Champions League/Europa League draws 2010

[Charlie Darwin]

Who am I supposed to play against? There are no teams in Canada, save for Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

I would have thought you'd start at a lower level than the MLS, given that it's your first time and all...

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. barstoolers wouldn't support Dublin FC unless they were instantly successful in the league, and in Europe. That pretty much means top 4.

I wouldn't go that far. People would probably get behind a Dublin team in the Championship or something, as long as there was a realistic chance of making the Premiership. Otherwise they'd just keep supporting United/Chelsea/Liverpool.

I'm sure all of the residual Leeds fans wouldn't find it too much of a stretch, mind.

[peadar1987]

I wouldn't go that far. People would probably get behind a Dublin team in the Championship or something, as long as there was a realistic chance of making the Premiership. Otherwise they'd just keep supporting United/Chelsea/Liverpool.

I'm sure all of the residual Leeds fans wouldn't find it too much of a stretch, mind.

Perhaps, but as a Stoke supporter, I know all too well that most barstoolers see mid-table EPL as crap. I know there'd be the added draw of local connection, but sure that hardly does much for the current league. I reckon the barstoolers would just call anyone who supporter Dublin FC a "plastic", and keep on being "true fans" of their British clubs

[mypost]

I would have thought you'd start at a lower level than the MLS, given that it's your first time and all...


I wouldn't go that far. People would probably get behind a Dublin team in the Championship or something, as long as there was a realistic chance of making the Premiership. Otherwise they'd just keep supporting United/Chelsea/Liverpool.

To most Irish people, the Premiership extends to Liverpool and the other north-west minnows.

Chelsea and Arsenal, like the rest of the league have virtually no support here.

[monkey9]

To most Irish people, the Premiership extends to Liverpool and the other north-west minnows.

Chelsea and Arsenal, like the rest of the league have virtually no support here.

Eh.......what???? There may be more Liverpool and Utd fans in Ireland, but to say Chelsea and especially Arsenal have virtually no support here is nonsense.

[Charlie Darwin]

Ah there's plenty of Chelsea fans around these days.

[peadar1987]

Ah there's plenty of Chelsea fans around these days.

Probably the same crowd who were Blackburn fans between 1994 and 1996. Don't see any of them any more!

[mypost]

Eh.......what???? to say Chelsea and especially Arsenal have virtually no support here is nonsense.

Most of them I come across are ex-pats born within a corner kick of their stadium.

That isn't the case with the big two clubs that Irish people obsess over.

[monkey9]

Probably the same crowd who were Blackburn fans between 1994 and 1996. Don't see any of them any more!

You'll see them soon enough wearing their Manchester City jersys.

[ped_ped]

Huge crowd of Arsenal fans where I'm from, and a small Celtic/Arsenal supporters club too.

[monkey9]

There's plenty of Arsenal supporters in this country. Certainly not ex-pats either. I don't know where that poster is going with that 'virtually no support' comment.

[dcfcsteve]

Most of them I come across are ex-pats born within a corner kick of their stadium.

Sure even in London most of the Arsenal/Chelsea fans you meet weren't born within miles of their respective stadiums...!

[Ciaran W]

Back from the gaeltacht cant wait to get back into the rovers matches

[dcfcsteve]

There's plenty of Arsenal supporters in this country. Certainly not ex-pats either. I don't know where that poster is going with that 'virtually no support' comment.

And it stretches back at least to the Brady/O'Leary/Stapleton era.

[poster]

Chelsea and Arsenal, like the rest of the league have virtually no support here.

Probably more fans of one of those clubs in this country than there are LoI fans.

[mypost]

And it stretches back at least to the Brady/O'Leary/Stapleton era.

A few years ago, Chelsea had Duff on their books, City had Dunne, Reading had Doyle, Spurs had Keane, Newcastle had Given, yet there wasn't a vast surge of support with those and other Premiership clubs among Irish people.

If you see RTE/TV3 competitions to English games, invariably it'll be either to Anfield or the other place. Their European coverage is always either club when playing. If you look at travel agent newspaper promotions to EPL games, well over half of them are trips to see both teams' games. Thats the market here. Therefore, among Irish people anyway, the Premiership interest boils down to two teams, and only one of their players is Irish now.

[Charlie Darwin]

There's a bit of a difference between those teams that had one Irish player on their books for a couple of years and Arsenal, who had three Irish legends on their books for well over a decade. Nobody's saying they're close to as popular as the big two but they've always been popular. Maybe not so much now that the Irish influence has dwindled.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

A few years ago, Chelsea had Duff on their books, City had Dunne, Reading had Doyle, Spurs had Keane, Newcastle had Given, yet there wasn't a vast surge of support with those and other Premiership clubs among Irish people.

If you see RTE/TV3 competitions to English games, invariably it'll be either to Anfield or the other place. Their European coverage is always either club when playing. If you look at travel agent newspaper promotions to EPL games, well over half of them are trips to see both teams' games. Thats the market here. Therefore, among Irish people anyway, the Premiership interest boils down to two teams, and only one of their players is Irish now.

O'Shea and Gibson...

[Ciaran W]

Look at the video of the rovers fans with the bnei yehuda fans its deadly

[Riddickcule]

I support Arsenal.

[dcfcsteve]

Look at the video of the rovers fans with the bnei yehuda fans its deadly

Link ?

I wonder did the Rovers fans twig that Bnei Yehuda are a right-wing nationalist club, with a rather 'intolerant' fan base.

Delightful ditties along the lines of 'Death to Arabs' and 'Mohamed is a homosexual' wouldn't be unusual from their terraces.....