Will you be cheering for NI tonight?

[Evil Genius]

Not at all. I'm merely of the opinion that England soccer fans don't generally think in political terms when the ROI soccer team is playing, in the same way as some ROI fans appear to do when watching England play. That's all.

P.S. Only one of those three songs you cite is played at England games, so I fail to see how the other two might affect your attitude to the England soccer team, unless it is as part of an overall non-football related dislike of the country. 

I hear what you're saying Evil Genius. All I can say is, for you to look at England when they are playing Germany or France to a lesser degree.

Indeed. And when certain England supporters behave in such a way towards those countries' football teams (or Argentina  ), they are being equally petty and small-minded imo.

[ziggysego]

Not at all. I'm merely of the opinion that England soccer fans don't generally think in political terms when the ROI soccer team is playing, in the same way as some ROI fans appear to do when watching England play. That's all.

P.S. Only one of those three songs you cite is played at England games, so I fail to see how the other two might affect your attitude to the England soccer team, unless it is as part of an overall non-football related dislike of the country. 

I hear what you're saying Evil Genius. All I can say is, for you to look at England when they are playing Germany or France to a lesser degree.

Indeed. And when certain England supporters behave in such a way towards those countries' football teams (or Argentina  ), they are being equally petty and small-minded imo.

Well my dislike for England has nothing to do about the "old enemy" as it were. It's more to do with the media and the over hype we have to listen to during the International soccer season, whether that is World Cups or Euro Games.

Also the way the England games take precident over the other Home Nation games. I've noticed during this qualifier that Scottish and NI have been either condemned to regional variations of the main broadcasters, whereas England games are carried on BBC1 across the UK. That to me just smacks of a superiority complex of a supposedly national channel.

[Mentalman]

Reading EG's take on this, I am reminded of the words of Andy Strickland in 90 Minutes when the Republic last played England in soccer, when he referred to the behaviour of "the violent majority" of their fans.

Well that's another reason for disliking English fans. Not just the last time they were over here, breaking up Lansdowne road, but on the prior occassion there was large scale disruption on the way to and from the ground. I was only a whipper snapper then, but one of the lads with me, 15 or so, had bottle battered over his bonce for no more than being a "dirty fenian fu**".

[Evil Genius]

Well my dislike for England has nothing to do about the "old enemy" as it were. It's more to do with the media and the over hype we have to listen to during the International soccer season, whether that is World Cups or Euro Games.

Also the way the England games take precident over the other Home Nation games. I've noticed during this qualifier that Scottish and NI have been either condemned to regional variations of the main broadcasters, whereas England games are carried on BBC1 across the UK. That to me just smacks of a superiority complex of a supposedly national channel.

After the last few days, Ziggy, you don't need to tell an NI fan (or Scottish fan, for that matter) about this "superiority" complex surrounding the England team! But I don't consider that the intolerable hype which we get in the media, as they vie to outdo each other, is actually representative of your average England supporter. This belief was reinforced when our two teams met a couple of years ago in the World Cup Qualifiers, when the reaction of England fans after both victory and defeat was a credit to them. (David Beckham went up hugely in our estimation, too, since he was genuinely gracious after the game in Belfast)

[Evil Genius]

Reading EG's take on this, I am reminded of the words of Andy Strickland in 90 Minutes when the Republic last played England in soccer, when he referred to the behaviour of "the violent majority" of their fans.

Well that's another reason for disliking English fans. Not just the last time they were over here, breaking up Lansdowne road, but on the prior occassion there was large scale disruption on the way to and from the ground. I was only a whipper snapper then, but one of the lads with me, 15 or so, had bottle battered over his bonce for no more than being a "dirty fenian fu**".

I might accept the disgraceful scenes at Lansdowne might in themselves constitute reasonable grounds for disliking England fans, but why do I suspect that that is hardly the real reason why you and so many Irish people do?

Otherwise, how to explain that if the hooligans at Lansdowne were truly representative of all England fans, why do so many of the latter wish the ROI team well when they are playing? Plus your use of the term "another reason" suggests to me that even had Lansdowne never occurred, you'd still dislike the England team.

In the end, the hooligans who were there that night were not, imo, typical of the ordinary England fans. It seems clear that it being a friendly, with the authorities caught off the hop, extremist elements such as Combat 18 hijacked the game to do their worst. Besides, the Lansdowne game was some years ago - things have moved on since then, thank goodness.

[pintsofguinness]

EG - you still haven't answered my question on this thread
http://gaaboard.com/board/index.php?topic=4321.735



Who cares what the English think of us? 
And you have to ask why they're not liked?

[magickingdom]

Not at all. I'm merely of the opinion that England soccer fans don't generally think in political terms when the ROI soccer team is playing, in the same way as some ROI fans appear to do when watching England play. That's all.

P.S. Only one of those three songs you cite is played at England games, so I fail to see how the other two might affect your attitude to the England soccer team, unless it is as part of an overall non-football related dislike of the country. 

I hear what you're saying Evil Genius. All I can say is, for you to look at England when they are playing Germany or France to a lesser degree.

Indeed. And when certain England supporters behave in such a way towards those countries' football teams (or Argentina  ), they are being equally petty and small-minded imo.

Well my dislike for England has nothing to do about the "old enemy" as it were. It's more to do with the media and the over hype we have to listen to during the International soccer season, whether that is World Cups or Euro Games.

Also the way the England games take precident over the other Home Nation games. I've noticed during this qualifier that Scottish and NI have been either condemned to regional variations of the main broadcasters, whereas England games are carried on BBC1 across the UK. That to me just smacks of a superiority complex of a supposedly national channel.

merge the four teams and that will solve that problem!

ni will never qualify for anything again, look at this group they beat spain, denmark and sweden and still finish 6 points adrift ffs. as for ambition bbc showed a gang of them in a pub in the canaries singing '3rd seed we are 3rd seed' as if they won the world cup. put them out of their misery by forcing them into a british team..

[deiseach]

I wouldn't say the hooligan element of English fans was representative of English people as a whole. But the people who follow the English soccer team - as in those who attend matches - are very much concerned with the politics of being English. Unless you think singing the theme to The Dambusters (at the Germans) and "if it weren't for the English you'd be Krauts" (at everyone else) is politically neutral.

NB you can think that such displays are amusing. That still doesn't make them apolitical.

[ziggysego]

Evil Genius, why do you care what our opinion is of the English football team? You're not English, or it shouldn't be of any great concern to you.

[stiffler]

Reasons to dislike the english soccer team:

1) The booing of their own players

2) The media obsession with the wags

3) Ian Wright

and not forgetting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntc0kgshzYk&feature=related

[ziggysego]

1) The booing of their own players

RoI was booed in Croke Park a short while ago.

[magickingdom]

Reasons to dislike the english soccer team:

1) The booing of their own players

2) The media obsession with the wags

3) Ian Wright

and not forgetting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntc0kgshzYk&feature=related

what the name of the tune?

[The Real Laoislad]

Reasons to dislike the english soccer team:

1) The booing of their own players

2) The media obsession with the wags

3) Ian Wright

and not forgetting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntc0kgshzYk&feature=related

I don't mind Wright that much..Glenn Hoddle annoys the f**k out of me though...
I was at that Ireland v England game in 95

[tyrone exile]

all of use are looking into this too much
i thought the fact that there big headed arrogant fu**ers was sufficient 

[ziggysego]

I don't mind Wright that much..Glenn Hoddle annoys the f**k out of me though...

I hated that Hoddle p***k too, but that was for personal reasons.