yep, you're right. Can't believe I don't remember this game. Why did we play at the RDS? Liam DaishOriginally Posted by sirhamish
Wednesday, February 19, 1992
The first - and so far only - full international to be played at the Royal Dublin Society
Friendly
RDS, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 0
Wales 1 (Pembridge)
Ireland: Packie Bonner (Glasgow Celtic), Chris Morris (Glasgow Celtic), David O'Leary (Arsenal), Liam Daish (Cambridge Utd), Denis Irwin (Manchester Utd), John Byrne (Sunderland), Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest), Terry Phelan (Wimbledon), Andy Townsend (Chelsea) capt, Kevin Sheedy (Everton), Tony Cascarino (Glasgow Celtic)
Subs: Alan McLoughlin (Southampton) for Townsend 45 mins, John Aldridge (Tranmere) for Phelan 55 mins, Niall Quinn (Manchester City) for Cascarino 68 mins
Manager: Jack Charlton
Wales: Southall, Phillips, Young, Aizlewood, Symons, Bowen, Horne, Speed, Pembridge, Saunders, Hughes
Sub: Blackmore for Speed 45 mins, Bodin for Young 62 mins, Hodges for Pembridge 81 mins, Neilson for Saunders 86 mins
Referee: Mumenthaler (Switzerland)
I missed Gullit's winner in '83. There was a lot of people sitting on the shed roof and it was really dangerous. Somebody above spoke of a death trap.
The PA announcer was literally begging people to some down off the roof. I was at the Phipsoro end, looked up to see what was happening on the shed and missed Gullitt's goal. I think a lot of people at our end of the ground missed the goal.
I was at the Italy match in 85. Jaysus.
Everything said already is true but i would like to add another fact.
A mate was outside and there was a crush on the turnstiles and gates.
A Garda made a decision and opened the gates to relieve the crush as someone could have died. Thousands poured in and spilled over onto the pitch.
A policeman made the same decision at Hillsborough four years later and look what happened.
The FAI in their wisdom allowed 'pay at the door'.
Italy were reigning World Champions FFS.
Nodoby told the FAI obviously.
Remeber Rossi getting mobbed when he got taken off and some slapper gave him a bunch of flowers.
The crush at Italy was something else alright. As a 15 year-old & prior to Hillsborough etc. I was so naive as to think it wasn't a problem.
Does anyone remember the surge on the South Terrace when we equalised against Spain in the 3-3 draw around 1983? I must have been swept about 50 yards in a matter of seconds.
Jaysus - yes I do. Was it Kevin O'Callaghan's cross for Stapo's header.
Worse crush at Lansdowne was France in 81 (won 3-2). Before kick off.
54000 inside and fcuk knows how many went home.
I started on the South Terrace which was too packed.
Managed to come out and climb over railings into the Schoolboy Terrace for safety. The stewards were letting us do it because they hadnt a clue what was going on. A mate went home before kick off and watched it in telly.
Great day but someone could have been seriously hurt.
FFS, I remember that now. Wasn't the roof starting to buckle. I thought they were going to come through taking out those below.
Away from Ireland , I was at the Forest celtic game the same year and a crush happened there also. Luckily there were no fences otherwise Hillsborough would have happened earlier.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
The Spain game is the most vivid memory I have of any Ireland match I attended as a schoolboy. A kid standing a few feet away from us was caught up in the surge after one of the Ireland goals and ended getting crushed up against one of the crush barriers. Poor kid took the full force of it between his legs. Taken away by the ST. John's ambulance. It brought a tear to the eye of many of the blokes there that day.
"I'd rather play in front of a full house than an empty crowd" Johnny Giles
I was on the South Terrace that day too over towards what was the old East Stand (1st visit to Lansdowne for me). Didn't it also kick off with a load of Spanish (students??) and Irish fans on the East stand terracing. Bloke in front of me complained that he got poisoned in a pizza parlour in Dun Laoghaire by Spaniards.
I had a vision of Dino's Bar and Grill made famous by thin Lizzy.
It wouldn't surprise me what happened to the poor kid though, although I found that game not so bad as the Holland game (2nd Dublin visit) a year later. Some people hark back to the terraces (different from German system where allocated spaces are given to standing). I think they were an insult to the working class. Stories you hear about people unable to move at half time, so they p*ss on your shoes or in your pocket. Glad to see the back of them.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
I was on the south terrace that day as well. My mature recollection is that the poor Spanish kids were run out of the East Stand and chased across the rugby pitches by a mob of hardened teenage gougers.
Great comeback that day - Ashley Grimes's finest moment in green.
Together with all our hearts.
My distant recollection was that the Gards came in and calmed everything down. It appeared all handbags but I do think they had to leave early. The reverse almost happened in Zaragoza the following year with the Irish fans. I got hit by a full small can of lager thrown from behind.
Was a great comeback all the same that day. Other thing I remember was that Lennie Murphy got riddled with bullets the night before.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
At a Shamrock Rovers friendly at Milltown in 83/84 there were only about 60 people there. Weather was foul. So, showing a sharp mind for maths, I decided to enter the HT raffle. I came second & won a brand new Mitre football signed by the squad that drew 3-3 with Spain. I still have it I think.
The winning prize was a Umbro "Crown Paints" Liverpool shirt signed by the side that had just played Rovers (I think).
Any bidders? Only joking - I couldn't sell it.
Mick Martin got booed by a small section of the crowd that day against Spain. He didn't have a good game but booing your own players, if they are doing their best, really bugs me.
Which reminds me of the goal John Sheridan scored in the 1-3 defeat by Spain. Didn't seem important at the time but got us through on goals scored to the USA!
And then there was the great 1-0 win over Spain on a dog of a pitch. One of the best atmospheres ever at Lansdowne.
I remember this night well. The gates were kicked in and thousands spilled in. How somebody wasn't killed I don’t know. Think it was Paul McGraths debut.
Left at half-time it was that dangerous.
Match in 73 I think, bunked off school to see Liam Brady's debut v Russia. Gates went in that day as well. Place absolutely stuffed, so much so burst all buttons of my new crombie with the crush.
Always look on the bright side of life
Oh yes it did! Quite a few of us immediately saw the significance of that goal.
Last time it was pretty easy to get tickets for Lansdowne. Could this be a coincidence with the great atmosphere that day. I think Luis Suarez said it was one of the worst atmosphere for a side of his to have played against. He also described the Irish team as a bunch of green wolves. I also heard a story that appeared in an Irish paper that TVE was flooded with complaints about how spanish viewers could hardly hear the comentator. No chance of that now.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
Talking of tickets for Spain game, my recollection is that all the usual sources (FAI direct, Elvery's, Mick Dowling etc.) were all sold out pretty quick but a with a bit of cunning you could get them. I think I might have got mine from UCD football club. Everyone was asking what the **** was going on.
From that point on it was impossible. A once & for all shift in the ticket situation.
I yearn for the atmosphere of those games. As I was trying to point out in a recent thread the atmosphere was hostile but without any of the rubbish some of the modern day fans seem intent on bringing to the ground.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 24/05/2005 at 2:35 PM.
Don't forget Holland in 2001 and there will be a good atmosphere for the French and Swiss games.
When it counts the fans are up for it - I have faith in them. Don't worry about the graveyard atmosphere for friendlies.
Likewise Aldo's goal against Mexico in Orlando was the same, got us through on goals scored.
And what a goal that was! I remember counting the number of passes that were made to create that goal. I've forgotten the precise number but it was an excellent build up and one of the best goals under Jack's reign. Second perhaps to the Ronnie Whelan special against Russia in Hanover.
Just looking at the attendances for the qualifiers for Euro 1988. The attendances for the qualifiers in Dublin varied widely, in the days before block booking. The Scotland match attracted 49,203 spectators, Belgium 44,600 while 26,000 watched our final game against Bulgaria and 18,000 attended the Luxembourg match.
I wonder what the highest ever attendance for an Irish home game was ?
Don't know if I can agree with you there hombre, can't speak for Dalymount and some places were undoubtely unsafe ; from my memory; the away end at the old Den spings to mind. Your right some were an insult to working class people who paid their hard earned regularly; hands up Crystal Palace and your find exibition of the work of the British Steel industry.
But some like the North Bank (Arsenal) could offer a decent view of the match as well as an atmosphere. Others while they had the probems of perimiter fencing never felt overloaded even when sold out (Old Traffords old Scoreboard End was good like that) and many had decent gangways. What we lacked was the forsight from those in charge of the game to realise that you could over load terraces and these could be potential death traps, then again who ever cared about that as long as you had all that money crossing the turnstyles.
Do I get kicked out of the Booze Shack for insubordination?
Last edited by Pat O' Banton; 24/05/2005 at 5:57 PM.
Where am I now? I'm over here,
I've got those empty pockets and I can't afford a beer.
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