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This was on Off the Ball on Wednesday night during the discussion of Republic of Ireland's game with Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in 93:
Niall Quinn: If you remember the incident that happened just before the game, the atrocity, some terrorists came into a pub watching a game on Halloween and said to the crowd 'Trick or Treat?' and then shot a load of Irish fans, and that happened maybe a week or so before the game. That was difficult because to think football had any place in all that was frightening and still chills me to this day. The toughest memory I have in football is listening to the crowd in Northern Ireland sing 'Trick or Treat?' while we're playing on the pitch shortly after that incident. I'm sure it's been said that the Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham wasn't trying to stop that by any stretch of the imagination, and it was a real tough time, and we qualified for the World Cup on the most extraordinary of evenings, and we came through this, and Alan (McLoughlin) speaks well in his book about the way up to the ground and the British soldiers and the kids who we thought were going to be like all kids and look for autographs...and actually it was like the military. They kneeled down in the front row and pretended they had guns. It was the horriblest thing. And of course there were armoured cars bringing us in. It stayed with me for a long time. But a man who's passed away since changed everything for me that night. And that was Alan McDonald. He was the captain of Northern Ireland. He was from a very tough Unionist part of Belfast. And he came into our dressing room and broke down the barriers that everybody else was afraid to go near. He wished us well at the World Cup finals. He was a proud Irish islander. He strengthened me that night to understand what sport can do.
Ger: After the game?
Niall Quinn: After the game. We'd got through, Denmark had failed to beat Spain, and we were all watching it on a monitor. We went into the dressing room afterwards. We didn't know whether to be happy because of the atrocities that had happened. It was an awful atmosphere all night. And Alan McDonald came in and he gave a speech. He didn't just say 'well done'. And that was the moment I knew that sport can beat everything.
It has been said by some that Alan McDonald was our John Terry.
Can you imagine Captain Nazi having the wit, attitude or ability to make a speech like that?
Miss you Macca, a true Captain,Leader and QPR Legend 12th October 1963 - June 23rd 2012
'I'm 18 with a bullet.Got my finger on the trigger,I'm gonna pull it.."
Love,Peace and Fook Chelski!
More like 20StoneOfHoop now.
Let's face it I'm not getting any thinner.
Pass the cake and pies please.
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Windsor Park in 93 - Niall Quinn on Alan McDonald on 17:43 - Nov 15 with 4824 views
I was listening to the show and when this bit of the story came up unexpectedly and my hairs stood on end. From what Quinn was saying the Irish team was scared stiff and Macca was like a beacon in the storm.
Air hostess clique
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Windsor Park in 93 - Niall Quinn on Alan McDonald on 23:37 - Nov 15 with 4526 views
Cheers Tactical, I'm still meaning to listen to that link, will do later when I'm bladdered. :)
The only criticism I'd have of Quinn's remarks is there is no way the whole Norn Irish crowd was singing "Trick or Treat", and I think his words give that impression. Most local people were disgusted by that as much as anyone, and by '93 we were more than sick of the scum who were doing that kind of thing. It's true that you'll get, particularly then, a good amount of hallions with their kids doing things they shouldn't, but still.
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Windsor Park in 93 - Niall Quinn on Alan McDonald on 00:45 - Nov 16 with 4483 views
Windsor Park in 93 - Niall Quinn on Alan McDonald on 23:37 - Nov 15 by BklynRanger
Cheers Tactical, I'm still meaning to listen to that link, will do later when I'm bladdered. :)
The only criticism I'd have of Quinn's remarks is there is no way the whole Norn Irish crowd was singing "Trick or Treat", and I think his words give that impression. Most local people were disgusted by that as much as anyone, and by '93 we were more than sick of the scum who were doing that kind of thing. It's true that you'll get, particularly then, a good amount of hallions with their kids doing things they shouldn't, but still.
Come off it. Its well documented that the roi team were met by locals waving imaginary guns at the coach. As for billy bigot bighnam, well dont get me going
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Windsor Park in 93 - Niall Quinn on Alan McDonald on 01:55 - Nov 16 with 4443 views
Windsor Park in 93 - Niall Quinn on Alan McDonald on 00:45 - Nov 16 by bob566
Come off it. Its well documented that the roi team were met by locals waving imaginary guns at the coach. As for billy bigot bighnam, well dont get me going
Ten thousand of them, that's right. A load of what I already described as hallions and the whole rest of the supporters. All of them.
Does it mention the shankill bombing 23 days before the match?This period was in my opinion the closest the country came to all out war.An atrocity was a weekly happening. The whataboutery in our wee country can be never ending. Pity football was involved and a couple of years later things took a turn toward our current utopia.
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Windsor Park in 93 - Niall Quinn on Alan McDonald on 17:50 - Nov 16 with 4130 views
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