Denmark 0 All Ireland 4

[Goats Do Shave]

Liam Millar  Nah don't think so

Jonathan Douglas  don't think so .

Andy reid on his display last night would be worth looking at.

Its only when you start thinking that you realise that the real Ireland team  are spread fairly thin at central midfield.

I'd have Stephen Ireland ahead of those clowns!

[T Fearon]

Sorry, the only 6 counties player who would sniff a place in an All Ireland team is Healy at the moment, though I still think Kevin Doyle is a better player and more proven at Premiership level

I'd have Ireland and Mc Geady ahead of Davis (overrated and seen through by O'Neill at Villa) and Gillespie (over the hill).

Also I don't rate Hughes either (neither did Souness and O'Neill) and would have Paul Mc Shane in ahead of him

[nifan]

Also I don't rate Hughes either (neither did Souness and O'Neill) and would have Paul Mc Shane in ahead of him

Alex Ferguson would choose Jonny Evans over Paul McShane - thats why he let McShane go

[T Fearon]

I thought Evans was a full back and not a central defender?

Nevertheless I concede that he may well be a viable contender for a place.

By the way I do not understand the logic of "the abolition of the N.I soccer team". It would be an All Ireland team representing everyone, picked on merit, featuring players from everywhere on ths island. I would never view such a development as an abolition of the so called Republic of Ireland team.

[nifan]

Evans has covered at full back for us, but his preferred and best position is CB.

[Gnevin]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/letters/article2884200.ece


GAA still kicking with the wrong foot

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

I was surprised by the length of time it took Tony Fearon (Write Back, August 16) to respond to the Darren Graham debate.

I was not surprised, however, by Mr Fearon's typical (political tennis) approach.

He has tried to equate the issue to Neil Lennon's international career in order to put the blame somehow back into the Northern Ireland football arena. (Not soccer - soccer is an Americanism for a British invention called football relating to a game played predominately by one's foot).

Football is a totally integrated, non-religious sport spoiled by a few thugs nobody wants to be linked to.

Until the GAA sorts this sorry mess out, it will be looked upon as the complete opposite and I'm afraid to say at this moment in time its appears to be guilty of everything football isn't.

The main difference is that the anti Neil Lennon campaign was directed off the field of play by people with no desire to see our wee country progress.

He wasn't chastised by Northern Ireland supporters at matches nor was he harrassed by other players on opposing teams - never mind his own team, unlike the Darren Graham incident.

I hope for the sake of sport in general that the GAA takes this to the roof.

The only similarity is that neither occurrence should ever happen.

Finally, the IFA has been outstanding in the 'Give sectarianism the boot' campaign and continues to be so. How dare Mr Fearon accuse Northern Ireland?

Yet again, change your record.

Dazzled, Belfast


Didnt want to start a whole new thread for this

[nifan]

Youd probably be better posting in one of the previous DG threads.

who the feck calls themselves "dazzled" though - has to be PTBG

[stibhan88]

I wasn't saying partition was the reason for the split. I was addressing Tony's claim that the only reason to keep NI and the RoI as seperate sides is "political" as if it isn't the very raison d'etre of international football teams to respresent geo-political entities

If the raison d'etre was to represent "geo-political entities" as you so marvelouslly put it then why the hell does the Northern Irish team claim to represent a society in which a sizeable minority find their team and their support deplorable?

Geo-political as defined by Wikipedia: "It examines the political, economic and strategic significance of geography, where geography is defined in terms of the location, size, function, and relationships of places and resources."

Surely the Northern Irish soccer team, rather than defining the most telling relationship of our country between nationalists and unionists, has always chosen to ignore the former?

By the way on your point about rugby - this doesn't make sense. Different sports have different set-ups. Cricket has a West Indies team, for example - you couldn't say "If the reasons for seperate Jamaican, Trinidadian, etc teams is that they are seperate states, why wouldn't cricket have followed suit?". International football contains no teams whose territory actually crosses and international boundary.

Eh, try the United Kingdom you daft bastard. Scotland, Wales, British-Occupied Ireland and England.

This hoary old chestnut pisses me off. To paraphrase Bill Clinton, "It's the fans, stupid". leaving aside the fact that the Republic of Ireland and Northern ireland are seperated by an international boundary, Northern ireland's supporters do not want to have their team abolished. An entirely fair stance.

Of course they don't want their sectarian soccer team abolished, where else can they openly sing about the Greysteel massacre and pass on death threats to Catholic members of their team who have sold them out by playing for the rivals of the only team in the world with a "Protestant superiority syndrome," not to mention stand up for the Ulster Volunteer Force. trick or treat indeed.

[stiffler]

I was watching the highlights last nite and seen a supporters flag with the words EAST BELFAST emblazened on it. This truely is an all ireland team!

[stibhan88]

I wonder why the GAA hasn't been fully "integrated" in comparison to soccer... doesn't have anything to do with the fact that it was labelled by all and sundry as a Nationalist movement from its earliest years in this aneurysm of a state that tried to protect the Protestant and Unionist traditions above the Catholic one, would it? This isn't the same GAA who named their most prestigous footballing honor after a Protestant?

Hmmm...

[nifan]

Of course they don't want their sectarian soccer team abolished, where else can they openly sing about the Greysteel massacre and pass on death threats to Catholic members of their team who have sold them out by playing for the rivals of the only team in the world with a "Protestant superiority syndrome," not to mention stand up for the Ulster Volunteer Force. trick or treat indeed.

another live one here....

[Solomon Kane]

I was watching the highlights last nite and seen a supporters flag with the words EAST BELFAST emblazened on it. This truely is an all ireland team!

And there's a lovely Donelgal banner on display at Northern Ireland home and away matches. Don't forget 1st Dublin NISC. Truely the original and best Ireland team - accept no cheap immitations.

[stiffler]

I could firmly say there is more ROI supporters in the north than Northern ireland supporters in the south. This shows that the FAI side is more akin to an all ireland team than the North's side.

P.S. wheres donelgal?

[Solomon Kane]

I could firmly say there is more ROI supporters in the north than Northern ireland supporters in the south. This shows that the FAI side is more akin to an all ireland team than the North's side.

P.S. wheres donelgal?

Apologies for the typo and I agree with your first statement. Your second is irrelevant, as neither side is anywhere near an all-Ireland side.

[GalwayBayBoy]

I was watching the highlights last nite and seen a supporters flag with the words EAST BELFAST emblazened on it. This truely is an all ireland team!

And there's a lovely Donelgal banner on display at Northern Ireland home and away matches. Don't forget 1st Dublin NISC. Truely the original and best Ireland team - accept no cheap immitations.

Sure if Donegal lads can support NI there should be no problem with Belfast or Derry lads supporting or playing for ROI.