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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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[Deleted User]

RoboKlopp wrote: »

LOI v EPL debates are always amusing. A lot of inner bitterness emerges!

A lot of logic and hypocrisy too.

[Deleted User]

Omackeral wrote: »

A lot of logic and hypocrisy too.

Oh, that's for sure. Full of it.

Bonniedog

The Manc and Scouser thing. Pathetic.

Wasn't someone murdered outside a pub in Wicklow 6/7 years ago over a fight over this sort of cr@p?

Here's a question, and I've asked it myself of some of the dimmer members of the species: How many people in Manchester or Liverpool follow Arsenal or Celtic? Or Barcelona or Munich? Or Bohs or cork city?

Probably be sectioned :-)

gormdubhgorm

odyssey06 wrote: »

A country is not even remotely a larger extension of a club team.
Players of a country cannot transfer from one country to another.

Yes they can transfer from one country to another - Alex Bruce, Declan Rice etc.
The countries are becoming more and more like defacto clubs.

What is the difference why can I not switch the country I support, like Irish Premier League (mostly top six) supporters do with thier clubs?

You as a Premier League supporter switches clubs because you just decide to pick this team- you manufacturer an 'emotional connection' as many do who play for thier adopted country (because they are not good enough to play for thier chosen nation).

How is it frowned upon and not the done thing for a soccer supporter to switch support to a better country a more glamorous one?

You switch clubs? You pick the club that are winning at that time.
Players switch countries as a 'career move' in many cases.
Yet for me to switch my support from the Irish soccer team to the Netherlands team would horrify people. I could say I like the jerseys and style of play there is an 'emotional connection'.

What is the difference between:
1) Locals from one nation supporting foreign clubs from another nation, instead of thier own?
2) Nationals from one nation supporting foreign nations, instead of thier own?
3) Or players making a 'career move' to play for another nation not of his birth?

Explain this nuance to me.
Because I think that is the nub of it.

Why is it OK for you to chose the top six English club, a player can chose a country (for an international career)
But I can't chose a country I like to support that are better and more glamorous than Ireland? :rolleyes:

gormdubhgorm

odyssey06 wrote: »

No, if they lost their community to anyone they lost it to the local GAA club and county team - or rather, didn't lose it but GAA got there first and are entrenched in almost every parish. And if GAA satisifies those for whom community is the be all and end all when it comes to sport, for those who want the glory, glamour, the flair, the drama and the sense that what they are watching is where 'the action is' on a worldwide stage, the natural place to look is the top divisions of England.
And many Irish sports fans are capable of appreciating both qualities.

So you are basically telling me that the Irish soccer fan in general is a snob who only wants the designer stuff?
The own brand does not appeal to them because of successful marketing.
There can be flair and drama at lower levels of football as well.
There are many divisions in English football, all the supporters there do not solely gravitate towards the top six teams.
People who like soccer can get as much joy from the sport, by following lower level teams.

Some even got fed up of the cost and commericalisation of thier local team in England.

Greyfox

Bonniedog wrote: »

How many people in Manchester or Liverpool follow Arsenal or Celtic?

Very few but that's due to those citys having much better teams than Ireland has and there clubs having a far, far bigger impact on the city. LOI football doesn't have a huge impact generally which is why some people like me don't feel like it's part of there community. LOI deserves better but it's competing against so many other things

Bonniedog

Greyfox wrote: »

Very few but that's due to those citys having much better teams than Ireland has and there clubs having a far, far bigger impact on the city. LOI football doesn't have a huge impact generally which is why some people like me don't feel like it's part of there community. LOI deserves better but it's competing against so many other things

Well better example might be why don't people in Stockport support Man u or Man city, or people in Tranmere support Liverpool or Everton?

Because they have local pride and connection, perhaps.

dxhound2005

Bonniedog wrote: »

Well better example might be why don't people in Stockport support Man u or Man city, or people in Tranmere support Liverpool or Everton?

Because they have local pride and connection, perhaps.

There are Celtic supporters clubs all over England. Including four in Manchester. How would anyone here know how many Celtic supporters there are in different English cities?

http://www.celtic-badges.com/csc-information-england.html

gormdubhgorm

dxhound2005 wrote: »

There are Celtic supporters clubs all over England. Including four in Manchester. How would anyone here know how many Celtic supporters there are in different English cities?

http://www.celtic-badges.com/csc-information-england.html

Some of the names are interesting anyway

'Birmingham Sons of Erin'

My favorite is:

'Black Country Che Guevara'

YFlyer

Omackeral wrote: »

It was actually the game when Roy Carroll spilled Mendes' halfway line shot about 2 yards over the goal line and it wasn't given. Suppose that was memorable in fairness and had a great view of it.

The linesman couldn't help the Utd scarf from covering his eyes when he was racing back towards the corner flag.

gormdubhgorm

This American Soccer fella calls soccer fans who do not watch thier local team fraudulent.

But an English fella argues,

Surely it’s time football supporters were allowed the same geographical freedom as players, without fear of being branded a "glory hunter" or "plastic fan"?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/10735258/Whats-wrong-with-not-supporting-my-local-team.html

This English fella discusses why he swapped teams -

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/10658105/Why-arent-football-fans-allowed-to-swap-teams.html

And he discuss some nuance about inconsistencies as he sees it in people who are critical of him

Another guy just got fed up of his club he said he supported (much like an Irish fan of an English club would from a distance)

But he changed it when he got sick of the team, it was easy for him to let go it seemed.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/when-saturday-comes-blog/2013/mar/14/football-club-miserable-support-another-team

[Deleted User]

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

If you really love a sport you would watch it at all levels.
Ireland Premier League supporters do not so much as love the sport, they love the brand the glamour.
When it was called 'the best league in the world' for decades (when it plainly wasn't) the Irish supporter really believed it.

This argument simply can't be aimed exclusively at Irish fans of EPL clubs. How many Dublin football fans will be turning up for the Summer only in Croke Pk to see the 'drive for five'? How many of these were at O'Byrne Cup games early in the year or at NFL games down the country or at Dublin club games? Is the summer only fan merely a lover of the 'brand and the glamour' and not a lover of the sport of Gaelic football itself as well?

gormdubhgorm

Deleted User wrote: »

This argument simply can't be aimed at Irish fans of EPL clubs. How many Dublin football fans will be turning up for the Summer only in Croke Pk to see the 'drive for five'? How many of these were at O'Byrne Cup games early in the year or at NFL games down the country or at Dublin club games? Is the summer only fan merely a lover of the 'brand and the glamour' and not a lover of the sport of Gaelic football itself?

Those sunshine 'supporters' that go GAA games for the big games are definitely there for the glamour. They are there for the event more-so than the sport itself.
It is the same is all sports.

But the Irish EPL supporters are particularly insincere in thier approach.
Not only do they support a foreign club which they chose, But the chose the club who are winning/or have a good chance of winning.
It was not Huddersfield, Cardiff and Fulham last year for Irish EPL supporters.

If Irish EPL supporters were not only after the glamour and brand why do they only support top six teams in the majority of cases?
As far as most Irish EPL supporters are concerned the bottom half of the table in the Premier League is an irrelevance.
They could hardly be even described as even as Premier League followers in the true sense as they are only interested one half of the Premier league at a push.

Sam Quentin

Thank God ME MAMMY got me a Dundalk FC school bag....... C'mon D Town

[Deleted User]

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Those sunshine 'supporters' that go GAA games for the big games are definitely there for the glamour. They are there for the event more-so than the sport itself.
It is the same is all sports.

But the Irish EPL supporters are particularly insincere in thier approach.
Not only do they support a foreign club which they chose, But the chose the club who are winning/or have a good chance of winning.
It was not Huddersfield, Cardiff and Fulham last year for Irish EPL supporters.

If Irish EPL supporters were not only after the glamour and brand why do they only support top six teams in the majority of cases?
As far as most Irish EPL supporters are concerned the bottom half of the table in the Premier League is an irrelevance.

They could hardly be even described as even as Premier League followers in the true sense as they are only interested one half of the Premier league at a push.

Rubbish. If say you grew up in Westport in Mayo (like me), wheres my 'local' LoI club? The nearest one ever has been Galway (50 miles away). The next nearest are 75 to 80 miles way (Sligo, Longford etc). Heres a map of showing a distribution of LoI clubs (not all are shown). The LoI is not relevant to many people who like soccer in this country. Thats not intended as a derogatory comment btw, but one based on geography.

[Deleted User]

i support a team in the closest high-quality league of the sport im most interested in

im given to believe this is fairly common

SonOfGoat

OP, you're a muppet with too much time on your hands. Your question is nonsense. Answer your own question by asking yourself why do you support an english team, your a ****ehouse looking for attention with all your bizarre threads.

jk23

The Gaa also has an influence on the LOI... As mentioned a couple of posts ago, will a mayo man really support Galway United? I don't think so but maybe I am wrong. Same with Sligo rovers...

Turtyturd

Greyfox wrote: »

LOI deserves better but it's competing against so many other things

It doesn’t though, and unfortunately those associated with it having this attitude is why it’s never improved to the stage of being an attraction to most football fans in this country.

You can’t just put out a sub standard product and think it deserves to be supported because it’s local. Will be interesting to see who gets the blame once Delaney is gone and there’s no improvement in quality, increased ire towards ‘barstoolers’ perhaps?

D14Rugby

I love the "how could someone from mayo support a team from sligo/Galway" argument because equally as valid is "how could someone from Ireland support a team from England"

paulbok

Deleted User wrote: »

Rubbish. If say you grew up in Westport in Mayo (like me), wheres my 'local' LoI club? The nearest one ever has been Galway (50 miles away). The next nearest are 75 to 80 miles way (Sligo, Longford etc). Heres a map of showing a distribution of LoI clubs (not all are shown). The LoI is not relevant to many people who like soccer in this country. Thats not intended as a derogatory comment btw, but one based on geography.

jk23 wrote: »

The Gaa also has an influence on the LOI... As mentioned a couple of posts ago, will a mayo man really support Galway United? I don't think so but maybe I am wrong. Same with Sligo rovers...

These are the reasons I don't have a 'local' LOI team. I live in Roscommon, approx half way between Sligo and Athlone both an hour away so feel no connection to them. Longford Town are a lot closer but feel no connection to a team in another county due to GAA divisions.
I'm well aware the same reasons can be held moreso against supporting an English team, but I had to pick someone and when I was 5/6 when I chose to support Man Utd. I was unaware the LOI even existed. English teams were on TV, Irish were not. First to market and all that.
I did go to a lot of Bohs and Shels games for a while when I was in college but never felt any affinity to either.

odyssey06

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Yes they can transfer from one country to another - Alex Bruce, Declan Rice etc.
The countries are becoming more and more like defacto clubs.

What is the difference why can I not switch the country I support, like Irish Premier League (mostly top six) supporters do with thier clubs?

You as a Premier League supporter switches clubs because you just decide to pick this team- you manufacturer an 'emotional connection' as many do who play for thier adopted country (because they are not good enough to play for thier chosen nation).

How is it frowned upon and not the done thing for a soccer supporter to switch support to a better country a more glamorous one?

You switch clubs? You pick the club that are winning at that time.
Players switch countries as a 'career move' in many cases.
Yet for me to switch my support from the Irish soccer team to the Netherlands team would horrify people. I could say I like the jerseys and style of play there is an 'emotional connection'.

What is the difference between:
1) Locals from one nation supporting foreign clubs from another nation, instead of thier own?
2) Nationals from one nation supporting foreign nations, instead of thier own?
3) Or players making a 'career move' to play for another nation not of his birth?

Explain this nuance to me.
Because I think that is the nub of it.

Why is it OK for you to chose the top six English club, a player can chose a country (for an international career)
But I can't chose a country I like to support that are better and more glamorous than Ireland? :rolleyes:

Players can play for any club team in the world. They can be transferred mid-season. They can be transferred for fees between clubs, or when their contract expires.
They can play for two different clubs in the same city or country in the same league in the same season.
Clubs can field players of any nationality.
English clubs fields Irish players who would not be eligible for the English national side e.g. Seamus Coleman & Everton.
If Everton played Bohemians in a European game, and you're from Phibsborough you would kinda be expected to be cheering for Bohs.
If you are from Clontarf or Donegal, there'd be no expectations. If you are from Killybegs likely you'd be expected to cheer for Everton.

Players cannot simply pick and choose what country to play for out of all the countries in the world, they have to meet defined eligibility criteria.
Once they have played a competitive match for a country as an adult, they are locked into that country for life.
If they have eligibility to multiple countries, they have a choice as to which country to declare for. There is no transfer fee, no waiting for contract to expire. It is an entirely personal decision.
Declan Rice could opt for England or Ireland, he couldn't opt for Netherlands. He currently plays for West Ham, he could in future play for Ajax or PSV.

If you were from Luxembourg, cheering on Netherlands would be more understandable, I guess because the country you'd be expected to cheer for, even if they are in same pyramid, aren't (even periodically) at the same competitive level as Netherlands. If ROI didn't quality for a finals competitions, cheering on Netherlands would also be totally understandable. But if Ireland are playing Netherlands in a playoff, it will be thought strange for an Irish person to want Netherlands to win. But it's a free country, you are free to do that and people are free to think that's a little strange.

If you move to the Netherlands, live there for at least a year and pick up a slight Dutch accent, you'd probably be alright either way!

Greyfox

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

This American Soccer fella calls soccer fans who do not watch thier local team fraudulent.

...But an English fella argues,

Surely it’s time football supporters were allowed the same geographical freedom as players, without fear of being branded a "glory hunter" or "plastic fan"?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/10735258/Whats-wrong-with-not-supporting-my-local-team.html

I am 100% on the side of the English fella, some very good points made in the telegraph article. You should try to support a local team as well but if you dont it doesnt make you any less of a football fan

Bonniedog

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Some of the names are interesting anyway
'Birmingham Sons of Erin'

My favorite is:

'Black Country Che Guevara'

:eek:

Is there a Coventry Heinrich Himmler?

Regarding point re Dublin Summer supporters, valid enough.

But Dublin, and Mayo indeed, would have big attendances for all league games as well. Dublin average is 20,000, Mayo around 10,000 maybe more?

But as said somewhere far above, Irish people are not great supporters of live sport compared to other countries.

Particularly galls me when you see certain hurling counties in Munster who get less than 10,000 for big home games in championship, but who will have 60,000 people whinging that they can't get a fkn ticket for the final!

We are lazy sods

The Moldy Gowl

Turtyturd wrote: »

It doesn’t though, and unfortunately those associated with it having this attitude is why it’s never improved to the stage of being an attraction to most football fans in this country.

You can’t just put out a sub standard product and think it deserves to be supported because it’s local. Will be interesting to see who gets the blame once Delaney is gone and there’s no improvement in quality, increased ire towards ‘barstoolers’ perhaps?

Why dosent it deserve our support?
The vast majority who went once to have a look have come back. I was one and have a season ticket because I was a fan of football.

It's a great attraction to fans of football, you can have both. Nice day out with pints and football in front of you and then watch the premiership on Saturday. They aren't mutually exclusive.
I may not care as much as I did about the premiership but I still check reddit daily for man utd news and football news.

No one will get the blame as the standard and attendances have been increasing for the last few years.
Bohs have sold out against finn harps and ucd this season. 2 teams stuck at the bottom of the table.
The rovers match sold out 6 weeks in advance.

There is appetite for it, especially in Dublin and its in spite of the fai.

8-10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN1WN0YMWZU

I'm pretty sure this video accurately describes some of the conversation in this thread!

The Tetrarch

Why do the GAA have a television advertisement immediately after the Champions League final, or advertisements grouped around major soccer matches?
"Why do Irish people support English teams?" has a whiff of Sinn Fein / GAA about it.

The answer is it is better football.

[Deleted User]

The Tetrarch wrote: »

"Why do Irish people support English teams?" has a whiff of Sinn Fein / GAA about it.

The answer is it is better football.

Why does anyone from Gillingham bother their hole supporting the Gills if this is the case? Premier League is better football than League One...

citytillidie

This thread lol

So what people like to support teams from England and sit in the comfort of their home rather than spend time with friends and attend a local LOI if there is a team close to them.

Each to their own we are all following the same sport so why should it matter if people want to follow it on tv and get the same enjoyment as someone who goes to a local game?

It is all about how the person feels, and really should anyone else care how others get their enjoyment other than if it is not legal?

With LOI games mostly on Friday nights people can do both attend the LOI game and then enjoy a one of the multiple games that is on tv over a weekend.

Greyfox

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

But the Irish EPL supporters are particularly insincere in thier approach.
Not only do they support a foreign club which they chose, But the chose the club who are winning/or have a good chance of winning.

Absolute nonsense and insulting to real football fans. If a local team want supporters its there job to persuade people to support them and if there not able to do this then the team doesnt deserve support. Football fans also have other things to do with there lives. if a club cannot prove that there great for my community or provide good entertainment why should I bother. They cannot expect blind loyalty without giving something in return, if a fan is not getting enjoyment or a sense of community back then he should not be supporting his local team. If a fan of a foreign team is getting enjoyment then the foreign club are giving something back