FAI announce Celtic friendly

[Pablo]

if it gains another 50 ireland fans then i'll be happy,...

supporting a country is a birthright not a choice

[livehead1]

is it fu*k a birthright!!! i've got friends in south africa who support the irish national team throught and through and have even paid thousands of pounds to fly and watch them play

[Pablo]

is it fu*k a birthright!!! i've got friends in south africa who support the irish national team throught and through and have even paid thousands of pounds to fly and watch them play

and why dont they support their own country? if an irish person supported a foreign national team we'd have him commited

[livehead1]

i cant be arsed to talk bout that, its there choice init! but the fact that you consider jon macken english aint fair either. so its blatent that you only consider people to be irish if their born in ireland!

[harry crumb]

I remember going to the Albania match last year and the announcer was the Celtic announcer and they played a load of Celtic songs at half-time and full-time.

Personally I thought it was a load of ****** and I didnt really enjoy the whole experience. In fact I don't like going to Ireland soccer matches at Lansdowne. Most of the fans there are Dublin gowls. Most of the fans that go to Ireland matches are Celtic fans so I don't really care about the friendly thing. Its just the fact that the FAI were pushing it at me at that match that got to me.

[Pablo]

i cant be arsed to talk bout that, its there choice init! but the fact that you consider jon macken english aint fair either. so its blatent that you only consider people to be irish if their born in ireland!

well dont pick at a post if you cant back it up

i belive you are irish if you are irish born or of genuine Irish decent. macken played for England at u21 level for christsake

[BobbySands]

The Ireland V Celtic love fest will be absolutely pointless but so what. All friendlies are. If nothing else the fringe players will see whats its like to play in front of a large crowd. I'd predict 2-2 with McGeady scoring for both teams.

Looks like Israel are expecting a decent Irish crowd. Shame on you ******* who travel. Roy Keane ? Maybe this is your moment to make a real stand.

Unless these games are played in neutral venues behind closed doors lets not play the hypocritical racism card.

[Pat O' Banton]

Nothing to do with GC fans, I could not care less what club anyone, Irish or not, supports. Neither have I a problem supporting testimonials for Irish players, although nowadays I would prefer to see proceeds going to charity or as a benefit to someone who could do with some help (I have previously mentioned on this site David Langan, as an example). If Ireland played GC in such a testimonial, I would be more tham happy to support it. My 'problem' is I have no interest or desire to support any benefit for McNamara or any other player who has no connection with Ireland. If that is childish then I can easily live with it.

I seriously don't understand this, so you are saying that you would not go to see Ireland play a testamonial for a non Irish person if the money was going to charity, (something that could in the future happen as people look to maxmise there gates and Ireland can be considered a good crowd pull.)

The reason that I ask this is that you dismissed Jackie McNamara's game out of hand without finding out if the proceeds were going to charity.

[Superhoops]

I seriously don't understand this, so you are saying that you would not go to see Ireland play a testamonial for a non Irish person if the money was going to charity, (something that could in the future happen as people look to maxmise there gates and Ireland can be considered a good crowd pull.)

Didn't say that, but for the record yes, I would go.

The reason that I ask this is that you dismissed Jackie McNamara's game out of hand without finding out if the proceeds were going to charity.

Well is it? I would have thought that if this was the case it would have been explicit when the game was being arranged and when it was announced. All I have seen is that the game 'will form the centrepiece of McNamara's testimonial celebrations', what does that mean? When Niall Quinn's game at Sunderland in 2002 was arranged and announced it was always up front that the proceeds were going to Crumlin hospital and children's charities in the local area.

[Pat O' Banton]

Fair enough, apologise if I misinterpreted you, as I have said I don't agree with millionaire footballers further lining their own pockets (tax free as well) with lucratve testamonials and would not attend one myself.

[livehead1]

well dont pick at a post if you cant back it up

i belive you are irish if you are irish born or of genuine Irish decent. macken played for England at u21 level for christsake

i can back it up. its there personal choice if they want to support ireland....
im 100% irish, born and bred yet i ran 400m at junior level for england as the irish setup was a joke, and they didn't even want to hear about me living in england. what i think should be remembered and even by the irish lads who come to england for a career, the sides over here offer them so much support. indeed, the irish youngsters are offered weekends home, often paid for, sometimes there families are invited over for a week. they are put in digs with other irish youths or with irish minders. so much is done for them so naturally the english born 'oirish' are bound to get the impression that the english system is naturally the best one, i know i did, and i came from ireland!!

[livehead1]

Fair enough, apologise if I misinterpreted you, as I have said I don't agree with millionaire footballers further lining their own pockets (tax free as well) with lucratve testamonials and would not attend one myself.

i have attended one testimonial in my time, that being stuart pearces at forest. my reason for that was that having watched forest for a good while, he gave the club years and years of dedicated service wearing his heart on his sleeve, and played for them when the money was not the mega mega $$$ that it is now. i didnt see any reason why not to give a good farewell to and outstanding servant and a one off

[gypsyfella]

Exactly the reason why I would not support this! No interest in McNamara, no interest in Celtic therefore it is fitting that non-Celts will choose to ignore it, particularly if the only £ benefit is to McNamara.

nobody is asking you to!!!!!!

[joeraki]

Good to see the old EL inferiority complex to Glasgow Celtic, The Pride of Ireland, is alive and well...

No complex here. I know and lived with many a Celtic fan when I lived in Glasgow. Top blokes one and all. Facts are between 70/80% of Celtic fans in Ireland are cabbages.

Buy the latest Celtic jersey and be able to sing the chorus lines to all your favourite republican jingles, and you too can be a die hard Celt

[NY Hoop]

If you're talking about the semi professional bilge thats excused as Irish football surely Shamrock Rovers are the biggest Irish outfit...

Obviously. Explain the bilge statement.

And for the record I dont hate celtic...........


KOH

[Hibs4Ever]

I agree with you totally JOERAKI. At least 80% of Celtic fans in Ireland are a JOKE. They were the shirts non stop, but wouldn't have a clue who they're playing at the weekend. OR name 4 or 5 players off team

[eirebhoy]

I agree with you totally JOERAKI. At least 80% of Celtic fans in Ireland are a JOKE. They were the shirts non stop, but wouldn't have a clue who they're playing at the weekend. OR name 4 or 5 players off team

Does that mean Celtic have to be hated?

[Cowboy]

Yes France played Arsenal once and got beat

As a matter of interest, do other countries like France, Spain, Italy etc. trawl through the weaker leagues in Europe looking for club opposition for a run out?

Anyway, is the money for charity (in which case I'd excuse the FAI to some extent) or Jackie's bank account?

[eirebhoy]

Stop with all this crap about the quality of opposition. We've played Scotland, Canada and Jamaica in the last couple of years for christ's sake.

BTW, I think its quite clear that this match will cause more controversy than anything else so I doubt it was the FAI trying to keep people happy.

[liam88]

This has all the makings of an Irish love-in, lots of mutual back-slapping, Jaysus-aren't-we-the-greatest-race-of-people-on-the-planet-lads-wha?

I'm at a loss to see how that is a bad thing?!?!? Something that marks us out as a great country is our patriotism and unlike some people I won't go round slagging off Ireland because I'm PROUD to be Irish!
I'm also PROUD to be a Ramblers fan but make sure I never call myself and 'EL fan' because I don't want to associate myself with the amount of c*ap that they spout here!