Mails: Are Liverpool the neutral’s team?

Matt Stead

If you have anything to say, email theeditor@football365.com…

 

Big Scam
After the inevitable sacking, Allardyce will be etched in history as the only England manager with a 100% record. Just let that sink in.
David, London (Spurs) – PS long time reader first time mailer.

 

Big Sham
Is the Sam Allardyce “sting” the ultimate example of the British tabloid press cycle of build them up and knock them down. The timing is highly suspect. I have not yet read a definitive time when the “sting” is purported to have occurred other than “Before he had even held his first training session as England’s new head coach” and it being “part of a 10-month Telegraph investigation”.

To me, the less scandalous timeline is Big Sam caught on camera saying something potentially improper but devoid of all context. Large fractions of the media that are paid for their opinion are paid to express an opinion on Big Sam for the England job that was, at best, highly questionable and against popular opinion. Following the very aggressive lobbying by said fractions of the media, Big Sam lands the England job. The “sting” is unveiled. It is like hippy crack gate version 427 (remember how long the tabloids would sit on that drivel before the grand unveil in international week).

No doubt the FA will cave, luckily for England though he shouldn’t have landed the job in the first instance. I did however think he was the manager the English media deserved.
RC, Eire (I will be disappointed if no one uses my “Big Sham” headline)

 

Big Ram
Does this mean Sam Allardyce is allegedly England’s finest manager since Terry Venables?
Ed Quoththeraven

 

Big Damn
Now in a sense I don’t really care whether Allardyce has really said all the things he’s reported as having said (although to be honest Sam, it don’t look good) but what really pi**es me off about this country is the way that the press love to target anyone in authority and especially England football managers.

They did it with Sven (with the fake Sheikh) they had a go at Capello (for having an interest in another job) , Venables (shady dealings)  Hoddle (for his beliefs) and they also did it with the various chaps at the FA as well (mainly for having it off with their secretaries).

Regardless of whether or not you think Allardyce is the right man for the job (and I happen to think he isn’t) the end result is likely to be that he gets the boot.

Then what?   Who on earth is there out there that a) is good enough to take on the England job and b) would want to take it?

Who’ve we got?  The same people who weren’t good enough when Allardyce got it, that’s who.

Thanks Daily Telegraph!  Job done.
Steve

 

Big ‘I am’
So news has broken that Sam Allardyce has met with “businessmen” to negotiate a potential deal to explain how to “get around” FA rules on third party player transfers.

The problem with this is The Telegraph had hired the “businessmen” to pretend to strike a deal to get Allardyce in trouble, they didn’t just stumble upon this or get tipped off that something fishy was going on.

I hate that The Telegraph have done nothing wrong here, even though he wouldn’t have been in that situation if The Telegraph hadn’t of made it all up, same with Sven many years ago and a few other England managers.

I don’t think the national team are going to be winning any trophies anytime soon but, this hardly helps the situation, like just before every major tournament an “exclusive” is released about a player/coach.

I wish the media would concentrate on badly rating players and making up harmless transfer gossip, let our players, managers & coaches do their job without setting them up to create “exclusives”
Sam

 

The ultimate PFM
How fortunate, so soon after the publication of your analysis of the attributes of a PFM, to be reminded of their love of a bung. The size of a wedge is a measure of a man’s “properness” (per Mike Ashley) and an ability to do business like PFM should…..
K. Champion, Manchester

 

So Allerdici PFM’d himself out of the PFMs wet dream job. ‘Twas all them foreigns that did ‘im in.
Brian, Brussels

 

For anyone surprised at Sam Allardyces indiscretion, remember he is a Proper Football Man of the very highest standing.

As Aesop would tell us.

The FA: Why?

Sam Allardyce: It’s my nature.
Chris ITFC, Liverpool

 

JACKPOT!! Fat Sam just won the PFM lottery. He’s now the alpha dog. The king pin. The undisputed champion of the world of PFMen.

This is absolutely hilarious.

Classic.
Dave, BAC

 

(Allegedly) Cashing in whilst drinking a pint of wine?

Top pfm work that.
Alan, (did anyone get the name of the bar they were in?) Wrexham.

 

Ozil and Sanchez fell in love with the project
Just wanted to respond to Global Gooner’s mail about why Ozil and Sanchez have chosen the Arsenal project over a bigger club. It’s a good question and my reasoning could be completely off the mark but for me (Jeff) it’s the most logical.

Ozil and Sanchez have already been at bigger clubs (Madrid and Barcelona) and I feel that they like the idea of being the star rather than playing second or third fiddle in a great team. They want the success an adulation of the fans (not to say they weren’t loved in Madrid and Barcelona but they just never had the same clout as others) and carry the burden and have backed themselves to be the star in a great team in their own right. Arsenal are a big enough club on a world scale to not be called a major step down but at the same time are never going to attract the elite superstars (Messi, Neymar, Bale Ronaldo etc.) that are playing in Germany and Spain (that’s not to say that Arsenal won’t develop an elite superstar as they have done in the past with the likes of Henry). Arsenal offers an ego stroke that they just wont get at the perennial Champions League winning clubs but see Arsenal as a chance to take the limelight and lead a club to success rather than be a cog in a well-oiled machine.

Basically I think the ‘Arsenal Project’ gives them a chance to be a big fish in a relatively big pond but the pond is a little too small for the massive fish to swim in.
Oisin NZ (As a United fan I am delighted to see Rooney dropped but worry he could become a distraction. Does anyone else think cancelling his (massive) contract would be an option if we cant offload him? It would be a bit of a write off but in the long run it would probably be worth it. Can’t have him skulking around Carrington until 2019 can we?)

 

Are Liverpool the neutral’s side now?
Interesting mail from Simon, LFC stating he likes players who smile. I agree wholeheartedly. Football is cynical enough now with all the money involved and it is easy to feel detached from players. When they smile it makes me realise they really are living the dream for us and they are not just doing it for the money.

Son, I’m pretty sure I read somewhere, brought cakes with him when he met his teamates for the first time. If smiling wasn’t a good enough reason for you to like him.

I basically root for players and teams based on personality of which smiling is of course a factor. Teams that actually give youth a sustained chance show they have a bit of soul. Also, how any neutral cannot support Liverpool at the moment with Jurgen Klopp at the helm is beyond me. Exciting football conducted by a hilarious, honest, swearing, passionate German genius who gives kids a chance and frequently breaks his spectacles while celebrating. What’s not to love?

The most despised teams of course are Chelsea and Man Utd. Chelsea due to violent Costa, arrogant Hazard and everything John Terry. As well as scary Putin friend owner. Man Utd because of Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex and because they are Man Utd. Juan Mata may be loveable but even he cannot compensate for that.
Howard.

 

Will a woman ever start for a Premier League team?
Hey Football365…just finished watching the first episode of new Fox show called Pitch and a thought suddenly struck me.

Essentially the show it is about the first female player to start in the Major League Baseball.

Considering it is from Fox it actually isn’t the worst show…but it has definitely got me thinking.

We have all watched over the last decade (or two) at how our beautiful game has evolved…the game has become less physical, faster and almost non-contact.

When we played football as kids, we used to exclude any girl who wanted to play as they ‘might get hurt!’.

Of course, little did we know that their feelings were hurt more by the exclusion but that is different therapy discussion.

I’ve watched a lot of women’s games in the World Cup and Olympics over the last few years and the quality and athleticism is easily there.

Which leads me to my point…how do long do you think it will take for the first female to start for a Premier League team?

5, 10, 20 years? Or perhaps never?

The marketing side is potentially huge and with the money associated with the game, is there a chance a female player could turn out along Mister Pogba in the middle of the park?

Whilst it is still highly unlikely I like to think that one day it will happen.

Or it might go the other way – the money and advertising will be pumped into the women’s game – as we wave goodbye to our millionaire male players and start watching the game like it used to be played?

One thing for sure is that sport has a long way to catch up with modern society…
Simon MUFC (Lisburn, Northern Ireland)

 

Mailbox Mediawatch
You’ve already given Garth Crooks somewhat of a kicking for his comments on Petr Cech, but hopefully you will appreciate that his comments on Peter Shilton cannot be left without challenge.

Shilton’s save at Coventry was undoubtedly fantastic, but did it turn the season?  When Forest headed to Highfield Road, they needed just 1 point to secure the Championship.  They had a further 4 games after to secure the title, and did so at a canter by 7 points, gaining a further 5 points from the remaining games, even though it was 2 points for a win.  A wonderful save?  Yes.  A turning point?  Not really, Forest were already on the brink and would undoubtedly have won the title regardless.  “Regarded as the moment that delivered Forest the Championship”?  That’s pushing it.
Peter

 

Thank you
This is a thank you email, get ready for some flattery.

It’s easy for a conversation to move onto football. When you meet someone new and search for something to connect on, football is the easy choice, and restating the status quo the easiest option. The Premier League is the most exciting in the world? Yeah let’s all proudly agree on that for half an hour. Pep has never taken a Championship side to Rotherham on a wet Monday night? Let’s nod our heads in agreement and take another sip of our warm beer. What’s that you say? Maybe English players are a bit dumb, punditry littered with idiots and the claws of xenophobia firmly rooted in the culture of our game? What you on about mate? Did you just spill my pint?

It’s this last voice that you rarely hear while knocking one back at The Farmers Arms on quiz night. It’s unusual, it’s against the norm and it’s a little unsettling. Before I discovered this site it was a voice that even when spoken sounded like someone was speaking a foreign language. Luckily, I knew how to read.

And read I did. Each day, I would come to this site and have my suspicions that Robbie Savage is the reincarnation of Satan confirmed. I would read about Proper Football Men, The Slow and Painful Death of Paul Scholes and how the allowance of Garth Crooks to write his thoughts onto paper and have it printed must surely be the results of someone losing a very costly bet late one night at the BBC when the bar ran out of beer and all that was left was some suspicious looking brandy.

A light went off in my head. It all seemed to make sense, that feeling of despair I had each time Paul Merson’s face would horrifically fill my television screen and start to speak was confirmed. In football, idiots are everywhere, and we swim in their bullshit as if frolicking in the warm waters of the Mediterranean.

So thank you F365, thank you for being one of the voices that remind us that there are other opinions, other ideas and other ways to react when someone mentions Raheem Sterling. You don’t always get it right, but then you’re not meant to. What I admire the most is, in a world where simply restating the hollow arguments Jaime Redknapp has just proclaimed in his latest piece of literary work is commended with grunts of agreement by anyone in earshot, you try to look at things a little differently. Now off you trot to the bar, it’s your round. I’ll have the brandy.
Nick (Want to make a bet that Pep will get relegated this season?) London