Was talking to a few of my mates from Sunderland over the weekend. They were explain that they don't support the English national team as much as people from the south do. When I got them to explain they told me that southern players always get picked ahead of northerners & players from southern clubs will always get picked before those from the north. Hence northerners don't feel part of the whole England experinence. For example Shackleton, Clough & Phillips we're there of the best strikers in England in there prime but only got 12 caps between them, the same amount as Kieron Richardson. Even though they have a point, I asked them if maybe they were a little paranoid. One of my mates said, it's a bit like LOI fans & our national team. He had a point. Do LOI fans feel the same way? Do will feel left out of the whole Rep. Ireland experinece?
Don't think so. I don't think any LoI player merits a place in the Irish squad so I don't see the Irish management as being biased against us.
Tell your mates in the North the English have a bias towards players at the big clubs, not the South. A player from West Ham is more likely to get picked for England if he transfers to Liverpool or Man Utd for example
Well, we have the U-23 squad now and lots of el players get called up for the underage squads.
I don't really know if el players are better than those in the national team. I would like to see them called up for friendlies and given a run out then, just to see how they do.
What really annoyed me about the Ireland squad was Kevin Doyle. Transfered to Reading and before he'd played a competitive match he was in the Ireland squad. That is insulting to the el.
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I'd agree to an extent that northern English based players have more to do to get into the England side. Always reckoned if Nigel Martin had been playing for Spurs or even West Ham rather than Leeds United he'd have gotten more England caps. Kevin Phillips case is even more compelling.
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
It's annoying but it happens the world over. Like the example I gave in England, I mean how many caps would Phil Neville have had if he played his whole career with Everton? Not half as much as got during his time with United anyway. Would Theo Walcott have been called up for the World Cup squad if he had transferred to Newcastle instead of Arsenal? I doubt it. Sven would trust Ferguson and Wenger's judgement on players over Moyes and whoever was Newcastle manager at the time. In the same way the Irish management have always trusted the judgement of managers who are at a club in a higher standard league than our own managers. It's annoying but that's footballOriginally Posted by superfrank
That's the point I'm trying to get across. Things like that. The other point is, would an LOI fan rather see a side from here getting into the group stages of the Champions League or Ireland reaching the 2010 World Cup? Has it become an us vs them thing?
I would say if Seamus Coleman was playing for a Dublin Club he would have more caps than he has at the moment. He is a much better player than Conor Powell and JP Kelly.
Simple, Champions League hands down ... there is nothing to relate to on the Irish team so its gonna be club football all the way.
The SFAI are the governing body for grassroots football in Ireland, not the FAI. Its success or the lack of is all down to them.
I have more problem with the eeijits in the stands (booing players who play for their English or Scottish clubs rivals) than I do with a lack of representation in the squad.
It's the overuse of the granny rule that would put me off more than anything. As someone who was born in England, and never considered myself anything but Irish, I really hate these muppets who suddenly declare for the "Republic" to get international football when the green shirt means nothing to them. And that does include some of our most celebrated players who would still support the country of their birth over Ireland even at this stage.
The non calling up of League players is more an irritant, and only when their calling up squad player no marks from league 1 and 2ahead of them.
I can't think of any of my United regular mates that give a toss about England, if that's any help?
If you attack me with stupidity, I'll be forced to defend myself with sarcasm.
Personally, I'd rather see Bray in the Champion's League than Ireland in the World Cup.
After that, I'd rather see Ireland in the World Cup ahead of seeing any other el club in the Champion's League.
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I'd be the same, replacing Bray with Dundalk obviously. Would even prefer promotion for Dundalk over Ireland getting to the World Cup.
Ditto.
Again ditto. With Limerick replacing Bray and Dundalk. I've no problem with the national side and would prefer to see them do well. However even if the team was eleven home-based players I'd still put my club first.I'd be the same, replacing Bray with Dundalk obviously. Would even prefer promotion for Dundalk over Ireland getting to the World Cup.
The ball is round and has many surprises.
I rather see Bohs win the league than see Ireland in South Africa for 2010. My head would choose Ireland in the World Cup over any other team in the CL but my heart wouldn't. I go to a lot of ireland's home games. But I don't feel 'part of the gang' as I would at a Bohs match. Maybe it's the snob in me but I don't think some of the Irish fans are football people. At the last match against Serbia I seen people wearing Man Utd, Sunderland, Liverpool & Celtic jersies & cheering Vidic because he is a Man Utd player. I wonder how many of those people have ever heard of Hurley, Cantwell or Liam Whelan.
I would echo most of the comments here. I go to the odd Ireland game and have only really enjoyed them when all the EL fans were placed in together. Otherwise the atmosphere has been poor and amount of total feckin gob****es highly annoying.
I love to see Ireland do well, but Harps stomp all over it in terms of importance.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
I hope the national team do well, and would love to see them get to the world cup but honestly If I had to I'd pick City winning the match Thursday ahead of it
I'd much prefer a LOI team to get to the Champions' League group stages than Ireland to qualify for the World Cup. It would mean so much more for football in this country.
I have little interest in the national team but that's not due to me being a LOI supporter.
As someone once memorably said here in a previous thread on this topic "I'd rather see my team win a corner than Ireland win a match" (I'm pretty sure it was a Shamrock Rovers fan but I can't remmeber who) Anyhow that more or less sums it up for me. I'm totally apathetic at this stage about the "National" team. It would be of far more benefit to football in this country in my opinion to get a team (any team) into the Champions League group stages. The problem is for too many people Irish football only means the international team. I'd be much happier supporting a National team made up of players from here (Not saying it would be as good a team, and I'm not saying there are better players in the league than in the International squad - it would just mean a helluva lot more to me).
Out for a spell, got neglected, lay on the bench unselected.
My club comes first. I'm caring less and less about the national team each year.
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