Selling Sunderland to the Paddies

**Stuttgart88** · 18/09/2006, 11:14 AM

For what it's worth, I'm looking forward to seeing Sunderland play when they're next down in London. Watching current & potential Irish internationals is my primary interest in watching club football these days so it makes sense.

**pete** · 18/09/2006, 2:08 PM

I see in the It today that mary hannigan has a match report from Sunderland. I can never remember her previously reporting on a game without the aid of tv so i assume she got a free junket to Sunderland.

To cap things off the IT does not list fridays live eL football on TG4 in their sport on tv section.

**BohsPartisan** · 18/09/2006, 3:27 PM

Originally Posted by Ash

I bet there'll be hugh demand in Ireland for tickets to Sunderland v Wolves

I don't know any Hughs so I couldn't confirm or deny this.

**Ash** · 18/09/2006, 3:36 PM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

I don't know any Hughs so I couldn't confirm or deny this.

Damn, Im rubbish at spellings and the damn spell check always misses that one!
Edited it in the origional post though

**Stuttgart88** · 18/09/2006, 3:47 PM

Away from Sunderland, a 30 year-old Irish property developer, Darragh Macanthony, has bought Peterborough having seen it on Big Ron Manager on TV.

**Poor Student** · 18/09/2006, 3:52 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

I'd say a fair amount of Celtic fans with no previoous English affiliations will look for the Sunderland results now

Why so? I'm a Celtic fan and his few appearances for Celtic haven't made me forgive him or respect him any more. I'd say anything Celtic fan who could be arsed to go to Sunderland regularly would be more like to be going to Scotland every weekend.

**jebus** · 18/09/2006, 3:58 PM

Although I'll probably get attacked about being a barstool monkey whos a cancer on the Irish game yet again I have to say I don't see what people's problems with RTE on this one is. Sure we'd all like them to show more of the Eircom League, and to dedicate more coverage to both divisions but the reality is is that they are there to serve the Irish peoples demands, and at the moment the Irish public wants to see more Sunderland, and more of Roy Keane. I'd go as fas as saying that Roy alone has more support in this country than practically the whole of the Eircom League put together. I'm not a fan of his, but thats the truth as I see it. And us lot bitching about RTE isn't going to change a damn thing, as some other poster pointed out earlier, Nial Quinn is playing the Irish media game superbly, and we should look at his example as a way to try to get our agenda and interests across more

**Merc67** · 18/09/2006, 4:02 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

I'd say a fair amount of Celtic fans with no previoous English affiliations will look for the Sunderland results now

really? what bizarre logic have you for this?/

in my experience most celtic fans (fans who travel etc) support their club having eschewed all English clubs.

why, now would they 'follow' a lower league english side?

have you an answer or is it more likely you're waffling about Celtic out of some complex....

**Soper** · 18/09/2006, 4:36 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Sure we'd all like them to show more of the Eircom League, and to dedicate more coverage to both divisions but the reality is is that they are there to serve the Irish peoples demands, and at the moment the Irish public wants to see more Sunderland, and more of Roy Keane.

As has been pointed out already, that is what commercial stations do, not public service broadcasters.I'm not sure what RTE's remit is, but I'm sure that it doesn't say that they must pander to the Irish publics wants, be it Sunderland v Burnley or Ken Bigley's beheading.

**John83** · 18/09/2006, 6:24 PM

Originally Posted by Poor Student

Is that a joke or for real?

It's for real. Ryan Air had a flight there already. Aer Lingus and Aer Aran(!) are bringing ones on stream too.

I don't understand, where are all these fans coming from? Were they previously unattached or have they swapped one English club for another?

I wouldn't be shocked to find many of them to be 'fans' of other English teams. Doubt we're looking at regular match attenders though.

Man, I never thought I'd be this cynical about bar stoolers.

**Colie** · 18/09/2006, 6:39 PM

Originally Posted by Poor Student

Is that a joke or for real?
I don't understand, where are all these fans coming from? Were they previously unattached or have they swapped one English club for another?

I support all Irish players in England coz thats where they'll get their best footie & hopefully progress on to international level. Seeing as there are a load of Irish at Sunderland now, I'd certainly be up for them more than anyone else. I also like to see Shay Given win, Damien Duff Win, John O'Shea win etc. So I can see why people are all of a sudden supporting Sunderland coz they want Irish players to do as good as possible. They're basically supporting Ireland. That said, you know I'd prefer to see them down at Belfield Park every second week but we all know thats a no hoper at this stage.

I hope to fuch the Bohs bring in some "big name" players & maybe, just maybe, we'll get some of these fans out to watch the eL.

**Soper** · 18/09/2006, 6:43 PM

Hopefully with a combination of Sunderland going bankrupt in a few years because of not being able to get out of the championship, and English clubs deciding to bring in physically stronger players from African and South American countries, then Irish players will stay in Ireland where they should be, and people might go and watch their teams, instead of them pretending to be English football club fans.

**Poor Student** · 18/09/2006, 7:04 PM

Originally Posted by Colie

That said, you know I'd prefer to see them down at Belfield Park every second week but we all know thats a no hoper at this stage.

There is Gary Dicker.

**jebus** · 18/09/2006, 8:01 PM

Originally Posted by Soper

As has been pointed out already, that is what commercial stations do, not public service broadcasters.I'm not sure what RTE's remit is, but I'm sure that it doesn't say that they must pander to the Irish publics wants, be it Sunderland v Burnley or Ken Bigley's beheading.

Yet another daydream post. RTE pander to their advertisers, the advertisers worship the altar that is ratings, Sunderland will bring higher ratings than the Eircom League, so the advertisers will tell RTE to show more Sunderland and English football than Eircom League. You may have this ideal about what RTE as a Public Service Broadcaster should and shouldn't do, but as a media outlet they are doing the sensible thing by following their advertisers wants

**Soper** · 18/09/2006, 8:05 PM

Have you got the viewing figures for EL and Premiership matches on broadcast on RTE?The EL ones I believe to be quite high, in spite of RTE not botherign to put enough effort in.

**jebus** · 18/09/2006, 8:09 PM

Yeah hold on I have em in my pocket here....anyone can see that the Premiership is a more marketable, profitable and watchable league for a TV station to broadcast, so suggesting that the Eircom League does better on RTE is just silly really

**fitzknows** · 18/09/2006, 8:12 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Yet another daydream post. RTE pander to their advertisers, the advertisers worship the altar that is ratings, Sunderland will bring higher ratings than the Eircom League, so the advertisers will tell RTE to show more Sunderland and English football than Eircom League. You may have this ideal about what RTE as a Public Service Broadcaster should and shouldn't do, but as a media outlet they are doing the sensible thing by following their advertisers wants

As a TV licence holder I do have a ideal about them being Public Service Broadcasters. I have emailed them about their lack of coverage of our domestic game however did not get a response. If they want to just show what their advertisers want then I don't see why I should have to pay 155 Euro each year to see the kind of broadcasting that I can get on any private channel.

**jebus** · 18/09/2006, 8:16 PM

Originally Posted by fitzknows

As a TV licence holder I do have a ideal about them being Public Service Broadcasters. I have emailed them about their lack of coverage of our domestic game however did not get a response. If they want to just show what their advertisers want then I don't see why I should have to pay 155 Euro each year to see the kind of broadcasting that I can get on any private channel.

I agree, but sadly we live in Ireland where the average joe gets stamped on on a regular basis and Irish people take it, simply because its not an English boot doing the stamping. But thats besides the point, if we were going to argue what RTE as a PBS should be doing then they also should not be having adverts in the first place, the point of this thread was seemingly to stick the boot into Irish people supporting British clubs yet again and to bitch about RTE yet again when really we should be asking ourselves how we can promote the Eircom League to RTE and a wider audience on a whole

**BohDiddley** · 18/09/2006, 8:20 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Yeah hold on I have em in my pocket here....anyone can see that the Premiership is a more marketable, profitable and watchable league for a TV station to broadcast, so suggesting that the Eircom League does better on RTE is just silly really

In addition to its licence money, RTE enjoys a virtual monopoly in Irish television, and that is justified on the 'ideal' -- strangely attainable and realistic in other jurisdictions -- of public service broadcasting that doesn't cow-tow to people selling Coco Pops and beer. Stick that in yer red braces Gecko.

**Dodge** · 18/09/2006, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by Merc67

really? what bizarre logic have you for this?/

in my experience most celtic fans (fans who travel etc) support their club having eschewed all English clubs.

why, now would they 'follow' a lower league english side?

have you an answer or is it more likely you're waffling about Celtic out of some complex....

I have no complex about Celtic, I'm actually fairly fond of them. I know at least 3 Cletic fans from ireland who didn't follow a club in Ireland who are looking to go to a Sunderland game.