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Why do Irish people support English teams?

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  • Registered Users Posts: 113 ✭✭wobatkicker23


    Omackeral wrote: »
    Did you miss where I say I watch the Premiership every week. I've been to the Euros. I've been to games in Cyprus, Germany, Scotland and even evil Old Trafford.

    Boasting on the internet. Well done pal.


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    Perifect wrote: »
    Surely people cop on when they grow up?

    You're still missing the point but lean ar aghaidh.


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,956 ✭✭✭✭Omackeral


    Boasting on the internet. Well done pal.

    You inferred I only watch LOI. I told you nah I don't. Are you actually broken?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,750 ✭✭✭Avatar MIA


    It has become the accepted way for Irish people to express their deep bond with England through the disguise of it being a sporting motivation.
    Fundamentally, it expresses the deep Englishness of most Irish people, and despite a century of trying to repel everything English, has survived to become a hiding in plain sight way of waving the Union Jack, and, code for the fact that the Irish retain a deep affiliation and love for England.
    Picking a team, generally completely arbitrarily, and rising and falling with their performances in the leagues, allows us to feel as one with the rest of England following the same teams.

    Oh great, the TRoL has found us :rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,956 ✭✭✭✭Omackeral


    Avatar MIA wrote: »
    Oh great, the TRoL has found us :rolleyes:

    There's a bigger one on here before his arrival in fairness Avatar :P


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 89 ✭✭RederthanRed


    Mostly its Father to Son stuff. These days girls take more interest and that's great and as the game evolves the whole local aspect of football kicks in too.
    I think the traditional way involved Dad passing on Rovers and United as a way of life. It wasn't one or the other, it was the pair.
    So then the kid dreams of playing for one or the other, it's obvious which he'd be dreaming of more though.
    My Dad brought me to Athlone Town games from infant age. But I always knew he was a Liverpool fan too.
    All my memories of live games were Athlone but gradually from watching games on TV it became all Liverpool.
    He brought me over to Anfield to see Liverpool beat Luton Town and that was it. It was a drug to me after that, I've been in love with Liverpool ever since.
    At the height of it I would be going over to "home" games 12 times in a year easily.
    I wouldn't have a clue how Athlone were doing.

    But yeah there was a game where I was chatting to Norwegian fella and he was saying how often he went over and I was saying but you're from Norway FFS and he said you do realise you're Irish.
    Sounds daft but you dont think of yourself as a "tourist" until you hear it.

    These days I have 2 kids and I'd definitely stop short of encouraging them to support Liverpool, just leave it up to them really.

    But no regrets on my part.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,750 ✭✭✭Avatar MIA


    Omackeral wrote: »
    There's a bigger one on here before his arrival in fairness Avatar :P

    Fwiends!


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    It has become the accepted way for Irish people to express their deep bond with England through the disguise of it being a sporting motivation.
    Fundamentally, it expresses the deep Englishness of most Irish people, and despite a century of trying to repel everything English, has survived to become a hiding in plain sight way of waving the Union Jack, and, code for the fact that the Irish retain a deep affiliation and love for England.
    Picking a team, generally completely arbitrarily, and rising and falling with their performances in the leagues, allows us to feel as one with the rest of England following the same teams.

    The accepted way I display my deep-seated love for all things England is to hop on the rowing machine in the gym wearing either the Oxford garb or that of Cambridge. I alternate.

    Afterwards, I go home and eat Eton Mess, because Eton. And maybe subconsciously I know I'm a mess.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,929 ✭✭✭Monokne


    It has become the accepted way for Irish people to express their deep bond with England through the disguise of it being a sporting motivation.
    Fundamentally, it expresses the deep Englishness of most Irish people, and despite a century of trying to repel everything English, has survived to become a hiding in plain sight way of waving the Union Jack, and, code for the fact that the Irish retain a deep affiliation and love for England.
    Picking a team, generally completely arbitrarily, and rising and falling with their performances in the leagues, allows us to feel as one with the rest of England following the same teams.

    I express my connection with my English brethren by supporting the English team in tournaments Ireland don't make it to, or by going to matches or gigs in England, or chatting to my English friends or one of my many English colleagues in the UK office of the company I work for. My deep Englishness is soothed in this manner.

    It feels so good to admit it. Thank God for your post. You inspired me. :D;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,750 ✭✭✭Avatar MIA



    These days I have 2 kids and I'd definitely stop short of encouraging them to support Liverpool, just leave it up to them really.

    A bit risky no ? :eek: :D


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 89 ✭✭RederthanRed


    Avatar MIA wrote: »
    A bit risky no ? :eek: :D

    haha, yeah but we're hoping they'll go for adoption anyway


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,714 ✭✭✭Greyfox


    Because one of the best things about been Irish in supporting an English football club, those who don't support an English team are missing out, I'm gratefull for the hundredths of hours of entertainment my English club have given me. No musician, tv series, film series or writer have given me as much joy. More importantly the love of my club has given me a hobby I can talk to thousands of people about. Football is a global game and an entertainment product, those people who think you can only support your local team are very sad and closed minded individuals


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    Greyfox wrote: »
    Because one of the best things about been Irish in supporting an English football club, those who don't support an English team are missing out, I'm gratefull for the hundredths of hours of entertainment my English club have given me. No musician, tv series, film series or writer have given me as much joy. More importantly the love of my club has given me a hobby I can talk to thousands of people about. Football is a global game and an entertainment product, those people who think you can only support your local team are very sad and closed minded individuals

    TLDR:
    "One of the best things about being Irish is you get to pretend to be English for 90 minutes a week, sometimes even 180 or 270"


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,385 ✭✭✭Pauliedragon


    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 .
    Why does anybody Irish or otherwise bother wondering what sports/ team etc I choose to follow.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    Woke Hogan wrote: »
    I enjoy watching football so I brought my son to a few League of Ireland games when he was a young boy. The language out of the Ultras was foul, their faces contorted and twisted beyond recognition with hate, lads in their mid forties chanting vile rhymes in English accents about the other side. Feral children running around like packs of wild animals. Letting off flares.

    When we were walking out of the park after one match, I bent down to my son and told him that the behaviour we had witnessed from the "fans" that evening was bilious and I urged him to never consider engaging in it himself. When righting wrongs his voice must be heard. But at a football game, silence can be even more devastating than jeering. We both swore that we would never go to a League of Ireland game again. The quality's better in the Premier League anyway, and the Spanish League is better still.

    One country out of England and Ireland has had its clubs banned from competitions because of the behaviour of their fans, I'll let you work out which it was.

    Also love the vagueness of the little story you've come up with there no teams or stadiums or dates or anything nice one.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 730 ✭✭✭Achasanai


    Mostly its Father to Son stuff.


    I know there is father-to-son stuff, but it tends to only be the case if the team is doing well when they're getting in to football. A fair amount of Leeds fans back in the day, but very few of their kids support them.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    Monokne wrote: »
    It was a tongue in cheek reference to the rivalry between the two clubs which, even someone who's not into English football, I assumed would be aware of.

    Because you're not actually rivals I really don't know how you think it's relevant what teams you follow when Liverpool vs Manchester rivalry actually has very little to do with football and everything to do with the actual cities and the people that actually live in them. Two cities that from the sound of it neither of you have ever lived in and at best only have the faintest connection to so you're not rivals at all. People from Liverpool and Manchester are rivals, you guys just happen to watch the teams that represent these areas on TV every week.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,929 ✭✭✭Monokne


    D14Rugby wrote: »
    Because you're not actually rivals I really don't know how you think it's relevant what teams you follow when Liverpool vs Manchester rivalry actually has very little to do with football and everything to do with the actual cities and the people that actually live in them. Two cities that from the sound of it neither of you have ever lived in and at best only have the faintest connection to so you're not rivals at all. People from Liverpool and Manchester are rivals, you guys just happen to watch the teams that represent these areas on TV every week.

    Are you unfamiliar with term "tongue in cheek" yeah?


  • Registered Users Posts: 113 ✭✭wobatkicker23


    D14Rugby wrote: »
    Because you're not actually rivals I really don't know how you think it's relevant what teams you follow when Liverpool vs Manchester rivalry actually has very little to do with football and everything to do with the actual cities and the people that actually live in them. Two cities that from the sound of it neither of you have ever lived in and at best only have the faintest connection to so you're not rivals at all. People from Liverpool and Manchester are rivals, you guys just happen to watch the teams that represent these areas on TV every week.

    So would it be stupid for someone from Kerry who is a Cork Cory supporter to hare their rivals?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,630 ✭✭✭Woke Hogan


    D14Rugby wrote: »
    One country out of England and Ireland has had its clubs banned from competitions because of the behaviour of their fans, I'll let you work out which it was.

    Also love the vagueness of the little story you've come up with there no teams or stadiums or dates or anything nice one.
    Do you mean the English ban from Europe in the 80s? You might want to find an example from this century.

    Also what evidence are you expecting? Ticket stubs? Photos? Newspaper clippings? Maybe some satellite photos from the day, yeah? With thermal imagery? :rolleyes: Get ****ing real, man, it was a football match I went to over a decade ago.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 89 ✭✭RederthanRed


    Achasanai wrote: »
    I know there is father-to-son stuff, but it tends to only be the case if the team is doing well when they're getting in to football. A fair amount of Leeds fans back in the day, but very few of their kids support them.

    Bit of rebellion too. Lot of Arsenal fans who's Dads were United fans and so on.
    But they still remain within the same sport.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    Woke Hogan wrote: »
    Do you mean the English ban from Europe in the 80s? You might want to find an example from this century.

    Also what evidence are you expecting? Ticket stubs? Photos? Newspaper clippings? Maybe some satellite photos from the day, yeah? With thermal imagery? :rolleyes: Get ****ing real, man, it was a football match I went to over a decade ago.

    So do you want the Chelsea fan being racist? The Tottenham fan being racist? The Southampton fans making plane gestures in Cardiff after the plane went missing? The bottle thrown at Di Maria? Lingard having a coin thrown at him? That's just the ones this season off the top of my head, need I go on?

    Well teams involved would be a start, and a year? Over a decade ago my that's such a long time it's a wonder you remember any details at all nevermind who was playing that's completely understandable actually. Was it all filmed on Snapchat too like your fellow vague storyteller?
    So would it be stupid for someone from Kerry who is a Cork Cory supporter to hare their rivals?

    Well Kerry isn't a city and their rivaly is very much purely sporting based so it's not the same at all. The Manchester Liverpool rivalry is far more than sports based


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,630 ✭✭✭Woke Hogan


    D14Rugby wrote: »
    So do you want the Chelsea fan being racist? The Tottenham fan being racist? The Southampton fans making plane gestures in Cardiff after the plane went missing? The bottle thrown at Di Maria? Lingard having a coin thrown at him? That's just the ones this season off the top of my head, need I go on?

    Well teams involved would be a start, and a year? Over a decade ago my that's such a long time it's a wonder you remember any details at all nevermind who was playing that's completely understandable actually. Was it all filmed on Snapchat too like your fellow vague storyteller?



    Well Kerry isn't a city and their rivaly is very much purely sporting based so it's not the same at all. The Manchester Liverpool rivalry is far more than sports based

    Are you drunk? Calm down good man, you’re talking gibberish.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,402 ✭✭✭Zico


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

    Well you might need to take a seat for what I'm about to tell you but lots of people in Norway follow the English league and they've got teams like Rosenborg who used regularly qualify for the CL group stages. A bar better domestic alternative than what the LoI offers.

    And what about all the fans in Asia and Australia staying up till all hours of the morning to watch English teams. They have local leagues too.

    If you don't get it you probably never will. Like an American Football fan in Ireland moaning about people watching the NFL instead of the Irish American Football League, though I haven't encountered that yet funnily enough. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 625 ✭✭✭dd973


    The reasons are self evident,

    Nearest strong league with high standard of football, big clubs from big cities with large fanbases, same reason why loads of Scandinavians follow Liverpool or Man Utd for instance.

    Strong historical Irish connections to Merseyside and Manchester in particular.

    All our outstanding players from the island have ended up there, Best, Keane, Giles, Brady, Whelan, et al

    England/the U.K is regarded as the 'near abroad', I've never regarded English, Scots or Welsh folk as foreign even though they're from another jurisdiction, I don't think that's West Britishness, it's just familiarity.

    Can't see why someone can't follow both a League of Ireland team and an English one, it's no big deal, the purists strike me as a bit of an odd bunch, the Shamrock Rovers hooligan types have always struck me as aping a particularly British type of behavior as well, if that was pointed out to them I'm sure it would wane a bit.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    Woke Hogan wrote: »
    Are you drunk? Calm down good man, you’re talking gibberish.

    :rolleyes: so we'll file you're story under "Did it happen? Did it ****" aswell so.

    If you just want to pretend to be English for a couple of hours a week just say that. No need to make up **** stories as your "reasons".


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,630 ✭✭✭Woke Hogan


    D14Rugby wrote: »
    :rolleyes: so we'll file you're story under "Did it happen? Did it ****" aswell so.

    If you just want to pretend to be English for a couple of hours a week just say that. No need to make up **** stories as your "reasons".

    Pretend to be English? For watching a football match??? :D:D:D Alright you’ve clearly had a few shandies tonight. I’d say you’ll be fairly sheepish in the morning. Anyway, don’t worry about it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,929 ✭✭✭Monokne


    D14Rugby wrote: »
    :rolleyes: so we'll file you're story under "Did it happen? Did it ****" aswell so.

    If you just want to pretend to be English for a couple of hours a week just say that. No need to make up **** stories as your "reasons".

    Given that there are quite literally millions of people all around planet Earth who follow the premier league, we are left with two possibilities. Everyone wants to pretend to be English, and you're right, or everyone wants to engage with what is arguably the highest quality league in the most popular sport on the planet, and you're wrong.

    It's right in the balance, but I think I know the answer, and perhaps if you can manage to remove your head from your nether regions, you'll be able to work it out as well.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to cosplay as Winston Churchill at a tea party.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    dd973 wrote: »
    The reasons are self evident,

    Nearest strong league with high standard of football, big clubs from big cities with large fanbases, same reason why loads of Scandinavians follow Liverpool or Man Utd for instance.

    Strong historical Irish connections to Merseyside and Manchester in particular.

    All our outstanding players from the island have ended up there, Best, Keane, Giles, Brady, Whelan, et al

    England/the U.K is regarded as the 'near abroad', I've never regarded English, Scots or Welsh folk as foreign even though they're from another jurisdiction, I don't think that's West Britishness, it's just familiarity.

    Can't see why someone can't follow both a League of Ireland team and an English one, it's no big deal, the purists strike me as a bit of an odd bunch, the Shamrock Rovers hooligan types have always struck me as aping a particularly British type of behavior as well, if that was pointed out to them I'm sure it would wane a bit.
    People don't support those clubs for their "Irish connections" they support them because they win stuff, or at least used to.
    GB is foreign, hell I have a British passport and think it's foreign. Try live THERE and you'll be reminded of how foreign you are fairly quickly and regularly.
    No reason you can't do both, but most don't and if you only do one there's really only one right choice and it's an Irish team. You whip out the ol "shamrock rovers hooligan types" there too but can you actually give examples of this?
    Zico wrote: »
    Well you might need to take a seat for what I'm about to tell you but lots of people in Norway follow the English league and they've got teams like Rosenborg who used regularly qualify for the CL group stages. A bar better domestic alternative than what the LoI offers.

    And what about all the fans in Asia and Australia staying up till all hours of the morning to watch English teams. They have local leagues too.

    If you don't get it you probably never will. Like an American Football fan in Ireland moaning about people watching the NFL instead of the Irish American Football League, though I haven't encountered that yet funnily enough. :)

    As many an Irish mother has said "if everyone else was jumping off a bridge would you jump too?"


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    Monokne wrote: »
    Given that there are quite literally millions of people all around planet Earth who follow the premier league, we are left with two possibilities. Everyone wants to pretend to be English, and you're right, or everyone wants to engage with what is arguably the highest quality league in the most popular sport on the planet, and you're wrong.

    It's right in the balance, but I think I know the answer, and perhaps if you can manage to remove your head from your nether regions, you'll be able to work it out as well.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to cosplay as Winston Churchill at a tea party.

    Not the highest quality league though is it?


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