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[sylvo]

They've changed all right, thats why the German police where rounding them up by the hundred. The clips of German women in Stuttgart having beer poured over their heads on that Panorama documentry by the so called new nicer breed of England fan was sickning, not to mention fans of any team having flags robbed of them and a few punches and kicks aimed at them.

Fair play too the makers of that Panorama documentry because they showed up the bullsh1t that they where so well behaved in Germany. Sky tv where going on about them being changed and where then giving the arrest count from the night before that went up into the hundreds.

Have them over here for a game.

NO THANKS.

[paul_oshea]

It's okay CDG, that's in the past, now we are told they are better behaved.
Therefore this can't be true.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5112364.stm
Erwin Hetger, head of the state police, said: "We had no problems at all with the French, Swiss and Dutch fans that were having a great party here.
"It all changed when the English fans arrived. The atmosphere changed. The incidents began late yesterday evening."
Estimated 300 English fans were arrested in Stuttgart.
Over 400 were detained after troubles another night.
Guess estimates were that a few thousand were involved in violence in Germany, about the same number again wouldn't go no furthur than singing "I'd rather be a paki than a kraut".
Maybe here they would rather be a kraut than a paddy.

Certainly they looked lovely in that game against Andorra.

Then we have the dastardly victimisation against English fans by the Greek police, the Spanish police, the French police, the Italian police and now the Croat police.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SPORT/fo...ges/index.html

i remember watching a game they played a few years ago at home, against macedonia IIRC, where even though they were at home, there was scum seated all over the stadium. It hasn't gone away at all at all.

[gspain]

Not trying in anyway to condone what went on in 95. My Dad was in the middle of them. He was one of the 1,000 people that didn't get sold a ticket for the English end on the morning of the game .

I wasn't aware of the group on the north terrace that night. I thought they were all in the west upper Block A and maybe B. They may have just bought from a tout.

I'm not claiming the England fans are angels now but there has been a massive improvement in behaviour. Huge efforts have gone in to reclaim the national team from the yobs. I've witnessed england supporters firsthand and notivced a huge change.

I think they may well come here next year if not certainly soon after Lansdowne is open for a friendly. And why not we owe them the thrashing they were going to get in 1995 before the yobs got the game abandoned.

In reality there are very few teams that make a Croke Park friendly financially viable.

[CJTheGull]

I am a block-booker for all the home Ireland games but I have to say friendlies are non-events for me. Could be a friendly against Brazil but give me a competitive match against someone like Andorra any day! (They'd probably snatch a draw against us)

[CJTheGull]

Saw on a GAA website that it's pretty much certain now that the All-Blacks will play a friendly at Croker too.

[Stuttgart88]

I wasn't aware of the group on the north terrace that night. I thought they were all in the west upper Block A and maybe B. They may have just bought from a tout.

They were in a block of the North Terrace over at the side, near the dart line and overlooking the pavilion.They were fenced in so it must have been planned. Several hundred I think.

I was about 10 yards away from them. Lucky it wasn't 20 as the bottles that flew over my head may actually have landed on it otherwise.

I agree that their fans have improved though I still hate the way they sing their own anthem with arms aloft like it's a battle anthem, their WW2 songs, the totally dumb and racist undertoned "English 'till I die" and their generally threatening demeanour. I was at England vs Sweden in Cologne. Great atmosphere no doubt, but one set of fans stood out head & shoulders for me - the Swedes.

I'd say England's better behaviour in or near grounds is also down to the very large number of corporate fans attending on paid-for day trips. There are now thousands of these.

No comment on their city centre behaviour, but nothing would surprise me.

I have no wish whatsoever to see England at Croker. I think it'd attract the worst of their support and the worst of ours as well.

[eirebhoy]

Argentina would be my first choice by a distance. Maybe Spain too. The rest of the top teams we've played recently enough.

[GavinZac]

the totally dumb and racist undertoned "English 'till I die"

you've got to be kidding me.

[osarusan]

I still hate the way they sing their own anthem with arms aloft like it's a battle anthem, their WW2 songs, the totally dumb and racist undertoned "English 'till I die" and their generally threatening demeanour.

As opposed to our anthem, which IS a battle anthem, directed at, ahem, foreign invaders.
English til I die - where are the racist undertones?
Is it any worse than "Harps til I die", or "Bohs til I die", :Limerick til I die" etc?
As I see it, it is just a pledge of support to your team, nothing more.

[Stuttgart88]

We respect our own anthem though, they raise their arms aloft in a moronic manner that I'm sure the old head of state herself wouldn't appreciate.

We've been through the "till I die" thing before. Almost all agreed here that it was dumb. You can change your club, but not your national allegiance.

The song is sung at BNP rallies & the like. Not all here agreed with me but for me it's pretty clear.

I'd be horrified to hear Irish fans singing the same.

[paul_oshea]

English til I die - where are the racist undertones?

its not the lyrics he is refering to here osarusan. You don't even need to ask that.....or at least you shouldn't.

[Wolfie]

They were in a block of the North Terrace over at the side, near the dart line and overlooking the pavilion.They were fenced in so it must have been planned. Several hundred I think.

I was about 10 yards away from them. Lucky it wasn't 20 as the bottles that flew over my head may actually have landed on it otherwise.

I agree that their fans have improved though I still hate the way they sing their own anthem with arms aloft like it's a battle anthem, their WW2 songs, the totally dumb and racist undertoned "English 'till I die" and their generally threatening demeanour. I was at England vs Sweden in Cologne. Great atmosphere no doubt, but one set of fans stood out head & shoulders for me - the Swedes.

I'd say England's better behaviour in or near grounds is also down to the very large number of corporate fans attending on paid-for day trips. There are now thousands of these.

No comment on their city centre behaviour, but nothing would surprise me.

I have no wish whatsoever to see England at Croker. I think it'd attract the worst of their support and the worst of ours as well.

There was a block of them on the North Terrace alright. I was on the North Terrace accompanied by my brother who was 9 years old at the time.

We always say I should have shoved him out onto the pitch and said "Look scared for the TV cameras!!!"

You might remember there was a traumatised kid shown on the pitch on Sky Tv that got free trips to Premier League games, jersey's etc.

On the songs / chants issue - What about Englands tender love ballad "NO SURRENDER TO THE IRA?".

That dirge is directed at every single of us, as if we, as a collective people, condone the bombing of innocent women and children in Britain. Maybe a misguided minority do - but not me.

[Torn-Ado]

Right so, John.

Be a smartarse all you want but its the truth. The FAI, FA and Gardai are not going to put such a game into fruition unless it is neccessary.

[GavinZac]

Be a smartarse all you want but its the truth. The FAI, FA and Gardai are not going to put such a game into fruition unless it is neccessary.

Go on...

say it...

"FACT!"

[Torn-Ado]

Go on...

say it...

"FACT!"

I won't but you know I'm right.

[Jerry The Saint]

You can change your club, but not your national allegiance.

Interesting comment...

[gspain]

On the songs / chants issue - What about Englands tender love ballad "NO SURRENDER TO THE IRA?".

I actually find that very uncomfortable eventhough I've nothing good to say about the IRA. It is irrelevant now anyway. Furthermore support for the IRA was always pretty small in the Republic.

I haven't heard it sung at a game for a while now.

[gspain]

We've been through the "till I die" thing before. Almost all agreed here that it was dumb. You can change your club, but not your national allegiance.

.

It is very rare for somebody to change their club. People are much more likely to change partners etc.

As for changing your national allegiances well there are significant numbers of Rangers fans supporting England which would have been unheard of 25 years ago. We also have a significant fanbase in Northern Ireland as do England which again was unheard of 20 years ago. Both may be dwindling recently though given our respective ginger worldclass maangers.

[paul_oshea]

Furthermore support for the IRA was always pretty small in the Republic.

It depends on what your definition of "pretty small" is and whats the definition of "support"

[micls]

You can change your club, but not your national allegiance.

Really? I can't change being born in Cork any more than being born in Ireland.....

See nothing wrong with the song and really don't understand how it could be construed as racist