December 2 = Black Sunday

**A face** · 27/09/2007, 7:33 PM

With forces at work to undermine one of the highest accolades in Irish Domestic Football, with suggestions of sedition and snide underhanded manoeuvring taking place whole sale and no shortage of smoke screens and spin in effort to cover up tracks, December 2 2007 can now being paralleled some other great historic acts of treachery, not rivals or adversaries, but by parties who are deemed as 'our own'.

Its not far off the mark though as regards syntax as the word 'our own thing' come to mind, the more commonly know phrase being 'Cosa Nostra'. Yes people, people of the same calibre as a mafia are busy toiling away behind the scenes to ensure they can scam everyone. The deceit and pretence on display here is so bold and obstinate its can only be described as disgusting.

The FAI ..............

This thing stinks to high heaven, we have been very hard done by here in my opinion. These guys are seen as a joke to the wider public, and its all their own doing. It didn't happen over night either, it took a lot of hard work to get the public persona that they have and they stepped up to the plate on countless opportunities to fulfil it, no one to blame but themselves. I do recognise that it may take years to stop the rot but that is just something they'll have to get on with. They made their bed, they have to lie in it.

This just one example that illustrates how not very far away the old FAI we are. They are completely inept at administrating some aspects of the game and this confirms and compounds it.

The spanner in the works that Irish football has for years worked around, and its them and their antiquated mismanagement that has taken Irish football to where it is (very far off where it should be) i know we should tolerate them and bite the tougue but jebus wept its hard with this kind of crap going on.

What was done in a past life that we have to put up with these fools, It must have been some heinous crime to say that numerous generations have to put up with them.

FAO FAI: Get on with your job sooner rather than later you bunch of bundling idiots, its not like you don't have a lot to do.

**kdjaC** · 27/09/2007, 7:49 PM

Will they pay the players for the 3 weeks up to it, granted a Bohs Cork final it wouldnt be such an issue but a UCD/ longford one and it would.

But tbh the weather could not be as bad as last years.

Also as fan of the underdog i am now rooting for Longford to escape relegation and win the cup and matthews to say **** you to the FAI before taking over at pats

kdjac

**Poor Student** · 27/09/2007, 7:53 PM

It's the week before UCD's Christmas exams, perhaps attendance at the final could be an obligatory orientation exercise for the students.

**kdjaC** · 27/09/2007, 7:56 PM

Originally Posted by Poor Student

It's the week before UCD's Christmas exams, perhaps attendance at the final could be an obligatory orientation exercise for the students.

OT i think all students should an extra point for attending games as a "social" experiment

kdjac

**Paddyfield** · 27/09/2007, 7:56 PM

Originally Posted by kdjaC

Also as fan of the underdog i am now rooting for Longford to escape relegation and win the cup and matthews to say **** you to the FAI before taking over at pats

Who do you want to take over St Pat's? The FAI or Alan Mathews?

UCD v. Longford for the final would be a triumph for the underdog and a failure for match programme sales.

**Poor Student** · 27/09/2007, 8:01 PM

You can fill a stadium if you want to. Did St. Francis not bring a huge crowd of freebies in 1990?

**pineapple stu** · 27/09/2007, 8:01 PM

Who gives a monkey's about match programme sales?!

Should be noted Bray v St Francis got 35000 in 1990. I'm sure some similar cheap ticket scam could get 18000 at UCD-Longford if it arose. Could be a good boost for both clubs.

**dcfcsteve** · 27/09/2007, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Who gives a monkey's about match programme sales?!

Should be noted Bray v St Francis got 35000 in 1990. I'm sure some similar cheap ticket scam could get 18000 at UCD-Longford if it arose. Could be a good boost for both clubs.

Bray v Francis had an official crowd of 29,000 - and that was only because they let half of The Liberties in for free when they saw ticket sales were very, very slow....

I just can't see UCD-Longford attracting 18,000 under pretty much any circumstances. Even if you let them in for free, Longford fans would have to get to Dublin in the first place (unlike the population of the Liberties), and without having a go very few people identify with UCD's football team.

UCD V Rovers in 1984 had 8,000 at the first game, and 6,500 in the replay. And that was a majority Rovers crowd.

**soccerc** · 27/09/2007, 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Bray v Francis had an official crowd of 29,000 - and that was only because they let half of The Liberties in for free when they saw ticket sales were very, very slow....

Source?

They didn't allow people in free, they reduced ticket prices.

Had you been around the Dublin junior/intermediate football scene at that time you'd know many there that day were contemporaries of the Francis players.

**A face** · 28/09/2007, 12:28 AM

Our man that does the funnies on Today FM, the gift grub fella ...... how would someone go about supplying him with a story line for a new sketch? Just some new material and possibly plant an idea in his head?

Anyone know the name of the Dutch football show that does pieces on 'stupidity in football' ? What station is it? Its one of the national ones anyway as far as i know?

**btid1** · 28/09/2007, 8:55 AM

Originally Posted by A face

With forces at work to undermine one of the highest accolades in Irish Domestic Football, with suggestions of sedition and snide underhanded manoeuvring taking place whole sale and no shortage of smoke screens and spin in effort to cover up tracks, December 2 2007 can now being paralleled some other great historic acts of treachery, not rivals or adversaries, but by parties who are deemed as 'our own'.

Its not far off the mark though as regards syntax as the word 'our own thing' come to mind, the more commonly know phrase being 'Cosa Nostra'. Yes people, people of the same calibre as a mafia are busy toiling away behind the scenes to ensure they can scam everyone. The deceit and pretence on display here is so bold and obstinate its can only be described as disgusting.

The FAI ..............

This thing stinks to high heaven, we have been very hard done by here in my opinion. These guys are seen as a joke to the wider public, and its all their own doing. It didn't happen over night either, it took a lot of hard work to get the public persona that they have and they stepped up to the plate on countless opportunities to fulfil it, no one to blame but themselves. I do recognise that it may take years to stop the rot but that is just something they'll have to get on with. They made their bed, they have to lie in it.

This just one example that illustrates how not very far away the old FAI we are. They are completely inept at administrating some aspects of the game and this confirms and compounds it.

The spanner in the works that Irish football has for years worked around, and its them and their antiquated mismanagement that has taken Irish football to where it is (very far off where it should be) i know we should tolerate them and bite the tougue but jebus wept its hard with this kind of crap going on.

What was done in a past life that we have to put up with these fools, It must have been some heinous crime to say that numerous generations have to put up with them.

FAO FAI: Get on with your job sooner rather than later you bunch of bundling idiots, its not like you don't have a lot to do.

I feel an anti FAI protest at the semi's and final coming on!!

**dcfcsteve** · 28/09/2007, 9:16 AM

Originally Posted by soccerc

Source?

They didn't allow people in free, they reduced ticket prices.

Had you been around the Dublin junior/intermediate football scene at that time you'd know many there that day were contemporaries of the Francis players.

Source was RTE during their live coverage of the Final. I don't even know where 'The Liberties' are in Dublin - thought they were a band with a heroin-adled singer - but distinctly remember RTE saying the gates were opened on the day of the final to let people in for free, and quotes along the lines that as a result "half the Liberties have come along to support St Francis".

We had a thread on this a few months back, and other people mentioned the getting in for free bit.

**dcfcsteve** · 28/09/2007, 9:19 AM

Originally Posted by A face

Our man that does the funnies on Today FM, the gift grub fella ...... how would someone go about supplying him with a story line for a new sketch? Just some new material and possibly plant an idea in his head?

Anyone know the name of the Dutch football show that does pieces on 'stupidity in football' ? What station is it? Its one of the national ones anyway as far as i know?

The danger though A Face is that any mud slung at the FAI on this issue will be shared at least 50-50 with our league.

Joe Public cares not to mentally diferentiate the subtleties between FAI machinations and the fortunes of domestic football - to them the balls up will be about Irish club football, as much as if not more than the FAI.

**JC_GUFC** · 28/09/2007, 9:25 AM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

I just can't see UCD-Longford attracting 18,000 under pretty much any circumstances. Even if you let them in for free, Longford fans would have to get to Dublin in the first place (unlike the population of the Liberties), and without having a go very few people identify with UCD's football team.

To be fair Longford's population is about 30k for the whole county so it's hard to expect them to bring any more than 5k, mind you if it were an All Ireland they probably would.

I'd say UCD could get a good crowd if they advertised it around the college, in any case both clubs deserve to be in the semis so I don't think anyone should begrudge them if they reach the final. At least unlike other leagues our league isn't so unbalanced that the same clubs keep winning every trophy!

**R�iteoir** · 28/09/2007, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by A face

Anyone know the name of the Dutch football show that does pieces on 'stupidity in football' ? What station is it? Its one of the national ones anyway as far as i know?

Would have thought it'd be on NOS - as they do a lot of football stuff there.

**pineapple stu** · 28/09/2007, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by JC_GUFC

To be fair Longford's population is about 30k for the whole county so it's hard to expect them to bring any more than 5k, mind you if it were an All Ireland they probably would.

Didn't they bring 6000 to one of their Cup Finals?

We had 1500 at the League Cup Final, so with a CPO on board, a more prestigious competition and a weekend (no worries about the kids finishing their homework before going to the match, you'd have to hope we could duoble that anyway. No great shakes obviously, but still better than the 400 we typically get for league games between us in both venues!

**CollegeTillIDie** · 30/09/2007, 8:29 AM

If 1984 is anything to go by there were several UCD students who attended the original final in Dalymount who were never at a UCD game before or since the replay. Likewise the 9,000 who attended the ECWC game against Everton. And the UCD student population now exceeds 20,000 where as in the 1980's it was a tad over 10,000 so even without a CPO it is conceivable that , purely on the basis of the same % of curiosity being the case, UCD could bring double the crowd they brought in 1984. A lot of past players and graduates of the College, attended the League Cup Finals hosted by UCD in 2001( 2nd Leg) and 2005, they would most likely turn up in the RDS too , if UCD were to make the final.

People talk about the Longford Town support as if it is only confined to the borders of Longford county. 30,000 in Longford County granted but they get support from parts of County Cavan and North County Roscommon( Flancare Park is on the Strokestown Road after all) as well as the exiles in the greater Dublin region.