Yes, a cup match between Ajax II and Utrecht recently lead to riots.
Now answer the fucking question.
Two things. If you support a Scottish team from Ireland this REALLY is no concern of yours. We had some boys from ASC with us on Saturday and the Scottish scene is much “worse” than England.
And I don’t think I have ever been called a “scarfer” before. I might get to like it.
I did at length in a thread called “ask the english football hooligan” that I can’t find now.
But in short:
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Age, ie grew out of it
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Other priorities took over eg family
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Too much to lose.
Which is why the other contributors brought up the subject, I didn’t. Don’t mind though as i know I’m right.
If you want to start a thread chiding me for Following a Scottish team with Historical Irish links, go ahead, I can back up anything I have to say on the matter.
Yes, there is hooliganism in Scottish Football. and I dispise that element of Scottish football as much as I do that element of Irish football and English football. Yes, there is a scumbag element in Irish football and Scottish football, but it isn’t organised like it is in England.
How is it no concern of mine? I am a fan of football. I try and watch as much of it as I can. I can comment all I want.
If calling you scum makes a pontificator out of me, then get me a funny hat.
And when I didn’t mean to call you a “scarfer” I meant to say “anti-scarfer”. Lord knows I wouldn’t want to accuse you of being an ordinary football supporter.
owlstretchingtime, take your scary scary “Armchair fan” bogeyman, take your pathetic grittier-than-thou class shit, take your fucking elitist “I say what you can and can’t like” bullshit and fuck off.
If you weren’t such a pathetic little cunt flea, I’m sure we could agree on a few issues, such as:
- Season tickets are too fucking expensive for most folk.
- The globalised plc philosophy of clubs such as Manchester United doesn’t have a great deal to do with actual football
- Some people latched on to football as a fashion thing in the late 1990s.
But, seeing as you lump everyone who sees past your narrow, bilious little worldview as hoorays and toffs, and seeing as you think you can dictate the laws of who can and can’t like football (Did God Alfuckingmighty lend you his omniscience? Or Are you just talking out of your oh-soooo-working-class-oh-soooo-reeeeeal arse?), then no can do.
Im sorry I don’t get this at all. I’m not being awkward but why would an Irish fan of a Scottish team (and I do know why) have strong opinions on Eng lish football and it’s fans? Really why? I would like to know.
And I’m glad you cleared up the scarfer thing. I was quite hurt for a moment.
Admittedly there is a great deal of public interest in Beckham’s foot (heck, it led the news for two days), as the England team (and its Swedish coach) were seen as serious contenders this year. To have their hopes dashed by either a deliberate attempt to cripple a key player or an unfortunate accident is sad whichever way you look at it.
That being said, it IS only a game.
One of these days I’d like to see an England-Russia game where the Russian fans stand up and chant “If it wasn’t for the Russians, you’d be Krauts.” Oh, how I’d laugh…
Because, What happens in the EPL eventually effects other leagues. And because my team may very well be in the EPL within 2 years.
I have just as much right to comment on a public messageboard as you do. I watch as much EPL as you do. I have a very good understanding of what is going on in it as you do. So, please, tell me exactly why I amn’t qualified to comment.
coul;d you clarify what you meant by that?
Given that season tickets are so expensive, and so’s travelling to matches, I can’t help but think that the roving bands of soccer hooligans who follow teams around the country (and abroad) must be fairly well heeled… and, in fact, I believe serious studies bear me out on this; the average hooligan is a relatively high-earning (young, male) professional. Not “working class” at all, more like “yuppie scum”.
I’m not a football fan, myself… but as far as I can see, anyone who enjoys watching the game has a “right” to an opinion, no matter whether they’ve enjoyed it for ten minutes or ten years. On the other hand, it seems to me that people who go around causing trouble, making life hard for the real fans (and anyone else within five miles of a football ground) don’t have a “right” to anything much, except perhaps a police baton across the throat.
OK, owlstretchingtime, I’ll bite. I have a season ticket. I go to every one of my team’s (Celtic’s) weekend home games, even though I live in Ireland. I travel by bus and ferry, which means leaving Dublin at 4.00 AM Saturday morning and arriving home at 1.00 AM Sunday morning. For this privilege I pay, in addition to the price of my season ticket, €75 for the transport plus whatever I spend in food and drink on the day (usually about £30 stg). So can I qualify as a real fan then? Pretty-please?
Two things then:
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If I can make this trip every other week (more or less), surely Southampton fans can haul their arses up to Glasgow once a season?
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There are thousands more like me at Celtic Park - but very few like you. Which is one of the reasons I’m a Celtic supporter in the first place.
<fever pitch (film version)>
Don’t say that. That’s the WORST POSSIBLE THING YOU CAN SAY.
</fever pitch (film version)>
Now that’d be funny. I’d clap that. A bit of originality and humour.
Now, Owlstretchingtime, the reason you are having difficulties finding your thread is that we had a little hacking problem with the board and several months of threads were lost. Everyone else seems to have noticed this but somehow it seems to have escaped your attention. I can only wonder why.
Whilst I am talking to you, can I please take time to say that I trully believe that you are a cunt of the highest order. It is thanks to scum like you that, now that I am living in a foreign country, I have to constantly apologise and explain the actions of England “fans” to people. It is thanks to people like you that I cannot drink wearing an England football shirt without getting grief from people. It is thanks to people like you that I have to feel ashamed of my country and countrymen. It is thanks to people like you that non-football fans (and many football fans) instantly assume I am a violent, racist thug just because I come from England and like football.
You have harmed the world’s perception of English people in such a way that it will take decades to sort out. You have given us a reputation that instills fear and loathing in foreigners whenever I am about - and unlike you that is not something I actually want. It is thanks to people like you that I am automatically treated like a criminal if I go to an England game. It is thanks to people like you that I am regularly ashamed to say that I come from England.
For that you are, and always will be, a cunt.
For the record, I have been a Coventry fan since before I can remember. I do not go to matches as I live 1000 miles and a plane flight away from Highfield Road and so, frankly, I can’t afford it.
Well, I tried popping down to Henley as suggested. Bugger me if there wasn’t any football there, though. Oh well. Back to teletext.
You shouldn’t debase yourselves hovering over this dog shit. Too flabby to hit people in real life any more, he comes onto a message board to pick fights with strangers online instead - what a loser. Getting angry about his poisonous remarks just makes him feel significant, so you shouldn’t bother.
Attendances at football matches have been going up and down for more than a hundred years, so I have no doubt that any influence by temporary spectators won’t have any long-term damaging effects. But more significantly English football has already survived its biggest threat - being infested by parasites like him. Whether it has to do so again remains to be seen, but if there ever is a return to violence, and if that kills football off once and for all or causes English teams to be banned from playing, then of course people like ost won’t accept any blame for it, and that’s why you can be certain he doesn’t love football or his country, which in turn is why his point of view doesn’t matter any more than a prawn sandwich eater.
Don’t let the bastard grind you down.
Just that i understand the links between Ireland and some Scottish clubs eg Hibs, Celtic etc.
There are also Links between some English and Scottish clubs. As I said we had the ASC with us on Saturday (repaying a small favour we did them earlier in the year)
OK you get an opinion. You have made the investment. I am sure this pleases you enormously.
Re your points:
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Why should they? For who’s benefit would shoehorning the Glasgow clubs into the EPL/Nationwide be? Armchair fans that’s who. Once again the real fans are getting it in the shorts from TV.
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Who do you think you are kidding? I know some of Celtics boys (Bhoys?) and they have a VERY large and VERY active set of firms (two of which are Irish). I should know, they also come out with us. HAve you really not noticed?
Well, it would benefit the Nationwide (Increased revenue and TV money) and it would benefit the Old Firm (Increased competition).
us? I thought you had “retired”? and I have never heard of a Celtic firm.
Estilicon: I’m english, and I don’t understand. I don’t follow football, and for that matter quite a few of us english don’t. Too busy drinking tea and whatnot, dontcha know old chap? 
So let me get this straight, owlstretchingtime: such is your devotion to a particular group of men who kick a ball around for a living that not only are you willing to spend a great deal of time and money to watch them do so, but you are (or were at one time) actually willing (nay, proud) to fight and risk life and limb to defend their honour against the calumnies of another group of devotees attached to a different group of men who kick a ball around for a living, behaviour about which both football teams are extremely bewildered, embarrassed and/or ashamed? What a guy.
And in response to an earlier point, the way the Dons play, frankly, they deserve Milton Keynes. And possibly vice versa.
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I’ve stated elsewhere that I’m not particularly enthusiastic about the idea of Celtic joining the English leagues either (and take note that my main concern has been with the danger our fans may face from certain of your fans; witness the attacks against us at the recent Leicester-Celtic friendly). But you seemed to be basing your opposition at least in part on the difficulty of travel it would pose for some English fans, which is IMHO a bogus reason, since thousands of us can travel even further every two weeks.
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I’m aware that there are firms who attach themselves to Celtic, but I’m only aware of this from having been told it - no , I have not “noticed”, and I’ll bet neither have the majority of Celtic fans (and I’m using your definition of “fans” here). They are simply not a factor in Scottish football - nor in European football, our away trips for which almost invariably result in mounds of praise for our fans from the opposition club and from their fans.
Whether they’re a factor in English football, I wouldn’t know, but then if these folks are spending their Saturdays kicking lumps out of people in England while the Bhoys have a game on in Scotland, then they’d hardly meet anyone’s definition of real fans, would they?
In reply to the above post, I don’t want the “big two” in England for a variety of reasons:
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They have no place here. They have a league and the cast-iron certainty of european games. They should stay there. The Scottish league is the like second oldest in the world and deserves to be treated with respect.
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It would be mayhem every saturday. As you point out, if a game against leicester (Baby squad nothwithstanding) can’t go off peacefully (and this a “friendly”), then imagine West Ham, Spurs, Millwall, Birmingham etc. This is truer of GRFC than GCFC
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Grossly unfair on two English clubs who would have to make way.
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Travel is an issue. These are likely to be telegenic games and therefore on Sunday or Monday night. Glasgow is a lot further than Newcastle.
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Our 4 votes at FIFA is based on us being 4 distinct footballing entities. This would dilute this already tenous concept.
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Purely selfish. They would be at about our level and its hard enough to get into europe.
I would let them in the league cup.
And JR8 you may have a point, hence retired and now working on a governement sponsored fans initiative. Details here:
http://www.supporters-direct.org/
which is a fine initiative, whatever you may feel about me personally. So if you think you’re a REAL FAN please get involved.