Not only for the sporting content but also for the pundits! Saturday saw an unusual spat between Jaime "bland" Redknapp and Gary "woke twat" Neville. It followed Man U's embarrassing hiding at lowly Brentford. I thought Man U had hit rock bottom last season; I was wrong. Those lazy fuckers won't run for the new manager either.
After the game Neville went on a long diatribe against the Glazers, pointing out that they had failed to sort out the recruitment fiasco, or fix the crumbling stadium, or give enough time and money to Gary's beloved Man U. Rednapp dismissed this, saying that the players needed to show more effort and heart. While Redknapp was saying this to Neville, Neville looked off into the distance which resulted in Redknapp snapping, "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Wow, handbags! Redknapp was right though.
The Man U squad ran for Mourinho and then stopped running; they did the same when Ole took over. They never started running for Rangnick and haven't for ten Hag either. They stats don't lie; Man U don't run as far during 90 mins as the rest of the EPL teams. You see it every week in the analysis, failure to run back and defend. Everton are in a similar state as Man U, yet Anthony Gordon runs like a man possessed every game. Everton are shit, but that is not down to a lack of running.
It was nice to see Neville getting a tongue lashing. He has lost all respect from many footy fans after he refused to call for Ole's head last season when it was the obvious thing to do. His loyalty to his ex-colleague trumped giving an honest opinion. He has also made woke outbursts on Twitter on equality and fairness, yet still backs the World Cup being held in Qatar, where foreign workers were denied proper wages and H&S standards, while anyone flying a rainbow flag during the WC will be jailed. Gary is strangely silent on Qatar.
Then on Sunday, after the Battle of the Bridge, an excellent 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Spurs, Graeme Souness hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The game was spicy to say the least. Both managers got red cards and there were several incidents throughout the game. Anthony Taylor, the best ref in England in my opinion, was excellent in letting the game continue without pulling back play for petty infringements of the rules. This is part of a strategy from the EPL to have fewer interruptions. Other ideas are to have fewer VAR interruptions and to make keepers play the ball quicker when it is in their possession. Souness was waxing lyrical about this and how Taylor had contributed to a glorious advert for English football when he said, "It's a man's game all of a sudden again, I think we've got our football back, as I would enjoy football - men at it, blow for blow, and the referee letting them get on with it."
Then on Sunday, after the Battle of the Bridge, an excellent 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Spurs, Graeme Souness hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The game was spicy to say the least. Both managers got red cards and there were several incidents throughout the game. Anthony Taylor, the best ref in England in my opinion, was excellent in letting the game continue without pulling back play for petty infringements of the rules. This is part of a strategy from the EPL to have fewer interruptions. Other ideas are to have fewer VAR interruptions and to make keepers play the ball quicker when it is in their possession. Souness was waxing lyrical about this and how Taylor had contributed to a glorious advert for English football when he said, "It's a man's game all of a sudden again, I think we've got our football back, as I would enjoy football - men at it, blow for blow, and the referee letting them get on with it."
Sky presenter Dave Jones immediately added, "It's also a woman's game as well." It didn't take long for Twitter to attack Souness, citing the recent success of the Lionesses. Oh dear, here we go again. Context, people! The men's and women's games are not the same and probably never will be. The men's game is quicker and more physical, while the rivalries have been building for decades. Chelsea-Spurs is a London derby that has been around for over 100 years. In recent years it has become increasingly bitter after Chelsea beat Spurs at the end of the 2016 season, in an incredibly dirty game, allowing Leicester to win the EPL ahead of Spurs. Needle matches, if reffed properly, are super entertainment and have been a staple of English football. That was the context in which Souness was speaking, but in today's world, where everyone is offended by hurty words, context is overlooked when everyone should know that in language context is everything.
Finishing fourth may be as good as it gets for Liverpool this season . Spending £ 85 mill on one player is a luxury . Maybe two cheapish midfielders & a striker would of been a better choice . The 3 big London clubs will again finish in the top five # Where ❓
ReplyDeleteEnjoy reading Peter's stuff. Strong opinions, clearly argued. So much other football stuff on the net is echo chamber stuff, preaching to the converted with no attempt to argue an independent view.
ReplyDeletePeter Anderson Comments
Delete: Ramon the Wolf - Thank you very much!
Stop sniping from the sidelines, armchair fans, the Glazers are the problem at Man Utd and have been since the AGM 2004. Having been at Old Trafford, and now BHP, since the sixties I have to admit this is the worst since 1974, relegation year. Then there was little excuse apart from not being good enough to stay up then, but today everybody and their dog in Manchester knows the Glazers are the root cause of this rot. They have to go and I don't really care how their exit is engineered.
ReplyDeleteOh, don't bank on tomorrows game against the Micky Mouse (scouse), going ahead. Anti-Glazer demos planned.
If you are going to criticise, which is your entitlement, pick an area you are qualified in. This is not one of them.
Caoimhin O'Muraile
I think it was the Woke Committee of Public Safety from uncomfortable ideas that caused the brouhaha around Souness. I understood what he was saying and I am glad he refused to back down to them. I think women make great soccer players but there is a women's game and a men's game and Souness was referring to the men's game when he said it is a man's game. He wasn't denying that women's soccer is a women's game. Woke wank should never be allowed to dilute the quality of public discourse.
ReplyDeleteThat was a very good one to win for us, today! Sorry Steve but stop trying to play out of defence.
ReplyDeleteWe got deservedly humped. Badly need a striker, we create enough chances with no end product. Early days yet though Barry!
DeleteScintillating soccer from Leeds. As for Liverpool last night, the best team won and deservedly so. Well done Eric Ten Hag.
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