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[Those]

Statement from Shamrock Rovers (bold emphasis is mine)

Apology to Simon Webb (Drogheda United FC)

21 Apr 2007. On behalf of the club's membership and the entire Shamrock Rovers community, we wish to issue a public apology to Simon Webb for the heartless and highly personal verbal abuse he was subjected to from a tiny minority of the attendance at the Shamrock Rovers-Drogheda United game at Tolka Park on April 20. Those responsible should be ashamed of themselves and are certainly not welcome at Shamrock Rovers. An investigation into the incident has begun and those responsible will be dealt with in an appropriate manner.

Shamrock Rovers FC Board of Directors

This "one fan" must have magic powers. He transforms himself into a number of fans and conceals his singular individuality to a sufficient extent to elicit a statement from Shamrock Rovers describing him in the plural. All the more impressive when you consider that, according to dublinfella, he "wasn't heard".

We're still waiting for Rovers' condemnation of the banner and their undertaking to deal with those responsible in an appropriate manner. I'd guess we'll be waiting.

And incidentally - as I said before - there is nothing wrong with the banner.

There you go. That's where you lose everyone here.  Since you see nothing wrong with the banner, that puts you on the same level as the scum who raised it and beyond being worthy of the normal courtesies extended to contributors here.

Likewise, the failure of Shamrock Rovers officials to have the banner removed or to condemn it or to discipline those responsible puts them likewise on the same level.

My respects, by the way, to those who had the decency and courage to leave the match in protest at the unbelievable carry-on last Friday.

You design a stadium based on it's primary use - and not to facilitate a very occasional use.

Yes. If you're the one designing your own stadium to be built with your own money for your own use. (I realise these are strange concepts, but stick with me).

If, on the other hand, you're a homeless, begging socer club looking for free assembly place for offensive morons and condoning their use of offensive displays, well then you take what you get.

Hardy  retrospective sanctions for divers would in my opinion be an excellent idea.  In that case can Spillane get suspended for an incident in the early 80's.

Great idea. Why not?

Okay, so nobody here cares about the central issue. Good, at least I know where I stand.

Ker-chinnnng!

"Central issue"

Yes

every decision of the referee was hotly disputed by players from both sides. This is a worrying trend in the G.A.A. which seems to be getting worse. If it continues i forsee a time we will have no whistlers, who would take that kind of abuse week in and week out

I agree Pangurban. Nicky Brennan would do well to make this the goal of his presidency, instead of smoothing the path towards pay for play. There's no great mystery about what's needed - just copy rugby's rules and sanctions about respect for the ref.

And the second big problem is encapsulated here

Mortimer ... goes down too easily in my opinion.

.
Not just Mortimer, of course (though his extravagant back-flip from a kneeling position yesterday was a new low). But can we please stamp this stuff out? Again, perhaps we can learn from the rugby ethos - manliness is a value. It's very strange that in our amateur game, where we're playing essentially for honour, we would descend to this lowest form of cheating, while the ethos of honour still largely survives even in professional rugby. Could that be because it's enforced?

If players have had their heads so turned by professional soccer and junk sport in general that they can't understand enough about why they're playing to behave with honour, then it'll have to be enforced. Severe sanctions for divers, using video evidence.

I've a wee bet on Louth at 25/1. (Still available with SkyBet).

You don't get the point, do you? Nobody here (or in the GAA, or the government, or SDCC, or in the courts) gives a t**ker's toss how far behind the goal your supporters have to stand, be it to flaunt their obscene banners, boo protestants, throw bottles or (and I'm still reeling at the very thought of this one) revel loudly in a player's bereavement. Seems to me the further away they are the better.

Just in case you still don't get it - if you want to court any sympathy here, you might consider changing tack from the 30-yard-injustice approach.

 

... the central issue is that soccer fans will be nowhere near the pitch. Those behind the goals will be 30 yards away. But why am I bothering to explain this when fans of the Grab All Association simply don't care???

An excellent way of debating lads. When it gets to the central issue, you just say "I don't care about that".

Pathetic.

Grab All Association – hilarious, original and, of course, unwittingly ironic, given the source. 

You're right, though. We don't care and you're not going to garner much support around here for a campaign to improve the "atmosphere" at the two-men-and-a-dog occasions of the Eircom League. I'd have thought even a member of the "olé, olé, but boo if he's a protestant" movement would have enough cop on to know that.

And anyway, as regards the central plank of your risible campaign against putting fans 30 yards behind the goals – did you notice the recent soccer games in Croke Park? If it's unacceptable for soccer fans to be 30 yards away from the pitch (too far to throw a bottle?), what was all the clamour to get into Croke Park about?

As you might say yourself, you couldn't make it up.

What happened with the red ball? I just heard them talking about it after,  but I didn't get it.

Steve Davis is an incredibly nice fella, though. (Goes into Fearon mode). I sat across the aisle and one row behind him on a plane once. Unlike Fearon (imagine what the poor man would have had to endure), I didn't bother him or speak to him, but throughout the flight there were people coming to him to talk, ask for autographs, etc. and he was not just professionally pleasant, but genuinely nice to everybody. He came across as bright, intelligent and a good conversationalist. His wife and two young lads of about 8 and 10 were directly in front of me and I've never encountered better behaved or mannered kids. A very positive (and not at all boring) impression, all round.

[atmosphere]

The central issue in a public funding scandal and serial debt-defaulting scam is the atmosphere at Shamrock Rovers' matches!!!

And you talk about things you couldn't make up.

Anyway, having seen that banner, and heard about the unvelievable scummery last Friday night, I know all I care to know about the "atmosphere" at Shamrock Rovers matches.

That's not really a problem anymore. Vast tracts of Cavan have been pacified and there is a secure corridor (N3, but known locally as "the big road") that's safe enough to use in daylight hours. It's often booby-trapped with unlit tractors after dark, though. Batteries be's fierce dear, d'y'know.

7. Herpes is funnier than Patrick Kielty - but not so persistent.

I have no idea about (and little interest in) the main subject matter, but you're spot on there.

I see the story on Hoganstand.com describes Seán's role as "consultant". I can't imnagine him going just as a selector. But I don't know what a "consultant" is in the context of football team management. A Bobby Robson type setup?