The italian fat lad they'd trying to keep goal ....what was his name ? ....Tiabbi??? something like that ...Originally Posted by green goblin
Noel Whelan, now larging it up with Aberdeen.Originally Posted by inexile
The ball is round and has many surprises.
The italian fat lad they'd trying to keep goal ....what was his name ? ....Tiabbi??? something like that ...Originally Posted by green goblin
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
[QUOTE=Bowsy]Could be wrong and often am but i believe a lot of the Turkish national team are German born but choose to declare for Turkey.
Bowsy, the Turkish/German thing is a bit diffent. It may have changed in the last few years but if you were born in Germany of Turkisk parentage you were not entitled to German citizenship even though born in Germany. You were a 'Turk" as far as Germany was concerned and that was that. Does anyone know if this is still the case?
Yeah but your misintepreting the point about where someone was born. The likes of Kilbane and McCarthy never had a doubt that they were Irish, same as your kids no doubt. W@nkers like Knight, Morrison, Holland etc only decide they're Irish when they're not going to be picked for England.Originally Posted by green goblin
We might as well go the middle east route of dishing out passports to Brazilians that aren't good enough for their national team. Sure once they play alright and they bulk out the squad it's for the best no?
If you attack me with stupidity, I'll be forced to defend myself with sarcasm.
i'm sick of this. the likes of Morrison and Macken can burn in hell
Have looked it up and apparently "naturalization in Germany is based on descent, not place of birth. Thus, generations of foreign children born in Germany remain foreigners, while others of German descent who live in other countries may claim citizenship under Article 116 of the Basic Law". Suppose there's no argument when there's no dual citizenship.Originally Posted by pbn
Again forgive my ignorance but wasn't Bracken 2nd generation Irish who just changed his mind much like this Leon Best lad might be doing?
K. Bracken was actually born in Ireland and went to England as a baby or small child. . Heard him say once he grew up in England and always considered himself English. Presumably he had a 2nd gen upbringing(although Irish born) and chose England. Heard Martin Keown ( Galway & Fermanagh parents) say something similar although the difference was Keown was English born, unlike Bracken
I'm a season ticket holder at Fulham and have been watching Knight for a couple of years. He's a quality player but does make the odd mistake....as do all centre halves. Whilst he doesn't have the experience of Kenny C or is showing the form of Richard Dunne, there's no doubt he'd be challenging for a spot in the Irish team...and he's only 24. Bring him on, I say - so what if he's capped by England at under-21....we never complained about John Aldridge or Tony Cascarino. He'd soon become one of the lads - I've met him at a club function and he seemed a really decent bloke, took time to sign autographs and have a chat.
Last year there was talk of him going to Liverpool and there are still lots of rumour about a move - he's only getting better.
Anyway, I'm getting KNIGHT 6 on my Irish jersey and wearing it to the next Fulham match. At least he wasn't making up some rubbish about his long lost grandmother and how his Irish roots mean so much to him - you can't fault his honesty.
[QUOTE=Macy]Yeah but your misintepreting the point about where someone was born. The likes of Kilbane and McCarthy never had a doubt that they were Irish, same as your kids no doubt. W@nkers like Knight, Morrison, Holland etc only decide they're Irish when they're not going to be picked for England. QUOTE]
Hmm. Maybe you're right. I wasn't thinking about it like that, but maybe you're right. I've never doubted that I'm Irish, nor has my wife, though we were both born and brought up in England. We never had to choose to be Irish, as we always knew we were. Same for our children, bless 'em. The point about Martin Keown is a valid one, and perhaps we might have seen him knocking on the door of the FAI in other circumstances.
But yes, all respect to the Foreign born players who chose the green shirt first because they knew where they were from and were proud to wear it, and not because they were never going to be picked for England.
Tea. Corduroy. Space Travel.
Interesting view Cravenite. I've only seen him live once that I can remember, last year at Loftus Road versus Leeds. I came away wondering how any of the 22 players on view ever became professional footballers. You've seen more of him than any of us but I have to admit I've not been impressed and I'd give him a wide berth. The connection seems too tenuous for my liking anyway.
On the rugby front, England have capped Declan Danaher )from Connaught I think) at B international level and are looking to call up Johnny O'Connor of Wasps.
By all accounts O'Connor is the best wing forward in England and he has said he's waiting for an Irish call up. He's born & bred Irish and why he hasn't been called up for Ireland is a mystery to most informed Irish rugby heads.
Dallaglio was tapped on the shoulder by Ireland as a youth, so I heard, but wasn't interested. The BBC commentator had the good grace to mention it while England were being dismantled by Ireland at Twickenham. Now what a game that was...Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
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Tea. Corduroy. Space Travel.
[QUOTE=Stuttgart88]Interesting view Cravenite. I've only seen him live once that I can remember, last year at Loftus Road versus Leeds. I came away wondering how any of the 22 players on view ever became professional footballers.
I remember that game, very poor I agree - two nil to Fulham, but Zat kept Alan Smith quiet who (apart from Malbranque) was one of the only decent players on view. You should come down to the Cottage - much nicer ground and plenty of goals (albeit in the wrong end!).
O`Connor is very unlikely to play for England, he'd have to wait another 18 months to be eligable I seem to remember, giving the IRFU time to make way for him. He'll get into the team, he's a very good player. Especially as Keith Gleeson has broken his leg and won't be available in O`Connor's position.Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Ade
Kyran Bracken wen tto Templeogue College and played rugby for them.Originally Posted by pbn
I think he moved when he was 11-12 anyhow he played for England at U-16 level and all higher grades.Originally Posted by gspain
Back to soccer, I think it is a matter of expediency if we are really stuck in a certain area then we could take a mercenary onboard but with decent options at center back right now and the likes of McCarthy, McShane and FitzGerald coming through is it necessary to bring a mercenary onboard in this position?
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Nationalism is an infantile disease, the measles of mankind
Originally Posted by gspain
Sure that's in West Britain, he was entitled to play for England.![]()
Have Boot Disk, will travel
Didn't Bracken go to Clongowes? Anyway, he definitely went to school & played rugby in Ireland.
Green Goblin - I was at Twickenham for that game. Generally I'd swap a triple crown for a 1-0 away win in a friendly against Albania but that game ranks as one of the best I was ever at.
Cravenite - I was at The Cottage once before, to see Fulham vs Tranmere in the FA Cup in 2000 I think. I was on a scouting mission to check out Alan Mahon! Nice ground, I liked it.
I don't have any hard & fast criteria for determining whether someone should play for us or not. I'm quite happy to have Morrisson on board and Macken too, simply because we need options upfront. I've no problem with Holland either as he nailed his colours to the mast early on in his career. I suspect this Leon Best guy is having pressure put on him by S'hampton as being "English" increases his transfer value. The same pressure was put on Morrisson by Palace.
There was a letter by an English bloke in The Tribune & The Oberver complaining that the Irish team at WC2002 had a nerve to call themselves Irish. And this was despite 8 of the starting XI being born in Ireland. Kilbane, Breen & Holland being the others (the first two are as Irish as anyone).
There was a good letter published in response naming about 35 sportsmen who represented England or GB at the highest level in a range of sports.
What really gets my goat up is when the Brits start complaining about how Irish or not the team is. Selecting people like Zat Knight would only give them more ammo to play with.
Dodgy eligibility has been part of international football for ages. Remember we were knocked out of World Cup qualkification by a Brazilian who happened to live in Belgium and a couple of Turks who happened to live in Switzerland. But generally I'd like the bulk of our squad to have no ambiguity about their Irishness. A rule of thumb, not a hard & fast rule I suppose.
Bill Murray to Sigouney Weaver in in Ghostbusters: "I have a rule never to sleep with posessed women....Well, it's more of a guideline really".Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
i think you're right. there's a real temptation for us to get very dogmatic about this issue, and it's not a clear cut thing at all.
Tea. Corduroy. Space Travel.
One of the quirky things that has happened over this were various 'Germans' from the former Soviet Union (descendents of 18th or 19th century migrants to Russia) getting citizenship almost immediately if they can supply the appropriate 'proof' which has been often a Nazi party card or SS ID of their grandfather. Mind you, we're being hard on the Germans here: there are always worthy exceptions to this rigid rule. The black bloke in the 1-5 defeat to the Scum did not have any German blood - I've seen a another, ahem, non-aryan in the Olympic team - although obviously they wouldn't have got citizenship if they were just selling bottleg copies of Boney M for a living.Originally Posted by Bowsy
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This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
An interesting aside to this debate. I'm not old enough to remember him playing for us but does the name Terry Mancini ring a bell with anyone? He played for Leyton Orient, QPR and Arsenal. Click on the link and see how his 'funniest moment' was not knowing the Irish national anthem when it was playing. In fact, he turned to the player next to him and said he hoped that ours wouldn't be that long.
http://www.truegreats.com/player.asp?p=63&c=95
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