As the League of Ireland grows online, can it avoid the toxic fan culture consuming the Premier League? A look at match-going supporters, fan channels, social media outrage and the future of Irish football culture.
The shimmering dissent within the fandom of Premier League clubs which has been building over the last few years has become more and more acute and at present feels it is about to erupt in to total warfare. This distinction revolves around a identifiable rupture between two types of fans. Those who attend matches on a regular basis and those who predominantly consume their football through the media, online and on television.
With the economic development of the Premier League the negative connotations around the football tourist have continued to grow, those who travel to premier league matches, buy the half and half scarves, treating attending a football match like an adult version of a trip to Disneyland. These individuals travel from Asia, the US and further afield, with many maintaining a deep connection to their club of choice. The invention of the 1230 kick off on a Saturday morning was specifically to feed the Asian market with its time difference. The fact that such a kick off time is wholly unsuitable for players and match going fans alike is sacrificed to the commercial need for growing the game in new markets.
Of course the irony remains that broadcasters need full stadium to ensure an atmosphere for their telecasts. Those who watch from afar want to participate, even at a distance, with the environment that is created by local and often more passionate support. Match going fans and those who predominately consume their football through television exists in an uneasy symbiosis.
This historical split has only accelerated online as various social media platforms allow each group to interact with the other. Varying views collide and fan bases turns toxic. Those who consume their football predominately from their sofa and those who stand in the rain are separated by a gulf which is quickly growing into a chasm. Fan bases can quickly turn toxic ensuring the entire footballing narrative can become a very cruel and unforgiving place.
Fan Channels, Pundits and the Outrage Economy
Manchester United, just as one example, is a clear illustration of this. While Gary Neville and Roy Keane have long exhibited a toxic approach to their former club on Sky Sports this was largely tolerated by both tribes of fans due to the love and affection both ex-players have with supporters. There is also the suspicion that particularly in Keane’s case a role is being played. That here is a pundit that knows what will sell, what will go viral, what will get clicks. While many of Keane’s utterances can be very humorous there is little doubt that they have in the past gone too far. He declared after a game against Spurs in 2020 “Maguire and De Gea, I wouldn’t let them on the bus after the match, let them get a taxi back to Manchester.” This situation has only worsened in recent months with Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes taking to the podcasts. The two ex-reds found it funny before the Manchester derby to compare Lisandro Martinez to a toddler who Earling Harland would pick up and carry around. The fact that Harland was withdrawn after 80 minutes in which Martinex ensured the City talisman barley had a kick left the United legends with egg on their face. In true punditry fashion they simple doubled down on their criticism in the face of facts that proved their analysis wrong. Many match going Reds seem to be getting a little tired of it all.
The rise of the Fan channel and watch-alongs has also become an issue. Arsenal Fan TV, or AFTV, has contributed heavily to the impression that Gunner fans are some of the most annoying and deluded in the Premier League. YouTube personalities from the channel such as “Ty”, Taiwo Ogunlabi, have been ridiculed for his famous ‘it’s been raining’ excuse to explain why Arsenal lost to Watford at home in 2017. He routinely states that Arsenal will win the Quadruple. This culminated in an altercation with a steward at the Stadium of Light in November 2025 after Arsenal drew 2 all with Sunderland.
Violence against online personalities is not limited to one club. Brent Di Cesare aka Mark Goldbridge has received abuse on the occasions he actually attends Manchester United games. Of course the influential YouTuber doesn’t help himself by declaring “I’ve been to Old Trafford a few times and sat with people who go every week and I don’t know why they go. Their opinions are awful”. Frank Ilett, a United fan and content creator, who refuses to cut his hair until the reds win five games in a row, was assaulted on a concourse at the home game with Chelsea in September 2025. One supporter was given an indefinite ban from Old Trafford by United for the incident. One group of fans see his content as harmless fun while the other see it as ridiculing their beloved club.
Over at YouTube channel Anfield Agenda, Dubliner Craig Houlden, famous for his reactions to Liverpool goals has engaged in an open argument with mainstream football journalists, especially Dominic King of the Daily Mail. In February 2026 King stated “The growth of your account and the views of your videos are entirely dependent on Liverpool playing poorly. You like so many others know exactly what you are doing.” Houlden responded with an explosive post on YouTube stating that King was “a cowardly little pet for John and FSG” and that Anfield Agenda had “a little bit more weight with the Liverpool fan base than you do”. His rant continued in a tirade of expletive laden abuse stating “you know absolutely diddly squat Dominic”. Houlden unintentionally identifies the crux of the issue when he states “I know its easy for you absolute clowns to just point the finger at YouTubers and think that we make money off toxicity”. In this I agree with Dominic King.
Houlden believes that the online fan community has as much right to express their opinions as match going fans and indeed they do. The irony is Goldbridge, Houlden and Ty are often more popular with opposition fans than with supporters of their own club. Rival fans find them funny. Their own clubs’ often fans find them embarrassing. The suspicion that all the outrage is essentially clickbait is often central to this hostility.
If those involved in the United Stand and Anfield Agenda are viewing the games in their homemade studios they, by definition, can’t be at the game. The fact that these YouTubers have so much sway over the online fandom is deeply worrying. Many online football ‘commentators’ even feel entitled to attack match going fans mistaking loyalty for delusion, devotion for passivity and allegiance for lack of criticism.
Why the League of Ireland Feels Different
In the English lower leagues attendance is required as there is little to no televised content. Of course there is still online content, still outrage, but the influence this has over the wider fanbase is much reduced. Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony actually went on a fan podcast of his club ‘Up the Poshcast’ to engage directly with criticism of his ownership. The result was a strong defence of his time in charge.
In the League of Ireland it is the same, especially for First Division teams. While there are some digital platforms focusing on Irish domestic football such as Off The Ball, Between the Stripes and LOI Talk they certainly are nowhere near as influential as their English counterparts. This space however is growing and the influence it may generate could likewise grow. Recently a Cobh Ramblers fan account on Instagram ran a poll on whether the Rams manager Fran Rockett should be sacked. This was after seven games in charge of the club.
Irish terrestrial television shows little interest in the League of Ireland. While Virgin Media show Premier division games our national broadcaster has no League of Ireland content at all while simultaneously broadcasting league games from the GAA.
As a first division supporter you get a single, 5 minute, highlight clip on YouTube or have to pay for LOITV. If you are a League of Ireland supporter physical attendance at the games is essential. In 2025 I attended 28 of the 36 games including all home games, 2 games in Kerry, 2 games in Athlone, 2 in Dundalk, 2 in Treaty United, Limerick, 1 in Finn Harps, Donegal and 1 in Longford.
In my experience match going fans have a deeper connection with the team, often knowing players and staff as people not just as public figures but as individuals. Match going fans are inevitably more supportive, even more forgiving of their team. Ultimately their more loyal.
Returning to the English Premier League this trend is exasperated by a lazy media which often takes the online debate for the real mood of the fans. Sky Sports is the classic example of this, treating online outrage as the beating heart of a club’s fandom. How much easier it is to surf social media than actual attend a game and asking fans what they think. This has inevitable led to the managerial merry go round where even a handful of bad results can signal the end for a head coach. Owners and chairman become all too aware of the avalanche of online toxicity washing over their club and instantly make a change. Hopefully the League of Ireland can resist this trend and remain focused on clubs, on the game and not media footprint with all its accompanying negativity.