Yep.
Ireland's mancs taunting Ireland's scousers.
FFS.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Cringe.
Wow! Ireland's shame. I am not (this time at least) going to get into the post colonial semantics of that photograph, but if Umberto Eco is still posting on the Junior League forum here, he might oblige and fill in for for me, for truly it is signs about signs. But em' until Um, as we call him in the post modernism game gets around to it, I have to say there is a very serious want in us a nation.
Is this 'Mancs' and 'Scouse' terminology a recent addition to the local idiom, the first time I heard it was this year on one of the occasions I used that league, for an alibi, for a beer soaked afternoon. As much as I love to hate Shamrock Rovers, it must have been hard lines, revenue aside to go to that stadium, and see the FAI and the collective Irish sporting public bend their knee to eleven whoevers representing the Liverpool brand.
Scouse and manc has been around for ages. These people genuinely think that supporting a football team makes them the same as people from those cities.
Be nice if they were. From there, I mean. They might bloody stay there the next time they go then!
Around for ages? the *******s have been talking behind my back, but seriously, I doubt the vicarious tribal affiliation with an English region but more our innate, desire for conformity and the centre, take for example as a counterpoint, the following film directors,very near if the not the best, still making movies in England, all are mavericks and are broadly speaking of the left, but I think their approach to supporting clubs is reflected in their movies.
Director - Supports - World view
Shane Meadows- You Pies - Resigned stoic, a once proud people ground down by history.
Ken Loach- Bath - Progressive, everything, no matter how bad the present, is possible in the new Jerusalem.
Terence Davies- Hates football. Ecstatic visionary, football is a vulgar dishonesty, sing for pure joy, , 'I could have been Tranmere, I could have been Tranmere'.
Red Faced Mick- Brand FC - Consumerist, i'm loving it.
Umberto Eco- Pikey Rovers - Wilful obscurantism, you wouldn't understand even if I explained.
Last edited by redarmyfaction; 16/05/2014 at 10:23 PM.
Richard Sadliers take on the match makes depressing reading for Eircom league fans. Pretty clear he doesnt rate the league so maybe he should stick to writing about the Premiership and Champions League instead of writing dismissive articles like this http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-30282650.html
I don't have much time for him, but that article is absolutely spot on.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
OK, but the general thrust of the article is right. While it may be fun to mock barstoolers, ultimately it is up to us within the league to work to make the arguments and the changes that will convince more people to get interested in it. Ranting or sneering at people won't help, it's counter productive.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
It's one of the many pointless articles that gets written any time there's a fixture like this. Somebody says it's a shame Irish people don't support their local sides, others say they have no right to sneer, some other people say they can hardly be expected to support Shamrock Rovers when Tallaght is an area traditionally associated with drug use and petty theft so they support Liverpool instead, then somebody like Richie comes along and says football is entertainment so you can hardly blame them. There's no real rhyme or reason to it. I'm sure in a couple of weeks Richie will be back with a plan to restructure the league as an A-League style franchise system based along the borders of the medieval kingdoms of Ireland or some such nonsense.
It's simple really: If Irish people had the inclination to support clubs from their own country, instead of (or indeed, as well as) other countries, then we would have games here attracting ten to fifteen thousand people instead of fifteen hundred people. Basically the problem is a lack of imagination: barstoolers can't see that the more people that support a league, the more attractive it will become and the standard of football and facilities will go up. Sadlier's argument is basically saying nothing can ever change. He's probably right - but only because Irish football supporters of Liverpool, Celtic, Man U etc. are lazy and unimaginative and, in my experience, somewhat child-like. I find myself disliking them more and more.
The League of Ireland is the Perfect Catch 22 situation: People won't support it because it's not up to scratch, and it's not up to scratch because people won't support it.
There's no point blaming the public. Even when you're right it gets you nowhere.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Ireland is one of the few countries in the world/europe (in relation to football on this issue) that do not have a great following unlike other leagues and deservedly needs to be investigated why that is the case. Whether that football followers or the clubs themselves are reason, they both need critical examination.
Ultimately, football is about your local area against another clubs local area, the majority of fans in Ireland that follow clubs from other leagues do not understand the feeling of following your local team as they represent you and your community on the national level. You have to be from Manchester or Liverpool to understand the rivalry between the two cities, it goes beyond football and the fans more than likely have absolutely no idea about that. They think its about success of the two over the last 40 or so years but even if both were low league teams that never a trophy, the rivalry would still have developed.
They can make up that daftest reason why they follow their team;
"My father/mother/brother/sister/cousin supported them, so I decided to follow them."
"I have family/relatives from the area"
etc.
But if you counter that argument and ask them about why they follow their GAA club/county, you will more than likely get answers along the lines of;
"Well, I'm Dublin man, what else you would you expect?"
etc.
In GAA, people feel obliged to support their parish/county team, they do not even question it, if your from Dublin, you have to follow Dublin etc.
LOI clubs and perhaps fans themselves have got to try and instill that pride in their teams, so that next generation can feel that the club is part of them. But in saying that, parents of this next generation often force/influence their support on to them, and thats another hurdle to overcome.
I think he makes some very constructive points, and he did get the name of the league right at least.
It's simply all their fault... Isn't that kind of convenient? People are free to be interested in different things, so no point blaming others if they don't want to associate with the league. It's a matter of those already involved (including the FAI) accepting responsibility and taking ownership. If the supposed laziness and lack of imagination of the Irish public truly concerns you, try to do something to captivate their interest. Convince them its worth their investment. Shirking responsibility and playing the victim card also happen to be child-like. As Sadlier highlights, it's unfortunate that even when clubs did have more money rolling around, rather than putting it towards long-term investment and sustainable development, short-sightedness saw them throw it at players in the form of higher wages.
It's the irish way isn't it, complain about how bad things are and do nothing to help improve the situation and then look down their nose at the people who do try to make a difference/stand
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