Is it just me?

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almo

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Is it just me or is there a very definite agenda in the Irish media that is scarily parallel to our English neighbours?

Much was made of "fans" not turning up, or leaving early, but I wonder how many in our rag trade remember dark days in Dalyer with better players than now (Steve Heighway, Liam Brady, Frank Stapleton, David O'Leary) when poor turn outs saw real fans grousing but not with the venom I heard last night.

I'd hate if poor Jose Mourinho came in next week to take over, he'd last 1 week and he'd run off to keep learning Italian. Our media and society have lost all sense of proportion!
 
How so ? We almost lose at home to Cyprus when it was the one chance to show that we can put a team away and that Nicosia was a blip (a major one, granted, but a blip nonetheless).

I don't blame fans for leaving early, I could hardly watch it on TV in my cosy sitting room it was so embarrassing !!
 
I blame the fans for not turning up, it shows the level of committment not only to soccer to to sport in Ireland. When we're drawing with Egypt, struggling to beat Malta and grining out a draw with England, the world is on fire and it's all big bananas and shamrocks, but now we've been let down by our own media and players.

We refuse to see past the Sky League and it's baby sister in Scotland, while leagues that would benefit our players development remain untouched.

The media are back on the bandwaggon and the morons join in(not you pique, I understand it's tough to watch such a game and I had to listen to it!).
 
It would have packed out Lansdowne, but if the game was there, even with the package, it'd be 20,000.
 
That's a fair point, the Croker factor definitely dragged some people along who wouldn't have been bothered at Landsdowne.
 
I blame the fans for not turning up, it shows the level of committment not only to soccer to to sport in Ireland. When we're drawing with Egypt, struggling to beat Malta and grining out a draw with England, the world is on fire and it's all big bananas and shamrocks, but now we've been let down by our own media and players.

We refuse to see past the Sky League and it's baby sister in Scotland, while leagues that would benefit our players development remain untouched.

The media are back on the bandwaggon and the morons join in(not you pique, I understand it's tough to watch such a game and I had to listen to it!).
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We have been supporting teams across the water for a long time now and from what I've seen the English leagues have given plenty of talented and not so talented Irishmen a great career that would never and will never be possible here. The Eircom league is dominated by Dublin and just doesn't have the attraction for the 'armchair' fan.

The fans no matter what you may call them are being charged top level money for a 'transition peroid' where we are 'building for the future'. If Stan and the FAI spin it as we wont be the finished article for 4 years (from date of appointment) then the pricing for match tickets should reflect that.
 
I think your right about us mirroring our neighbours attitude,the team is not playing well at the moment but its just a game. Its nice when they win not so nice when they lose but its has nothing to do with the day to day living as such
 
I think at this stage Staunton will have to go - with the re development of Landsdown what company/person is going to want to spend €10k on the box seats as who would want to watch an ailing team. They have some high profile games comming up - I think brazil and Italy and the FAI should be looking to encourage attendance.
At the end of the day soccar is about money (bums on seats)....
 
So if he goes who is going to take the job of managing a team of rubbish players working for a joke of an organisation?
Stan might be bad but he might be the best we can get.
 
MrMan said:
The Eircom league is dominated by Dublin and just doesn't have the attraction for the 'armchair' fan.
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I'd hardly call 4 Dublin teams out of 12 (premier division) and 1 Dublin team out of 10 (first division) "dominating" the league.

Top 2 in premier division are Drogheda (c'mon the drogs!) and Cork.....
 
MrMan, I agree 100% that the English (and Scottish) Leagues have given a lot of players a career, and that the money on offer there is often (from 2nd Division anyway) more than in Ireland, but what is stopping players (and their agents) from exploring opportunities further afield?

There was a day when an Irish man led his team to a Serie A title and was only displaced by Michel Platini, and at one time our players were brave enough (and good enough) to ply their trade with Ajax! I would love to see more players do what Ian Harte did and go away from the UK and Ireland, and actually develop their skills, and for our young players to play up to the highest level possible in our own league structure.

I know it's misty-eyed sentiment, but the report in the Examiner about 18months back, estimated that if 10% of those who spend their hardearned cash by going to watch the Sky or Scottish Leagues, went instead to their local EL club games, there would be in excess of 2million euros per year floating around Ireland, with 25% of that going into the local game.

Could it happen though?
 
To be fair Almo, apart from Harte, Brady, Stapleton, Mick Byrne , Liam Buckley, Alan Campbell and that Bohs fella playing with Gent at the minute (anyone I'm forgetting bar Aldo?), the focus of Irish footballers seeking to play elsewhere has always been England/Scotland. That's not a recent development, that's the way it has always been.

The LOI is limbo for the last 30 years and despite everything it has survived but never looked likely to thrive. There are always encouraging signs but the most obvious one is still pretty depressing and that's the crowds. Maybe the introduction of CPO's and ground improvements over the next few years will make a difference but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
You're right Rovers that this isn't a new thing (of focussing on leagues over the pond), and it was a shame when David Connolly couldn't break through at Feyenoord, and certainly Robbie Keane got a really raw deal in Italy, but our youngsters should be looking further afield.

I worked with clubs in Germany, here in Croatia and now in Malta, and at each one the same thing was said about Irish players "They have raw talent, but we're interested." I tipped off a couple of clubs in Germany about David Ward (back in the 99/00 season) and scouts came, looked, liked and went so far as to ask questions. But there was no interest from the Irish side. Same with a couple of other Irish players (including 2 from Shels) who were indirectly approached - but on paper they were gong to drop their wages by 20%, not realising that a free apartment and a much lower cost of living meant they'd be better off and in a, slightly, better league. I just wonder if it's our own confidence?
 
Rovers1901 said:
To be fair Almo, apart from Harte, Brady, Stapleton, Mick Byrne , Liam Buckley, Alan Campbell and that Bohs fella playing with Gent at the minute (anyone I'm forgetting bar Aldo?)
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Time Magazine's Person of the Century Ronnie O'Brien? :)
Maybe the introduction of CPO's and ground improvements over the next few years will make a difference but I wouldn't hold my breath.
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Compulsory Purchase Orders or Club Promotion Officers? ;)
 
I'd hardly call 4 Dublin teams out of 12 (premier division) and 1 Dublin team out of 10 (first division) "dominating" the league.
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No, but the coverage, punditry et al has a very capital based theme. It is only in recent years that players are coming through at a greater rate from outside the capital.

Reading any articles in the papers from current and former managers and the Eircom league looks very petty with alot of men trying to look more important than they ever were. If Irish leagues are ever going to improve then they really need to start developing right from the ground up. I've seen numerous junior teams fold due to no resources no back up and the only feed back that comes back from county boards is that rules are the rules - where is the development?


if 10% of those who spend their hardearned cash by going to watch the Sky or Scottish Leagues, went instead to their local EL club games, there would be in excess of 2million euros per year floating around Ireland, with 25% of that going into the local game.
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unfortunately I don't see how any money is correctly used through the FAI, so increased funding would probably result in increased wages for the same standard facilities and players
 
Fair enough MrMan, I don't know if money will make a difference, but bigger crowds would. I don't see the Dublin City Council or Chamber of Commerce crying their eyes out (or any other local council) due to the massive losses in revenue as they did in the "Play in Croker" campaign. I was sickened at the hypocrisy at the time, it was almost as funny as the loon who stood outside Croke Park on the day of the rugby game with the sign "No Foreign Games", and him wearing a Scottish football shirt, if it was Rovers, or Bohs, or Wexford Youths it'd have been okay.

I really don't see the FAI allowing the game to progress, it's just one big dynastic succession, or succession of battles!
 
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