Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Brazil remain top of FIFA rankings
Brazil remain top of the FIFA rankings issued today but world champions Italy are closing in fast. One other small thing, Northern Ireland are now ahead of the Republic of Ireland, in 45th place as opposed to 49th for Staunton’s team.
George @ 09:16 AM
kensei
“However actively approaching those in another recognised football jurisdiction is out of order.”
I fail to see why. If they don’t want to play for the Republic, they’ll refuse. You’ll lose no-one who doesn’t want to go.”
It is called pissing in your neighbour’s pond.
Accepting someone who makes their own free will choice is one thing but actively going after is out of order.
We can either respect one another’s boundaries or we can live in constant antagonism.
The Belfast Agreement laid down that respect on both sides and we would all be better off by sticking to it in every respect.
It is also a sectarian matter.
ie someobody in FAI automatically thinks a northern catholic’s politics are necessarily anti Northern Ireland therefore they approach them.
The idea is simply out of order and if anyone in FAI is thinking along these lines then they shoudl really think twice.
Posted by on Oct 20, 2006 @ 08:17 PMThe point is that these young lads have grown up supporting Ireland , its totally natural for them to want to play for their country.
Some of those representing Ireland at u21 level from the North have said as much.
Unionists need to get their heads round the fact that the vast majority of Nationalists in the North support Stauntons international team and have no interest in going to Windsor Park.
n.i supporters would be better spending their time trying to clean up the continued sectarian chanting at n.i games.
Posted by on Oct 21, 2006 @ 08:06 PM“Accepting someone who makes their own free will choice is one thing but actively going after is out of order.”
Why? The person in question might not be aware the option is available. If he really wants to play for NI and not the Republic he won’t go. You don’t lose anyone who really wants to play for you.
“ie someobody in FAI automatically thinks a northern catholic’s politics are necessarily anti Northern Ireland therefore they approach them.
The idea is simply out of order and if anyone in FAI is thinking along these lines then they shoudl really think twice. “
I fail to see whty. It correlates fairly well with the ralitry of the suituation. But as I said, maybe they should just approach ALL the players as a matter of course. Thatw ould remove any sectaruian element.
Posted by on Oct 21, 2006 @ 08:07 PMGary
“Unionists need to get their heads round the fact that the vast majority of Nationalists in the North support Stauntons international team and have no interest in going to Windsor Park.”
Maybe so but the vast majority of them have never set foot in Landsdowne Raod nor do they ever intend to.
To they follow ROI because they see NI as Unionist, because I myself never think alomg those lines when I follow NI arond Europe.
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 01:37 AMCorkman
Just to clear something up about Alan Kernaghan.
He wanted to and represented Northern Ireland at every level other than senior level. When he was named in the senior squad, a bizarre set or circumstances arose.
Although he was Northern Irish amd considered himself thus being brought up in Bangor, County Down he wasn´t born here. Then a look at his parents bithplace told the same story although they considered themselves also to be from Northern Ireland. All his grandparents where born and bred in Northern Ireland, his family had a long line of service in the British armed services. He and his parents where “accidentally” born outside the UK. Now at that time all the home nations did not adopt the grandparent rule, it was two years later before they used it.
It was however at this time that the FAI then invented “the grandparent born in the North before the partition of Ireland rule”.. This was of course to widen their selection. Kernaghan came under that rule as did Jason McAteer.. Both having World Cup tickets waved in their faces and who can blame them.
Kernaghan was told he didn´t qualify for NI and was desperate to play international football.
It is worth noting that he decided to stop playing for the ROI after much abuse from a section of the fans.. who used his families links with the British armed services to unsettle him and ultimately intimidate him from the team, similar to the Neill Lennon affair only without the publicity and the propaganda.
Now a generation later the FAi are running out of young talent in Great Britain and Northern Ireland whose grandparents where born in the North prior to partition, so instead now have decided to abuse the rules, piss off their neighbours and pick anyone..There are other factors as well such as some of these young players following the success of ROI 15 years ago, pressure from political groups in the North is also there, as is I am very sure financial incentives.
Let´s hope common sense wins out and the buggers don´t get away with it.
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 02:30 AMkensei
“Why?”
and
“I fail to see whty”
I addressed these issues in my last post using words and phrases like pissing in your neighbour’s pond, respecting one another’s boundaries - just showing mutual respect and being good neighbours.
As this clearly means nothing to you then lets approach it from a “shoe on the other foot” scenario.
Let’s say some English couple come to Dublin and set up home and have a few children who in all respects become part of the ROI scene.
It comes apparent to English FA that their son is the best thing football have seen in years and phone him up and suggest he plays for his parents and grand parent’s country.
They will point out that with a bigger team like England he could play at a level way above the top 50 ranknings and might even go somewhere in a World or a European Championship.Are you honestly going to tell me that your reaction is going to be ach well “fair play to the English FA” ?
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 08:53 AMJohn East Belfast: The scenario you pain happens in Gemrany all the time where children of Turkish immigrants opt to play for Turkey. Also, you are speaking of immigrants. Most progressive people in the North of Ireland regard themselves as Irish, not British. They live in Ireland. They are Irish.
A better analogy might have been British soldiers settling down in Belfast and their offspring opting to play for England. Say George Best’s parents were English. In the case of Best, the pity is he did not play for England, instead of a crap little team.Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 10:44 AMGARY
The point is that these young lads have grown up supporting Ireland , its totally natural for them to want to play for their country.
Why are they opting for ROI, then?
THEGEORGE
Most progressive people in the North of Ireland regard themselves as Irish, not British. They live in Ireland. They are Irish.
And? Why would that mean they wouldn’t play for one of the Irish international teams?
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 10:49 AM“It is worth noting that he decided to stop playing for the ROI after much abuse from a section of the fans.. who used his families links with the British armed services to unsettle him and ultimately intimidate him from the team, similar to the Neill Lennon affair only without the publicity and the propaganda.”
Absolute rubbish dr,
You seem to be getting desperate, if you are making up stories about Alan Kernaghan.
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 11:15 AMAbuse ?? Kernaghan’s experiences at the hands of sectarian n.i supporters at Windsor Park 1993.
Sod’s law would dictate that following Kernaghan’s clanger against Spain, qualification for USA 94 depended on the result against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park just over a month later. It was a poisonous night, with moronic racist abuse directed at Terry Phelan and McGrath, but the worst venom was reserved for Kernaghan. “It was probably the worst I felt personally in terms of a real cutting edge to the slagging. You could feel the venom in it but it didn’t bother me too much.”
“Kernaghan, you’re a f****** Fenian turncoat”
“‘Your mother’s the Pope’s whore’ and that sort of stuff. As low as low can get.
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 11:31 AMWes
“You could feel the venom in it but it didn’t bother me too much.”
Can´t of been that bad then. You don´t provide any links for these quotes. Their is news items however with quotes from a disapointed Kernaghan about sectarian abuse at the hands of ROI, available on subsricption on the Irish Times site.
Now I´m sure you have seen the evidence from Stutgart, the crescendo of hatred at Landsdowne Road aginst Israel still haunts me, you also know that Ni are officially the best fans in Europe.
So Wes who are the racists.
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 11:40 AMNi are officially the best fans in Europe.
You mean they got an award for being less racist and sectarian. wow !!
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 11:46 AMWes
Are Mark in disguise, they got an award for the tremendous contribution to UEFA chrities and for upholding the spirit of the game.
Instead of begrudging GAWA for this, why don´t you do something constructive and, perhaps organise benefits for UEFA approved charities in countries where ROI are playing.
You never know maybe one day ROI will start to shake off their sectarian, racist and anti semetic image.
Onwards and Upwards GAWA.
Posted by on Oct 22, 2006 @ 11:55 AMThe Republic’s hard fought defeat of San Marino has put the world to rights. And the ROI is once more ahead of NI.
Posted by on Feb 14, 2007 @ 01:18 PMJust in case the news doesn’t get a thread of its own.
Ireland have moved to 46th in the table, leap-frogging Northern Ireland who have dropped to 49th.
Posted by on Feb 14, 2007 @ 02:20 PM
