Rod Liddle

thebaz

I don't know if anyone else reads the Sunday Times, but i find Rod Liddles comments particularly nasty , he still hasn't got over Englands early and deserved departure from the World Cup, and is encouraging readers to continue the abusive chanting and hatred campaign against Ronaldo , because of the Rooney incident i assume.
Yes Ronaldo himself is no gentleman , but Rod get over it , move on , and for a supposed quality broadsheet to encourage abusive chanting , and hatred , is baffling to me, especially written by a journalist who is rumoured to have have far right tendencies .

Jivin Turkey

We should get Eamo to put him in his place again.

Nalz

I'll tell you who wrote it!

shane86

Left his wife for a young one so he did.....


Anyone got a youtube link for that clip?

MrJoeSoap

shane86 wrote:

Left his wife for a young one so he did.....


Anyone got a youtube link for that clip?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prep4trYNj4

Here's the article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2093-2472081,00.html

IF THERE is hope for the game of football in Britain, it may well emerge from the most unlikely of places: down among the dead men of our struggling lower-league clubs and the fans who turn out week after week to watch them.

So let’s hear it first for the supporters of Southend United, currently enjoying their best season in 20 or 30 years, propping up the Championship. Recently they played — and defeated — the imperial pomp of Manchester United, but it is not the result that most cheered me up. It was the fact that every time Cristiano Ronaldo touched the ball he was greeted by an avalanche of hatred, loathing and bile from the Southend supporters; a wonderful crescendo of abuse and derision, catcalls, jeers, obscenities and invective. It made me proud to be an Englishman. The point being that the fans of the Premiership clubs (day one of the season excepted) have forgotten and presumably forgiven; these days, at Upton Park and the Riverside and Craven Cottage, the appearance in the opposing line-up of this sly, flouncing Portuguese cheat scarcely raises an eyebrow and still less a murmur from the crowd.

This is because Premiership supporters are more sophisticated and less bitter than their lower- league counterparts and also, perhaps, less bothered about injustices perpetrated against the national side. And cheating has become such an endemic part of the Premiership game that it seems pointless to single out Ronaldo for abuse; hell, they all do it. But the Southend supporters had not forgotten and still less forgiven. Ronaldo’s performance against England still rankled with them, as it still rankles with me. And it should rankle, shouldn’t it? The commentators and experts quickly decided that Ronaldo’s crimes, if they were crimes at all and not just, you know, “a part of the professional game, Brian”, were easily outweighed by his balletic grace, his exquisite control of the ball, etc. But for the Southend fans it was a case of: step over this, you winking, earring-wearing ponce. Good on them.

Similarly, one of the poorest league clubs in England made a principled stand against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo this past week. Chris Roberts, the chairman of Torquay United, has threatened to dismiss any of his club’s players found to be diving during matches. The cynic might argue that it is rather easier for Torquay to take such a stand than it would be for the bejewelled monkeys of the Premiership. Indeed, if Mr Roberts’s dictum was adopted throughout our top league, games between Arsenal and Chelsea (for example) could be played out on a five-a-side court, with no substitutes. But I dare say there are valuable members of Torquay’s tiny squad who believe themselves to be the next Arjen Robben or Andrew Johnson and regularly attempt to emulate their heroes in every aspect of their game, flinging themselves to the ground in the penalty area in those crucial final seconds of a game. In fact, logically, the loss of a prolific striker is far more difficult for Torquay to bear than it is for the likes of Chelsea or Arsenal, who have seven or eight more of them waiting in the wings and the money to buy at the highest level. If Torquay lose a prolific striker, if they’ve ever had one, then they would simply do without. And, therefore, lose.

Again, the real difference is one of mindset; in the Premiership, success is the only thing that matters, so managers — and supporters — are inclined to be less bothered about the manner in which success is achieved. Torquay — and Southend United — have never been bedevilled by success, in the way in which a Premiership supporter might define it. Success for them is a useful home point against Hull City or Hartlepool. Abject failure is an almost permanent state of being. I do not mean to deride these clubs; quite the opposite. The mere survival of Torquay is, when you think of it, an epic achievement in itself; surviving across the century with gates of 2,000 or so, rarely if ever blinking into the sunlight of the upper divisions. And to have survived with their principles intact is an achievement that to my mind exceeds the glittering spoils of war in the trophy cabinets at Anfield and Old Trafford.

And while we’re unearthing unlikely heroes, let’s hear it for El Hadji Diouf, a chap you would be slightly less inclined to invite over for supper than the head of your local Al-Qaeda cell. Here is a querulous, sulky, spitting, diving pantomime villain of a professional footballer, if ever there was one. Diouf has at least admitted he is a cheat, which, in the morally bereft world of the Premiership, counts as a giant leap for mankind. Admittedly, he did so out of an attempt, via somewhat circuitous logic, to exculpate himself from the charge that he is a cheat. But still. “Every player dives,” he said, “not just me. If you see Rooney, how many times does he dive to try to get a penalty? It is just because it is me that people talk about it.”

He is right, of course. In the Premiership it is not only the foreigners who cheat; the few remaining English players do it too, although they are not always quite so adept as Ronaldo, Pires, etc. Give them time, I suppose. Time — and a fervent disinclination to do anything whatsoever about it, to assume that it is simply “part of the game”, a given that we should live with, in the name of success.

Just Liddle trying to be controversial and cutting edge again I reckon. Pay no heed.

yop

The engerluund version of Dunphy, I am sure he is bitter after his wife fuked for a younger man

MrJoeSoap

yop wrote:

The engerluund version of Dunphy, I am sure he is bitter after his wife fuked for a younger man

Eh... what? He was the one who had the affair.

dohboy

Liddle's column is a good laugh. He doesn't take himself seriously and neither does he expect his readers to.

If every football columist was a dull jobsworth who toed the line, we wouldn;t have much to talk about.

The likes of Dunphy and Liddle add colour to what can offen be an inane morass of cliche and fence-sitting.

MrJoeSoap

thebaz wrote:

...a journalist who is rumoured to have have far right tendencies .

What? He was a member of the Socialist Workers Party and the Labour Party...

Is this what you are referring to?

thebaz

MrJoeSoap wrote:

What? He was a member of the Socialist Workers Party and the Labour Party...

Is this what you are referring to?

His wikipedia biog isn't too pleasant , -- don't want to tar all Millwall , but he is one of them , and they have known links to the right .
P.S. on away trips with Ireland met a few good Millwell heads , always baffled me how they could fly the tri-colour at the Den !

Fratton Fred

This annoys the crap out of me.

England fans (Of which I am one) are accused widely of holding a petty grudge against ronaldo, when in reality it is the nedia who have hyped the whole thing up.

The reason the incident has been forgotten is that no one (Outside of Man U) liked the guy in the first place and this has been put down to just another chapter in the career of the annoying little tosser.

When he comes to Fratton Park, he will get abuse and tons of it. Not just for ths Rooney incident, that will be the excuse, but because he is despised.

That an the fact that he can't hit a cow's arse with a banjo, unless he is playing against us. Then everything he hits goes in, from anywhere on the pitch:rolleyes:

growler

thebaz wrote:

His wikipedia biog isn't too pleasant , -- don't want to tar all Millwall , but he is one of them , and they have known links to the right .
P.S. on away trips with Ireland met a few good Millwell heads , always baffled me how they could fly the tri-colour at the Den !

uncomplimentary wikipedia bio, shock!!

Its comical that you can keep a straight face typing " don't want to tar all millwall....... but... they have known links to the right" lol

millwall have known links to millwall, and have a history of hooligan nutters at the den, most of whom have trouble telling their left hand from their right and are unlikely to spend much time comtemplating which side of the political spectrum they fall on. They are as right wing as the Sun tells them to be (assuming they don't just look at the pictures).

I can't imagine there is a single club that doesn't have some far right supporters, but then they probably have vegan, communist, methodist etc. type of fan also.

thebaz

growler wrote:

I can't imagine there is a single club that doesn't have some far right supporters, but then they probably have vegan, communist, methodist etc. type of fan also.

I'd say Milwall have more than the average , well more !
Anyway , i don't know what Liddles political beliefs are for sure, but the issue is i don't agree with a broadsheet encouraging supporters to abuse another player , particlularly when so many are fickle eneogh to abuse a manager whose only crime is to recover from a brain tumor (Glenn Roeder !) .

mike65

I thought that was a perfectly reasonable article. Prem fans accept cheating as the norm - its true, if it was'nt than we'd all make more fuss.

Mike.

Mr. Presentable

I agree with Mike - the article is more about the passion for the game having settled at the lower leagues. The Prem fans are only interested in glory - whatever the means thereto.

thebaz

serves you right Rod -- Ron has answered his critics in the right way !

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=440945&CPID=8&clid=1&lid=4161&title=Second+monthly+gong+for+Ron

Pighead

Hmm 6 goals in 7 games eh. Not bad for a lad who

Fratton Fred wrote:

can't hit a cow's arse with a banjo

SectionF

That Ronaldo lad has come on a bit recently, hasn't he?

All the same, I think the original article complained of is perfectly valid, and reflects a growing disenchantment in England with corporatised sport.

I suppose it's easy for eL fans to identify with that. If there's going to be a movement back to real football, then IMO that's no bad thing and it might be something that the league here can be part of.

Chucky the tree

whats real football?

Bateman

Chucky the tree wrote:

whats real football?

*When 20 lads can turn up and stand and watch the game together, swear, and smoke (not that I smoke ).
*When you can afford to take your kids to the match every second week.
*When you don't get told to sit down as soon as you stand up
*When you don't get arrested, handcuffed, and fingerprinted for throwing toilet roll / till roll
*When the players aren't diving all over the place.
*When the players aren't overpaid
*When the chairman doesn't decide what players are bought, sold, played and benched

Other than that though, the Premiership can be good fun on occasion.

Pigman II

I like him and his articles. Don't care whether he's genuine or just hacking it but I love watching fools taking umbridge at his writings and going off on one.

Dunphy making an eejit out of himself over the guy (and subsequent forced(?) public apology) was just the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.

If all that's not enough for you then hell even his name is funny! Rod Liddle *snigger*

Pighead

Pigman II wrote:

I like him and his articles. Don't care whether he's genuine or just hacking it but I love watching fools taking umbridge at his writings and going off on one.

Dunphy making an eejit out of himself over the guy (and subsequent forced(?) public apology) was just the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.

If all that's not enough for you then hell even his name is funny! Rod Liddle *snigger*

Surely though Dunphy is our very own version of Liddle. People are always up in arms about Eamos ridiculous writings.

Didn't realised he apologised to Liddle, poor old Quinny is still waiting for his.

SectionF

Chucky the tree wrote:

whats real football?

I was in Dubai recently and didn't see much of it there .
Maybe you should ask a gooner.:D

Jivin Turkey

Bateman wrote:

*When 20 lads can turn up and stand and watch the game together, swear, and smoke (not that I smoke ).
*When you can afford to take your kids to the match every second week.
*When you don't get told to sit down as soon as you stand up
*When you don't get arrested, handcuffed, and fingerprinted for throwing toilet roll / till roll
*When the players aren't diving all over the place.
*When the players aren't overpaid
*When the chairman doesn't decide what players are bought, sold, played and benched

Other than that though, the Premiership can be good fun on occasion.

:rolleyes:

Yeah none of this ever happens in the Eircom league.

Bateman

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bateman
*When 20 lads can turn up and stand and watch the game together, swear, and smoke (not that I smoke ).
*When you can afford to take your kids to the match every second week.
*When you don't get told to sit down as soon as you stand up
*When you don't get arrested, handcuffed, and fingerprinted for throwing toilet roll / till roll
*When the players aren't diving all over the place.
*When the players aren't overpaid
*When the chairman doesn't decide what players are bought, sold, played and benched

Other than that though, the Premiership can be good fun on occasion.


Yeah none of this ever happens in the Eircom league.

The ones in bold wouldn't be up for discussion IMO; some of the ones left unbolded could go either way. Examples being;

1. Of course you can be told to sit down if you stand up in a seated area in an eL ground, but you can of course make the choice to go to a standing or seated area before the match begins.

2. Top eL players are of course over paid relative to (a) what the clubs can actually afford to pay them without getting into debt, and (b) relative to their ability. That said, they might be on 3 times the average industrial wage, they certainly aren't on 10 times the industrial wage.

MrJoeSoap

Bateman wrote:

Top eL players are of course over paid relative to (a) what the clubs can actually afford to pay them without getting into debt, and (b) relative to their ability.

(Insert Shelbourne related joke here)