The gem of a picture that accompanies this piece was spotted in Friday’s Metro by a good mate of mine. Now, I know the domestic season is over, the cup final done and dusted (with a deserved victory for Sligo Rovers, and their ex- Bohs talisman Joe Ndo) but this takes the biscuit, really pushing us as a nation of barstoolers to the limit. We often wax lyrical on here about the League of Ireland, no it doesn’t draw the masses, and no, its not always sexy. But its ours, and thats what counts. So seeing ads like this is a real slap in the face for the League- Football is not much better when watched from a pub, its much better watched from the steps of the Jodi Stand in Dalymount Park, or the shed in Richmond Park, even the bloody lego stand in Tolka Park is better than a pub.
Football is certainly not much better when watched from a pub. Photo credit, Ciarán Mangan
With the season over, I’ll miss the football. And considering our current predicament, this time next year I could be saying I’m missing Bohs. The thoughts of it are depressing. We are in danger but fans are rallying behind the club. Donations are coming in fast, and some very generous ones at that. Even a bunch of Sligo Rovers fans passed on some money on Sunday to go towards the €300, 000 needed for us to retain our license for next season. More of a reason to have cheered for the Bit o’ Red yesterday. I’ll do another piece on the subject later in the week but as well as the donations, there’s a fundraising night and a monster raffle being held in The Phoenix Bar, Dalymount Park this Saturday night, details here. I’d urge, not only Bohs fans but all LOI fans to drop in. I know we joke about “the league needs a strong Rovers,” but where would we really be without Dalymount Park? The original home of Irish Football, and a place that truly deserves National Monument status.
So that’s why when I was sent that picture above, a number of feelings stirred in me. Pity, for those who remain oblivious to their own national League. Contempt for the same people. Anger, at the short-sightedness of the advertisement. And sadness, that only if some of those the article targets made the effort to come to LOI games, clubs like Bohs, and Shams, Derry and Cork before them wouldn’t be in the situations they are/were in. You can stick your barstools where the sun doesn’t shine. Football is much better when watched from the steps of Block G.
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Click on the book for more.
Come Here To Me! 
Not an attender, but take your point.
Hate to see the real scuttled by the virtual.
What are we then left with?
Just a point on Dalymount Park;
Nevermind the fact that they’ve failed to take heed of other teams’ past mistakes (Shels most pertinently), the real shame of Bohs current predicament is the shambolic state they have let the ‘home of Irish football’ fall into. It’s half condemned and the club has done precious little to preserve the history of the ground they inherited. This is one of the many reasons I will not be shedding a tear for the passing of Bohemian FC.
Kieran –
Are you talking about the state of the stadium that it’s in now? As in it being an old, dirty and run-down place now ? Well it opened in 1901. It’s in pretty good condition when you consider that fact.
Anyone who cares about Irish football in general, and football close to Dublin city centre in particular, can donate now ti help the club through its current crisis, at the official Bohemian FC website: http://www.bohemians.ie.
What Save Our Club said.
Really the idea of the ad was to contrast football watched in the pub with all your mates with football watched at home on your own. Sadly the idea that people might consider actually attending a game doesn’t appear to have registered with the creators as an option!
Come on the bohs. Erm I live with a bohs man so this concerns me too! Dublin pubs should stop the ads and lower the prices instead.