How could anyone in the 26 be "fond" of l*nfield ??? I really am baffled by that. All they brought to the Setanta Cup Final was sectarian and racist chants together with dodgy flags. They should have been docked prize money but that was never going to happen.
Look out for Balinamallard United after taking a drive through there once.
Its crazy to see people be what society wants them to be but not me.
Strabane is more of a GAA town these days.
Most people who follow local football either go to the Brandywell, or head to the dark side (Finn Harps)!
Originally Posted by parnell ranger
Last edited by dcfc_1928; 30/08/2005 at 3:43 PM. Reason: Typo
Feck 'em all how could someone love another team in the same country your club is from
Technically, sympathising with a club in the North is not the same country, or anyway not the same league
And I don't see what Linfield brought to the Setanta Cup that was that sectarian. I was at Tolka for the final, and they did NOT sing the Billy Boys or any other offending song. There were no riots and the fans of both sides behaved well.
Yes, they waved Union Jacks. Well, it is the national flag of the UK, and Northern Ireland happens to be part of that. Plus, Linfield is a Unionist club so waving a Union Jack is something done at every game, they did not bring those flags just to annoy the Shels fans. So a Linfield fan waving a Union Jack is not more sectarian than the few Irish Flags the Shelbourne fans had. No one took offense to those tricolores or Union Jacks.
On the contrary, Linfield wore black armbands when the Pope died, and 95% of their support declared in public how disgusted they were with those 20 or 30 lads who sang "Billy Boys".
I do not want to go into a politics discussion here, but I'd say there were no sectarian elements in the Setanta Cup, not from Linfield or any other club from North/ROI. It passed without riots and got positive respons from fans on both ends of the border, and even brought football fans from the North and the Republic together (think of the ties between Longford and Glens, how the Ports and Shels fans were happy with the way they were welcomed, etc)
Also, I don't see why a ROI based fan could not be able to like Linfield. It's a sports club just like Glentoran or Cliftonville or Drogheda or whatever, and (luckily) there are also people who don't care about politics and who don't let politics decide which teams to like. The politics aspect is something some people wish to add to it, their choice, but in the end Linfield is a football club just like the other football clubs are on this island.
What ?????? How big do you think Strabane is ??? It's not much bigger than Letterkenny, and give it a few years and L'Kenny will actually be bigger...!
Until Omagh died there were already 2 senior clubs in what is a small county population-wise. Enniskillen is MILES bigger than Strabane - yet why no surprise at the lack of a senior club there.....?
How about f*ck the Pope chants during The Sash, and The Sash was sung quite a bit. Monkey chants when Ndo came on. And that lovely dittie about being up to one's knees in Fenian blood. How's that for starters ? All of that was clearly, clearly audible on TV.I don't see what Linfield brought to the Setanta Cup that was that sectarian
The above should start to answer that. Also, the clubs no-Catholic policy which they had up to the late eighties. Linfield FC have admittedly cleaned up their act in recent times. The majority of their support base however still remains in the 17th century.Also, I don't see why a ROI based fan could not be able to like Linfield
The reason that football has become the most popular sport in the world is not because they kick a ball around with 22 men chasing it, it is because football is so much more. A football club acts as a sort of national team for your locality, you take pride in your team just as you take pride in your locality. What makes up a locality is its inhabitants and so the inhabitants views and beliefs are insilled in the football club. You try and tell the Red star Belgrade fans that its just an ordinary football club, they brought down Milosevic and there football ground was the only place in Belgrade where you could shout obsenitys about Milosevic and not get arrested. Just one example out of thousands whereby a football club is a symbol of your locality. Politics feature on the minds of many fans and so politics is brought into football, it is impossible to separate the 2 and when football is just about the sport is when it will die. Now you say Linfield is just a club like the rest, no, no 2 clubs are the same. I look at Linfield as the extreist scum trashed The showgrounds in the 70s because wer Catholic the same club that excluded cathoilcs for the majority of its vile history. Now the day you tell me to forgive and forget about what Linfield did and what there fans continue to do is the day you tell a Jewish person to forgive what the Lazio fans do, there only a minority but you would not expect them to turn a blind eye to the swatstikas or the straight arm salutes or the references to Auschwitz. No difference.
yes, enniskillen is MUCH bigger than wee strabaneWhat ?????? How big do you think Strabane is ??? It's not much bigger than Letterkenny, and give it a few years and L'Kenny will actually be bigger...!
Until Omagh died there were already 2 senior clubs in what is a small county population-wise. Enniskillen is MILES bigger than Strabane - yet why no surprise at the lack of a senior club there.....?i think maybe that GAA is much more popular in Fermanagh, in the catholic schools/areas and the protestant schools are more into rugby there.
glentoran definitely for me! when our season ends i might suggest to a few of da section o heads to come up to belfast for a game!
Gary Cronin is he the right man to manage Longford Town?
Well, agree with most of what Steve says, though on the other hand the past is past. Linfield did get rid of the "non Catholic" policy, and even if they didn't it is not wrong as per definition ; abusing Catholics would be however. A club with Polish immigrants who only lets in Polish people is not wrong IMO as long as the "stay true to the roots" element does not end up on verbas or physical violence of other teams. Maybe a stupid comparison, but you get the point.
As for the Billy Boys and "F*** the Pope" thing: those were approx 40 people who are not even Linfield regulars and just came to Longford to seek trouble. The majority of Linfield regulars afterwards did make their disgust towards this public, and so did the board. So don't say every Linfield fan is stuck in time.
Also, jungle sounds towards black players is unfortunately a common thing everywhere in European football...
Note: I am no Linfield fan, far from LFC fan. I just think it's time to move on and follow the track of the Setanta Cup: looking forward together rather than looking back to the past.
As for a club being a local representation: could not disagree more. Big clubs attract fans from everywhere in their countries, and players come from whatever origin or locality as long as they're good. Most top teams have more players from far outside the city than anything else ; how many Londonors does Chelsea have or how many Liverpudlians are in Liverpool's line-up??
The only "local team" that stayed local is Athletic Bilbao who still refuse to line-up players from outside of Euskadi (which is in fact a bit like the old Protestant-only policy of Linfield !)
Billy Boys and F*** the Pope are sectarian, not even questioning that.
The Sash = sectarian?? I don't see the anti-Catholic element in that song. I do sense the strong pro-British feeling, but is that sectarian?? Then the Soldier Song is as well?? Being proud of one's country is not sectarian as far as I know, unlike violent chants such as the Billy Boys
Linfield FC did not have any Catholic players from 1950-1988 (approx). They had plenty before and plenty since. There was no written rule or policy however it is probable that there was an unwritten one. The club at the time should be condemned for that.
The current club has no sectarian policies - they wore black armbands and flew their flag at half mast for the Pope. They gave their ground freely to a Camoige club and anybody at the Setanta Cup Final could see the love and respect they had for Pat Fenlon.
Now there was a small racist and sectarian minority in their support. They club roundly condemned them in an article just after the Longford game.
Should Irish football and the F.A.I. be condemned because a few sectarian bigots booed and made sectarian comments to Peter Madsen. Shota Arveladze and Neil McCann?
And if you are really concerned re sectarianism in sport on this island there is a far more glaring and obvious case than Linfield 1950-1988.
We've played them a few times in friendlies. They're sh!te
Life without Rovers, it makes no sense...it's a heartache...nothing but a fools game. S.R.F.C.
agree with ya re linfield any of their fans ive come across have been sound
Some Catholics were employed in other capacities within the club during this period. Initially the non-signing of players was as a reaction to the happenings at that infamous Belfast Celtic game. And during the 1970's it was basically a player safety concern. Check out Malcom Brodie's history of Linfield for more information.
Thats what disgusts me about the premiersh!t and the countless barstoolers, who do they think there fooling ?? they aint british, the aint scouse and they aint cockney, they just wana be and as far as im concerned the worst kind of fan, someone who would neglect his local team for a foreign team. But if you read my post i never mentoned that teams must be made up of local lads, just the fans. That comment on Athletic Bilbao just shows how there seen as the national team for the Basques and what national team plays foreigners apart from Ireland and Tunisia. Football clubs arnt just football clubs, theres a reason why Spanish local councils give funding to there local team because there local team, remember you dont choose your team, your team chooses you. ( By local team i mean local club )
The day after the Derry game, a few of us took a wander up to the showgrounds in Coleraine for the CIS Cup game between Coleraine and Institute. I've started looking out for Coleraines results in the few weeks since then
a few sectarian bigots booed and made sectarian comments to Peter Madsen. Shota Arveladze and Neil McCann?
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