From Soccercentral.ie today ------------------------------------------------- "After six seats collapsed at Lansdowne Road on Wednesday night, the FAI is waiting on news from UEFA concerning the incident. Several fans ended up in hospital when the bucket seats failed to do their job. The FAI is now anxiously standing by to find out whether the incident made it into the UEFA report. If it did, the news could be potentially crippling for the association. The FAI may be forced to remove the bucket seating from the stadium for the remainder of the Euro 2004 qualifying series, reducing the capacity to just over 20,000 and seriously affecting its earning power concerning ticket sales." ------------------------------------------------- We really are a laughing stock over this stadium issue. And we have the nerve (stupidity) to apply to co-host 2008. Perhaps we should hold our home games in Cardiff - I'm sure the Welsh would be far mor amenable with the Millenium Stadium than the GAA are with Croke Park.
Or we could move to America and use their NFL Stadiums, really, anythings better then a 20,000 seater stadium! I mean, right now to block book tickets the waiting list is so big they've just stopped taking names. Now, they'll have to tell some people they can no longer show up, it's a joke. We need Croker, badly, it doesn't matter how we get it we really really need it.
Why won't the GAA let the FAI use Croke Park? Damage to the field? Neighborhood concerns? Gaelic purity?
Bigoted pride and general muppetness on the part of the GAA is preventing us taking a step forward. The argument can be made that the FAI don't deserve Croker, but that shouldn't prevent the Irish fans, team and players from useing the magnificent stadium.
The GAA are treading carefully re the residents groups. The next and final stage of development will be the construction of a new Hill 16 terrace which they have finally redeived planning for. When the stadium is complete there will be no problem with soccer or rugby being played there. At the moment they don't want to antagonise the residents and they had major problems getting permission for two Quarter Final replays to be played there on a Saturday in August. Despite what some of the dinosaurs might have you believe the vast majority of ordinary GAA members want Croke Park opened up as do the top brass. As for alternative venues what about Anfield? Easy to get to and was there in '95 for the play off with Holland and the atmosphere was fantastic.
The fact is that even if Croke Park is opened up we still need a second stadium. Say a 50,000 seater at Lansdowne Rd. The 2nd stadium should be used by all the major sporting organisations for appropriate games and when there are conflicts in scheduling. The really sickening thing about it all is that enough money has been wasted on Eircom Park, Abbotstown and back handers to sporting organisations to support Abbotstown to have achieved this already. The awful fact that we have in the past had to play a home game in Anfield and the prospect of playing our games in the UK is now a possibility is deplorable. Already, we are - I think - the only country where all it's senior international players play abroad. Let's go the whole hog and play our home games abroad too. What would you think about getting together with Northern Ireland and funding a stadium on the border. It would be great for Rugby and the soccer teams could probably organise their international schedules to accomodate it. That way we can get the EU, US and UK to provide most of the funding. Let's face it we are never going to do it left to ourselves.
It wasn't a home match at Anfield it was supposed to be a neutrul venue for a one off play off match if memory serves me. A bit of an advantage to us, all the same, but we still lost.
I remember sitting at the top of the North Terrace against Estonia and there was a power failure for 10 minutes before the game. Not funny. Coz in the dark, with that thing swaying in the breeze, you feel far from stable. I always feel that sort of structure is an accident waiting to happen. One bit of poor bolting together and... I'm glad that there does not seem to be any major injuries though, although compo may still be an issue... Anyway, I'd sooner play the games back in Dalymount than move them abroad. What are we?
Dalymount I was at a game in Dalymount years ago. Has it been improved over the years?. What is it's capacity now?
They've built a new main stand which is actually quite good. On the foulest of nights, you are completely bone dry and the view is completely unobstructed. Facilities underneath are also much improved. They've put permanent open seating onto the old terraces at the School Ground End and on the far side to the main stand. It takes a bit of the old atmosphere away, as standing at Dalyer was pretty traditional, but allows them to host European games at home under the new UEFA guidelines. The pitch, on its day, is probably the best surface in the country. Tolka Park is arguably as least as good at its best, but has to take more matches during the season.
dalymount? a horrible, horible ground. the main stand is tiny and only suitable for eL games. in general the entire place looks like it should be demolished 'cause it's in such a bad state of repair. don't get me started on the parking. hard to believe the used to play internationals there.