WEEKLY FOOTBALL COLUMN: Liam Beckett talks

Knowing fine well that whatever they say is not going to be met with universal approval generally means that difficult subjects are taboo to many of them.

Personally I never have a problem because not answering your phone or hiding doesn’t solve the problem.

Everyone has a viewpoint from which others may well differ from, and that is perfectly understandable, so for what it’s worth here is mine.

Firstly it’s that old recycled proposal which is once again doing its annual rounds, should we change “God Save The Queen” as our anthem at Northern Ireland football matches?

For a start, try to forget the inevitable politics which will always be embedded somewhere along the line in such proposals. We must not allow ourselves to yet again get bogged down or embroiled in the politics of the game.

As a lifetime Northern Ireland fan I feel well qualified to voice my opinion, and my initial response is that I’m quite happy and content to retain God Save The Queen as our anthem.

I am British, I hold a British passport, I also avail of all that Britain can offer including culture, roads, health and education to name but a few.

I also earn my living in Northern Ireland so why wouldn’t I want to retain our existing anthem?

By the same token if I lived in the Republic of Ireland and supported the Republic team then I would totally respect the Republic of Ireland anthem for their International Football team, and for me that’s the way it should be.

I must also say that contrary to what some people would have you believe, I do genuinely feel that Windsor Park is a much more acceptable and inclusive ‘shared space’ for both sides of our community nowadays.

Quite honestly I don’t see any immediate reason to change what we already have in terms of an anthem.

However, if by any chance the powers that be decide otherwise, my suggestion would be that any final decision must be left to the Northern Ireland fans and nobody else.

They are the people who have stood by our international football team through not only the good times but also those periods of sheer despair. It must be the NI fans who are balloted and whatever they decide is fine by me.

If the fans do decide to ‘adopt’ a popular hymn, as has been suggested, or indeed summon the likes of Phil Coulter to compose a new football anthem then yet again that is fine by me.

It’s got to be decided by the fans in a democratic fashion. Other bit part people and do-gooders need to keep their noses well out of something which doesn’t really concern them.

As I alluded to last week, it never ceases to amaze me how some people always want to cloud the euphoria and feel good factor which all Northern Ireland fans are currently enjoying with debates that for me simply stink of religious or even sectarian connotations?

Can we not for goodness sake cut the Northern Ireland fans some slack until at least after the European Championship Finals in France this coming June?

Yes of course if there are any people or fans who feel uncomfortable or unsafe at international matches at Windsor Park then those issues must be addressed, but let’s embrace and enjoy the moment which we now have and deal with any of these contentious issues after June.

The other main talking point for me last week once again centred around yet another topic which periodically rears its ugly head from time to time, and that is the possible return of Derry City FC to the Irish League.

This time it was someone who I know well and have the utmost respect for who was calling for the Candystripes return to local football, and that man was none other than former Derry City star and legend Liam Coyle.

Liam now feels that the time is right for his beloved Derry City to return to Irish League football and he has cited several reasons why. Firstly the travelling costs would be greatly reduced if Derry City played in the North, currently the travelling costs in the League of Ireland to the likes of Cork City etc are crippling, so geographically it would make sound financial sense.

Secondly Liam also stated that attendance figures at the Brandywell have dwindled badly over recent seasons and indeed visiting teams no longer bring the travelling fans that they used to.

Subsequently the entire exercise of competing in the League of Ireland would appear to have stagnated somewhat which again seriously impacts on Derry City’s much needed revenue.

Liam Coyle also feels that the return of Crusaders, Cliftonville, Linfield, Coleraine, Glentoran and the likes would greatly encourage the return of all those fans who have recently melted away back to the Brandywell and that these visiting teams from the Irish League would also bring with them far more fans than the current League of Ireland outfits do.

Yes all good valid points raised by the former Derry City striker, but alas, and as I expected, not one shared by everyone else at the Maiden City Club.

Liam’s views were countered by another well known face from the city, none other than Dennis Bradley. I don’t know Dennis personally but again he is a well known avid Derry City fan, and his take on the matter was pretty much the exact opposite to that of Liam Coyles.

Dennis Bradley countered that despite the drop in attendances and the seemingly apparent lack in interest from both the home and the travelling fans, he was more than confident that the vast majority of Derry City fans would, for the foreseeable future anyhow, still wish to remain in the League of Ireland.

As for me personally, and again I stress we must all ignore any political inferences and leave our political hats to one side, I would dearly love to see Derry City FC back competing in the Irish League.

The club has a large following of fans who just love their football and not only would they create a great buzz by their return but they would also bring much needed additional revenue to every ground and club they would visit in the North.

But it’s not for me to tell Derry City FC what a return to Irish League football would bring. The club are much more capable of calculating their own mathematics than I am.

But given the facts and comments that Liam Coyle has provided and as I’ve already stated leaving all political viewpoints to one side, then for me its a no brainer’ but to return to the Irish League.

But once again, just like the question surrounding the Northern Ireland football team’s anthem of God Save The Queen, the possibility of a return by Derry City to the Irish League must be decided by the club’s fans and nobody else.

Fans are the lifeblood of every team, and without them there is nothing, so both of these decisions must be left to them.

Then when proper and transparent democracy has been used to arrive at whatever decision, that outcome must be accepted and we all move on.

As I’ve always said, football and indeed life, will always be a game of differing opinions, and for me that’s the way it should stay.