Supporting English Soccer Teams

Started by AMayoSheep, May 10, 2007, 10:58:32 AM

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Dinny Breen

Growing up in Kildare in the early 80s there was very little sport hype certainly not compared to the Sky years and the only live GAA one saw on TV was the All-Ireland finals and if your county wasn't involved it completely by-passed you. On the other hand you always had Match of the Day, football focus, On the Ball, Saint and Greavsie and The Big Match. In the school playground it was easy to identify with an English Division 1 side, generally most kids went with the successful ones Liverpool, Everton and Forest, a lot of other kids would have been encouraged by their Dads to be Arsenal or Man U fans, clubs without much success in the 80s but always had great tradition and a strong Irish presence, I still have a birthday card I received from David O'Leary signed by the whole Arsenal squad. For Shamrock Rovers fans this was arranged by Mick Kearin who when Arsenal played Rovers at Milltown also got me into the Arsenal dressing room. So although it's years since I've been to an Arsenal home game I still try to watch their games although it's been a long since I've been passionate about their results.

But as I've got older the hype machine has put me off soccer and I didn't even sit down and watch any of the Champions League semi-finals, perfering instead to watch a couple of mates play Division 3 football and some other mates play inter-county junior rugby.

Anyway I can recognise apart of myself in the "WE" brigrade and have no problems with them but I think the next generation will have no interest and instead will be more interested in their county team and provincial rugby because that's were the identity will be. Kids aren't dumb and as they get older they will see through the Premiership for what it is.
#newbridgeornowhere

Declan

QuoteFor Shamrock Rovers fans this was arranged by Mick Kearin who when Arsenal played Rovers at Milltown also got me into the Arsenal dressing room.

I think this was a pre-season friendly in 85/86 Dinny. Was at it myself .Rovers had some team in those days ( and a ground!!!)

Dinny Breen

QuoteI think this was a pre-season friendly in 85/86 Dinny. Was at it myself .Rovers had some team in those days ( and a ground!!!)

That would be the game, always had a soft spot for Rovers, even dated Mick Leech's daughter for a while. Sad to see what they have become...
#newbridgeornowhere

sureyouwill

Quote from: 5iveTimes on May 10, 2007, 03:33:44 PM
I am a child of the 70s, I grew up in a staunch GAA family, soccer was a "foreign sport", there was no Sky sports and I rarely got to see MoTD, but I have supported Liverpool all my life. I cant explain why I support Liverpool, I just do. I have no ties to the city of Liverpool other than the football team and Anfield. I dont hate Everton. I go to Anfield regularly (6ish games a season) I go to some of the away European games. I will be in Athens, I was in Istanbul. Does this make me any less an Irishman? Any less a GAA man?
Down are my number 1 team, but at times Liverpool come a close second.

And who said it did?

dec

Effectively the English League is our top soccer league. Just about every good Irish player in my memory has spent some or all of their career in England and an All time Irish soccer team would probably have 11 players who spent most of their career in England.

If you like soccer and want to follow the best Irish players then English teams are your only option.

his holiness nb

Quote from: 5iveTimes on May 10, 2007, 03:45:10 PM
I just get the impression that certain GAA members look down on people who follow soccer, English soccer in particular.

This thread was started by a self confessed soccer fan, its nothing to do with the GAA.

And nobody said you were less of an Irishman or less of a GAA man for supporting Liverpool, you need to chill out !
Ask me holy bollix

J70

Quote from: his holiness nb on May 10, 2007, 12:30:55 PM
Nobody is "dictating" anything to anyone.
Just making valid points, we arent saying you shouldnt follow an English team, just saying we dont get why you would want to.



I don't get why intelligent people in this day and age believe in god or like certain types of music, but there you go. Everyone has different backgrounds and experiences.

his holiness nb

Exactly, thats why theres many a forum about these topics too.
Ask me holy bollix

the Deel Rover

I'm a GAA man but also follow soccer nobody in particular but i would watch a match if there was no gaelic or rugby on.I was a lucky enough to go to man u v's benfica last december to see my first ever soccer match in england, what i could not believe was the level of support that Man u received for e.g when man u went a goal behind the whole stadium went wild to the cheers of united, if that happened in Gaelic and a team let a goal in or a player missed a free all you would hear would be F**KS and blinds. So while i don't admire the premership or the footballers because personally i think lot of it is over hyped and i'm sick of hearing Andy Gray going on about the commintment shown by the players that get paid a hundred grand a week i really admire the supporters who really do support their teams.         
Crossmolina Deel Rovers
All Ireland Club Champions 2001

GalwayBayBoy

Have supported Liverpool since I was a nipper. Don't particularly feel the need to apologise for it. Not that I care anyway. Just started supporting them as they were on telly a fair bit and they wore all red and red is my favourite colour. It really is that simple. I remember supporting them in the Merseyside cup finals in the last 80's and bawling my eyes out when Michael Thomas scored the last minute winner to win the league for Arsenal in 89. As it turned out I started supporting Liverpool just before they entered the 90's and a period when we won f**k all relatively speaking and some of the worst Liverpool sides ever graced Anfield. I go over a couple of times a season but obviously not as often as I'd like but it's not easy when your work, family, various other commitments are so far away.

I refer to "we" when discussing Liverpool as their my team and to support a team you have to have a sense of ownership and identify with them in a collective sense. Otherwise you're just a neutral observer IMO.

For the record I also regularly go to Eircom league games to see Galway United.

I also love my club and my county needless to say and go to more matches than is healthy for my heart but I don't find the two things mutually exclusive and frankly I do get a bit fed up with the holier than thou attitude some take towards supporting an English football team. Live and let live I say.

Farrandeelin

Nicely put GBB. I'm in the same boat as yourself. Started supporting United in the 90s and so what if they were successful. I've no ties with the city of Manchester or any other city in England either that has a soccer team. And if you knew me, you wouldn't say I'm a poor GAA supporter either cos I've been at as much games as I can go to.
Inaugural Football Championship Prediction Winner.

AMayoSheep

Quote from: Farrandeelin on May 10, 2007, 06:30:01 PM
Nicely put GBB. I'm in the same boat as yourself. Started supporting United in the 90s and so what if they were successful. I've no ties with the city of Manchester or any other city in England either that has a soccer team. And if you knew me, you wouldn't say I'm a poor GAA supporter either cos I've been at as much games as I can go to.

No-one is saying that anybody is any less of an Gaa fan just because they support an English soccer team.
It just iv found it increasingly strange as i went through my teens.
Like if it just say that someone like old-ham were the best team around then, you would have supported them....most people are glory hunters following teams like liverpool or united and whether they like it or not have bought into a product like sky who are only delighted that irish fans have such a keen obsession on the premiership.


But it this way, i am interested in the premiership but find it difficult to get passionate about a team that has nothing in common with me, that i have no links to!!
Or as someone said before just because i liked the color red they supported liverpool!

Fishead_Sam

I support Liverpool because my grandmother & grandfather lived there during the 1930's & 1940's, 2 of my Aunts where born there. But to be honest when Liverpool lose Im pissed off for 20 minutes, when Mayo lose Im unbearable for 6 months. Liverpool I like Mayo is Life. The connection with Liverpool is vague, my particular family name(& the predecessors of the name as family, names only around since around 1000ad or something) have been in Mayo(areas now known as Mayo) since arond 500-600 ad, so thats a damn fine reason to give all my allegiance to my homeland.

GAA before Premierhship any day of the week.

deiseach

Quote from: AMayoSheep on May 10, 2007, 07:20:05 PM
It just iv found it increasingly strange as i went through my teens.

The older I get, I find it increasingly strange that people could prefer football over hurling. Yet not only does it happen, there are far more people who follow this way of things than mine! Any insight into this state of affairs?

And before you get your knickers in a twist, that was a rhetorical question. People nowadays follow English soccer because they always have done. How this came to be is an interesting question, worthy of books like Who Stole Our Game? But there's no mystery as to why people do it - because everyone does it.

GalwayBayBoy

QuoteOr as someone said before just because i liked the color red they supported liverpool!

What does it matter? I don't support them any less because of it.

Sure I only support Galway through an accident of birth. If I was born further to the north I'd probably be a Mayo fan.