London Irish

CatFromHue

Just reading that London Irish are thinking about playing a game in Boston and it got me thinking. Say 10 years a go if they were to have played a game in Ireland a lot of people would have gone to it. If they were to play a game here now I doubt many would be interested. This could be down to the increased status of Irish clubs in Europe and the decrease in status of English clubs. I did at one stage kind a follow their progress to see how they were getting on in the English league but over time I've found them to be a bit of an annoying team and have found myself not liking them. This came from them playing both Leinster and Munster in the Heineken Cup. To a degree the whole plastic paddy whackary has annoyed me too. Obviously they have Irish heritage but they seem, from the outside anyway, to far over play it.
Having spent a year abroad I do understand how great it is to have an Irish pub to go and meet some friendly faces but I don't view London Irish in the same light at all.
So in summary do you like London Irish or what is your view/experiences of them?

.ak

I honestly don't connect London Irish to being Irish whatsoever. Honestly, I don't know much of their history to speak on it.. but they are a decent team, and I do like watching them. But that's nothing to do with the Irish tag.

PhatPiggins

When they used to play in Sunbury I used to go to the game with the old fella and there was a real Irish feel to them, helped mainly by the multiple Irish players on the pitch and the thousands of ex pats in the crowd. The rivallry with Quins was(is) huge with a real feel of us against the toffs to it. I think thats been diluted some what by the move to Reading and a large chunk of the current fanbase would be post their move to Reading and might not have the same association to the club as to the Sunbury based lot. Its not helped by the fact that they have almost no Irish qualified players in the squad and even very few typically Irish surnames.

To the poster who's basing his opinion on not knowing anything about the club but not getting the whole 'Irish' thing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Irish

Ignorance is peaceful but ultimately unrewarding.

CIARAN_BOYLE

As far as I'm concerned London Irish has drifted away from being Irish since professionalism and I wouldn't consider it at all Irish now

Brendan97

Don't support them or dislike them.
I prefer other clubs in england like Harlequins, Bath & Newcastle falcons

jacothelad

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

As far as I'm concerned London Irish has drifted away from being Irish since professionalism and I wouldn't consider it at all Irish now

It's a great marketing tool. Over the years a few of my team mates have ended up playing there and even as a kid I always looked for their results. They are about as Irish as Ruan Pienaar but I still have a lingering affection which is disappearing more and more every time I see the despicable slime ball that is Armitage in the green shirt.

durkadurka

There was a time when they were almost a fifth province for Ireland, but they are Irish in name only now. I've no interest in them.

Amazotheamazing

I've disliked them ever since they advised Irish qualified players like Kennedy, Geraghty etc to declare for England. I wish they'd stop the whole "Oirish" thing tbh.

profitius

They're not in the slightest bit interested in Ireland besides making money from their name. They get paid by the RFU to develop players for England. So thats the road they've gone down.

irishbucsfan

I had no feelings towards them at all until the Twickenham game.

Having to sit through that game with that cockney idiot coming on the Tannoy every 10 minutes shouting "CAM ON YUUU OIRISSHH" just absolutely destroyed any respect I had for them. I now actively dislike them.

In fairness to their fans there are a lot of genuinely Irish people who associate with them for that reason, but I can't stand the way they market themselves and really dislike the club.

I wish there was some way to inform Irish Bostonians to save their money and skip the game. I'd imagine though that even if they played Leinster over there the Americans would pick LI given the word Irish in their names!

matthew8

London Irish have a lot of dirty, dirty players, but I'm a fan of Sailosi Tagicakibau and they're enjoyable to watch.

Corsendonk

The club is a Plastic Paddy these days. It did get me thinking do with Saracens playing in Capetown would it be worth one of the Irish Provinces playing a game abroad to build up its international support base. Leinster in Hong Kong? Munster in Beijing? Red is a lucky colour in China hence the success of Man Utd.

Amazotheamazing

Corsendonk wrote: »

The club is a Plastic Paddy these days. It did get me thinking do with Saracens playing in Capetown would it be worth one of the Irish Provinces playing a game abroad to build up its international support base. Leinster in Hong Kong? Munster in Beijing? Red is a lucky colour in China hence the success of Man Utd.

Munster played two games in the USA, against America, in recent years. Absolutely no idea why they stopped those games, Setanta going broke can't have helped but long term it was a good fixture for both sides.

molloyjh

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I had no feelings towards them at all until the Twickenham game.

Having to sit through that game with that cockney idiot coming on the Tannoy every 10 minutes shouting "CAM ON YUUU OIRISSHH" just absolutely destroyed any respect I had for them. I now actively dislike them.

In fairness to their fans there are a lot of genuinely Irish people who associate with them for that reason, but I can't stand the way they market themselves and really dislike the club.

I wish there was some way to inform Irish Bostonians to save their money and skip the game. I'd imagine though that even if they played Leinster over there the Americans would pick LI given the word Irish in their names!

Exactly the same for me. That tannoy was both weird and irritating! Can't look at them without thinking "Stop it, you're not f-ing Irish!" now.

eyeball kid

They're neither London nor Irish really.
Went to see them in Reading last month. The whole 'Come on you Irish' is very annoying and sounds so fake.
When they started playing Ireland's Call over diddly iddly music at the end,
I couldn't get out of there quick enough.

who the fug

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

I've disliked them ever since they advised Irish qualified players like Kennedy, Geraghty etc to declare for England. I wish they'd stop the whole "Oirish" thing tbh.

I think the way Bob Casey was dicked around by EOS would have been good reason for them not to declare for Ireland

GerM

eyeball kid wrote: »

They're neither London nor Irish really.

And thus a lot of people refer to them as the "Not-nots". Not Irish and not London.

Personally, whilst I don't actively dislike them, they're certainly not a side I would have much affinity for given some of the players they have had in the last few seasons such as Armitage, Lamb, Richards etc. I did, as a child, look out for their results when they played and the likes of O'Shea, Geoghegan, Staples, MOK, Woods etc. but the onset of professionalism has, understandably, seen them do what's best for themselves. There's a lack of Irish players there because the best Irish players no longer go to England and the ones that do, go to whoever will give them the best deal. C'est la vie.

tipptom

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

I've disliked them ever since they advised Irish qualified players like Kennedy, Geraghty etc to declare for England. I wish they'd stop the whole "Oirish" thing tbh.

Did not know they were encouraging players to declare for england,have these players said that?.Used to go to Sunbury about 15 years ago,even then they would have had 3 or 4 irish players but was a great atmosphere,good session and a band afterwards.Had not a hope of staying in the top flight once professionilism came in if they tried to stay with Irish players and the set up at home.Wonder what way their board is set up now as regards Irish personel?.I would definatly be finished with them if i knew they were advising Irish qualifying players to decare for England,mind you I can live without Geraghty.

who the fug

The whole Orish things does get on my tits, but the fans do come down on the club when the go overboard with it.
Caimh who is on the tanoy will be amused to be called a cockney given he be a paddy what lives in Manchester.
Look we have a good ground; most of the players come through the ranks, are the only professional club with a thriving amateur side, sure we would like more Irish on the first team, but Dublin told the club to eff off many years ago, so money comes in from Twickers for English qualified players and that is what we produce
Overseas game must tried as the club desperately needs to find alternative sources of revenue if it is to survive, personally think it is a dumb idea but what do I know.

GerM

who the fug wrote: »

I think the way Bob Casey was dicked around by EOS would have been good reason for them not to declare for Ireland

Casey wasn't dicked around; he wasn't better than the options available. He had Davidson, O'Kelly, O'Connell and O'Callaghan ahead of him, all of them twice Lions to illustrate it wasn't just EOS or Gatland that rated the other players. He was in the international wilderness before he went to London and before EOS became coach. Gatland gave him one start, he was found wanting and he was dropped. He got another chance a couple of years ago when DK took over during the Lions tour and he was miles off the pace. Great player at what he does but he's limited.

GerM

tipptom wrote: »

Did not know they were encouraging players to declare for england,have these players said that?.Used to go to Sunbury about 15 years ago,even then they would have had 3 or 4 irish players but was a great atmosphere,good session and a band afterwards.Had not a hope of staying in the top flight once professionilism came in if they tried to stay with Irish players and the set up at home.Wonder what way their board is set up now as regards Irish personel?.I would definatly be finished with them if i knew they were advising Irish qualifying players to decare for England,mind you I can live without Geraghty.

It's a professional game and it's in their interest to have players playing for England. The RFU compensate teams for the players they lose to the national side. They get nothing for the players that play for other countries. If a team is being run as a business and trying to survive, it's completely understandable that they'll be happier to see the players declare for England. If the IRFU want them to encourage players to play for Ireland, then it's up to them to give some sort of incentive.

who the fug

GerM wrote: »

Casey wasn't dicked around; he wasn't better than the options available. He had Davidson, O'Kelly, O'Connell and O'Callaghan ahead of him, all of them twice Lions to illustrate it wasn't just EOS or Gatland that rated the other players. He was in the international wilderness before he went to London and before EOS became coach. Gatland gave him one start, he was found wanting and he was dropped. He got another chance a couple of years ago when DK took over during the Lions tour and he was miles off the pace. Great player at what he does but he's limited.

EOS most definatly dicked him around, 2007/8/9 Casey was about the best in the premership , but not worth Eddies time to have a look, by time he got recalled he was past it.

tipptom

GerM wrote: »

It's a professional game and it's in their interest to have players playing for England. The RFU compensate teams for the players they lose to the national side. They get nothing for the players that play for other countries. If a team is being run as a business and trying to survive, it's completely understandable that they'll be happier to see the players declare for England. If the IRFU want them to encourage players to play for Ireland, then it's up to them to give some sort of incentive.

Well,they should make a business decision then,discourage players thats irish qualified to not declare for Ireland and declare for England and pick up their money for that money based decision and become a breeding ground for England but the Irish should be taken out of their title and see how that buisness decision goes with keeping and recruiting Irish fans who are THE club and keep it going.

Amazotheamazing

You see the thing is being messed around by a coach or being offered money to play for England wouldn't be enough to stop me wanting to play for Ireland, I have problem with people pretending they are Irish when in reality they aren't. The are no longer an Irish club and should stop pretending they are.

swordofislam

Ireland's greatest ever winger played for them and was a true exemplar of what it means to be 'London Irish' as he turned down England to play for us.

There is more than one way to be a 'London Irishman' it isn't all cocaine rings and crying into your beer.

swordofislam

GerM wrote: »

The RFU compensate teams for the players they lose to the national side. They get nothing for the players that play for other countries.

That's pretty obviously problematic and petty (not just blaming the RFU that should be sorted out on a Europe wide level).

tipptom

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

You see the thing is being messed around by a coach or being offered money to play for England wouldn't be enough to stop me wanting to play for Ireland, I have problem with people pretending they are Irish when in reality they aren't. The are no longer an Irish club and should stop pretending they are.

But young guys will take advice from experienced coaches and it has to be against the ethos of an Irish club to try and persuade its young players to sign for England because it suits them financially.I think if there was proof of this it would stop a lot of supporters going to the matches.Im not playing the neo patriotic card here,if an Irish qualified player wants to play for England ,good luck to him but if he is being advised away from Ireland,thats plain wrong .I think London-Irish shold speak up on that one if its true.

who the fug

tipptom wrote: »

But young guys will take advice from experienced coaches and it has to be against the ethos of an Irish club to try and persuade its young players to sign for England because it suits them financially.I think if there was proof of this it would stop a lot of supporters going to the matches.Im not playing the neo patriotic card here,if an Irish qualified player wants to play for England ,good luck to him but if he is being advised away from Ireland,thats plain wrong .I think London-Irish shold speak up on that one if its true.

In Shanes case I think Catt and Brian Ashton where the main influences on him (Catt was not a Coach at the Time)

Kennedy never considered Ireland as far as I know

There is no deliberate policy as such

Amazotheamazing

tipptom wrote: »

But young guys will take advice from experienced coaches and it has to be against the ethos of an Irish club to try and persuade its young players to sign for England because it suits them financially.I think if there was proof of this it would stop a lot of supporters going to the matches.Im not playing the neo patriotic card here,if an Irish qualified player wants to play for England ,good luck to him but if he is being advised away from Ireland,thats plain wrong .I think London-Irish shold speak up on that one if its true.

If London Irish were actually Irish I'm sure they'd care, if you go across to their board on rugbynetwork, loads of their supporters seem to be English fans.

tipptom

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

If London Irish were actually Irish I'm sure they'd care, if you go across to their board on rugbynetwork, loads of their supporters seem to be English fans.

Its being 15 years since I used to go to their games,I think they used to have a lot of 2nd generation Irish supporters who supported them in club and England in country along with irish and locals,probably all changed now they are in Reading.Its a very schizophrenic situation there at the moment,anybody familiar with what goes on at London-Welsh?.

Digifriendly

They used to play Ulster in pre season friendly and AFAIK there was a cup at stake but that stopped afer a couple of seasons. Ulster played them in back to back HEC games a few seasons ago and IIRC one of their players accused some in the crowd at Ravenhill of racial abuse but it all came to nothing. Maybe wrong here but I guess rugby alickadoos this side of the Irsish Sea like myself who take an interest in the Aviva Premiership all have our own favourite club and don't naturally veer towards LI because of the Irish connection.

GerM

Digifriendly wrote: »

They used to play Ulster in pre season friendly and AFAIK there was a cup at stake but that stopped afer a couple of seasons. Ulster played them in back to back HEC games a few seasons ago and IIRC one of their players accused some in the crowd at Ravenhill of racial abuse but it all came to nothing.

No prizes for guessing which player made the accusation. It was against one of the Ulster players too I believe.