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Anti-Premiership campaign justified

Sometimes people's unfounded, ridiculous opinions madden me. When someone makes a comment, which is utterly laughable, yet sadly representing the views of many. And you know bloody well that this opinion is flawed, to say the least.

You are either a fan of the Premiership or you are not.

And I suppose the minority of hard-core Nl fans fall into the former category, although that is debatable. During the course of this article, I will just outline my own reservations about such a case.

Let me start off by commenting that whatever you decide to do, that is not immoral or fundamentally wrong, is essentially whatever you decide to do and fair enough. I guess we all have a right to criticise in an orderly fashion whilst obeying the rule that everyone has a right to an opinion.

Vis a vis my rant at the commencement of this writing.

As a schoolboy, there is always a certain notable level of interest in soccer, apathy as well, among students. So the logical thing to do from the viewpoint of an eircom League promoter is to try and convince other schoolboys that as an Irish subject, who loves soccer, the support of Irish soccer should be desirable.

Such was the case a few weeks back, when one of my frequent references to the League was reacted to. One of the most critical comments ever regarding the League was uttered, with one bright young man observing that the National League "was a disgrace to soccer".

His belief was founded presumably by the odd game that he witnessed on the box, or perhaps additionally, recent European endeavours fuelled his mentality.

In any case, his comment was so gigantically flawed; it was hard almost not to laugh. It was difficult to laugh though, when one considers the fact that to others his mentality is not worth analytical reaction. No: this set of bodies does not equate his belief with lunacy; they actually agree with him. Hence, I reacted with contempt.

Yet, I here attempt to put this comment into the spotlight.

I know the boy and I am aware that he has an emotional investment in the Premiership. That he has is crucial and from this comes his apathy-fuelled comments.

Let there be no one who argues that the eircom League offers a quality similar to that of its English counterpart. Fundamentally, it doesn't.

Yet the two Leagues are so hugely dissimilar, in several aspects, that people aligned to one can be downright insulting towards the other. I don't consider myself as being a scribe who openly insults this foreign product so illegitimately familiar to all with an ounce of interest in soccer in Ireland, namely the Premiership.

However, I am proud to state that I am disgusted by its pathetic infiltration in our country, and it is doing so much damage to Irish football at the top level that I have arrived at the stage where I incessantly berate that infiltration to other soccer fans regardless of to what they are aligned. It is out of this soccer environment that the seeds are grown for such mindless spewing as what I witnessed.

I mean, how in the name of God could the eircom League be a disgrace to soccer. Another way of putting the comment would be to say "The eircom League is a disgrace to soccer (and by soccer I mean the Premiership)".

I watch soccer at all levels imaginable, from Under-11's to International. In most cases, I actually grace the games with my bodily presence, which is what soccer fans should logically do, instead of artificially keeping your head aimed at the same spot on a box-like machine for ninety minutes. So, no particular soccer product to me is a disgrace, if this term is based on quality.

And quite frankly, that lad based his belief on quality. I am not of the mind that something being of poor quality merits the word disgrace.

In any case, he thinks it is a disgrace because to him it looks substandard. WHEN COMPARED TO THE PREMIERSHIP. That is the bottom line. I mean, the lad was brought up with his eyes on the television, and from TV his interest in this game was founded.

In any case, Irish people who ignore the eircom League, "support" foreign football, and follow Ireland in international matters, are more than flirting with hypocrisy. It's hardly convenient, shall we say, to "support" an English team over an Irish team in club matters, while conveniently swapping allegiance when International football grabs centre stage.

I am of the opinion that the eircom League is an underachieving product. Anything widely believed to be performing below its capabilities must be investigated accordingly; fundamentally, the suits in the know must merely ask why and attempt to eradicate in accordance with their proposals to improve all aspects of this product.

In the case of the eircom League, there are many flaws.

I would be giving you effective sleeping remedy if I opted to name them all. Briefly, lack of forward thinking, inadequate facilities, substandard training at youth levels, poor promotion, underachieving quality, a lack of enthusiasm, and too many Officials wedded to the status quo are all factors which contribute to the manufacturing of mindsets like the one of the boy to whom I referred. In other words, these are some of the flaws.

The Premiership's influence on the people of this country is also crucial. It cannot be over-emphasised how damaging it is on the eircom League.

I know of people who were educated into the "support" of soccer teams by lazily propping their behinds on an armchair. I was one of them, and at the pre-puberty age a lot of us would hardly know better. The horrible consequences are often an infatuation with TV soccer, which is generally English soccer, and a resulting apathy in actually attending games, and a linked inability to enjoy indisputably substandard fare. I am an exception to that perception and there are definitely many others. There are, however, many people who just cannot appreciate our wonderful League, and God knows we can hardly stick a gun to their head consequently.

Another huge problem with Irish people behaving unlike Irish people is that foreign Leagues benefit from this financial injection, while the eircom League suffers. A troubled club usually in Ireland suffers financial trouble, so there is an inability to improve stadia. A glimpse at the wider issue, and you can understand that a potentially brilliant major international Tournament, like for example the World Cup, will never grace our shores while this ignorance of Irish football exists. Moreover, we are helping England or Scotland or whoever to host it alternatively.

It's oh so sad, all of this. And it isn't necessary.

I must soon away to cast my mind on alternative issues. But I hope I have made a case here. In other words, treat the Premiership and Scottish Football, and other foreign Leagues in a complimentary manner, i.e. they are foreign. We have an enjoyable product of our own, which is Irish and is actually 'real', which the Premiership isn't on our island. It is in England, but it isn't here nor will it ever be. Tell your cynical friends, if they exist, that they should question their allegiance when Ireland play other countries if they essentially ignore Irish football at domestic level and moreover rubbish it. Highlight the levels of enjoyment you delight in weekly. Simple politeness and promotion will propel our own League forward. Abuse and name calling won't.

The mischievous bullock usually didn't act in accordance with the farmer's desires when the man in the wellies smashed the stick in two on the bullock's rear end. He didn't move at all though until he was urged.