All Ireland / All Island Football team to face England in charity match?

LordSutch

Enda Kenny came out with an interesting idea this afternoon, and it seems to have taken everybody by surprise!

"Speaking at a reconciliation in sports conference in the city, ahead of the North-South meeting, Mr Kenny said the team should take on England every two years to raise money for children. He said the games could be played at Wembley in London or the Gaelic Athletic Association's (GAA) headquarters at Croke Park in Dublin, and could help fund research and facilities at specialist hospitals in Belfast and Dublin.

Mr Kenny said the idea could be attractive to everyone".

BBC News > http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24856278

Irish Times > http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/enda-kenny-proposes-all-ireland-soccer-team-1.1588389

Might it work? Might it happen? sounds like a good idea to me . . . .

wretcheddomain

I think he should blow the whistle on this one...

Gee Bag

Headline should read

'Enda Kenny trolls Nordies'

Karl Stein

It's a papist conspiracy imo.

washman3

Probably the best (and only) good idea this inept clown has ever come up with.
Maybe it was one of his advisors who are paid film star wages that thought it up.
Bring it on anyway.!!

Fratton Fred

If all else fails, find a common enemy.

Menas

Its a great idea. We agree to it and then on the day of the match we pick 11 ROI players. That'll show them.

BillyMitchel

There is probably no North of Ireland players that would get their game anyway. Maybe Johnny Evans. Someone should tell Kenny the Clown George Best died years ago.

Shout Dust

Won't happen, but interesting to see that Enda occasionally thinks on his feet.

SEPT 23 1989

If we were really serious about reconciliation that match should be played in Windsor Park

BillyMitchel

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

If we were really serious about reconciliation that match should be played in Windsor Park

Ha good one! Windsor park is one of the most bigoted football grounds in Europe. Couldn't see it changing for a match!

Menas

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

If we were really serious about reconciliation that match should be played in Windsor Park

If it was I doubt anyone would turn up. The nordies will boycott the match as their soccer fans hate us with a passion and the ROI fans would not be bothered to visit the cauldron of hate that is windsor park.

mactheknife19

BillyMitchel wrote: »

There is probably no North of Ireland players that would get their game anyway. Maybe Johnny Evans. Someone should tell Kenny the Clown George Best died years ago.

I'm pretty sure Jonny Evans would get a game!! The guy has played over 100 times for the league champions, including last season when he was prob the most consistant defender in a title win. 3 league medals and plenty of CL experience.

awec

BillyMitchel wrote: »

There is probably no North of Ireland players that would get their game anyway. Maybe Johnny Evans. Someone should tell Kenny the Clown George Best died years ago.

There's no maybe about it, Evans would walk into the ROI team.

The rest, probably not.

Kev_2012

Play Ireland's Call only and take no nonsense from sectarians. Sorted

awec

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Ha good one! Windsor park is one of the most bigoted football grounds in Europe. Couldn't see it changing for a match!

As a season ticket holder to Windsor Park for NI internationals I must say that this is lies.

So much so that there is actually criticism directed toward the set up by certain unsavoury and hardline sections of the loyalist community who feel the atmosphere has been watered down too much.

The NI fans have won awards from UEFA for the removal of sectarianism at the games. Most bigoted ground in Europe it certainly is not, thankfully those days are long gone.

Anyway, I don't think the proposal has merit. Players would pull out, you'd get England's B team if you're lucky. It may get a crowd for the first year but the novelty would fast wear off. Football friendlies are generally rubbish.

harryr711

If we could merge the associations and leagues too that'd be great.

kwestfan08

I don't get getting the English to agree to a charity game when none of the proceeds will be going to a English hospital?

Driveby Dogboy

ah shur why not? it might make amends for the black and tans

BillyMitchel

awec wrote: »

As a season ticket holder to Windsor Park for NI internationals I must say that this is lies.

So much so that there is actually criticism directed toward the set up by certain unsavoury and hardline sections of the loyalist community who feel the atmosphere has been watered down too much.

The NI fans have won awards from UEFA for the removal of sectarianism at the games. Most bigoted ground in Europe it certainly is not, thankfully those days are long gone.

Anyway, I don't think the proposal has merit. Players would pull out, you'd get England's B team if you're lucky. It may get a crowd for the first year but the novelty would fast wear off. Football friendlies are generally rubbish.

Yeah good one! Neil Lennon still gets an awful life up North.

Mightn't be as bad but still there.

It would turn into a fleg weaving competition. Catholics would join ROI fans, Protestant would join England. Disaster waiting to happen if its in Windsor apart from the fact I'd say about 12 people would turn up anyway!

awec

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Yeah good one! Neil Lennon still gets an awful life up North.

Mightn't be as bad but still there.

It would turn into a fleg weaving competition. Catholics would join ROI fans, Protestant would join England. Disaster waiting to happen if its in Windsor apart from the fact I'd say about 12 people would turn up anyway!

Neil Lennon has been at Windsor Park once since 2001 (as a spectator) and it passed without incident.

In the words of the man himself when interviewed at the time: "those days are long gone".

Anyway, we're straying. I agree that it would be pointless.

dundalkfc10

Very little Catholics up North follow NI anyway and follow the ROI

It would just end up, fan wise Republic of Ireland V England/Unionists in the North

Recipe for disaster

LordSutch

Kev_2012 wrote: »

Play Ireland's Call only and take no nonsense from sectarians. Sorted

Agreed^ and England should drop GSTQ in favour of Jerusalem or Land of Hope & glory, otherwise you may have the NI players singing along (with the English players) to the UK National anthem!

BillyMitchel

So one thing we all agree on - another ridiculous idea by Enda Kenny!

Gee Bag

Kev_2012 wrote: »

Play Ireland's Call only

I think the one thing that could unite ROI and NI supporters would be to play anything but Ireland's Call, it's fvcking awful!

BillyMitchel

Play Ireland's call?! Why? Honestly think England would drop GSTQ?

Fock the anthems and get the two squads to do the hokey pokey in the middle of the field!

You put your right foot in your left foot out do the hokey pokey and you twirl about.

Imagine Roy Keane having to do it.

iDave

Would be hard to be on the same team as the NI anti irish sectarian hordes. ROI is a de facto all island team anyway.

Kev_2012

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Play Ireland's call?! Why? Honestly think England would drop GSTQ?

Fock the anthems and get the two squads to do the hokey pokey in the middle of the field!

You put your right foot in your left foot out do the hokey pokey and you twirl about.

Imagine Roy Keane having to do it.

I don't like Ireland's call either but it's better than being at each others throats! Or even worse, playing GSTQ!!!

England should play I vow to thee my country, I loved that song when they used it for the rugby world cup

LordSutch

Looks like its all over before its even begun.

North's football boss pours cold water on Kenny's all-Ireland team.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/norths-football-boss-pours-cold-water-on-kennys-all-ireland-team-612689.html

martinedwards

dundalkfc10 wrote: »

Very little Catholics up North follow NI anyway and follow the ROI

It would just end up, fan wise Republic of Ireland V England/Unionists in the North

Recipe for disaster

I disagree. Most Ulster prods hate the English FAR more than the ROI!!

Too Tough To Die

He can stick it up his bollocks.

Richard Hillman

Football fans are vermin. You could pull this off in any other sport but ROI fans and NI fans are so far up their arses to make it work.

NIMAN

This^

There seems to be a belief that NI fans are big supporters of England. Nothing could be further from the truth. NI fans have always disliked England.

washman3

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Football fans are vermin. You could pull this off in any other sport but ROI fans and NI fans are so far up their arses to make it work.

Every football fan I spoke to least night, ie fans that regularly travel to Lansdowne Road to support the R.O.I., were all for this game to go ahead.
So I fail to see just why you can tar all fans with the same brush.
There are 'asshole' fans supporting all sports, none more so than the bandwagons that follow Munster and Leinster rugby teams.

dundalkfc10

martinedwards wrote: »

I disagree. Most Ulster prods hate the English FAR more than the ROI!!

haha you obvs dont know too many of them

timthumbni

dundalkfc10 wrote: »

haha you obvs dont know too many of them

Actually he is right. there are a fair number of Norn Iron fans who don't like the English football team at all.Not England itself obviously but their footie team.

I don't mind them myself and always found their fans to be just like any other teams. Ie mostly dead on with a few tubes trying to act the big man.

As for this game it's a no no. Footie fans in general tend to more moronic than other sports and would make a show of themselves.

It just ain't cricket, old chap. (Nor rugby) ;-)

MJ23

"Deedle deedle sitcheachun meetings dicussions deedle 2poinds"

I hope it never happens, because they'll all never stop about it. It'll be worse than the English going on about winning the world cup almost 50 years ago.