I took a considered moment out for myself as the fields of Athenry billowed around Arena Gdansk.
After due deliberation, I too, joined in for a chorus of one of Ireland’s most renowned football anthems.
I was gutted that we had just been thumped so convincingly.
But I felt the Irish players deserved something back for all the effort they’d put in over the previous 2 seasons.
If they had of performed as inadequately as they had against the Croats - it would have been a different story.
When outclassed by superior opponents yet willing to give their all, I decided to support them.
I was there as a supporter after all.
And they needed me.
Support can change a game.
Fortress Anfield became synonymous with their successful football club due to the vociferous crowd.
Roy Keane himself spoke of the respect he had for the Liverpool atmosphere.
How intelligent they were about football, respectfully applauding when the opposition had done something worthy of ardent praise.
However, this week was also the week in which Roy questioned the expectations of the Irish support.
In an opinion subjected mainly towards the players of the Irish squad, it was the supporters who took offence.
Or at this point, I’ll switch the expression to ‘fans’.
The supporters knew what he meant.
They know enough about football and enough about what they’d seen unfold in front of them in Poland to interpret Roy correctly.
Roy was right.
Ireland weren’t good enough.
And the supporters should demand more.
In fact, they deserved more.
Roy has no problem with fans and supporters singing throughout the build-up and throughout the match itself.
He’d already gone on record as saying how great the Irish support is.
He even went as far as clarifying his comments in his column the following Sunday to avoid confusion.
Yet come kick off in the next game, the ‘fans’ of Ireland had already created a song all for the great man himself.
“F**k you Roy Keane, we’ll sing when we want”
Roy had won his potential debate with the Irish fans, without a need for retort.
4 nil down and heading for our heaviest competitive defeat in over 50 years.
“We’ll sing when we want”
Heading out of the European Championships after only 4 days?
“We’ll sing when we want”
Losing to Italy on the way to equalling the worst ever record at a European Championship?
Well, you get the picture.
If that’s all that’s needed to get the fans singing - there clearly is no requisite for expectation.
Not from the fans anyway.
The supporters, well that’s a different matter.
For them, this hurt.
And hurt badly.
10 years is a long time not to feature at a major tournament.
To come and see our dreams turn quickly to nightmares was not a singing affair.
The supporters were too crestfallen to keep the songs going.
And they were too knowing about football to join in with the “F**k yous” directed at the greatest player ever to don the green jersey.
Roy had done too much for Ireland to warrant abuse like this.
Let alone warrant abuse for a justified attack on our underachieving players.
Yet it was the fans who took exception to these home truths.
These same fans who had the audacity to hurl abuse at their captain and record goalscorer when deployed in the thankless task of chasing down the possession obsessed Spanish defence - outnumbered 5 to 1.
If they got frustrated at a player not giving 100%, behaving selfishly, even arrogantly - they could be forgiven.
But when their team is quite simply outclassed by potentially one of the most successful sides ever seen, support was the answer.
Not jeers.
Or cheers.
But encouragement to push them on.
Give them the support to chase down one more lost cause.
Force one more corner.
Score one more goal.
But no, the same fans who had just jeered Aiden McGeady to stay off the pitch after his momentum had taken him over the touchline, had turned their backs to the action to ‘do the Poznan’ by the time he had returned to play.
The Poznan, reserved only for goals by Manchester City supporters, was been exercised whilst 1 down to the Italians.
What was Mario Balotelli figuring as he watched on from the bench?
Had his beloved Italian support all wore green that day or did this Irish crowd just not ‘get’ his club’s goal celebration?
Manchester United supporters didn’t do the Poznan when 1 nil down at the Etihad.
They expected more from their team.
As did Roy.
The Irish fans had different ideas though.
They were there to party.
The atmosphere they created was unbelievable.
Build-up to every game commenced hours before any ball was kicked.
And it was world class to experience.
Unless you were a supporter.
It just made it all the more difficult knowing the only time the Aviva had sold out since it opened was against Estonia.
Not when the team needed support.
They were already 4 nil up.
No, the return leg was going to be a party.
Armenia at home was when support was needed.
But the fans weren’t there.
Slovakia didn’t sell out either.
Not even Russia could.
When the team really needed support.
It was when 4 nil up against Estonia.
When the fans could party.
And they did.
Unsure as to whether they were so jubilant for the group of players who had finally qualified after so many years of heartbreak.
Or because they’d secured the biggest two week party of the year for themselves.
The fans will remember the European Championship for the sing songs, the beers and the ‘craic’ that occurred on every night.
And who can blame them?
The supporters however, will all meet up in a few months at the Kazakhstan game.
In hope.
Eternal optimism for Ireland’s next campaign.
Their dreams may having turned to nightmares.
But in Kazakhstan, at least they’ll be able to support each other...
After due deliberation, I too, joined in for a chorus of one of Ireland’s most renowned football anthems.
I was gutted that we had just been thumped so convincingly.
But I felt the Irish players deserved something back for all the effort they’d put in over the previous 2 seasons.
If they had of performed as inadequately as they had against the Croats - it would have been a different story.
When outclassed by superior opponents yet willing to give their all, I decided to support them.
I was there as a supporter after all.
And they needed me.
Support can change a game.
Fortress Anfield became synonymous with their successful football club due to the vociferous crowd.
Roy Keane himself spoke of the respect he had for the Liverpool atmosphere.
How intelligent they were about football, respectfully applauding when the opposition had done something worthy of ardent praise.
However, this week was also the week in which Roy questioned the expectations of the Irish support.
In an opinion subjected mainly towards the players of the Irish squad, it was the supporters who took offence.
Or at this point, I’ll switch the expression to ‘fans’.
The supporters knew what he meant.
They know enough about football and enough about what they’d seen unfold in front of them in Poland to interpret Roy correctly.
Roy was right.
Ireland weren’t good enough.
And the supporters should demand more.
In fact, they deserved more.
Roy has no problem with fans and supporters singing throughout the build-up and throughout the match itself.
He’d already gone on record as saying how great the Irish support is.
He even went as far as clarifying his comments in his column the following Sunday to avoid confusion.
Yet come kick off in the next game, the ‘fans’ of Ireland had already created a song all for the great man himself.
“F**k you Roy Keane, we’ll sing when we want”
Roy had won his potential debate with the Irish fans, without a need for retort.
4 nil down and heading for our heaviest competitive defeat in over 50 years.
“We’ll sing when we want”
Heading out of the European Championships after only 4 days?
“We’ll sing when we want”
Losing to Italy on the way to equalling the worst ever record at a European Championship?
Well, you get the picture.
If that’s all that’s needed to get the fans singing - there clearly is no requisite for expectation.
Not from the fans anyway.
The supporters, well that’s a different matter.
For them, this hurt.
And hurt badly.
10 years is a long time not to feature at a major tournament.
To come and see our dreams turn quickly to nightmares was not a singing affair.
The supporters were too crestfallen to keep the songs going.
And they were too knowing about football to join in with the “F**k yous” directed at the greatest player ever to don the green jersey.
Roy had done too much for Ireland to warrant abuse like this.
Let alone warrant abuse for a justified attack on our underachieving players.
Yet it was the fans who took exception to these home truths.
These same fans who had the audacity to hurl abuse at their captain and record goalscorer when deployed in the thankless task of chasing down the possession obsessed Spanish defence - outnumbered 5 to 1.
If they got frustrated at a player not giving 100%, behaving selfishly, even arrogantly - they could be forgiven.
But when their team is quite simply outclassed by potentially one of the most successful sides ever seen, support was the answer.
Not jeers.
Or cheers.
But encouragement to push them on.
Give them the support to chase down one more lost cause.
Force one more corner.
Score one more goal.
But no, the same fans who had just jeered Aiden McGeady to stay off the pitch after his momentum had taken him over the touchline, had turned their backs to the action to ‘do the Poznan’ by the time he had returned to play.
The Poznan, reserved only for goals by Manchester City supporters, was been exercised whilst 1 down to the Italians.
What was Mario Balotelli figuring as he watched on from the bench?
Had his beloved Italian support all wore green that day or did this Irish crowd just not ‘get’ his club’s goal celebration?
Manchester United supporters didn’t do the Poznan when 1 nil down at the Etihad.
They expected more from their team.
As did Roy.
The Irish fans had different ideas though.
They were there to party.
The atmosphere they created was unbelievable.
Build-up to every game commenced hours before any ball was kicked.
And it was world class to experience.
Unless you were a supporter.
It just made it all the more difficult knowing the only time the Aviva had sold out since it opened was against Estonia.
Not when the team needed support.
They were already 4 nil up.
No, the return leg was going to be a party.
Armenia at home was when support was needed.
But the fans weren’t there.
Slovakia didn’t sell out either.
Not even Russia could.
When the team really needed support.
It was when 4 nil up against Estonia.
When the fans could party.
And they did.
Unsure as to whether they were so jubilant for the group of players who had finally qualified after so many years of heartbreak.
Or because they’d secured the biggest two week party of the year for themselves.
The fans will remember the European Championship for the sing songs, the beers and the ‘craic’ that occurred on every night.
And who can blame them?
The supporters however, will all meet up in a few months at the Kazakhstan game.
In hope.
Eternal optimism for Ireland’s next campaign.
Their dreams may having turned to nightmares.
But in Kazakhstan, at least they’ll be able to support each other...
