Irish people supporting English football teams

Farawayhome · 01-05-2019 11:51PM

Zaph wrote: »

I wouldn't, but I wouldn't do it over a football team either. Some would, admittedly, but for me having a bit of craic with friends or work colleagues about your respective teams is all part of the fun and enjoyment of following soccer. Just as it is with all team sports.

If you don't feel Irish soccer is good enough then why choose England? Surely a Spanish team or something would provide more enjoyment.

Stephen15 · 01-05-2019 11:54PM

I would imagine it's fairly common for people in regions with weaker football leagues to support teams in regions with stronger football teams. Look at most of the third world most people there support teams in Europe and not local teams. Also in Scandanivan countries particularly Norway where domestic football is weaker it is common to support English clubs.

https://www.lifeinnorway.net/the-norwegian-obsession-with-english-football/

Zaph · 01-05-2019 11:55PM

Farawayhome wrote: »

If you don't feel Irish soccer is good enough then why choose England? Surely a Spanish team or something would provide more enjoyment.

When I started following soccer in the early 70s you might as well support a team on Mars as Spain because the coverage available in Ireland would be pretty much the same. That said, there are teams in other countries that I take more of an interest in than others, but as regards who I actually support, it'll be the same team I've followed for well over 40 years.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 02-05-2019 12:00AM

Farawayhome wrote: »

Oh yeah, but would you get so upset and into fights with somebody over a tennis player? People who've never set foot in either Liverpool or Manchester get in huge arguments with each other, call each other scouse scum or manc scum etc. Obviously, that's not everyone but it's a bit pathetic isn't it?

Name calling yes. Absolutely. But I've seen that happen with Bohs and Rovers too. The fact that they're local supporters and not foreign makes no difference - it's still pathetic.

But I also watch american football and have a favourite NFL team and have had debates with fans of other teams there as will.

Never liked GAA, found it boring when I was a kid. No idea why. Hurling as well (but it was fun to play). Just life.

dd973 · 02-05-2019 12:20AM

Not this again, Irish people follow English football as do Scandinavians, likewise lots of English and Irish people follow Spanish and Italian football, might as well have a thread on bear defecation in Canadian woodland.

ChikiChiki · 02-05-2019 12:24AM

NIMAN wrote: »

But is this reason simply NOT to go to watch your local team, ever?

Or just a convenient excuse?

It's actually a reason NOT too. Why would anyone support such carry on?

The mind boggles.

Tom Mann Centuria · 02-05-2019 12:26AM

Zaph wrote: »

but as regards who I actually support, it'll be the same team I've followed for well over 40 years.

One day they won't fcuk up getting out of the Championship, when they look nailed on to do it.

One day.

garyskeepers · 02-05-2019 12:31AM

I once had a friend of 20 years stop talking to me, COMPLETELY beause I didnt have a problem with the queen coming over here, becase he "hated the English" .

He was a huge Leeds fan, bought the jerseys, went to matches, etc. Then moved to Australia for a while.

Still hasnt talked to me since.

go Figure

Necro · 02-05-2019 12:36AM

Farawayhome wrote:

Oh yeah, but would you get so upset and into fights with somebody over a tennis player? People who've never set foot in either Liverpool or Manchester get in huge arguments with each other, call each other scouse scum or manc scum etc. Obviously, that's not everyone but it's a bit pathetic isn't it?

You obviously haven't read the Federer/Nadal debates online then :P

It's just tribal stuff really. Some get carried away, most behave themselves normally.

Same could be applied to stuff like politics or religion, it's not something that keeps me up at night tbh.

EmmetSpiceland · 02-05-2019 12:49AM

Farawayhome wrote: »

Oh yeah, but would you get so upset and into fights with somebody over a tennis player? People who've never set foot in either Liverpool or Manchester get in huge arguments with each other, call each other scouse scum or manc scum etc. Obviously, that's not everyone but it's a bit pathetic isn't it?

Honestly, outside of the terraces of a LoI game the only actual fist fight I’ve seen was watching the 2007 Champions League final, I think it was on midweek, if I’m not mistaken.

Again, it was down to a group of Man United fans goading the Liverpool fans after they’d lost. I thought the Liverpool guys were stupid for biting but it had been going on all evening and eventually reached breaking point.

I don’t think I’ve seen any other team’s fans go out to watch another side, that they don’t support, play. It’s pretty bizarre. Whatever about going to watch a game as neutral, wearing your own teams jersey, and purposely attacking one side, really is quite sad.

Zaph · 02-05-2019 02:08AM

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

One day they won't fcuk up getting out of the Championship, when they look nailed on to do it.

One day.

I wish I had your confidence.

NIMAN · 02-05-2019 02:35AM

ChikiChiki wrote: »

It's actually a reason NOT too. Why would anyone support such carry on?

The mind boggles.

So I should abandon my local football team cos John Delaney is a chancer?

BohsCeltic · 02-05-2019 02:40AM

The main issue is some of these so called 'fans' have never been in their clubs stadium. Just bar stool supporters.

areu4real? · 02-05-2019 02:55AM

If you want to go down the road of only supporting Irish football teams then you must also watch: only Irish movies and TV shows, listen only to Irish musicians, solely appreciate Irish art, etc, etc.

The fact is people will generally look for higher quality entertainment, so Hollywood movies and European art are normal. If you excluded soccer ball you surely must exclude all the other nasty international shenanigans and become a pure nationalist. And that's not exactly a good thing imo

Yer Da sells Avon · 02-05-2019 03:03AM

physioman wrote: »

I just don't get it.

It's mad how there are so many threads on AH started by people who don't 'get' stuff that other people 'get'. Sometimes it seems like like part of your brains are missing.

BohsCeltic wrote:

The main issue is some of these so called 'fans' have never been in their clubs stadium. Just bar stool supporters.

So what? I've never been to Australia, but I still watch Home and Away.

mikhail · 02-05-2019 03:30AM

areu4real? wrote: »

If you want to go down the road of only supporting Irish football teams then you must also watch: only Irish movies and TV shows, listen only to Irish musicians, solely appreciate Irish art, etc, etc.

The fact is people will generally look for higher quality entertainment, so Hollywood movies and European art are normal. If you excluded soccer ball you surely must exclude all the other nasty international shenanigans and become a pure nationalist. And that's not exactly a good thing imo

That's a stupid analogy, and you know it. Do you support the German national football team? Do you support Stephen Soderbergh movies at the exclusion of any other? Have you ever stood in a stadium, singing the praises of Banksy? I suppose you support Dublin in the gaelic football because of their silky skills and great success making for higher quality entertainment, even though you hail from elsewhere?

dd973 · 02-05-2019 03:33AM

garyskeepers wrote: »

I once had a friend of 20 years stop talking to me, COMPLETELY beause I didnt have a problem with the queen coming over here, becase he "hated the English" .

He was a huge Leeds fan, bought the jerseys, went to matches, etc. Then moved to Australia for a while.

Still hasnt talked to me since.

go Figure

He sounds like the idiot who once took me for English (based on having an accent that's less than 100% Irish) and asked if I was on a 'tour of duty', what a thick c**t was my inner response.

Your Face · 02-05-2019 03:47AM

I don't support any English teams but I always watch Barca play and I've been to a few of their matches.
I've gone to a load of LOI games and tbh it's boring stuff and of low quality.
If I'm paying, I want to be entertained so I can see why people would follow a premiership team.

Optimalprimerib · 02-05-2019 03:56AM

The premier league is supported worldwide. It has many of the best players in the world and is marketed at an international as well as domestic audience. You adopt a team, whether you are from there or not and become a fan. The same as you do for a musician, artist, author or actor.

Humans have a tribal instinct and want to identify and be identified as part of a tribe. Soccer fans pick a popular team such as Liverpool and it becomes part of them. Nothing wrong with it.

NIMAN · 02-05-2019 04:08AM

Your Face wrote: »

I don't support any English teams but I always watch Barca play and I've been to a few of their matches.
I've gone to a load of LOI games and tbh it's boring stuff and of low quality.
If I'm paying, I want to be entertained so I can see why people would follow a premiership team.

First off, if you go to LoI games expecting to see anywhere near the standard you are watching guys on €100,000 ---> €500,000 per week get, then you're deluded.

And secondly, the EPL is like most football leagues. Most games are average at best, a top class entertaining game is a rare thing. I have been watching football for several decades, and it can take you months to see a great game. I get more excited being at the Brandywell watching us beat one of the LoI top sides rather than watching a great football match like Barca v Liverpool tonight.

But hey, maybe thats just me.

Annd9 · 02-05-2019 07:40AM

Trying to explain this to an Italian chap last week , he really couldn't understand why so many Irish people support English teams .

It's usually pawned off that's it only entertainment so why is it anybody's business ? Which is fair enough but if I go to a pub on a Monday evening I won't have group's shouting abuse at each other over the Starks and Lanister's because that would be ridiculous, It's only entertainment . This week has shown the idiotic behaviour of Liverpool and Mufc "fans" it's pathetic .

You then get the quality argument , yet they will support the National team or even some sub standard English club because some Irish bloke who played for them in the 70's fingered their aunt .
They do not hold the same principle towards other sports though , it's all local pride and "Hon the parish"

False Prophet · 02-05-2019 07:54AM

Annd9 wrote: »

They do not hold the same principle towards other sports though , it's all local pride and "Hon the parish"

Perhaps because in other sports they have local teams? Gaa have club and county. Rugby has provincial and international. Loi has mostly Dublin teams with a few town teams that disband and reform.
Also you never hear people asking why they go on foreign hols and dont stay in Ireland or why dont they always speak Irish instead of English or why they watch BBC or American shows over Irish TV. Why do they follow foreign music instead of local acts etc etc

Annd9 · 02-05-2019 08:17AM

False Prophet wrote: »

Perhaps because in other sports they have local teams? Gaa have club and county. Rugby has provincial and international. Loi has mostly Dublin teams with a few town teams that disband and reform.
Also you never hear people asking why they go on foreign hols and dont stay in Ireland or why dont they always speak Irish instead of English or why they watch BBC or American shows over Irish TV. Why do they follow foreign music instead of local acts etc etc

We have no local Soccer clubs in Ireland ? Where have I been playing for 25 years ? I'm confused.
There are 20 Loi teams , 6 are from Dublin . Once again , if football was classed like all the other forms of entertainment you listed I would agree , I've just never seen verbal or online abuse being thrown about because of what band you listen to or your next holiday destination.

inforfun · 02-05-2019 08:21AM

Your Face wrote: »

I don't support any English teams but I always watch Barca play and I've been to a few of their matches.
I've gone to a load of LOI games and tbh it's boring stuff and of low quality.
If I'm paying, I want to be entertained so I can see why people would follow a premiership team.

There is a reason only a maximum of 6 PL matches (most of the time 5, sometimes only 4) are on live tv each week.
Cause the other matches are usually low quality, boring matches.

A couple of seasons ago i had to rinse my eyes with bleach after accidentally tuning in on Burnley - Hull.
I have seen Dutch 1st division matches played on a plastic pitch that were of higher quality and were more entertaining.
It was an insult, that PL match.
And all that for just £150 million tv money per team per season.

jr86 · 02-05-2019 09:00AM

physioman wrote: »

I just don't get it. Why are Irish people so fanatical about English football teams. I particularly laugh at the way they talk about individual players being loyal to particular teams. Do they really care about the fans or the 100k they are getting a week. ðŸ˜‚

A lot of the social media chatter about Suarez last night was cringeworthy in the extreme

Grown adults upset at a player for celebrating a goal in a European semi, have you ever see the likes :pac:

Standman · 02-05-2019 09:43AM

I'll just say this: All you people who don't watch Game of Thrones but are subjected to annoyingly incessant GoT chatter online and in the real world, welcome to the life of someone who's not interested in soccer.

topper75 · 02-05-2019 09:44AM

GBX wrote: »

Clan culture .. not a new thing. Same way women ****e themselves over the latest garb one of the Instargom fluencers spout on about or the D4 heads shouting for the Maori Fiachra playing for New Zealand . Not gonna stop or change any time soon!

Lowest common denominators can never be sophisticated or impressive I suppose by definition. That is why chats with work colleagues are often mundane and dull. The only thing you may have in common is that HR picked you both. Hence 'the match last night', 'awful dress' etc.

Your Face · 02-05-2019 09:47AM

NIMAN wrote: »

First off, if you go to LoI games expecting to see anywhere near the standard you are watching guys on €100,000 ---> €500,000 per week get, then you're deluded.

And secondly, the EPL is like most football leagues. Most games are average at best, a top class entertaining game is a rare thing. I have been watching football for several decades, and it can take you months to see a great game. I get more excited being at the Brandywell watching us beat one of the LoI top sides rather than watching a great football match like Barca v Liverpool tonight.

But hey, maybe thats just me.

Fascinating.

B_ecke_r · 02-05-2019 09:50AM

Follow Liverpool home and away and also 90% my LOI Team's Home games,

why does there need to be a distinction?

they're very rarely on at the same time

is_that_so · 02-05-2019 09:56AM

Farawayhome wrote: »

If you don't feel Irish soccer is good enough then why choose England? Surely a Spanish team or something would provide more enjoyment.

Some people watch all types of football. English teams are popular in many countries as are Spanish teams, Italian teams. German teams etc.

Irish people supporting English football teams

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