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Ireland's biggest sporting embarrassment?

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13567…25

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    #62
    iDave
    Registered Users Posts: 3,750 ✭✭✭iDave


    Neil Lennon having to retire from international football due to loyalist death threats.

    Windsor park 93 in general


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    #63
    CrabRevolution
    Registered Users Posts: 2,819 ✭✭✭CrabRevolution


    For the record, I dont mind people supporting English/Scottish clubs-their choice. If the reason is "The quality is better" or "I see them on TV more", or "They are more successful in Europe", then fine, support away.

    But what is embarrassing is those who try to justify their support of a British club by claiming "They have an Irish connection". In that case why not support an actual Irish club. If it's "Irish Connections" you're after, then what bigger an Irish connection can a club have than actually being Irish?


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    #64
    emeldc
    Registered Users Posts: 2,594 ✭✭✭emeldc


    buyer95 wrote: »
    Cyprus 5 Ireland 2. "Who is the gaffer?"

    Oct 7th 2006. Woke up after a kidney transplant to hear Eamon Dunphy giving out, so I asked the nurse who was doing her best to keep me alive what the score was.
    5-2 she said.
    That's great, I said.
    To Cyprus, she said.
    I went back to sleep.


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    #65
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    sugarman wrote: »
    Croatia, which was part of a Yugoslavia that had a population of 24m.

    That's meaningless. They now draw from their own population.
    sugarman wrote: »
    C
    Plus, football is their dominant sport. They don't compete with GAA, Hurling and Rugby.

    Football is the most widely played sport in Ireland in terms of participation.

    The reason Ireland is lagging increasingly behind nations like Croatia and Spain is because of the disaster of youth development here: there's a split between junior football (only interested in sending players to England where they are getting squeezed out by continental youth) and the domestic league which is ignored and neglected by the FAI and the Irish public meaning there is no actual path from junior to professional football in this country like everywhere else.

    We're a football-mad country with one of the biggest junior levels of ratio participation in Europe. Its simply not good enough to say we should be happy to turn up to major tournaments and get thrashed. We should be where Croatia are. A golden generation will come along every few generations for sure but even in fallow years, you have a technically efficient squad that won't win anything but will acquit themselves with dignity.

    On a related note, Holland is not massively bigger than us population wise (about 6 or 7 million) or Denmark for that matter.

    Any Irish person that accepts the farrago of 2012 is part of the problem but then again the majority of people over there supporting Ireland know as much about the domestic state of football here as they do about the Moldovan league, let's be honest.


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    #66
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    CrabRevolution wrote: »
    For the record, I dont mind people supporting English/Scottish clubs-their choice. If the reason is "The quality is better" or "I see them on TV more", or "They are more successful in Europe", then fine, support away.

    But what is embarrassing is those who try to justify their support of a British club by claiming "They have an Irish connection". In that case why not support an actual Irish club. If it's "Irish Connections" you're after, then what bigger an Irish connection can a club have than actually being Irish?


    totally agree,

    but having said that i wouldn't go to see a league of ireland match if it was across the road from me


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    #67
    washman3
    Registered Users Posts: 3,646 ✭✭✭washman3


    irishgeo wrote: »
    Saipan

    The Irish Management not spotting that the Spanish were down to 10 men for the whole of the 2nd half of extra time.

    Neither did the commentators, RTE panel and the countless millions watching.
    But hindsight is a great thing....:rolleyes:

    P.S. well done for spotting it yourself...:D


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    #68
    Tugboats
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,011 ✭✭✭Tugboats


    Anything involving the 6 nations


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    #69
    jas376
    Registered Users Posts: 41 ✭jas376


    sugarman wrote: »
    Croatia, which was part of a Yugoslavia that had a population of 24m.

    Like the way the Irish soccer team draws on the population of Britain for some of its players?


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    #70
    emeldc
    Registered Users Posts: 2,594 ✭✭✭emeldc


    Tugboats wrote: »
    Anything involving the 6 nations

    You might want to elaborate on that one.


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    #71
    Breffnigolfer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 294 ✭✭Breffnigolfer


    sugarman wrote: »
    Why is it a defeatist attitude? Finishing in the top 16 of 53 nations in qualifying was an achievement in itself. We are not a top 16 nation in Europe or close to it.

    Do you mind showing me these players that would have made a difference that we suddenly have available to us now?

    .............

    Just because Ireland qualified for the finals did not mean Ireland was one of the top 16 teams in Europe. The performances were atrocious. Tactics were non existent and nobody seemed to know what he was supposed to do.

    As for players? Seamus Coleman was the glaring example while Shay Given, as one who played, was obviously unfit for the games. Trapp also picked two players who didn't even have a club.


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    #72
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    fryup wrote: »
    totally agree,

    but having said that i wouldn't go to see a league of ireland match if it was across the road from me

    That's fair enough but if you think a vibrant domestic setup isn't interesting or worthwhile and that our youth development should essentially amount to hoping Jimmy gets a trial at Arsenal, don't bitch when we get annihilated by countries with a real footballing culture and structure. outside of the occasional random golden crop of players that will come along every couple of generations.


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    #73
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Grandeeod wrote: »
    1936.

    Irish Free State V Germany in Dalymount park, Dublin.

    The German lads do the oul Nazi salute during the anthems and then some of the Irish lads do it aswell for some unknown reason.

    With hindsight, its up there with the embarrassment lark.

    We won the match!

    was that not their salute to Dev?


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    #74
    Aphex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 653 ✭✭✭Aphex


    Doherty missing a sitter of a black to make a 147 against Matthew Stevens.
    Nice lad in fairness to him.


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    #75
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    anncoates wrote: »

    On a related note, Holland is not massively bigger than us population wise (about 6 or 7 million)or Denmark for that matter.

    You'd want to add about another 10 million to that: https://www.google.ie/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=population%20of%20the%20netherlands
    16.8 million (2013)
    Netherlands, Population


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    #76
    Nib
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,088 ✭✭✭Nib


    Aphex wrote: »
    Doherty missing a sitter of a black to make a 147 against Matthew Stevens.
    Nice lad in fairness to him.
    A former World Champion missing one ball having previously potted thirty five without missing. Yeah, a really embarrassment that was. :rolleyes:


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    #77
    Cienciano
    Registered Users Posts: 14,248 ✭✭✭✭Cienciano


    The homecoming celebrations after the 2002 world cup hosted by Joe Duffy in the Phoenix Park.
    "So Damian, is it true that a lot of defenders came down with a condition know as DDD? Damian Duff Dizziness?"
    I wanted to crawl into a hole it was so cringeworthy, the players must have been mortified


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    #78
    CrabRevolution
    Registered Users Posts: 2,819 ✭✭✭CrabRevolution


    anncoates wrote: »
    That's meaningless. They now draw from their own population.



    Football is the most widely played sport in Ireland in terms of participation.

    The reason Ireland is lagging increasingly behind nations like Croatia and Spain is because of the disaster of youth development here: there's a split between junior football (only interested in sending players to England where they are getting squeezed out by continental youth) and the domestic league which is ignored and neglected by the FAI and the Irish public meaning there is no actual path from junior to professional football in this country like everywhere else.

    We're a football-mad country with one of the biggest junior levels of ratio participation in Europe. Its simply not good enough to say we should be happy to turn up to major tournaments and get thrashed. We should be where Croatia are. A golden generation will come along every few generations for sure but even in fallow years, you have a technically efficient squad that won't win anything but will acquit themselves with dignity.

    On a related note, Holland is not massively bigger than us population wise (about 6 or 7 million) or Denmark for that matter.

    Any Irish person that accepts the farrago of 2012 is part of the problem but then again the majority of people over there supporting Ireland know as much about the domestic state of football here as they do about the Moldovan league, let's be honest.

    The Netherlands have a population of 17 Million, ours is maybe 5 Million if you include a chunk of the North.

    Also I think you've highlighted what I feel the problem is in Irish soccer, I always felt that for the most part a lot of it is only skin deep. I gave up soccer a few years ago, but I always noticed a big difference between it and the GAA. In my county there's nowhere without a soccer club nearby and overall there's a greater number of soccer players, and a lot of them were the same players playing Gaelic games and soccer, but the GAA club seemed more life/death to them.

    Lads were perfectly happy just turning up week in week out for soccer and playing the games, but there was no greater involvement with the club, getting involved in fundraisers, going to reserve/underage games etc. It seemed the GAA had a greater "hearts and minds" type effect on these lads. They'd give their all during the soccer match, but afterwards would never really look back with regret at a failed season. They seemed to play for the sport in soccer, but for the sport as well as the club in the GAA. This probably helps explain the greater dropout rate of the GAA, its more all-or-nothing.

    This was in a town in the country though, obviously in Dublin soccer has a greater penetration and is more closely woven into the fabric of each place. But for my part of the country anyway there's no real feel of the area all being behind the local soccer team. We dont even have a pyramid league system in Ireland sure, where every club tries to push on to its highest level, even the North manages that FFS.


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    #79
    Dirty Dingus McGee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,631 ✭✭✭Dirty Dingus McGee


    sugarman wrote: »
    Croatia, which was part of a Yugoslavia that had a population of 24m.

    Plus, football is their dominant sport. They don't compete with GAA, Hurling and Rugby.

    We are not the only country in the world who plays a variety of sports but for some reason it seems to be an excuse every time this country fails at an international sport.


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    #80
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    Deleted User wrote: »
    You'd want to add about another 10 million to that: https://www.google.ie/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=population%20of%20the%20netherlands

    Apologies. That's my entire, rather long post invalidated so.


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    #81
    IsaacWunder
    Registered Users Posts: 399 ✭✭IsaacWunder


    CrabRevolution wrote: »
    For the record, I dont mind people supporting English/Scottish clubs-their choice. If the reason is "The quality is better" or "I see them on TV more", or "They are more successful in Europe", then fine, support away.

    But what is embarrassing is those who try to justify their support of a British club by claiming "They have an Irish connection". In that case why not support an actual Irish club. If it's "Irish Connections" you're after, then what bigger an Irish connection can a club have than actually being Irish?

    But some clubs in Britain do genuinely have an Irish connection due to the number of emigrants living in the area: Celtic, Hibernian, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal spring to mind.


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    #82
    Omackeral
    Registered Users Posts: 32,956 ✭✭✭✭Omackeral


    IsaacWunder wrote: »
    But some clubs in Britain do genuinely have an Irish connection due to the number of emigrants living in the area: Celtic, Hibernian, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal spring to mind.

    Where are all the Tranmere fans and Crystal Palace fans then?


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    #83
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    CrabRevolution wrote: »
    TWe dont even have a pyramid league system in Ireland sure, where every club tries to push on to its highest level, even the North manages that FFS.

    Most LOI clubs have a good volunteer structure as do junior footballer clubs but it's not unified so there's no pyramid as you say.

    There's no reason why we can't have that - as well as a strong GAA scene - in this country but it requires a dismantling of the junior club British conveyor belt junket scene and stronger leadership from the FAI.


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    #84
    nice_very
    Registered Users Posts: 1,723 ✭✭✭nice_very


    didnt Sonia O'Sullivan leave the track in the middle of a race she was highly fancied to win, with a dose of the runs? IIRC


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    #85
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    IsaacWunder wrote: »
    But some clubs in Britain do genuinely have an Irish connection due to the number of emigrants living in the area: Celtic, Hibernian, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal spring to mind.

    You think they'll take Irish lads over superior continental academy imports because Best/Keane/Brady/Quinn once played for them? :)


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    #86
    jackhammer
    Registered Users Posts: 91 ✭✭jackhammer


    S. Goodspeed wrote: »
    I'm not sure it was as innocent as all that in fairness. Whoever stole or misplaced the B urine sample really hit a career / lifetime low.

    And let's not forget the burglary at the Equestrian Federation of Ireland's offices.


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    #87
    ChunkyLover54
    Registered Users Posts: 564 ✭✭✭ChunkyLover54


    Yamanoto wrote: »
    Stevie Staunton's comically oversized solar protection system, USA '94.

    When I saw that hat, I just knew we had fcuk all chance that day.

    I think he wore his cap the day we beat Italy 1-0.


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    #88
    callaway92
    Registered Users Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭✭callaway92


    Cienciano wrote: »
    The homecoming celebrations after the 2002 world cup hosted by Joe Duffy in the Phoenix Park.
    "So Damian, is it true that a lot of defenders came down with a condition know as DDD? Damian Duff Dizziness?"
    I wanted to crawl into a hole it was so cringeworthy, the players must have been mortified

    PMSL


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    #89
    Mint Sauce
    Registered Users Posts: 29,294 ✭✭✭✭Mint Sauce


    braddun wrote: »
    any world cup game

    Must be too young to remember Italia 90 and USA 94 then.
    Tugboats wrote: »
    Anything involving the 6 nations

    Erm, 1 Grand Slam, and 2 Championships in recent years, plus THAT game against England at Croke Park.


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    #90
    Ruu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,622 ✭✭✭Ruu


    nice_very wrote: »
    didnt Sonia O'Sullivan leave the track in the middle of a race she was highly fancied to win, with a dose of the runs? IIRC

    Stomach issues in Atlanta 96 and she failed to finish the race (5000m).


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    #91
    Frankie Lee
    Registered Users Posts: 3,285 ✭✭✭Frankie Lee


    Rugby's supporting of apartheid in 1981.


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