Giovanni’s Heroes
By Mahons On June 10th, 2012The hand of fate, or the hand of Thierry Henry, hangs over the boys in green today as they take on Croatia in what I hope will be an exciting match that breaks hearts in Zagreb. My father-in-law, a Galway man, has been waiting in wonderous expectation all weekend – like a child waits for Christmas morning. The Gods don’t often grant Irish football prayers, but when they do it is a beautiful as a rainbow (Houghton’s header in 1988, the defeat of Italy in 1994).
So here is the hope that Luka Modric sleeps with the fishes. That Shay slays them and the lads give us a good day out. That the Druids work their special ancient magic and joyous-jumping-on-the-chair-vaulting-over-the-bar-and-kissing-the-barmaid victory is won. That winning on the international stage be a notion once again.
Saw this one Facebook. Absolutely brilliant.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150908141263681&set=p.10150908141263681&type=1&theater
After watching 45 mins of Italy vs Spain I have to report with heavy heart that whether Ireland wins or not this evening matters not a jot – they will never qualify from this group.
That’s probably correct Noel although stranger things have happened.
I fancy a draw with Croatia. It dosn’t matter who makes it out of the grouop though, because England are nailed on to win it.
In 1984, after a 24 year period without appearing in the European Championships, the French won the tournament. In 2004, after a 24 year period without appearing in the European Championships, the Greeks won the tournament. In 2012, after a 24 year period without appearing in the European Championships, it is our turn.
Pete,
I’m glad you who knows about football are predicting a draw. We’d take that for sure!
I seem to remember you predicting English victories in other competitions too!
You may be right by default at some point, but not this championship.
Noel – you are most likely right about that I am afraid but let us not burn that bridge until we come to it.
I’d settle for a draw tonight but please, please, please don’t let them get beat by Spain on Thursday.
I admire your confidence Pete. No matter how misplaced.
Petr Tarasov -
The fickle finger of fate sometimes plays a part, not to mention dodgy referees and dirthy cheating foreigners (except Thierry Henry, who was libelled and slandered by a nation that can’t lose fair and square), but this time I know: England are nailed on for the Euros.
I have done my part. An Irish Breakfast eaten, sofa prepared with adequate pillows and remote control in easy reach, offspring trained for timely relay of beers from fridge down steps to head of household.
Let the game begin.
Good luck Croatia.
Nice one Mahons. Hope you enjoy it and hope for a great result.
Pete: you are quite clearly insane!!
//please, please don’t let them get beat by Spain on Thursday//
Paul, if you saw the Italy vs Spain match you’d realise there is just no way we can ever get a ball past the Spanish, or the Italian, defence.
The Spainish attack. on the other hand, will go through our defence, such as it is, like a Toledo dagger through a pad of Irish butter.
Gloomy, I know, but there’s no use having false hopes.
COME ON CROATIA!
Be cheering from Dubvronik.
Are there any irish playing in the english b team?
LMAO
hhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Early Goal to Croatia. FFS.
Great to see it.
Hope they score no more than 19, and no less than 18.
GO ON AND GET INTO THE IRISH TERROIST SUPPORTING SCUM.
I hope our resident sectarian slug enjoyed goal number 2 of the game.
absolutely from Sean St leger from BIRMINGHAM.
Almost as amusing as Tony ‘CAS’ CASCARINO with record caps and no OIRISH CONNECTIONS!
Almost as deluded as the ira voters
keep going …
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ah aha haa ha ahahahahhaahhahahahahahahahahahaaaahhahahahhhh
How is Norn Iron doing LU?
How is the rebel republic free state doing?
LMAO
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AH AHA AH
How is Norn Iron doing LU?
lol Nicely done!
LU – I can see the rebel scum state being totally trounced in the 2nd half.
Always amusing to see the papist mick pondscum humiliated in any arena, be it political, military, sporting, cultural etc…
Can’t we just insult each other on football terms?
well it would be preferable if the oirish and those of their spawn around the globe didn’t exist in the first place and I wouldn’t have to expend any energy on insults
//amusing to see the papist mick pondscum humiliated//
//it would be preferable if the oirish and those of their spawn around the globe didn’t exist in the first place //
“British Bernard” and Little Unionist are really just explaining to our American and British visitors why there had to be a revolt in Northern Ireland to remove the bigoted Unionist majority from power and drag them kicking and screaming into the real world.
What a great night…
Northern Ireland with a full team have already beaten Spain, Euro Champions and World Champions, plus of course England.
Don’t need your republicans, as usual, you are quite able to make COMPLETE FOOLS OF YOURSELVES!
LMAO
Ooh a troll.
I give it about 24 hours before some mysterious person* starts citing “British Bernard’s” comments as proof of the waycism on ATW.
* ie whoever has created the alias.
Noel,
au contraire; we are exposing why they left us.
The Irish FA is only in NI, the fai is a breakaway, which makes the calims for an all ireland team all the more laughable, especially as the lad that scored is from BIRMINGHAM.
You know that well known orish place?
LMAO
COME ON CROATIA!
LU,
Next you’ll be telling us you didn’t really want to qualify for the Euros!
It is hard when 40 per cent won’t play because of their ignorance/bigotry, but still, we will leave the english b team to fail to outr amusement.
LMAO
Karma comes around…
Sure. It’s been a poor night for the Irish team. That said, it was always going to be a tall order and we’ll soon move onwards and upwards.
You, on the other hand, will have to live on in the knowledge that unionist majority rule is in the dustbin of history and not coming back out, and you’ll have to watch SF in government for the rest of your days!
LOL!
Course you will.
Karma.
Tough going, hand it to Croatia looks like they are firmly in control.
Mahons, it would break the heart of a true Englishman…
lol
after all, it is their B team.
Logical – A true Englishman would not consider you a true Englishman.
LU you are a sad little man
Oh was there a football match on tonight. No-one told me
What weird foreign activity are you people discussing?
I hope it’s not soccer. Only odd, flimsy children play that boring game in Texas.
Rugby is most excellent, but I doubt Mahons would ever broach a discussion of such a rawring, ballsy sport. So I suspect it’s the soccer.
Might as well have a twee croquet or bowling post, Lawyerman.
3-1 Croatia, exactly as I predicted.
Good to see Eduardo appear late on. He could have been a player if it wasn’t for some northern clogger in a Brum shirt breaking his leg.
LOL! Brilliant Pete
Not good enough from Ireland. Best team won. No complaints.
Paul McMahon -
I can be shameless as required.
I don’t know where all the “Croatia were better and deserved it” comes from (watching ITV here with Roy Keane in the lounge).
Of course Croatia had most of the ball, but they’re better technically. That’s to be expected. The scoreline comes from Croatia getting the breaks in the box – Ward slicing the ball to Jelovic, the ball rebounding off the post and in off Given’s head – rather than any real dominance. As is often the case when a better technical team gets a lead, the other side find it difficult to open up and pull the game back.
On another day that could have been a 1-1 or 2-2.
I generally agree Pete. I thought that the match was fairly scrappy and lacked the dynamic of the Spain – Italy matck.
You’re watching ITV with Roy Keane in the lounge? I’m impressed.
Croatia were the better team but the scoreline could have been very different. The first goal was a mistake by a keeper who almost never makes mistakes. The second goal was an unfortunate slice by Ward (and a possible offside), while the third goal was took such an unfortunate deflection that it almost bordered on comical.
Add that to the fact that Ireland had a stone wall penalty turned down and the result could have been very different.
But Croatia were the better team on a balance of play.
oh fuck, it’s definitely the awful soccer.
I would make for a bad European citizen.
Daphne, considering in American sports I support the Colts, the Red Sox and the Celtics I would prefer not to talk about American sports.
I agree with you on the rugby comparison Daphne.
I didn’t know they really played rugby in the US. I know they have a national team and at least a couple of professionals (Chris Wyles at Saracens, another at Northampton, one at London Welsh and a captain who plays in Japan spring to mind), but it’s still not a sport I associate in the mind with America.
Bad result for Ireland but I’m happy Tyrone beat Armagh
At one point I thought Armagh were going to sneak it.
Ireland have demanded International Enquiry into Croatiagate. How could this have happened? O
There is club rugby in America Pete. It just rather stupidly calls itself the Super League despite being rugby union.
Rugby is very small beer as a stadium sport here, which is a shame. I like the little I see of it
It is widely played in colleges, and there are adult leagues. We have a bog bruiser in the dept who plays om weekends
Big bruiser
Splendid result.
A certain Mr McGurk was tweeting..
@MrMcGurk12: Hope jelavic dies on the pitch the hun B*atard
If Jelavic scores, I’ll get a flight to Ukraine and kill the orange B*atard
..
It appears he has taken fear and decided to blame someone else, then remove the page
Why is it a splendid result Iluvni? Are you that bigoted?
Rugby is definitely a private school and upper class public school niche game in america, fortunately most of my male relatives have had the opportunity to partake of this bruising, manly sport – a thrilling game that exceeds all NFL standards.
I happen to like the rough and tumble honest, no holds barred brutality of the game. No pussy, prima donna cinderella ponce crap like euro soccer. Standing on the sidelines of a well matched, hard core rugby game gets my lady juices flowing.
Seamus, I’m all in for the Steelers this year. Both Texas teams are blowing soft.
Daphne -
“I happen to like the rough and tumble honest, no holds barred brutality of the game. No pussy, prima donna cinderella ponce crap like euro soccer.”
You’ll be welcome in my village rugby club anytime.
“Standing on the sidelines of a well matched, hard core rugby game gets my lady juices flowing.”
The invite’s in the post.
Colm – watch it!
Anyone know who Norn Iron is playing in the Euros?being trying to find out but no luck yet
The more America is exposed to soccer, the more it shrinks here as a professional game. There’s no there there.
Here in NY NJ the NY Cosmos used to draw 70,000 a game.
There is a new team now, the Red Bulls, and they play in a 22,000 seat stadium that is half empty most days
Love to see you play, Pete.
seamuus,
Its easy to throw the bigoted line out there, isnt it?
Its much more of a problem to accept that the FAI have been underhand in their dealings with the IFA over recent years. They’ve damaged the NI team and undermined the good work that was in place to improve our squads, so fuck them. I hope tonight was as good as it gets for the Republic this week, and worse, much worse is to come.
Don’t see the point in the gloating? Just makes the gloaters as bad as republicans who gloat when Northern Ireland play?
I couldn’t give a fiddlers about the Republic of Ireland’s football team so i don’t watch them. It’s a lot easier that way.
I do find it rather unusual that ex Republic of Ireland international Mark Lawrenson continually refers to the England team as ‘us’ and ‘we’?
the FAI have been underhand in their dealings with the IFA over recent years. They’ve damaged the NI team and undermined the good work that was in place to improve our squads
Good.
Lawrenson is an out an out traitor.
No they haven’t Iluvni. They have given Irish people in the North a chance to play for their country rather than play for Northern Ireland. They should be applauded. Instead bigots like you attack them because the croppies won’t lie down anymore.
I always enjoyed playing soccer, and I enjoy the World Cup matches. It is fun to watch the games and the crowd. Given its inexpensive basics (a ball and a field) I get why it is popular around the world. There are so many other professional sports teams in the US in other sports that I doubt it will ever break through as a major sport here, at least on the professional level.
When i was 18 (a very long time ago) i played professional football in Canada.
Pretty irrelevant to the topic, i know, but it is my one claim to fame
Mahons, when exactly did you start and what imaginary friends populated your field?
aye, whatever you say Seamus. Twat.
Iluvni,
don’t waste your breath on an IRA supporter…
I had a lovely evening last night, was with some delightful people from all over the world, and we cheered and roared as the England ‘B’ team got their asses whipped.
I am sure the rebels on here will be cheering for the ‘A’ team tonight, but apparently BA Baracus is injured with a hamstring strain.
oh, and Petr, that comment makes me even more chuffed to see your english b tam get stuffed.
Hope it gets worse from here on in…
LU,will you be cheering on england tonight?
You are in Croatia, LU, zar ne?
I’ll be driving around the Sibenik area shortly.
Da, Noel; just about to set sail for Italy
Rimini all being well 
Yes Martin I will cheer on the Lions tonight.
Hilarious stuff, all the usual NI bigots glued to their tv watching the ROI games with glee. Sad stuff from a sad sectarian statelet.
not as funny as the english b team getting sent home with a spanked arse…
Least they were there, the bitterness from NI folk is shocking. Lets see how the england fair, Cmon france.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/republic-fans-in-sectarian-storm-1-3936727
see your ‘fans’ reveal their true form as well…
btw, good to see red white and blue win last night
Chanting IRA slogans is sectarian?
Petr,
nah, its all very loving and an obvious attempt at ‘moving on.’
LU,why would you support england?are you english?
Disappointing last night but the much better side won.
LU’s and BB’s comments are very reassuring. It’s good to know I am better than them.
And “England B team”? I think one of the Irish 11 was born in England (St Ledger), one in Scotland (McGeady), and the rest are all Irish born and bred.
Of the 23 man Irish panel there are 6 players born outside of Ireland (1 born in Scotland, the other 5 in England).
Of the most recent 24 man Northern Ireland panel there were 8 born outside of Ireland (including 1 born in Scotland, 1 born in Canada and 6 born in England).
So maybe the neanderthals need to look at their own team before attacking other teams.
Martin,
no not English, but like to see British teams do well. Last night I was hoping the B team would do ok, but unfortunately they got their arases spanked. oh er…
Mournful reg, where was your record breaker cascarino from? you tube! LMAO
Wee seamy, you just can’t help it can you?
You really should leave that spade to the side and sit on the pile you have made.
If you keep on, it is only further to fall…
Daphne – I started playing organized soccer as a youngster. By High School though I had converted to long distance running. My friends were quite real, though victory, alas, was often imaginary.
“Mournful reg, where was your record breaker cascarino from? you tube! LMAO”
Big Cass a record-breaker? On YouTube? LOL, LMAO, ROFL, PMSL. WTF? OMG.
big ‘Cas’ turns out to be as Oirish as someone who is not oirish…
The laughing stock of world football…
truly deserved.
Here was me thinking it was the team ranked 106th on world rankings, oh well.
No, it is the english b team, the team that steals rabid republicans into their team, plus a plethora of english, and non oirish, including their record breaker, BIG CAS, the legend (snigger!) and the wee Northern Ireland even with limited resources managed to beat both England and Spain, the joint European and WORLD champions.
Hope the lads have their passports ready, there won’t be too many harps on the front!!!
Keep it up, it is great to see your gerny faces lol
“the wee Northern Ireland even with limited resources managed to beat both England and Spain, the joint European and WORLD champions.”
And hasn’t qualified for a major tournament in my lifetime.
Also, as I pointed out, there is a higher percentage of foreign-born players in the Northern Ireland team than in the Ireland team.
LOL yeah can see it now…Trap put a gun to their heads and forced them to play for the ROI. Don’t be so bitter LU, it’s poison.
Not bitter, I bid good riddance to individuals who want to play for the failed free state and I enjoy watching them getting their arses wiped, like last night, and will enjoy the next two games when they will look even more silly.
A fantastic spectacle to see them humiliated, just like the sfira scum sitting in Stormont under British rule and having to swallow the recent poll results that kills their delusion that anyone with a brain cell really would want a united ireland.
Yes, I am quite content I have to say…
NI has a population that is much smaller than the population of Brooklyn NY.
What’s the point in such geographies ( small population, not an independent country, no aspirations to being an independent country ) participating in international competitions in the first place?
seamy son, when were you born?
didn’t anyone tell you about NI in Spain?
Imagine a country where 40 odd per cent won’t play because of their intolerance and bigotry getting to the quarter finals of the world cup?
Imagine with a pool of under a million citizens and an age group of around 200 thousand getting that far, and BEATING Spain?
Absolutely fantastic in spite of your heroes who you support blowing us up.
You’ll never beat us son…move along now!
Phantom, it is about pride and the FACT that in spite of the scum of the earth trying to destroy us (literally) we have managed to beat the might of England, a much more populated country, and more importantly, Spain, who are presently the European and World Champions.
I think you will agree a fantastic achievment.
Delusions of grandeur Phantom.
Remind you of anyone?
I was born in 1988.
And they got to a quarter final of a world cup largely speaking because of that 40%, Jennings, Martin O’Neal, Gerry Armstrong etc. And the fans cheered them for five minutes after they did that before going back to their regular chants of “Dirty Fenian Bastard”.
Also we’ll never beat you?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/13535023
Trap has done an excellent job to get those players within a whisker of the World Cup and to qualify for the Euros. While we almost certainly won’t qualify from our group now, everybody can come home with their heads held high. Sport is cruel, as anyone who’s actually played it knows.
So you were born in 1988.
hmmm. so I guess your post of :
IS AS USUAL INCORRECT.
Seamy son, you get your arse wiped every time on here, you are making yourself look like a complete embarassment, but plough on lad, you give us a laugh…
(ps, it is Martin O’Neill)
But how can that be Seamus?
Surely Our Wee Country wouldn’t lower themselves to have players from the scumbag community that votes for murderers?
yes Petr they will hold their heads high (cue sniggering and guffaws)
good to see your lot get their just deserts.
What major tournament has Northern Ireland qualified for in that time period?
Unlike the free state, we welcome all Northern Irishmen whatever their religion and cheer them on as they put the English and WORLD CHAMPIONS to the sword.
Can you believe it, we even have a catholic as a manager…
Sad to see comments from rabid prod haters resort to this on a football thread.
I suppose, pig, grunt…etc.
I’ll bet Brazil are really sad that they’re not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMCAljqoTVc
Seamy,
do you want to apologise for your lies earlier?
I will educate you, but I expect some thanks at the least son.
Spain 1982, you would have been 6.
Are you the full whack wee lad?
Paul,
just glad we are not anything to do with these morons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdECNA9S8RU
Can you fucking count?
Phantom -
“What’s the point in such geographies ( small population, not an independent country, no aspirations to being an independent country ) participating in international competitions in the first place?”
An international football team is a function of a football association being affiliated to FIFA (the global football governing body). NI has its own clubs and football competitions, all administered by the Irish Football Association (as opposed to the Football Association of Ireland which is the RoI equivalent), and so NI has as much right to participate as a national team in international competitions as much as anyone.
It’s not so strange in the world of football. Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino and a any number of Pacific islands all compete internationally. A British fella currently is the head coach of American Samoa, for example. Basically, if you’re in any way a state, statelet or principality then you can have a team.
Oh dear Seamy, I’ll tell your priest and you will be in trouble.
You were born in 88?
What is your mum called?
But how can such a thing be that Our Wee Country accept people from a community who’s
Murder OWC supporters while;
Goodness me!! how can this be??
Do you want to try it again or do you want to admit your mistake?
What major tournament has Northern Ireland qualified for in that time period?
Actually Pete, the Irish Football Association was an ALL IRELAND body.
The republic decided to leave and do their own thing, as usual, and now have the audacity to complain about there not being an all ireland team!
Northern Ireland have consistently punched above their weight, as I have posted earlier, beaten the world champions, which is INCREDIBLE for a country of a million and a half with some republicans refusing to play for the shirt.
(We are not Brazil by the way, in case you are confused!)
When did they beat the World Champions?
Paul,
because as a majority vote for the ira, there are some decent catholics that refuse to follow you and seamy lad’s example and shun murderers.
Fair play to them, that is what progress is all about and I applaud them in their endeavours to move on and embrace the shared future in the UK.
Seamy,
do you know who the British home champions are?
BTW, is Maik Taylor still not an ex soldier?
LMAO
Give us some more kid, it is getting funnier each night
I have already accepted that I got that won incorrect.
What major tournament has Northern Ireland qualified for since 1988?
When did they beat the World Champions?
See, you can never trust those bloody Catholics.
Your opinion sums it up Paul.
Seamy, we beat Spain 3-2, we have consistently performed admirably.
you can google the rest…the Spanish team of ; Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos (Salgado 45), Puyol, Pablo, Antonio Lopez, Albelda (Fabregas 29), Xavi, Alonso, Torres (Luis Garcia 63), Villa, Raul.
Subs Not Used: Reina, Marchena, Reyes, Iniesta.
went on to win the world cup and euros.
When did the free state beat england and Spain?
ho ho ho ho hoh oh ohohohohohohohoho!
They went on to be World Champions. But they weren’t World Champions.
When did you beat the World Champions?
Also we last beat Spain in 1946 and last beat England 1988 European Championships. Though we would have beaten them in 1995 if it wasn’t for English hooligans causing a riot.
My mistake. We actually last beat Spain in 1989.
ANOTHER ‘mistake’ lol
brill!
Looking forward to another embarassment tommorrow night, and your oirish like big ‘cas’ (LMAO, snigger) will I suppose sing those old traditional songs like f*** the Queen and in the next stanza, ‘IRA’.
Can’t wait to see you intolerant bigots get your comeuppence…
a laughing stock, I’ll tell you, A LAUGHING STOCK!
lol