What is behind the Irish fascination with British Soccer Teams

[rogermoore69]

Never understood this fascination with English clubs myself. I doubt if many Liverpool natives will be cheering for Cork or Kilkenny?

Would GAA be considered a global game in the same way as football? It’s not just English teams that are popular here Italian Spanish German France get their fair share of interest too.

[TheFalcon]

thank you for the replies,

mmn maybe I felt a bit cranky when posting,

Can I ask the moderators to close the thread?

have received enough answers to satisfy my curiosity!!

[WeeJimmy]

I dont know-normally I couldnt care less about this topic,

but something riles me thinking of Irish people getting upset this evening at Liverpool losing the soccer final,

At the end of the day I am an Irish Nationalist, I want the British to FO out of the North and I am not going to be eulogising, celebrating, or sympathising to British culture in any way,

but we will have Irish people 26 counties nationwide as this very minute drowning their sorrows in their pints disecting Liverpool's defeat,

Why do they do this - at the end of the day this is a British soccer team- and paradoxically the same people will actually cheer against the english national team (fair enough), but why then support their clubs.

so what is the mentality behind it all?

Forget the Dubs, Liverpool is known as the Real Capital of Ireland.

[Mucker]

Manchester United was a factory team originally with no Irish background. The club did have a scouting operation in Ireland at one point, but as you pointed out, this amounted to about a player a decade. Chances are, with globalisation, you might never see an Irishman wear those colours again.

[Rockerman]

Manchester United was a factory team originally with no Irish background. The club did have a scouting operation in Ireland at one point, but as you pointed out, this amounted to about a player a decade. Chances are, with globalisation, you might never see an Irishman wear those colours again.

You are completely wrong. Manchester United when the club was Newton Heath were very well supported by Irish Catholic immigrants. There have not only been plenty of Irish players playing for United through the years...there have been some brilliant Irish players too. Johnny Carey, Liam Whelan, John Giles, George Best, Sammy McIlroy, Norman Whiteside, Paul McGrath, Denis Irwin and Roy Keane are among the greatest Irish players of all time and guess what...they all played for United! Your post is absolute bollocks mate. Newtown Heath were made up mostly of railway workers from around the Lancashire area.

[Rockerman]

A player a decade is also so ridiculously far off also. If you have no fucking clue about a topic you shouldn't just put out completely incorrect information. Sure I could name a number of Irish players who played in different decades for United! How would that amount to a player a decade? Fucking nonsense.

[Rockerman]

The reason we might not see an Irish player playing for big clubs in England is because the quality of Irish footballers right now and in fact for over a decade has been very poor indeed. Liverpool have the young Irish goalkeeper and he seems a talented goalie, but he won't be their number one anytime soon I don't think.

[Rockerman]

I meant Newton Heath above -typo.

[Myshadow]

This thread reminds me of the lad who was protesting about the introduction of allowing soccer and rugby into GAA stadiums whilst dressed in head to toe Glasgow Celtic merchandise holding a placard that said "NO TO FOREIGN GAMES"

[Barney Rubble]

This thread reminds me of the lad who was protesting about the introduction of allowing soccer and rugby into GAA stadiums whilst dressed in head to toe Glasgow Celtic merchandise holding a placard that said "NO TO FOREIGN GAMES"

I remember seeing that at the time - Oh the irony !