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Replying To Saynothing:  "Take a look around you. Start with the Aviva, even it is a shared stadium. Neither soccer nor rugby are big enough to stand on their own 1 foot."
Rugby is. They owned Landsdowne Road before it was redeveloped but now in partneship with FAI, God knows how the FAI are paying their half? But the IRFU are savvy enough not to have a stadium that might be full for maybe 4 games a year and lie idle for the rest of the year. Just because Rugby has a few quid is no reason for them to be stupid with money. On the other hand the FAI have been a shameful disgrace to decent soccer grassroots people and they have let the League of Ireland run itself into the ground. Hopefully it can improve and improve the League of Ireland. Rugby still has the stereotypical posh boy image but this is far from the truth at club level. Plenty of working class and foreign nationals playing rugby and a fair few players are still playing GAA or ex-GAA. I wonder how good the League of Ireland could be if it was run as well as the IRFU run the provinces and clubs? And if some intercounty and clubs grounds and facilities could be used, when GAA activities means they are available, to get a few quid for their facilities. But rather than think we're promoting other sports look at as opportunities to get a few new players or members to play hurling or football. I won't hold my breath!

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8006 - 30/08/2022 10:09:20    2439121

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Replying To GreenandRed:  "Rugby is. They owned Landsdowne Road before it was redeveloped but now in partneship with FAI, God knows how the FAI are paying their half? But the IRFU are savvy enough not to have a stadium that might be full for maybe 4 games a year and lie idle for the rest of the year. Just because Rugby has a few quid is no reason for them to be stupid with money. On the other hand the FAI have been a shameful disgrace to decent soccer grassroots people and they have let the League of Ireland run itself into the ground. Hopefully it can improve and improve the League of Ireland. Rugby still has the stereotypical posh boy image but this is far from the truth at club level. Plenty of working class and foreign nationals playing rugby and a fair few players are still playing GAA or ex-GAA. I wonder how good the League of Ireland could be if it was run as well as the IRFU run the provinces and clubs? And if some intercounty and clubs grounds and facilities could be used, when GAA activities means they are available, to get a few quid for their facilities. But rather than think we're promoting other sports look at as opportunities to get a few new players or members to play hurling or football. I won't hold my breath!"
In 2070 the Aviva will revert totally to the IRFU.

bruffgael (Limerick) - Posts: 209 - 02/09/2022 17:00:38    2439452

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The Notting hill festival took place recently in England, there were hundreds of arrests made, one fatality, as well as numerous claims of muggings and assault. The mayor of London however described the occasion very positively, while most media outlets were reluctant to go into detail on the event.
I have my suspicions that had even a tenth of that trouble occurred at a soccer match, there would have been ten times more negative attention paid.

Are sports fans fair game?

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 02/09/2022 19:09:59    2439470

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Replying To slayer:  "I've been following Manchester United for 41 years.

Cavanman47 is spot on with his assessment. People say the Glazers have spent money. They haven't spent their own money. What they've done is the equivalent of borrowing to fix the roof when the foundations are giving way. They have bled the club dry over a seventeen year period and as cavanman47 pointed out, because of United's size the fall has taken longer to materialise than say Leeds.

I wouldn't hold Ferguson culpable but his row with McManus & Magnier led to the Glazer purchase. You can't control who buys the club in a capitalist environment but leveraged buy outs of a sports club are very dangerous.

Manchester City's owners are a stark contrast to the Glazers. Not only did City's owners invest in the players and Manager but also every single area of the club from the academy to the training ground. They employ best of class in all aspects of their club. We (United fans) can point to their unlimited spending but everything they do makes sense and leads to success.

There are several smaller Premier League clubs who are a model of sense and planning. Brentford have done very well as have Brighton. What they also do is promote stability. Graham Potter has built steadily and has put together a well coached team who are capable of giving anyone in the league a game. While those clubs were doing that, Manchester United were buying the likes of Alexis Sanchez who only wanted to play in big games and had no interest in running after or chasing players at lower clubs who were outworking him. Some of what Manchester United have done post Ferguson is crazy."
Slayer Fergie is the best manger of all time. Who is your favourite fergies first 11 team that played in the Prem league? Here is mine.

Goalkeeper:
Peter Schmeichel

Defenders:
Gary Neville
Jaap Stam
Nemanja Vidic
Denis Irwin

Midfielders:
David Beckham
Roy Keane
Paul Scholes
Ryan Giggs

Attackers:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Wayne Rooney

Ollie2 (Louth) - Posts: 1054 - 03/09/2022 16:17:52    2439548

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I see that Tyson Fury has called out Joshua and the latter has accepted a fight in December. A nice plum fight for Tyson while Usyk's away at war...

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 06/09/2022 10:31:21    2439828

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the forum is so so quiet.
what can be changed to get more people posting or should it just be removed from the site?

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3758 - 06/09/2022 21:10:42    2439885

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Replying To KillingFields:  "the forum is so so quiet.
what can be changed to get more people posting or should it just be removed from the site?"
I think the HS website maybe doesn't have as many admins as they had previously? Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems to me that updates to the various threads happen more infrequently than in the past?

Anyways - I see Chelsea have sacked Tuchel. It was on the cards and Kevin Doyle called it last night on RTE's Champions League coverage. Seems a bit drastic that they'd spend so much money in the window and then not allow him any time to integrate them all? I suppose that's the way they did things in the Ambramovich era and the new owners are continuing the trend.

It'll be interesting to see who they'll approach. I really hope they don't entice Graham Potter to leave Brighton. I don't support Brighton or anything but I just think he's doing a really interesting job there. The more teams capable of disrupting the so-called big 6 the better. They seem to be a really well run club.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9774 - 07/09/2022 11:33:01    2439912

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Interesting how there's very little talk on social media etc this morning from Celtic fans. Then again they weren't playing Dundee....

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1651 - 07/09/2022 12:08:28    2439920

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Replying To KillingFields:  "the forum is so so quiet.
what can be changed to get more people posting or should it just be removed from the site?"
It's not open for comments as much as it used to be. You make a comment, them wait a day for any replies, then another day for your response to the replies to appear. You could probably communicate by post just as fast.

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2793 - 07/09/2022 13:32:10    2439926

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "I think the HS website maybe doesn't have as many admins as they had previously? Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems to me that updates to the various threads happen more infrequently than in the past?

Anyways - I see Chelsea have sacked Tuchel. It was on the cards and Kevin Doyle called it last night on RTE's Champions League coverage. Seems a bit drastic that they'd spend so much money in the window and then not allow him any time to integrate them all? I suppose that's the way they did things in the Ambramovich era and the new owners are continuing the trend.

It'll be interesting to see who they'll approach. I really hope they don't entice Graham Potter to leave Brighton. I don't support Brighton or anything but I just think he's doing a really interesting job there. The more teams capable of disrupting the so-called big 6 the better. They seem to be a really well run club."
Moderators or administrators as theres a big difference between the two

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3758 - 07/09/2022 14:13:11    2439935

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Good AFLW documentary on Disney. A bit over-sentimental at times but worth a look.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8006 - 07/09/2022 14:52:32    2439938

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Replying To GreenandRed:  "link

Good AFLW documentary on Disney. A bit over-sentimental at times but worth a look."
Yeah, Cora Staunton and Bríd Stack feature prominently in that one so far.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 07/09/2022 16:01:15    2439950

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "I think the HS website maybe doesn't have as many admins as they had previously? Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems to me that updates to the various threads happen more infrequently than in the past?

Anyways - I see Chelsea have sacked Tuchel. It was on the cards and Kevin Doyle called it last night on RTE's Champions League coverage. Seems a bit drastic that they'd spend so much money in the window and then not allow him any time to integrate them all? I suppose that's the way they did things in the Ambramovich era and the new owners are continuing the trend.

It'll be interesting to see who they'll approach. I really hope they don't entice Graham Potter to leave Brighton. I don't support Brighton or anything but I just think he's doing a really interesting job there. The more teams capable of disrupting the so-called big 6 the better. They seem to be a really well run club."
Yeah, am not surprised to see them sack Tuchel, Chelsea wouldn't be known for their patience in a downturn and it seems the new owner is carrying on where the old one left off. Tough on him considering he brought them from nowhere to the Champions League in a matter of months not too long ago...

Zidane and Pochettino have been mentioned as well as Potter, surely they would have to be the front runners (Zidane very much being the frontrunner, if he wants it).

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 07/09/2022 16:04:11    2439951

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Another topic entirely...

it was only right and proper that we did our bit to help the Ukrainian refugees in their time of need. This post is meant in no way to be xenophobic but I just wonder where all of the money is coming from? In rural Donegal I know of a few hotels which had hitherto been closed (and pretty much derelict), are now refurbished and home to several Ukrainian refugees. There are definitely cases where astute local business men have suddenly discovered their altrusitic selves. The talk is that they are being nicely remunerated for their endeavors. And yet, if a person owned a second house and let it become available to home refugees, they are only entitled to €400 per month.

Is the EU funding all of this? Again I stress that I think it is only right that those fleeing Putin's insane war are helped in their time of need. But with the cost of living crisis getting worse daily (interest rates hiked by 0.75% today) it is fair to ask how all of this works.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9774 - 08/09/2022 15:16:46    2440045

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Another topic entirely...

it was only right and proper that we did our bit to help the Ukrainian refugees in their time of need. This post is meant in no way to be xenophobic but I just wonder where all of the money is coming from? In rural Donegal I know of a few hotels which had hitherto been closed (and pretty much derelict), are now refurbished and home to several Ukrainian refugees. There are definitely cases where astute local business men have suddenly discovered their altrusitic selves. The talk is that they are being nicely remunerated for their endeavors. And yet, if a person owned a second house and let it become available to home refugees, they are only entitled to €400 per month.

Is the EU funding all of this? Again I stress that I think it is only right that those fleeing Putin's insane war are helped in their time of need. But with the cost of living crisis getting worse daily (interest rates hiked by 0.75% today) it is fair to ask how all of this works."
Absolutely fair to ask all these questions. There is one thing for sure, the fat cats are getting richer and governments are bending over backwards to facilitate this. Over the water they voted in a new prime minister who has more than an interest in shell. The more prices go up the more governments earn in VAT etc. Putin can't be blamed for everything.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2301 - 08/09/2022 15:55:13    2440053

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Another topic entirely...

it was only right and proper that we did our bit to help the Ukrainian refugees in their time of need. This post is meant in no way to be xenophobic but I just wonder where all of the money is coming from? In rural Donegal I know of a few hotels which had hitherto been closed (and pretty much derelict), are now refurbished and home to several Ukrainian refugees. There are definitely cases where astute local business men have suddenly discovered their altrusitic selves. The talk is that they are being nicely remunerated for their endeavors. And yet, if a person owned a second house and let it become available to home refugees, they are only entitled to €400 per month.

Is the EU funding all of this? Again I stress that I think it is only right that those fleeing Putin's insane war are helped in their time of need. But with the cost of living crisis getting worse daily (interest rates hiked by 0.75% today) it is fair to ask how all of this works."
Not xenophobic at all. You're raising a valid point.
Another issue I would raise is how we can suddenly house a five-figure number of newcomers at a time when it seems nearly every student in the country is struggling to find accommodation....

streaker (Galway) - Posts: 512 - 08/09/2022 17:24:56    2440062

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Replying To Saynothing:  "Absolutely fair to ask all these questions. There is one thing for sure, the fat cats are getting richer and governments are bending over backwards to facilitate this. Over the water they voted in a new prime minister who has more than an interest in shell. The more prices go up the more governments earn in VAT etc. Putin can't be blamed for everything."
While many won't like it Zelenskyy is the one to blame. He's the one who keeps pushing for the "war" to keep going.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1651 - 09/09/2022 07:59:43    2440088

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Replying To streaker:  "Not xenophobic at all. You're raising a valid point.
Another issue I would raise is how we can suddenly house a five-figure number of newcomers at a time when it seems nearly every student in the country is struggling to find accommodation...."
Well, that is because, despite the Open University showing for half a century that you don't need a full-time campus, we insist on requiring students to live on or near campus, so, unlike with refugees, there is no ability to spread them out across the country. That means they all have to congregate in e.g. Dublin.

As for housing generally, Ireland has long been governed by people with an extremist view, namely that "the private sector is always best, at everything" - including provision of modestly priced housing. I'm a businessman, and a shareholder in a company and try to earn as much as I can for my family, so, a capitalist. But I also see the benefits of having a mixed economy - private sector is better at some things (making cars or software or medicines), public sector is better at some things (defence, health, railways, roads), and it's all about getting a sensible balance. To me, anyone who asserts that the state, or the private sector, should do everything, is an extremist. Currently in Ireland however, govts insists on lumbering the private sector (who legitimately exist primarily to maximise profits for shareholders) with public service obligations - such as social housing - that they are utterly unsuited for. The govt could easily institute a public house building programme, but, for extremist ideological reasons, it simply does not want to do so. Further, we could also reform the rented sector - make it like e.g. Germany's by allowing for long term (25 year) fixed term leases, pegged only to CPI or RPI increases. Currently, if a young couple wants location stability (for kids' schools etc), they have no real choice - they must buy, as they know that living in the rental sector means you can be turfed out on a month's notice (and you have to ask permission if you as much as wish to hang up a picture). I left Dublin in 2012 and went back up North when my heavily pregnant (first child) wife and I were turfed out of our perfectly good apartment when it was NAMA-ed and sold over our heads and we had to leave; and so we lived in an hotel room for 2 months while getting ready to have a baby. I thought to myself, [expletive] this, this econony is skewed in favour of capital over people, and voted with my feet.

points50swiththeargyllsonthewrongfeet (Tyrone) - Posts: 293 - 09/09/2022 08:36:43    2440091

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Replying To streaker:  "Not xenophobic at all. You're raising a valid point.
Another issue I would raise is how we can suddenly house a five-figure number of newcomers at a time when it seems nearly every student in the country is struggling to find accommodation...."
Yes and it seems to be the case that our esteemed government are more concerned with humanitarian issues affecting other countries than they are with their own citizens. Maybe it's so they can look like the grand statesmen internationally? I'm being a bit facetious here - most likely it's the EU dictating that we absorb our fair share of refugeees.

But we had a serious housing issue here in Ireland before any Russian tank rolled into the Ukraine. Whether it be homelessness, house/rental prices, student accomodation, the MICA crisis etc. But has the will ever really been there with successive governments to properly confront the issues?

There are certainly individuals making handsome profits out of this. Guesthouses/hotels/hostels etc have been repurposed as refugee accomodation. The owners of such establishments are not doing it for philanthropic reasons. It would benefit them if the war out east carried on indefinitely.

It isn't just in housing either - I've heard anecdotal tales that plenty of services are being provided free of charge to the refugees. Again I reiterate my stance that it's a good thing to help out those in dire need. But I've yet to see any explanation as to how it is all being funded.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9774 - 09/09/2022 11:13:28    2440109

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Replying To points50swiththeargyllsonthewrongfeet:  "Well, that is because, despite the Open University showing for half a century that you don't need a full-time campus, we insist on requiring students to live on or near campus, so, unlike with refugees, there is no ability to spread them out across the country. That means they all have to congregate in e.g. Dublin.

As for housing generally, Ireland has long been governed by people with an extremist view, namely that "the private sector is always best, at everything" - including provision of modestly priced housing. I'm a businessman, and a shareholder in a company and try to earn as much as I can for my family, so, a capitalist. But I also see the benefits of having a mixed economy - private sector is better at some things (making cars or software or medicines), public sector is better at some things (defence, health, railways, roads), and it's all about getting a sensible balance. To me, anyone who asserts that the state, or the private sector, should do everything, is an extremist. Currently in Ireland however, govts insists on lumbering the private sector (who legitimately exist primarily to maximise profits for shareholders) with public service obligations - such as social housing - that they are utterly unsuited for. The govt could easily institute a public house building programme, but, for extremist ideological reasons, it simply does not want to do so. Further, we could also reform the rented sector - make it like e.g. Germany's by allowing for long term (25 year) fixed term leases, pegged only to CPI or RPI increases. Currently, if a young couple wants location stability (for kids' schools etc), they have no real choice - they must buy, as they know that living in the rental sector means you can be turfed out on a month's notice (and you have to ask permission if you as much as wish to hang up a picture). I left Dublin in 2012 and went back up North when my heavily pregnant (first child) wife and I were turfed out of our perfectly good apartment when it was NAMA-ed and sold over our heads and we had to leave; and so we lived in an hotel room for 2 months while getting ready to have a baby. I thought to myself, [expletive
this, this econony is skewed in favour of capital over people, and voted with my feet."]Great post. The cynic in me would also add to your points - is it in the governments interest to change the status quo when so many of them appear to be landlords themselves? One prominent minister was recently forced to resign because he was caught out for failing to properly declare his property interests. Indeed - some further amateur investigative digging would reveal that some of the properties he owns were NAMA properties which he acquired at what I can only assume were prices below the norm.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9774 - 09/09/2022 11:21:13    2440112

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