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A shock result… to say the least..

on 7 September 2006 , 2:05 am 71 | 4 views

Right then, who are you? [3-2 against Spain??? – Ed]… and what have you done with the other Northern Ireland football team?

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  • Patrique

    “There’s only one team in Ireland”.

  • slug

    Well done to the boys in Green.

    1982 repeated!

    A great day.

  • IJP

    Fantastic result after Saturday’s debacle (and Iceland got stuffed tonight too!)

    I was convinced the team had turned the corner and hoped Saturday was an aberration – let’s hope that’s so.

  • Pete Baker

    A fantastic third goal by Healey Healy [D’oh!], slug.

    Great one touch lob, straight from the keeper’s pass ;o)

  • slug

    Indeed, that goal was great. What a star.

  • bertie

    Great stuff!

  • slug

    If we had to get get 3 points from two games this is probably the way I would choose 🙂

  • From a Republic of Ireland supporter, Well done those lads; an absolutely spanking result!

    Dear god, it blows that group fairly open doesn’t it!

  • Chris Donnelly

    A great match to watch. I must admit I thought they’d get spanked tonight after Saturday’s result.

    I thought Sanchez got a raw deal from many northern fans and the media after Saturday’s result. Many seem to have forgotten the impressive job he has done pulling significant results out of a team consisting of many players in the lower leagues of football.

    It’s a bit of an aside, but I wonder did the role of favourites on Saturday weigh too heavily on the shoulders of the team?

    In any case, well done to the team and their supporters. And I probably speak for many when I say I’d like to see similar spirit- and managerial guidance- from the Republic’s set-up in the games to come.

    btw, How come Healy hasn’t been signed up by a Premier league outfit yet? It really is a bit of a mystery, when you consider his international goal scoring record.

  • DN

    Fantastic result for the boys in green

    Well done

    On the eve of the first anniversary of another great result as well !

  • dub

    from a roi supporter:

    wonderful wonderful wonderful…

    any truly patriotic irish person could only rejoice at this result…

    and great to see that sea of green…

  • Cahal

    Good result – well done to the players.

    “any truly patriotic irish person could only rejoice at this result… ”

    I guess I’m not a true patriotic irish person then.

    I would have rejoiced if Slovakia had managed a draw.

  • James St John Smythe

    Healy has a better contract with Leeds than he would expect to get from one of the Premiership sides who would actually be interested in him.
    I am a Republic fan but love to see Northern Ireland win too. Unlike Robin Livingstone, the Andersonstown News editor, who said this time last year that he hoped England beat Northern Ireland. Shame on him. I wonder if suspicion has since fallen on his republican integrity. If it hasn’t, it should.

  • Realist

    Heros, every one of them.

    Pride, Passion, Belief.

    What an occassion.

    Wonder if Tesco’s still fancy a game?

    Good night. 🙂

  • dub

    Robin Livingstone and republican integrity??!!

    He has made it quite clear in a remarkable article in Daily Ireland that united ireland has no interest for him… and his so called humorous column is nothing but cheap sectarian humour…

    Maybe like Lenny Murphy he never got over name he inherited…

  • Dec

    Great result (against a terrible Spanish side it has to be said). That said all credit to the players and management who clearly had a point to prove and did so in style.

    How come Healy hasn’t been signed up by a Premier league outfit yet?

    Err, ask any Leeds supporter…

  • DN

    Los ojos de mina han visto que la gloria del espana 82..
    cuando es poca Irlanda del Norte el mundo qué podríamos hacer ..
    ahora el lawrie es el líder y venía después de que usted ..
    y éste sea lo que cantamos…

    no somos el Brasil que somos Irlanda del Norte
    no somos el Brasil somos Irlanda del Norte
    no somos el Brasil somos Irlanda del Norte
    pero es todo el igual a mí

  • John East Belfast

    Brilliant night

    Great result for Irish football in which all Irish men can take pride

  • Chris Donnelly

    I would have rejoiced if Slovakia had managed a draw.
    Cahal

    It does make it more or less simple, though. 6 points in October or we can pretty much forget about qualification.

    The Slovaks losing at home so decisively makes it probable that the Czechs will turn them over at home in similar manner (granted, though, that previous results aren’t always a foolproof guide.)

    All of which means its down to ourselves, the Welsh and the Czechs for second, as the heartless Germans (13 goals is a bit much….) don’t look like being caught.

    I think the fixtures will help us in this regard. Taking three points from Cyprus next month (a difficult task, I know, after our last visit there) brings up the crunch match with the Czechs at home. Victory- or even a draw there-, followed by six points from the San Marino games, will lead into the crucial back-to-back home games with Wales and Slovakia.

    If the team is suffering from a lack of confidence and direction, then these fixtures are about as good as could be hoped for to enable the time to overcome those problems.

    Been checking the north’s fixtures as well.

    Next month involves a trip to Denmark. Taking anything from that game would spark real hopes of a qualification dogfight, particularly as they would fancy themselves to claim successive victories thereafter against Latvia (home) and Leichtenstein (away.) All of which would bring up a crucial game against the other group heavyweights, Sweden, scheduled for Belfast in March.

    Interesting times ahead for all in Irish football…and I haven’t even mentioned Derry City yet(!)

  • Cahal

    Yes John, I’m sure you’re very proud when the republic beat decent teams (as long as it isn’t Wales, Scotland or England).

  • Pete Baker

    From the BBC online coverage

    2220: The Northern Ireland team return to the pitch for a lap of honour and are welcomed by the stadium announcer bellowing: “You are the best fans in Europe and this is the best wee team in the world.” The players are being serenaded by a singalong to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”. Sensational scenes.

  • Cahal

    It also says “It should be a good night for publicans in Ulster”

  • dub

    Cahal,

    ffs grow up… there are two teams in ireland both avowedly partitionist… only logical thing to do for any patriot is to support both or neither…

    much more life affirming to support both and your “local” team when we have to play eachother..

    and leave jeb alone…he is every bit as irish as you are…

  • Sean

    I came onto this link expecting the usual nonsense of one side supporting the team and another side ranting about sectarianism.

    Its nice that tonight we can all get behind the team and as a diehard NI fan I hope the ROI win their next match, there is room on this island for two football teams.

  • fair_deal

    Superb result and what a hat trick. As the fans keep asking on the Leeds football forums why the hell does Blackwell play Healy as a winger?!?

    I’m telling you I saw Jimmy Quinn run, people sez I am mad but I knows what I saw.

    Away in a Manger, no crib for a bed
    The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head
    The stars in the bright sky looked down were HEALY
    HEALY
    HEALY
    HEALY
    HEALY

  • Fair play.

  • Cahal

    dub
    “ffs grow up… ”

    Can you be more specific please? I am struggling with my knees already and don’t fancy adding any more years to the tally.

    “there are two teams in ireland both avowedly partitionist… ”

    Any Irish person can play for the Republic. The northern team is limited to 6 counties.

    “only logical thing to do for any patriot is to support both or neither…”

    Patriot? dub, it’s a soccer game. Men kick a ball with their feet into a big net. Patriot?

    “much more life affirming to support both and your “local” team when we have to play eachother..”

    Setting aside the fact that watching either team is hardly life affirming… you want me to support the north against the Ireland team? Catch a grip.

    “and leave jeb alone…he is every bit as irish as you are… ”

    JEB has made it clear elsewhere that he will support his fellow British teams ahead of the Republic team. His allegiances will always lie with the British ahead of his fellow Irish men. Fair play to him. Not very ‘patriotic’ according to your own criteria though dub.

  • “and leave jeb alone…he is every bit as irish as you are… “

    except he is British.

    Anyhow fantastic result, fantastic crowd (I especially enjoyed the Gibraltar flag waving!)

    Any tickets for Copenhagen out there?

  • Patrique

    Do ROI fans not know that N.Ireland fans No 1 hate is ENGLAND. Well, certainly among the unionist fraternity. Others like me, GAA and all that, probably hate ROI more. But sure, that just reflects general opinion in the North.

  • John East Belfast

    Cahal

    You are right but I have never been one of those Unionists patronisingly waiting to be cured of an identity crisis – I know exactly who I am – Irish and British with the latter deriving from my choice to pull my sovereignty in a greater Union of these Isles.

    I am not an Irish separatist though and therefore my first loyalty lies to the others within the Union as it should.

    After that I do delight in the diversity of the Irish and I wish the ROI well in every endeavour.

    Success for any Irish team raises the profile of the Irish all round as most people dont know the difference.
    I delight in the success of the Celtic Tiger too because it is good for the entire Island’s economy.

  • John East Belfast

    Patrique

    speak for yourself mate

  • Cahal

    John you have made it clear that it’s hos before bros.

    Oh well.

  • IJP

    This NI fan generally supports England (and, for that matter, RoI) against other opposition, a far from unique position.

  • ciaran damery

    Just as well no Irish people attended. Methinks that when the make belief statelet (or country “NI” – or province “Ulster”) win a match then it’s time for Irish people to stay away from the infamously sectarian Village area where the little pitch that epitomizes Orange sectarianism play real international countries. Sure it wasn’t long ago that the Orange scum were riding up to the Falls and trying to murder all they could see before returning to the Village to support their little team. I remember one occasion when they attacked the Rock Bar, before we gave them their marching orders and a good kick in their orange asses to boot. Ah! Those were the days. There is nothing more therapeutic than putting an Orange fascist in his place, be it with a kick in the ass or six foot under. Sometimes I wonder what this cessation is all about….we were kicking ass afterall. Beirfidh Bua!

  • Dec

    Ciaran

    Go to bed

  • John East Belfast

    Cahal

    I dont see the English, Scots and Welsh as my “hos”.

    Ciaran

    You are one sad, twisted and bitter individual.

  • Patrique

    N.Ireland fans support England? What world do you live in. They spent 18 months planning to slaughter any BNP types daft enough to come to Windsor last year. You have to remember that old Loyalist “we are the people bit” who absolutely detest some bastard from England coming over to their domain to tell them what to do.Maybe I don’t hang around with the real middle class Norn Ireland fans, but at grass roots level, you’d be safer in a Kerry jersey than an England jersey on the kop.

  • Patrique

    Patrons of the Rock bar couldn’t kick a serious drinking habit let alone ass.That’s how I knew that Ciaran was a wind up.

  • Cahal

    Just kidding John.

    Go on, treat yourself to a chuckle.

  • Belfast Gonzo

    Just back from The Apartment, where I was lucky enough to congratulate Healy and shake his hand.

    364 days since we beat England. Happy days…

    Went to Windsor Park on Sat. Never dreamed this would happen…

    YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

  • iluvni

    How can there be a better night than that?
    Just perfect.

    Fair play to you ‘dub’ for your 1050 comment!!
    :o)

  • IRISHinNORWAY

    THERE’S ONLY ONE TEAM IN IRELAND. Thank God for the North , otherwise I would suffer their crap forever. I actually watched the norrth’s match and it was like the Ireland of old, bolloxs the performanace, immortal is the performance. As a Paddy abroad I hope and salute our disfunctional family.

  • DUBinNORWAY

    LONG LIVE THE NORTH, the only part of Ireland which gives me leverage over the med!

  • Sean

    Fuk you brits ireland unfree will not help a good team become a great team and qualify and do something in world football

  • spice girl

    hmm becaue ROI have done sooo much fo world football??? you are full of crap my dear friend! n.ireland have arguably produced the 3 finest resulst from this island, and thee best player! go back to bed! heely, heely, heely

  • Hurler on the Ditch

    Fantastic stuff! Especially given the abysmal performance against Iceland. To bounce back from that and beat Spain with three class goals…..

    Next job is to see if David Healy has a granny from Cork….

    Seriously though, congrats folks!

  • kloot

    Great Result.. Well Done NI.

  • POL

    Maybe like Lenny Murphy he never got over name he inherited…

    Maybe he never got over the 14 year old sister he had murdered.

  • jfd

    “n.ireland have arguably produced the 3 finest resulst from this island, and thee best player!”

    Firstly, congrats to NI on a fabulous result. I was awoken at 4:23 by a belfast friends singing something inaudible, and spouting the lunacy that ‘theres only one team in Ireland’ (YAWN). Nevertheless the team should take a well deserved bow.

    Spice Girl your comment above troubles me. Three best results? The best player (I persume you’re taking about GB, born in Belfast but made in Manchester, I would argue). Apart from the 1982 Spain win, there’s not many results that would qualify… compared to what we did in 1988, 1994?

    2-1 to the Republic I’d say.

    Again well done, stoked for my northern pals.

  • Tochais Siorai

    We’ll give you Steve Staunton and Robbie Keane for Sanchez & Healy.

    We’ll throw in Monaghan as well.

  • pith

    Politician alert! They are boarding the bandwagon.

  • niall

    Happy days, i’m from the north and love my football, been all over the place following the ROI but i’ve never been to see a game at Windsor or even in the Irish League because the fans always seemed like a bunch of headcases from TV. Can’t help but look out for NI results though and enjoyed last night, i’d say the fans were having fun? And they didn’t look as scary as i imagined. Fair play, i hope the hangovers aren’t too bad.

  • spice girl

    tochais
    we’ll take it – staunton could probably still do a job for us in defense!!!

  • Nick J

    Really great result NI. Top stuff.

    I have been giving all the Spaniards in my office some serious stick. (I live in Spain, there are loads of them……….quality!!!)

    Also really good to see ROI fans from both sides of the border being mature, respectful and sportsmanlike (dare I say British? ;-)…) about the result.

    Long may it continue

  • Billy Pilgrim

    Congratulations to the north, an absolutely wonderful performance. How times have changed, and how quickly! It seems like no more than five mins since the record-breaking goal drought, yet now it’s possible to talk about Fortress Windsor, and only be referring to the football. (We’ll pretend the Iceland game never happened…)

    Goes to show what a good manager can achieve even with meagre resources – food for thought for Republic fans.

    Hopefully they can go and get a result in Copenhagen and throw the whole group wide open.

    Nick J

    “(dare I say British? ;-)…) about the result.”

    You may not…

  • Rory

    While I am (mildly) pleased that the NI team have won and (very) pleased for their fans I can never whip up much enthusiasm when they are playing, any great pride when they win or any disappointment at all when they lose. I feel just the same about rhe RoI team.

    While I can muster some interest in the fact that both are teams of Irish players playing against other national sides and I like to see them do well for that reason, I can never feel that either team represents me nor certainly not that either team represents Ireland.

    When either team is playing in international competition I only feel a sense of loss that our country does not have a national team to represent it.

    In any case given that I have come to expect poor advancement in any competition by either team I usually defend Ireland’s honour during pub put=downs by reminding my detractors that Ireland are the undisputed world hurling champions and have been for many centuries.

    And, boy, does that really impress them or what?

  • The World’s Gone Mad

    Rory – if you have to defend Ireland’s honour in the pub, don’t forget to tell your detractors that Irish teams have qualified for the World Cup 6 times, twice reached the quarter-finals (and if you count 1982 three times been 90 minutes away from a World Cup semi-final). Its not a bad record.

  • darth rumsfeld

    would you lot please keep the noise down. Some of us still have very sore heads after last night

  • Rory

    And a very admirable record too, The World’s Gone Mad, particularly for a team with such a very small catchment base. But still alas, not a team that represents my country, not a national team.

    Why is it that the middle class can have an all-Ireland rugby squad but a national soccer team is taboo? Can’t have the great unwashed finding unity of purpose even in sporting matters I suppose, it might upset the necessary divisions that maintain the status quo.

  • John East Belfast

    Rory

    You are completely overlooking who withdrew from who

    That is why we are called the IFA and the ROI is goverened by the FAI

    ie which came first.

  • The World’s Gone Mad

    Rory – if players and supporters want to come back into the fold, and re-join the original Irish Football Association then I’m sure it can be accommodated – the odd friendly played in Dublin and the anthem tweaked for the locals…

    After all, this would be similar to the IRFU model.

  • kensei

    “Goes to show what a good manager can achieve even with meagre resources – food for thought for Republic fans.”

    Republic fans know this, and are incredibly pissed off that the FAI keep going for the motherfucking cheap option, every single time.

    “While I can muster some interest in the fact that both are teams of Irish players playing against other national sides and I like to see them do well for that reason, I can never feel that either team represents me nor certainly not that either team represents Ireland.”

    Never really understood this. I support the team that plays under my flag, stands for my anthem and has players from all over Ireland.

    Good result. Shocked at how poor the Spainish were though.

  • david

    The group may be a lot closer than first expected, Sweden & Denmark are sure to be lifted by the piss poor Spanish performance last night.

  • Samwise

    Came across this gem from “the punter”:

    http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/story.jsp?story=705377

    Among other things he says:
    “Northern Ireland have never scored against the Spaniards, never mind beating them in Belfast and in 16 meetings, have only one win to boast about.

    That of course was in 1982 in the World Cup – the greatest result in IFA history – and Lawrie’s boys are a laughable 9-1 to repeat that this evening.

    Yes, it was a similar story against England a year ago and the miracle did happen.

    But lightening does not strike twice in the same place, Spain are better than England and judging by Saturday, the spirit that comes with wearing the green shirt, has vanished amongst too many players.

    At 1-4, Spain are a banker in any roll-ups while those who fancy a draw, can have 7-2.

    One wonders what’s the point in offering 25-1 for Northern Ireland to qualify? Even more ridiculous is 5,000-1 to win it!

    No self-respecting punter would even risk a note from the Northern Bank heist.”

  • darth rumsfeld

    what!!!!?????
    STILL no MOPErs complaining that there at least FOUR Gibraltar flags in the Kop.Such sectarianism/loyalist triumphalism – no nationalist would feel welcome at Windsor etc etc. Could it be that the ( much appreciated) praise from our RoI supporting friends shows that sport truly can transcend all but the most extreme of the prejudiced that plague us all?

  • I’m from the south but well done to the North last night, great performance and great last goal from Healy (good Cork name too).
    Spain were awful but the North reminded me of the old southern Irish teams of a few years back, with their never say die attitude.
    And the fans were brilliant, credit is where credit is due, no sectarian b/s either and the sea of green, fair play you bunch of paddies (jk) 😉
    Lots of my colleagues at work here in Cork were saying (half-jokingly) that we should switch allegiance and support the North for the Euros.
    Well done lads.

  • harpo

    ‘But lightening does not strike twice in the same place, Spain are better than England and judging by Saturday, the spirit that comes with wearing the green shirt, has vanished amongst too many players.’

    Samwise:

    I disagree.

    Playing for ones country does not suddenly make one a better player than one is. Sure, a team can perform better than the sum of its parts, but the fact remains that NI has a very mediocre talent pool at present.

    What that means is that NI on paper is a very mediocre team. And that translates into mediocre performances against teams in that same position. Like home losses to Canada and Iceland.

    The only time that this ‘spirit that comes with wearing the green shirt’ appears is when NI play the big boys, like England and Spain. Only then do NI look good, and it’s all based on playing out of their skins in order not to be humiliated.

    In anything in life you should look at the full range of results and throw out the best and worst as unrepresentative freak results. If you do that with NI you end up with mediocre results. NI is a 5th rate team that produces the odd spectacularly positive result (England, Spain) and the odd spectacularly negative result (Iceland, Malta).

    NI fans however look at the freak positive results and ssume that this is the true level of NI’s ablility. It isn’t. Good teams never mind great ones take care of business against inferior opposition as well as producing great results on occasion. NI don’t have the consistency to do this. Any spirit that the NI squad has is based on who they are playing, and not the simple fact of pulling on the shirt. When the opposition isn’t glamorous, NI revert to what they really are – a mediocre team.

  • Samwise

    harpo,
    I don’t disagree with a word you say, I just find it unfortunate that our pundits write that the manager is on borrowed time when he is the first manager in years to achieve anything with the small resources he has at his disposal. Of course he has made tactical gaffes, and handled some situations poorly – we are all imperfect- but to write off the man who has masterminded two of our greatest ever results is lunacy – who is going to do a better job? In fact, who would want the job if that is the way a manager who beats both Spain and England is treated?

  • Realist

    A little something for Norn Iron fans (and those of Snow Patrol) to enjoy.

    http://www.puredarren.com/spain.htm

    Turn it up loud and proud.

  • Greenflag

    Losing against soccer lightweight Iceland and winning against soccer heavyweight Spain ? NI as usual – up and down like a whore’s knickers and in and out like the best customer .

    Congrats to NI and the Healy God – from ROI – We’ll bate yiz anyway in the quarter final 🙂

  • TOT

    Thats quality stuff realist.