Keep them coming to theeditor@football365.com
Vote Southgate
Does anyone else think that Gareth Southgate has pulled a masterstroke in dropping Wayne Rooney? I mean, of course you do, but you probably don’t see it as a masterstroke, just something that needed to happen. But I’m looking deeper into this, and think this is part of his plan to land the England job permanently.
Let’s be honest, not many of us would have been excited at the prospect of England appointment Gareth Southgate as full time manager a week ago, and he knows this. A nice guy, quietly spoken, but probable FA puppet __with limited managerial experience, hardly one to excite the fans. But what’s this? He’s done something that numerous highly regarded managers have refused to do and something that the idiotic pundits we are sick of don’t like? Suddenly he’s far more interesting to a large number of disillusioned football fans.
Now, I’m not saying that this will change everyone’s mind about him, he would still be an unpopular choice, but maybe some will champion him now if he gets good results? To me, if feels like a political party trying to pick up protest votes by sticking it to the establishment and proposing something that will at least interest those disenfranchised, and in terms of the England team, it’s those who have switched off and lost interest __with a ‘It’s all so predictable’, ‘same thing every tournament’, ‘why is Rooney still playing?’ attitude that so many mailboxers seem to fall into.
I’m not even convinced Southgate isn’t a Rooney fan like a lot of other managers/former pros. But if he wants the job, he has to do something different, he has to find his “I’ll hold a second referendum” proposal, and this could well be it.
Mike (AVFC), London
Mourinho’s long game?
After I was reminded that Mourinho was offered the Man United job before Moyes it got me thinking.
He saw from the state of the team at the time that he couldn’t get done what would be expected (Top 4?) at United so decided not to take it at the time.
This allows someone else to be the fall guy. Queue Van Gaal coming in to stabilise it slightly and get some new players in whilst United get their new sponsorship deals which means a bigger kitty.
Mourinho wins the title at Chelsea to remind us how great he is whilst over at United the mutteringa of discontent are growing. Mourinho sees this and decides that he’s going to go on the rampage at Chelsea to piss everyone off and get himself sacked.
If he’d have quit Chelsea for United it would have tarnished what goodwill he has left with the supporters but the way he did it makes it look like the players underperformed and it wasn’t his fault.
Maybe, just maybe.
Also well done on taking Vik M to task in his nonsense. Didn’t surprise me in the slightest to see he was a United fan.
Dale (If you print this I’ll show my boss) Leeds
The Boo Boys
Boo Rooney, boo the system, boo injustice
Sorry, but I have to disagree with those this morning complaining about the booing. Yes, it is a very childish way to express yourself but the reasons they have given for disagreeing with it just don’t wash with me. To cite Robert Enke and Gary Speed isn’t right, if you are saying that booing isn’t healthy for a sports persons mind then neither is cheering. As we’ve seen, some can’t handle the loss of adulation once they finish playing, so effectively we’re looking at polite clapping or silence throughout.
There seems to be some distinction as to when booing is appropriate as well, no-one ever pipes up to say the referee shouldn’t have been booed for an incorrect decision that has led to an advantage for the opposing team. No-one pipes up in favour of the returning ex-player who has done your club over in some way, shape or form. No, the only objection to booing is when it is your own player on the receiving end due to poor performance. I can see the logic in this as the view would be to support your team in the best way you can, negativity shouldn’t be part of this support. You shouldn’t admit that the villain is actually one of your own.
But, everybody has the right to express themselves in any way they wish. If you think cancelling your Sky subscription will get the message to Gareth Southgate to drop Wayne Rooney then go for it. And if you think booing Theresa May instead will help remove the emotion that comes with professional competition that obviously affects its participants, sometimes negatively, then be my guest. I don’t think either would be as effective as just shouting boo as part of a big group of dissatisfied people. A footballer is paid to be in the public domain, it is part of the job they accept and sign the contract for. They make a conscious decision to make sacrifices to do this job and one of those is to be subject to open criticism and praise while carrying out your duties.
Ant, CPFC
…Nick and Rob in this morning’s mailbox raise interesting points. I have always been against booing as I think for grown ups its a bit embarrassing and the story about Heskey is what sums up the problem with it. Yes he’s not ever going to be an ideal player for international football but he’s obviously trying his best and he looks to me as though being booed would have had a detrimental effect on him rather than anything positive.
In Wayne Rooney’s case, however, I would completely support it. For months (years in reality) now we have been fed the line by people in the game and journalists that Rooney is still a great player and worthy of dictating his place in the England line up despite obvious evidence to the contrary to anyone who watches the games. As supporters how else are we supposed to get that message across that he should not be playing? As much as I am generally against it it looks like it has had the desired effect with him being dropped for tonight’s game.
As I don’t know what his personality is like and I would have no wish to affect him mentally (and the references to Robert Enke and Gary Speed were important for people to acknowledge) comments where he is dictating when he will be dropped with the announcement of his retirement in 2018 which no other player would be allowed to get away with do not do him any favours.
Simon, Stockport
…I thought there was some interesting mails in this morning’s mailbox about booing at games. I was thinking this seems to be a growing trend, certainly at the games I attend. I’m a WBA season ticket holder and over the last few years its become an increasingly regular occurrence. Admittedly some of the turgid football we’ve been served up by various mangers hasn’t helped but there seems to be a level of expectation at the club that if we’re not witnessing 5 star football then the crowd should turn and display their anger in this manner. It just seems pathetic to me and as a fanbase doesn’t make us look very good.
Over the last year various players have been booed regularly by fans for no particular reason. The current trend seems to be to pick on Craig Gardner and James MacClean for no reason other than that despite being hard working but limited players they’re not the world class players certain people think a mid-table Premier League club should have in their starting eleven. It really beggars belief.
I think the most crazy example of booing a team off I’ve ever seen was in late 2003 when Albion were leading 1-0 at half time against eventual champions Norwich. Ok they hadn’t played well despite the scoreline but it really showed the change in the crowd’s attitude after we’d had our first taste of top flight football for 16 years. It’s a real shame and just makes for a poor atmosphere. We have a core of great support at WBA but unfortunately the louder minority makes their voices heard in this way.
George, Birmingham
A lunchtime mail
A somewhat interesting mail from Nick, LFC regarding the choice of pundits on Sky and BT etc.
I’ll reply with a simple metaphor. You like fast food, burgers in particular. You prefer the chips from McDonalds but the burgers in Burger King. You see the burger as the main part of your meal so you choose Burger King and settle for their chips. You aren’t wholly satisfied with the meal but you get pretty much what you want from it. You could travel miles and miles to end up getting 100% satisfaction from a five guys for example but that’s not very economical so you settle for the best that is on offer.
Whilst I don’t necessarily like all the pundits on these channels, they are offering a packaged product which you can choose to purchase or not (as you have chosen). So, you’re essentially sitting at home eating a salad while we are wolfing down our meals and then sharing our experiences weekly – again not completely happy but it was our choice to walk in and hand over our money. It is our right to critique it but we chose it so that’s on us.
You could move to Switzerland where they have referendums on everything. However, what if the referendum outcome isn’t to your liking? What if BT and sky offered us the choice and the majority wanted Savage and Owen et al. would you accept that and then pay your money, safe in the knowledge you were given your vote?
James (It’s approaching lunch time and I am bloody hungry writing this, not sure it even makes sense!) Kent.
More wonderfully sh*t goals
Top ten worst goals in the Premier League era
Worst goal?
surely the one where the Gods descended from the heavens and stopped the ball dead to fool a west ham defender and allow Fernando Torres to score his first for Chelsea.
It wasn’t even his skill, someone was really just trying to help him out really badly.
T, CFC, London
…I didn’t write in earlier as I was convinced somebody else would do so but to me, there is only one goal worthy of the title ‘beautiful worst goal’.
Swing at the ball with one foot, deflect it in with the other leg.
Masterful. one of my all-time favourite goals.
Lloyd Stiles, THFC, Vienna
…Maybe I missed something, but how did Shinji Okazaki’s header from last season not make this list. As a Coventry fan the headers that used to stick in my mind were Keith Houchen’s diving header in the FA Cup final, Dion Dublin’s numerous near post corner headers or his effort from the edge of the box on the opening day against Nottingham Forest circa 1998.
Then there are the all time great bullet headers; Didier Drogba in the last minute of the Champions League final 2012. Sergio Ramos’ at around the same time 2 years later.
But all these were eclipsed for me last season by a header so good I have failed to remember all the other aspects of the match (i.e. the crucial stuff like the score, or who was playing – surely F365 can dig me out of this hole). This wasn’t a diving header, or even a bullet header, but the best piece of trickery / deceptiveness ever inflicted by head. As Shinji rose highest to nod the ball into the beckoning net, he first chose to feint – dummying the header so well that it sold all the defenders instantly. The Japanese magician (?) then waited for the ball to bounce back up to head height, striking him in the face before trickling into the empty net left open by the defenders who had been sold so far down the river by the dummy that they had already reached the estuary. Headers simply do not come much better than that.
Tom (SISU OUT) Coventry
Best disallowed goals
In response to Richard (Lampard’s v Germany?), Limerick request for disallowed goals this is one I remember from when I was ten.
Growing up in New Zealand and watching Brian Moore & Big League Soccer on a Sunday, this was the first bicycle kick I’d ever seen. Bl00dy offside David Armstrong
Hamish Haddow