Support your team!!!

jamesie · Post by **jamesie** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:53 pm

LePaul wrote:but we never dropped to the depths of themens.

le paul, you gotta cut this out mate... a lot of my family were at that game on saturday. and a mate of mine took his ill father along so cut out the barbed comments please.

LePaul · Post by **LePaul** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:59 pm

jamesie - you may well be right - but having been the victim of the auld regime in N.I. and its soccer brigade, I will never liken themens to the Ravers brigade. That said, I will always yell for the N.I. lads whenever and wherever they play. I hope that the new breed continue as you indicate but I'm not a believer - yet that is.

As for yobs and gulpins - it isnt that long ago that 2 teams from the opposite polls couldnt even play a match because of the old crap (I refer to Donegall Celtic & RUC - Christmas a few years ago). No sport should ever have to contend with this shyte but soccer in N.I. will always have it. IMHO.

Anyway - good luck to them - it was a good win and I wish them well.

Back to Ulster - the bottom line is this - the team needs us - all 6000 plus of us to keep them going. We must keep the faith and while we have our issues with this and that - we must never quit.

By the way - why would you want to eat your hat on Wednesday. Am I missing something. I guess I am. And it is Camembert and its Graves too.

LePaul · Post by **LePaul** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 10:07 pm

jamsie - not meant to be barbed and certainly not meant to be specifically offensive. The fact that families are going is good and I applaud that - but for ever I will have a resverved attitude to the things that lie beyond and beneath.

Having had to run the gauntlet of abuse and stones and many other things as I left Shore Road, Windsor, the Oval, Skegoniel Avenue and the like for years I cannot dismiss these images out of my head. No matter how low Ulster Rugby may have been (or may go) the guys, without gender, at Ravenhill never acted in a manner like I describe above.

barney · Post by **barney** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 12:02 am

LePaul

you might like to check out this thread:

http://www.ulsterrugby.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=765

In any crowd, no matter what the sport, there will always be a few idiots. It's to the IFA's credit that they have completely turned around the atmosphere at Windsor Park and reclaimed it for real fans.

For what it's worth, I saw the old, rotten, side of Northern Irish soccer too: I was on coaches that were stoned and had their windows broken. I can remember standing on the terraces behind a protective screen of chicken wire to catch the half bricks that were thrown at us.

The people who were at Windsor on Saturday roaring on a very average team which hadn't won a competitive home game in four years have no more in common with the thugs from the past than you or I. They are real supporters and any team, no matter the sport, would be delighted to have them.

LePaul · Post by **LePaul** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 6:54 am

barney - that thread is indeed a sad thing to read. I had hoped that rugby and especially Ulster rugby would never be faced with that.

Either way - I'm pleased that football has and continues to clear up its act although as I said I'll always have my reservations (the Neill Lennon incident wasnt that long ago and the Oval sham was last season). In my mind it'll always be there but the fact that many more Jim Boyces have started to have an impact will be good for the real supporters, the team and the image of N.Ireland. Good luck to them.

barney · Post by **barney** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:13 am

(the Neill Lennon incident wasnt that long ago and the Oval sham was last season)

Point taken LePaul: both regrettable incidents. Think it's important to bear in mind though that this kind of thing is the work of the minority who have little or no interest in the sport itself.

LePaul · Post by **LePaul** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 2:38 pm

Agreed Barney - agreed.

jamesie · Post by **jamesie** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 3:15 pm

all agreed chaps... (and le paul's sending me a case of plonk!)

right, now lets get back to what we're good at! i'm off to cardiff on friday to shout the boys on!!!

colinh · Post by **colinh** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 3:24 pm

Put up a banner for Rooster ..........

Colin

Rooster · Post by **Rooster** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 3:45 pm

colinh wrote:Put up a banner for Rooster ..........

Colin

ding dong2u · Post by **ding dong2u** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 4:20 pm

and it should say ..... 'There's nobody here but us chickens!'

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 4:47 pm

jamesie wrote:all agreed chaps... (and le paul's sending me a case of plonk!)

right, now lets get back to what we're good at! i'm off to cardiff on friday to shout the boys on!!!

Mine's a pint at the Arms Park - should be there well before kick-off, so if you could have it ready for me please

Rooster · Post by **Rooster** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 6:11 pm

Get a banner and feature on TV and we might just possibly have a video

LePaul · Post by **LePaul** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 9:01 pm

Sourced a lovely Red Wine for you lot. Honest. Its in the post

I'm trying to find a bar that has Sky so as I can get to watch it on ScrumV. For those of you who are going over - good trip and shout feckin loud. I'll be listening.

Jackie Brown · Post by **Jackie Brown** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:04 am

ANyone know a pub in Crete that might be showing the match. God Damn it i'll be stuck there for two weeks!