Does anybody fear

**paul_oshea** · 15/02/2007, 3:31 PM

( the reaper! )something going wrong with soccer at croke park and not being allowed let in again....I have a weird feeling something could go wrong or trouble with the welsh or something, i dont know what just something niggling in the back of my mind....is there anyway english fans could get tickets through the welsh FA or anything? They know the historical importance of the GAA....I know the cardiff fans have a bad reputation etc, and a few BNP followers in there support...

I remember when Sean kelly was over in the embassy over here and said, every match is being reviewed on a match by match basis, and I asked him what happens if there is any trouble in the stadium or outside or anything like that, what would happen, he said there wouldn't be anymore ( non-GAA ) games played there again..ever...very sternly I might add....

Ok, little worry rant over

**Claret Murph** · 15/02/2007, 3:40 PM

Paul lets get clear the GAA hate us end of story but the money will make them feel just a tad better .

**Lionel Ritchie** · 15/02/2007, 3:48 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

( the reaper! )something going wrong with soccer at croke park and not being allowed let in again....I have a weird feeling something could go wrong or trouble with the welsh or something, i dont know what just something niggling in the back of my mind....is there anyway english fans could get tickets through the welsh FA or anything? They know the historical importance of the GAA....I know the cardiff fans have a bad reputation etc, and a few BNP followers in there support...

I remember when Sean kelly was over in the embassy over here and said, every match is being reviewed on a match by match basis, and I asked him what happens if there is any trouble in the stadium or outside or anything like that, what would happen, he said there wouldn't be anymore ( non-GAA ) games played there again..ever...very sternly I might add....

Ok, little worry rant over

If we'd England in our group there'd be increased tension no doubt but they have a malignant element that'd come over if the game was being played in Hogan Park.

As for Sean Kelly and his ilk -they're getting top dollar for services and facilities rendered and they'd do well to remember it and make sure their end of the deal is met. If staging these games had been put out to tender to interested parties in Britain AS WELL AS Ireland I sincerely doubt the Gae-boys would've made the top three.

**elroy** · 15/02/2007, 3:56 PM

I've thought about the same myself and I do believe there is an element of the cardiff fans that arent too savoury. But other than the england i cant remember a game where we've had trouble. In reality the welsh couldnt give two fcuks about croke park no more than we would give a fcuk if it were the other way round.

I doubt there would be trouble but if there ever was, it would give fuel to those hard liners and i doubt we'd ever have a game there again.

Aside from this, I do think the gaa arent as keen at letting soccer into croker as they are rugby to be honest.

**paul_oshea** · 15/02/2007, 4:19 PM

elroy agree with yer last point. But I think its partly to do with this "really thats why people didnt want to let soccer/ rugby in, because soccer/rugby look down at their achievement but yet take full advantage ", and that the GAA feel that the soccer lads in particular look down and take the ****, yet then come knocking when it suits.....got this from a local paper about the "first guy" who proposed to open up croke park, well he self-proclaims he was the first to propose it ..that the rugby invited them for pre-match dinners and all this lark before hte game on sunday, whereas the FAI haven't done anything....

Lionel, sean kelly is a sound fella, no "ignorant" views like the fella in there now or those before. remember over 70% voted to open it, take out the north and you dont have too many "no'ers"!

Murph, i dont think they "hate" the irfu and its followers nearly as much as the FAI and its followers......so there must be something in it......

**SuperDave** · 15/02/2007, 5:16 PM

Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

If we'd England in our group there'd be increased tension no doubt but they have a malignant element that'd come over if the game was being played in Hogan Park.

As for Sean Kelly and his ilk -they're getting top dollar for services and facilities rendered and they'd do well to remember it and make sure their end of the deal is met. If staging these games had been put out to tender to interested parties in Britain AS WELL AS Ireland I sincerely doubt the Gae-boys would've made the top three.

Sean Kelly isn't really the problem, no longer being president and all. I am, however, concerned that the incumbent Nickey Brennan (sounds like someone from Westlife, not a gaahead, but nevermind) isn't too fond of non-gaelic games and i might be wrong here, but i think he was one of the few who went on the record as being opposed to the opening up before that vote (i think he was elected president in a later vote). I might be wrong here, but i'm fairly sure he's not as much in favour of opening the place up as the sean kelly was.

reder · 15/02/2007, 5:42 PM

I agree with Paul in that i have a horrible niggling feeling in that back of my mind that something is going to "happen" to tarnish our rep and the rep of football fans. Maybe a protest by some of their hardcore fans (which is rumoured to be happening next weekend also) will turn nasty and 2 guesses who the GAA PR driven media will blame.

Paul, mate, you need to get a grip on the whole anti england fans thing. I can assure you that if england fans want a scrap they will go north to the scots. They would have no interest in us. They like the welsh and scots couldnt give a monkies about Croke Park. Its another football ground come March 27th, the history etc is irrelevant to them.

Cardiff city fans are one of the most troublesome groups of fans in the uk. The consistently create trouble at home and away and will cause havoc if they manage to reach the PL. If they decide to cause trouble in or around the ground on matchday they will and there is little chance that the cops here will have the ability to control them.

**Soper** · 15/02/2007, 10:42 PM

Reder, how many Cardiff City matches do you actually go to?

How many reports of trouble have there been of Welsh fans causing trouble in the last 10 years?

**citizenerased** · 15/02/2007, 11:02 PM

Stop this anti gaa nonsense...The fai are goin to make a killing out of croker, at the end of the day they gave us croker and we dont have to go abroad so count your blessings...If the GAA foockin hate soccer so much why the fucck did the absolish rule 42....

If you cant understand the formation of rule 42 read a foockin history book

**Soper** · 15/02/2007, 11:07 PM

I would agree with you, if you were actually right in any way.

**citizenerased** · 15/02/2007, 11:24 PM

were agreed so

reder · 15/02/2007, 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by Soper

Reder, how many Cardiff City matches do you actually go to?

How many reports of trouble have there been of Welsh fans causing trouble in the last 10 years?

Cardiff city fans cause trouble at pretty much every away ground they go to. They are banned from certain grounds along with Millwall and Stoke City amongst others. I travel the length and breadth of the uk watching football and am very well clued in on the who's who of football in the uk. Correct me if I wrong but didnt Wolves ban them from visiting Molineux? At home, there was very well documented trouble between Cardiff and Spurs fans this season and Cardiff and Leeds fans a few years ago.

Also when did the GAA vote to remove Rule 42? Did I miss something? I only heard about a amendment to Rule 42 which allows football and rugby games to be held in Croke Park during the re-developement of Lansdowne road. Rule 42 is still part of the GAA's constitution.

**Sumac** · 16/02/2007, 8:01 AM

And so what if the GAA still has a Rule 42 within its constitution. Wouldn't be great if the FAI had some kind of constituion that it would follow and could only be amended by a constitutional vote by its members - The GAA is a different sporting body who are not required to to do anything for the FAI - same as the FAI is not obliged to do anything for the GAA.
A lot of people who follow association football also follow Gaelic and hurling and vice versa. The IRFU and its supportes went about Croke Park the right way - They were very grateful to be given the Stadium and very complimentary about it - Which of course increases their chances of getting it again in the future - If you lend someone something and they are ungrateful, you are hardly going to give it to them again.

**Collyontour** · 16/02/2007, 8:08 AM

I only have a fear of San Marino and Cyprus. They're going to get stronger as the group goes on

**elroy** · 16/02/2007, 8:35 AM

I do think alot of the publicity/fuss etc about croker is starting to die down now that the first game has been played. And even more so when the gaa decide this weekend to grant access again in 2008. There will always be a minority who dont want us there but at this stage they represent a very small number. My only fear is the wales game and the aforementioned cardiff fans, however we have a good relationship with wales and i dont remember any trouble from when we played them in the 90s. So i think everything should pass off ok.

As for Sean Kelly, the man did nothing but good for us, he pushed that motion through and deserves credit for it. He is a true genuine sportsman who's preference is gaa but by no means is anti rugby/football, the opposite in fact.

**Jerry The Saint** · 16/02/2007, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by Sumac

The IRFU and its supportes went about Croke Park the right way - They were very grateful to be given the Stadium and very complimentary about it - Which of course increases their chances of getting it again in the future - If you lend someone something and they are ungrateful, you are hardly going to give it to them again.

I dunno, the greater antagonism towards soccer is probably because elements in the GAA don't regard rugby to be as big a "threat" as soccer. There are rugby areas/schools and GAA areas/schools and everyone is happy. Rugby players are also pretty well marked out for the sport at an early age so the case of Mick Galwey is rare compared to those who leave the sport to play soccer. The likes of Doyle and Long were genuine GAA stars in the making unlike Brian "played a bit in primary school" O'Driscoll.

The FAI don't help by being clueless but every little ambiguous comment is seized on as evidence that the soccer lads think they own the place. Ironic that Staunton is steeped in GAA-ness, whereas Eddie O'Sullivan admitted no interest and had only ever been to one GAA match in his life. And I can guarantee that there will be a far, far smaller number of fans asking for directions at the Wales game than there was last Sunday.

Things have already started changing though - expect rugby to make even bigger inroads into traditional GAA areas if Ireland have a good World Cup (cf. the Charlton era and growth of soccer). Look how frosty the relationship with the AFL turned when just 3 or 4 players per year started taking offers from Australian clubs.

**Soper** · 16/02/2007, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by reder

Cardiff city fans cause trouble at pretty much every away ground they go to. They are banned from certain grounds along with Millwall and Stoke City amongst others. I travel the length and breadth of the uk watching football and am very well clued in on the who's who of football in the uk. Correct me if I wrong but didnt Wolves ban them from visiting Molineux? At home, there was very well documented trouble between Cardiff and Spurs fans this season and Cardiff and Leeds fans a few years ago.

Also when did the GAA vote to remove Rule 42? Did I miss something? I only heard about a amendment to Rule 42 which allows football and rugby games to be held in Croke Park during the re-developement of Lansdowne road. Rule 42 is still part of the GAA's constitution.

Well, having been at that match, and a plethora of away matches, I can assure you that you are exagerrating it. For instance, both Brimingham and Wolves fans, at Ninian Park this season, started ripping out seats and trying to start fights in the ground. The Cardiff fans had nothing to do with it.

Also, it has been well documented, the situation with Wolves. The chief exec would rather have no away fans and keep the 350k it takes to police an average match.

And you want to know the excuse for banning them from Molineux?

Trouble, which consisted soley of a drunk Cardiff fan throwing a pie at a wall.

**Sumac** · 16/02/2007, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Jerry The Saint

Ironic that Staunton is steeped in GAA-ness, whereas Eddie O'Sullivan admitted no interest and had only ever been to one GAA match in his life. And I can guarantee that there will be a far, far smaller number of fans asking for directions at the Wales game than there was last Sunday.

I agree that there will be a greater number of fans at the Wales game that there were at the Rugby - I believe there is a bigger cross over of supporters between the Gaelic and the football. However I hope that all supporters going to Croker appreciate the gesture from the GAA and create an environment where there will be no problems in requesting the stadium in the future

Regarding Eddie O'Sullivan I am not sure where you read that he had no interest in Gaelic football - He lives in Galway and actually played in a senior football county final in the county -
It is correct that Stan is steeped in GAA-ness - lets hope all the players appreciate the history surrounding this (No problem of course for the likes of Doyle, Long or Given)

**citizenerased** · 16/02/2007, 12:22 PM

Irelands Call...ya got to love that disgrace!!!!

**paul_oshea** · 16/02/2007, 12:49 PM

They like the welsh and scots couldnt give a monkies about Croke Park. Its another football ground come March 27th, the history etc is irrelevant to them.

they mightnt give a sh1te about croke park on the 27th of march but its the 24th id be worried about!