Worst county to be a supporter of?

AugustusMinimus

2 schools of thought of this one. You either go with fans of teams who never win or fans of teams who get incredibly close to winning but always fail at the final hurdle.

Of all the counties in Ireland, Fermanagh and Wicklow are the only 2 never to have won a Senior Provincial title in either football or hurling.

The flipside are the counties who are so close, yet so far. I'm thinking of Mayo and Kildare in football and Limerick and Waterford in hurling. For me, Limerick stand out. Mayo have played in more All-Ireland finals of late but in truth, never looked likely to ever win one of those finals.

On the flipside, Limerick threw away the 5 minutes final in 1994. I have no doubt the supporters on the hill were already celebrating victory. In 1996, they were heavy favourites and yet still lost to a Wexford team which I'd consider one of the poorer teams to win an All-Ireland. In addition, Wexford played the entire 2nd half with only 14 players after Eamon Scallan got sent off.

Unlimited heartbreak indeed.

joebloggs32

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

2 schools of thought of this one. You either go with fans of teams who never win or fans of teams who get incredibly close to winning but always fail at the final hurdle.

Of all the counties in Ireland, Fermanagh and Wicklow are the only 2 never to have won a Senior Provincial title in either football or hurling.

The flipside are the counties who are so close, yet so far. I'm thinking of Mayo and Kildare in football and Limerick and Waterford in hurling. For me, Limerick stand out. Mayo have played in more All-Ireland finals of late but in truth, never looked likely to ever win one of those finals.

On the flipside, Limerick threw away the 5 minutes final in 1994. I have no doubt the supporters on the hill were already celebrating victory. In 1996, they were heavy favourites and yet still lost to a Wexford team which I'd consider one of the poorer teams to win an All-Ireland. In addition, Wexford played the entire 2nd half with only 14 players after Eamon Scallan got sent off.

Unlimited heartbreak indeed.

I was on the hill in 94 and the Limerick supporters had actually started moving down to climb the fence for the pitch invasion, before Dooley started the ball rolling for Offaly

iDave

The likes of Limerick, Mayo, Waterford get to celebrate the odd provincial title and have some big wins against major teams to look back on. Theres a feeling in those counties their patience will eventually be rewarded.
Wicklow, Carlow etc don't even have that so my vote goes to counties like them.

TaosHum

Carlow

patmac

Westmeath this year has been very depressing. My local club Padraig Pearses in Roscommon have appeared in 10 Senior County Hurling and Football Finals since 2005 including double defeats in 2008 and 2012, our record is drawn 2 and lost 8, weirdly you get used to losing and I am sure we will not have a clue what to do if we win one!

Bunk Moreland

Down. Good stadium, big county, large population, loads of potential, loyal supporters who travel the country in large numbers and plenty of good strong clubs yet still the county hasn't won a provincial championship or All Ireland in 20 years (21 by the time they play again).

Miccoli

Mayo , Derry and Kildare

AugustusMinimus

Miccoli wrote: »

Mayo , Derry and Kildare

Derry have won an All-Ireland is recent memory. Would rule them out on that basis alone.

Sheldons Brain

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Derry have won an All-Ireland is recent memory. Would rule them out on that basis alone.

Derry would not be bothered with an All Ireland if it would interfere with some club rivalry.

testicle

Kilkenny

Lemlin

Until recent times (and we still don't have it easy), Cavan have to be up there. The people here eat, sleep and breathe football yet we were the last county to play at the redeveloped Croke Park at any level.

We were delighted last year just to finally get a Championship trip to Croke Park. It was the first since 1997.

Older people still talk of the wonderful teams of the 40s and 50s and the fact that we're still the only team to have won an All Ireland outside of this country.

citykat

testicle wrote: »

Kilkenny

P***take surely?

Annie Oakes

Im from waterford, and although we are mentioned as being in the hurling section above. I would also like to point out that we have been given some brilliant days out as supporters and won a fair share of munsters in recent years, yes we should have deffo won at least 1 all ireland in the early noughties up to about the year 2010 with a golden generation of hurlers that we had but my point is that it wasent all bad the lads gave us some unbelievable days out in thurles and croke park and we as supporters also accept there was other great teams (corks and kilkennys) around at that time also.
Deise Abu

GAAman

nice_guy80 wrote: »

First!

ibtl ]

Do people really still do both these things? :rolleyes:

On topic and with no offence intended, I would have to say Leitrim for one reason only. A few years ago I saw odds for the football AI in the paper, they were a thousand to one. If I were a fan and saw that I think a little part of me would die.

AugustusMinimus

citykat wrote: »

P***take surely?

In fairness, the fans of the likes of Kilkenny and Kerry win all the time. Another All-Ireland to them, is just that, another All-Ireland.

Fans from those counties will never experience the insane high that other counties get from winning All-Irelands.

WesternZulu

Being a Mayo supporter isn't easy but still I've had some great days in Croke Park following them.

buck65

Offaly. A county with fond memories of winning things but haven't won anything in years and unlikely to again.

Scone0

buck65 wrote: »

Offaly. A county with fond memories of winning things but haven't won anything in years and unlikely to again.

I agree, for fans who were use to following a team that were playing at the highest standard and now we think its a good win when we beat the likes of Antrim and Kerry(no disrespect to Antrim or Kerry they're coming on loads). It's a tough one for the fans

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

testicle wrote: »

Kilkenny

Get out.

shamco

Galway hurlers full of promise rarely deliver

Warper

Any team that gets to Croke Park regularly or provincial finals definitely should not be in this argument imo. At least those teams have big days out which is something the likes of Carlow, Longford, Leitrim etc. never have. They normally have two championship games a year and both likely to be good beatings. The only hope they have is pushing for a spot to get out of Division 4. They normally just play football as well and mightnt even have a hurling team though Carlow have quite a decent hurling team. Worst county prob. Leitrim.

padd b1975

WesternZulu wrote: »

Being a Mayo supporter isn't easy but still I've had some great days in Croke Park following them.

+1.

We are generally at the business end of both competitions every year.

Finals aside, we are seriously consistent in terms of competitiveness.

Alf Veedersane

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

On the flipside, Limerick threw away the 5 minutes final in 1994. I have no doubt the supporters on the hill were already celebrating victory.

Mate's brother (from Offaly) was at that match and left in disgust with about 7 minutes to go.

Heard a lot of celebrating passing Berminghams and popped his head in to see...

jimmy the car

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Get out.

Could be Kilkenny football he's referring to!

Alf Veedersane

buck65 wrote: »

Offaly. A county with fond memories of winning things but haven't won anything in years and unlikely to again.

This.

On the football side, in our pomp, the quality oputside of the panel was poor. The standard in club games was never brilliant. Now there are very few players that rise above the low standard.

Well, so says my Da.

On the hurling side....well, at least I have fond memories of hanging around O'Connor Park watching training sessions and getting players to sign my hurl.

CrabRevolution

All these replies of Mayo/Limerick/Waterford are a bit ridiculous. At least these counties have had their provincial wins and big days out in Croke Park, and get a few months of thinking this might just be their year.

It reminds me of lads I know who place massive accumulators on cheltenham over 10 horses. They know they're probably not going to win, but they do it as much for the enjoyable buzz as they win the first few races and start to believe, before they eventually lose.

Counties like Wicklow/Carlow/Leitrim must be the worst, you have no prospect of winning an All Ireland, and even a provincial title is effectively impossible. Knowing you will likely have 2 matches a year cant make it easy to support, but they are back every year.

Pat Mustard

I was well into my twenties before I saw my first Leitrim jersey. Very small population though (fewer than 32k people).

willowthewisp

Longford is pretty bad.

citykat

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

In fairness, the fans of the likes of Kilkenny and Kerry win all the time. Another All-Ireland to them, is just that, another All-Ireland.

Fans from those counties will never experience the insane high that other counties get from winning All-Irelands.

How would you know?

ardmacha

Bunk Moreland wrote: »

Down. Good stadium, big county, large population, loads of potential, loyal supporters who travel the country in large numbers and plenty of good strong clubs yet still the county hasn't won a provincial championship or All Ireland in 20 years (21 by the time they play again).

Lovely stadium, especially the one third of it actually in Co. Armagh!

DARK-KNIGHT

Kildare

Even provincially they break my heart.

Mountainlad

Ya say you'd never get tired of winning all-irelands, maybe that is true for some, but I don't doubt that winning your 4th all-ireland in a row can't compete with a breakthrough after a long time without winning. I'd still get massive jubilation from one game won as much as anything else.

Many great days, but to be honest the 2009 victory over Galway sheerly for the manner of it was up there with all and I think if we'd beaten Kilkenny last year it would have been the pinnacle possibly or very near it, even if you would say neither team was near as strong as they were some 6 years previous.

KevIRL

Jesus, please dont ask PTH2009 anyway

Syferus

The Mustard wrote: »

I was well into my twenties before I saw my first Leitrim jersey. Very small population though (fewer than 32k people).

They're better supported than a lot of far bigger counties.

AugustusMinimus

citykat wrote: »

How would you know?

I'm from Cork.

LeinsterDub

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

Kildare

Even provincially they break my heart.

How so? 1 final appearance in 10 years. Hardly the Mayo of Leinster

DoctaDee

I'm uncomfortable with the title of "worst" county to support as it would indicate that supporting the county is based primarily upon their performance rather than the tangible enjoyment that supporters get from watching their team.

Leitrim people will forever trade on the emotion 20 years ago of their Connacht title. These days with a comparative population to that of Swords here in Dublin - I'd fancy a combined team of Fingallians/Finians to beat Leitrim, but I'd still expect the people of Leitrim to enjoy seeing their county play

Miccoli

DoctaDee wrote: »

I'm uncomfortable with the title of "worst" county to support as it would indicate that supporting the county is based primarily upon their performance rather than the tangible enjoyment that supporters get from watching their team.

Leitrim people will forever trade on the emotion 20 years ago of their Connacht title. These days with a comparative population to that of Swords here in Dublin - I'd fancy a combined team of Fingallians/Finians to beat Leitrim, but I'd still expect the people of Leitrim to enjoy seeing their county play

Not a chance two intermediate teams would beat a county team.

Bunk Moreland

ardmacha wrote: »

Lovely stadium, especially the one third of it actually in Co. Armagh!

Armagh, the county that seems to extend it's borders further and further into Down the more you talk to Armagh supporters.

DoctaDee

Miccoli wrote: »

Not a chance two intermediate teams would beat a county team.

We'll agree to disagree. The point I was making really was that the expectation level for Leitrim would be below that of other IC teams, the point that Swords could field a team made up of AFL2 & 3 players is moot

pmy.murphy

Id probably say Waterford. "This year is our year" but their year never comes. They are the Liverpool Football Club of Hurling without the illustrious history obviously.

Offaly are another too i suppose mainly because of the steep declline in both codes and the fact they had fond memories of success they had in both, very sad too see how far they have fallen. There was once a time where teams feared playing Offaly. Not so much these days

randd1

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

In fairness, the fans of the likes of Kilkenny and Kerry win all the time. Another All-Ireland to them, is just that, another All-Ireland.

Fans from those counties will never experience the insane high that other counties get from winning All-Irelands.

Your county has obviously never beaten Tipp in an AI hurling final, or Cork in a football final so.

ardmacha

Bunk Moreland wrote: »

Armagh, the county that seems to extend it's borders further and further into Down the more you talk to Armagh supporters.

At least all of our county pitch is in our county.

citykat

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I'm from Cork.

Good for you. I'm planning on taking the week off after the AI along with a lot of my mates. If we're beaten, it'll be one long week. If we win, the sky's the limit. Any time KK win an AI it's not just another AI to me.

pmy.murphy

citykat wrote: »

Good for you. I'm planning on taking the week off after the AI along with a lot of my mates. If we're beaten, it'll be one long week. If we win, the sky's the limit. Any time KK win an AI it's not just another AI to me.

I agree completely, just because we win a lot doesnt mean were emotionless or we dont appreciate a big win in a particular game. Id guarantee if we win the All Ireland this year people will be overjoyed considering the year we had last year and the manner in which we were written off. Our qualifier game V Tipp last year is one such example in what it meant to Kilkenny supporters to beat Tipp in our own back yard. Nowlan Park was packed to the rafters. I can safely say that this particular match meant as much to me as any All Ireland we were in and its definately no 1 on the list of KK games Ive been at in my time and believe me I go to them all be it Senior, U21 or Minor. The atmosphere was surreal, the tension before the game in the crowd, the roar when the teams were announced before the game that there were 3 last minute changes to the team, Henry added to the bench, Paul Murphy to start etc plus when henry came on as a sub, the roof nearly came off not to mention the pitch invasion at the final whistle. That game meant a lot to us KK supporters so to say its nothing to us because our team wins a lot means absolutely frig all in my book

Newson123

pmy.murphy wrote: »

Id probably say Waterford. "This year is our year" but their year never comes. They are the Liverpool Football Club of Hurling without the illustrious history obviously.

Nah, we can't complain too much. We've had a fair bit of success and usually get a long summer. We never expect 'this year is our year.' We have learnt to temper our expectations.

pmy.murphy

Newson123 wrote: »

Nah, we can't complain too much. We've had a fair bit of success and usually get a long summer. We never expect 'this year is our year.' We have learnt to temper our expectations.

I suppose you are right there but yee didnt win as much as ye probably could have in the noughties but for the presence of great Cork and Kilkenny teams

JJJJNR

Has to be Wicklow, there is so much GAA in the towns a villages but never a mention about the county anywhere.

Fortress Aughrim??

citykat

JJJJNR wrote: »

Has to be Wicklow, there is so much GAA in the towns a villages but never a mention about the county anywhere.

Fortress Aughrim??

For a county it's size it has massively underachieved in football. Need a bigger senior championship in hurling if ye're ever to get anywhere.

Nib

Kildare would have to be up there. We're probably the most unpredictable football team in Ireland. McGeeney's first year started with a defeat to lowly Wicklow but somehow ended up in a QF and were a kick of a ball and a bad refereeing decision away from an AI final a year later. The Donegal QF extra time defeat in 2011 was heartbreaking as well. Self destruct mode at it's finest.

This year has been similar, lose to an average Meath team in the opening round then go up the Newry and hammer a decent Down team by 10 points. God only knows what tomorrow has in store.

Our minor, U21s and junior teams have all been hugely successful in recent years, but for whatever reason, our seniors just cannot buy silverware.

Our County Board are a laughing stock within the county. Showing McGeeney the door because 1 or 2 clubs got upset because he wouldn't release players for league games. Jason Ryan has not improved the situation on this front, yet there's not a word said. Don't get me started on the whole SJ affair..

Other than Kildare, I would say Mayo. Surely nobody could begrudge them an All Ireland.

PTH2009

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Mate's brother (from Offaly) was at that match and left in disgust with about 7 minutes to go.

Heard a lot of celebrating passing Berminghams and popped his head in to see...

I'd say being an Offaly supporter then was so good. Reeling in the years style