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Why do Irish people support English teams?

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    #212
    8-10
    Registered Users Posts: 13,328 ✭✭✭✭8-10


    RobMc59 wrote: »
    Apologies
    https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/question-of-religion-as-basis-for-support-still-contentious-1.1655070

    Article over 5 years old and states:

    "anecdotal evidence that, historically speaking, the city’s Catholics were more inclined to become “Blues” "

    Hardly proof that it is a Catholic club today. It even says historically speaking. If you think today's fans head to Gooddison after mass with the Eucharist in their belly I don't think you do understand the reality of the club as it is today. You see much more diversity now


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    #213
    Perifect
    Closed Accounts Posts: 751 ✭✭✭Perifect


    Avatar MIA wrote: »
    That was mocking you (I assumed clearly). Do keep up mo chara :pac:

    :D Fail! Backtracking with your tail between your legs.


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    #214
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Maurice Yeltsin wrote: »
    Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Stockport are comparatively ****e.

    In a county with a population half of that of Ireland and with four giants within spitting distance they get more through the gates than the whole LOI. Four small teams that share a city with two of the biggest teams in the world get more in the gate of any of the big three Dublin clubs. Tens of thousands through the gates at eternal non achievers in the London area (Crystal Palace, Millwall, West Ham, Brentford, Leyton, Southend, Charlton Athletic, Luton, Crawley, AFC Wimbledon, QPR, Fulham) when the easy option would be to fob these off in favour of Chelsea and, to a lesser extent, Spurs and Arsenal.

    It's a cultural problem in this country more than anything. We are event junkies. Kids today wouldn't believe that until 18 or so years ago very few people outside of South east Dublin and Limerick cared for the rugby side.

    So what if the popularity of rugby has grown over the last 18 years. It's only been professional for a little over 20 and the irfu is in a much better position to invest in it, than the FAI are, to invest in soccer. But you are comparing 2 different things. Even in rugby the domestic leagues such as AIL, can have issues with attendances. Top tier rugby here and top tier soccer here are miles apart to such an extent that there is no top tier soccer, than can compete to a high level outside of itself.


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    #215
    Alf Veedersane
    Registered Users Posts: 24,552 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


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

    More exposure to English teams. No LOI teams near where I'm from so no exposure to them and no connection.

    Only football I saw was Irish matches and English football on ITV so you'd pick a team and follow then in your formative years.


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    #216
    Perifect
    Closed Accounts Posts: 751 ✭✭✭Perifect


    Alf Veedersane wrote: »
    More exposure to English teams. No LOI teams near where I'm from so no exposure to them and no connection.

    Only football I saw was Irish matches and English football on ITV so you'd pick a team and follow then in your formative years.

    There's an excuse when you're a child. Grown adults? It's sad.


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    #217
    Arthur Daley
    Registered Users Posts: 4,384 ✭✭✭Arthur Daley


    Maurice Yeltsin wrote: »
    Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Stockport are comparatively ****e.

    In a county with a population half of that of Ireland and with four giants within spitting distance they get more through the gates than the whole LOI. Four small teams that share a city with two of the biggest teams in the world get more in the gate of any of the big three Dublin clubs.

    But apparently these are still better than the top teams in the League of Ireland. Rochdale play in League One, so the top League of Ireland teams could not live with them we are told. Bury and Oldham were bottom of league one last year, so still probably too good for the League of Ireland, in case anyone gets any ideas here.

    They never play each other on a competitive basis, so we will never know for certain will we.

    But in this footballing backwater, where even the top clubs can have no realistic sense of competing with League One clubs, people still moan that the national team can't make it to pretty much every tournament. As soon as a manager is in a few months, some cannot wait to get him out. Either because this footballing backwater isn't playing at major championships, or because the football isn't beautiful enough, or most likely a mixture of both. Something doesn't add up about that story.


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    #218
    Church on Tuesday
    Registered Users Posts: 3,858 ✭✭✭Church on Tuesday


    Because there's no even semi pro footbal club near me in Mayo that I can support, hence why I support Arsenal.

    I could support Sligo Rovers at a stretch but I'm not from there either.

    It's grand having loads of LoI clubs in Dublin but for the rest of the country club intensity is pretty sparse.


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    #219
    tayto lover
    Registered Users Posts: 51,488 ✭✭✭✭tayto lover


    Went to work in London after my Leaving Cert exams.
    Lived around the corner from Highbury stadium and started going to Arsenal matches. Great year to start following the club, 1971 the first double year. Went to all home games and many away too.
    Returned to live in Dundalk years later and have been attending Dundalk games since. I also go to Gaelic games and even went to one Rugby match, Ireland v England. I enjoy all sports except Cricket.
    I often refer to Arsenal and Dundalk as “us” or “we”. No apologies either as I feel a part of both clubs. They are also a part of me.


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    #220
    Avatar MIA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,750 ✭✭✭Avatar MIA


    OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »
    No, it's barely a sport when you look at the actual skills involved.

    The pay is quite decent for the elite level, you should go to your province team and tell them you've decided to tog out for them. That you've seen games on tv and would like to show where they can improve. :o

    And yet in the next sentence you infer the rules are difficult :rolleyes:


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    #221
    Alf Veedersane
    Registered Users Posts: 24,552 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    Perifect wrote: »
    There's an excuse when you're a child. Grown adults? It's sad.

    If you've spent 10+ years watching an English team you're supposed to just stop and follow an Irish team when you become a 'grown adult'?

    Why?

    And why is it sad to follow and English team instead of an Irish one?


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    #222
    Avatar MIA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,750 ✭✭✭Avatar MIA


    Perifect wrote: »
    :D Fail! Backtracking with your tail between your legs.

    Okay, when I mock you in future I'll try to be more obvious :p


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    #223
    8-10
    Registered Users Posts: 13,328 ✭✭✭✭8-10


    Perifect wrote: »
    There's an excuse when you're a child. Grown adults? It's sad.

    Makes people happy though at the same time. I think it's good to have passions.


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    #224
    Omackeral
    Registered Users Posts: 32,956 ✭✭✭✭Omackeral


    Tommy Kelly wrote: »
    Loads of people support counties different to the counties they are from. Go to a Galway Hurling match, let it be an inter-county match or the Galway county final and you'll see people there from Roscommon, leitrim, Mayo, Sligo etc. Some of them are well known to hardly ever miss a match and could teach some local lads a thing or two about Galway hurling in the days gone by. Same story around the country. You're talking out of your arse.

    And they'd support them over their own county would they? I'm not on about going along to a cup final and lending support. Straight up supporting a county you've nothing to do with over your own one? Have to say I've never heard of that myself so maybe it's you talking out of your hoop...


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    #225
    OldMrBrennan83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,658 ✭✭✭✭OldMrBrennan83


    Avatar MIA wrote: »
    The pay is quite decent for the elite level, you should go to your province team and tell them you've decided to tog out for them. That you've seen games on tv and would like to show where they can improve. :o

    And yet in the next sentence you infer the rules are difficult :rolleyes:

    I never mentioned the rules being difficult, what hole did you pull that out of? I said most of the daytrippers (and rugby is the biggest array of these) neither know nor care what's going on. So long as they get the selfie.


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    #226
    HappyAsLarE
    Closed Accounts Posts: 771 ✭✭✭HappyAsLarE


    “Supporting” a team in a championship gives you a focal point, and a context (their position relative to others).

    Fundamentally Irish people like soccer. There is a neighbouring country that speaks the same language that has one of the highest standards of the sport in the world. That is what peaks our interest. We pick a team as a focal point.


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    #227
    Alf Veedersane
    Registered Users Posts: 24,552 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    Omackeral wrote: »
    And they'd support them over their own county would they? I'm not on about going along to a cup final and lending support. Straight up supporting a county you've nothing to do with over your own one? Have to say I've never heard of that myself so maybe it's you talking out of your hoop...

    I know of one chap from Greystones try to explain why he supported Dublin even against Wicklow without using the word 'bandwagon'...


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    #228
    Avatar MIA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,750 ✭✭✭Avatar MIA


    OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »
    I said most of the daytrippers (and rugby is the biggest array of these) neither know nor care what's going on. So long as they get the selfie.

    Ah, apologies. I thought you had a clue about what you were talking about. Rugby has been criticised for being too technical with complex rules and I thought you were saying that the supporters didn't understand what was going on. My crime? Over estimating you :p


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    #229
    OldMrBrennan83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,658 ✭✭✭✭OldMrBrennan83


    Avatar MIA wrote: »
    Ah, apologies. I thought you had a clue about what you were talking about. Rugby has been criticised for being too technical with complex rules and I thought you were saying that the supporters didn't understand what was going on. My crime? Over estimating you :p

    They don't care what's going on.


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    #230
    Perifect
    Closed Accounts Posts: 751 ✭✭✭Perifect


    Alf Veedersane wrote: »
    If you've spent 10+ years watching an English team you're supposed to just stop and follow an Irish team when you become a 'grown adult'?

    Why?

    And why is it sad to follow and English team instead of an Irish one?

    You don't have to watch an Irish team. Surely the realisation that you are following a team that you have no connection with hits you? For most, they've barely ever been in the city or town of the team they are following. As a child it's excusable, an adult, not really.


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    #231
    artvanderlay
    Registered Users Posts: 2,198 ✭✭✭artvanderlay


    I support Man Utd because when I was kid, I was left in the house alone one day, and was bored out of my mind. I hated football until that point, but for some unknown reason I sat and watched the 1990 FA Cup semi-final between United and Oldham, and it was cracker ending 3-3. I supported United that day because I prefer the colour red! I loved Mark Hughes and Bryan Robson straight away, real gung-ho players. I watched the replay 3 days later which Utd won, and then the final and replay which United again won dramatically. This was my initiation into the joys of English football. I thought it was always going to be like that! From that point on I supported United, and I believe our fates have been intertwined ever since. Good years in my personal life have tended to coincide with good times for Utd. 2013 was the worst year of my life, from literally a few weeks after Fergie's last game, and it's been pretty **** ever since, but in the past few months, there has been an upturn and a change in attitude in both myself and United. We lost our way, but now we are getting back on track by looking to the past, and embracing it rather than running from it :) A bit f*cked up I know, but it's how I feel :pac: My uncle was a big Utd fan, and used to drive a bus in Manchester in the 60s giving lifts to all the famous players of that time, but I didn't know any of that until a few years after I started supporting United. He did used to give me programmes though after he found out I was a Red, and I used to watch matches with him in the pub in the early days of the Premiership. That 3-2 win over City, with Keane scoring a last minute winner stands out from that time. Have great memories of laughing my head off at ABUs and my uncle smirking at them :)


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    #232
    8-10
    Registered Users Posts: 13,328 ✭✭✭✭8-10


    OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »
    They don't care what's going on.

    Who's they? 100% of the people watching? You're generalising a lot to diminish the sport because it doesn't fit with your narrative of wanting to bash Irish people who support British clubs. When it's pointed out that attendances at rugby games in the Pro 14 v English Premiership is comparable and the Irish teams are better supported than some of the British ones you change tact to try and downplay the sport.

    I think it's clear who here doesn't understand rugby....


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    #233
    Perifect
    Closed Accounts Posts: 751 ✭✭✭Perifect


    Avatar MIA wrote: »
    Okay, when I mock you in future I'll try to be more obvious :p

    I was talking about appreciating Irish culture, you then stated that dancing at the crossroads and being anti-English is not everything in life. This is your view of Irish culture. You proved my point and made yourself look silly at the same time. Congratulations. :D


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    #234
    Alf Veedersane
    Registered Users Posts: 24,552 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    Perifect wrote: »
    You don't have to watch an Irish team. Surely the realisation that you are following a team that you have no connection with hits you? For most, they've barely ever been in the city or town of the team they are following. As a child it's excusable, an adult, not really.

    So if you're from anywhere in the country that doesn't have a LOI team, you follow no one because you won't have a connection with any team

    That's some strange logic.

    It's still possible to enjoy football without having a connection.


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    #235
    OldMrBrennan83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,658 ✭✭✭✭OldMrBrennan83


    8-10 wrote: »
    Who's they? 100% of the people watching? You're generalising a lot to diminish the sport because it doesn't fit with your narrative of wanting to bash Irish people who support British clubs. When it's pointed out that attendances at rugby games in the Pro 14 v English Premiership is comparable and the Irish teams are better supported than some of the British ones you change tact to try and downplay the sport.

    I think it's clear who here doesn't understand rugby....

    I don't care what's going on in it either. I just don't go along for the photo op.


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    #236
    Perifect
    Closed Accounts Posts: 751 ✭✭✭Perifect


    Alf Veedersane wrote: »
    So if you're from anywhere in the country that doesn't have a LOI team, you support no one because you won't have a connection with any other team

    That's some strange logic.

    It's still possible to enjoy football without having a connection.

    You can support Ireland! You can still watch loads of soccer, why do you have to support a team you have no connection with and you've never actually been there even?


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    #237
    Omackeral
    Registered Users Posts: 32,956 ✭✭✭✭Omackeral


    8-10 wrote: »
    I suppose the same lads only support RTE and Irish funded TV productions and don't go near British programming

    Daft comparison. Utterly daft. Who "supports" RTE?


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    #238
    limnam
    Registered Users Posts: 9,152 ✭✭✭limnam


    Alf Veedersane wrote: »
    It's still possible to enjoy football without having a connection.


    Can't understand why people create all these rules.


    Must live in the city


    Must have a connection.


    What does one do if they move from one city to another?


    People should enjoy any sport anyway they want.


    Putting all these limits on how you can enjoy something must lead to a very boring restricted life.


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    #239
    limnam
    Registered Users Posts: 9,152 ✭✭✭limnam


    Omackeral wrote: »
    Daft comparison. Utterly daft. Who "supports" RTE?


    All the dafties paying the license fee :pac:


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    #240
    8-10
    Registered Users Posts: 13,328 ✭✭✭✭8-10


    Omackeral wrote: »
    Daft comparison. Utterly daft. Who "supports" RTE?

    The taxpayer


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    #241
    Clonmel1000
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,047 ✭✭✭Clonmel1000


    Omackeral wrote: »
    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.

    It’s almost as bad as those rugby tossers shhhhhhing at the television waiting for a kick to be taken.


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