Supporting your rivals?

**passerrby** · 15/08/2006, 6:35 PM

while its great to see el clubs do well in europe and i would support them all some people seem to be think this is the cure for all or ills. its like painting the upper decks of a sinking ship.

**CharlesThompson** · 15/08/2006, 8:18 PM

Originally Posted by passerrby

while its great to see el clubs do well in europe and i would support them all some people seem to be think this is the cure for all or ills. its like painting the upper decks of a sinking ship.

I would like to categorically state now that I do not think that clubs doing well in Europe is a cure all for our woes as a national league.

I do think that it is a step in the right direction for a more credible league in the eyes of those that diss the league and those that are passive to it. I would also like to state categorically that the FAI should target the 'passive' interest i.e. those that would say they have a team in the eL, but just look out for their results or haven't been in years brigade. They are looking for something to be sympathetic to and an excuse to get back. In essence they need the motivation to come back. I think that positive results in Europe will only help to attract these people to our grounds.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 15/08/2006, 10:02 PM

I have actively supported the following EL teams playing in Europe:-
Bohemians, Cork City, Dundalk, St.Patrick's Athletic, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and U.C.D. only things like work and ill health have prevented me supporting others. I wish Derry City and Drogheda all the best in the UEFA Cup and I was in Turner's Cross for the game with Red Star Belgrade.
I make no apology for wanting EL clubs to do well in Europe and to improve the coefficient , because it makes it easier the following season for other teams and on two occasions even U.C.D. can qualify for Europe !

The fact that many teams at the business end of the Premier Division are full time professional nowadays has made it possible for results to improve in Europe, as has the change to summer soccer. However that is the only aspect of summer soccer which I believe to have been a success.

Another reason to support your rivals, outside European football is this;- If their winning against other opposition, makes it easier for your team to achieve something in the EL, then why not support them when it is to your club's advantage.

**anto eile** · 15/08/2006, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesThompson

To be honest, I choose the sides who I want to win in Europe. Circumstances go a long way to dictating who I would shout for as a neutral or not. Case in point would be Derry and Drogheda this year. The football romantasist in me dictates that I will support them in Europe, albeit Derry from a distance, although I will be at Dalyer for Drogheda's 2nd leg match. I was disappointed that Cork were turned over by Red Star Belgrade (Zvezda) and would have been happy to see them progress.

As much as anything I can pick particular reasons for hoping these teams do well -
Derry, great support, play good football, great support.
Drogheda, first time in Europe in ages, the way they came back in the last round.
Cork, because I like the city and the best place in Ireland to go for the women!!!

But the overriding thing which makes it easy to 'support' these sides in Europe is so that I can go into work the next day and tell all the arseholes who I work with, that the eL isn't exactly the ****hole they all believe it is just because they are stupid enough to allow Rupert Murdoch forcefeed them corporate football. Let nobody else tell you otherwise, but at least eL football is real and the likes of Derry, Drogheda and Cork doing well in Europe does give kudos to our league. Coefficients obviously important.

Us eL lot are very much in the minority in this country and if it came down to it, I would even defend a Rovers supporter before any EPL/SPL goon who saves his hard earned to go to see one game a year and thinks that that is what supporting your team is all about - that and spending the rest of his sterling filling his Man U Superstore bag with goodies he can come home and compare to the size of his underinflated penis. There are too many of them who I believe really are not interested in football at all. What they are interested in is being 'part of a popular culture' that they have been told is 'cool' by the people who run our world because it looks cool and gives them something to talk about in the pub because they are that inverted they have little else to discuss - "We're gonna kick your ass in the Charity shield you Liverpool scummer" "No your not you feckin' pensioner" - idiots! - when the only people that benefit from the whole episode are the fat cats sitting behind the corporations [Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea, Celtic, Arsenal, etc etc) creaming every cent they can get their hands on to the utter detriment of the grassroots game that gives football its heart, its lungs and its soul.
*steps down off soapbox*

*steps up on soapbox*
GODDAMIT!!!
*steps down off soapbox*

On the other hand, I seriously cannot shout for Shelbourne when it comes to any game. Europe or otherwise. To me, they are everything that is wrong about football in this country and they can (and do) thank Oily Byrne for that. Some will say that's just bitterness in me, but hey - do I give a sh!t?

agree with that.
though id add bohez and pats to the el clubs i dont "support"/wish well in europe

**Paddyfield** · 15/08/2006, 10:24 PM

There's a healthy "we're a bigger club than ye" rivalry going on between Galway United and Sligo Rovers fot the last few decades but when they played in Europe in the 1990's, I wished them well. When Sligo beat some Maltese club, I know 2 GUFC fans who travelled to the Showgrounds to support them.

Also, when St Pat's played in Parkhead, I was roaring at the TV in support of St Pat's when they drew with Celtic. Any other time, I'd be leaning towards Celtic.

Likewise, I hoped Gretna would win the 2006 Scottish Cup Final. A few weeks later, I was hoping Derry City would kick the $h!t out of them anf they did.

.

**nshoop** · 15/08/2006, 10:32 PM

This is what's wrong with our league,we're already a relatively small and struggling organisation that gets stick and abuse that we all rightfully complain about and defend against and then you hear loi fans wishing other teams lose in europe?What the f*ck?Can you people above this not see the stupidity in hoping bohs or pats or whoever lose in europe?We're too small a league to go on with that sh*te.When we're a giant force in european football and get 50-60 thousand at games we can start that maybe,sure even in england most teams support eachother in europe.I can't understand anyone who hopes for an loi team to lose in europe.

**Anto McC** · 15/08/2006, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by passerrby

while its great to see el clubs do well in europe and i would support them all some people seem to be think this is the cure for all or ills. its like painting the upper decks of a sinking ship.

Do you honestly believe "the ship is sinking" as you put it?

**dcfcsteve** · 16/08/2006, 12:44 AM

Originally Posted by passerrby

while its great to see el clubs do well in europe and i would support them all some people seem to be think this is the cure for all or ills. its like painting the upper decks of a sinking ship.

Most would agree with you that the EL's problems are broader and more wide-ranging than simple Euro success will address. However, I believe most would disagree with you that the EL is a sinking ship. The league is in a better state now than it has been for 15-20 years. I can't help but feel that you've shoe-horned the 'sinking ship' phrase/cliche in just to find an excuse to use it...!

But at the same time, Euro results are the only available yard stick with which to measure our league. One of the big sticks that those who don't follow Irish football use to beat us with is the fact that they don't think we're any better than their local pub league. When they see us consistently putting in good results against teams from leagues they thought were way better than us, then their perceptions will have to change. I'm not just talking about those who are pathologically anti-EL, as we'll never persuade them no matter what. But there are large swathes of the population for whom the idea of sampling an EL game has simply never crossed their mind, largely because they have a perception of it as being muck. Nicer stadiums will be of some use in coaxing them out. More TV coverage might help them pick a preferred team and keep a closer eye on the clubs. But it's a fundamental step-change in both mentality and beahviour that would be required to get them along. The only thing I can see capable of kick-starting such a step-change in the short-to-medium term are European results.

It's not the answer in itself - but it is a key piece in solving the puzzle.

**dcfcsteve** · 16/08/2006, 12:54 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesThompson

I do think that it is a step in the right direction for a more credible league in the eyes of those that diss the league and those that are passive to it. I would also like to state categorically that the FAI should target the 'passive' interest i.e. those that would say they have a team in the eL, but just look out for their results or haven't been in years brigade. They are looking for something to be sympathetic to and an excuse to get back. In essence they need the motivation to come back. I think that positive results in Europe will only help to attract these people to our grounds.

City's experiences in recent weeks back this up. There is what can only be described as Candystriped fever in Derry at the moment. Even with our 3,000 most ardent fans at the game in Motherwel llast Thursday, there were still cars driving round Derry after the game, horns tooting with red n' white flags out the window. The town has gone loopy over the club, and this is almost entirely down to the results against Gothenburg and Gretna.

It's just like the late 1980's/early 90's again in the City, with the club top of everyone's thoughts. Back in those days we were attracting 10,000 to every home game and taking up to 4,000 away. At the start of this season our home crowds were c. 2,500. Perhaps uniquely in Irish football, there is a very large chunk of our town who are lapsed City fans. Nothing had reignited most of their interests in the club in the intervening years. Until now.

Our game against Pats on Sunday had a crowd of 3,000 - 500 (20%) up on our league average this season, so it's having some immediate impact on our appeal. Will we keep these extra 500 fans as Euro glory fades and the season plods on ? Certainly not all - but I'd like to think we'll definitely keep some. Needless to say, there are now more Derry City relica tops kicking round Derry, Strabane etc than there have been for 15 or so years. And that's all down to European results.

**nshoop** · 16/08/2006, 1:51 AM

good to hear

**cheifo** · 16/08/2006, 2:40 AM

Originally Posted by mypost

You really thought a poor Pats side would trouble Derry's 100% record at home?? Mad!!

I support all the league's sides in European comps only, bar Bohs. The reason the league's fans support them is for the sake of the league's credibility. Nobody wants to see a return to the days when our clubs lose to teams from Moldova, and the likes of Finn Harps lose 0-12 away in Europe. The more results our clubs get in Europe, benefits the league in terms of it's image, profile, and allows other clubs in later seasons to get more favourable draws in the competitions. Hoping teams struggle in Europe because they play you next, is incredibly stupid and selfish, and likely to backfire when you come up against them in the league.

Harps were very unlucky in that game.Ref was a homer.

**Dodge** · 16/08/2006, 8:12 AM

Originally Posted by nshoop

This is what's wrong with our league,we're already a relatively small and struggling organisation that gets stick and abuse that we all rightfully complain about and defend against and then you hear loi fans wishing other teams lose in europe?What the f*ck?

There's at leaast 1,000 things more wrong (sic) about this league than ans not wanting their rivals to do well

**superfrank** · 16/08/2006, 9:46 AM

I won't actively cheer teams on but I would be dissapointed if they were to lose.

**MrJoeSoap** · 17/08/2006, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by chippie0001

Don't know how any fan can cheer on another team. Why would I be happy if Derry or Drogs get into the Uefa group stages and rake the cash in make my team even more uncompetitive. What if say Shels get into the CL group stages, the league could go ala Norway with one team winning everything due to the amounts of cash on offer.

Plain and simple I want Bohs to do well, in the league for a start. If teams do well in Europe, fair play to them, it improves the co-efficient and that but i would never cheer them on purely for selfish domestic issues.

We should just give up now so, if you don't want an Irish team other than Bohs to qualify for a group stage in Europe... We could be waiting a while.