[video=youtube;CWUlQYteGeM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWUlQYteGeM[/video] This should be Northern Ireland's anthem. [video=youtube;73eB-aAo8Eg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73eB-aAo8Eg[/video] This should be England's anthem. Problem solved.
Its a major factor. It and the unwillingness to change it just highlights how unwilling the IFA and the unionist public in general are to accept if they want the drain to change they have to change. Stop deluding yourself by thinking that if the performances were reversed, and NI were qualifying, that the nationalist population would he fickle enough to joyously sing GSTQ to play in an international tournament
It's your national flag and I respect that. You are British I have no wish to tell you otherwise. I'm Irish however - not just in my own crazy head, but legally under the Good Friday Agreement - I even hold a passport which says 'Irish Citizen'. That's the thing about NI, we have two nationalities living side by side and it will only ever work well if we both respect the other's right to their own nationality without trying to impose our own. So my point was when it comes to supporting the national team of your birth it might be a bit easier if that team in some way represented my nationality. This is the reason Nationalists tend to support the Republic, because it's the only country that represents any aspect of our nationality. I also understand that it won't be easy to change Windsor Park into a big 'neutral' Belfast Giants kind of gayosphere. It'd be like asking the revellers on St Paddy's day in Belfast to tone down the Irishness so the Protestants can get involved (they actually tried to do this before). As much as it would be nice it's probably not going to happen.
Hi Maltese Mick, my friend. Can I be an moderator of something - General chat, Norwich or Leeds board preferably
Sure they have. Any hint of irishness has been removed from and is banned from the city centre parade
They should make the players do morris dancing in front of the opposition. Like the All Blacks have their own version in Rugby Union. Intimidate the opponents.
It would not intimidate anyone, if you just did not bow down to them, just continue with your warm up, if the opposition want to behave like a bunch of overgrown schoolboys, that is their problem, you never ever help the opposition, don't give me this disrespect baloney, are you saying it is respectful to make a cutting imitation on your throat.
Unwillingness to change!?! Norn Ireland games used to be a unionist thing were they sang all the unionist/loyalist songs etc but they have came on leaps and bounds and that has all been cut out. The only thing that has remained is the national anthem, which is afterall our national anthem. There has always been nationalists playing for the N.I team, these days Baird, McGivern, McGinn, McCourt, Clingan all come from nationalist/republican families. Taggart, Jennings, Martin O'Neill etc before. You don't joyously have to sing any anthem but I'm quite sure that if Northern Ireland started getting better results and qualifying for tournaments then yes more nationalists would want to play for them. I don't have a problem with St.Patricks day. Its a day off work for me and plenty of times I've been out on the lash for it. Don't follow rugby but was gonna say, why don't they just walk away or look the other way.
Medro ... aren't you missing someone from a nationalist/republican background who played for the N.I team?? I'm sure I've heard you mention him before ... once or twice
If you ever want to see a player really singing the National Anthem, take a look at Frankie Fielding. Roars it out, that lad, though his voice is pretty terrible.
What did he ever do for N Ireland. Our Gerry and Marty is the reason you have a WC win over spain to cling onto the coat tails of for eternity
