Does beg the question as to what exactly the "banter" was that prompted 2 Toulouse players to throw a wobble like this.
Does beg the question as to what exactly the "banter" was that prompted 2 Toulouse players to throw a wobble like this.
I take that back.Originally Posted by grassroots
Had an English rugby player launched a sustained and unprovoked attack on an inoffensive fan at the six nations game at Croke park, I have every confidence you would also sympathise with the thug rather than his victim.
If you were willing or capable of reading the article, you would realise that Mallon is a former Ulster player, so presumably they also signed a Catholic a couple of yers previously.
Surely the above comment shows far more about yourself and your idiotic prejudices than it does about me.Run away now and see ifd you and Mr Tweed can find a church to picket or better still an infants school.
Just to reiterrate, the photographic evidence, the testimony of spectators and jounalists attendimg the game, and the verdict of a rugby disciplinary committee, all show Brennan to be the sole guilty party.
You disagree.
Why:
There are literally hundreds of accounts of this on the www, which I will link to, but you are presumably uninterested in.
The banter was concerning Brennan's bar.
Even Brennan himself does not contend there was any sectarian abuse.
Regarding the alleged comments concerning Brennans mother, Patrick Bamford, who was assulted, was sitting 8 rows from the pitch. Brennan was 20 or 30 yards from the Ulster support befopre he ran towards them. There is no absolutely no possibility he could have correctly identified Bamford as someone taunting him about his mother from that distance.
There is no third party evidence that any comments were made concerning Brennan's mother. Not even from 'Alfie' the other Toulouse player involved in the incident.
So, grassroots, on what basis other than sectarianism, do you believe Brennan's account of the incident.
Btw, you're not Dermotoffice are you, by any chance
The key is the word inoffensive. If anybody is the subject of an "unprovoked" attack, then they have been wronged. In this case both sides are making allegations and the veracity of either sides claims have not been tested in an appropriate forum...in this case a court of law where testimony is given under oath and challenged. An ERC tribunal is not a court of law.
I have no way of knowing who is telling the truth or indeed how much of either party's statements are true. I was not there. It has occured to me that perhaps neither side is telling the unvarnished truth.
If this turns out to be the case that Ulster supporters or people tagging oto to the Ulster team were abusing Toulouse players, above and beyond what is normal then the Ulster set up and indeed the IRFU has a deeper issue to confront.
We do not want the emergence of hooliganism that has dogged English and Italian soccer clubs to emerge in a sport on this side of the water.
As to your reference to Croker, the behaviour of both sides supporters was exempalry so there was no question of any thuggish behaviour occuring.
For feck sake lads, start another thread on this.
The balance of probability is massively in Bamford's favour.
Of course the ERC tribunal may have been biased or unfair, but you have provided no evidence or reason to show why this should be the case.
Brennan retired rather than face the hearing, and has not challenged the verdict in any way.
If Brennan himself is not challenging the judgement, then why should you
There is a way of knowing the truth. You look at the photographs and listern to the testimony of spectators and journalists actually present at the game. I know of no third party testimony that Bamford insulted Brennan's mother. Even if he had, as I have already stated, Brennan would have been too far away to correctly identify who made the alleged remarks.
Bamford is perfectly happy to have his account tested in court. Brennan declined to defend himself at a disciplinary hearing.
Basically, it's the word of Brennan, against that of literally hundreds of witnesses. And unless Brennan is the innocent victim of some massive conspiracy, the majority opinion is the correct one.
There is no evidence, beyond sectarian stereotyping, that this was the case.If this turns out to be the case that Ulster supporters or people tagging oto to the Ulster team were abusing Toulouse players, above and beyond what is normal then the Ulster set up and indeed the IRFU has a deeper issue to confront.
We do not want the emergence of hooliganism that has dogged English and Italian soccer clubs to emerge in a sport on this side of the water.
I'm sure you do, though RoC.But you sneakily admire him dont ya .. if he'd been born in Strabane, he'd had made some FF :wink:He must be in a mood about the Welsh and Bog Irish both beating England this year.
As for ye'r man Brennan decked... if it went beyond banter then he deserved it... if not then Brennan was wrong... since I don't know which account is true I'll reserve judgement.
[size=7]SF BACK BRENNAN[/size]
Would make a great headline.
SF candidate, Liam Browne, expressed support and admiration for thug Brennan, for bashing the living daylights out of 25 year old accountant and Ulster supporter, Patrick Bamford, in a random unprovoked assult.
Brennan was right, stated Browne, your man deserved a slap.
Browne, president of MENSA Ireland, categorically denied any sectarian bias in his views. Had an English rugby player done the same to some Paddy, I would support the player just as strongly, he stated.
I'll link to the evidence available, and you can draw your own conclusion:
[size=7]RoC Brennan was right, your man deserved a slap:[/size]
[size=7]The accounts of numerous Ulster fans concerning the incident.[/size]
[size=7]Listen to the account of a bbc journalist, Julian Fowler, who was present at the game.[/size]
It is also worth mentioning that Brennan has 'form' concerning off the pitch assults at rugby games, having attacked the Edinburgh physiotherapist at a match, as well as a member of the travelling Irish support on a tour of South Africa.
Might explain his being a poster boy for Shinners.
If you could only get the local newspapers to run with that headline Pogo, it'd be worth at least an extra 1,000 votesI'm sure you do, though RoC.But you sneakily admire him dont ya .. if he'd been born in Strabane, he'd had made some FF :wink:He must be in a mood about the Welsh and Bog Irish both beating England this year.
As for ye'r man Brennan decked... if it went beyond banter then he deserved it... if not then Brennan was wrong... since I don't know which account is true I'll reserve judgement.
[size=7]SF BACK BRENNAN[/size]
Would make a great headline.
SF candidate, Liam Browne, expressed support and admiration for thug Brennan, for bashing the living daylights out of 25 year old accountant and Ulster supporter, Patrick Bamford, in a random unprovoked assult.
Brennan was right, stated Browne, your man deserved a slap.
Browne, president of MENSA Ireland, categorically denied any sectarian bias in his views. Had an English rugby player done the same to some Paddy, I would support the player just as strongly, he stated.
Just think of it like this.
Even you yourself admit, that comments were being made about Brennans Bar (if that was all that was said). You declared them to be "inoffensive". However, Brennan may have considered differently, and regarded them to be very offensive, and therefore took offense, and meted out retribution.
The fact the he climbed 8 flights of steps is the clincher for me.
If Brennan had been "bantered" by a large section of the crowd, he would simply have clattered the first Ulster fan causing offense. But to deliberately make it his business to single out Bamford, makes it clear in my mind, that Bamford said something particularly derogatory to Brennan, and, in that case, deserved the slap he got.
It is easy for fans, who think that because they have paid money, to believe that they are entitled to say what they like about a professional sports player. They are not.
Why did Bamford even consider he could make comments about Brennans bar at the game ?
The quality or otherwise of the Guinness had nothing to do with rugby had it, and had Bamford a complaint about the said drink, he should have made it clear to the bar staff on the night he drank it, or, failing that, contacted Brennan outside of the rugby ground, and made his feelings known then.
He publically abused Trevor Brennan, and then cried like a baby when Brennan decided to to mete out a little "customer care" of his own.
If Bamford didn't want to get slapped by Trevor Brennan, he shouldn't have made comments about Trevor Brennan, it is as simple as that.
