New Regular London NISC Monthly Meet

NEW MONTHLY GATHERING

We've launched new monthly meetings. A mix of a social gathering and chance to discuss club activities etc, the we're gathering from 6:30pm on the first Wednesday of every month at our regular O'Neills on Great Queen Street near Covent Garden and Holborn tube stations.

Click for map here

See you there!!

New T-Shirt and Poster Designs

NEW T SHIRT AND POSTER DESIGN

After some research, and invaluable help from several club members, our new T shirt design has been completed. Inspired by the information notice posters on the underground, the design lists Northern Ireland connections with London area clubs. It covers players, coaches and managers who are from NI and those who have played for NI at any level.

NOTE: the image shown here is low res for web view - the actual design is totally sharp.

This will be on the back of our new T shirts (details soon). It will also be professionally printed on good quality heavy weight paper as an A3 sized poster. All new and renewing members will get this poster FREE!

New and renewing members will also get our new stickers free - we have window stickers as well as normal vinyl stickers.

 

Team GB anyone? No Thanks, it's Team NI for me.

The proposed single GB football team competing at the 2012 Olympics has caused some controversy amongst football supporters. Richard Cathcart discusses the drawbacks. 

Hands up who can name the current Olympic Football Champions?

Hands up who can tell us where the British Olympic Football team finished in Beijing?

No? Not sure? Well, you've got an excuse, since the first question was tricky (it's Argentina in the Mens Competition and Brazil in the Womens, by the way) and the second was a trick question. Britain didn't enter either the Mens or Womens tournament in Beijing. Indeed, there has been no British entry of any kind since 1972, coinciding with the ending of the old Amateur/professional distinction by the (English) FA.

So why is the subject of "Team GB" [sic] being raised now? Well you've probably heard that the next Olympics are going to be held in London in 2012 - it was in all the papers, after all.

And the powers that be have decreed that we cannot host an event and not participate fully, so there has to be a "home" team in the football. Which is where the fun starts. For although the hosts are to be the British Olympic Commission, there is no "British" football team handy to represent us.

No problem, then, we'll just get someone like Sir Alex Ferguson to pick one from the best young British players, despite his expressing absolutley no interest whatever, and Robert's your father's brother.

Except.

As well as 8 or 9 doughty young Englishmen, such a team might be expected to include a couple or more Jocks and Taffs, maybe even a Bogtrotter from across the water...

Which is where the trouble arises. For you see, the people who actually run the game in Scotland, Wales and NI aren't too keen on such an idea. In fact, they're spitting feathers. You see, for over a century and a quarter, the SFA, FAW and IFA have been quite happily running international football teams of their own, happily facing down Johnny Foreigner, if ever he should get above himself and protest that seeing as we're only one country, we should have only one international football team.

For you see, he ignores the fact that we only invented the bloody game in the first place, then taught him how to play it. Moreover, having got him out of a fix in 1945 (Second World War. You must remember that. It was in the papers and the newsreels), we had to get his footballers out of a financial fix in 1947, by playing a "Rest of Europe XI" at Hampden in front of 130,000 paying fans, and shoving all the proceeds to FIFA, to prevent them all from going bankrupt.

Anyhow, in return for baling out said Mr. Foreigner, we got him to sign a little chit saying that the Scots, Welsh and Irish would never be forced to have to bunk up with the English, to each parties considerable relief. Which all seems entirely fair enough to me, although with hindsight, perhaps beating their lot 6-1 was rubbing it in a bit much...

Anyhow, there you have it. Until lo and behold, Johnny Foreigner only went and offered us the privilege, nay honour, of spunking nine billion of our hard earned Great British Pounds on holding the next big party for them at our place. Thanks a bunch!

And having fallen for that one, we then went one better and allowed him to determine what party games we should arrange for him. And naturally, he only wants to see a bit of the old footy, to include a British team into the bargain. (I wouldn't be surprised if he is secretly hoping to exact a spot of revenge for that drubbing back in '47).

Next thing you know, our politicians only lift their snouts from the trough for a moment to do his dirty work for him and snort: "No problem, we'll have a British team for you, before you can say '1966!'"

Which, a "British" [sic] team having been established, only leaves it open to Johnny Foreigner to forget the debt he owes to us all, tear up the old chit, and tell us that if we are one football team for the Olympics, then we can jolly well be one football team for every other football competition, as well.

This, of course, produced howls of derision from Glasgow, Cardiff and even Belfast, but no-one in London was of a mind to listen, and the FA in Soho Square has been firmly bought off with visions of gate receipts and Knighthoods etc. (Well, they've got to fill Wembley somehow, don't they? Otherwise they might have to go back to the Government for some more readies for the upkeep of it, not long after they went begging to them for hundreds of millions to build the bloody thing in the first place...)

Of course, old Septic Blather at FIFA has been his usual helpful self in all this. First he said: "No problem, an Olympic team drawn from all over Britain will not affect the independence of the four home countries". Then he said: "Hang on a minute, if you have a team, it must only include English players. Otherwise the four home countries will be threatened". Then he said, without even the merest hint of a blush: "A British team? No problem, it will not affect bla, bal, bla, bla. Now where did I put that brown envelope I was carrying just a minute ago?"

So there you have it. Of course, there's a bit more to it than that. For anyone who is still interested, they might refer to www.noteamgb.com - it has some more detail.

Anyhow, I personally can't wait to see "Our Boys" in a tournament we're sure to win, at a canter. And so what if the team name - the catchy "Team GB" - doesn't even recognise that the UK is actually made up of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; there isn't likely to be anyone from our wee country in the line-up, anyhow. And if we are risking the end of over a hundred years of proud independance by having anything to do with this venture, I am sure that is a price worth paying for the privilege of lining up against the best U-23 internationals the likes of Honduras and the Ivory Coast can produce.
"Bring it On!", as I believe the young people of today popularly have it.

Better still, we might even persuade old Blatter to revisit one of his more progressive ideas and require the competitors in the Womens Football Tournament to play in revealing, figure-hugging costumes, a bit like those Beach Volleyball Bunnies. Moreover, for the Olympic Womens Football, there is no age limit, so we are promised a bit of what I believe is known as "Milf Action" (whatever that is).

Of course, we'll probably have to make do with only watching foreign lovelies rolling around in the mud in their skimpies, since there isn't likely to be any "Team GB" for the ladies in 2012. This is because it seems that the top womens (senior) teams from each continent go through to the Womens Olympic Football tournament, and despite the England Ladies qualifying by virtue of being ranked third in UEFA (following their excellent performance in the 2007 Womens World Cup), they weren't allowed to go to Beijing in 2008. You see, it seems the other three Home Nations refused to give their consent...

In the words of that immortal Welsh Philosopher, Sgt. Major Windsor Davies: "Oh Dear. How Sad. Never Mind"

For more details of the No To Team GB campaign check their website here

Home from Home by John O’Cahan

It was September 10th, and the day of the Northern Ireland – Czech Republic game. I couldn’t afford to go to the game in Belfast, so I decided to meet up with the London NISC in London and watch the game. got the train down to London, and got off at Finsbury Park. Then I got the Piccadilly Line down to Piccadilly, where I got off and found my way to the Sports Cafe on Haymarket. As I walked down Haymarket I unzipped my jacket to reveal my white and green Northern Ireland shirt. As luck would have it when I reached the Cafe there was another Northern Ireland supporter outside, with a home shirt on. I went up to him to say hello. His name was Richard, and we chatted a bit as we waited in line to get in. There were two other members of the GAWA in the queue with us, one of them a very tall feller who I had to crack my neck to see!
  
Anyway, we got to the door, and I paid £5 entry. I got a free drink as well, and I chose a Vodka. I didn’t know where the Northern Ireland games were usually on, so I followed Richard. We went up the stairs, and I’d never seen anywhere like it. It looked like a TV
shop – and it was so crowded full of people with al variety of accents and languages it was hard to hear yourself think. We saw a load of fellers in green tops, and made our way over. However these were the Republic, so we about-faced rather sharply and found our way to the Northern Ireland supporters. They were in the “Executive Box” at the far
end. There, we met up with our two friends we’d met outside. There was about an hour to go until the kickoff, so we stood, drank, and chatted. Gradually more and more Ulstermen arrived and joined us – eventually there were about a dozen of us.
  
We were all surprised to find that Steve Davis wouldn’t be playing. We discussed who would be taking his place, and I suggested Michael O’Connor of Crewe – however when the team was read out we saw Baird had been moved up to midfield from his normal right-back position, with George McCartney taking his place. The game kicked off. The Czechs had us on the ropes a bit but they just couldn’t find a goal, to our delight. We made a lot of noise, drowning out the hordes of English fans watching next to us. Gradually the boys in Green and White forced their way back into it, and at one point the Czechs nearly scored an own goal! Unfortunately Cech managed to turn it round for a corner, and nothing came of it. At half time the score was still 0-0. O’Connor did come on for the second half, after Sammy Clingan hurt his shoulder. The second half started, and almost right away we had a great chance. Feeney was clean through, but he scuffed his shot and Cech got to it with his leg. It bounced out to Brunt who smashed it over. We were all buzzing now – but like I said to Richard, we should have liked to have had Healy on the end of that. A while after, Brunt tried to score from the halfway line, and to his credit, it wasn’t that far off. However this isn’t Roy of the Rovers, and he should maybe have tried to make something better of it. We had a few more good chances towards the end, Gillespie in particular had a ferocious shot saved by Cech, but nothing really clear-cut. Feeney was replaced by Paterson, and Gillespie, who had looked knackered all game, finally came off on 80 minutes for Dean Shiels The Scotland game next to us ended, and their fans started
cheering for us too. In injury time, Healy broke through and we all held our breath – but he missed. We all cheered at the final whistle – we’d have taken a draw at the start
of the game.The barman shouted ‘Four pitchers for these Northern Ireland boys!’ and we all cheered again. However I needed to get home to the missus, so I quickly said farewell to my new friends and made my way home.
  
I can’t wait until next time.

Follow The Fulham

London NISC member Richard Cathcart has been interviewed for the Following The Fulham Blog. Richard talks about the influx of Norn Iron players to Fulham FC and how we're doing in the European Championship qualifiers (although after the performance last night......)

Read it for yourself here

The Joy Of Six

If you'd told us beforehand that we'd have been beaten 6-1, I'm not sure many of us would have been looking forward to the evening out in sunny Brentford. As it happens, it was a cracking night out. From the pints in the City after work, drawing funny looks from the suited and booted locals as we're busy talking about the 'big game' against England while kitted out in our green shirts, to falling over on the bus on the way home, a rather suprising enjoyable evening.

After the aforementioned pints up in town, plus a few cans on the train down to Brentford, we made our way happily to little Griffin Park, home of the mighty League Two Brentford. With no time for a pint with EG in the Griffin beforehand, we opted for a swift one in the club bar, bumping into one or two (literally, just one or two) NI fans outside the ground. By the time we eventually chose our seat (courtesy of some over zealous stewarding who wouldnt let us walk from one empty section of the stand to the other), we hadnt missed anything of significance.

With the average age of the crowd being too young to remember 'that night' back in 2005 when we showed the big boys what it was all about, it was a slightly strange atmosphere. Cries of 'Kenny Shiels Green 'n White Army' rang out from the 6 assembled away fans (including my English mate who joined in for a laugh), echoing round the stadium. The NI bench didnt quite know what to make of it. We certainly outsang our hosts, although being heckled by a group of teenage girls was the high point of our interaction with the home fans. Our 4 man Mexican Wave went down a treat, with the whole stand rising to their feet - we maintain it had nothing to do with the fact that England scored just as we started the wave...

And then in moved the heavies. Well, not exactly, but listening to a steward struggle to explain why we had to remove the 'Say No To The Maze' banner was priceless. They weren't quite sure whether it was racist, sectarian, or just probably controversial (they settled on the latter), but it was almost as if the suits at the IFA were watching us... Sitting in a three quarters empty stadium it all seemed rather appropriate! That aside, the stewarding for an u-17 match with a few hundred fans was certainly in a different league to that experienced at Windsor -I hope someone was taking note...

On the pitch, we were treated to an exciting display by the England youngsters. Our lads did their best against a bigger, slightly sharper side, but were unlucky to lose by such a margin. There were certainly glimpses of some potential stars in the making for OWC. As for England, they were a shining example of young footballers who are playing for their careers, in stark contrast to their more senior colleagues who have already made it. Nothing to do with the presence in the stand of Messers Brooking and Pearce (Stuart, aka Psycho, the u21 manager, not Jonathan, aka that commentator bloke off the tele)... An England side with an attacking streak - I think we were all a little surprised. Our goal did come eventually, but sadly just a consolation. A stroke of good fortune saw an England defender deflect a shot from Chris Curran of Manchester United past his own keeper.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was our audience with Trevor Brooking. After dutifully signing our programmes, and reminding us that in fact all England's best youngsters were off in some tournament overseas, we took the opportunity to wind him up about how poor his senior team is! His response to our cheeky enquiry of whether he would be going to Austria to watch OWC next year was greeted with an unrepeatable response. Unrepeatable in the sense that none of us quite heard him as he mumbled under his breath as he walked away, but we didnt hang around for him to point us out to Mr Pearce... The players, despite understandably being a little downbeat after the game, had the good grace to humour us and have their picture taken with us. They must have thought we were slightly mad, but one day they'll be old enough to appreciate what affect alcohol has on the brain of a normally sensible footy fan...

After a few jars in the local pub at the corner of the ground, listening to Celtic's penalty shoot out victory, and a chance meeting with Kevin Gallen's brother who apparently used to play for Portadown, it was time to head home. Who would have thought a 6-1 defeat could have been such a laugh.

The remaining games in the tournament saw NI suffer a close 2-1 defeat to Italy, and a bit of a heavier defeat to Turkey (8-0). Good experience nonetheless I'm sure. Unfortunately both these games were afternoon kick offs, so the London contingent of the GAWA all had jobs to go to instead...

John M

Fulham Vs Bolton - Competition Winners Report

Fulham 2-1 Bolton Wanderers

After a few scoops at ‘The Trout’ in Hammersmith, Richard and I – the two lucky competition winners – set off on foot for Craven Cottage, carry-out in hand. We saw a few fellow GAWA soldiers out and about on the streets of Putney before the game. Mind you, they all looked a wee bit ‘County Antrim’ so we kept our interaction with them down to a cursory nod…

We arrived at the picturesque ground to find the surrounding streets in chaos as it appeared that the entire crowd had all turned up at the same time. Strangely it also seemed that most of them had either never been to the Cottage before or else there was a virulent strain of the ‘Ronald Reagans’ on the go as no-one seemed to know where they were going. After standing in the wrong queue for a while, thanks to one of the really helpful stewards, we shuffled across to the right one to collect our tickets. Nobody likes queuing and we were no different. However, an announcement soon cheered us up as it transpired that, due to a computer problem, all of the Season Ticket holders in the queue beside us were told to go and queue somewhere else, much to their annoyance and to our merriment. Eventually we reached the front and dandered off, tickets in hand, to the Putney Road end in time to only miss the first 5 or so minutes of the game. Pretty good going I thought. We had Row A which wasn’t, as one would expect, the very front row. Seems that somebody decided it was a good idea to have Rows 1 to 6 before starting with the alphabet. Still, that’s a moot point and anyway the roof only provided cover from Row C back. That aside, they were still great seats right down by the pitch and we were pleased to see David Healy, Chris Baird and Steve Davis all making the starting XI.

After Bolton had taken the lead - almost unnoticed by ourselves - at the far end not long into the game, Fulham began to play a bit. Right on cue, Healy got the ball from a corner and swivelled sweetly and roofed one into the net about 3 or 4 metres away from us and then the wee champ did the decent thing and came over and celebrated right in front of us too. Alas I was too slow in getting the ‘No to The Maze’ fleg out, else it would have gotten a bit of exposure on Match of the Day but never mind, eh? Had I mentioned that it was raining? Well it wasn’t, it was absolutely tipping it down.

Luckily we were sort of prepared for the weather in that I had one of those disposable poncho things and Richard had a golf umbrella. Early attempts to utilise said brolly proved futile as there were howls of derision from behind each time it went up but after about 20 mins of the game, and after most of the ill-prepared ‘summertime’ fans smattered around us had ‘did one’ back up the stand to keep out of the rain (bless ‘em), we were able to put it up without reproach. Mind you, we probably looked like a right pair of clarets down at the front under a brolly but it kept us surprisingly dry – from the knees up anyway, there wasn’t much we could do about the new tributary of the Thames flooding the stands underfoot.

Just before oranges, Richard had absconded to the beer queue and left me by myself with the umbrella. Obviously I couldn’t just sit there and not fidget so I somehow managed to turn the brolly inside out, much to this fella behind me’s amusement as he started to throw a bit of flak my way. I don’t even know how I managed to do it. Still, I got the whole thing sorted out and after exchanging a few verbal pleasantries with my new friend, it was out the back of the stand for an over-priced and under-chilled beer. You would think that when charging punters a whopping £3.50 for a plastic bottle of Carlsberg that they would have the decency to ensure that they were cold but, hey, better a warm beer than no beer and it tasted pretty good anyway. I’m glad it wasn’t me who had to queue up for them but… (cheers mucker)

Getting back to the action and the second half was a much drearier affair, highlighted by a much improved performance from Chrissy Baird and, to be fair, not much else. Bolton tried hard to get back into it – and would have too, had it not been for a cracking fingertip save from ‘Denzel’ Warner in the home goal – but it wasn’t to be and Fulham held on for a deserved 3 points. So there you go.

The Fulham fans seem to have taken a wee shine to Mr Healy & Co. which was nice to see. The ‘Healy Healy’ chants were good to hear as well. Healy was really good in the first half and Chris Baird was excellent in the second half. Steve Davis – well to be honest we couldn’t even see him through the rain but by all accounts he was a contender for Man of the Match so I guess he must have done ok then, eh? The fans were all in good form leaving the ground and it was no surprise to us that most of the talk was about Sanchez, this wee man Healy and the new sense of optimism about the Cottage. It ain’t much fun walking out through that park in the dark mind – especially with a policewoman riding a 4 King rodeo horse through the crowd. Still, it didn’t kick out at us so who am I to criticise…

All in all, top night out and a great way to open the spectating account for this season. Roll on next Wednesday when the ‘real’ action starts…

Alan K

Special thanks to Fulham FC for the tickets