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An irrational football fan
The things you'll endure for the love of team.
The most irrational creature on Earth is the League of Ireland football fan. I know because I am one of them, and a season ticket holder at Galway United to boot! One Tuesday in April of 2009; I, along with roughly a thousand other people attended the Galway United-Bohemians match at Terryland Park. We all braved the mixture of cold, rain and wind in order to support our team. Instead, we could have been at home with our feet up, watching Man. United play Porto in our cosy homes.
Why we bothered to go see the REAL United play Bohemians, a far better side in a freezing and unprotected stadium is beyond the understanding of most people, myself included. Admittedly, it was convenient to go the game, yet I could easily have stayed at home with my brother in his Galway house that night!
The game itself was awful. We barely had sight of goal, and by half-time, two Jason Byrne goals finished the game off. There were no goals in the second. Vinny Faherty missed a good chance, and Jay O'Shea, our captain, genius and Ireland Under-21 international, was very heavily marked.
Even my much-anticipated debut in Block C, the spot where the die-hard fans stand, was disappointing. I was on my own (my brother stayed in to watch the English!), and the atmosphere was as damp as the pitch. My feet, along with my throat, were sore, due to my wandering the streets of Galway for over two hours equipped with only a hoodie. I was at Terryland over 90 minutes before kick-off, and tried to find the best spot to avoid the most rain. My day was brightened when John Russell, our own version of Cesc Fabregas, said “Hello” to me on his way into the stand. Then,to the delight of myself and the other Bohs fans, a travelling Bohs fan was reprimanded by two Gardai for pissing around a corner. When I was asked where the nearest public toilet was, all I could say was, “You're in Galway, now!”
After 10 minutes of standing in Block C, my legs gave way, and I sat. 20 minutes later, I made my way to the opposite stand, where the only advantage was that you had a better view of the pitch there. I had to sit on my hands to stop them getting to cold. Problem was, I couldn't clap on the rare occasions it was required.
Ashamedly, I contemplated leaving at half-time. But I stayed, and had 45 minutes of misery. I ran half the way back to my brother’s house, and watched the Arsenal highlights under a duvet.
But why did a thousand people go to see a League of Ireland match with a painfully obvious outcome on a dreadful night when the Champions League was on? What was the attraction? None, basically. It can all be put down to the insane, inexplicable loyalty we have for our teams. If you had asked the people present why they were there, they would have said: “I always am”, or “You have to go!”
It is out of habit and a sense of duty that we do it. That sense of duty is odd, because, given that many of us have season tickets, it wouldn’t matter financially to the club if we didn't go.
Okay, so maybe we went to support our team, offer them encouragement, spur them on; fuelled by the hope of seeing a famous win. However, the result was never in doubt. Bohs have two international strikers whereas most of our players were loanees, very inexperienced, not good, or all three. Bohs are undoubtedly the country's best side, so even a draw was unlikely.
Perhaps one day, a League of Ireland fan as smart as Nick Hornby will write a book explaining it to us all.
By: Ciaran Leinster
