Play on Windsor Park sectarianism heading to Dublin

[T Fearon]

Stew, read O'Neill's comments after his recent visit to Windsor Park. He said he wouldn't be back due to the monocultural support the cries of No Surrender and the fact that the crowd with flags and emblems, resembled the gathering at a 12th of July Field. Do not waste your cash. Go see the real Ireland team versus Brazil which will attract th biggest crowd ever for a soccer game on this island

[take_yer_points]

I went to see the play when it was on in the opera house in Belfast - I have to say I thought it was very good. I'd consider going down to Dublin to see it again. The bit where the republic fan takes the other fella up to his house on the falls was hilarious!!

[nifan]

Selective reading of ONeills comments there tony - he said some positive things also which you seem to dismiss out of hand. Wouldnt be like you

[MW]

Stew, read O'Neill's comments after his recent visit to Windsor Park. He said he wouldn't be back due to the monocultural support the cries of No Surrender and the fact that the crowd with flags and emblems, resembled the gathering at a 12th of July Field.

Did he indeed?

[his holiness nb]

Stew, read O'Neill's comments after his recent visit to Windsor Park. He said he wouldn't be back due to the monocultural support the cries of No Surrender and the fact that the crowd with flags and emblems, resembled the gathering at a 12th of July Field.

Did he indeed?

Mysterious post MW, are you saying he didnt say that or that O'Neill made it up?

[MW]

Stew, read O'Neill's comments after his recent visit to Windsor Park. He said he wouldn't be back due to the monocultural support the cries of No Surrender and the fact that the crowd with flags and emblems, resembled the gathering at a 12th of July Field.

Did he indeed?

Mysterious post MW, are you saying he didnt say that or that O'Neill made it up?

I'm saying he didn't say that.

My recollection of O'Neill's post was him praising the work done against sectarianism but saying that he didn't identify with the team etc.

The 'resembling the gathering at a 12 of July Field' is a Fearonism which he's adopted from piece of hate-filled bile, lacking in any justification, from Robin Livingstone (who referred to an 'Eleventh Night bonfire' rather than a 12th of July Field).

As usual, Fearon's selecting the part of the truth he does want to hear, discarding the rest, adding his own prejudices, and inserting false 'information' he's picked up from a different source to beef it up.

[his holiness nb]

Thanks for clarification, wasnt sure if it was Tony or ONeills comments you were disputing.

[Hoof Hearted]

was in WP once, a pre-season friendly linfield v liverpool. was scary enough alright, enough to put me off.
having said that, a mate of mine, who is big NI fan, home and away, got a hiding after the danish game recently, and was told to "f**k off back to his country" so there are still bigots, Cath and prod, who cant or wont change

[nifan]

HHN - you can read oneills comments here:

http://p098.ezboard.com/fgaadiscussionboardfrm10.showMessageRange?topicID=3266.topic&start=81&stop=100

under his comment "its just like watching brazil".
Then consider what tony took from his post,

[MW]

Methinks Tony was baking on that not being find-able.

Had a look at that thread...Tony never did answer my question

[his holiness nb]

Methinks Tony was baking on that not being find-able.

Tried to look for myself and couldnt find it funny enough, didnt know it was on the old board. Mostly complimentary imo.

[T Fearon]

How is this complimentary? The bald one clearly intimates that he was intimidated and won't be back

[Chrisowc]

I'm assuming you mean O'Neill.  If not then apologies to O'Neill. (re the bald bit!!)

Taken from the link by Nifan.

"I didn't feel intimidated, but I also didn't feel as if this was 'my team' and I never will. But that's just my opinion and despite my feelings on that, I hope they do well and the fans continue to represent themselves in such a positive manner."

Anyway Tony.  Shouldn't you be out builiding yourself a snow man?

[saffron sam2]

I remember ONeill's piece and my understanding of it is exactly the same as everyone else's, bar Anthony.  I would expect that if I was to return to another NI game, that my feelings would be similar (to Shane's). In the main, that the majority of fans would simply be there for the football, but that I would not feel that the team represented me.

However, that's an aside to what I really wanted to post.  I thought it wasn't possible for him to outdo himself, but he has. I also hoped that 2008 would bring a change in tact, but it obvoiusly hasn't. Looks like it will another long year whilst Evil Genius remains on the scene.

Still, if we're prepared to welcome back the Prodigal Marie Jones, I'm sure we could find it in our hearts even to forgive the Prod-hating Fearon back into the fold, should he flip-flop again (that's assuming the fat f**ker could get through the turnstiles, and doesn't occupy his usual two seats...)

Meanwhile, as if by coincidence, here is an account by another former ROI supporter who has recently "come home" to a warm welcome, and is thouroughly enjoying the experience!

(Posted by "Let's All Do the Bouncy" on Our Wee Country at 02.21 this morning, which explains the somewhat rambling prose, I imagine!)
I'm a bit of a different case "So Good" [another OWC poster, to whom LADTB was replying], born in Derry to a catholic family most of whom living on the falls I moved to England with my mum and brother very young, due to my mum's work. Here in England I grew up a fan a loose fan of the republic especially as I spent a lot of time in Belfast with family, and I have always considered myself Irish despite my contrary accent. However it always seemed strange to me as a youngster that Northern Ireland, where my family were born and grew up played football and yet they still supported the republic. Of course as I grew up I became to understand the troubles and the politics in OWC and could see why they supported the republic, and yet my Granny refused to support a team for political reasons and insisted on supporting OWC against the entirety of the family. When I was very young she took me and my brother to Windsor, and from then for a while I agreed to support NI and the RoI in equal measure, although too young to follow all results I would tell everyone who I supported. All that changed when at 16 I started to read about all the efforts to eliminate sectarianism in NI support, and I began to hear of the GAWA and their incredible support, this became all the more eveident to me when I watched the England game and saw the fantastic support. Until that day I had perceived another visit to Windsor as a ridiculous and unbelievable notion, as I felt my Irishness and in particular my family's would leave us in major threat. Inspired by this I began to follow much closer the games of owc, and in the end decided to go to Lichy away, and thought mountains of persuasion my mum agreed to accompany me (She'd grown up on tales of NI supporting bigots and sectarianism) And what did we find in Lichy? Simply the best few days of our lives, amazing craic with amazing people however even then my mum refused to say where in Belfast she had grown up, and I told everyone against my wish that I was born in Londonderry. It was in Lichy we met the chairman of the supporters club we are now members, the SoENISC who we owe a great debt for many incredible times, and it was here in Lichy that I met people who represented everything I loved about the country in which I was born and the country I love without exception. From then on we've both been mad fans, joining the supporters club as well as going to spain, lichy at home and myself getting involved in the Sea of Green for that game. Never before have I met such a friendly fun bunch of people, me and my mum are now proper GAWA converts and I can't stop talking about yous all, I never thought I would be accepted at any Northern Ireland game when I am a catholic and a nationalist as well as with an english accent! The response from the GAWA has been ecxeptional, in spain I proudly told everyone I was from Derry and I got no bad response, something my mum cannot believe. The GAWA's willingness and determination to eliminate sectarianism has made us committ to you, and I also plan on bringing some cousins from Belfast on our next away trip, although they are still convinced it is not safe for them...

My mum is a more classic case of conversion, she grew up a fan of the republic and looks back on their glory days with clearer memories than espana 82 which she admits to barely remembering. However the sheer goodwill and good craic of the GAWA has her converted as well.

Sorry this is incredibly rambling its amazing what strongbow does to you! I will be able to explain better tomorrow Im sure!

Here's to the GAWA who accepted a celtic fan with an English accent, without a bat of an eyelid, god bless you all and Onwards and Upwards!

Here is an incedible post, attempted intellectual debate that includes crass insults (classy that EG) and attempts to introduce as his 'expert witness' an internet persona.  He claims that ONIN is a work of fiction (which it is, albeit one based on actual events), yet to counteract that he produces a post from an Internet chatroom. Absolutely incredible to think that a man of such genius can only use such a post in his defence.  A couple of things about the poster (if he exists):

1. Anyone with any knowledge of football would know that the bouncy is associated in the main with the supporters of two teams, NI and Rangers. How anyone, who describes himself as a Celtic supporter, can then go on to call himself Let's All Do The Bouncy is beyond me. Unless of course, he is a piss take (a la wesaysanchez) or a seriously mixed up kid. I am happy to go with the latter, given the obvious lack of a suitable male role model in his life.

2. I have never heard anyone, from that area say they are from the Falls. Any local (or relative of a local) is more likely to use the name of their locality along the Falls (e.g. Gerard from Clonard) than the name of the road. Again, this is someone who doesn't really know what they are talking about.

We'll give LADTB the benefit of the doubt and assume he is genuine, but his drunken ramblings (however heart-felt and genuine) are unlikely to be taken as gospel. Nor should they.  He doesn't express how GSTQ and the Ulster banner and Ulsterisation make him feel.  He doesn't tell us how Gary McAllister (Press Officer - ANISC) reacted when LADTB told him that so enjoyable were the experiences at games that LADTB was going to buy an apartment up beside him.

The only sense that was in his post was from his granny. She could see beyond the politics, so follow her advice.  Drop the political baggage, the anthen and flag etc. and see what happens. Take the moral high ground.

[red hander]

'Onwards and Upwards!'

This is my boss's 'motto' and he is the biggest f****** idiot that ever drew breath.  The 'post' is obviously from his twin brother, the second biggest f****** idiot that ever dre breath