Italia 90 or 2009 Grand Slam

Christ the Redeemer · 09-08-2013 03:04PM

1990.. obviously.

Talib Fiasco · 09-08-2013 03:43PM

I wasn't alive for Italia 90 but it's hard to see past that. Although Bernard Dunne won the World Title on the same day as the Grand Slam and that is a phenomenal achievement. You could go for both tbh.

seven_eleven · 09-08-2013 03:54PM

Italia 90 sounds like a motorbike race
grand slam sounds like some WWE tournament.

Karl Stein · 09-08-2013 03:56PM

Our soccer team didn't win one game in world cup '90.

The whole thing was a celebration of mediocrity.

in 2009 the rugby team was unbeaten winning every game they played bar one which was a draw iirc.

Seems quite clear to me which is more worth celebrating.

jack presley · 09-08-2013 03:58PM

Rugby fans still think winning the Triple Crown is a big achievement (when in reality it's just winning 3 games out of 5) so I can see why they'd see the Grand Slam as a bigger achievement than Italian '90.

By the way, I see Euro '88 as bigger than both

Amirani · 09-08-2013 04:03PM

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

Our soccer team didn't win one game in world cup '90.

The whole thing was a celebration of mediocrity.

in 2009 the rugby team was unbeaten winning every game they played bar one which was a draw iirc.

Seems quite clear to me which is more worth celebrating.

Surely the sporting context is relevant?

Karl Stein · 09-08-2013 04:09PM

NiallSparky wrote: »

Surely the sporting context is relevant?

Isn't that what I just did? Introduce context?

1990 was one of the worst, lowest scoring, world cup tournaments ever.

The group stages were primarily miserable no score draws. Ireland didn't win one game. We played negative soccer and eeked our way to a 1/4 final which we lost.

\0/

jack presley · 09-08-2013 04:11PM

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

Isn't that what I just did? Introduce context?

1990 was one of the worst, lowest scoring, world cup tournaments ever.

The group stages were primarily miserable no score draws. Ireland didn't win one game. We played negative soccer and eeked our way to a 1/4 final which we lost.

\0/

Yeah, but we all got drunk.....

FearDark · 09-08-2013 04:15PM

Winner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEkc8dGF2ds

who_me · 09-08-2013 04:21PM

PTH2009 wrote: »

which was better ??

I was only a few months old in 1990 so remember nothing from that. It has to be the 2009 Grand slam for me.

Rememeber when tommy bowe scored the second try i broke 2 pints on the table in front of me and stayed celebrating. Thank god Leigh Halfpenny was not taking Wales last ticket as i believe he would of scored it

Enjoyed both enormously, but Grand Slam by a mile. Actually winning something is nice, for a change.

Sunglasses Ron · 09-08-2013 04:24PM

FearDark wrote: »

Winner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEkc8dGF2ds

There truly is no country that would celebrate it as hard as we did. I came into work the morning after the 2006 final steamin drunk with about two hours sleep in me and the Italians there, sure, they were happy, but that was last night and today was today. If Ireland had won the 2006 WC we would still be on the lash today :P

jack presley · 09-08-2013 04:24PM

I can see why rugby fans cherish that grand slam though as it was the only title for the 'golden generation' in a tournament with 6 teams. I'd have expected more

Dick Masterson · 09-08-2013 04:26PM

I was too young to remember, but I'd rank the World Cup 1994 and 2002 above 2009 any day because football is more popular in Ireland and worldwide.

eyescreamcone · 09-08-2013 04:29PM

Football fans will think Italia 90 was better.

Rugby fans will think their win was better.

Neutrals won't remember the Rugby win already, but will remember leaving work to watch the Romania last 16 game in 1990.

Packie Bonnar's penalty save IN MY OPINION was Ireland's premier sporting moment.

Amirani · 09-08-2013 04:29PM

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

Isn't that what I just did? Introduce context?

1990 was one of the worst, lowest scoring, world cup tournaments ever.

The group stages were primarily miserable no score draws. Ireland didn't win one game. We played negative soccer and eeked our way to a 1/4 final which we lost.

\0/

Grand slams are incredibly common though, there's been 37 of them. 8 since the year 2002.

Edit: Also worth pointing out that every country except for Italy has won at least one. Only 20 or so teams have progressed further in the World Cup than the Quarter Finals.

An Riabhach · 09-08-2013 04:36PM

PTH2009 wrote: »

which was better ??

I was only a few months old in 1990 so remember nothing from that. It has to be the 2009 Grand slam for me.

Rememeber when tommy bowe scored the second try i broke 2 pints on the table in front of me and stayed celebrating. Thank god Leigh Halfpenny was not taking Wales last ticket as i believe he would of scored it

When you compare the two:
In the scheme of things,I'd choose the grand siam of 2009 simply because we won the trophy.Italy 1990 was great though,because twas our first WC tournament and we were not expected to get that far.

Amirani · 09-08-2013 04:38PM

Seasan wrote: »

When you compare the two:
In the scheme of things,I'd choose the grand siam of 2009 simply because we won the trophy.Italy 1990 was great though,because twas our first WC tournament and we were not expected to get that far.

Another way of looking at it is that we far exceeded expectations in 1990, we didn't in 2009.

castletownman · 09-08-2013 04:38PM

I think it's testament to the relevance that Italia 90 had on the Irish public, that I can still watch that youtube video of RTE's montage ahead of their quarter final and get goosebumps. I was only two at the time, so obviously have no conscience memory of it, but the scene of one of the heads of the FAI shedding tears of joy when O'Leary scored the penalty is a scene that will stick with me forever.

I don't think a similar video montage of Ireland's grand slam success would a) showcase the hysteria of the nation or b) bring out the same emotion in me.

An Riabhach · 09-08-2013 04:50PM

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

I wish them well enough and all that but I just can't take rugby all that seriously in terms of national pride with them pandering to Orangemen with the Ireland's Call stuff.

Couldn't agree more.

An Riabhach · 09-08-2013 05:09PM

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

I wish them well enough and all that but I just can't take rugby all that seriously in terms of national pride with them pandering to Orangemen with the Ireland's Call stuff.

Couldn't agree more.

Ireland's Call is not our national anthem-end of story.But if that is the only significance of the song being played,I'm still baffled-because the unionists on the team still will not "answer Ireland's Call",will they?

It should be left at Amhrán Na bhFiann.If they are playing for Ireland,then that is the anthem that they should be hearing.It is played for our soccer team,even though some of our players are not fully Irish.(having said that,Mick McCarthy and Kevin Kilbane,both bred in England,always sang Amhrán na bhFiann out loudly)

Amirani · 09-08-2013 05:13PM

Seasan wrote: »

Couldn't agree more.

Ireland's Call is not our national anthem-end of story.But if that is the only significance of the song being played,I'm still baffled-because the unionists on the team still will not "answer Ireland's Call",will they?

It should be left at Amhrán Na bhFiann.If they are playing for Ireland,then that is the anthem that they should be hearing.It is played for our soccer team,even though some of our players are not fully Irish.(having said that,Mick McCarthy and Kevin Kilbane,both bred in England,always sang Amhrán na bhFiann out loudly)

That's because the football team represents the nation of Ireland. The rugby team represents the island. They have a separate flag and anthem which is fair enough.

Mal-Adjusted · 09-08-2013 05:37PM

2009, no question

GLaDOS · 09-08-2013 05:42PM

Well I was only a week or two old for Italia 90, and I don't have any interest in rugby. So it's a draw I guess :P.

That said I watched more matches from Italia 90, even though I don't remember it

Yamanoto · 09-08-2013 05:48PM

Seasan wrote: »

I'm still baffled-because the unionists on the team still will not "answer Ireland's Call",will they?

It should be left at Amhrán Na bhFiann.If they are playing for Ireland,then that is the anthem that they should be hearing.It is played for our soccer team,even though some of our players are not fully Irish.(having said that,Mick McCarthy and Kevin Kilbane,both bred in England,always sang Amhrán na bhFiann out loudly)

Jesus wept.

c_man · 09-08-2013 05:54PM

Italia 90 or 2009 Grand Slam

For the country as a whole, there's no debate there at all. I freely admit I'm not a rugby man, but you'd have to be deluded to think that nationally there was the same excitement for the Grand Slam as the WC.

Jimoslimos · 09-08-2013 05:56PM

Italia 1990:
P5 W0 D4 L1

GS 2009:
P5 W5 D0 L0

1990 fell at a good time for Ireland, one of the strongest Irish teams, players at top clubs, fall of Communism was beginning to impact on some of the Eastern European nations, African football still in infancy.

That said soccer was and still is undoubtedly the more widely played sport and can be argued that even reaching a major tournament is a great accomplishment given the level of competition worldwide.

However that argument can be made for any sport. Is an Olympic gold medal in women's boxing as much an achievement as a silver in 5000m on the track? England's cricket team get honours from the Queen for beating a single nation. The US goes crazy over sports little played or followed outside their borders. It would be a boring world if the only sports we were interested in were the most "popular" ones

melekalikimaka · 09-08-2013 05:57PM

Grand Slam, WC was great and all, but the Grand Slam, was some mighty party, football has lost its sheen in recent years, probably looking on it less favourably as a result

omega666 · 09-08-2013 05:57PM

The Rugby no question.

Italia 90 was massively overrated.
We got 4 draws and scored a grand total of 2 goals and that's the highlight
of our football history!
Scraping our way to the Quarter Finals is hardly a big achievement.
Even Northern Ireland have done that and they have one third of our population.

At least in the Rugby we actually won something.

Two Tone from Limehouse · 09-08-2013 06:10PM

Was growing up in London during Italia 90,supporting Ireland(and England). Git way more pride out if Irish performance than winning grand slam. That said, where I grew up was not a rugby hotbed!!! Still like to watch it though. As somebody said earlier there are about 8 competitive teams playing international rugby, far more playing football. Eg if you put All Blacks playing say, Romania in World Cup, it's gonna be a hammering, whereas Spain versus Romania in a football match us gonna be far more competitive

weser777 · 09-08-2013 06:15PM

Italia 90 - we won nothing, but it brought the country together with excitement...the opportunity for a Grand Slam comes around every year, the world cup every 4!

Italia 90 or 2009 Grand Slam

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