up.

Same as Roy Keane there is no pleasing him, if the fans were not singing he would be saying "Where's the support? We have the worst support in the competition"
If Sledge had not thanked the fan's he would be going "And he never thanked the fans, why is he ignoring the supporters???"
Had we won 10-0 he would be going, why stop at 10, there were 20 goals to be had there, but they sat back on their laurels,
saving themselves for the partying and the drinking, it was a fecking disgrace, we're the worst team in the competition, we should
be send home for not trying........(more mindless drivel)...."

**tricky_colour** · 18/06/2012, 3:59 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. Crowd behaviour expectations at a football festival are very different to what local public / police / bar owners expect during normal periods.

I'd have been horrified if some of the behaviour of some Irish in my train carriage on the way to Sopot was repaeted outside a football tournament. In the context of a football tournament or any football game what would be considered yobbish in other circumstances is part of the event. But in a football tournament you expect singing and boisterousness and it's actually to be welcomed as long as a line isn't crossed over into threatening, rude or violent behaviour. I saw a lot of very drunken but equally harmless behaviour over in Poland.

According to the Indo here's what the locals thought of us:

http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...s-3140886.html

Edit: just read the Fanning article. I have to say it did strike me that my time has come and gone. I would have no appetite whatsoever to do the amount of drinking some lads got up to and though I like my drink I don't like drinking more just for the sake of it.

I would take the word of hundreds of polish people who have commented in a positive manner about the Irish fans over one crappy journalist
anyway.

It sees some Irish feel the need to engage in a period of self-flagellation

**geysir** · 18/06/2012, 4:09 PM

Originally Posted by eekers

You'd have to be at both Galway rag week and in Poland to compare them.
But my point is people looked at Youtube footage of Galway Rag week and through it a disgrace, then people look at footage from Poland and think its all a great laugh.

Your point was that Fanning's article was spot on. If you were not there in Poland how on earth do you know if you share Fanning's perspective?

Kids were kicked out of college because of drunken behaviour at Galway Rag week, yet its completely acceptable for the man running Irish football holding court to a throng of drunken eejits.

I see very little comparison in the 2 videos between Galway rag week behaviour and the Irish fans in the video.
Delaney's behaviour as FAI chief exec is another matter, but if some people want to engage with him in some merry harmless pranks that's entirely their business.
Unless anyone can be shocked that Irish fans do congregate in designated places to drink alcohol, engage in sing songs and all entirely to the complete satisfaction of their hosts.

**OwlsFan** · 18/06/2012, 5:03 PM

Frankly I am astounded by the negative reaction of some people, including that tool Fanning who only has his job because his daddy owned the paper, to the great support the Irish fans have shown the team in Poland. I was there for the game in Poznan. I have videos of great banter between the Croat fans and the Irish fans. While I saw many merry/drunk Irish (and Croat) fans, I saw no fans causing trouble, lying in the gutter and their support for the team was immense. I saw no one manking an "eejit of himself" (other than our tour operator but that's another story). It is so curmudgeonly and begruding for people to criticise the support. The latter word is defined as:

4. to sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction: They supported him throughout his ordeal.

Each can deal with defeat in his/her own way. There is no correct way to do it but I will always condemn those who boo a team who have lost when the players gave it their all. People who sing to lift the spirits of the team who have lost badly are not celebrating the defeat. They are not eejits. They are supporters just as the ones who left the stadium unable to join in are also supporters. The Sindo piece was typical bandwagoning. Gerald Keane/Lisa Murphy and the rugby fraternity are the icons of the Indo. 'Nuff said.

**Charlie Darwin** · 18/06/2012, 5:24 PM

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

Frankly I am astounded by the negative reaction of some people, including that tool Fanning who only has his job because his daddy owned the paper, to the great support the Irish fans have shown the team in Poland. I was there for the game in Poznan. I have videos of great banter between the Croat fans and the Irish fans. While I saw many merry/drunk Irish (and Croat) fans, I saw no fans causing trouble, lying in the gutter and their support for the team was immense. I saw no one manking an "eejit of himself" (other than our tour operator but that's another story). It is so curmudgeonly and begruding for people to criticise the support. The latter word is defined as:

4. to sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction: They supported him throughout his ordeal.

Each can deal with defeat in his/her own way. There is no correct way to do it but I will always condemn those who boo a team who have lost when the players gave it their all. People who sing to lift the spirits of the team who have lost badly are not celebrating the defeat. They are not eejits. They are supporters just as the ones who left the stadium unable to join in are also supporters. The Sindo piece was typical bandwagoning. Gerald Keane/Lisa Murphy and the rugby fraternity are the icons of the Indo. 'Nuff said.

His daddy was the editor, not the owner. Now his step-mammy is the editor.

**Metrostars** · 18/06/2012, 5:26 PM

Irish football in a microcosm:

20000 Irish fans in Poland singing their guts out
3 days later an Irish club goes out of business and nobody cares

**Stuttgart88** · 18/06/2012, 5:57 PM

Dumb comparison. Irish national team playing against best teams in the world is more appealing than watching Monaghan. I'm shocked.

**Philly** · 18/06/2012, 6:09 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Dumb comparison. Irish national team playing against best teams in the world is more appealing than watching Monaghan. I'm shocked.

Football isn't just about being in big stadiums and having a sing-song though, that's the point. It's about alot more than that.

**dong** · 18/06/2012, 6:13 PM

We are seriously inbred with drink in this country.
A debate for another place I suppose.

**Noelys Guitar** · 18/06/2012, 6:14 PM

'Irish fans high on Latte's bore locals to death' in 2024 World Cup exclusive by Kevin Filth.

**Stuttgart88** · 18/06/2012, 9:24 PM

Originally Posted by Philly

Football isn't just about being in big stadiums and having a sing-song though, that's the point. It's about alot more than that.

Duh, don't you think I get that? Did you read my post on fan typology / motivation?

Mongahan's demise probably has more to do with the people of Mongahan than anyone in Poznan tonight. Start pointing the finger there.

**Stuttgart88** · 18/06/2012, 9:25 PM

Originally Posted by dong

We are seriously inbred with drink in this country.
A debate for another place I suppose.

That's a fair point. I lost count of the number of people I knew who I met going to bed after I had had my breakfast!

**brine3** · 18/06/2012, 9:59 PM

The question that needs asking:

If Ireland were battered 3-1, 4-0 and 2-0 in consecutive matches at Lansdowne Road, would we be singing them off the pitch? You can bet we wouldn't. There'd be a loud chorus of boos.

But when we're at the Euopean Championship we like to keep up appearances. We're good Europeans. We pass treaties and never boo. Move along now. There'll be more Youtube clips of the brilliant Irish fans on YouTube tomorrow for the world to see.

Pity there's just the one goal to look at.

I saw Robbie Keane at it again in the post-match interview, speaking with no emotion, think of his hollliers, "oh well, you have to hold your hands up and say you lost to the better team."

**SkStu** · 18/06/2012, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Duh, don't you think I get that? Did you read my post on fan typology / motivation?.

Right, so theres two types of fan in this world - barstoolers and LOI fans.

**tricky_colour** · 18/06/2012, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by dong

We are seriously inbred with drink in this country.
A debate for another place I suppose.

Same as France or Portugal and similar to many other European Countries.
Within 10% of most European countries, You are pushing a stereo type which has no
truth to it. 13 European countries drink more.

**Stuttgart88** · 18/06/2012, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by brine3

If Ireland were battered 3-1, 4-0 and 2-0 in consecutive matches at Lansdowne Road, would we be singing them off the pitch? There'd be a loud chorus of boos.

I've rarely heard boos at LR. I think we'd be pretty unlucky, or stupid, to play Croatia, Spain and Italy in 8 days in Dublin. You obviously have no sense of context whatsoever. You boo if you want to, I'm behind the BIG.

**brine3** · 18/06/2012, 10:43 PM

There was most recently booing at Lansdowne Road when we drew 0-0 against Slovakia. We didn't even get beat and there was booing. There certainly wasn't 20 rounds of the Fields of Athenry then.

I've never booed Ireland myself, but I've never sung them off the park after they've been rubbish either.

**Murfinator** · 18/06/2012, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by tricky_colour

Same as France or Portugal and similar to many other European Countries.
Within 10% of most European countries, You are pushing a stereo type which has no
truth to it. 13 European countries drink more.

Misleading stat considering the amount of mild social drinking and drinking with meals that goes on in other countries. The Irish don't consume alcohol the most but the Irish most certainly abuse alcohol the most.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=9624 - Irish spend most on alcohol in the EU
http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=5276 - Irish spend most on alcohol in the world
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...268876786.html - Irish highest rate of binge drinking in the EU
http://www.irishcentral.com/story/ro...111103999.html - Irish highest rate of pregnant women who drink.

I remember reading an article in the Indo prior to the tournament about this being the perfect time to show the world we've advanced beyond the drunken paddy caricature. Suffice to say we haven't, sadly.