As a relatively special case, I'm sure it could happen.
There can still be an All Ireland league with two national teams. Dont see why the two subjects are linked so often.
My opinion on the subject would be to invite Linfield Glentoran and maybe Portadown to join our league, not necessarily an All Ireland League. Cant see the likes of Crusaders and co improving things down here.
As a relatively special case, I'm sure it could happen.
Its a UEFA thing, no national team without a national league (Reson why wales had to start one up about 15 years ago)Originally Posted by Bomb Landsdowne
Loads of ****e clubs down here too. It'll end up the best 16 sides in the country regardless of where they're from after a few years anyway.My opinion on the subject would be to invite Linfield Glentoran and maybe Portadown to join our league, not necessarily an All Ireland League. Cant see the likes of Crusaders and co improving things down here.
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
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I can't believe people are being negative about this.
You can see why the Gov would want this. There is huge finance being lost. Soccer is a huge part of many economies but we are losing out on that. It would make sense to reduce the number of clubs but improve the standard.
The FAI and IFA will oppose it because their jobs will be at risk.
It is entirely logical to have an All-Ireland League in my opinion.
Not so.
The MLS has teams from both Canada and the US (as does the lower-tier USL) and both maintain seperate national teams.
The A-League likewise has teams from both Australia and New Zealand, who both have seperate national teams.
Liechtenstein has a seperate national team, but all of its clubs play in the Swiss league system.
The stuff about the League of Wales is slightly inacurate. They didn't get a direct order from UEFA. They formed a league because they were of the opinion that their seat on the FIFA ruling council was under threat.
MY views on an All-Ireland coloured by the fact Portadown & Dungannon were 3rd & 4th best. No disrespect as Dungannan have great setup but they are akin to a well run Cobh Ramblers.
If any/all of the footie things were joined north and south, they'd still be a home nation. They wouldn't lose any of that. In fact the south would benefit by getting a seat on the IFAB. Northern Unionists are that bothered about organising things on an all-Ireland basis, per se, (see the Protestant churches, or the other sports like Rugby, Cricket or Hockey), but what makes them shriek in horror is the suggestion that they would be 'taken-over' by the south. The Setanta Cup works because the IFA and FAI are equal partners in it.
Portadown could well make you eat your words in the Setanta Pete. They've been in decent form.
I'm not disputing that. I was just saying they appear to be even smaller clubs that we already have. Dungannon would never be able to sustain a fully pro team... We might have a chance if can change to 5-a-side
Liechtenstein have no domestic league so their teams have to play in the Swiss leagues yet they have a national side. So it would seem to me that there is a precedent there to have a national team without a league. I think they get around this by having a domestic cup competition.
The Liechtenstein FA does however run their own Cup Competition
Kom Igen, FCK...
A lot of countries around europe have wanted for many many years to force the UK to have one national team as they dont like the fact there are four votes and vote together, no way Uefa (well th majority of voting countries) would sanction a national league with two national teams, they would see it as a first step to on UK team
Thia pressure is why the league of wales was setup, as they felt the fact there was no national league left them as aneasy target.
What happens outside of Uefa politics has anything to do with this.
Im all for one national team and league myself, but cant see it ever happening in my lifetime, unless an ireland league evolved out of the setanta, and Uefa forced one national team down the road. Too many jobs for wasiters at stake on both sides.
Jim Boyce trashed this notion on Final Score tonight
utterly connsigning this idea to the rubbish bin where it belongs
Stopped reading at that!
We know who you are now.
Dermot is looking for Bertie's job so i think this is just trying to some more support......
But my point was that if there were an AIL, the north wouldn't be 'losing' their league (any more than the south would). They would in fact have a much more vibrant league (the hypothetical AIL) which they would share with the south.
Tazskool - no offence mucker, but your argeument here holds less water than a rusty bucket.
How would it ?
Firstly - there are sports where both Wales and Scotland are merged with England : e.g. the Olympics. So you're off the mark right from the start.
Secondly, there are no sports (bar cricket - which is now only a tokenistic measure) where England is merged with only one of Wales or Scotland. Why ? Because they're different cultural, historical and linguistic nations.
Meanwhile - Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are both 'Irish' (on numerous levels, which even ardent Unionists would agree). Both play numerous sports together as a single team. Both used to play football together as one team. Both share a cultural, historical and linguistic tradition - even despite having a sub-group within one of those societies which differs to some extent. None of these is true with regards either Scotland ior Wales individually and Scotland.
So there is no comparison at all there I'm afraid.
Good for you. Are you suggesting you would no longer feel proud etc if the 2 Irish teams merged into one ? Are you sugesting that the people in that bar in the fireside tale you gave us wouldn't have hugged and cheered and screamed if it was a combined team who'd scored that gol...?If not - what is your point ?
The reason why the teams are separated is because of politics, not football. When it was purely about football (up to 1922), they played as one team. From a purely football point of view, the arguements in favour of a single Irish team massively outweigh those in favour of separation. So any arguement advocating the continued separation of an historically unified team is clearly not just about football.
Of course not. Because it wouldn't make any sense. They are completely separate nations/peoples - culturally, historically and linguisticaly. The Irish are not separate in that way, have only been artifically split into 2 separate political jurisdictions for 80 years, play together in numerous other sports, and have played in a single international team in football in previous times. None of which Wales and England have done.
Open your eyes then. A bigger pool of players to choose from is a blindingly obvious benefit. The Republic would've benefited massively from a few specific players from the NI team at any particular point in time - whether it be George Best, Pat Jennings, Norman Whiteside or David Healy.
Sorry if I offend you - but your argument is ill-structured and poorly thought-through, as highlighted above.
Its not the league that countries within uefa want abolished, the voting blocks come from national teams, if the teams merged into one league (great if it happens), then the northern ireland national team comes under threat, (note not the repulic of ireland national team, within a sovereign state), and with it a vote. The Uk has FOUR national teams and FOUR votes, with an ireland league, the northern ireland national team would eventually dissappear, which is where Jom Boyce is coming from, (also his job of course)
Listening to Jim Boyce on Radio 1 was pathetic.
He says that nobody wants it and Ahern should stick to the political arena, next comes on Jim Roddy and backs the notion of an All Ireland League.
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