Winsor Park and a tri-colour

[gspain]

I'm not sure what effect an RoI flag would have, but I personally think that they should be waved at matches where IL clubs play LoI clubs. If it rubs people up the wrong way, then that is their problem. People display flags for many reasons: if your reason is to show alliegance and support for your country and your team, I say go for it.

Incidentally, how would a NI flag go down in Dublin? I have a top with a large NI flag on the back and have toyed with the idea of wearing it to an Ireland rugby international.

NI flag would not be a problem - most people would not know what it was. About 40,000 of them in Lansdowne Road in Jan 99.

Cork city fans would have had tricolours in Sweden, holland and France this summer without any problems. Agree it is not appropriate but sad that a flag that was designed to unite green and orange is seen as sectarian and offensive, and ditto for one containing the cross of St. Patrick.

[paudie]

from what I've seen on TV Linfield fans seem to bring the Union Jack to a lot of games.

They'd say the colours are same as their club colours. Its not as if they'd be just bringing them to cross border games.

I don't think a Union Jack with Linfield FC written on it would cause too much trouble in Turners Cross. Could be wrong though.

Ulster/NI flags wouldn't be seen as provocative at all.

I personally wouldn't bring a tricolour to a game in the North but provided it wasn't waved in anybody's face it shouldn't cause too much grief.

[JohnB]

its not as provocative as the union jack i suppose but i dunno man? maybe the ulster one would be a better choice!

Shows you what I know, I'd have thought the UJ was less provocative that the NI flag.

And Gary, would people really not know what an NI flag looked like? I mean, I imagine there are a lot of grannies who don't, but they're not the ones who are likely to express their national identity by dishing out abuse.

[Flynninio]

if linfield come to the cross there will be war.these cnuts are just biggots who will wreak havoc.and i doubt the cork crowd will stand for it. i for one will not accept there orange *******s trying it on.

[kevincronin2000]

I remenber a couple of years back when Linfield went to play cliftonville. The cliftonvill fans had a large tri-colour with failte linfield on it

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

I remenber a couple of years back when Linfield went to play cliftonville. The cliftonvill fans had a large tri-colour with failte linfield on it

It was actually Cead Mile Failte Linfield. That was the first game between the two at Solitude in a number of years. Dont think many of the Linfield players would have understood what the slogan meant!

[Pat O' Banton]

It was actually Cead Mile Failte Linfield. That was the first game between the two at Solitude in a number of years. Dont think many of the Linfield players would have understood what the slogan meant!

Now that was always a dodgy thing in my book. I still can't understand why the Cliftonville home games against Linfield had to be moved to Battenburg Park, I mean if they couldn't play them at home, for whatever the reasons given, why weren't the games moved to a neutral venue. In effect Linfield were given an advantage firstly over Cliftonville by never having to play them away then secondly over the rest of the league by having two extra home games. Anyone know the IFA's reasoning for this?

[Pat O' Banton]

They were Orange bigots,who then couldn't give a f*ck about their constituent members(& now ).....'Football For All',my ar*e!

Yeah, but surely they were doing Portadown, Crues or anyother club with a large section of Unionist support no favours either by giving Linfield two extra home games a year. Is it really because Linfield are the establishment club or was there any 'logical' reason given by the IFA for their action?

[paudie]

Yeah, but surely they were doing Portadown, Crues or anyother club with a large section of Unionist support no favours either by giving Linfield two extra home games a year. Is it really because Linfield are the establishment club or was there any 'logical' reason given by the IFA for their action?

I think it was because Windsor Park was thought to be best stadium for segregation of opposing fans.

Agree though that it was suprising other clubs didn't protest about the advantage Linfield had.

[paudie]

if linfield come to the cross there will be war.these cnuts are just biggots who will wreak havoc.and i doubt the cork crowd will stand for it. i for one will not accept there orange *******s trying it on.

What it your opinion would constitute "trying it on"?

i'd say chill out and see what happens. Why assume they're going to cause trouble?

[lopez]

Yeah, but surely they were doing Portadown, Crues or anyother club with a large section of Unionist support no favours either by giving Linfield two extra home games a year. Is it really because Linfield are the establishment club or was there any 'logical' reason given by the IFA for their action?

There is a slight difference here as it wasn't the IFA that were in charge of deciding where fixtures would be played (unless they were cup games) but the IL. As you point out you can't just spin the old 'bigots' line on this as other 'loyalist' clubs continued to play at Cliftonville. Perhaps, as DG claimed earlier in another thread, and you put in a nutshell, Linfield are NI's establishment club, getting unfair advantage, no matter what the religion of the club they are playing are.

[gspain]

There is a slight difference here as it wasn't the IFA that were in charge of deciding where fixtures would be played (unless they were cup games) but the IL. As you point out you can't just spin the old 'bigots' line on this as other 'loyalist' clubs continued to play at Cliftonville. Perhaps, as DG claimed earlier in another thread, and you put in a nutshell, Linfield are NI's establishment club, getting unfair advantage, no matter what the religion of the club they are playing are.

It was the RUC not the league or IFA that stopped Linfield playing at Solitude. The police quoted security concerns.

Linfield are/were the establishment club usual complaints from other fans re referee bias etc but ditto for Shamrock Rovers up until recently.

The club are certainly not sectarian now and have had many RC players indeed fielded mor erCs than Prods v Ballymena in August 94.

[Pat O' Banton]

It was the RUC not the league or IFA that stopped Linfield playing at Solitude. The police quoted security concerns.

Linfield are/were the establishment club usual complaints from other fans re referee bias etc but ditto for Shamrock Rovers up until recently.

The club are certainly not sectarian now and have had many RC players indeed fielded mor erCs than Prods v Ballymena in August 94.

I had heard that this was the reason but was still curious why other sides (particularly Portadawn after their 'fans' stoned the Cliftonville Buses in 1996/1997[?]) were less of a security concern to the police than Linfield fans would be.

(BTW was at first Cliftonville match a couple of weeks back and the general standard of refing seem awful)

[gspain]

I had heard that this was the reason but was still curious why other sides (particularly Portadawn after their 'fans' stoned the Cliftonville Buses in 1996/1997[?]) were less of a security concern to the police than Linfield fans would be.

(BTW was at first Cliftonville match a couple of weeks back and the general standard of refing seem awful)

Bad blood between Cliftonville and Portadown back into the 80's if not before. However you would have killed the club if you started banning other teams.

Agreed the general standard of refereeing in the Irish League is awful - apart from the 1st division here the worst I've seen.

[Pat O' Banton]

Bad blood between Cliftonville and Portadown back into the 80's if not before. However you would have killed the club if you started banning other teams.

Agreed the general standard of refereeing in the Irish League is awful - apart from the 1st division here the worst I've seen.

Then again the ref seemed at least to spot potential leg break tackles (even if he seemed not to think that potentially putting someone out of the game for months warrented a yellow card) unlike Mike Riely and his linesman the following day at Old Trafford -yes the ManUre Arsenal game and yes I am still bitter!

[lopez]

The ironic thing about Northern knuckle heads
waving a Union Jack is that the failed political entity
that is the North. is not respresented on the flag and
our Patron Saint is.

You'll be surprised how some of Unionists will argue that the St Pat's Cross (I prefer the Fitzgerald Saltire) represents them. Personally I couldn't care less what does. The Rainbow flag in honour of their hero on the white horse perhaps? The supporters of two Scottish League clubs heavily display Irish flags in what is a foreign league. People should accept any Northern club with large unionist support their right to do likewise. You'll soon find that any w*nkers not there for the footy will drift away back to unlawful orange marches, drugdealing, UB40 concerts and watching football in Govan while the true supporters of someone like Linfield will be left to follow their club in a civilised manner.

BTW, not that you'll find too many Unionists at any Northern St pat's parades. Too many tricolours for them which they also argue are unrepresentative of them. And of course they're right. Peace between Catholic and Protestant is something totally alien to this type of Northern citizen.

[Pat O' Banton]

Now that was always a dodgy thing in my book. I still can't understand why the Cliftonville home games against Linfield had to be moved to Battenburg Park, I mean if they couldn't play them at home, for whatever the reasons given, why weren't the games moved to a neutral venue. In effect Linfield were given an advantage firstly over Cliftonville by never having to play them away then secondly over the rest of the league by having two extra home games. Anyone know the IFA's reasoning for this?

There is an answer (admitedly with a Cliftonville slant) given here http://www.geocities.com/theredgazette/main , click on paronia.

[hudhastings]

i think there would be a little unrest if a lot of Union flags appeared at the cross


remember the booing of god save the queen at the u19 international a few week ago!

God save the quenn and the facist regeme.
what a song,

[MikeNI]

The ironic thing about Northern knuckle heads
waving a Union Jack is that the failed political entity
that is the North. is not respresented on the flag and
our Patron Saint is.

The Union Jack is comprised of the flags of St Patrick, St Andrew,
and Saint George all intermingled.

And ironically again Northern Unionists are represented
on the Irish tri-color via the Orange band band, white being
for peace, and green for us leprechauns.

So they swear allegience to a flag which does no acknowledge them
and spit at a flag which does.

has the flags and emblems act in the North passed by anal retentive unionists
which banned the flying of the tri-color (which recognises them) being rescinded under the terms of the good Friday aggreement?

Samuel old son, if you want to go on a rant about 'Northern knuckle heads' the least you could do is get even a basic grasp of the allegiances and identites of people in NI.

Saying that the St Patrick's Cross does not represent NI Unionsts is just plain wrong.

And for all your attacks on Unionists for rejecting the Tricolour even though it has an orange band, nationalists too reject the Union Flag even though the St Patricks cross was included to represent Ireland.

And finally, the Flags and Emblems Act was gone long before the Good Friday Agreement.

[MikeNI]

Yes,but the 'Butcher's apron' is a flag of occupation,representative of an archaic concept;How is the Tricolour?

Even if I accept what you say, which I don't, how has that got anything to do with what I said in the first place?