Why do Irish people support English teams?

RederthanRed · 09-03-2019 10:56pm

Avatar MIA wrote: »

A bit risky no ? :eek:

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

Greyfox · 10-03-2019 12:29am

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

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 12:35am

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"

Pauliedragon · 10-03-2019 12:35am

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

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.

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 12:43am

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.

Achasanai · 10-03-2019 12:50am

RederthanRed wrote: »

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.

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 12:50am

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.

Monokne · 10-03-2019 12:54am

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?

wobatkicker23 · 10-03-2019 12:56am

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?

Woke Hogan · 10-03-2019 12:57am

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.

RederthanRed · 10-03-2019 1:03am

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.

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:11am

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?

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

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

Woke Hogan · 10-03-2019 1:22am

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.

Zico · 10-03-2019 1:26am

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

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.

dd973 · 10-03-2019 1:26am

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.

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:26am

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".

Woke Hogan · 10-03-2019 1:30am

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???

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.

Monokne · 10-03-2019 1:38am

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.

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:39am

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?"

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:41am

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?

Monokne · 10-03-2019 1:42am

D14Rugby wrote: »

Still no memory of any details then? There's charities that offer their support if you want? I can post their numbers if you want to give them a call.

Details of what?

I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you confusing me with someone else?

Woke Hogan · 10-03-2019 1:43am

Monokne wrote: »

Details of what?

I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you confusing me with someone else?

Tired and emotional I suspect.

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:43am

Woke Hogan wrote: »

Pretend to be English? For watching a football match??? 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.

Still no memory of any details then? There's charities that offer their support if you want? I can post their numbers if you want to give them a call?

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:44am

Monokne wrote: »

Details of what?

I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you confusing me with someone else?

See edit

Woke Hogan · 10-03-2019 1:46am

D14Rugby wrote: »

Still no memory of any details then? There's charities that offer their support if you want? I can post their numbers if you want to give them a call?

You might want to give them a call yourself, pal, judging by your recent history in this discussion. Go to bed.

Monokne · 10-03-2019 1:48am

D14Rugby wrote: »

Not the highest quality league though is it?

AHAHAHAHAH you removed what you actually wrote! But not until after I'd replied. Go to bed mate.

And I said "ARGUABLY" the highest quality league so pipe down. It's top 3.

Monokne · 10-03-2019 1:49am

D14Rugby wrote: »

See edit

HAHAHAHAAHHAHAAH

AHAHAHA

Keep going

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:49am

Woke Hogan wrote: »

You might want to give them a call yourself, pal, judging by your recent history in this discussion. Go to bed.

Yeah in fairness to you can't expect you to remember something as trivial as who was playing where since it was over a decade ago. You must have ptsd from the "twisted faces" you poor thing.

Monokne · 10-03-2019 1:49am

Woke Hogan wrote: »

Tired and emotional I suspect.

Value for money all the same. Have to respect a man going down swinging

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:50am

Monokne wrote: »

AHAHAHAHAH you removed what you actually wrote! But not until after I'd replied. Go to bed mate.

And I said "ARGUABLY" the highest quality league so pipe down. It's top 3.

I didn't remove it I moved it to the correct post.

And its not arguably at all, its nowhere near Spain

Monokne · 10-03-2019 1:51am

how.gareth · 10-03-2019 1:52am

Lads the league of Ireland isn’t even a sport, it’s just like darts except it’s outdoors and the players are less fat

Woke Hogan · 10-03-2019 1:54am

Monokne wrote: »

Value for money all the same. Have to respect a man going down swinging

His head is gonna be sore in the morning! Not least from it being shoved up his arse all evening.

Hobosan · 10-03-2019 1:56am

I used to support English teams to confuse the English. Doesn't seem to be any need anymore so I've taken up Mandarin instead.

D14Rugby · 10-03-2019 1:57am

Woke Hogan wrote: »

His head is gonna be sore in the morning! Not least from it being shoved up his arse all evening.

Surprised yours isn't sore racking it for such minor details that are over a decade old

Woke Hogan · 10-03-2019 2:02am

D14Rugby wrote: »

Surprised yours isn't sore racking it for such minor details that are over a decade old

I haven’t spent a second trying to remember it, not one second. It is unimportant information I have forgotten and I won’t waste a single moment trying to recall it. And it doesn’t really matter which match it was anyway.

DellyBelly · 10-03-2019 9:07am

I'm a huge Manchester United fan and started following them when they won the treble in I think it was 2000. I've gone over for a few games and always love it. Though it can cost a fortune when I visit the megastore at OT.

Been to a few LOI games but the standard is pretty poor and the grounds are awful. So I'm going to stick with supporting United.

OldMrBrennan83 · 10-03-2019 9:08am

The last ten or so pages have been some cesspit from the LOI crew. Hardly encourage anyone to go to a game with the way they go on.

Greyfox · 10-03-2019 9:50am

D14Rugby wrote: »

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"

It's not pretending to be English, it's not been afraid to admit that there's some things the English do better, just like the way America do films and tv shows better than us

Achasanai · 10-03-2019 10:04am

RederthanRed wrote: »

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.

Absolutely rebellion, but it has nothing to do with who the dad supports. The Arsenal fans are fans because the team was winning when they got into football.

Bobeagleburger · 10-03-2019 10:49am

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

The last ten or so pages have been some cesspit from the LOI crew. Hardly encourage anyone to go to a game with the way they go on.

No surprise there. Some of them seem incredibly bitter.

Omackeral · 10-03-2019 10:57am

RoboKlopp wrote: »

No surprise there. Some of them seem incredibly bitter.

I honestly used to resent people following English teams over our own. I'll admit that.

Nowadays, I couldn't give a toss. I feel it's their loss. I wholeheartedly believe that people are missing out by not going to live football regularly. I mean that. Seeing a last minute winner in person and being mobbed by all and sundry around you is something that absolutely cannot be replicated through a TV screen. It just can't be. You see and feel things differently when you're there in person. Again, as the GAA have clevely marketed, nothing beats being there.

Fr Tod Umptious · 10-03-2019 10:59am

RoboKlopp wrote: »

No surprise there. Some of them seem incredibly bitter.

The typical welcome to a LOI game for a first timer from a LOI fan is

"What the fcuk are you doing here now, where we're you all your life, go back to following Utd"

OldMrBrennan83 · 10-03-2019 11:01am

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

The typical welcome to a LOI game for a first timer from a LOI fan is

"What the fcuk are you doing here now, where we're you all your life, go back to following Utd"

That's a real Irish trait actually. If you weren't in on something from birth then all you'll be is sneered at. It's not just a LOI thing.

Ultimate Seduction · 10-03-2019 11:08am

I support Celtic, no idea why, have done as long as I can remember. Its much easier to watch Celtic play than it is any LOI team on TV. I don't go to Scotland much, three or four times in my life.

Went to two limerick games over the last few years, some of the fans made me an my kid uncomfortable last time so won't be going back!

Hammer Archer · 10-03-2019 11:12am

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

The typical welcome to a LOI game for a first timer from a LOI fan is

"What the fcuk are you doing here now, where we're you all your life, go back to following Utd"

No it's not. Stop lying.

howiya · 10-03-2019 11:42am

Omackeral wrote: »

I honestly used to resent people following English teams over our own. I'll admit that.

Nowadays, I couldn't give a toss. I feel it's their loss. I wholeheartedly believe that people are missing out by not going to live football regularly. I mean that. Seeing a last minute winner in person and being mobbed by all and sundry around you is something that absolutely cannot be replicated through a TV screen. It just can't be. You see and feel things differently when you're there in person. Again, as the GAA have clevely marketed, nothing beats being there.

You're last sentence hits the nail on the head and it doesn't just apply to the GAA. Look at the success of rugby since the move to professionalism. The success of the English league globally is also down to marketing. Yet it's something the clubs don't really engage in here because they've no money.

Omackeral · 10-03-2019 11:49am

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

The typical welcome to a LOI game for a first timer from a LOI fan is

"What the fcuk are you doing here now, where we're you all your life, go back to following Utd"

Is that before or after you're stamped with the branding iron?

The reality of course is that nobody would even know it's your first time there.

extra gravy · 10-03-2019 12:02pm

I don't think it takes a genius to work it out. Some of us grew up in the back arse of nowhere and would never have even heard of LOI as kids. The only football we saw was the World Cup and the FA Cup and English league on tv. It was a natural progression to start following these teams. I've no interest in LOI and couldn't care less what the high and mighty LOI fans think of me following an English team.

asteroids over berlin · 10-03-2019 12:07pm

support Liverpool, always have as my older brothers do too. It is far more exciting to do so, going to a game in a decent ground is nice with all the facilities on offer, as said it is a happy experience. I was also a regular to Dalymount for many a year, i miss the old Dalymount, many a happy memory standing on the terraces in the 80's and 90's, days when there were less than 1000 at the games, i still loved it. I lost interest after the Jodi stand was built and the wanba be hooligan element started getting bigger there also a good if not best friend died, i just couldn't get used to going to games without him even if he was only going to 1 in 3 games. Great days that i cherish deep within me. However i do intend to bring my 3 children to the games when they are old enough and of course the redevelopment should be great. I would always support Bohs over LFC but obviously they are a multitude apart and will probably never meet in a competitive fixture.

Why do Irish people support English teams?

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