THEY’LL GO NO MORE A ROVING…
Mar 13th, 2009 by Sean Baite
The miracles of modern technology - I don’t get a meaningful communication from a living being from one end of the week to the other (despite the 4 or 5 means of communication available) but here I am tonight in the SW of France watching Shamrock Rovers return to a home of their own after 22 years without a ground (thanks to RTÉ’s website). They had looked like beating Sligo Rovers quite comfortably but the other Rovers have pulled a goal back with a few minutes left - which will get yer man Seanachie’s hopes up.
Despite my own personal preference leaning towards the team from Dublin 7 - I must admit to feeling a wee bit of emotion looking over the scenes preceding the match - especially the minute’s applause for all the Hoops fans not having lived long enough to see this day. Tellingly enough, given recent history, the demise of Glenmalure Park was in great part attributable to property developers and the start of our 20 years of madness - I note with regret that Bohs future now seems to balance on the tail-end of the same lunacy. Hopefully, the market has fallen sufficiently through its own arse to leave Dalymount intact.
For Rovers part, it is good to see a full house tonight and I hope this will continue through the season - particularly after the completion of the second stand. I have to grudgingly admit that their Tallafornia home should be the best stadium in the country by the end of this season. In the light of how the League of Ireland has floundered through the Celtic Tiger era - it is pleasant to have some good news to look over for a change. Our ‘greatest fans in the world’ continue to have their fat arses bolted to either a couch or a barstool in front of which the Premiership spews pounds sterling all over them - and, worse still, they seem to still enjoy this. Following last season from afar was an ordeal - most clubs starting off, financially speaking, barely covered in rags found themselves stark bollock-naked by the end of the campaign. It seemed like a pathetic microcosm of the rest of the country. Rollercoasters do go back up again once they hit the big dip, don’t they ?
To finish up (update - final score: a 2-1 victory for the Tallaght boys) I’m afraid I have to quote George Byrne (a Rovers fan, I believe) and thank the ‘bogball’ boys for managing to delay this night by a couple of years by invoking the ancient Gaelic right to ‘have de law on ye’. Even if the bogsports crowd didn’t get in in the end - I have to salute the municipal ownership of/involvement in the ground - the model that is followed over here (in France) for most of the famous football grounds. Unfortunately, I think it will be the only example we’ll see in Ireland for the forseeable.
Also hope their party’ll end with Bohs visit next weekend. Too much good news ain’t good for no-one.
Footnote: There are a couple of aerial shots of the old Milltown and a record of an event which took place at the moxy development built on the site of the ground on the 20th anniversary of its closure in albertw’s flickr gallery here
Delighted to see Rovers settled at last but I recall Rovers playing at the RDS, I brought a nephew there about 15 years ago. The RDS was supposed to be their home too. I remember that their 1st game there had about 20K in attendence. Why did they leave their as it was within a reasonable distance of Miltown?
Joe, its not your home really when you are a tenant in the place. We had them in Tolka Park long enough! I was at their infamous 4-6 defeat to Bohs a few years ago and there was no more than 2,000 in Santry on a bitterly cold day (although you will never meet a Bohs fan now that DID miss that game!).
Ultimately, it could be a great move for Rovers. The four main Dublin teams traditionally sit just over the river from each other. Seeing one move out into a population base such as Tallaght (now with a LUAS stop and all) is scary when you think of the club they could build out there if they are sensible about the financial side of things.
Funny, in a really-not-funny way, though, to see all four Dublin clubs undone to some extent or other thanks to damn businessmen coming in with their dirty desires to do something with property.
BTW, is my crack-adled brain playing up or did Sligo Rovers also play in the last ever league game in Glenmalure (there was a sit-down protest by the fans on the centre-circle or something)? Nice if this was a bit of sentimental symbolism so to have the Bit o’Red as the first league visitors in the new gaff.
Hopefully will go there with Shels next season!
Joe - as I remember, the RDS tenancy was only a temporary arrangement. From a pitch point of view, it was fairly unsuited to football - I also assume they didn’t manage to come to an arrangement with the owners (I think their stay only lasted a season, didn’t it ?). Seems to suit the rugger boys fine though - more in common with the horsey set.
Where did they ramble to just after the end of Milltown ? I don’t think it was straight to the RDS, was it ??
Longman, we’ll see where it leads in terms of Rovers form on the field - let’s hope not back to their late 70s/early 80s position of dominance - just the odd title / cup now and then.
As to Sligo Rovers, the crack hasn’t addled your brain all that much. Looking around Google for pictures of the old Glenmalure Park (and only finding effin’ stuff from property sites - apparently there’s a road called that in Rialto) I did learn that Sligo Rovers were the last team to visit Milltown - but in a cup semi-final. 1-1 was the final score. I assume the replay was at the Showgrounds.
I was in Milltown one night in mid August about 86 when Rovers were playing Celtic, sort that one out for a clash of strip. It was a draw but my memory was on the entire stadium clapping along to “If you hate Margaret Thatcher clap your hands!”
I also remember Ireland playing Wales at the RDS in the early 90’s. I know the pitch wasn’t the best however it seems to have improved hugely since.
Where did they ramble to just after the end of Milltown ? I don’t think it was straight to the RDS, was it ??
Aye, they were in Tolka initially, then up to Dalyer for a bit. They must have played home games in at least 5 or 6 venues during the homeless years, with different spells in some. Sad to see the “No Home Rovers” chant go the way of the dodo!
just the odd title / cup now and then
What sort of Bohs fan are you?
Regards lads/lassies, from a still slightly emotional Rovers fan (or maybe its the hangover). Re the RDS, Rovers played there for a good six years (1990-1996) and it was the closest we got to a home after leaving Milltown and before last Friday. The decision to leave in the end was that, first, we thought we were going to Tallaght within a year (yes back in 1996) and wanted to save on rent and secondly that the RDS had demolished one of the stands which left the place witha forlone lop-sided and rather windswept look. Can’t wait to see Bohs in Tallaght. Ah you know what I mean
On Friday night in Dalymount, as the traditional air ‘Walking Down the Milltown Road’ rang out (just because we’re not playing them doesn’t mean we don’t sing about them) and the line about ‘all the homeless bastards’ arrived, there was an audible dip in volume as is dawned on people that it wasn’t strictly true anymore - and further, that they could be singing it about us soon enough……
Joe - I suppose that was a European Cup 1st Round match you were at. I think Thatcher also managed the remarkable feat of uniting Celtic and Rangers fans by managing to be booed by both at an Old Firm Cup Final at Hampden in the 80s.
Longman - What sort of Bohs fan are you? Well - just the odd title now and then (i.e. every 50 years or so). If Thatcher were around, she might call me a ‘wet’ :->
John - thanks for having done more research than me. Hadn’t realised they were that long in the RDS or that there was a proposal to go to Tallaght so long ago (around the same time as the Cork City Bishopstown disaster ??) As to Bohs out there - I assume it’ll be a sell-out too - as long as we get the right result :->
SOS - well those shady people that come up with chants are gonna have to get to work. Jobs bloody easier for the other lot - can see ‘Tallafornia uber alles’ making an appearance (if it’s not already there) and of course ‘Tallafornia Dreaming’.
Hope your last sentence doesn’t prove too prophetic..
Good to see the Hoops (or Shams as us Sligonians like to devilishly call them) settled again. Shame about the result though but we do have European football to look forward to. The 1987 match was a semi-final first leg, Shamrock Rovers going through with a Noel Larkin winner in extra-time at the Showgrounds, breaking my 11-year-old heart.