Billy Bingham November 95

[GwladysPhil]

Can someone please explain what trick or treat means in relation to this?

 

[Carl O'Ancelotti]

Can someone please explain what trick or treat means in relation to this?

It was the sick taunt shouted by the gunmen at the Greysteel Massacre a few weeks earlier around Halloween before they opened fire in the pub.

 

[artetas_biggest_fan]

Billy the bigot egged on those that were making the chants the sick [Poor language removed].

Forgiveness is absolutely great and that but I’ve yet to hear him ask for any for his behaviour.

This wasn’t your everyday football rivalry, he was desperste for us not to qualify based on nothing but hatred for a people. It went beyond sport. Mercenaries he called the players too. As Dunphy said post match there was a sinister aspect to the game, and Billy the bigot was the chief instigator.

Having experienced this stuff up close at Windsor Park it’s absurd that some question why so many catholics in the north support the south, and would play for the south.

Bar the night itself the great thing about qualifying is it resulted in the greatest sporting moment I’ve ever seen (and one of the greatest individual performances, Paul McGrath vs Italy’s attack led by Baggio).

 

[ToffeeTim]

Billy the bigot egged on those that were making the chants the sick [Poor language removed].

Forgiveness is absolutely great and that but I’ve yet to hear him ask for any for his behaviour.

This wasn’t your everyday football rivalry, he was desperste for us not to qualify based on nothing but hatred for a people. It went beyond sport. Mercenaries he called the players too. As Dunphy said post match there was a sinister aspect to the game, and Billy the bigot was the chief instigator.

Having experienced this stuff up close at Windsor Park it’s absurd that some question why so many catholics in the north support the south, and would play for the south.

Bar the night itself the great thing about qualifying resulted in the greatest sporting moment I’ve ever seen (and one of the greatest individual performances, Paul McGrath vs Italy’s attack led by Baggio).

Im too young to remember any of this stuff and its a real shame it happenned. But these were horrendous times for our country and unthinkable things were happenning every week. Lots of things happenned that should absolutely, and obviously never have happenned.

But I have no shame whatsoever in saying I support northern ireland and I enjoy going to games both away and at Windsor Park. It's very different times. Our team is from a wide range of backgrounds, and the manager is a legend and no one cares about his background.

There are certain people will never accept what I'm saying and will never back northern ireland, and that's fine. You are entitled to support whoever you want. But i dont accept that things are still the same and that people aren't welcome. You'll always find some muppets of course. But It's simply not the case. There was a fella in the away end in Tallinn last Saturday wearing a Tyrone top. No one cared.

 

[Carl O'Ancelotti]

Bar the night itself the great thing about qualifying is it resulted in the greatest sporting moment I’ve ever seen (and one of the greatest individual performances, Paul McGrath vs Italy’s attack led by Baggio).

Unfortunately it was too much for some who took it upon themselves to go to a pub in Loughinisland and open fire on fans watching the game, resulting in 6 dead, including an 87 year old man, and 5 badly injured. I watched it in a pub, and from partying in the streets after the match I found myself later that evening sitting at home numb in despair. It felt like an attack on football and us fans in particular for enjoying an historic result. Unsurprisingly no-one has ever been charged with this atrocity and there was an RUC cover up as the gunmen are believed to have been police informers.

Worst football related moment ever, which I'm convinced can be linked back to the animosity created towards Ireland players and their fans on that infamous night at Windsor Park 7 months previously. Happily things are nowhere near as bad now as they were then.

 

[Carl O'Ancelotti]

Im too young to remember any of this stuff and its a real shame it happenned. But these were horrendous times for our country and unthinkable things were happenning every week. Lots of things happenned that should absolutely, and obviously never have happenned.

But I have no shame whatsoever in saying I support northern ireland and I enjoy going to games both away and at Windsor Park. It's very different times. Our team is from a wide range of backgrounds, and the manager is a legend and no one cares about his background.

There are certain people will never accept what I'm saying and will never back northern ireland, and that's fine. You are entitled to support whoever you want. But i dont accept that things are still the same and that people aren't welcome. You'll always find some muppets of course. But It's simply not the case. There was a fella in the away end in Tallinn last Saturday wearing a Tyrone top. No one cared.

Agree with most of that, but if the NI team wishes really to be representative of the whole community it needs to ditch playing the British national anthem before games, as the playing of it suggests that the team represents only one side. Scotland and Wales use sporting occasions to remind the world of their own identity and NI needs to do this also by having its own song/anthem. That way it just might garner more cross-community support and lessen the need that many feel that they have no choice but to support the Republic instead.

 

[Bluerover]

Im too young to remember any of this stuff and its a real shame it happenned. But these were horrendous times for our country and unthinkable things were happenning every week. Lots of things happenned that should absolutely, and obviously never have happenned.

But I have no shame whatsoever in saying I support northern ireland and I enjoy going to games both away and at Windsor Park. It's very different times. Our team is from a wide range of backgrounds, and the manager is a legend and no one cares about his background.

There are certain people will never accept what I'm saying and will never back northern ireland, and that's fine. You are entitled to support whoever you want. But i dont accept that things are still the same and that people aren't welcome. You'll always find some muppets of course. But It's simply not the case. There was a fella in the away end in Tallinn last Saturday wearing a Tyrone top. No one cared.

Your manager is indeed sound and won two league titles for Rovers.

Still hard to believe a lad wearing a Tyrone Jersey wasn't subjected to some hassle.

 

[Bluerover]

Is it too much to expect that Bingham would now apologise for what he did. It would go down very well with everyone.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Your manager is indeed sound and won two league titles for Rovers.

Still hard to believe a lad wearing a Tyrone Jersey wasn't subjected to some hassle.

Who knows what happenned over the full day I suppose, but he was getting a lot of pictures taken with boys when I saw him. Only things people were interested in were getting a win and having good craic.

People do tend to be in high spirits though on away trips, as you could imagine lol

 

[SuperBlues]

I think this will give everyone a bit more of a realistic view of the game in 93. While a few posters give a bit of 'tit for tat' the majority give a fairly knowledgeable and fair account of the night.

Irish League Supporters Forums

For supporters of Irish League Football

www.irishleaguesupporters.com

NB: you may have to create an account to read it.

 

[ToffeeTim]

1993 was the worst year of the troubles since the early 70s (and the year I was born incidentally.)

That's not an excuse for anything that went on, but it was a horrendous time and Belfast wasn't a nice place. People got caught up in the frenzy of the time and did things that they ordinarily wouldn't have done, and went on to regret.

I don't think Billy is a bad man or a bigot or whatever he's been called. He got caught up in an atmosphere and did something he really shouldn't have. It was clearly wrong but I don't think he deserves it to define him.

 

[Khalekan]

It was the sick taunt shouted by the gunmen at the Greysteel Massacre a few weeks earlier around Halloween before they opened fire in the pub.

If you ever get a chance to see it there is a very good play, a one man show to be exact, called “A Night In November” which deals with the circumstances surrounding that infamous night in Windsor Park.

 

[Khalekan]

Agree with most of that, but if the NI team wishes really to be representative of the whole community it needs to ditch playing the British national anthem before games, as the playing of it suggests that the team represents only one side. Scotland and Wales use sporting occasions to remind the world of their own identity and NI needs to do this also by having its own song/anthem. That way it just might garner more cross-community support and lessen the need that many feel that they have no choice but to support the Republic instead.

Danny Blanchflower actually tried to do this when he was manager in the 1970s.

He had Danny Boy/Londonderry Air, a song and tune very much synonymous with Northern Ireland and revered in both communities, installed as the team’s anthem but this was met with great hostility by the type of NI fan whom woukd have shouted “Trick or Treat” rwenty years later and the idea was quickly dropped.

 

[Carl O'Ancelotti]

Danny Blanchflower actually tried to do this when he was manager in the 1970s.

He had Danny Boy/Londonderry Air, a song and tune very much synonymous with Northern Ireland and revered in both communities, installed as the team’s anthem but this was met with great hostility by the type of NI fan whom woukd have shouted “Trick or Treat” rwenty years later and the idea was quickly dropped.

Yep and Barry Mc Guigan used it in the 80s for his musical entrance to the boxing ring.

This needs now to be revisited if the IFA are sincere in their stated objective to make the NI team representative of both communities. I can't see what the problem is other than certain people thinking that political interests must prevail over sporting ones.

 

[SuperBlues]

Yep and Barry Mc Guigan used it in the 80s for his musical entrance to the boxing ring.

This needs now to be revisited if the IFA are sincere in their stated objective to make the NI team representative of both communities. I can't see what the problem is other than certain people thinking that political interests must prevail over sporting ones.

I get a sense the majority of NI fans and IFA officials would have no objections, in fact encourage an anthem unique to the NI international team, the problem is what anthem. The biggest objection at the minute is what it should be and not to change GSTQ purely for political reasons. As noted above Danny Boy always gets put forward but I personally think it should be something a lot more unique, something to lift team and the crowd. Something akin to 'Irelands call' played before the rugby internationals.