Ray Tracey on Drivetime Sport

[passerrby]

ray tracey travel

[geysir]

I dont think so, i thought it was a decent enough programme at the time, it did exactly what it said on the tin.........live football
MOTD is rubbish compared to it...............

i remember when The Big Match was on the box................every young fella was glued to it................so i can imagine it must have had a terrible effect on the LOI

does anyone know at about what time did people start travelling en masse to British clubs................surely the prices of cheap airlines tickets also had a huge influence on the attendances at LOI games

It´s all a bit fuzzy in my head, I remember the Ferries were offering packages in the early 70´s and reports of loads of people travelling over. Duty free as well.
In the very early 70´s I went to secondary school in Dublin, most kids were following English football, Leeds. I was about the only one who went to LOI.
Billy Lord has given a good account. Though I would have compared the LOI to English 3rd division, with quality and the pattern of fluctuating attendances
There was talk about changing the kick off times on Sunday to avoid clashes. The live match on ITV was a killer blow not the package tours to English football.
Before then 1970 or thereabout I remember things like the Presidents Cup played on Stephens Day attracting 15 - 20,000. The League Cup, a pre season warm up competition, some games attracting thousands.
The Indo would have 2 full pages on Match reports, Evening Press back page banner headlines on the big games. RTE had a highlights programme on Sunday night. Even Phil Greene had fame.

[Bucky-O'Hare]

Luckily I have the memory of the early Derry City years in the mid-to-late 1980's to keep the aul' memory bank happy. 10,000 full-house at every home game, 3-4,000 at every away game (depending on the opposition and location) - bigger crowds for cup games and finals. Magical days that no EL club will see again for some time, let alone crowds of 25,000 for league games.

I have flashbacks but no meaningful memories of being an infant in a packed out jungle in the late eighties with loads of fellas having those red bobble benny hats with 2 white stripes. I think my da still has his.

I think if we had a proper football stadium in a better location we would easily have 10,000 regular attendance. With further improvements that would rise. Build it and they will come!

[onceahoop]

It´s all a bit fuzzy in my head, I remember the Ferries were offering packages in the early 70´s and reports of loads of people travelling over. Duty free as well.
In the very early 70´s I went to secondary school in Dublin, most kids were following English football, Leeds. I was about the only one who went to LOI.
Billy Lord has given a good account. Though I would have compared the LOI to English 3rd division, with quality and the pattern of fluctuating attendances
There was talk about changing the kick off times on Sunday to avoid clashes. The live match on ITV was a killer blow not the package tours to English football.
.

I seem to remember clubs changed the kick off times to 4p.m to avoid clashing with the Big Match.Don't think it worked. Another thing to remember is that there was a population boom in the sixties plus a huge interest in soccer after the World Cup in 1966. A lot of people took up the game and a lot of those games were played on Sunday. I know the ferries used to be full on Friday nights going to Liverpool in the late 70's. But you got back in time to go see your own club in the afternoon on the Sunday. God bless Atlas Travel. They ran most of the trips then. Don't think too many people flew over though.

[Stuttgart88]

Big Match was on around 1pm iirc. London clubs only where I grew up. got a lot of Arsenal and Chelsea, and given Arsenal had all the Irish it was big factor in me following Arsenal. That said, it never stopped me going to Milltown but I was probably only 3 or 4 out of a big south Dublin school (100+ pupils per year in secondary, 60+ in primary) who went to any football.

If a handful of the current playing generation did what Giles did in the 70s I think it'd have a massive impact. Everyone has in interest in football now, almost exclusively English, but I was in a very sporty school and never was I able to go in on a Thursday morning and talk about staying up to watch X team on Sportsnight. Likewise, the Wednesday morning of an intl game at Lansdowne I'd be the only one excited, or even knew it was on. I was beside myself with excitement in '84(?) when Linfield were coming down to Milltown in the European Cup. Now every schoolkid watches football. If a 12 year old could see some 30 something ex Premiership footballers playing down the road with their local LOI team it'd attract crowds. God, I remember people turning out to watch an overweight Ray Hankin for Rovers at UCD cos he'd scored a few goals for Leeds.

[Billy Lord]

God, I remember people turning out to watch an overweight Ray Hankin for Rovers at UCD cos he'd scored a few goals for Leeds.

What a waste of time that was!

[Calcio Jack]

To set the record straight on this, and my biggest gripe about the "Who Stole Our Game" book, "The Big Match" was a highlights show for most of its life, a poor man's Match of the Day and I'm pretty sure it was on around 12 or 1pm. It only showed live games from 1983 onwards, and even then not every Sunday. Form Wikipedia (ok, not the most reliable but correct in this case):

If you lived in Dublin and had UTV, The Big Match kicked off at 2pm. That caused a major problem for clubs like Rovers during the winter because from the end of October their ko time was 2.15pm as they didn't have floodlights...

Personally I loved watching the BM when it didn't clash with Rovers games... it always featured a First Div game (for some reason most often West Ham of Moore, Peters Hurst, Brooking ,Clyde Best) and then games from the 2nd/3rd/and 4th Div featuring the likes of Orient, Brighton, Charlton etc... always semed to be packed stadiums on crappy muddy pitches of course in grainy black and white... so you'd watch that , lash down the Ma's roast beef dinner and bread and butter pudding for desrert, scrounge 10p from the Da and off to Milltown... life was so simple then !!

[NY Hoop]

24,000 at a League of Ireland game. I can only imagine it! That sounds like heaven! I hope it happens again because I want to experience it!

Opening day at the RDS 17 years ago there was a reported 22,000 at it. In reality it was more like 15,000 but still.

24,000 at Lansdowne for Shels v Deportivo. Oh we love the big day out.

Every club should be getting at least 5,000 every week but the "best fans in the world" only care about their english club and that wont change.

BL mentions that he doesnt think Giles is bitter about his whole Rovers experience. Maybe bitter is too strong a word but in my living memory he has never ever mentioned Rovers.


KOH

[geysir]

Before Giles and before the "star" guest phenonomen other clubs tried a professional approach of sorts, Waterford were the most successful with a good blend of imports and locals. Dundalk got in the hardest feckers going with Murray, Millington and Fox. Sligo blew a fortune and went the whole hog and flew in about 10 players per game to play alongside David Pugh.

[NY Hoop]

Before Giles and before the "star" guest phenonomen other clubs tried a professional approach of sorts, Waterford were the most successful with a good blend of imports and locals. Dundalk got in the hardest feckers going with Murray, Millington and Fox. Sligo blew a fortune and went the whole hog and flew in about 10 players per game to play alongside David Pugh.

Sligo were still doing that 10 years ago.

KOH

[geysir]

That is totally wrong about flying in 10 players any chance you get check what you write first ?

Ask your grandad for the exact details
Could have just just preceeded David Pugh's time. It was a definite sports news item. A load of short term professional contracts. Could well have been an entire team fielded of players English/Scottish. That all sorts team lost game after game as well.

It was unfortunate that the Giles era happened at a very bad time in LOI history. Probably 1977 was the worst time for the country as well, we had just come out of 4 years of Liam Cosgrave (Minister for Hardship) with Cooney and the Heavy Gang on the rampage, then plunged into an even deeper crisis by the succeeding government.
The LOI didn´t offer much relief.

[dcfcsteve]

I have flashbacks but no meaningful memories of being an infant in a packed out jungle in the late eighties with loads of fellas having those red bobble benny hats with 2 white stripes. I think my da still has his.

That was due to a clever bit of buying by the Manager of Dunnes Stores in the Richie Centre (before they moved to Foyleside).

He twigged that anything red n' white flew out of the shops in those days, so bought literally thousands of them-in dirt cheap from Taiwan to sell for a couple of quid a time. I don't believe any other Dunnes Stores in the countrey carried them as part of their range - it was just good business opportunism by the local branch.

Every male in the City pretty much had one - we'd at least 2 in our house.

[Boh_So_Good]

when you consider how popular Rovers and the league itself was back in the late 70s-early 80s.

A myth which has fostered among LOI supporters and alkie sports journalists in the years since. The league had far less support in them days than now. I should know, I was there.

In them halcyon days of yore:

think; 11-20 Bohs supporters in the shed at Dalyer for most matches.

think; 3000 tops for the "legendary" Bohs-Rover cup semis

think; Thurles Town bringing 2 supporters on most away trips

The real glory days of the LOI began about 6 years ago. Before that it was GAA-style event junkies showing up for finals and nothing else, hoofing and plastic schoolbags with Arsenal and Liverpool on them and NOBODY under the age of 40 at most LOI matches.

Don't believe the myth.

[Stuttgart88]

Around 93~94 Rovers drew Bohs in the FAI Cup and it went to a second if not third replay. Bohs won 1-0 I think but there was a very big crowd at Dalyer. Everyone around town was talking about the game and I even managed to get some of my mates - white collar accountant types who never went to live sport - to come along & actually get excited by it. Anyone remember the exact crowd?

[NY Hoop]

Around 93~94 Rovers drew Bohs in the FAI Cup and it went to a second if not third replay. Bohs won 1-0 I think but there was a very big crowd at Dalyer. Everyone around town was talking about the game and I even managed to get some of my mates - white collar accountant types who never went to live sport - to come along & actually get excited by it. Anyone remember the exact crowd?

The first game drew 10,000. Bad game but excellent occasion with Geoghegan scoring and jumping on the fence. Replay in the RDS on a wednesday afternoon drew about 7,000 roughly and the second replay drew about 8,000.

That was when we were allowed into the tramway end. We were also winning the league at the time.

Rogue havent a bog what obessising is but sligo flew in dozens of non entities for a few seasons in the 90s until, surprise surprise, it didnt work out.


KOH

KOH

[Dodge]

Of the team mentioned here (Boswell, McLynn, Hutchison, Birks, Charles, Sheridan, Kennedy, Flannery, Hallows, Hoeks, Lynch. Sub: Oates ) in march 1999...

How many weren't flown in? Very few.

When hallows signed for Pats from Sligo, he was forced to move to Dublin after Sligo flew him in every week.

[red bellied]

Boswell lived in the town, last I heard playing with Stevenage
McLynn a local, think he is in America now.
Hutchinson is a Scot that settled in the town. Now manager of Rovers under twenty ones.
Birks is English, played with Rovers for four or five seasons and lived in the town.
Wesley is still a frequent visitor to the town, now playing with Galway.
Sheridan another local, now with Athlone.
Kennedy from Maugheraboy, probably playing Junior in Sligo/Leitrim.
Flannery has had countless stints with Rovers.
Hallows as above.
Hoeks was Dutch and based in the town.
Lynch from Cartron in town, used to be Gavin Dykes other half for a fair few seasons.
Oates from Maugheraboy.

[sligoman]

Hutchinson is a Scot that settled in the town. Now manager of Rovers under twenty ones.

Not anymore, cos the set-up is a joke.

[red bellied]

Not anymore, cos the set-up is a joke.

Nothing official from the club about it.

[gustavo]

Boswell lived in the town, last I heard playing with Stevenage
McLynn a local, think he is in America now.
Hutchinson is a Scot that settled in the town. Now manager of Rovers under twenty ones.
Birks is English, played with Rovers for four or five seasons and lived in the town.
Wesley is still a frequent visitor to the town, now playing with Galway.
Sheridan another local, now with Athlone.
Kennedy from Maugheraboy, probably playing Junior in Sligo/Leitrim.
Flannery has had countless stints with Rovers.
Hallows as above.
Hoeks was Dutch and based in the town.
Lynch from Cartron in town, used to be Gavin Dykes other half for a fair few seasons.
Oates from Maugheraboy.

I thought Oates was from Limerick ?