Wee Irish rant

**Footie_Fan** · 01/09/2003, 3:32 PM

Originally posted by Bosco
FF i agree that if you have been to the majority of ireland games home and abroad you have a right to tickets.But don't you dare call el fans fairweather supporters we are the ones who follow are teams through thick and thin week in week out around the country, we are not the ones who go along to a football match every 2 months because the cream of irish players playing in england are in town.Unless you are an el fan yourself as i notice you live in dublin,are you?
It may be easy for you to get the day or evening off once every 2 months to see some live football .But by this day for most el fans it may be their 3rd match that week and therefore 3rd day in a week.
If you do follow ireland through thick and thin around the world fair play to ya but don't presume that we are only there for the big names and big matches

I wasn't actually referring to the EL fans as fairweather supporters I was speaking about the suits and the guys who come to odd game here and there.

But it must be said there is also EL fans who are fairweather supporters of the Irish National Team... if they don't go to all the games the can hardly expect big match tickets by right. Just like if say there is a season ticket holder at Cork looking for a ticket for the FAI cup final and I want one too and I have only been to the odd Cork game... who deserves the ticket?

I support Shels in the EL league and go to as many games as I can.

**Footie_Fan** · 01/09/2003, 3:34 PM

Originally posted by Schumi
And where were all the block bookers?

Well I can't control what other people do but I was in my seat.

**Dodge** · 01/09/2003, 3:47 PM

Haven't got involved in this yet but

Originally posted by Footie_Fan
But it must be said there is also EL fans who are fairweather supporters of the Irish National Team... if they don't go to all the games the can hardly expect big match tickets by right. Just like if say there is a season ticket holder at Cork looking for a ticket for the FAI cup final and I want one too and I have only been to the odd Cork game... who deserves the ticket?

Supporting the national team is nothing. They can fill the stadium most weeks. Supporting the eL is VERY important because if it died, there would be no international team. Thats why the people who support Irish soccer every week of the year DO deserve the tickets more than somebody who goes to the big games (and all internationals are big in this context) The people who go to Cork every week will get tickets because real Irish football values its customers.

The FAI has started to cop on to this and is emphasising the need for people to support Irish football and not just the national side.

**Footie_Fan** · 01/09/2003, 3:54 PM

Originally posted by Dodge
Supporting the national team is nothing.

What planet are you on?

**Bosco** · 01/09/2003, 4:11 PM

Originally posted by Footie_Fan
What planet are you on?

What a meaningfull post!

**Footie_Fan** · 01/09/2003, 4:18 PM

Originally posted by Bosco
What a meaningfull post!

Where you talking about your own post?

Dodge just said supporting national team is nothing!!!! This is astounding! Everyone in the country should support the national team! 100%

**Dodge** · 01/09/2003, 4:21 PM

Originally posted by Footie_Fan
Where you talking about your own post?

Dodge just said supporting national team is nothing!!!! This is astounding! Everyone in the country should support the national team! 100%

No, I meant going to national team games is nothing as plenty of people can and do. In fact if you don't go, there will be people queuing to fill your place. In that sense you're not that important.

Where as eL fans are VERY important?

**Dodge** · 01/09/2003, 4:23 PM

Originally posted by Silvio Dante
Em...Where do you get that one from....?

If a country doesn't have a national league, it can't have a national team. Simple UEFA rules... Why do you think Wales persist?

**Duncan Gardner** · 04/09/2003, 12:05 PM

Dodge, I take your broad point (that the Eircom and Irish Leagues are crucial to the health of the game). If I still lived in Ireland I'd watch one or both of them. Instead, it's non-League over here mainly, as I'm not paying Captain Birdseye and the Roman Tsar �50 at Chelsea.

But you're a little disingenuous. If the Eircom bankrupted, UEFA would certainly be concerned. But if reformed as a parks league, like in Liechtenstein or Andorra, the national side could keep going

**Dodge** · 04/09/2003, 1:00 PM

Originally posted by Duncan Gardner
Dodge, I take your broad point (that the Eircom and Irish Leagues are crucial to the health of the game). If I still lived in Ireland I'd watch one or both of them. Instead, it's non-League over here mainly, as I'm not paying Captain Birdseye and the Roman Tsar �50 at Chelsea.

But you're a little disingenuous. If the Eircom bankrupted, UEFA would certainly be concerned. But if reformed as a parks league, like in Liechtenstein or Andorra, the national side could keep going

I'm sure it would and obviously the FAI would never let it happen

but if it did happen, I reckon the FAI would be in chaos which would result in the international teams failing and a vicious circle would ensue. A stronger league, makes for a stronger association and in turn� well you get my idea

**lopez** · 04/09/2003, 11:01 PM

Originally posted by Dodge
If a country doesn't have a national league, it can't have a national team.

And the USA...pre MLS/post NASL?

One of the strangest things in soccer I've known was in 1995 around easter. I was over and went to see Cork City against Monaghan at Bishopstown where probably 200 max watched the game. At the same time the brother of the wife's friend was playing for a cork junior side (Tramore Athletic??) in Tipp to a crowd of a thousand.

Neil · 04/09/2003, 11:12 PM

Originally posted by Silvio Dante
I hear they say the same in Andorra . Please don't tell me that the National team is in anyway dependant on the EL though....

Yeah sure anyway we have Celtic playing in the Scottish League...

**Dodge** · 05/09/2003, 8:11 AM

Originally posted by lopez
And the USA...pre MLS/post NASL?

Read the original post, I said it was a UEFA thing

**lopez** · 05/09/2003, 10:52 AM

Originally posted by Dodge
Read the original post, I said it was a UEFA thing

Then we'd just compete in the world cup.

I think this is all a bit of a red herring. There's no chance of there not being some sort of national soccer structure, even in the UNLIKELY event of no EL, as long as the number of players in Ireland remain as they are at the moment. Either a substitute league would surface or there would be regional leagues to save on costs, with a final compeition.

**yur man** · 05/09/2003, 12:28 PM

yeah thats just what a lot of ireland fans would like to see happen. it would get rid of any guilt about not supportin their home league

it would be a disgrace to have a league like andorra

**Dodge** · 05/09/2003, 12:31 PM

Moved to general football as it has nothing to do with improving the atmosphere at Ireland games or anything even remotely related to it...

**Scotsman** · 08/09/2003, 4:23 PM

Surely everyone is entitled to their countries games?

Supporting International football is far different from club football -
Most people want to see their country do well, regardless of club teams.