United Irish Team....again

GuanYin

Did anyone see the piece in the Star yesterday about some sports minister who is motioning to open discussions on a united Irish soccer team?

Even if he is successful all it will do is allow the topic to be debated at some level, but really you have to ask, why?

Basically it would be knocking one international team out of existance seeing as with the exceptionof maybe Roy Carroll, there are no Northern Irish players that would make the Republic Squad.

Waylander

David Healy may be worth looking at as well. Neil Lennon would probably play internaationally again too, although he is getting on now. Maik Taylor is also a very ggod keeper, and we do not have much experience after Dhay Given since Dean Keily retired.

Xterminator

Well its been debated before yke, but football goes in cycles, and NI have had stong players in the past, like Best, Jennings ... maybe Lennon was/is? a decent player too!

So it doesnt matter if NI are weak now, or not.

What matters is we might be chosing fom a pool of 5 million potential players, increasing the depth of squad, and improving the odds of having 2 or 3 genuine world class players at the same time in your team, which you need to win a trophy! (Or else the luck of the Irish! )

Also if we had a united ireland football league, it might actually be financially viable for a first division of professional players, and all the knock on benifits that would have for grass roots football!

Thats what Norway have done, and see how they've improved.

Also look at the successes of Irish Rugby!

X

bizmark

Why ??

The republic does very well on its tbh

Waylander

That is a fairly short sighted view Bizmark, bear in mind before 1990 we had never qulified for a world cup. Also bear inmind we have only ever qualified for one Euro championships finals. We are Ok at the minute but these things tend to be cyclical.

bizmark

Maybe but i want the republics team to stay the republics team tbh thats just my view

Genghis

I think it is a great idea, I'd love to see it happening. However, the RealPolitik of the situation may well make it impossible. You have the DUP saying 'it’s the last Northern Ireland team in any sport', you have two associations that are still at civil war, and most importantly soccer is very sectarian in Northern Ireland.

Shaque attack

i'd like to see it happen too, but i'd also like to see a united ireland, an IRA that has disarmed and the DUP to act like democrats but tbh i cant see any of them happening for obvious enough reasons

Big Ears

Northern Ireland players who would become squad members : Taylor , Carrol , Healy , Hughes ,Gilespie .

Well there ya go , im not even sure if any would start .

Caesar_Bojangle

Maybe but i want the republics team to stay the republics team tbh thats just my view

Agreed. It just wouldn't feel right, as we're two separate countries and all it does is encourage people to hang onto the belief of a 32 county republic and it would cause an awful lot of hostility between fans, it'd be like a Glasgow derby at ibrox. What works for rugby wouldn't necessarily work for soccer.

Waylander

It would not be anything like that. The reason why it would not be like that is because everyone would be supporting the same team. As fro hostility between the fans, I am not sure, at least if this were the case non-unionist fans could attend the games and support their team as well.

cournioni

If it can work with Rugby, why can't it work for Soccer?

ella minnow pea

why?

wales don't want to unite with england.

seperate nation, seperate team.

cournioni

That is up to them, I would like to see a United Ireland team. It would make us all better as a team and a league. With a population of 6 million rather than 4 million we would have a stronger depth in our squad.

Jivin Turkey

Yeah but im sure england would like a UK & Ireland team, so they could have players like duff,giggs,keane, why wont it happen?

Oh I forgot, they are different countries.

Davey Devil

It will not happen anytime in the near future and it shouldn't happen. I hate when people post about how "it would make the team better". In my opinion that is a typical response from people who don't understand the game at all. You can't just take two teams and put them together. It's like asking Man City fans would they like to join up with Man Utd - afterall the team would be much better. What do you think the response of the Man City fans would be????

Northern Ireland fans have a great loyality to their team - they need it afterall. These fans would be outrage if their players left to effectively join the Republic. It's THEIR team and they are proud of their players no matter how crap they are.

Also alot people seem to oblivious to rivalry between the 2 sets of fans. Comparing the Rugby situation to football is ridiculous. Football is supported on the terraces by in large by the working class. Rugby is a middle class sport - do you think the rugby fans that come down from the north to Landsdowne are the same fans that go to games at Windsor Park??

Historically the two sets of fans don't get along - alot of Northen Ireland fans would lose a team to support if they joined up, if you think they are going to support a United Ireland team you are sadly mistaken.

Leave it the way it is and most true football supporters will be happy.

thejollyrodger

I would hate to have 1 united or all ireland team. Its not my cup of tea at all. However there has been discussion on other boards about having an all ireland soccer league. The advantage being that we could have 1 professional preimer division!! Thus helping teams get into Europe etc..

thejollyrodger

this is where i was reading it : -

http://foot.ie/forums/showthread.php?t=13887

Waylander

Well davey I gotta say I admire your attitude. Anyone who does not agree with your viewpoint does not know what they are talking about and is not a true football fan! Good to see you are such a tolerant person on other peoples views. As for your arguement for the fans, it is bullsh*t. Currently half the country up there cannot support their team as Windsor Park is such a unionist stronghold. A move like this may serve to take some of the politics out of football in the North. The bigots up there who currently claim to be the country's supporters have forced their best player to retire because of his religion and the club he plays for. If you think I care how they are effected by such a move you are sadly mistaken, however that is probably not a first. Also it is nothing like your Manchester example becxause you see Manchester United and City are clubs not International teams. They buy and sell players at will. Ireland do not have the ability to do that so I think broadening the pool that they can choose from, by amalgamating the two teams, just like they are in Hockey, Rugby, Snooker ( for team games), Golf ( again for team matches ) again can do no harm. As for the United Kingdom and Ireland idea put forward by the jivin turkey, I agree England would love to have those players, but only as English players, no England fan would want to unite the teams mentioned.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Waylander
If you think I care how they are effected by such a move you are sadly mistaken, however that is probably not a first.

If the 2 countries joined up, the Unionists would feel it is getting closer to a 32 county country. It would also be taking their team away as the matches would be played in Lansdowne with the vast majority of fans and players from the republic. What is to stop Lansdowne getting bombed?

You said half the people in N.Ireland can't support their country, those people would probably be supporting the Rebublic anyway so it doesn't really make much difference for them. I don't want to see Union Jacks at Lansdowne for an Ireland match. I don't actually care if we get a better football team out of this, it wouldn't feel like our country.

Waylander

Eirebhoy I am not even sure i am in favour of it but I do think it should not be ruled out as an impossibility. We do play as one country in nearly all other sports and there are no problems. To be honest I do not think that Lansdowne Road would be any more of a target then Windsor park is for the Republicans now, and I donot think that has ever been hit. Also I would hate to think that bogotry was the only thing stopping such a union. Yes you are right about the other half supporting the republic, but this is only because they feel they CANT support the North, and to my mind that does not make it OK. As regards the union jacks, if that happened once, I think for any subsequent game their would be a sea of Tri-colours blocking any union jack out. Having said that I dont recall seeing union jacks there for any of the rugby matches. I know the crowds are different but it is the only real barometer we have!