This must be how Jason Statham felt in Crank.
Even if you aren’t a big League of Ireland fan, you can appreciate how passionate the rivalry between Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians is and how pumped up the players get when they do battle. The two clubs just really hate each other.
You can get a sense of that from the two sets of fans chanting but Youtube football account, Copa 90, travelled to Dublin to really find out what makes the rivalry tick and it is riveting viewing.
Eli Mengem was the man on-screen for Copa90, and was blown away by the experience. He initially decided on Bohs v Rovers after getting lots of requests from Irish football fans and the LOI supporters didn’t let him down. Mengem recalls the chaotic scenes after Bohs’ second goal in their 3-1 win as perfectly capturing the magic of the occasion.
“Moments after the second goal, I was standing in the corner, and the fans just went crazy and broke the fence,” Mengem said.
“It wasn’t in an unsafe or dangerous way. The stewards had no control, the police had no control, it was just ecstatic anarchy.”
Mengem has travelled to some of football’s most intense derbies, from the El Classico to the Old Firm, but the unique experience of Bohs v Rovers resonated with him just as much. While the crowd was meagre compared to some of his other trips, those who did turn up to Dalymount Park the night before Ireland v Scotland made plenty of noise.
“Bohs v Rovers wasn’t about flares or massive Tifos but it was impressive in its own unique way,” Mengem said.
“The chants were fantastic and I don’t think the ground could have been any louder for the amount of people that were there.”
As you can see from the video, Mengem spent time before the game chatting to plenty of people involved with both teams, and he got a real sense for the hatred that exists between the two clubs. The Bohs kit-man illustrated just how fraught the relations are between the Dublin rivals.
“The Bohs kit-man said to me that they swap jerseys after the big games,” Mengem said.
“So I asked, “You’ve be swapping kits with Rovers then? He just said, ‘No, I don’t think the fans would allow it!”
One problem facing the League of Ireland is that while plenty of fans turn up for the big games – Bohs v Rovers attracted 3,000, which is triple the average attendance – many Irish football supporters are happier at home watching the Premier League.
Mengem admitted that he was surprised that so many Irish football fans would rather support a foreign league than take in some local football.
“I stayed for Ireland v Scotland and there were a lot of people wearing Irish jerseys with Manchester United tatoos,” Mengem said.
“That surprised me. What you’ve got around the corner can be just as exhilarating as the Premier League. It was a bit disappointing that some fans would rather support a league that does nothing for football in Ireland.”
