Irish UK Club Football Bangwagon Jumpers -Irish Footballs Number 1 enemy

[sullanefc]

I've met loads of Brits who think the LOI is great because they can stand at games here and even switch ends at half-time.

I'd agree that Niall Quinn is no friend of Irish football but there is no point in griping about it I think. Let the half wits go on their trips to Sunderland/Bandwagon F.C.

Billy Lord's quote above says to me that Irish clubs should be promoting LOI football in the UK. I'm sure there are plenty of football fans over there would love a live game of football in their off-season.

Why not get in with Bord Failte and advertise a weeks summer holiday in Ireland and take in a LOI match as well.

Might work??

[zinedineontour]

how bitter some people on here are . Quinn has had an excellent career for Ireland and as such should be regarded in a high manner. He spent the best days of his footballing career at Sunderland and obviously feels a great sense of passion and warmth towards the club and its fans. He has changed the club around and brought passion back into the area which is great to see. Why the **** he would want to pump money back into the LOI when so many of its fans are so bitter about english football and if you dont support your local loi club your not worthy .. Grow up and realise that Quinn is a decent man who is putting money back into the club and people who gave him the best years of his career..

[zinedineontour]

As Irish people you would think they could show a little interest, in the game the love so much, at home, not just the odd friendly. Instead they are taking fans away from the league with massive marketing that is very hard to compete with when budgets are so small for all LOI clubs.

How do you know they won't ruin Irish football. They'll definetly have a negative impact on the game here, attracting potential customers away from our league!

I dont think its Niall Quinn and Sunderland attracting potential customers away from the league it seems to be the attitude of the "fans " of the LOI that will keep people away. The attitudes of some on here sum it all up.

[Gareth]

I think the point ringing out is we have to market our own league properly and improve the venues, spectacle etc if you want to get the kind of fans in that people mentioned here. Niall Quinn didn't stop us doing that.

[Terry]

His 'greening' of Sunderland will fall flat on its face when Roy Keane ups sticks and takes over from Alex Ferguson at Manchester United .

exactly what I was going to say !

[galwayhoop]

I assume Umbro Ireland are fully owned by Umbro "global" and that the profits are going there anyways, or a loss would be forked out for by the head office, and the same would happen if UMBRO UK sponsored same, but if umbro Ireland are sponsoring this and make profit in ireland off the back of it then maybe there will be more jobs at umbro ireland, taxes gained and employment gained in ireland etc.

What I am saying is Umbro is umbro don't matter what country they are based in the profits go home...

don't think so padraic, umbro sold franchises to individual countries. john courtney bought the irish franchise - don't know if he still has it though - and they make their own sponsorship deals etc. and pay either a yearly percentage of profits or a set fee to the parent company.

[galwayhoop]

Like it or not, Niall Quinn is doing a terrible dis-service to LOI and for that he should be ashamed. Everyone is swept up by his idea. No congratulations is due to either Keane nor Quinn as they are both limiting the league's expansion by promoting a british club. If they or the sunderland investors put half the money they are investing, into a Irish club we would see real progress. Makes me sick!

come off it. both of these men made their careers in the english professional game. quinn is the puppet head of the consortium who took over a club with massive potential - big ground & very loyal local following but struggling financially and in an artifically poor league position. roy keane has moved into the next stage of his professional football career i.e management.

like it or lump it but neither could fulfill their their career aims with an irish eL side so why should they not try it with a large professional club in the country that both of them have raised their families and spent the vast majority of their own lives? what do you want them to say - ah no thanks lads but i'm going to work for athlone town and promote the game in the country of my birth!

the attitude of some eL fans on this site is ridiculous. they give out about the 'daytrippers'/'ole olers' at ireland games, they give out about people supporting british clubs, they give out about not wanting these people goin to eL games anyway, claim to be the only 'real' fans in the country, reckon that keane and quinn are ruining the local game.....etc etc. on and on and on.... the moral high ground taken by some on here is crazy, just because you go the your local ground (as i do) does not give you a monopoly on being a 'real' fan.

and the attitude expressed earlier about money going out of the country into a foreign economy is similar to the attitude of dev and the earlier governments! keep irish, be irish, buy irish, move on lads that attitude was outdated 60 years ago, we live in a multi-national society. a global economy, a global society, foreign investment, multi-national companies.....

the faults of the eL do not lie at quinns, keanes or charlie chawkes doors. they are all either furthering their carrers or trying to make a few pounds. they are not revolutionaries who should single handidly try and promote the eL and bring it to another level. and why should they? hopefully this 'revolutionary' figure, who is willing to pour money blindly into a club, will come someday but until then why are we engaging in our favourite pass time of knocking everyone else???

[monutdfc]

I don't really care one way or the other about Niall Quinn/Roy Keane/Sunderland FC - except to the extent that Roy Keane could, possibly, perhaps, one day make a very good Ireland manager.

But what does annoy me a little bit is the massive exposure they get in the Irish media. RTE will give one Championship result - the Sunderland one. The Times or Independent will give one Championship match report - The Sunderland one. You could say it's the Irish link, but Wolves have an Irish manager and as many Irish players as Sunderland.
And of course Bohs, Shels, Pats, Mons etc etc all have Irish managers and more Irish players than either!

[BohDiddley]

and the attitude expressed earlier about money going out of the country into a foreign economy is similar to the attitude of dev and the earlier governments! keep irish, be irish, buy irish, move on lads that attitude was outdated 60 years ago, we live in a multi-national society. a global economy, a global society, foreign investment, multi-national companies.....

the faults of the eL do not lie at quinns, keanes or charlie chawkes doors. they are all either furthering their carrers or trying to make a few pounds. they are not revolutionaries who should single handidly try and promote the eL and bring it to another level. and why should they? hopefully this 'revolutionary' figure, who is willing to pour money blindly into a club, will come someday but until then why are we engaging in our favourite pass time of knocking everyone else???

Mick Wallace and Garrett Kelleher might disagree, as might the combined owner-members of several clubs. It's not a question of patriotism or xenophobia. It's a matter of engagement with the sport where you live. Your reducing everything to some quack-modern version of a globalised economy is, quite frankly, depressing. If you think football is all about money, then I suggest that you take a short cut and simply follow the stock markets instead.

the attitude of some eL fans on this site is ridiculous. they give out about the 'daytrippers'/'ole olers' at ireland games, they give out about people supporting british clubs, they give out about not wanting these people goin to eL games anyway, claim to be the only 'real' fans in the country, reckon that keane and quinn are ruining the local game.....etc etc. on and on and on.... the moral high ground taken by some on here is crazy, just because you go the your local ground (as i do) does not give you a monopoly on being a 'real' fan.

You seem to be bundling a lot of stuff there that doesn't necessarily fit. Thinking that there's something off about the SundIreland project does not equate to criticising people for following British football.

What makes Quinn's venture particularly noteworthy is the sanctimonious tones that accompany it, and the attempt to sell it as somehow Irish. If he's just in it for the money, that's fine. But please spare us the saviour of football spiel and the plastic paddywhackery.

[bohsRap]

I dont think its Niall Quinn and Sunderland attracting potential customers away from the league it seems to be the attitude of the "fans " of the LOI that will keep people away. The attitudes of some on here sum it all up.

I don't see how LOI fans could distract people from games. These "foreign loving fans" people prefer to sit and discourage development of local and Irish football. I've nothing against people showing an interest abroad but I'm not going to applaud them for it. I would like to see them show some sort of interest in the game over here instead of bashing it constantly!

[bohsRap]

and the attitude expressed earlier about money going out of the country into a foreign economy is similar to the attitude of dev and the earlier governments! keep irish, be irish, buy irish, move on lads that attitude was outdated 60 years ago, we live in a multi-national society. a global economy, a global society, foreign investment, multi-national companies.....

I wouldn't entirely agree. I think the "buy Irish" attitude is still prevalent today and it has helped make Ireland what it is. We normally try and invest in all things Irish, foreign investment only occurs when no Irish product is available. If you cannot see Irish football expanding into a potentially successful and maintainable league then you mustn't be with the times at all.

[pete]

But what does annoy me a little bit is the massive exposure they get in the Irish media. RTE will give one Championship result - the Sunderland one. The Times or Independent will give one Championship match report - The Sunderland one.

Sunderland paid Irish journalists for junkets to Sunderland at the start of the season & got articles written on that basis. I was particularly disappointed that the Irish Times fell for that as I expected better standards. With the blatant promotion of Sunderland as an oirish club I expect the mascot will be a leprechaun soon.

For what its worth while Keane has clearly done a good job the Championship is relatively poor standard (inability to pass & long ball) so any team can string results together & get promoted. Mick McCarthy got them promoted a few years ago with worse team but as few funds to improve they got relegated next season. Keane will need 2 seasons in the Premiership to be rated.

Sunderlands success or otherwise has no affect on the LOI as its a completely different market. The type of person who latches onto Sunderland because a few irish players there is not likely to watch live LOI football.

[gustavo]

It's very dissapointing for me as an eircom League fan to see the minimum amount of coverage the league gets and now a 2nd tier English team is starting to get more and more coverage because they are "Irish" now , not Sunderlands fault but frustrating nonetheless.

[pete]

It's very dissapointing for me as an eircom League fan to see the minimum amount of coverage the league gets and now a 2nd tier English team is starting to get more and more coverage because they are "Irish" now , not Sunderlands fault but frustrating nonetheless.

There is a certain amount of interest but IMO it is largely media driven. i.e. the media has given them the exposure to drive the interest.

[paudie]

There is a certain amount of interest but IMO it is largely media driven. i.e. the media has given them the exposure to drive the interest.

I agree.

I've no problem with articles about the Irish angle in Sunderland provided they are balanced with articles on interesting developments in domestic football eg. new owners and potential developments at Dundalk,Wexford, St PAts. New stadium at Athlone etc.

Certainly the Irish Times doesn't seem t ohave taken any interest in these matters.

[Réiteoir]

The kind of people who are being sucked in by the Sunderland hype will never support an Irish club so they are irrelevant. We need to focus on those who have a slight affinity to local clubs, who might go to the odd game, and make them more open to the notion of coming to games more often.
The LOI has nothing to offer daytrippers, unless they're English football fans on a weekend away looking for a reminder of how it used to be before the plastic seats and plastic people took over and ruined their game.
I've met loads of Brits who think the LOI is great because they can stand at games here and even switch ends at half-time.

Aye - I've managed to get two English friends interested in the eL - purely on the basis of watching the Bohs - Drogs game at the start of this year over the Internet.

They loved the atmosphere, the "honest" football (tackles flying in, etc.), and the fact it seems like a more "personal" experience.

Shame is - they plumped for following Drogheda (although one is a Leeds fan who is a big fan of Gary Kelly)

I'll be bringing them to a couple of games this season - and one of them wants to get a hold of a Drogs jersey...

[Kildare Lad]

Niall Quinn is just doing his job, he never said "dont go to league of ireland games", he is just trying to attract more fans and money to Sunderland AFC.

Its up to the people themselves what they choose to do, and its a pity the FAI or alot clubs in Ireland dont put this much effort into attracting new fans.And the ones that do just dont seem to get much success.

But you cannot seriously blame Niall Quinn for trying to steal fans.

[Billy Lord]

How very bitter you must be.

Not a bit, actually. I just hate that plastic, post-Fever Pitch, Premiership experience. Used to love going to Old Trafford, for example, but it's one of the dullest places on earth now, especially one time (v Real Madrid in 2000) when I was stuck on the third tier and surrounded by drunken paddies who hadn't a clue. It was almost as bad as being in Rathbane.

[OneRedArmy]

I dont think its Niall Quinn and Sunderland attracting potential customers away from the league it seems to be the attitude of the "fans " of the LOI that will keep people away. The attitudes of some on here sum it all up.

Convenient.

And patently untrue.

Open your eyes and recognise the event junkie-ism that we as a nation specialise in.

True football fans watch matches in person on a regular basis, not on a barstool with a pint in one and and a tray of hot nuts in the other.

End of.

[CollegeTillIDie]

The people Quinn is trying to attract to follow Sunderland wore Newcastle and Blackburn shirts in the mid 1990's when those teams were challenging for the title. They are fickle and will abandon the Black Cats once they start losing again , which they will once they are promoted.

As regards Mary Hannigan in the Irish Times buying into the hype, this is the self same newspaper , which was once the paper of record, that has not covered an Eircom League of Ireland First Division League game in over a decade.

Message to Malachy Logan Irish Times Sports Editor '' What country do you think you are living in pal? ''