NI vs. Canada

**fosterdollar** · 10/12/2004, 12:18 PM

From Unison.ie

Northern Ireland have lined up a friendly game against Canada at Windsor Park on February 9th.
Manager Lawrie Sanchez will use the game as preparation for his side's World Cup qualifier against England at Old Trafford on March 26th.

The Irish Football Association had been seeking opponents for the date after being rejected by new Scotland manager Walter Smith

**joeSoap** · 10/12/2004, 12:20 PM

Bet thats a sellout

**Dublin12** · 10/12/2004, 12:36 PM

Some preparation that,practising against Canada for the England game

,could of got better opposition and for a start a country where football is the number 1 sport

**holidaysong** · 10/12/2004, 5:34 PM

NI vs. England - the Rangers boys up north won't know who to go for..

**thejollyrodger** · 10/12/2004, 6:54 PM

I think its a win for Canada followed by another win for Ingerland

**Duncan Gardner** · 10/12/2004, 7:31 PM

It's likely to attract a crowd of 8-10,000, ie much the same as a friendly against most European teams.

Indeed, Sanchez would have preferred a stronger opponent, Romania were rumoured to be his favorite. By the way, what's the main sport where you last slipped out of European competition? Luge-dodging? Snowball slaloming?

Rangers-supporting NI fans have no more difficulty knowing whom to cheer than their Celtic-supporting RoI equivalents. I imagine.

**4tothefloor** · 10/12/2004, 9:19 PM

Originally Posted by holidaysong

NI vs. England - the Rangers boys up north won't know who to go for..

Won't it be nice and cosy, the one national anthem and all for the two teams, seeing that NI have no identity of their own

**Duncan Gardner** · 12/12/2004, 7:24 PM

Originally Posted by 4tothefloor

Won't it be nice and cosy, the one national anthem and all for the two teams, seeing that NI have no identity of their own

Will you still be saying that if you have to borrow a British ground to go with all your British players?

**liam88** · 12/12/2004, 8:03 PM

Originally Posted by 4tothefloor

Won't it be nice and cosy, the one national anthem and all for the two teams, seeing that NI have no identity of their own

NI sing GSTQ at the start of their games?
Thought they sung Danny Boy or am I just being thick

**Duncan Gardner** · 13/12/2004, 6:21 PM

Morning Davros. Nice to see your cartoon provo routines are going down equally well in New Zealand. Any chance of them staying there?

**4tothefloor** · 13/12/2004, 9:55 PM

Originally Posted by Magoo

The Irish Football Association had been seeking opponents for the date after being rejected by new Scotland manager Walter Smith

lol, they're so bad, even Scotland don't see them as a challenge

Originally Posted by Duncan Gardner

Will you still be saying that if you have to borrow a British ground to go with all your British players?

Morrison, Holland & O'Brien hardly qualify as "all"

**Duncan Gardner** · 14/12/2004, 7:35 PM

42 floor, I'm sure you're wrong- Scottish morale is so low right now, they would benefit from a win against anyone. And there are higher-ranked teams they could play, so it seems Walter Smith wants a glorified training session rather than embarrassment for a weakened squad.

As for your 'British' players, I'm sure you relaised I was just answering Davros's jibe with one equally sarky.

The thing is, a large proportion of your squad (10 at WC 2002, though I admit it's less than that now), were born, grew up, played schoolboy and sometimes youth or even U-21 football in Britain. I'm quite happy to acknowledge all these guys as Irish, but if you (plural) are going to make cheap digs against NI's or anyone else's mercenaries, you can't be surprised when this is pointed out.

**dancinpants** · 14/12/2004, 8:21 PM

Jesus Derry can interest bigger teams than northern Ireland FFS - I'd say Sociedad are bigger and better than Canada!!!

**S�C** · 14/12/2004, 8:45 PM

Cant wait for the England fans to roundly boo the Northern Irish National Anthem

**yur man** · 14/12/2004, 9:12 PM

Originally Posted by S�C

Cant wait for the England fans to roundly boo the Northern Irish National Anthem

hadnt thought of that one, very good

i think they should play it just the once and all have a queen love-in

**4tothefloor** · 15/12/2004, 2:15 AM

Originally Posted by Duncan Gardner

I'm quite happy to acknowledge all these guys as Irish, but if you (plural) are going to make cheap digs against NI's or anyone else's mercenaries, you can't be surprised when this is pointed out.

Nice arguement, only problem is I didn't have a dig at any NI mercenaries. I think you need to re-read the thread

What I did have a dig at was NI's lack of identity, which will be evident when it comes to the anthem"s" before the game V England. Thats just sad really - even the Scots and Welsh have their own anthems........Then again, ye can always sing "We're $hit, and we know we are".....

**Duncan Gardner** · 15/12/2004, 9:18 AM

Originally Posted by 4tothefloor

I think you need to re-read the thread

What I did have a dig at was NI's lack of identity, which will be evident when it comes to the anthem"s" before the game V England. Thats just sad really - even the Scots and Welsh have their own anthems........Then again, ye can always sing "We're $hit, and we know we are".....

So do you mate- I said you (plural) to cover all those making or supporting the comment.

I don't like our anthem either, as you may have read in past threads. Not because it's shared with England, just generally. But if you think that's the biggest problem re the Belfast fixture, you're naive. Tio Lopez will provide details. It certainly won't be anything like a Linfield- Rangers loyalist love-in.

I'm quite happy to admit we're ****, but of course less so than in 2002-03. It's progress, of a sort

**lopez** · 16/12/2004, 1:04 PM

Originally Posted by Duncan Gardner

... Tio Lopez will provide details. It certainly won't be anything like a Linfield- Rangers loyalist love-in...

What details am I suppose to add, hombre? Re GSTGL, did find that quite a few around me on my visit (Spain June 2003) just refused to sing it. The anthem seemed distant but heartily sung (especially the No Surrender bit) but I did not see anyone in my immediate vicinity joining in. It was a bit of a Salvador Dal� moment.

Regarding identity, NI has just two. Chinese, Indian, Portuguese and all the others that certain members of our amigos on ourweeminds claim should be represented at NI games if Irish identity is also honoured is minute: but about as minute as any true NI 'national' identity. Accepted, there are a lot of differences between Britons in the O6C and London, not least in the admiration of the German Lady, certain aspects of British history, what they think of adherents to the Church of Rome and the ammount of animal fat one should consume for breakfast. However, as an example, my granny also felt Alicante was a different country when she moved there in the eighties from La Coruna (what's the funny rice dish with what looks like the contents from the bin?; too hot; don't you have rain here?; strange lingo on the local TV; have we moved to France?) even though she was a bit of fan of Fat Frank and his One, Great, Free philosophy.