Why do Irish people support English teams?

imme

Irish soccer was sub par, teams were small, parochial.

Some things don't change.

People had family in the UK hence the connection. Your uncle lived beside White Hart lane or you followed a team because they had an almost incredible number of Irish players playing for them.

OldMrBrennan83

Omackeral wrote: »

Can you not read what I wrote? He had no interest in debate, was lying or making stuff up and is generally a bit troll-like on his posts on this site so people just responded in kind to him. No point debating with someone who's not honest.

Not honest because you don't want to hear it? There might be a few holes in the story (though I was sending Snapchats a lot closer to ten years ago than five years ago) but you're about as qualified to say it's not true as they are to say it is. In reality you haven't a clue whether they were making it up or not so you all go into silly mode in a gang to try undermine them.

And these are the people who'll be great welcoming craic to newcomers down at the club bar...

Omackeral

imme wrote: »

People had family in the UK hence the connection. Your uncle lived beside White Hart lane or you followed a team because they had an almost incredible number of Irish players playing for them.

Where are the Irish Birmingham fans so? Or Everton fans? Or QPR fans?

Omackeral

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Not honest because you don't want to hear it?

Not honest cos it's complete bullsh*t. Anyway, you're being fairly obtuse IMO so no point going on with you.

OldMrBrennan83

Omackeral wrote: »

Not honest cos it's complete bullsh*t. ANyway, you're being fairly obtuse IMO so no point going on with you.

You don't know it was bull**** though. It could indeed have been but you have absolutely no actual idea whether it was or not.

A few of you jumped in feet first to pile on and mock the poster because you didn't like what they were saying.

The White Wolf

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Ya but your Dad wasn't from Liverpool was he?

You assume a lot. This is why I love boards....thicks with nothing better to do trying to wind people up.

ToddyDoody

...because the Irish league is poor by comparison.

mikemac2

imme wrote: »

People had family in the UK hence the connection. Your uncle lived beside White Hart lane or you followed a team because they had an almost incredible number of Irish players playing for them.

Coventry should have a huge following but they don’t. Leyton Orient in the east end of London too. Birmingham most of all

Admit it’s more to do with who is fashionable and succussful. The generation before had far more Leeds fans than the generation of today

Omackeral

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

You don't know it was bull**** though. It could indeed have been but you have absolutely no actual idea whether it was or not.

A few of you jumped in feet first to pile on and mock the poster because you didn't like what they were saying.

Listen. He said they were roaring into Snapchat Stories 10 years ago. They only existed 5 years ago.

He said they were chanting ''Bomb The Premiership'' when nobody ever has heard anything remotely like that. The vast vast majority of lads at matches watch English football too.

He neglected to say where it was. In fact he refused. Vaguely mentioned ''the shed'', how many grounds even have a shed anymore?

He's also on other threads saying Alan Hawe deserves sympathy and that we as a country let him down. That smacks of a deluded person or a troll.

You'll excuse me if I don't believe him.

Omackeral

ToddyDoody wrote: »

...because the Irish league is poor by comparison.

Why don't people follow Brazil or Spain in the World Cup?

Dr. Bre

Very simple solution you can support both ! The quality of football in England and champs league is top notch but nothing compares to following your local team

An Ciarraioch

Because many counties don't have any team in the League of Ireland - who is someone from Cavan, Mayo or Kerry going to cheer for?

twowheelsonly

Avatar MIA wrote: »

And yet they lost 9 players this year and appear to be struggling. Where's the modicum of consistency?

'''''Appear'''' to be struggling... Lost two games. Drew one. Won the two away games so far, in Sligo and Ballybofey. We'll be ok. Of the nine players that left probably six of those were expected to go for various reasons, personal and otherwise.

The consistency is pretty obvious over the past five years or so. I don't think I have to point that out. Most clubs and their supporters would die for the level of consistency that we've shown over those years.


(Way off topic BTW, so I'll leave it at that..)

ToddyDoody

Omackeral wrote: »

Why don't people follow Brazil or Spain in the World Cup?

You can't get the ferry to Spain.

Omackeral

An Ciarraioch wrote: »

Because many counties don't have any team in the League of Ireland - who is someone from Cavan, Mayo or Kerry going to cheer for?

That's fair.

Kerry have teams in the LOI U19 league at present and I hope they get a team down there in the next few years. I think a Kerry LOI team would be a great expansion project, would love to see it.

Avatar MIA

twowheelsonly wrote: »

'''''Appear'''' to be struggling... Lost two games. Drew one. Won the two away games so far, in Sligo and Ballybofey.


(Way off topic BTW, so I'll leave it at that..)

Compare to the start Cork made the year they won.

And, in my opinion, it's very much on topic.

Omackeral

ToddyDoody wrote: »

You can't get the ferry to Spain.

Get a plane to Barcelona in a couple of hours though!

ToddyDoody

Omackeral wrote: »

Get a plane to Barcelona in a couple of hours though!

Can't bring your car though.

Omackeral

ToddyDoody wrote: »

Can't bring your car though.

What if you wanna drink vodka in the shed and go on snapchat stories and say bomb la liga? Can't drive then.

ToddyDoody

Omackeral wrote: »

What if you wanna drink vodka in the shed and go on snapchat stories and say bomb la liga? Can't drive then.

That'd be a personal matter.

twowheelsonly

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Compare to the start Cork made the year they won.

And, in my opinion, it's very much on topic.

That's just silly trolling.. Why aren't Arsenal known as The Invincibles same as they were in 2003/04 ? No team is EVER going to break records every season. Doesn't mean they can't be consistent.

ToddyDoody wrote: »

Can't bring your car though.

Fellas that fly into London / Manchester / Liverpool can't bring their cars either and only a fraction of those that go to matches by ferry bring their cars in my experience.

ToddyDoody

twowheelsonly wrote: »

Fellas that fly into London / Manchester / Liverpool can't bring their cars either and only a fraction of those that go to matches by ferry bring their cars in my experience.

Nice to have the option though.

imme

mikemac2 wrote: »

Coventry should have a huge following but they don’t. Leyton Orient in the east end of London too. Birmingham most of all

Admit it’s more to do with who is fashionable and succussful. The generation before had far more Leeds fans than the generation of today

Yes, you've proved my point, it is historic.

The Irish population in Coventry and Birmingham in the 1940s/1950s era was phenomenal.

It has since been displaced by people from the East.

Limpy

Idols. Growing up playing with friends we'd always pretend to be such and such a player. Usually said player, Irish or otherwise played in the Premier league. So it's simple as that.

Achasanai

I really don't think there's much of a link with 'historic' ties to certain teams. For example, I had never met a Chelsea fan when I was growing up, but there are a fair few around now, usually people whose interest in the game corresponded with how well the team were doing in the 2000s. It's why you see so few young Liverpool fans nowadays, and why Manchester City fans are making a reappearance (after a good few decades in the wilderness). Leeds fans in the 70s (none now), Arsenal fans only making appearance in the late 80s and again in the 2000s. There were even a few Everton fans when I was in school, but usually a year or two later (they got into football in the mid 80s when Everton were doing well).

RobMc59

I was on holiday in bundoran sometime ago,one evening in the pub people started coming in wearing man utd shirts-they were playing that night and it was on tv,next night it was liverpools turn-fans in lfc shirts-I was excited the following evening as everton were playing-i went to the pub...and no one turned up and it wasn't on the telly!:(

trashcan

An Ciarraioch wrote: »

Because many counties don't have any team in the League of Ireland - who is someone from Cavan, Mayo or Kerry going to cheer for?

Well, Man U or Liverpool clearly

Listen, people can support whoever they want. No LOI fan will say any different. I just wish people would stop with the mental gymnastics though. Admit it, you follow big English sides because it's more glamorous, they are successful (everyone loves a winner) and above all, it's easy.

Stacksofwacks

Only teams I support is my own county team and the Irish national teams in Rugby and soccer. I did have an affinity for Everton in my younger days but I got bored as they hardly ever win anything. I guess we follow teams who are either close to our identity or teams that are really successful. The English premier league is the most succesful/popular league in the world where all the money and glamour is so thats why i assume many Irish people support various teams in it.

Stacksofwacks

..but the only team where I would truly emotionally invested is my county team(Waterford hurlers) where I would actually be gutted for a few days if they lost a big game, everything else it wouldnt bother me at all

lbc2019

ToddyDoody wrote: »

You can't get the ferry to Spain.

You can Cork to Santander