Mediawatch: Carragher, his nostril and ludicrous outrage

Daniel Storey

Every last drop
The Daily Mirror were first with the footage of Jamie Carragher’s spitgate, and boy are they going to squeeze everything out of the story. In the last 28 hours until 12pm on Tuesday, the full list of Carragher-related stories:

‘Sky Sports to hold talks with Jamie Carragher after Liverpool legend’s “unacceptable behaviour” in spit storm’

‘”Inexcusable!” – Liverpool fans condemn Jamie Carragher after Reds legend caught up in spitting storm’

‘”Vile and disgusting” Jamie Carragher’s previous comments about spitting come back to haunt him after incident with Man United fan’

‘Spit row pundit Jamie Carragher needs to learn that with great privilege comes great responsibility, says Alison Phillips’

‘Lorraine Kelly slams ‘horrible’ Jamie Carragher after he was filmed spitting at 14-year-old football fan: “It’s not acceptable”’

‘Jamie Carragher breaks cover for first time since spit storm as he prepares for showdown talks with Sky Sports’

‘”Filth!” Vinnie Jones wants Jamie Carragher sacked and reveals what he’d have done if he spat at his daughter’

‘”I didn’t see her”: Jamie Carragher claims girl was out of sight after he was filmed spitting at 14-year-old and her dad’

‘Jamie Carragher backed by former Liverpool team-mate after spitting at Manchester United fan and young daughter’

‘”You couldn’t make it up!” Football fans take aim at Joey Barton as he hits out at Jamie Carragher for spitting at fan’

‘Danny Murphy reveals conversation with Jamie Carragher following Liverpool legend’s spitting storm’

‘Richard Keys reacts to Jamie Carragher spit storm after former Sky Sports anchor was sacked for sexist remarks’

‘Jamie Carragher arrives in London ahead of Sky Sports showdown talks after spitting at fan and 14-year-old daughter’

‘Big debate: Who should replace Jamie Carragher as MNF pundit if he gets the boot after his spitting shame?’

‘Jamie Carragher is removed from first TV pundit role after spitting at Manchester United fan and 14-year-old daughter’

‘Billy Joe Saunders blasts Jamie Carragher for spit shame, branding former Liverpool star a “sick w*****”’

‘Jamie Carragher fans trying to justify his spitting are the worst sort of football supporters – you can’t excuse the inexcusable’

‘Gary Neville backs Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher after spitting shame and insists it “shouldn’t stop us working together”’

‘Jamie Carragher forced to watch moment he spat at football fan and 14-year-old girl during Sky interview’

‘Jamie Carragher suspended by Sky Sports after spitting at football fan and 14-year-old daughter’

‘Manchester United fans make brilliant Michael Carrick suggestion as Jamie Carragher is suspended by Sky Sports’

‘Jamie Carragher apology: Full transcript as Sky Sports pundit admits ‘disgust’ with himself over spit shame’

‘Why Sky Sports have cut Monday Night Football by half an hour after Jamie Carragher spit storm’

‘Monday Night Football without Jamie Carragher – live updates as Sky Sports suspend pundit following spitting video’

‘Police to quiz father of Jamie Carragher spitting victim because he filmed football pundit while driving’

‘Sky Sports presenter Dave Jones’ cheeky last remark as MNF FINALLY reference Jamie Carragher spit storm’

‘Gary Lineker’s Jamie Carragher tweet sparks row with Sky Sports’ Geoff Shreeves’

‘Body language expert analyses Jamie Carragher’s live TV apology following spit shame’

‘Jamie Carragher spits at football fan and his 14-year-old daughter in shocking video following Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester United’

‘Jamie Carragher’s former Liverpool teammate hints at personal turmoil behind spitting shame’

‘John Arne Riise urges people to “move on” following Jamie Carragher’s spit shame’

A rate of more than one an hour. You have to say that’s spectacular.

 

The best lines from the headline in that above list that sticks out
Yes, it’s the body language expert:

‘He sat for most of the interview with a relaxed posture, his facial expression pleasant and his hands clasped calmly, although when he got towards the end his right hand did start to make circling movements in the air.

‘His jaw jutted slightly in what looked like a gesture of resilience when they spoke about the future, although he also a performed a tongue-poke that could suggest a distaste for what is to come.’

‘He shook his head and one nostril wrinkled slightly in what could have been disgust when he said he was getting vilified but his appeal to the fans at the end brought out some much more confident signals.’

‘It was his ‘five second of madness’ versus a twenty-odd year career and here he raised his brows, shook his head and allowed his lips to curl slightly and a half-smile to cross his face.’

Put a fork in us, because we’re done.

 

And yet somehow, that wasn’t the most ridiculous take
‘Football as the beautiful game is dead. Jamie Carragher spat on its grave’ – Anthony Clavane, Guardian.

‘Spitting is now the scourge of football, the sport’s most offensive act. Worse even than elbowing, foul language, butting, brawling, kung-fu kicking and using your hand to deny England’s brave boys their World Cup destiny. It is the beautiful game’s deadliest of sins.’

Mediawatch enjoys mildly ridiculous opinions being boldly presented as facts.

‘…his spitting shame must be seen as the latest symptom of the contempt displayed by the superstars of the modern game for the men, women and children who pay preposterous amounts of money to watch them kick a ball around for an hour and a half each week.’

Must it? Must it really?

‘His actions tell us more than his punditry has to date. It’s a sorry reminder that the game of Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton and Bobby Robson has been hijacked by an arrogant elite.’

Put down that p*ssing fork and just take us out of the oven.

 

Neil before us

For the record, none of our ‘writers’ have ever asked for shifts on a national and Mediawatch has never not been anonymous. We have no retort to the claim that we are ‘bloody cowards’.

Still, at least Custis recognises Football365 as a thing now:

Although, there is a chance that we could be forgotten all over again, given that in 2012 he was a regular reader:

Come back to us, Neil. We never forgot you x

 

Spot the difference
Paul Merson on Marco Silva’s success in the Greek League with Olympiakos:

“I could win the league with Olympiakos. They’ve won it 107 times and it’s only been going 106 years. The thing is, why does it always have to be a foreign manager [this time getting the Hull job].”

Paul Merson on Brendan Rodgers’ success in the Scottish League with Celtic:

“I don’t know why he doesn’t get the Arsenal job. He’s done nothing wrong at Celtic. To do what they’ve done, people can say it’s Scottish football and Celtic are head and shoulders above, but every team they played on that run treated it like a cup final, which is difficult sometimes.”

Remember folks, weaker teams in Greece don’t try to beat the best like they do in Scotland.

 

Pwopa Nawty
In his Daily Mirror column on Tuesday, Stan Collymore makes some semi-interesting points on the state of West Ham. But Mediawatch cannot get on board with the principal theme of Collymore’s argument:

‘One thing struck me after seeing what happened at West Ham: Were enough questions asked by fans before they moved into the London Stadium?

‘That’s what I ask every football fan of every club before they get a brand new stadium or owner — did you ask enough questions or did you get blindsided by promises you’re going to be rich, in the top four and playing Champions League ­football?

‘But I think, as usually happens with lots of football fans, they got very giddy about moving to a new ground and swept away by the promises that come with it. Those promises are not unique to West Ham fans, they have been made to plenty of clubs.

‘The fans all keep schtum until a situation arises when it is too late, and events like those we saw at the London ­Stadium on ­Saturday against Burnley happen.’

Most West Ham supporters Mediawatch has spoken to were not happy about leaving Upton Park, but gave the benefit of the doubt to owners who talked up the commercial benefits that would have positive on-pitch knock-on effects.  Isn’t it normal practice, if promises are made, to wait until those promises are broken to question the process?

Any West Ham fan who had kicked off in May 2017 about their team being 16th in the table with David Moyes as manager after a year of low net spend might have been drowned as a witch.

 

Why didn’t West Ham fans see this coming?
Collymore’s criticism of West Ham supporters for the club’s mess because they didn’t protest about the ownership when they left Upton Park is particularly hard to swallow given that last September, when West Ham were already in the London Stadium, he wrote this in the Daily Mirror:

‘Part of my job as a columnist and broadcaster is to follow patterns and trends on social media. And what is noticeable right now is the growing feeling among West Ham fans that co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold have got to go. There’s more than a trickle of ­unhappy Hammers changing their avatars, changing their pictures, on Twitter to that effect.

‘I’m seeing that even among the most respectable Hammers fans there seems to be a bit of a feeling towards the West Ham hierarchy. A feeling like, ‘Okay, they’ve got us into the new stadium but they ­maybe can’t transition us from being one of London’s mid-sized clubs to one of London’s big-sized clubs’.

‘It certainly isn’t because Sullivan and Gold are ­hiring and firing chairmen based on a few bad ­results. History has taught us they are not. They give their managers plenty of time, no matter how much pressure they are under – and that will ­always be to their credit.’

In that piece, Collymore would describe Gold and Sullivan as ‘very professional’ and ‘almost model owners’, ending it with ‘I’m prepared to give Sullivan and Gold the benefit of the doubt rather than blaming them for West Ham’s start’.

Now he’s blaming supporters for not protesting about owners who four months later he would back? Easy in hindsight, isn’t it?

 

Exclusive: At least one of you is guessing
‘Exclusive: Mark Hughes the favourite for Southampton job after Mauricio Pellegrino is sacked’ – Daily Telegraph.

‘EXCLUSIVE: Southampton poised to test Brendan Rodgers’ desire to stay as Celtic boss’ – The Sun.

‘Marco Silva is among the candidates for the Southampton manager’s job after they sacked Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday. Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic is also under consideration’ – Daily Mail.

 

The final countdown
West Brom 1-2 Southampton – February 17.

‘Exclusive: West Brom boss Alan Pardew has two games to save job after ‘Taxi-gate’ with Baggies owner furious about incident and poor performances’ – The Sun, February 18.

West Brom 1-2 Huddersfield Town – February 24.

‘West Brom boss Alan Pardew has one game to save job as claims emerge he had a furious bust-up with Chris Brunt’ – The Sun, February 26.

Watford 1-0 West Brom – March 3.

‘West Brom chief executive Mark Jenkins to fly to China for talks with owner over Alan Pardew future’ – The Sun, March 6.

West Brom 1-4 Leicester City – March 10.

‘Alan Pardew to remain in charge of West Brom despite one win in 16 matches’ – The Sun, March 13.

Teflon Pards.

 

Man back mate for job
“You might think I’m mad but with eight games to go and looking at men who are out of work – it’s Mark Hughes. He has never been relegated as a Premier League manager” – Robbie Savage, BBC 5Live.

Pesky omission: That’s because he was sacked by Stoke City with the club in the bottom three, and by QPR with the club bottom.

 

Optimism of the day
‘Pardew has got what it takes to keep West Brom up and I hope he does’ – Stan Collymore in the Daily Mirror with an opinion that almost nobody else shares.

 

Recommended reading of the day
Jonathan Liew on Petr Cech.

David Squires on West Ham.

Sid Lowe with Sergio Rico.

 

Planet Sport quiz: Test your knowledge on the career of Pete Sampras. (Tennis365)

 

Jamie Carragher Mediawatch

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