Should we give up football?

I keep saying it.  But this football isn't for us lads.  The only way for The EIRE to be competitive is to play to our characteristics as a nation.  Mucksavagery is in our DNA and so I propose an agricultural stye of football.  Put Duffy up front and launch long balls at him for 90 mins.  We need to bring in a load of dirty payers as well who will just kick lumps out of the opposition and snarl at them in the tunnel before the game.  We need to re-establish the long throw in as a key tactic and Packie Bonneresque hoofs up the park.

Paddy has been trying to be Paulo for too long.  It's time to go back to being Paddy.

How many were raised through the Irish system? That’s the most important stat for the argument. 
 

Footballers going abroad is fine, but it should only happen when they are ready and for the right price.

The fortunes of the LOI and the national team have probably never been more interlinked.

It would be better to invest any such money directly in ringfenced youth development rather than route it through the clubs who, let's face it, would piss away most of it.

I agree with a lot of that. But that's getting away from my original point that whether a stadium gets built in Ballybofey or not really doesn't impact the senior team. Youth setups, youth coaching, youth facilities - absolutely, they need to be improved. But I honestly don't think the senior domestic league has much relevance to the senior national team - other than lately as a place for the best 16 and 17 year olds to get some senior football experience before they move abroad, and it's already able to serve that purpose. In fact, if it improved too much they'd be less likely to get the first team game time that they currently get.