Jude Bellingham the ‘divisive soloist’ who is becoming a senseless obsession

Editor F365
Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham
Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham

One man has become a little obsessed with Jude Bellingham and it ‘makes no sense at all’ to others in the England media camp.

At some point, you surely have to wonder if the problem is actually you…

 

For whom the Bell tolls

Mediawatch has covered this at length – you’re probably all a bit bored – but Craig Hope of the Daily Mail really does have a very bizarre obsession with Jude Bellingham. We categorically would never suggest it was motivated by race but when you work for a right-wing newspaper and repeatedly write about a black player, you are opening yourself up to this…

That’s a f*** of a lot of tweets.

On Monday he was suggesting that ‘there must now be serious questions over his World Cup inclusion’ after he – and this really is explosive stuff – raised his arms twice when he realised he was being substituted, before clapping the fans, shaking hands with Thomas Tuchel and then sitting down.

And then Hope followed that with a column (pithily headlined ‘Why Thomas Tuchel should leave divisive soloist Jude Bellingham out of his World Cup squad – it doesn’t matter how good a player he is, this is why his ridiculous antics threaten England’s shot at glory’) and a strong start; he refers to Bellingham as a ‘pupil’ in the second paragraph. He’s a grown man, Craig; would you call Harry Kane a ‘pupil’?

After some criticism across social media, Hope has come out fighting, tweeting: ‘We SHOULD have been talking football & all of the below. We aren’t because of what Bellingham did – he changed the discourse, not the media. It’s also important to explore an issue that could impact England at the World Cup, not just ignore it.’

Which would have some merit if Bellingham had not basically done f*** all. Or if it had been captured on TV or indeed been noticed by everybody in the stadium.

This is not a media storm, either. By twice flapping his arms in opposition to his withdrawal, Bellingham caused the butterfly effect that landed print on page. Until that point, coverage of his technical performance was positive.

Which might have rung a little more true if Hope had not used the actual second question of a press conference of a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win to ask a question about Bellingham’s actions in the 10th minute:

Obsessed, much?

Oh and in case you were wondering, this was the incident in question. We will allow you to decide whether you think it was the second most important thing to happen that night…

Over to John Cross of the Daily Mirror for some perspective on the matter: ‘On what planet could England possibly be better off without their best player? It makes no sense at all.’

Funny how it’s only a ‘media storm’ if you’re Craig Hope and you work for the Daily Mail.

 

A message to you, Arne

‘Florian Wirtz sends Arne Slot message ahead of crucial Liverpool run’ – Liverpool Echo.

Can Mediawatch suggest an encrypted messaging app like WhatsApp rather than the medium of two assists in a 6-0 win for Germany next time Wirtz wants to send a message? It just seems easier.

Over at the Evening Standard, we are told that ‘Florian Wirtz silences Liverpool critics with statement performance as Germany book World Cup ticket’.

Yes, we definitely won’t hear another peep from those who criticise his complete lack of Premier League goals now he has claimed two assists against a team ranked 48th in the world. Take that, Liverpool critics.

Apparently, ‘Wirtz’s performance will leave Arne Slot with considerable food for thought’. Will that ‘food for thought’ be ‘if only Slovakia played in the Premier League…’?

Back to the Liverpool Echo, who want to mine that rich seam of one excellent game from Wirtz: ‘Florian Wirtz ‘perfect’ as two likely Liverpool starters vs Nottingham Forest emerge’.

a) Pretty sure Ryan Gravenberch would have started regardless of whether he was rested by the Netherlands. Nothing has ’emerged’ other than a desperate need for clicks.

b) They might need more than two starters.

 

Have Barcelona announced permanent Marcus Rashford signing?

Have they balls. But you’re supposed to think they have as the Mirror go full sh*thouse:

Marcus Rashford’s wish granted after leaving Man Utd as Barcelona make announcement

To be fair to the Mirror, they cannot keep it up beyond the first line…

Marcus Rashford’s dream of playing at the Camp Nou is set to become reality after Barcelona confirmed their imminent return to the iconic stadium.

Mediawatch would love to see the bounce rate; was it worth the three-second engagement?

Jude Bellingham

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