Ireland's Greatest Sporting Moment RTE 2

[Il Bomber Destro]

For the record Italia 90 is a great moment but as an achievement it sucked, we didn't win one game.

Or you could say ROI reached the Quarter final without losing a game eventually going down to the hosts by the narrowest of margins. To reach the last in 8 in your first ever World cup will considered by most as fine achievement.

Reframe it how you want but considering winning is the only barometer of success, by the majority on this board, so not winning any of 5 games is quite frankly shit and should not be celebrated as success.

Laughable. View things in context.

Winning in a shit sport with virtually no competition is nowhere near as big as achievement as competing at a good level in a high competition field.

Is O'Byrne Cup success a bigger achievement than the 98 AI final appearance for Kildare?

Interational soccer is shit, it's always been a standard below the top club levels in the major European leagues. Don't kid yourself that the World Cup is a high competition field, it's actually even a standard below the European Championships. Some amount reaching on this thread.

International football is the be all and end all of football. Club football does not compare and never will. You speak like a lad who got wrapped up in the egg chasing bubble during the Celtic Tiger era.

Nope just a sports fan with a keen eye for high level competitive sport and international soccer ain't the highest level. What it is pretty good at is plugging into national identity and creates a sense of unity and that to most is more important than the quality or level of the game, that's why it's popular. Real lowest common denominator stuff to be honest. That's not a bad thing but if you really appreciate high level football, you watch the UCL that is the real pinnacle of the game.

International is the highest level of football. Those who have won World Cup will tell you. I don't know where you are getting your completely incorrect viewpoint from.

[Esmarelda]

Il Bomber Destro, "I would say sports fans dislike Rugby while weightlifting fans   and strong man fans might enjoy it." Are you suggesting that all the people that watch Ireland playing in the Six Nations aren't sports fans? Are you suggesting that these people also follow weightlifting and/or strong man competitions? Everyone that I know personally that follows rugby also follows G.A.A. and soccer. None of them follow weightlifting or strong man competitions, to the best of my knowledge. Could you clarify your statement?

"Winning in a shit sport with virtually no competition". If the Six Nations had virtually no competition then surely Ireland would have won the grand slam many times? As for calling it a shit sport.......well there's not much to say to that.

"International football is the be all and end all of football. Club football does not compare and never will." What is this based on? The quality on show? Have you been watching Ireland recently? Players are entitled to their view, but from a spectator point of view, do you think the international competitions are or a higher quality than the top club leagues.

Finally, "I don't know where you are getting your completely incorrect viewpoint from." I think this line deserves an award and I don't think there'd be any debate that it should win 

[tonto1888]

Il Bomber Destro, "I would say sports fans dislike Rugby while weightlifting fans   and strong man fans might enjoy it." Are you suggesting that all the people that watch Ireland playing in the Six Nations aren't sports fans? Are you suggesting that these people also follow weightlifting and/or strong man competitions? Everyone that I know personally that follows rugby also follows G.A.A. and soccer. None of them follow weightlifting or strong man competitions, to the best of my knowledge. Could you clarify your statement?

"Winning in a shit sport with virtually no competition". If the Six Nations had virtually no competition then surely Ireland would have won the grand slam many times? As for calling it a shit sport.......well there's not much to say to that.

"International football is the be all and end all of football. Club football does not compare and never will." What is this based on? The quality on show? Have you been watching Ireland recently? Players are entitled to their view, but from a spectator point of view, do you think the international competitions are or a higher quality than the top club leagues.

Finally, "I don't know where you are getting your completely incorrect viewpoint from." I think this line deserves an award and I don't think there'd be any debate that it should win 


A

I missed this. Bomber, are you saying weightlifting and strongman aren't sports? Whatabout powerlifting? Crossfit?

[Il Bomber Destro]

The Grand Slam was easily the sporting moment of the 00s. Not even close.

Grand slam? Beating 5 other teams in a non-world event?? Get a grip. Harrington was the correct choice.f**king egg chasers is right. They beat 3/4 of a New Zealand team last year in a FRIENDLY and the country was in meltdown. They get far too much hype whereas Harrington didn't get enough

In Euro 88, Holland had five games in a non-world event, didn't even win them all and still were champions. Still, I'm sure they had a better sporting achievement that year too.

But football is a global sport, it survives by itself due to its global appeal.

Scoring a last minute equaliser against one of football's superpowers in the dying minutes of a group game at a World Cup may seem trivial but when you view it in its context it's a whole lot more than winning an annual 6 team tournament in a sport where only about 8 countries take semi-seriously.

If truth be told the Irish team are one massive set of over-hyped, under achieving fun boys. They've never been past the last 8 in the World Cup in a sport only 8 teams take seriously. They're the only one of the 8 sides that take it seriously that have never been in the last 4 of a World Cup.

It's popularity in this country is more to do with its social outing culture and the increased chance of success given the small competition pool, there's a disproportionate amount of women at rugby matches compared to other sports. Most lads who attend rugby matches these days have never played an organised game of rugby in their life, that's an odd association with the game.

Im curious. Who are the 8 teams that take it seriously?

South Africa
New Zealand
Australia
France
Ireland
Wales
Scotland
England

Only New Zealand have it as their main sport.

and whats the criteria for taking it seriously?

What about Tonga, Samoa, Fiji?
Why not Argentina or Italy?
Whats the main sport in Aus/SA?

Football is the main sport in South Africa. Rugby League, AFL and cricket are more popular in the US.

Id be surprised at football being the main sport in SA. Certainly didn't seem that way when I was there though that was a good many years ago and before the 2010 world cup.

Now, what about Fiji/Samoa/Tonga?
And how do Argentina and Italy not take rugby seriously

Well be surprised, football is by far and away the biggest sport in South Africa.

Argentina and Italy don't take Rugby seriously as there is little appeal in the game.

There are more pro soccer players in the USA than there are pro rugby players in the world.

Did you play rugby yourself?

Like I said its a number of years since I visited SA and the world cup has been held there since. They still get big crowds for rugby though, although the experiment of having a couple of teams in the league over here hasn't gone too well.
Looks to me like there is an appetite for rugby in both Argentina and Italy and you still have avoided Fiji/Samoa/Tonga where they also take rugby seriously.

I did play rugby, union and league. I prefer league to play and to watch. Not sure what that has to do with it though

The Pacific Islands have tiny little populations which says it all. Tonga has a population of 107k. Smaller than half the counties in Ireland probably. Samoa about 200k and Fiji 900k.

Listen to yourself - that's the kind of depth you're talking about.

Who did you play for?

Rugby in Italy has very limited popularity outside of certain regions in the north of the country, where it is still a minority sport.

It's a minority sport in Argentina as well, way, way, way behind football which is the only sport that matters, exactly like it is in Italy.

[Il Bomber Destro]

Il Bomber Destro, "I would say sports fans dislike Rugby while weightlifting fans   and strong man fans might enjoy it." Are you suggesting that all the people that watch Ireland playing in the Six Nations aren't sports fans? Are you suggesting that these people also follow weightlifting and/or strong man competitions? Everyone that I know personally that follows rugby also follows G.A.A. and soccer. None of them follow weightlifting or strong man competitions, to the best of my knowledge. Could you clarify your statement?

"Winning in a shit sport with virtually no competition". If the Six Nations had virtually no competition then surely Ireland would have won the grand slam many times? As for calling it a shit sport.......well there's not much to say to that.

"International football is the be all and end all of football. Club football does not compare and never will." What is this based on? The quality on show? Have you been watching Ireland recently? Players are entitled to their view, but from a spectator point of view, do you think the international competitions are or a higher quality than the top club leagues.

Finally, "I don't know where you are getting your completely incorrect viewpoint from." I think this line deserves an award and I don't think there'd be any debate that it should win 


A

I missed this. Bomber, are you saying weightlifting and strongman aren't sports? Whatabout powerlifting? Crossfit?

Yes I am, they are forms of exercise and bodybuilding.

[Main Street]

For the record Italia 90 is a great moment but as an achievement it sucked, we didn't win one game.

Or you could say ROI reached the Quarter final without losing a game eventually going down to the hosts by the narrowest of margins. To reach the last in 8 in your first ever World cup will considered by most as fine achievement.

Reframe it how you want but considering winning is the only barometer of success, by the majority on this board, so not winning any of 5 games is quite frankly shit and should not be celebrated as success.

Laughable. View things in context.

Winning in a shit sport with virtually no competition is nowhere near as big as achievement as competing at a good level in a high competition field.

Is O'Byrne Cup success a bigger achievement than the 98 AI final appearance for Kildare?

Interational soccer is shit, it's always been a standard below the top club levels in the major European leagues. Don't kid yourself that the World Cup is a high competition field, it's actually even a standard below the European Championships. Some amount reaching on this thread.

You should get better acquainted about the elite top players who have won World Cup glory and just where they rank that achievement.
A club can't compete against the ethos of a nation or a nation competing for the world cup. The World Cup and  the Euros are an intense competition, one which the best team like France at euro 2016 can falter at the finish, jaded.

Of course a group of top elite players brought together in a club team financed by filthy rich owners spending a fortune have great potential to play at the highest standard, versus a national team of top players who only play together on occasion.
Nevertheless, would Spain 2010 /12 have beaten any side in Spain? or Germany 2014 have beaten any BL team? I suspect so.
France might have a harder time beating PSG in their present incarnation, but that's after billions of euros has been spent to assemble an elite team which still took years to rise above dysfunction. 

Lets pretend PSG win the CL, what do you think the French nation's greatest moment in football sport would be, the goal that won PSG the european cup or the 3 goals that won France the world cup?

The penalty shoot out at Italia 90 after a crappy game in the afternoon heat is a standout moment in Irish sport, could only have been trumped had Ireland beaten Spain at WC2002.

[tonto1888]

The Grand Slam was easily the sporting moment of the 00s. Not even close.

Grand slam? Beating 5 other teams in a non-world event?? Get a grip. Harrington was the correct choice.f**king egg chasers is right. They beat 3/4 of a New Zealand team last year in a FRIENDLY and the country was in meltdown. They get far too much hype whereas Harrington didn't get enough

In Euro 88, Holland had five games in a non-world event, didn't even win them all and still were champions. Still, I'm sure they had a better sporting achievement that year too.

But football is a global sport, it survives by itself due to its global appeal.

Scoring a last minute equaliser against one of football's superpowers in the dying minutes of a group game at a World Cup may seem trivial but when you view it in its context it's a whole lot more than winning an annual 6 team tournament in a sport where only about 8 countries take semi-seriously.

If truth be told the Irish team are one massive set of over-hyped, under achieving fun boys. They've never been past the last 8 in the World Cup in a sport only 8 teams take seriously. They're the only one of the 8 sides that take it seriously that have never been in the last 4 of a World Cup.

It's popularity in this country is more to do with its social outing culture and the increased chance of success given the small competition pool, there's a disproportionate amount of women at rugby matches compared to other sports. Most lads who attend rugby matches these days have never played an organised game of rugby in their life, that's an odd association with the game.

Im curious. Who are the 8 teams that take it seriously?

South Africa
New Zealand
Australia
France
Ireland
Wales
Scotland
England

Only New Zealand have it as their main sport.

and whats the criteria for taking it seriously?

What about Tonga, Samoa, Fiji?
Why not Argentina or Italy?
Whats the main sport in Aus/SA?

Football is the main sport in South Africa. Rugby League, AFL and cricket are more popular in the US.

Id be surprised at football being the main sport in SA. Certainly didn't seem that way when I was there though that was a good many years ago and before the 2010 world cup.

Now, what about Fiji/Samoa/Tonga?
And how do Argentina and Italy not take rugby seriously

Well be surprised, football is by far and away the biggest sport in South Africa.

Argentina and Italy don't take Rugby seriously as there is little appeal in the game.

There are more pro soccer players in the USA than there are pro rugby players in the world.

Did you play rugby yourself?

Like I said its a number of years since I visited SA and the world cup has been held there since. They still get big crowds for rugby though, although the experiment of having a couple of teams in the league over here hasn't gone too well.
Looks to me like there is an appetite for rugby in both Argentina and Italy and you still have avoided Fiji/Samoa/Tonga where they also take rugby seriously.

I did play rugby, union and league. I prefer league to play and to watch. Not sure what that has to do with it though

The Pacific Islands have tiny little populations which says it all. Tonga has a population of 107k. Smaller than half the counties in Ireland probably. Samoa about 200k and Fiji 900k.

Listen to yourself - that's the kind of depth you're talking about.

Who did you play for?

Rugby in Italy has very limited popularity outside of certain regions in the north of the country, where it is still a minority sport.

It's a minority sport in Argentina as well, way, way, way behind football which is the only sport that matters, exactly like it is in Italy.

So because they are small in population they don't count as countries?

I played both codes in Manchester where I lived for close to 12 years. Old Bediand and Mancunians. I also played Gaelic over there.

A minority sport and limited popularity does not mean they are not taken seriously, which was the point I was getting at

[tonto1888]

Il Bomber Destro, "I would say sports fans dislike Rugby while weightlifting fans   and strong man fans might enjoy it." Are you suggesting that all the people that watch Ireland playing in the Six Nations aren't sports fans? Are you suggesting that these people also follow weightlifting and/or strong man competitions? Everyone that I know personally that follows rugby also follows G.A.A. and soccer. None of them follow weightlifting or strong man competitions, to the best of my knowledge. Could you clarify your statement?

"Winning in a shit sport with virtually no competition". If the Six Nations had virtually no competition then surely Ireland would have won the grand slam many times? As for calling it a shit sport.......well there's not much to say to that.

"International football is the be all and end all of football. Club football does not compare and never will." What is this based on? The quality on show? Have you been watching Ireland recently? Players are entitled to their view, but from a spectator point of view, do you think the international competitions are or a higher quality than the top club leagues.

Finally, "I don't know where you are getting your completely incorrect viewpoint from." I think this line deserves an award and I don't think there'd be any debate that it should win 


A

I missed this. Bomber, are you saying weightlifting and strongman aren't sports? Whatabout powerlifting? Crossfit?

Yes I am, they are forms of exercise and bodybuilding.

Gaelic is a form of exercise. As is soccer and rugby. You don't bodybuild with powerlifting or crossfit and both have world governing bodies and host competitions. That makes them a sport

[Therealdonald]

Il Bomber Destro, "I would say sports fans dislike Rugby while weightlifting fans   and strong man fans might enjoy it." Are you suggesting that all the people that watch Ireland playing in the Six Nations aren't sports fans? Are you suggesting that these people also follow weightlifting and/or strong man competitions? Everyone that I know personally that follows rugby also follows G.A.A. and soccer. None of them follow weightlifting or strong man competitions, to the best of my knowledge. Could you clarify your statement?

"Winning in a shit sport with virtually no competition". If the Six Nations had virtually no competition then surely Ireland would have won the grand slam many times? As for calling it a shit sport.......well there's not much to say to that.

"International football is the be all and end all of football. Club football does not compare and never will." What is this based on? The quality on show? Have you been watching Ireland recently? Players are entitled to their view, but from a spectator point of view, do you think the international competitions are or a higher quality than the top club leagues.

Finally, "I don't know where you are getting your completely incorrect viewpoint from." I think this line deserves an award and I don't think there'd be any debate that it should win 


A

I missed this. Bomber, are you saying weightlifting and strongman aren't sports? Whatabout powerlifting? Crossfit?

Yes I am, they are forms of exercise and bodybuilding.

Gaelic is a form of exercise. As is soccer and rugby. You don't bodybuild with powerlifting or crossfit and both have world governing bodies and host competitions. That makes them a sport

To quote Bomber I think he has a point.There is virtually no competition in the 6nations? There are 5 matches to be won, against 1 team that would recognise the sport as it's national sport. Rugby in England is seen as a middle class sport. Ireland's failure to win it before stemmed more so from the inadequacy of their teams as opposed to the strength of the opposition. Let's not forget that only 1 team from the Northern Hemisphere has won the World Cup.

The quality on show in inetrnational football compared to the club scene is inferior, however the World Cup final is the most watched sport on TV each year it is held. And when comparing Maradona and Messi, its oft said that Messi has no World Cup whereas Maradona has.

Weightlifting? I assume you mean power lifting in the olympics?

[tonto1888]

Donald, powerlifting (squat, bench, deadlift) isn't done at the Olympics. Weightlifting (Clean&Jerk and Snatch) is. Theyre not the same sport

[Il Bomber Destro]

Donald, powerlifting (squat, bench, deadlift) isn't done at the Olympics. Weightlifting (Clean&Jerk and Snatch) is. Theyre not the same sport

They not sports at all. They are forms of exercise/bodybuilding.

[tonto1888]

Donald, powerlifting (squat, bench, deadlift) isn't done at the Olympics. Weightlifting (Clean&Jerk and Snatch) is. Theyre not the same sport

They not sports at all. They are forms of exercise/bodybuilding.

Theyre sports, as is bodybuilding itself

[Esmarelda]

Donald, powerlifting (squat, bench, deadlift) isn't done at the Olympics. Weightlifting (Clean&Jerk and Snatch) is. Theyre not the same sport

They not sports at all. They are forms of exercise/bodybuilding.

Define a sport.

[Il Bomber Destro]

Donald, powerlifting (squat, bench, deadlift) isn't done at the Olympics. Weightlifting (Clean&Jerk and Snatch) is. Theyre not the same sport

They not sports at all. They are forms of exercise/bodybuilding.

Theyre sports, as is bodybuilding itself

What about bicep curls?

Lifting objects is not s sport.

[From the Bunker]

Donald, powerlifting (squat, bench, deadlift) isn't done at the Olympics. Weightlifting (Clean&Jerk and Snatch) is. Theyre not the same sport

They not sports at all. They are forms of exercise/bodybuilding.

Define a sport.

An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.