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Why do Irish people support English teams?

DEFTLEFTHAND

I was born and raised in Tipperary. My mother kept the home when Dad worked.

Dad worked in the merchant navy for yrs and loved soccer.

He lived in Inchicore when I was born. He was an officer on the Holyhead ferry.

We used to go to Richmond Park. Some of my earliest memomories in life are of him swearing and getting angry with me up on his lap.

He was a very emotive man, but very loving.

I just could never get why most of Dublin and the rest of the country supported the English league .

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blade1

And it's not just Irish people,
People all over the world support English teams.

[Deleted User]

IAMAMORON wrote: »

I remember seeing a fight on a Saturday afternoon in a pub in Drimnagh between Liverpool and Man United fans, I will never ever get over the sight of Irish men fighting each other wearing British soccer jerseys.

I honest to god saw a fella squaring up to the ref (on the telly) before. Honest to god. Was a Man United match also as it happens. His mates telling him to leave it. Just mind boggling.

Avatar MIA

demanufactured wrote: »

Acrington Stanley.

Who are they?

Edit, too slow.

But not as slow as Omackeral

(although, he's quick with the ninja edits)

mikemac2

The Welsh have it worse then us.

They have clubs playing in the English Premier League

[Deleted User]

Avatar MIA wrote: »

And you'd never support any team, and so the possibility of changing allegiance is irrelevant. County being where they are from not the GAA team.

Guess where the people going to see Dundee United are from. Guess where Bolton Wanderers fans are from. Guess where those at Birmingham City are from. Applies to the folks of those locations so why not here at home unless it's GAA?

andekwarhola

I think it's pretty impossible to support football in this country without liking an English team. So much about supporting sport is association from childhood so I don't have an issue with people liking English teams.

The only thing I find a bit strange is people that supposedly love football and pride themselves on being Irish but pointedly ignore, or even denigrate, the domestic league at every opportunity.

Its equally weird to see them effecting the trappings of supporting a local team in a ground but in a pub and the team on question is in a city that at best, most of them will see once or twice if at all.

Also people that don't watch a football team regularly and just watch on TV but to be fair, I think this is more a generational thing these days.

Do think it pointless getting worked up about it though. It won't change. Just enjoy what you have.

[Deleted User]

Necro wrote: »

For me I follow Arsenal as I was born in London and lived there for 6 years. Arguably my actual local team should be Leyton Orient, and I do have an affinity with them (keep an eye on their results at least), but most of my family who are North London based are either Spurs or Arsenal, so it was a straight up and simple choice for me, and I landed on the red side and regret absolutely nothing.

You seem to have an actual connection. Makes sense to anyone that you'd support them.

Avatar MIA

Omackeral wrote: »

Guess where the people going to see Dundee United are from. Guess where Bolton Wanderers fans are from. Guess where those at Birmingham City are from. Applies to the folks of those locations so why not here at home unless it's GAA?

Because the best of GAA is local, the best of soccer isnt.

[Deleted User]

blade1 wrote: »

And it's not just Irish people,
People all over the world support English teams.

Absolutely... but they don't profess to hate the English national team in the very next breath.

[Deleted User]

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Who are they?

Edit, too slow.

But not as slow as Omackeral (although, he's quick with the ninja edits)

*heavy scouse accent*

Exactly!

[Deleted User]

mikemac2 wrote: »

The Welsh have it worse then us.

They have clubs playing in the English Premier League

Sure Celtic are more Irish than any team in Ireland and look where they are.

Edenmoar

ill still be watching MOTD later but I was at bohs last night so I’ve served my penance! I don’t even support an English team but like the prem and champs league

[Deleted User]

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Because the best of GAA is local, the best of soccer isnt.

Suppose people following teams in League One, League 2 and the Conference are just kinda eejits then? Why follow anyone outside the top couple of tiers?

Avatar MIA

Necro wrote: »

and I landed on the red side and regret absolutely nothing.

The last 13 years of Wenger's Arsenal career?

I know, I know - People in glass houses...

andekwarhola

Ned Led Zeppo wrote: »

Is it any wonder that people in this country support soccer in the UK.RTE gives a
half-an hour of LOI highlights of our Premier division(excluding the other ten teams in the first division),they rarely show a match as it is,it beggars belief.

To be fair, RTE give it the proportionate amount of coverage its popularly warrants.

LOI people want it in TV to vindicate our league but its special angle of the league is its live aspect. The community and social side of that doesn't come across on TV and all the TV does is suck people that would go to games away from games if its a poor night etc.

In terms of new fans, somebody would be far more likely to start going to games on foot of a live game rather than a poorly filmed TV one.

[Deleted User]

Edenmoar wrote: »

ill still be watching MOTD later but I was at bohs last night so I’ve served my penance! I don’t even support an English team but like the prem and champs league

I'd be the exact same as you. Exact same. I think most people who attend LOI matches do support teams in England too though from conversations I've had. That's beauty of it, you can do both. Our games are on Friday nights and the EPL is on Saturdays and Sundays. You can have it all. Doesn't have to be a choice. I'd love if more people thought of it that way.

Avatar MIA

Omackeral wrote: »

Suppose people following teams in League One, League 2 and the Conference are just kinda eejits then? Why follow anyone outside the top couple of tiers?

The vast majority of those fans would be local. More people started following Sunderland because of the increased Irish connections, but unless there's some connection it's hard to understand why they would.

Edenmoar

Omackeral wrote: »

I'd be the exact same as you. Exact same. I think most people who attend LOI matches do support teams in England too though from conversations I've had. That's beauty of it, you can do both. Our games are on Friday nights and the EPL is on Saturdays and Sundays. You can have it all. Doesn't have to be a choice. I'd love if more people thought of it that way.

Are you bohs?

[Deleted User]

andekwarhola wrote: »

To be fair, RTE give it the proportionate amount of coverage its popularly warrants.

LOI people want it in TV to vindicate our league but its special angle of the league is its live aspect. The community and social side of that doesn't come across on TV and all the TV does is suck people that would go to games away from games if its a poor night etc.

In terms of new fans, somebody would be far more likely to start going to games on foot of a live game rather than a poorly filmed TV one.

I'd agree with this for the most part. Disappointing that there's a 6 week wait between televised games though. Bohs vs Rovers a few weeks ago was sold out so wouldn't have effected attendance, was on a Monday night and RTE showed re-runs of some show called Young Sheldon. Things like that would annoy you.

Another thing I've noticed is that there's plenty of foreign fans coming to games lately. A mixture of stags, football tourists and people that live here now. The LOI's grit or simpleness is really a part of its selling point I think. It's a throwback to a product you can't get at the elite levels in Europe. A warts and all type of deal. It's not sanitised to bits. I think that draws a lot of people. The Dublin Derby was sold out 3 weeks before a ball was kicked, that's got appeal beyond this country nowadays and it's a bit surreal because there's people in Phibsboro or Tallaght who wouldn't even know it's on. It's all mad.

[Deleted User]

Avatar MIA wrote: »

The vast majority of those fans would be local.

Which is pretty much the case everywhere in the world. Centuries of history usually at play. A Sheffield United fan from Sheffield seeing his team winning the FA Cup would mean more to him than it would to someone from Carlow watching United winning the league on telly.

Edenmoar

We have German, Brazilian and polish Bohs that I know of that are regularly at games. And of course the Gaybohs, love that crest!

[Deleted User]

Edenmoar wrote: »

Are you bohs?

Yeah, was there last night too. Did you not see me? I was the other fella.

Edenmoar

Omackeral wrote: »

Yeah, was there last night too. Did you not see me? I was the other fella.

You’re alright then, **secret handshake**

Avatar MIA

Omackeral wrote: »

The LOI's grit ... is really a part of its selling point I think.

My "home team" would be Cork, but the closest LOI stadium to where I live is Limerick. I've threatened to go there many times, but facilities there are pretty basic. Although Anfield road is no suburban dream either and it hasn't stopped me going there (back over with friends for the spurs match).

Another thing that stops me getting involved is the sheer amateur management of it. How could you get too involved with, say, Cork when they are a season or two away from imploding. :rolleyes:

Ardillaun

Omackeral wrote: »

Who wants to tell him...

I never queried Georgie's religion as a kid and it didn't arise in the stuff I saw on TV. Much later I discovered he tended to hang out with the Free Staters on the team. From first to last, I always saw him as one of our own despite the misfortune of his original sin.

andekwarhola

mikemac2 wrote: »

The Welsh have it worse then us.

They have clubs playing in the English Premier League

We nearly did, thanks to arseholes like Dunphy.

Pherekydes

Omackeral wrote: »

Ah that old chestnut. Gas how it's never Luton Town or Birmingham City even though the Irish flooded those places.

My father was a Preston fan because that's where he was based during the war.

demanufactured

Pauliedragon wrote: »

Who are they?

Exackkkly

pawdee

I support Melchester Rovers because my dad played for them back in the 70s.

barney shamrock

Wow, did he know Roy Race well? He was supposed to be a raving coke addled alcoholic cross dressing womaniser in real life.
Can you ask your dad if any of this is true?
Would be devastated if it is, he was my hero.