Why don't the Irish support their local teams?

fredthered said:
If there were thousands travelling 2000 miles then your argument would be perhaps valid. The fact its easier to get to Manchester from Ireland than it is to get there from Cornwall, I'd say it pretty much proves feck all.
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You were blowing off shite about following Man Utd up & down the country, sleeping in railway stations & flying to Spain ticketless on another thread & how its hurts people like you when you have to listen to spotty faced teenagers on Redcafe that hasn't been to OT saying they are just as big as fans as you.

Now i said that Irish fans do the exact same shit week in week out by boat & plane & you don't see or hear them harping on about it & you say that proves feck all now?

What the feck is your real problem fred?
 
Rood said:
That's pretty fecked up!
Is the support for the local game dying due to a rise in support for the English game or is it the same as it has ever been?
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It was much better supported when I was a kid, but that could just be distorted memory of going and my dad's tales of full houses in the 60's etc.
 
Fred, are you still the one person posting or are you back to sharing this login with other neanderthals from Red Issue again?
 
Rood said:
That's pretty fecked up!
Is the support for the local game dying due to a rise in support for the English game or is it the same as it has ever been?
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Its traditionally been low. Shamrock Rovers get crowds of around 3000 or so at home games, because they have a shiny new ground in Tallaght and a good hype machine in recent years. The other successful clubs would get mid-1000s at home games. Most are looking at 3 digit figures.
 
jdmufc said:
Uniteds first Irish player was in 1932, by that time united had had 17 Scottish players and four Welsh, the rest had been English.

Since then there have been loads of Irish but not for the first 40 or so years we existed as a club.
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John Peden Lisburn, Co. Antrim 1893 - 1894
Thomas Morrison Belfast, Co. Antrim 1902 - 1904
Bernard Donaghy Derry 1905 - 1906
Mickey Hamill Belfast, Co. Antrim 1911 - 1914
James Robinson Belfast, Co. Antrim 1920 - 1922
David Lyner Belfast, Co. Antrim 1922 - 1923
Patrick O'Connell Dublin 1914 - 1919
Billy Toms Curragh, Co. Kildare 1919 - 1920


Irish players at United pre 32
 
Legend16 said:
John Peden Lisburn, Co. Antrim 1893 - 1894
Thomas Morrison Belfast, Co. Antrim 1902 - 1904
Bernard Donaghy Derry 1905 - 1906
Mickey Hamill Belfast, Co. Antrim 1911 - 1914
James Robinson Belfast, Co. Antrim 1920 - 1922
David Lyner Belfast, Co. Antrim 1922 - 1923
Patrick O'Connell Dublin 1914 - 1919
Billy Toms Curragh, Co. Kildare 1919 - 1920


Irish players at United pre 32
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the huge amount of research i did with google and wiki didn´t bring these players up, not sure of the reasons why they aren´t included in the list of all the united players that i found.

where did you get those names from? i may have to either get glasses or write a strongly worded e-mail to mr wiki!!
 
Rood said:
Is the support for the local game dying due to a rise in support for the English game or is it the same as it has ever been?
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Its always been low, bascially what this thread is about, for the following reasons:

1. Low quality when compared to other sports (GAA, Rugby).
2. Not as established in social culture as the GAA.
3. A tradition of being badly organsied.
4. A tradition of all our best players playing in England.
5. A relatively small number of teams

You have to remember Ireland is a small country with a wealth of options available in terms of live sport. GAA & rugby are played at a very high level and get great crowds, also the GAA in particular has far more rivalry and local pride involved than irish soccer does.
 
The Black Pearl said:
You were blowing off shite about following Man Utd up & down the country, sleeping in railway stations & flying to Spain ticketless on another thread & how its hurts people like you when you have to listen to spotty faced teenagers on Redcafe that hasn't been to OT saying they are just as big as fans as you.

Now i said that Irish fans do the exact same shit week in week out by boat & plane & you don't see or hear them harping on about it & you say that proves feck all now?

What the feck is your real problem fred?
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My problem is the condescending manner in which certain Irish fans seem to believe that they are "historically linked" to United and use that as a means to justify their support.

Its not that they love the club, its not that they believe in what the clubs about. Nope.. its because "we are Irish and United is part of our culture"

United wasnt formed for the Irish, it wasnt formed for the scottish. It wasnt formed for the Welsh. It was formed for the workers of a railway yard.

There have been players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Denmark, Russia, South Korea...

I get really annoyed when Irish fans harp on about the players from Ireland that have played for United, and thats the reason why there are so many Irish fans.

The moment they put on a United shirt, it doesnt matter where the feck they come from, whether it be England, Ireland, Scotland or bloody Timbuktu...

If the only reason people support a team is because a handful of players from their country have put on the red shirt, then thats a pretty shit reason for supporting a club.

Sorry, but it winds me up something chronic.

If you are Irish and you support United because you love the team, the club and what it stand for great. If you are Irish and you think that because George Best was Irish so therefore you have to support the clubm to show solidarity for all irishmen, then you're a cretin...
 
Eyepopper said:
Its always been low, bascially what this thread is about, for the following reasons:

1. Low quality when compared to other sports (GAA, Rugby).
2. Not as established in social culture as the GAA.
3. A tradition of being badly organsied.
4. A tradition of all our best players playing in England.
5. A relatively small number of teams

You have to remember Ireland is a small country with a wealth of options available in terms of live sport. GAA & rugby are played at a very high level and get great crowds, also the GAA in particular has far more rivalry and local pride involved than irish soccer does.
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To give the English posters an idea of the size, we're talking about 22 league clubs in the 2010 season, 10 in the Premier Division, 12 in the First Division. That is made up of:

Shamrock Rovers
Bohemians
Shelbourne
St. Pats
UCD
Sporting Fingal, all from Dublin
Galway United
Salthill Devon
Mervue United, all from Galway, although the last two are minnows who have only recently joined the league
Cork City
Derry City
Finn Harps, from Donegal
Sligo Rovers
Bray Wanderers
Dundalk
Drogheda United
Waterford United
Longford Town
Athlone Town
Limerick FC
Wexford Youths
Monaghan United
 
jdmufc said:
the huge amount of research i did with google and wiki didn´t bring these players up, not sure of the reasons why they aren´t included in the list of all the united players that i found.

where did you get those names from? i may have to either get glasses or write a strongly worded e-mail to mr wiki!!
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Irish Footballers : Manchester United : players from Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland : Played for Man Utd

not sure why Mr Wiki doesnt recognise anyone pre 32
 
fredthered said:
My problem is the condescending manner in which certain Irish fans seem to believe that they are "historically linked" to United and use that as a means to justify their support.

Its not that they love the club, its not that they believe in what the clubs about. Nope.. its because "we are Irish and United is part of our culture"

United wasnt formed for the Irish, it wasnt formed for the scottish. It wasnt formed for the Welsh. It was formed for the workers of a railway yard.

There have been players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Denmark, Russia, South Korea...

I get really annoyed when Irish fans harp on about the players from Ireland that have played for United, and thats the reason why there are so many Irish fans.

The moment they put on a United shirt, it doesnt matter where the feck they come from, whether it be England, Ireland, Scotland or bloody Timbuktu...

If the only reason people support a team is because a handful of players from their country have put on the red shirt, then thats a pretty shit reason for supporting a club.

Sorry, but it winds me up something chronic.

If you are Irish and you support United because you love the team, the club and what it stand for great. If you are Irish and you think that because George Best was Irish so therefore you have to support the clubm to show solidarity for all irishmen, then you're a cretin...
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What you are not getting Fred is that its a reason for STARTING to support the club

let me quantify that. When i was young, i started getting into football around the time Whiteside was starting to break through the reserves into the first team. That peaked my interest. Then I read about Best, and through reading about him i learnt how he came into the side after the Babes. Then i read about the Babes & the history. After that i was hooked and have been ever since.

Whiteside was merely the bait
 
fredthered said:
My problem is the condescending manner in which certain Irish fans seem to believe that they are "historically linked" to United and use that as a means to justify their support.

Its not that they love the club, its not that they believe in what the clubs about. Nope.. its because "we are Irish and United is part of our culture"

United wasnt formed for the Irish, it wasnt formed for the scottish. It wasnt formed for the Welsh. It was formed for the workers of a railway yard.

There have been players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Denmark, Russia, South Korea...

I get really annoyed when Irish fans harp on about the players from Ireland that have played for United, and thats the reason why there are so many Irish fans.

The moment they put on a United shirt, it doesnt matter where the feck they come from, whether it be England, Ireland, Scotland or bloody Timbuktu...

If the only reason people support a team is because a handful of players from their country have put on the red shirt, then thats a pretty shit reason for supporting a club.

Sorry, but it winds me up something chronic.

If you are Irish and you support United because you love the team, the club and what it stand for great. If you are Irish and you think that because George Best was Irish so therefore you have to support the clubm to show solidarity for all irishmen, then you're a cretin...
Click to expand...

How about if your Irish and you loved Roy Keane when you were a kid which led you to watching him play for Utd which then led you to love United?

Because thats the scenario for people who started supporting Utd because of great Irish players.
 
fredthered said:
My problem is the condescending manner in which certain Irish fans seem to believe that they are "historically linked" to United and use that as a means to justify their support.

Its not that they love the club, its not that they believe in what the clubs about. Nope.. its because "we are Irish and United is part of our culture"

United wasnt formed for the Irish, it wasnt formed for the scottish. It wasnt formed for the Welsh. It was formed for the workers of a railway yard.

There have been players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Denmark, Russia, South Korea...

I get really annoyed when Irish fans harp on about the players from Ireland that have played for United, and thats the reason why there are so many Irish fans.

The moment they put on a United shirt, it doesnt matter where the feck they come from, whether it be England, Ireland, Scotland or bloody Timbuktu...

If the only reason people support a team is because a handful of players from their country have put on the red shirt, then thats a pretty shit reason for supporting a club.

Sorry, but it winds me up something chronic.

If you are Irish and you support United because you love the team, the club and what it stand for great. If you are Irish and you think that because George Best was Irish so therefore you have to support the clubm to show solidarity for all irishmen, then you're a cretin...
Click to expand...

I would say that when you are 5,6 or 7years old supporting a team because you love the club and what it stands for is a bit lofty for you intellectual capacity. its more likely cos your dad or grandad supported them or in some cases cos your mother bought you a man utd pencil case for your first day in school and you were branded the day you walked into class. attributing heavy considered motives for starting to support a football team because of what the club stands for is a bit optimistic given the age most of us were hooked
 
golden_blunder said:
What you are not getting Fred is that its a reason for STARTING to support the club
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Exactly, i started to support Man Utd because a player i used to idolize as a young lad Paul McGrath was playing for Man Utd, not an unusual reason for a 5/6 year old young lad to start supporting a club. I'm still a Man Utd fan today though 25 years later & that was despite McGrath moving to Villa.

fred has this notion in his head that Irish fans only support the Irish players that play or have played for Man Utd i think. Thats definitely not the case. I do think its fair to say though that we are proud of the fact so many of our country men played a part in the clubs history, i mean who wouldn't, Man Utd is a special club with a unique history.

Do you think i'm a cretin fred?
 
Legend16 said:
I would say that when you are 5,6 or 7years old supporting a team because you love the club and what it stands for is a bit lofty for you intellectual capacity. its more likely cos your dad or grandad supported them or in some cases cos your mother bought you a man utd pencil case for your first day in school and you were branded the day you walked into class. attributing heavy considered motives for starting to support a football team because of what the club stands for is a bit optimistic given the age most of us were hooked
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Exactly, I think Fred et al like to believe we all woke up one day around 1996 and said 'hmmm think as and from today I'm a Man Utd supporter'
 
haha way to open up another box of worms Fred

But your point is invalid, NI is not land connected to the rest of the UK
 
The Black Pearl said:
Exactly, i started to support Man Utd because a player i used to idolize as a young lad Paul McGrath was playing for Man Utd, not an unusual reason for a 5/6 year old young lad to start supporting a club. I'm still a Man Utd fan today though 25 years later & that was despite McGrath moving to Villa.

fred has this notion in his head that Irish fans only support the Irish players that play or have played for Man Utd i think. Thats definitely not the case. I do think its fair to say though that we are proud of the fact so many of our country men played a part in the clubs history, i mean who wouldn't, Man Utd is a special club with a unique history.

Do you think i'm a cretin fred?
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How did you get to know who Paul McGrath was ? Did you know he was Irish before you started watching him play ?

When you first turned on your TV and saw Paul McGrath did you think "feck me.. he's Irish.. thats it I am a United fan ?"

Or is it actually more the case that you were watching United, liked the look of that player and thought "yeah.. hes good".

Nothing to do with the fact he was Irish at all... If he'd been French would you have fecked United off and gone to support another team that had an Irish player in it.
 
golden_blunder said:
haha way to open up another box of worms Fred

But your point is invalid, NI is not land connected to the rest of the UK
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Is Northern Ireland part of the UK ? Yes or no..

Yes it is. So therefore the republic of Ireland is connected by land to the UK.
 
You are a fecking idiot.

Land connected to the UK... that means we can all drive over to Old Trafford, yes.

What a meff. Is there any point to this shite you're posting at all?
 
fredthered said:
Is Northern Ireland part of the UK ? Yes or no..

Yes it is. So therefore the republic of Ireland is connected by land to the UK.
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So if i drive up to Northern Ireland it'll be easier for me to get to Manchester than a lad from Cornwall to get to Manchester, that was your initial point, easier for the Irish to get to Manchester than a lad from Cornwall.

C'mon fred seriously for the 2nd time whats your real problem? You bitter cause your not getting the recognition & respect you think a hardcore fan like you should be getting, is that it!?!
 
The Black Pearl said:
Outside the UK Ireland has the most amount of season ticket holders, 2/3 thousand make the journey over to see & support Man Utd by bus, boat, plane, car, from the 4 corners or Ireland each week & you don't see them harping on about the tough journeys or sacrifices they have to make!
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fredthered said:
Given that Ireland is actually land-connected to the UK then I guess that would explain it really.
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fredthered said:
Is Northern Ireland part of the UK ? Yes or no..

Yes it is. So therefore the republic of Ireland is connected by land to the UK.
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In the context of your original statement, it makes no sense. NI is not land connected to the rest of the UK. We still have to get a boat/plane like someone from Ireland.

Stop stirring Fred
 
The Black Pearl said:
So if i drive up to Northern Ireland it'll be easier for me to get to Manchester than a lad from Cornwall to get to Manchester, that was your initial point, easier for the Irish to get to Manchester than a lad from Cornwall.

C'mon fred seriously for the 2nd time whats your real problem? You bitter cause your not getting the recognition you think a hardcore fan like you should be getting, is that it?
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It takes 5 hours to get from Cornwall to Manchester by car.

You can make it from Dublin Airport to Manchester in less than 2.
 
Fred, you're not making any sense.

Why do you care so much, surely it's doing you no favors here?
 
fadas said:
You are a fecking idiot.

Land connected to the UK... that means we can all drive over to Old Trafford, yes.

What a meff. Is there any point to this shite you're posting at all?
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WHo said anything about driving ?

Its quicker to get to Manchester from Dublin than it is from Cornwall, and that is a fact.

The point I was making was that Ireland, due to its close proximity makes it accessible for Irish fans to get to. Certainly no harder than it is for anyone in say Poland or Spain.

SO this notion that Irish fans are putting themselves out to get to OT is a joke, because there are people who travel a hell of a lot further to get to OT but you don't hear them complaining about hte hardships they have to suffer just to get to a game.

Yet again, the Irish making out they are somehow doing something that no one else has to go through.
 
fredthered said:
It takes 5 hours to get from Cornwall to Manchester by car.

You can make it from Dublin Airport to Manchester in less than 2.
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And it takes 2-3 hours to get from my house to the airport, wait, unless you think everyone in Ireland lives in Dublin.
 
I dont think anyone is saying that they are putting themselves out Fred, its a price worth paying otherwise you wouldn't see the thousands make that trip every weekend
 
golden_blunder said:
why would he go to Dublin airport if NI is land connected to the rest of the UK?

You are now contradicting yourself
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No I am not.

I am saying that Ireland is connected to the UK. Its on its fecking doorstep.

You think its a hardship getting from Dublin to Manchester. Get fecking real. its no hardship at all.

Its more of a job getting from Glasgow or Cornwall than it is Dublin.

So quit the "there are 2000 Irish fans who travel half way around hte world to go watch United" bullshit.

The UK is on your fecking doorstep....
 
Not to mention that you may need to drive a few hours to get to Dublin.

You may need to pay for parking.

You may need to check in hours before your flight.

You may need to pay way over the odds for a flight cos United are at home.

You need to get from Manc airport to the ground.

Piece of piss really. It's like nipping down the shops.
 
Don't hear anything about Irish supporters swimming it do you?

If they really wanted to watch United I mean...
 
fredthered said:
No I am not.

I am saying that Ireland is connected to the UK. Its on its fecking doorstep.

You think its a hardship getting from Dublin to Manchester. Get fecking real. its no hardship at all.

Its more of a job getting from Glasgow or Cornwall than it is Dublin.

So quit the "there are 2000 Irish fans who travel half way around hte world to go watch United" bullshit.

The UK is on your fecking doorstep....
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Thats different from what you were saying before, you said Ireland was land connected to the UK and cited NI. Which makes no difference as its not land connected to Manchester.

Leaving that aside, i'm not complaining and i dont see many others complaining. Its not a hardship
 
fredthered said:
WHo said anything about driving ?

Its quicker to get to Manchester from Dublin than it is from Cornwall, and that is a fact.

The point I was making was that Ireland, due to its close proximity makes it accessible for Irish fans to get to. Certainly no harder than it is for anyone in say Poland or Spain.

SO this notion that Irish fans are putting themselves out to get to OT is a joke, because there are people who travel a hell of a lot further to get to OT but you don't hear them complaining about hte hardships they have to suffer just to get to a game.

Yet again, the Irish making out they are somehow doing something that no one else has to go through.
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I'll give you thing fred, you sure know how to press those buttons......one our of better WUM's.
 
golden_blunder said:
I dont think anyone is saying that they are putting themselves out Fred, its a price worth paying otherwise you wouldn't see the thousands make that trip every weekend
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Outside the UK Ireland has the most amount of season ticket holders, 2/3 thousand make the journey over to see & support Man Utd by bus, boat, plane, car, from the 4 corners or Ireland each week & you don't see them harping on about the tough journeys or sacrifices they have to make!

Its no more of a price than what anyone else pays.

It most probably costs more to get from Dover to OT than it does from Ireland.

You don't hear people from Kent going on "well 3000 of us make a special sacrifice every weekend to go support the team...."
 
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