Why do Irish people support English teams?

sbsquarepants

D14Rugby wrote: »

That's the point, you don't have an Anfield you can get to every week but you do have a Tallaght Stadium, a. Dalymount, a RSC, a Turners Cross, a showgrounds. And you can still do exactly the same as what you do now but you also get to experience what those scousers get to experience every time they get to go to Anfield.

It's not a point at all!

That's like saying, sure you live closer to old Trafford why not go there instead?

I actually used to live about a 10 minute walk from Tallaght stadium for maybe 10 years, I was in it twice. Once to see Real Madrid, and once to see Juventus. I have no interest in shamrock rovers, I didn't even peep in the gate when I was walking past.

D14Rugby

sbsquarepants wrote: »

It's not a point at all!

That's like saying, sure you live closer to old Trafford why not go there instead?

I actually used to live about a 10 minute walk from Tallaght stadium for maybe 10 years, I was in it twice. Once to see Real Madrid, and once to see Juventus. I have no interest in shamrock rovers, I didn't even peep in the gate when I was walking past.

That is the point. Because it does require a ****ing plane to get to tallaght or any extra expense.

We'll that's just absolutely disgraceful. You had live football, something you claim to like, on your doorstep for half nothing and couldn't be bothered your hole even giving it a chance.

Maybe I was a bit disingenuous calling you a football fan and not a fan of a club. Clearly you're just just a fan of being seen to be a football fan.

odyssey06

Omackeral wrote: »

How? You're not making many points in your arguments. If a person goes to 30 matches, then they're pretty logically more dedicated to going than the person who has been to 0. How is saying that childish whatsoever?

Is someone who goes to all games, home or away, domestic or abroad a bigger fan than someone who just goes to domestic games?
And are they both bigger fans than someone who just goes to home games?
Do you get half credits for watching the away matches on TV?

They are certainly making a bigger commitment in time and money than the TV fan, but the TV fan can still have a commitment to the team; really what matters is that their defeats hurt.

If someone goes to the games but only when they are doing well are they more or less of a fan than the TV fan who suffers through the losing seasons also?

NIMAN

I know someone who calls Liverpool 'us' and 'we' when discussing them, yet has never been to Anfield.

Liverpool is a 30min flight away.

He has plenty of money too.

sbsquarepants

Omackeral wrote: »

*I only learned that word this year, isn't it fantastic?

It is a good word.

I learned it today by the way - I had to google it just there!:D

If Southampton however were to regularly play in the champions league for example, or better still to win it a heap of times - they would no doubt start to notice fans from all over the world. Just like Liverpool have.

The reason the average Japanese person doesn't support Southampton is because he has never heard of them, or if he has somehow been exposed to them he wasn't impressed.

Maybe if they came back from 3 nill to beat AC Milan on penalties in the final of the toughest club competition in the world, he might see them differently. Same with the "super" hoops!

Omackeral

odyssey06 wrote: »

Is someone who goes to all games, home or away, domestic or abroad a bigger fan than someone who just goes to domestic games?
And are they both bigger fans than someone who just goes to home games?
Do you get half credits for watching the away matches on TV?

They are certainly making a bigger commitment in time and money than the TV fan, but the TV fan can still have a commitment to the team; really what matters is that their defeats hurt.

If someone goes to the games but only when they are doing well are they more or less of a fan than the TV fan who suffers through the losing seasons also?

I would've thought that logically going to multiple games makes you a bigger fan than someone who has gone to precisely zero. I really thought that was just simple logic. Take this example, someone who goes to all Dublin GAA matches be they league, provincials, championship etc is surely a more dedicated fan than someone who just goes once every 7 or 8 years. It's a simple enough concept I'd have thought.

D14Rugby

odyssey06 wrote: »

Is someone who goes to all games, home or away, domestic or abroad a bigger fan than someone who just goes to domestic games?
And are they both bigger fans than someone who just goes to home games?
Do you get half credits for watching the away matches on TV?

They are certainly making a bigger commitment in time and money than the TV fan, but the TV fan can still have a commitment to the team; really what matters is that their defeats hurt.

If someone goes to the games but only when they are doing well are they more or less of a fan than the TV fan who suffers through the losing seasons also?

Watching a game on TV isn't suffering.

SexBobomb

I'm not the biggest soccer fan but I like to watch the game being played at the highest level by the best players. Anyone who likes the game does (I'm assuming) so it makes it more interesting/fun to follow a team in the higher tiers of the game.
Plus a lot of Ireland, myself included don't have local teams in the LOI.

odyssey06

D14Rugby wrote: »

Watching a game on TV isn't suffering.

Ireland 0 - 1 Netherlands Euro 88. You're saying only the few thousand Irish fans in the stadium suffered?

Did only the Barcelona or Ajax fans in the stadium this week suffer?

Nonsense.

sbsquarepants

D14Rugby wrote: »

Maybe I was a bit disingenuous calling you a football fan and not a fan of a club. Clearly you're just just a fan of being seen to be a football fan.

It gets worse, there's kids play every single Saturday and Sunday right down the road form my house, sometimes I don't even look sideways as I walk past!

I'm not trying to be seen as anything (unlike yourself) I just like what I like and I have no need to justify it to anyone else. If standing in the rain watching the super hoops floats your boat, have at it - best of luck to you. I hope you have a good time.

Just don't expect the world to hold you in awe, like you and you alone are keeping the sport of soccer alive. You're sitting on your arse watching others play a game, they don't give out trophies for that I'm afraid, even if it's raining!

Greyfox

D14Rugby wrote: »

Coming top half in the English Premiership is in no way shape or form "bad times".

That's not football though, may aswell just watch a movie, or corrie or whatever. Nothing and I repeat nothing beats being at the live thing, go to Glasgow on old firm day and try get someone to swap their tickets for a place on your couch, or Madrid in a few weeks if you want a more topical if less accurate example. If you're not willing to travel or get a bit wet or stand for an hour and a half for your team no matter the division, their form, your comfort then I hate to be the one to break it to you they're not your team, you might be a fan of football but you don't support a team.


Some people here have never experienced the sheer ecstasy of watching your team score a 90th minute derby day winner and being in the stand falling over seats hugging complete strangers and it really shows. That is football, no matter where, who, or how "good" the quality, that is football.

IT IS football, the emotions are the same, the banter with rival fans is the same. I love movies but there not real life, football is real life. I disagree, there's advantages and disadvantages of watching a match life and its also not practical or affordable for most people to visit the UK every fortnight. I've been to live matches that ended 1-0 or 0-0 and I felt I could of watched the match at home..and before you ask I dont sit quietly when I watch a match live. the last 2 evenings of football was heaven for barstoolers, a fantastic TV experience of football at the highest level, pure entertainment. I've been to good LOI matches but they simply can't compete with top level football. You dont have to go to every game to be a real fan of a foreign team, if you go once a year that is enough. Watching live can be great or it can be crap, it depends on your team.

I've been to quite a few live matches and I find them very overratted as sometimes you can be too far from the pitch. If I was a Barcelona fan who traveled to Anfield this week I would of paid a fortune for a really crap experience. If your team are going to entertain you then its worth seeing them live but if there not going to entertain you what's the point. Where is this rulebook that says you have to watch a match live to be a fan? Do you think an English football club is going to tell all there Asian fans that there not real fans? Once your emotionally invested in a team then your a real fan. Some people dont have time for live football, they have things to do to work or raise a family.

Seen your team win in injury time would be better if your at the match but it doesnt take away from the fact that seeing your team win in injury time on the TV is also a great experience albit not as good. Your post is very unfair to real football fans who have been supporting there club for decades and its comments like this that would make people avoid going to live football in Ireland. Live football is never going to be everyones cup of tea.

Omackeral

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Maybe if they came back from 3 nill to beat AC Milan on penalties in the final of the toughest club competition in the world, he might see them differently. Same with the "super" hoops!

I hate Rovers but I absolutely respect them more than someone who actively ignores football on their own doorstep. Rovers qualified for the Europa League group stages in spite of people like that. They took on the mighty Spurs and took the lead against them in White Hart Lane. I'd imagine being over in London watching a team that represents you doing that must've been phenomenal.

Dundalk a couple of years ago put Champions League regulars BATE to the sword and did it while playing amazing football. ''I wouldn't peep in at that sh*t''. That Dundalk team played some of the best football you'll ever see on this island.

Going week in and week out takes effort. Most people over here don't have the patience for that in my experience.

Omackeral

D14Rugby wrote: »

Watching a game on TV isn't suffering.

I disagree with that. I've watched Ireland lose on TV and it's killed me.

To add to my other point, I've been to a handful of Ireland games including some aways but in no way would I consider myself as big a fan as someone who goes all the time or who treks to bleak Georgia or Gibraltar for crappy qualifiers.

Omackeral

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Just don't expect the world to hold you in awe, like you and you alone are keeping the sport of soccer alive. You're sitting on your arse watching others play a game, they don't give out trophies for that I'm afraid, even if it's raining!

Ironic thing is that Rovers fans did keep them alive. The 400 Club saved their asses. Dedicated fans. Oh, and Tallaght has plenty of protection against the elements so no worries there. It's a lovely little stadium that's been deemed good enough to hold U21 internationals and Europa League matches.

sbsquarepants

Omackeral wrote: »

Going week in and week out takes effort. Most people over here don't have the patience for that in my experience.

I was very impressed with Dundalk at the time, fair play to them they played some nice football. Nowhere near top level, but given their resources they done brilliantly.

I don't see why the issue with "actively avoiding" live football - we all do it all the time. There's live football being played everywhere all the damn time. If you didn't actively avoid it, you'd get nothing else done ffs!

Do you stop and watch every football match you pass or something?

sbsquarepants

Omackeral wrote: »

Ironic thing is that Rovers fans did keep them alive. The 400 Club saved their asses. Dedicated fans. Oh, and Tallaght has plenty of protection against the elements so no worries there. It's a lovely little stadium that's been deemed good enough to hold U21 internationals and Europa League matches.

I know, I was at one of them!

It's a lovely little stadium, very impressive for what it is.

Necro

I wouldn't attend any LOI games tbh, I don't feel any connection to the nearest club at all.

Would go to see my local club's adult team fairly regularly though (Junior League).

I find it more interesting watching people I know out there and that I can root for (then go on the pish with afterwards).

Same reason I enjoy club GAA football but not really a fan of county tbh.

In terms of the highest levels then I'd follow Arsenal for my sins. Was born down the road from Leyton Orient's ground but most of my family were either Spurs or Arsenal (with one black sheep in a United fan) so I followed suit.

Young lad is now starting to take an interest and has started watching live Arsenal matches with me, for as long as they hold his attention. Tbf the local LOI grabbed his interest with free passes to a match but unfortunately wasn't able to go cos of work. I'll likely take him though next time they roll around.

D14Rugby

odyssey06 wrote: »

Ireland 0 - 1 Netherlands Euro 88. You're saying only the few thousand Irish fans in the stadium suffered?

Did only the Barcelona or Ajax fans in the stadium this week suffer?

Nonsense.

I was talking about regularly watching on TV.

sbsquarepants wrote: »

It gets worse, there's kids play every single Saturday and Sunday right down the road form my house, sometimes I don't even look sideways as I walk past!

I'm not trying to be seen as anything (unlike yourself) I just like what I like and I have no need to justify it to anyone else. If standing in the rain watching the super hoops floats your boat, have at it - best of luck to you. I hope you have a good time.

Just don't expect the world to hold you in awe, like you and you alone are keeping the sport of soccer alive. You're sitting on your arse watching others play a game, they don't give out trophies for that I'm afraid, even if it's raining!

I'm not trying to seem like anything. You meanwhile are trying to seem like a football fan when you're clearly not.

Greyfox

D14Rugby wrote: »

TV companies paying for rights and people who watch the matches being fans of the teams playing are two completely different things. I watched both the semi finals this week, I couldn't have cared less who won, go into any pub round the country and it'll be the same people watching equivalent games no matter who's playing.
Most of the time people watch the football, not the teams.

There not 2 different things, the TV companies pay clubs huge money BECAUSE of all the fans watching on TV and a lot of those fans dont have the time or money to go to the game live themselves so the clubs are very happy to have these fans. No, they generally watch the team, the pubs where jammers on tuesday because Ireland is full of Liverpool fans, you didnt care about the match but millions of people around the world did. Barcelona and Liverpool are both very happy that the match was in pubs all around the world

sbsquarepants

D14Rugby wrote: »

I'm not trying to seem like anything. You meanwhile are trying to seem like a football fan when you're clearly not.

If for some weird reason it cheers you up to think that, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I do find it really odd, but hey that's the beauty of the internet for you isn't it!

D14Rugby

Greyfox wrote: »

There not 2 different things, the TV companies pay clubs huge money BECAUSE of all the fans watching on TV and a lot of those fans dont have the time or money to go to the game live themselves so the clubs are very happy to have these fans. No, they generally watch the team, the pubs where jammers on tuesday because Ireland is full of Liverpool fans, you didnt care about the match but millions of people around the world did. Barcelona and Liverpool are both very happy that the match was in pubs all around the world

The pub was jammer because it was the champions league semi final. A very very small percentage of the people in the world that watched the Liverpool Barcelona game would consider themselves Liverpool fans.

odyssey06

Greyfox wrote: »

There not 2 different things, the TV companies pay clubs huge money BECAUSE of all the fans watching on TV and a lot of those fans dont have the time or money to go to the game live themselves so the clubs are very happy to have these fans. No, they generally watch the team, the pubs where jammers on tuesday because Ireland is full of Liverpool fans, you didnt care about the match but millions of people around the world did. Barcelona and Liverpool are both very happy that the match was in pubs all around the world

Exactly. Look at Celtic, average gates of what 50,000 plus?
The reason they have fallen so far behind in comparison to the Premier League is the value of the TV rights.

Alex Ferguson managed Man Utd from the First Division through to the Premier League era. The reason why his finishing salary was multiples of his starting salary was mostly due to the value of TV rights not home attendances.
Ditto for players like Roy Keane. The players of the 80s playing in front of 50,000 fans earned a fraction of the salaries of the players of the late 00s in front of same crowds.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

D14Rugby wrote: »

The pub was jammer because it was the champions league semi final. A very very small percentage of the people in the world that watched the Liverpool Barcelona game would consider themselves Liverpool fans.

In all farness, there are 7+ billion people in the world.

Also, plenty of people who weren't Liverpool fans would have been interested in that match. Especially considering the first leg result.

Omackeral

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I don't see why the issue with "actively avoiding" live football - we all do it all the time. There's live football being played everywhere all the damn time. If you didn't actively avoid it, you'd get nothing else done ffs!

Do you stop and watch every football match you pass or something?

I'll tell you what it is. it's this notion that Irish people are the best fans in the world. I ask ''how?''. The people keeping their clubs going and making sacrifices are the best in the world. Whether it's a dedicated group at Luton Town or Rovers or Oviedo trying to keep them afloat or those lads in the Turbans you see behind the dug out at Old Trafford that are permanent fixtures, they're the types who I'd consider to be the best. Anyone can watch a telly. I think people who make the effort to support and grow their clubs are better than some fellas in work who watch a match on the box and taunt the Mancs or the Scousers. It's these same people that will be lampooning England a week after chanting ''we are the Champions, Champions of England.''

Listen, I watched both semi finals during the week and found them phenomenal. There's an idea that you can't love both. You can. I'd say nearly 95% of LOI fans just love football in general. Most would shout for an English team. I don't care for any EPL team myself but I do enjoy watching. It's this crap though when people say who do you support and you answer Bohs they automatically say yeah but like in England? It's actually bizarre to them that you can just follow your own team. I don't mind it too much but it's odd when you take yourself out of the bubble. Worse, though, is when they say things like ''ah but which real team?''. Newsflash, they're real, I'll be really there on Friday. Or if they say, ''why would ya watch that sh*te?''. Well why would you watch Ireland? Why not Spain? ''Eh, I'm from Ireland.'' Yeah will I'm from Dublin so that's why I like them. Anyway, why would I watch that sh*te? Well would you stop watching the 'Pool if they got relegated to League One. Standard isn't the only thing, if it was there's be no need for anything outside El Classico, the Top 4 and a handful of others.

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I was very impressed with Dundalk at the time, fair play to them they played some nice football. Nowhere near top level, but given their resources they done brilliantly.

I don't even know what to say to that. It absolutely was top level in this country.If you're talking Europe-wide, then no, Dundalk shockingly weren't at an elite world level.

odyssey06

D14Rugby wrote: »

The pub was jammer because it was the champions league semi final. A very very small percentage of the people in the world that watched the Liverpool Barcelona game would consider themselves Liverpool fans.

If it had been Ajax versus Galatasary they wouldn't have been busy. Not on a Wednesday night. You might get the odd pub busy where fans of those clubs in Ireland agreed to meet to watch the game.

The final on a Saturday night would have more interest to total neutrals.

Omackeral

D14Rugby wrote: »

You meanwhile are trying to seem like a football fan when you're clearly not.

He's in the 400 Club, the cheek of you.

sbsquarepants

Omackeral wrote: »

I don't even know what to say to that. It absolutely was top level in this country.If you're talking Europe-wide, then no, Dundalk shockingly weren't at an elite world level.

So you did know what to say to it!

Being the best of a not very good bunch, is not top level. Just like romping home in the 100m on your school sport day doesn't put you in Usain Bolts league.

Champions league is top level - if you do well there you can confidently argue that you are in the elite of world football. That is top level football - not the best in Ireland, or the best in Kazakhstan, or the best West Cork - the best in the world.

D14Rugby

odyssey06 wrote: »

If it had been Ajax versus Galatasary they wouldn't have been busy.

For a champions league semi second leg I doubt the figures would have changed much if at all

Omackeral wrote: »

He's in the 400 Club, the cheek of you.

A member of the 400 club that hasn't been in Tallaght for a game other than Real Madrid and Juventus. Yeah I believe that.

sbsquarepants

D14Rugby wrote: »

The pub was jammer because it was the champions league semi final. A very very small percentage of the people in the world that watched the Liverpool Barcelona game would consider themselves Liverpool fans.

Sure who cares what they consider themselves, what would they know, it's what you consider them that really matters!

sbsquarepants

D14Rugby wrote: »

A member of the 400 club that hasn't been in Tallaght for a game other than Real Madrid and Juventus. Yeah I believe that.

Pssst - he was only joking:rolleyes: