Mails: On Lingard, Tottenham’s thin squad and…
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Are celebrity attacks all about jealousy?
Great article by John Nicholson on football celebrity culture. What’s interesting is that it suggests a lack of respect for Troy Deeney to react so rudely to a rejection, regardless of how serious you consider that rejection. It begs the question of why you want the photograph at all? To approach a stranger for a photograph in my mind indicates that you respect or like the person at least a little bit, and therefore want to remember and show off the fact you were there with them. Would you want a photograph with a celebrity you didn’t like (e.g. Katie Hopkins, at least for me)? I wouldn’t. It’d be uncomfortable.
If being told no for a photograph is all it takes, it suggests that you either a) have the mental capacity of a child when it comes to being told you can’t have something, or b) only respect someone as far as they fit a certain mould for you. The former probably plays into it, but I think the latter is more accurate. This is a grown man talking to a Watford striker. He’s not a heartbroken child being told to f**k off by his hero. He views Deeney only as an opportunity to get some social bargaining points, and when that doesn’t happen he reveals his actual feelings by letting Deeney know this, and that Deeney has failed to provide the service he has bought, apparently just by supporting Watford, or being a football fan in general – although, again, how much can you really care about the club and the players if your reaction is this extreme? Would a Manchester United fan say that to Alex Ferguson if he rejected a photo?
I think it’s jealousy. He knows asking for a picture puts him in the position of weakness, admitting Deeney is the attraction, the famous person, the footballer. He wants Deeney to know he doesn’t think he’s better than him, that he only asked because Deeney ‘owes him’ the picture. It’s the same as a bloke slagging off a woman right after she rejects his advances. An attempt to save face turned absurd. In both cases the interaction is less about genuine feeling, and more about status, wanting to show that you can convince somebody you respect to do something you want. The contradiction is made apparent when the feeling behind the interaction is immediately turned on its head. It’s all about status. If the petrol station clerk told you that they had ran out, you wouldn’t tell her to f*ck off and that you don’t even like petrol anyway, because there’s no cultural cache tied to buying petrol. I’m probably reading too much into it, but there you are 😛
Mark, Newcastle
No sympathy for footballers here…
So footballers are stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of enjoying their lives. Diddums.
When you saw players down the chippy, they were getting paid 10 n 6, playing with heavy balls on boggy shitty pitches, getting brain damage from headers and normally someone cleaning the shi*ters too.
Nowadays, footballers are molly-coddled like babies and they are paid a HUGE sums so why does it rile you so much that they actually have to put up with a bit of sh*t now and again? As you frequently refer to times gone past, I find it staggering that you ignore all the other reasons why footballers were not hassled in the street in your day.
I agree that the mob shouldn’t rule, but they do. It’s just that one week you are part of the mob (if someone has said something that may offend snowflakes), then bemoaning it the next week, what is it to be?
It’s almost as if people use the mob to portray whatever point of view serves their agenda, how surprising.
If you like smartphones, if you like social media, if you like news, if you read the papers, this is life and you have to accept the pitfalls that go with the promise. It’s called celebrity culture, I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it. Jeremy Clarkson has been complaining about the same thing yet his life has genuinely been put in danger by people braking in front of him on motorways desperate to get a photo.
It’s simple: If you take the money, you have to accept it.
This is your job, you’re paid umpteen times more than the person whom spends almost all his wages to come and watch you play every week
As a NIN fan John, I didn’t think that you would bite the hand that feeds, but as your articles are frequently suggesting, you do, often.
You don’t HAVE to go out and get pi*sed, you don’t HAVE to be on facebook or twatter and you don’t HAVE to play Premier League football. This is life, so go hard, or go home.
Regards
Fat Man Scouse, EFC
Lingard not good enough; sell Young
I must admit I am starting to agree with the Jesse Lingard issue, raised by Matt Stead over the weekend. A Liverpool-supporting colleague asked me what I thought about Lingard recently, and my answer has been my default for a little while now: I’m happy for him to be in the squad, playing against sides at the lower-end of the Premier League and in the cups, but I would never start him in any of the bigger games because we have better options for those. And I was reasonably happy with that assessment until recently, with yesterday being the latest performance to make me doubt my stance.
There’s no questioning his work rate – he is the personification of the phrase “willing runner” – but all too often there is no real purpose to his running. Occasionally he will come up with a moment of brilliance (like his goal in the FA Cup final, or the volleyed assist for Zlatan earlier this season), but those moments are few and far between. He doesn’t seem to make enough tackles or interceptions, he doesn’t really offer any goal threat or end-product with his crossing, and his general passing is average at best. He is very quick, but his speed is counter-balanced by his dithering and poor decision making in attacking positions, and speed isn’t everything; Mata is hardly blessed with great pace, but he contributes so much more.
I’m still not exactly itching for him to be moved on, and would be happy to see him stay in the squad – just not starting games. He is only 23, which means he still has time to improve some, but Martial, Mkhitaryan, Mata, and Rashford are all much better options for those positions, and should be given precedence over Lingard, Rooney and Young. Now, I would like to see players like Rooney and Young moved on; they just don’t currently bring enough to the team to warrant their inclusion and incredible wages (£300k and >£100k per week respectively, I believe). Young’s participation yesterday was particularly irksome; it would have been far better to see Shaw in at left-back and Darmian at right-back, but instead our threat down the right-hand side by both Young and Lingard’s inability to provide a good enough final pass/cross.
While I’m at it, fair play to Blackburn – their goal was excellent, and they gave a very good account of themselves. I was particularly impressed by Emnes and the young lad Mahoney who came on in the second half. They were good value for the draw and will be disappointed to have lost, but if they can keep that kind of performance level up then they should be able to avoid relegation. I was expecting us to get Spurs or Arsenal in the next round, so Chelsea isn’t too much of a surprise – I won’t be holding my breath for a win in that tie, after the mauling we received at the Bridge last time.
Ted, Manchester
Spurs have a squad problem
I watched with glee as Tottenham beat Fulham 3-0 but at the same time I had reservations about the squad quality we possess. Honestly, if we have to field a side that features eight of our strongest starting XI against a Championship side I think there is something wrong with rest of the squad. The fact is that the rest of the squad is not really fit for a team that has top four aspirations. Moussa Sissoko isn’t really the type of player you want as an impact sub. Or as a squad player for that matter.
I am so very glad to see the progress we have made as a club for the past few years. We play attractive football, there’s a bit of grit in the team and we don’t sell our best players anymore. Taking that step upwards, to stop selling our best players is a huge step. By doing that we have joined the likes of City, United, Chelsea and Arsenal. But while our ability to hold on to our strongest players has increased, our transfer transfer policy regarding buys has stayed the same.
We still seem to be buying young prospects, such as GK N’Koudou and Wimmer and when we look to buy a player of first-team quality we somehow end up with Moussa Sissoko. I really hope we sell him this summer, if only for 15m which we can use for a player that can do more than just take a elephant-esque touch of the ball and bully through two players before tripping over the ball when 1 on 1 with the keeper. We as a club need a better transfer policy.
Let’s start by buying a striker that can compete with Kane and maybe a winger who isn’t Moussa Sissoko. I want to see a Tottenham that has a menacing looking second XI for cup competitions. Now our second choice starting XI are: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Carter-Vickers, Davies, Winks, Dier, Sissoko, Onomah, Nkoudou, Janssen. We need at least two good players in those front four. By the way, I really miss Erik Lamela…does anyone know if there’s a set return date for him?
Sibbi, the Icelandic Spur
On the FA Cup mafia and more…
Got to say I enjoyed the email from Ross this morning, and will almost certainly start referring to the ‘FA Cup Mafia’ – Ross can rest easy now, he has accomplished something meaningful.
However, while I agree with his overall point that the media’s desperation for a narrative makes it more difficult to enjoy a great competition (one that has been pretty fun this year), I don’t agree that putting out a team of first teamers means that the manager cannot be accused of ‘disrespecting the cup’ (or more accurately, as having their priorities elsewhere).
F365 has made this point before but it bears repeating – if a manager, or indeed club, clearly places league performance (in the case of Spurs let’s say finishing top four) above winning a cup, then this will transmit to the players performance. As such, despite it being a strong starting team, they will not play to their potential. Part of the manager’s job should be to motivate the players for every game, but it does sometimes seem that the manager will lessen the motivation by explaining that his focus is on the league (or indeed another cup). As such, it could be argued that it would be beneficial to play fringe players, who should be desperate to impress and win a place for other fixtures. Of course this might not work, as seen at Leicester, although I reckon it has some legs to it.
Jack (it’s getting harder by the week to not like Zlatan quite a lot) Manchester
Ed’s weekend thoughts
* If I were writing this for a newspaper, I would be talking about things I ‘learned’ from the weekend. Well, one thing I genuinely learned from this round of the FA Cup is that Brad Guzan plays for Middlesbrough. I realise now he’s been there since the summer, but it completely passed me by, and I’ve clearly not paid attention to any of the games he’s played before now.
* Trevor Sinclair’s defence of Joey Barton made me do a bit of sick in my mouth. There is a difference between ‘winding people up’, as Sinclair insisted his friend Barton was there to do, and actively trying to get an opponent – from four divisions lower – sent off.
That said, the naked cynicism of it was almost an art form, all the way from the stooping his head to make contact with Matt Rhead’s elbow, to Rhead’s look of complete bemusement. There is a distinction between being competitive and being so fragile of ego that you have to resort to all manner of dirty tricks to gain an unfair advantage. It’s a bit like when Liverpool played Yeovil in 2004, and the game turned on Harry Kewell diving for a penalty. According to the Glovers defender who “fouled” him, he accused Kewell of diving, to which the Australian replied “yeah, but that’s football mate”. It’s not really.
Of course, if a foreign manager had a foreign player who was a sh!thouse, he’d be deemed as toughening the environment and building a culture, but because Sean Dyche and Joey Barton are English, it’s seen as a bit archaic and dinosaur-like.
* Jesse Lingard, England player is almost as baffling as Andros Townsend, England player. The article about him will undoubtedly attract impassioned defences, but both of the above are players whose moments of brilliance (such as Lingard’s FA Cup Final winner) are rare oases in vast deserts of underwhelming play.
* An element of Millwall fans misbehave, the world is shocked. Elsewhere, an element of bears defecate in the wood and an element of the Pope’s cardinals are discovered to be Catholic.
* Helder Costa is a talented player, but arguably his biggest asset is his agent, who also has an agreement with Wolves. Certainly seems to be working out for them better than a similar arrangement Doncaster Rovers had with Willie McKay a few years ago, when they ended up with El-Hadji Diouf.
* A few weeks ago, possibly following defeat to Swansea City, Ant CPFC raised the question that it seems like everyone and their mum breaks a scoring drought (or winless streak, see Jack Rodwell) against Crystal Palace. Someone else claimed a disproportionate number of spectacular goals against their team. I think Nottingham Forest fans may feel the same, following Norwich City last week and Almen Abdi this week.
Ed Quoththeraven
The true magic of the cup
Sutton are just down the road from me and so I’ve got mates that have played for them, I’ve played in and watched a few cup finals there, I’ve sat in that away changing room and walked down the tunnel and on to the pitch after the usual barrage of shouting and clapping that usually precedes a big game. So I know how Mesut and Alexis will feel (think first names are appropriate given our connection) as they make their way on to the pitch and wonder if they can see the old UCI cinema from there, where they saw Tomorrow Never Dies after bunking the train and running out the side gate.
I’ve entered in to my thirties now and have two young children, so the prospect of a scout stumbling upon me and deciding I can win England the next World Cup has probably disappeared. But to me, being able to think that sat in that cramped, crappy changing room will be footballers who have played for Barca and Madrid, won the World Cup even, and they will be sitting where I have sat, played where I have played, it’s a nice little thrill for a Monday.
My kids don’t really recognise the difference between a Vauxhall Power League 5 a side winners medal and an FA Cup winner’s medal. They know that most weekends Daddy plays football, they see football on the TV. To them it is basically one and the same, and tonight, for once, I’ll be able to say, with as much forced nonchalance as possible, yeah, I’ve played there, remember you guys were sat just up there, and they will think that their Dad is a lot better at football than he actually is and that he’s a bit more of a hero than he already was (they are still young). There is your magic of the FA cup. Being able to massage your own ego very slightly by misleading your young children.
Ant, CPFC
..On Saturday at roughly 2.30pm, my grandad rang me to tell me non-league Lincoln had just beaten Premier League Burnley.
I was taken aback by how just how excited he was on the phone but it reaffirmed to me that while the ‘magic’ of the FA cup may be lost on the likes of me it is still well and truly alive in the older generation.
Sean, Dublin
How to get battered on a Monday…
Quick challenge for you…take a drink every time the BBC commentators refer to Sutton Utd’s ‘amber and chocolate strip’ tonight. If you can make it to the hour mark still conscious then you are a better man than I.
Micki (Wenger gets to the semi-finals by beating two non-league sides…looks like the gods are smiling on an exit route for the fella) Attridge