IFA begging Ireland players to play for them

[MW]

No, it doesn't - you'll have to try a lot harder to annoy me than use a childish label for a website I don't even look at. But again it's very revealing that you're happy at the idea of annoying NI fans, and that this appears to be your aim with your choice ofwording.

Your protestations about your suppose indifference ring even more hollow.

Mixed messages again - red hander speak with forked tongue...

[Applesisapples]

Look guys, they can call it "Our wee country" all they like but it isn't a country. It's a region of the UK administratively. Or 2/3 of a province of Ireland depending on your view. Either way Fifa should insist that there is one team only representing the Country that is the UK.

[stew]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Funny then that you couldn't even make your point without trotting out "Are We A Country"...

The north of Ireland is not now, nor will it ever be ............... a country!

[eddie d]

Not really clutching at straws, was merely using examples and remembered that incident, because it got media attention, (now why would it get media attention if it was no big deal?)

Oh, I don't know, it's not like the media has ever hyped something up for their own ends, or picked up on a pathetic whiny little bit of MOPEry.

.i think your clutching at straws..from my post you focus on the healy incident and the songs,yet you ignore the lennon point.

No, I followed on from nifan's post.

Certainly, was referring to the anthem, gstq,not many catholics i know would feel comfortable in that environment.

And here is a classic example of the goalposts shifting. You said "and he must think songs in the stands aren't sectarian". (BAD CHOICE OF WORDS, ILL RETRACT THAT POINT)Challenged once on this, you just ignored the challenge. Challenged a second time, you're going to pretend you were talking about the choice of anthem. Sorry, old chap, but you're simply bullsh***ing now.

Answer me this, is Healy the ni captain? Was he at the time?

No. And no.

  i love how you have alot to say about everything else except, what i believe to be the most important issue in my original post, and when I refer to it again you just "followed on from nifan's post", old chap.

[michaelg]

Like the Israelis who brand any critics anti-semitic, the Are We A Country brigade label any critics bigots (which is the ultimate irony, if they knew what irony was), defectors or traitors. I don't hate the statelet, as hate involves feeling, and I feel nothing for the statelet.

Funny then that you couldn't even make your point without trotting out "Are We A Country"...

The north of Ireland is not now, nor will it ever be ............... a country!

In footballing terms, and as recognised by FIFA, it is

[MW]

Not really clutching at straws, was merely using examples and remembered that incident, because it got media attention, (now why would it get media attention if it was no big deal?)

Oh, I don't know, it's not like the media has ever hyped something up for their own ends, or picked up on a pathetic whiny little bit of MOPEry.

.i think your clutching at straws..from my post you focus on the healy incident and the songs,yet you ignore the lennon point.

No, I followed on from nifan's post.

Certainly, was referring to the anthem, gstq,not many catholics i know would feel comfortable in that environment.

And here is a classic example of the goalposts shifting. You said "and he must think songs in the stands aren't sectarian". (BAD CHOICE OF WORDS, ILL RETRACT THAT POINT)Challenged once on this, you just ignored the challenge. Challenged a second time, you're going to pretend you were talking about the choice of anthem. Sorry, old chap, but you're simply bullsh***ing now.

Answer me this, is Healy the ni captain? Was he at the time?

No. And no.

  i love how you have alot to say about everything else except, what i believe to be the most important issue in my original post, and when I refer to it again you just "followed on from nifan's post", old chap.

The common thread in all of your posts is that you're simply clutching at any excuse, real or manufactured, to attack the Northern Ireland team and support. So you talk about non-existant sectarian songs and then when challenged move the goalposts to pretend you were talking about the anthem; so you latch on to a pathetic little whinge from some Celtic supporters at a club friendly four years ago.

You want to talk about Neil Lennon, let's talk about how a small minority of idiots and their agenda were overcome by the rest of us after rearing their heads in a single game, and how the NI support expressed its support for Lennon after the actions of one sc**bag in a phone box.

[MW]

Look guys, they can call it "Our wee country" all they like but it isn't a country. It's a region of the UK administratively. Or 2/3 of a province of Ireland depending on your view. Either way Fifa should insist that there is one team only representing the Country that is the UK.

You may wish to consider the concept of constituent countries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituent_country

Yes, of course Northern Ireland isn't a country as in an independent sovereign state, like the UK or the ROI. But your "region" point isn't quite on the button - it's a constituent country of the UK:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.number10.gov.uk/Page823

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countries_of_the_United_Kingdom

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:TEfSepfac2IJ:www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_258607.pdf+constituent+country+uk&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiyPHWrjqsWNSbVKUyJg35HKuMqiVvJ5gd3dHid6pXA65jMW8l2NrCMq1pkBEo1T_BWROVp92Q-YvPs7HErlLC9gz48OetymxnyFTSC3cgl9twmHbPvrxA1MO2dd-TSLwCQs9qY&sig=AHIEtbQOY-duIqg0KzS6_LECN6dopIRbrg

On what you say FIFA should do, they allow constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Kingdom of Denmark, to compete seperately, so why not the United Kingdom? There are other examples too, such as PR China, Hong Kong and Macau competing seperately (even leaving aside "Chinese Taipei").

And that's without even getting into the fact that the UK associations invented international football, and played the first international football competition decades before FIFA was around, or their bail-out of FIFA after WW2...

[eddie d]

MW,

I referred to the songs in my previous post, in your quotation. Also i didn't "latch on to" anything, I dont follow ni, so i was using examples of why, in my opinion, someone like McClean wouldn't want to play for NI

[Applesisapples]

Look guys, they can call it "Our wee country" all they like but it isn't a country. It's a region of the UK administratively. Or 2/3 of a province of Ireland depending on your view. Either way Fifa should insist that there is one team only representing the Country that is the UK.

You may wish to consider the concept of constituent countries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituent_country

Yes, of course Northern Ireland isn't a country as in an independent sovereign state, like the UK or the ROI. But your "region" point isn't quite on the button - it's a constituent country of the UK:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.number10.gov.uk/Page823

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countries_of_the_United_Kingdom

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:TEfSepfac2IJ:www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_258607.pdf+constituent+country+uk&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiyPHWrjqsWNSbVKUyJg35HKuMqiVvJ5gd3dHid6pXA65jMW8l2NrCMq1pkBEo1T_BWROVp92Q-YvPs7HErlLC9gz48OetymxnyFTSC3cgl9twmHbPvrxA1MO2dd-TSLwCQs9qY&sig=AHIEtbQOY-duIqg0KzS6_LECN6dopIRbrg

On what you say FIFA should do, they allow constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Kingdom of Denmark, to compete seperately, so why not the United Kingdom? There are other examples too, such as PR China, Hong Kong and Macau competing seperately (even leaving aside "Chinese Taipei").

And that's without even getting into the fact that the UK associations invented international football, and played the first international football competition decades before FIFA was around, or their bail-out of FIFA after WW2...

MW we will just have to disagree on this one, geographically NI is part of the Island of Ireland and is disputed territory, it's citizens can be Irish or Uk Citizens or both if they wish. It has never been a country in its own right...either part of Ireland or the UK.

[Tony Baloney]

OWC fans showing their colours again...

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/lightbody-defends-football-support-16171927.html

[Feckitt]

Some boy from Belfast was in the news yesterday saying that he didn't want to be considered for NI soccer team, which caused a disagreement between me and a friend of mine.  He was saying that only 3 or 4 players born in the north have opted for the Republic, but I thought that the figure must be closer to 12 or 15.  Can any of ye soccer boys confirm this one way or the other?

[nrico2006]

Some boy from Belfast was in the news yesterday saying that he didn't want to be considered for NI soccer team, which caused a disagreement between me and a friend of mine.  He was saying that only 3 or 4 players born in the north have opted for the Republic, but I thought that the figure must be closer to 12 or 15.  Can any of ye soccer boys confirm this one way or the other?

Currently there wouldn't be many more than 3 or 4.  There is McClean, Gibson and Duffy from Derry along with Wilson from Armagh/Antrim.  Has Daniel Kearns been in the senior squad yet?

[God14]

Some boy from Belfast was in the news yesterday saying that he didn't want to be considered for NI soccer team, which caused a disagreement between me and a friend of mine.  He was saying that only 3 or 4 players born in the north have opted for the Republic, but I thought that the figure must be closer to 12 or 15.  Can any of ye soccer boys confirm this one way or the other?

That fella the news report was about is Ryan McLaughlin
Very promising young player, and close to making a break through at Liverpool. He's a very highly rated right back.

Reading between the lines, it looks as if he is holding out to play for the Republic.
Great news really.

[Feckitt]

Some boy from Belfast was in the news yesterday saying that he didn't want to be considered for NI soccer team, which caused a disagreement between me and a friend of mine.  He was saying that only 3 or 4 players born in the north have opted for the Republic, but I thought that the figure must be closer to 12 or 15.  Can any of ye soccer boys confirm this one way or the other?

Currently there wouldn't be many more than 3 or 4.  There is McClean, Gibson and Duffy from Derry along with Wilson from Armagh/Antrim.  Has Daniel Kearns been in the senior squad yet?

Ah shite, I thought it was far more.  I know McClean, Gibson & Wilson have all played for the Ireland senior team, but was there not also a whole rake of u-21s, and english 2nd division footballers that also told the IFA, and their uncle tom front men to shove it?

[take_yer_points]

Some boy from Belfast was in the news yesterday saying that he didn't want to be considered for NI soccer team, which caused a disagreement between me and a friend of mine.  He was saying that only 3 or 4 players born in the north have opted for the Republic, but I thought that the figure must be closer to 12 or 15.  Can any of ye soccer boys confirm this one way or the other?

Currently there wouldn't be many more than 3 or 4.  There is McClean, Gibson and Duffy from Derry along with Wilson from Armagh/Antrim.  Has Daniel Kearns been in the senior squad yet?

Ah shite, I thought it was far more.  I know McClean, Gibson & Wilson have all played for the Ireland senior team, but was there not also a whole rake of u-21s, and english 2nd division footballers that also told the IFA, and their uncle tom front men to shove it?

Adam Barton and Paul George are two others I think though neither have played senior level (well Barton player a senior friendly for NI before switching).

Alex Bruce went the other way - he said no to NI when he thought he'd get a game with ROI, then went back to NI asking could he switch to them when he couldn't get a game with ROI. NI fans are very fond of him.