Linfield F.C.

Linfield

Full name	Linfield Football and Athletic Club
Nickname(s)	"The Blues"
Founded	1886
Ground	Windsor Park, Belfast (Capacity: 24,734 (safe capacity 12,342))
Chairman	Jim Kerr
Manager	David Jeffrey
League	IFA Premiership
2010–11	1st
Home colours Away colours

Linfield F.C. (full name Linfield Football & Athletic Club), is a semi-professional, Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team.

Linfield play in the IFA Premiership (still popularly referred to as the Irish League) the second-oldest national league in the world after the Football League in England.

Linfield have won the League title a record 50 times, since the 1890–1891 season when they became the first ever champions of the League. They are one of four clubs who have retained membership of the League since its formation in 1890, the others being Glentoran, Cliftonville and Lisburn Distillery. Linfield's main rivals are Glentoran who play at the Oval in East Belfast.

History

Founded in March 1886 in Sandy Row in south Belfast by workers at the Ulster Spinning Company's Linfield Mill, the team was originally known as the Linfield Athletic Club and played on ground at the back of the mill known as the Meadow.

Linfield moved to Ulsterville Avenue in 1889. After the purchase of a piece of land known as the 'bog meadows' just off lower Windsor Avenue in 1904, the club settled in what has become the permanent home of Linfield FC., Windsor Park, a ground that has hosted international matches since its opening. The first game at Windsor was played against Glentoran, the other half of Belfast's "Big Two," on September 2, 1905 – though Belfast Celtic were the club's main rivals at the time.

Roy Coyle who managed Linfield from 1975 to 1990 has been their most successful manager to date having won 31 trophies during his time at Windsor Park. He is closely followed by current Linfield manager David Jeffrey who has won 26 trophies since his appointment in 1997.

Linfield's former captain Noel Bailie achieved his 1000th appearance for the club when they played Crusaders F.C. in a drawn match. Shortly afterwards, on 27 April 2010, Linfield took their 49th league title after a 1–0 win against Cliftonville at Windsor Park in the Carling Premiership. Since Noel Bailie's retirement from football in May 2011 at the age of 40, Linfield have since retired the number 11 shirt. Linfield secured their 50th league title on 26 April 2011 following a 4–0 win against Lisburn Distillery. Their trophy haul makes Linfield the most successful team in Irish football.

Windsor Park

Linfield's home ground is Windsor Park in south Belfast. The governing body of Northern Irish football, the Irish Football Association, leases the ground for use by the Northern Ireland national football team. The club currently receives 15% of Northern Ireland international gate receipts as rent. This is controversial as rival Irish League clubs see this as giving Linfield an unfair advantage by allowing them to offer more attractive wages and have a larger squad than all of the other clubs. The stadium is currently undergoing substantial refurbishment to increase the capacity and improve safety. It is also Northern Ireland's largest Association football stadium, with Glentoran's The Oval being the next largest.

European record

A public mural in Belfast depicting Linfield's contribution to the Northern Ireland football team, featuring Tommy Dickson, Joe Bambrick and Elisha Scott

As Northern Ireland's most dominant club side, Linfield have been regular campaigners in European football. Their most notable achievement was reaching the quarter-finals of the European Cup in the 1966–1967 season. After beating FC Aris Bonnevoie of Luxembourg and Vålerenga of Norway they faced CSKA Sofia in the last eight. This resulted in a 2–2 draw at home and 1–0 defeat away.

In the 1984–85 season, after overcoming Shamrock Rovers on away goals , Linfield faced eventual semi-finalists Panathinaikos in the second round. After a 2–1 defeat away, Linfield drew 3-3 at Windsor Park on the return leg.

In the 1987–88 campaign Linfield's home game against Lillestrom was marred by missile throwing, resulting in UEFA sanctions which meant that the club had to play their next two home games in European competitions at Welsh club Wrexham in the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons.

The 1993–94 UEFA Champions League saw Linfield drawn with Dynamo Tbilisi of Georgia. After losing 3–2 on aggregate, they were reinstated when their opponents were expelled from the competition for alleged match fixing and paying the officials. Linfield faced Copenhagen in the first round proper. They won the first leg 3–0, and lost the second leg 4–0 after extra time. This proved costly, as victory would have meant a financially lucrative tie against eventual champions Milan in the next round.^{[citation needed]}

Honours

Senior honours

• Irish League/Irish Premier League: 50
  • 1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1894–95, 1897–98, 1901–02, 1903–04, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1910–11, 1913–14, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11
• Irish Cup: 41
  • 1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1894–95, 1897–98, 1898–99, 1901–02, 1903–04, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1918–19, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1938–39, 1941–42, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11
• Irish League Cup: 9
  • 1986–87, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2007–08
• County Antrim Shield: 43
  • 1898–99, 1903–04, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1916–17, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1941–42, 1946–47, 1948–49†, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
• Irish FA Charity Shield: 3
  • 1993 (shared), 1994, 2000
• City Cup: 24
  • 1894–95, 1895–96, 1897–98, 1899–00, 1900–01, 1901–02, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1919–20 1921–22, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1967–68, 1973–74
• Gold Cup: 33
  • 1915–16, 1917–18, 1918–19, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1923–24, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1996–97
• Ulster Cup: 15
  • 1948–49, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1992–93
• Floodlit Cup: 2
  • 1993–94, 1997–98
• North-South Cup: 1
  • 1961–62
• Blaxnit Cup: 1
  • 1970–71
• Tyler Cup: 1
  • 1980–81
• Setanta Cup: 1
  • 2005
• Top Four Cup: 2
  • 1966–67, 1967–68
• Belfast Charity Cup: 21
  • 1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1893–94, 1894–95, 1898–99, 1902–03, 1904–05, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1916–17, 1917–18, 1918–19, 1921–22, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1937–38
• Alhambra Cup: 1
  • 1921–22
• Jubilee Cup: 1
  • 1935-36
• Belfast & District League: 2
  • 1915–16, 1917–18
• Northern Regional league: 3
  • 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46
• Substitute Gold Cup: 2
  • 1942–43, 1944–45
• manchester charity cup

1945-1846 1846-1847

Intermediate honours

• Irish League B Division/B Division Section 2/Reserve League: 19
  • 1951–52†, 1952–53†, 1975–76†, 1977–78†, 1978–79†, 1979–80†, 1982–83†, 1983–84†, 1984–85†, 1987–88†, 1988–89†, 1990–91†, 1991–92†, 1998–99†, 1999–00†, 2003–04†, 2004–05†, 2008–09†, 2009–10†
• Irish Intermediate Cup: 13
  • 1897–98†, 1899–00†, 1901–02†, 1922–23‡, 1925–26‡, 1929–30†, 1946–47†, 1949–50†, 1956–57†, 1957–58†, 1971–72†, 2001–02†, 2003–04†
• Steel & Sons Cup: 9
  • 1895–96†, 1898–99†, 1915–16†, 1939–40†, 1946–47†, 1948–49†, 1972–73†, 1983–84†, 1997–98†
• George Wilson Cup: 9
  • 1953–54†, 1961–62†, 1976–77†, 1980–81†, 1983–84†, 1984–85†, 1988–89†, 1998–99†, 2010–11†

† Won by Linfield Swifts (reserve team) ‡ Won by Linfield Rangers (reserve team)

Junior honours

• Irish Junior Cup: 3
  • 1890–91†, 1893–94‡, 1905–06ƒ
• County Antrim Junior Shield: 2
  • 1904–05ƒ, 1914–15#

† Won by Linfield II (reserve team)

‡ Won by Linfield Swifts (reserve team)

ƒ Won by Linfield Pirates (reserve team)

# Won by Linfield Rangers (reserve team)

Sectarianism and violence

Linfield have in the past been regarded as a 'Protestant' club" and still draw the vast majority of their support from one side of the community. However, the squad itself is one of the most diverse in the Irish League and Linfield manager David Jeffrey maintains that it is the players' desire to wear the famous blue shirt, not religious affiliation, which matters most.

The club has long been regarded as sectarian, both in respect of its employment policy and of the behaviour of its fans. This sectarian reputation is partly the result of the actions of fans who have a history of anti-Catholic behaviour ranging from sectarian chanting on the terraces to outright violence. It is also partly the result of a historical unofficial policy of not signing Catholic players, and an insignificant number of local Catholics playing for the club during the Troubles. The problem is further exacerbated by Windsor Park's location in a part of Belfast that is hostile to Catholics.

Sectarian tensions have long been a cause of conflict at football matches in Northern Ireland, and crowd trouble occasionally marred games involving Linfield throughout the twentieth century. In 1948, Belfast Celtic withdrew from the Irish League after years of sectarian crowd problems culminated in a Boxing Day match against Linfield at Windsor Park which ended in a pitch invasion and riot in which Belfast Celtic's Protestant centre forward, Jimmy Jones, suffered a broken leg.

A 1997 match against Coleraine was abandoned when Linfield fans hurled bottles onto the pitch after two Linfield players were sent off. In May 2005 there were disturbances in Dublin at the Setanta Cup final between Linfield and Shelbourne. In the same month, Linfield fans were banned from travelling to The Oval for a match against Glentoran because of disturbances involving both sets of fans the previous month. In 2008, three Linfield fans were charged in a Dublin court with public order offences at a Setanta Cup match against St Patrick's Athletic, but were released. In November of the same year, Linfield player Conor Hagan was struck by a rocket that was fired from Cliftonville supporters in the crowd following Linfield's 2–1 defeat at the hands of Cliftonville, and the following month riot police were called into Glentoran supporters in the Boxing Day match after Linfield had taken a 2-0 lead.

The management of Linfield has spent recent years attempting to overcome the club's close identification with the Protestant community. The club has moved forward in cooperation with the Irish Football Association (IFA) which has launched a campaign called "Give sectarianism the boot." It assisted a local Camogie team who needed space to train in 2005, and also built links with the Gaelic Athletic Association which has traditionally had little support from the Protestant community in Northern Ireland. In 2006 FIFA President Sepp Blatter commended Linfield for their anti-racism. A play dealing with the conflict between Linfield and Belfast Celtic, Lish and Gerry at the Shrine, was staged by the IFA at Windsor Park, with the co-operation of the Linfield management, in October 2010.

In popular culture

The Northern Ireland comedy sketch show Dry Your Eyes featured a character called Derek, portrayed by Martin Reid, a fantical fan of Linfield who is thrown into life threatening situations such as airline hijackings and bank robberies. The character remains placid until the situation causes him inconvenience at which point he confronts the terrorists, hijackers etc and while everyone else in the scene cowers in fear for their lives he responds to the demands of the villains with a catchphrase "Are ye by f**k!" and then verbally scares the villains into surrendering, thus saving the situation.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Alan Blayney 2 DF Steven Douglas 3 DF David Armstrong 4 MF Michael Gault 5 DF William Murphy 7 MF Damien Curran 8 MF Philip Lowry 9 FW Peter Thompson 10 FW Michael Carvill 12 DF Billy Joe Burns 14 DF Aaron Burns 15 MF Nathan Hanley

No. Position Player 16 MF Daryl Fordyce 17 FW Gary Browne 18 GK Stuart Addis 20 MF Robert Garrett 21 DF Jim Ervin 22 MF Jamie Mulgrew 23 DF Albert Watson 25 FW Mark McAllister 26 MF Marcus Kane 27 MF Neil Dougan 28 DF Chris Casement

Notable former players

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player Jackie Milburn Dessie Gorman Tommy Dickson Noel Bailie Alex Russell Joe Bambrick Glenn Ferguson Dave McEachran

External links

• South Stand Says
• Linfield FC Website
• Hatchets and Hammers
• Linfield at The Irish Football Club Project
• Club Captain