Why is Ben White England snub such a big deal? Arsenal fans sound like ‘flat earthers’ over Rice, Saliba

The Mailbox wonders why Ben White snubbing England is such a big deal. Plus, Champions League draw, Moyes out and are Arsenal fans going over the top about Declan Rice and William Saliba?

Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…

Brilliant Ben
Ben White has been brilliant for Arsenal this season, improving even on the fine season he had for us last year as he develops into a vital player on the team currently first in the Premier League. I remain unsure why his choice not to play for England is such a big deal to some people; England are crap.
George, Little-Edson-on-the-Waters, Spruffleton

Oh dear…
All it took was a scraped last 16 win against Porto team outside the top 2 of the Portuguese Liga for the crackpot element to rear its head eh? I won’t even bother eviscerating the “Rice sixth best player in the world” bollocks because it’s some flat-earther shit right there. Rice is quality no doubt – but up until six months ago he’d never played a single minute of CL football, or ever finished in the top six of a major European league. LOL. Ok.

I’m more interested in the “Saliba second best defender in the world on form”. Saliba is definitely one of the best defenders in Europe, given his status as a reigning PFA Team of the Year member, and Arsenal’s defensive improvement and (current) league status. I just don’t know though why certain Arsenal fans do this? Didier Deschamps won a WC and was a whisker away from winning the previous one, so he has the knowledge, trophies and trajectory to be able to spot what a top defensive unit looks like. And yet, Deschamps apparently has the “second best defender in European football” just sat there, gathering dust. William Saliba is third choice for France behind both Kimpembe and Upamecano.

The likes of Marcel Desailly have validated that decision FYI by saying Saliba is a quality player, but lacks a certain maturity still.

This is probably about right but, one thing is for certain: it’s strange to hear such a coronation given that Saliba has won evident, “absolutamente Nada” at club or international level!

I won’t mention seasoned winners like Marquinhos, Alaba, the multiple CL-winning Militao (yes injured this season but still), or that Treble-winning captain Ruben something lad. 🙄

John Henry was right: whatever they’re smoking at the Emirates is some Elite-level grass!
Stewie Griffin (that Arsenal run-in is horrific in CL + PL. One Saliba, Rice or Saka injury and it’s all over. Still, Havertz scored v Brentford, Palace and Burnley sooo)

Rival fans
I just wanted to quickly add my thoughts to the seemingly never ending debate about rival fans piling in on other clubs despite being a bit pants themselves – John Matrix wrote in about it, and I am broadly in agreement with him.

What I always find missing from this conversation is a bit more depth around ‘rival fans’. Now typically, when this expression is used, it is to lump all United, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. fans in to one homogenous group – anyone with an inkling of common sense knows that this isn’t the case, and I know most sensible fans don’t subscribe to this way of thinking. However, enough do that it becomes a right pain the a*se.

However, what I did want to touch on was more around segmentation – I work for a national retailer, and we do a lot of work to understand our shoppers and try and split them in to broad groups with core behaviour traits. While there are obviously differences within each of these, they do generally follow the same patterns. This does not mean that they are identical, e.g.: lifestage, household income, region etc. can all vary wildly. Now, while this might be where I lose the few of you who have bothered to read this far, I’d argue that it can be similar with football fans. For example, I can have much more enjoyable conversations about football with some of my City or Liverpool supporting mates than I can some United fans – these being the ones who post hilarious banter memes, comment on articles with a rage that it almost biblical or think that Carragher’s joke towards Kate Abdo was ‘proper banter’.

So yeah, I’ve taken a roundabout way of saying all clubs have a subset of fans that reasonable people don’t want to be associated with.

As an aside, I’m sure I’m not the only one supporting Arsenal for the title, but I will say, that whoever does end up winning it, will have thoroughly deserved it this year.
Jack (Nervous for the weekend – don’t want to have a second successive season where we have the chance to stop a rival winning multiple trophies and bottle it) Manchester

Referee ‘errors’?
Ok, so the gaslighting James Outram continues on his journey of commenting on his favourite club, Manchester City, every opportunity he can grab at.

His comment that City “…got away with one. Again” is one-eyed, in the extreme, and I wonder if he ever thinks that Liverpool “got away with one”? Probably not because that would imply that Liverpool were in the wrong, initially, when we all know that those little angels simply wouldn’t do anything wrong. However, if it helps, perhaps we should look at a small set of examples..?

April 2018 (Champions League): Liverpool 3 Man City 0: Mo Salah’s opening goal should have been flagged offside. City angered further when Gabriel Jesus’ effort was incorrectly disallowed before Raheem Sterling was denied a penalty after being taken down by Andy Robertson.

April 2018 (Champions League): Man City 1 Liverpool 2: Guardiola was sent off at half-time after Leroy Sane’s goal was disallowed for offside, despite the ball being played into his path by Liverpool’s James Milner.

November 2019 (Premier League): Liverpool 3 Man City 1: Referee Michael Oliver failed to intervene when Trent Alexander-Arnold handled the ball inside his own penalty area – and seconds later Fabinho fired Liverpool ahead.

October 2021 (Premier League): Liverpool 2 Man City 2: Milner’s trip on Phil Foden inside the Liverpool penalty area went unpunished. Milner later avoided a second yellow card after a crude foul on Bernardo Silva and was subbed.

October 2022 (Premier League): Liverpool 1 Man City 1: Referee Anthony Taylor disallowed Foden’s goal after a VAR check for a foul by Erling Haaland after being praised for allowing more obvious offences to go unpunished.

November 2023 (Premier League): Man City 1 Liverpool 1: Manuel Akanji had a goal ruled out for a foul on Alisson despite making minimal contact with the Liverpool keeper.

So, if Rodri and Doku “got away with one”, perhaps we were due them, on balance, huh?

Kind Regards
Levenshulme Blue, Manchester 19

Champions League draw
The two Arsenal perspectives:

Glass half empty version
Jeez it’s sodding Bayern again – why always us and them? Kane will sh*thouse yet another dodgy penalty and that’s that for yet another year

Glass half full version
Yes it’s Bayern again. This new and improved Arsenal team will exorcise some old demons, and us Gooners will get to gleefully serenade Kane with a stirring rendition of “you’re going to win f*ck all…”

I’m a half full type cos why wouldn’t you? Life’s too short to be miserable.
Rob, Bristol Gooner (Oh, and one of the two main favourites will definitely be gone before the semi final)

Long time reader, first time email.

Some people will be looking at this draw and thinking that we’ve got the harder side of it.

I think it is set up perfectly for us to get revenge on those who need it!

Bayern – Think 5-1, think Ar5ena1…Yeh Robben retired, we aren’t scared any more, Bayern got humbled by a team who nearly lost to a Scrabble high word score. Time for a humbling, (Harry, if you don’t win anything this season, maybe you’re the problem, not Spurs…Oh wait)

Move onto Man City – beat them, they stole our first PL title in 19 years. KDB is now over the hill and Haaland’s been found out.

Final Vs Barca – Yeh, Eto’o dived and you got Lehmann sent off, if VAR existed 17 years ago we’d already have a UCL trophy, revenge is a dish served cold.

Liverpool can have the Premier League as a goodbye to Klopp and we win the UCL, although if I’m being greedy, maybe we should win both and do the double…
RS – Bookmark this, in June you’ll want me to predict you some lottery numbers. I’m off fishing… 

Conspiracy
Did they allow Jurgen Kloop to do the champions league draw?
J (Belfast)

Moyes Out – Update
I really enjoyed Dave Tickner’s article about West Ham last night. Rather than go with a lazy “see, you won, and you’re 7th, what are you moaning about?”, which other less informed people have done, I thought he was spot on in terms of gauging the temperature over here.

What has been so deeply frustrating about Moyes deliberately setting us up to be dominated in possession and territorially, every game, whoever the opposition, is that we have some of the best players that I have seen at WH in my 38 years.

I understand Dave T may be wondering how we managed to get Pacqueta and Kudus (not to mention Alvarez, another Ajax import, who is becoming more immense every game. as Dave says, what on earth was Ten Hag thinking?!), but our worries are more how we persuade them to stay. Moyes is the opposite of the answer to that question. Last summer, after the sale of Declan, it was our newish technical director, Tim Steigen, who pushed hard for Alvarez and Kudus. Moyes was pushing the board hard for Maguire, McTominay, Kalvin Philips and James WP. That says it all really.

By the way Dave T, the other “maybe-insider-ish, but obvious to see if you watch WH, but for some reason no one wants to say it” is that James WP is not fit for purpose. He has been lauded on these pages as being in the top 10 signings of the season. He is nowhere near good enough for a team looking to establish themselves as a top 6 side. He delivers a good set piece (no free kick goals so far mind) but he is an empty hole in midfield during open play. Honestly (if you are bored), next time WH are on, watch JWP. Him not playing last night was key to everything good we did.

Kudus (left), Bowen (right) and Paqueta (ffs play him in the middle every game Moyes), with a mobile striker up top (love Antonio, still great when fit, but has needed replacing for a few years) should be/would be a devastatingly effective attack and massively attractive to watch. Yesterday was just a taste, which makes me want Moyes gone even more than before, not less. That performance is an indictment of Moyes, not a validation. Dave T’s comment about the situation being a paradox is absolutely spot on.

Semi finals of Europa, Champions of Europe (wink), now quarter finals of Europa. The sky should be the limit for us. Moyes Out.
Mike, WHU (zero years since last trophy)

Gammon
Alan Brazil aside there are few things in football that come close to the atypical ‘Gammon’ persona. Old PFM’s are sort of there but people who moan about England’s style of play under Southgate really do reach for that boiled ham flag and wave it with abandon.

Like their pink cheeked brethren whose idea of England’s past is all ‘green and pleasant land’ and certainly not colonial genocide or working poor oppression, these guys see our national team’s previous managers as genius tacticians that built dynamic attacking teams and went balls out for every win. The only thing holding them back from dominating the world like our forgone navy was the poor standard of English players or those pesky WAGS, its changes depending on the weather.

You mustn’t trust what you see with your own eyes, you cant be reasonable or pragmatic, because they will put you right, they will show you the truth in all its sweaty porky glory. Southgate’s England only hoofs the ball up to Kane, that’s all that happens, and the solution to the whole thing is to sack Gareth, get Harry Redknapp in charge and replace Jordan Henderson with injury and discipline basket case Kalvin Phillips. Just a few simple steps to the greatest England side ever, golden generation version 4.0 ready to conqueror all.

I absolutely despair
Dave, Manchester

The businessman and his horse…
There was a businessman and he had a horse and cart to take his grain to market. His horse had a blanket, he fed it grain. It was a good business.Then he hears about the principles of True Capitalism. He sells the horse blanket and halves the food, keeping more grain to sell.

And whips more.

This works for a while and if his profits falter he knows he just has to feed less and whip more. Isn’t he clever.

Eventually the horse dies and the whole enterprise fails.

(You’d think someone from the authorities would step in to protect the horse but, of course, they’re toothless and underfunded.)

The point of that analogy is to say that in any system an extreme concentration of wealth may bring short term benefits to those wealthy few but damages and dooms the whole system.

Let’s face it football was designed by Victorian gentlemen – when we took our capitalism unfettered – and it’s no suprise to find the basic principle in there. Wealth brings success, brings more wealth and so on.

In answer to the question should the richest clubs pay more or receive less in the premier league? Yes! Yes, they absolutely should. It would improve the whole league. Make it more competitive, more enjoyable, more attractive; increase revenue for the whole thing.

It’s the same in macro-economics. In western societies the economy usually works best with a smaller wealth gap. Wider wealth distribution is best for everyone. I know there’s a trope says the opposite but it is generally true.

A rising tide lifts all ships.

It’s not news but farmers leagues are a farce, an insult to sport, and they’re everywhere. It’s laughable to call it a sporting competition. I honestly don’t see it appealing to Gen-Z. They’re a lot more knowledgeable and advanced in social conscience and it’s an unsupportable, unsustainable bore.

Football must seem dull, predictable, fossilized to them. We accept it but step back a bit, see how absurd it is that one or two ‘competitors’ expect to, and do, win everything – forever.

How stoked would Bundesliga fans be if there was a genuine four way title race there? They’d love it. A four way battle in France? They’d explode!

The prem is successful because it’s the most competitive and imagine ten teams in a title tussle in the prem? Imagine it because it’s possible, but only by spreading the finances wider. How do you get the most joy for the most fans when there’s only a few trophies? By spreading them round; Newcastle fans would get probably 10 times more joy than Man City fans at winning a trophy. That’s more value in the sport, more total joy.

The likes of Bayern, Real, Barca and the Red Cartel have been wringing the neck of football for too long. They’ve distorted the game and been the only beneficiaries. And now the petro state clubs are involved. I firmly believe lack of competition is killing the game. Rule changes here and there and a bit of financial tie straightening doesn’t touch the main problem.

The need to spread the wealth.

Including down the pyramid – perhaps to make it more like a modern skyscraper!

Spent on infrastructure and training. Better facilities – for fans as well as players. Making it a better experience. More coaches, better training, better players, exciting competition: the whole system thrives. A more attractive product draws new fans. People who watched occasionally watch more, new fans who previously hated the non-competitive dullness are excited by the fresh feeling of fairness and variety. Who knows, far more fans feeling more joy might even help the economy.
Football is old, and it’s suffering. IMO the only way to save it is to spread the bread.

Actually, the business man was too smart. He fed the horse better, gave it an extra blanket, spent money on training and fitness and the horse was happier, fitter and faster. People wondered to see such a healthy horse and reckoned his grain the best. And the business thrived.

Big love beautiful humans
Hartley MCFC Somerset (things are impossible until suddenly they’re not)

Ungodly Hour for a football match 
Hi there,

Andy The Hammer Describes 5:45 on a Thursday as an ungodly hour for a football match . I don’t EXACTLY disagree, but I was able to bring my son to a European match yesterday without reaping a WHIRLWIND this morning. So, swings and roundabouts, I suppose.
Dara O’Reilly, London

Comments section…
I thought this would be fun. I’ve taken those that I consider to be key commenters within the F365 comments section and given them (based on my own perception of their persona within the ‘vuukleverse’) what I consider to be their likely celebrity personality avatar.

Note – this avatar is purely from a personality perspective; no link to any physical appearance, gender, or otherwise has been considered

Second note – if anyone who has been missed off actually cares, my bad. Wasn’t intentional.

Third note – I’ve put appx 7 ½ minutes of thought into this. So there.

Let’s start with:

Keith Butcher (Ken etc) – Lee Mack – the tykeiest of tykes.

Kryten – Stephen Fry – you just know Kryten could present QI on a whim

AWHH – Sir Trevor McDonald – I don’t know why. It’s a good thing though

Shoe Too – Peter Crouch – mischievous, but overall quality

Pacho (Agro Manc etc) – Sergio Ramos – the sh*thouses sh*those

Dixon Hunt – gotta be Paul Hogan – all rugged and antipodean

John Matrix AFC – Keanu Reeves – something suave going on there I reckon

Ryan – Tony Adams – Mr Arsenal

Jeremy Aves – Natalie Portman – apparently she’s really smart, and that’s the vibe I get from Mr Aves

Gary AVFC – Idris Elba – coolest man walking, nuff said
Blok