Miguel Delaney on the surreality of last night's game: http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/s...ws-211115.html
I'd just like to comment on the quality Irish totty in my local last night. Short black skirt and Ireland away top. POS wasn't as distracted as I was, but I was hoping for a dramatic late winner, prompting a hug of the nearest Irish person near me (excluding POS). God knows I'm owed one after practically getting raped by an overweight unshaven culchie after Robbie's goal in Ibaraki.
Again, leave POS out of it.Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
I thought you were off the drink Ronnie?
"No, I drink to help me mind my own business....can I get you one? (c) Ronnie Drew
Have I stumbled upon another Irish Wigan Athletic supporter? I go over to see Wigan a few times every year and I have always been impressed by McCarthy. Great attitude and a nice pleasant lad. I would tend to agree with Giles when he previously said that sometimes games can pass him by, I think he needs to be more vocal and demand the ball more. However he is young and still learning and I just hope Trap (if he still about) gives him the opportunity to play the style of football he is used to under Martinez at Wigan.
Out of interest, how did you start supporting Wigan?
A long story but since you asked. Around 1977 a school friend of mine was looking for a team to support. I suggested that rather follow one of the top sides he could support the next team that got elected into the English league which happened to be Wimbledon. He seemed to have great fun with this novel approach supporting his new team in their first year. Out of curiosity ( i was a man u fan) I decided to keep an eye on the results of the next team that got elected and that happened to be Wigan in 1978. To be honest what started as a curiosity at first developed into a bit of a love affair over the years. Then around 2000/01 my sister got a job in Liverpool. One weekend I went over for a visit and popped up to see my first Wigan game (a 2-1 win over Northampton with goals from Haworth and Liddel). They were in the third tier then with Bruce Rioch as manager. He would shortly be replaced by Paul Jewell. Since 2000 I go over about 2/3 times a year. Its a great little day trip from Cork to Manchester, cheap match tickets and a nice little stadium and some great football to enjoy under Martinez!!
Why the English league specifically?
In case you hadn't noticed English soccer is very popular in Ireland as it was in the late 1970s.
I completely agree about McCarthy. I was at the Everton game two weeks ago and, although he performed quite well and is a superb organsier for one so young, I do feel that he is happy to instruct the pass to be played to the next guy instead of receiving it himself. It's a fairly small criticism and something I'm sure will improve in time. That, and obviously sometimes he is right to give such an instruction as they may be in a better place to receive the pass.
On a side note, what a pain in the hole it was getting match tickets that day. I remembered something similar had happened with Roy Keane but also remembered Wigan responded saying he could have still got a ticket. We couldn't buy them online in advance because of the match category. Seeing a sparsely populated DW on television every Saturday, we said we'd turn up and take our chances from there. We went up to the window and the girl there asked us had we been to another game this season, which we hadn't. She said that we couldn't buy tickets for 'health & safety' reasons in that case. We told her we were neutrals after coming all the way from Ireland to see the match so she went off to check with her supervisor. Answer - still no.
We eventually asked a very accomodating Wigan season ticket holder if he would go up and buy the tickets for us, which he did. I know, or at least think, their reasoning is that Everton is nearby and they don't want loads of Toffee supporters in with the Wigan crowd. It still seems like an awful waste turning money away at the gates of a half-empty stadium. Anyway, it all worked out in the end and it was a super game of football
Last edited by DeLorean; 17/10/2012 at 3:02 PM.
Certainly, and people can support whoever they wish, but do you think that popularity has been to the long-term benefit of Irish football?
I know you were only kids and all but that is some remarkably arbitrary criterea for selecting a foreign team to support.
Ah, thats what I thought you were getting at. I have been to many LOI games. I lived in Dublin and attended Shelbourne games a lot and when I moved to the South East I also went to Waterford games. To be honest, crap facilities, no atmosphere and a fairly poor standard of football turned me off so I stopped going. I do believe in the concept value for money. However I do think I do a little 'for the long term benefit of Irish football' as I am involved in a local club as a coach for our Schoolboys teams.
If you are so patriotic about Irish football why do you call yourself after an Italian Australian soccer player who spent a lot of his career playing in the English and Scottish leagues
But don't thousands of Irish people support foreign teams so what is the big issue with what foreign team ones support? Someone asked me how I supported Wigan and I told them how. Is there a more prescribed way as to how you should pick a team to support? As explained in my answer is was a gradual thing rather than a decision made suddenly.
Proximity?
Nah, I'm not lecturing or anything, I don't care who you choose to support.
I can see where you are coming from. Some games are classed Category A, mainly games against their big neighbours. The reason being is that on past occasions, as I witnessed at a Liverpool game, away supporters get into the home stands and there have been problems in the past. I am on their ticket database so if ever you're looking for tickets again I can sort you out.I
On a side note, what a pain in the hole it was getting match tickets that day. I remembered something similar had happened with Roy Keane but also remembered Wigan responded saying he could have still got a ticket. We couldn't by them online in advance because of the match category. Seeing a sparsely populated DW on television every Saturday, we said we'd turn up and take our chances from there. We went up to the window and the girl there asked us had we been to another game this season, which we hadn't. She said that we couldn't buy tickets for 'health & safety' reasons in that case. We told her we were neutrals after coming all the way from Ireland to see the match so she went off to check with her supervisor. Answer - still no.
I hate this "you can't follow english football" nonsense. Almost everyone does to some degree or another.
My taxi driver in Dublin last week lived and breathed football and spends his life coaching and amnaging and goes to rovers most home games. He also goes to QPR when he can.
All the football talk when I was in school was about England, that's how it goes. It takes a brave 12 year-old to stand against the grain.
I like it Roberto. Its certainly a more interesting response to the question Im sure you would get if posed to the Irish based Blackburn* supporters now in their late twenties if indeed they still support Blackburn?
*Replace Blackburn with Leeds fans from the 70's Liverpool fans from the 80's etc....
Each to their own of course ......
I thought you were off the drink Ronnie?
"No, I drink to help me mind my own business....can I get you one? (c) Ronnie Drew
Yeah but if you're going to support an English team because Irish football's not good enough for you, it seems strange to arbitrarily select a lower league English club. I understand glory hunting with Liverpool or Man United or whoever. I can't comment with authority on the atmosphere or faciltiies at Wigan or Wimbledon 30 years ago but I'm guessing they weren't great.
Let's leave the 'why follow English clubs/cos LOI is crap' for another thread.
I admit it's strange but what do I do? What started off as a 'casual like' experiment turned into a genuine passion for the club. And it would appear I'm not the only one. At the game against Reading that clinched promotion to the Premiership I spotted an Irish tricolor with 'tiocfaid ar la' written on it. Support who you want, life is too short.
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