Identity Crisis FC

[BohDiddley]

This is truly inspired stuff BSG.

However, rather than waiting for a deluded squillionaire, which IMO is a rather vulgar route, especially coming from a Bohs supporter, can I propose that we adopt the Ebbsfleet model? I'd certainly stump up €50 for a share and a chance to send Mary Hannigan a card every March featuring St Patrick doing keepy-uppies.

This model would give us much greater control, and we would be able to adopt policies that would strike a delicate balance between parody (some of our Limerick contributors already have demonstrated that this may be a challenge) and actually putting a team out. There would need to be just enough credibility to attract a viable following of if-it's-on-the-mainland-it-must-be-good dimwits.

This would mean, for instance, that while shamrocks and shillelaghs would be de rigueur in the stands, we would be pushing our luck to have the players tog out in leprechaun suits and beards.

Dream scenario 1: pre-season friendly tour of the old sod
Dream scenario 2: drawing Sunderland in the cup!

[Réiteoir]

Are they that small relatively speaking? Not doubting what you are saying, just wondered if there are numbers to back that up. I was at a GAA qualifier earlier this year, dead duck of a game and 6,000+ were at it despite the result being a formality. Seems, relatively speaking, that's a decent crowd.

Take a look at the crowds for the GAA National League games in the winter or the AIB Rugby - then you'll see what he's getting at...

[barney]

Take a look at the crowds for the GAA National League games in the winter or the AIB Rugby - then you'll see what he's getting at...

What about the Magners League, Heineken Cup and GAA Championship?

[brianw82]

barney, all of us get the points that you're saying. We understand WHY people prefer the English teams.

The thing is, we will never ACCEPT them, because we just can't accept these reasons.

[barney]

why don't all the leinster/munster fans support english teams?? sure the premiership in england is of a better quality then the magners league

why is it that its only irish football "fans" that don't all support a team thats local to them??

Good question. I'd venture a guess that the fact that Leinster and Munster can compete on the same level as the English teams in the Heineken Cup is the answer to that. It's a fact of life that success will breed support. To the best of my recollection, there wasn't a huge amount of rugby fans 10-15 years ago, certainly not as many as we have now.

On the subject of the national team, while we are never going to win the World Cup or Euros, we do have, and have had, a team who can compete at that level. Afterall we beat England and Italy at major finals and drew with Germany, Soviet Union and Spain. Although we haven't been great in qualifying in recent campaigns, we have at least been able to give the likes of France, Czechs and Germany etc. decent games when we have played them.

Unfortunately, the eL is not in the same stratosphere as the EPL and cannot compete on any level hence the lack of support.

[barney]

barney, all of us get the points that you're saying. We understand WHY people prefer the English teams.

The thing is, we will never ACCEPT them, because we just can't accept these reasons.

Some people don't seem to get the point and prefer to just take the moral high ground.

If you can't accept and understand the reasons, then you really have no chance.

[gustavo]

Unfortunately, the eL is not in the same stratosphere as the EPL and cannot compete on any level hence the lack of support.

So because our league isn't as good as the best league in Europe , it's badly supported , hardly seems fair really

[finnpark]

Good question. I'd venture a guess that the fact that Leinster and Munster can compete on the same level as the English teams in the Heineken Cup is the answer to that. It's a fact of life that success will breed support. To the best of my recollection, there wasn't a huge amount of rugby fans 10-15 years ago, certainly not as many as we have now.

On the subject of the national team, while we are never going to win the World Cup or Euros, we do have, and have had, a team who can compete at that level. Afterall we beat England and Italy at major finals and drew with Germany, Soviet Union and Spain. Although we haven't been great in qualifying in recent campaigns, we have at least been able to give the likes of France, Czechs and Germany etc. decent games when we have played them.

Unfortunately, the eL is not in the same stratosphere as the EPL and cannot compete on any level hence the lack of support.

Barney, there are plenty of pro British and Pro United Kingdom plastic Paddies like yourself. The Brits love the Irish and the Asians because any little bit of media marketing and they come running buying merchandise and even travelling to the odd match.

The "Paddies" have been a laughing stock at most British clubs for years. Just give them plenty of beer when they come over and tell them they are great.

I don't see the Belgians, luxumbougs or Scandinavian people flock to the United Kingdom eventhough their leagues are a similar standard to the LOI and they are probably closer to the UK than many parts of Ireland.

So well done for keeping the tradition going, buy a jersey and go to a match or two.

Here is Man United's flag, well done and keep supporting UK teams:

http://www.flagguys.com/img/manchest.jpg

[barney]

Barney, there are plenty of pro British and Pro United Kingdom plastic Paddies like yourself. The Brits love the Irish and the Asians because any little bit of media marketing and they come running buying merchandise and even travelling to the odd match.

The "Paddies" have been a laughing stock at most British clubs for years. Just give them plenty of beer when they come over and tell them they are great.

I don't see the Belgians, luxumbougs or Scandinavian people flock to the United Kingdom eventhough their leagues are a similar standard to the LOI and they are probably closer to the UK than many parts of Ireland.

So well done for keeping the tradition going, buy a jersey and go to a match or two.

Here is Man United's flag, well done and keep supporting UK teams:

http://www.flagguys.com/img/manchest.jpg

Oh my. I'll say this again. I'm a season ticket holder with my local club, I support any fundraiser they have and I've attended the vast majority of games home and away this season. Pull your head out of your backside.

How many of Sweden's, Belgium's or Luxembourg's national team play in England? How much English media are they exposed to?

[HolylandsMan]

Take a look at the crowds for the GAA National League games in the winter or the AIB Rugby - then you'll see what he's getting at...

The 6,000 quoted for the qualifier matches would be about standard for the NFL games I would go to (Armagh, not Derry who have one of the smallest GAA supports in Ireland).

For some reason in GAA, having a game on a Saturday rather than a Sunday causes a huge decrease in attendances. I know there are some logical reasons for this (more people working on Saturday's etc) but you wouldn't get the same fluctuations in other sports which leads me to believe that GAA supporters tend to creatures of habit who enjoy the "tradition" of going to a match on a Sunday.

[finnpark]

How much English media are they exposed to?

At least you realise that you are brainwashed.

Quite frankly I am not supporting anything English.

As Cromwell once said:

"By the time Im finished here I will have all these stupid Paddies supporting British football clubs".

[barney]

So because our league isn't as good as the best league in Europe , it's badly supported , hardly seems fair really

Not because it isn't as good, it's because it isn't able to compete in any way, shape or form. Maybe it isn't fair, but that's life I'm afraid.

Believe me, I get a bit angry when I see the Liverpool, Arsenal and Sunderland shirts around the place but there are valid reasons behind it and to deny that is to deny reality.

[brianw82]

there are valid reasons behind it and to deny that is to deny reality.

Let's say that your wife or girlfriend cheats on you. How would you feel? Betrayed? Sad? Angry? Yes, you probably would feel like that, and no matter how many 'logical reasons' she gives you, (he's better looking, bigger willy, earns more, bigger house, etc), you're not going to think, "Oh, that's right. He is much better than me. Fair enough love, you made the right choice. Off ya go, and good luck!"

The fact is that supporting an English PL club over an Irish one is like betraying a football commandment that is universally understood.

Supporting your local club while keeping tabs on the PL on TV (like what I do) is a bit different. Lots of folk follow other leagues, but never forget their own.

[Ireland4ever]

Let's say that your wife or girlfriend cheats on you. How would you feel? Betrayed? Sad? Angry? Yes, you probably would feel like that, and no matter how many 'logical reasons' she gives you, (he's better looking, bigger willy, earns more, bigger house, etc), you're not going to think, "Oh, that's right. He is much better than me. Fair enough love, you made the right choice. Off ya go, and good luck!"

Well any rational person would come to the opinion that they are better off apart, and that you would be better off without someone who has no interest in you. LOI fans like yourself are - to use your analogy - coming off as the bitter ex boyfriend. The bitterness some of the posters on this thread have shown towards EPL fans here is ridiculous, labelling all EPL fans as barstoolers incapable of understanding a match for themselves. The notion that seeing a match live in some way gives a unique profound insight into how the game works is laughable. If that was the case that would mean that all footballers would be scholars at analysing the game due to the amount of time they spend watching playing it. Ive got two words Jamie + Redknapp.

[Ireland4ever]

why don't all the leinster/munster fans support english teams?? sure the premiership in england is of a better quality then the magners league

why is it that its only irish football "fans" that don't all support a team thats local to them??

Heineken Cup Champions - Munster.
Magners League Champions - Leinster

Your argument doesnt really hold up there at all!!! The standard of Irish club rugby is obviously quite high.

[dcfc1928]

Very entertaining thread. I just want to find out how Identity Crisis FC did in their first competitive week.

[pete]

It is difficult to compare LOI with any other Irish sport. Top LOI sides typically would have 20-25 home games a season whereas even professional rugby has at most 15 home games.

The fact that the GAA can get 50k+ for big games in th summer doesn't mean much as they also get a few thousand for some qualifiers. I think the Leinster hurling final had 18k this year & a lot of people would have got free tickets & stayed in the bar. Without the back door system & the qualifiers I would guess there would have 50k for that game. Cork play their league games at Flower Lodge so i suspect crowds are on average 5k.

[SkStu]

Well any rational person would come to the opinion that they are better off apart, and that you would be better off without someone who has no interest in you. LOI fans like yourself are - to use your analogy - coming off as the bitter ex boyfriend. The bitterness some of the posters on this thread have shown towards EPL fans here is ridiculous, labelling all EPL fans as barstoolers incapable of understanding a match for themselves. The notion that seeing a match live in some way gives a unique profound insight into how the game works is laughable. If that was the case that would mean that all footballers would be scholars at analysing the game due to the amount of time they spend watching playing it. Ive got two words Jamie + Redknapp.

its not about profound knowledge or deep insights - its about a "unique insight" into the world of SUPPORTING A TEAM, proper support. Not your typical Super-Duper-Sunday-down-the-pub-where-were-you-when-united-beat-bayern type support.

Look, im sure most posters here have an interest in the premier league and would watch MOTD or whatever but the difference is that we put our local, Irish team, the sense of community/camraderie and thrill of live football first. Live football in any way shape or form, regardless of "quality", beats watching footie on the telly - HANDS DOWN. Since i left home, i started coaching a youth team over here and i honestly get more excited watching those games than i do watching the premier league games on a saturday morning.

Why? I think its bacause its a proper investment - in all ways - emotionally, financially, personal time and so much more... much the same as following Bohs.

[Saint_Charlie]

Here's a quote from Johnny Mac after the Elfsborg game to muse over

They have 100,000 people in the city here, they get average gates of 10,000-12,000, for the big games they get 17,000. They get 12 per cent of the city’s population at their home games; we can’t get 12 per cent of people from Ballyfermot.

If half the people that thought the EL was rubbish went to a match with an open mind they might surprise themselves and actually enjoy it.

[SkStu]

If half the people that thought the EL was rubbish went to a match with an open mind they might surprise themselves and actually enjoy it.

so f*ckin true.