A UK national football team

[law74]

I would be totally opposed to an all island football team, and for that matter a British isles side, though i can often be found at Clontarf or Stormont watching an all island cricket side.
One reason for this is that the ICU have never let politics interfere with their game, while in football, after partition the south split away from the senior association to form the FAI.
With regards to flags, the Irish Cricket team do not play under any flag other that that of the union, a blue field with the green shamrock, and do not have any anthems played before games.
Rugby has had its political moments as well, with it having came under pressure from De'valera (I think it was) to play the soldiers song and fly the tricolour, it came up with a compromise where they would fly the tricolour in Dublin and the Union in Belfast and play the soldiers song in Dublin and God Save the Queen in Belfast, but courted more controversy when after a spell of many years when all internationals were held in Dublin, a few years ago they played at Ravenhill and reneged on the previous compromise agreement.
Netball also still have North and South teams FWIW :-)

 

[PrestwichPeteMcfc]

Er, Given wouldn't be eligible anyway. ;)

Why not? Irish players are eligible for the Lions teams in both rugby league and rugby union

That's for the British and Irish Lions.
The OP was talking about just a British (or UK) team.

 

[bluealf]

I would be totally opposed to an all island football team, and for that matter a British isles side, though i can often be found at Clontarf or Stormont watching an all island cricket side.
One reason for this is that the ICU have never let politics interfere with their game, while in football, after partition the south split away from the senior association to form the FAI.
With regards to flags, the Irish Cricket team do not play under any flag other that that of the union, a blue field with the green shamrock, and do not have any anthems played before games.
Rugby has had its political moments as well, with it having came under pressure from De'valera (I think it was) to play the soldiers song and fly the tricolour, it came up with a compromise where they would fly the tricolour in Dublin and the Union in Belfast and play the soldiers song in Dublin and God Save the Queen in Belfast, but courted more controversy when after a spell of many years when all internationals were held in Dublin, a few years ago they played at Ravenhill and reneged on the previous compromise agreement.
Netball also still have North and South teams FWIW :-)

Island football is crap if you have no boat to get to the next island along.

An all Ireland football team is entirely another question though.

 

[mad4city]

@ Law 74:
I think that flag, of which you speak, might be a very old emblem indeed. That is a gold harp on a field of St. Patrick's green (a green which looks blue to me, too!). I can't remember the story behind it (I think Henry VIIIand something about royal standards had something to do with it). Now... and I'm not saying this to upset you - honestly, honestly, I am not - but, if I'm right, that particular flag was ceded in 1921 by the people who look after coats of arms etc (The Heraldry, or something?) to the Irish Free State and is now used as the standard of the President of Ireland (which is why the school teacher taught me anything about it, in the first place).
*

Somebody else mentioned red hand flags being flown in Dublin 4. Well, the red hand flag was an all Ulster symbol long before it was appropriated by the Unionist movement (check out a Tyrone GAA jersey - and I don't think the Norn Iron GAA set is staunchly unionist, just yet).

What? This is Ireland. You didn't expect there to be anything straightforward, did you?

Now - and again, I'm not trying to upset anybody here. I'm just asking a question because i don't know the answer - I seem to recall, a short while back, there being some issue with Northern Ireland players not being allowed to carry Irish Republic passports - an act which is, of course, in contravention of their rights under the Good Friday agreement. Does anyone else recall this? And does it have anything to do with the defections of those young lads to the Republic of Ireland?

Finally (sorry for doing such a long post), for what it's worth, no, I wouldn't want to see an all-British team and as for the IFA (and the players and management at the time, especially), I lost all concern and repest for them when they refused to do anything other than tut-tut about the discgraceful treatment which was meted out to Neil Lennon. If they had any backbone, they'd have refused to play until that nonsense stopped. Instead they gave in to the bullies.

(What? You knew I'd end on a rant, didn't you?)

 

[McGregor1874]

Er, Given wouldn't be eligible anyway. ;)

Why not? Irish players are eligible for the Lions teams in both rugby league and rugby union

Hmmm. I think there is a touch of ignorance here. The Lions teams in rugby are represented by players from TWO sovereign nations - the UK and the Irish Republic. They do not represent any set nation per se and are simply touring sides championing the best players from the geographic area. An equivalent would be a Scandanavian rugby team containing the best players from Norway and Sweden or a North American touring side containing players from the US and Canada. TWO sovereign nation states are being represented.

The UK media, of course, attempts to present these rugby sides as "British" (calling them solely "The British Lions" - and omitting the "Irish" bit whenever they get the chance) in order to sell papers and Sky TV subscriptions in Britain.

It's similar to the Ryder Cup European team...the UK media will squarely focus on the British aspect of it in order to get the UK behind it...now there's an idea: what about a European football team with the best of British, Irish, Spanish, French, German, Danish etc.?

 

[UlsterCitizen]

The recent passport row was infact brought about by a FIFA rule which stated that to represent a country you had to hold a passport which belonged to that country, the story is reported here <a class="postlink" href="http://www.rte.ie/sport/2006/0619/passports.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.rte.ie/sport/2006/0619/passports.html</a>

 

[Citizen Green]

Nope, would never work due to the fact fans from all 4 country's wouldn't get behind it.

We all hate each other basicly. Everyone else accuses the English of being arrogant, whilst we tell them their bitter.

Then there's the whole Northern Ireland situation...

Would be a complete disaster

 

[Rahart]

Nope, would never work due to the fact fans from all 4 country's wouldn't get behind it.

We all hate each other basicly. Everyone else accuses the English of being arrogant, whilst we tell them their bitter.

Then there's the whole Northern Ireland situation...

Would be a complete disaster

Oh aye, last time I checked the Scots hated you english lads, and the Welsh weren't exactly great fans of England either. Lines have been drawn to deep, and that's without even mentioning the North, now something tells me, vast experience, that the Northern lads wouldn't be too impressed about the South boys coming together, when you consider we've faught over less, it's not worth it, the republic of Ireland are just that, and the ones who right behind having a united Ireland, tend to, by my experience, follow them anyway. Like I said, we've faught over less and it's not worth it.

 

[blue jim]

I remember reading that only two clubs from the North would only be able to afford to be part of an all Ireland league - Linfield (due to IFA money monopoly) and Glentoran. Maybe Cliftonville who are fairly stable these days. Donegal Celtic came out and said they would have to fold as a club.

Bout you Jim,
the league was based on an 8-4 South North split, it was an interesting proposal but as you say financially unviable, even Glentoran would have struggled.
Do you get to Solitude or DC often to watch a game?

Havent been to a game since I've been back actually, but the leagues just started I suppose.

I reckon an all Ireland league would work depending on the teams, but I was happy enough with the Setanta Cup, could have been better ran though. Clubs cant do much when you get about 100 people at a match these days<br /><br />-- Wed Sep 08, 2010 1:06 am --<br /><br />As for the all Ireland football team arguments. Personally would be in favour of it if it was done right, but neither the FAI nor the IFA could run a piss up in the brewery, both are extremely incompetent and neither would want to bow to the other, so who would run it?

Both teams do okay for their size, NI have had a good run the past few years and ROI was unlucky not to be in the world cup.

You can't use the Rugby argument, different fan base, most Irish Rugby fans I know don't like football and politics is rarely an issue. The players grew up wanting to play for Ireland as playing for your national team is the biggest thing you can do in Rugby. In football, playing in the Champions League knockouts is arguably bigger than playing in the World Cup. So the mentality of the players is very different, and they've spent their youth playing for youth teams in different associations.

I will continue to want to see both teams play their best.

 

[wilmslowblue]

Wouldnt be too surprised if this happened u know! Lets wait and hear the latest proposals from the labour party in the next few years!