The Round Ball Game - II

[cloughie]

"Emotions got the better of me" tweets Raheem Sterling. It would be nice, but probably naïve, to think that a grossly overpaid soccer player could afford a few lessons on how to grow up. I get emotional listening to Elgar or watching 'Casablanca', but I'm not a high-profile sport star who can reasonably be prepared to act as a role model in exchange for the honour - and the vastly inflated financial benefits - that come the privilege of playing for one's country.

I see Colin has left Cardiff City - presumably to retire, then quickly come out of retirement again to become indispensable to some struggling Championship side - Barnsley maybe?

[zola]

"Emotions got the better of me" tweets Raheem Sterling. It would be nice, but probably naïve, to think that a grossly overpaid soccer player could afford a few lessons on how to grow up. I get emotional listening to Elgar or watching 'Casablanca', but I'm not a high-profile sport star who can reasonably be prepared to act as a role model in exchange for the honour - and the vastly inflated financial benefits - that come the privilege of playing for one's country.

A bit unfair considering the stick Sterling has to put up with from the cheeky fun loving scousers for having had the temerity to leave their club. Also, not the greatest man management from Southgate who has drawn attention to a situation that most were unaware of and has displayed the kind of arrogance he was warning against in the same press conference, implying he can afford to omit England's best player since it is 'only' Montenegro.

[LMcD]

He's not the first celebrity - sporting or otherwise - to get a verbal pasting from 'fun-loving' scousers and I very much doubt that he'll be the last. And I'm not sure how relevant that is to an apparent bust-up between team mates who happened to be on opposite sides in a key club match on Sunday.
You only need to see the different ways in which rugby and soccer players treat referees to see which are the more disciplined and mature.
I haven't heard of any Saracens players 'getting emotional' following the reception they got at Gloucester.

[jayne lee wilson]

He's not the first celebrity - sporting or otherwise - to get a verbal pasting from 'fun-loving' scousers and I very much doubt that he'll be the last. And I'm not sure how relevant that is to an apparent bust-up between team mates who happened to be on opposite sides in a key club match on Sunday.
You only need to see the different ways in which rugby and soccer players treat referees to see which are the more disciplined and mature.
I haven't heard of any Saracens players 'getting emotional' following the reception they got at Gloucester.

There's just a bit more to it than that!

Sunday's Liverpool v City match was an absolute classic top-of-table clash, one in which every single point mattered (and will matter next May) - the English el clasico - of such high quality and fierce intensity that even Roy Keane (nobody's fool and hardly Liverpool's greatest fan having been a Man Utd thorn in our side for years) felt moved to say it was of such quality that "it seemed about ten minutes long".
You'd have to be a true football fan - to know the intensity and yes, bitterness, between Utd and Liverpool, the passion for renewed success driving us Reds on now, against City, after so many barren years, to understand that.

But what a wonderful footballing spectacle it was. Salah's goal rightly described as a classic - the sweeping passes, the finish - but unique? Have a look at this, from 1978....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOB7pcqBH-Y

We've pretty much forgiven Raheem for moving on now, and his development under Guardiola and as an England player has earned our respect and admiration. He's put up with, faced down, and spoken out about, an awful lot. Anyone suffering racist or LGBT-phobic hatred knows how he feels. Respect to him again.
(But we might still boo him when he plays against us. And we kept him pretty quiet on Sunday ).

You think being a star is easy? Look what happened to George Best, Maradona, or saddest of all perhaps, Malcolm MacDonald.
And now with social media and its relentless pressures? Young people under dazzling relentless spotlights, trying to handle it all. Role-models? Hmm...

It may be a shame that so much has been made of this Gomez - Sterling thing; but I respect Southgate for his approach - what he's trying to do here, even if on this occasion I don't agree with his choices.

But give me this unique footballing passion and intensity over discipline and maturity every time! It is what we live for!

[LMcD]

Sporting 'stars' who seem to have coped well with fame and fortune include (to name just a few, as they say):
Johnny Wilkinson
Roger Federer
Andy Murray
Rod Laver
Alan Shearer

[LMcD]

You missed off Eddie the Eagle and Geoff Boycott!

Wasn't Geoffrey Boycott convicted of assault by a French court?
I gather that Mr Sterling was involved in 2 altercations rather than 1. He must have been REALLY upset about something.

[cloughie]

Come on you Hangers - 5 wins to Wembley!

[antongould]

Come on you Hangers - 5 wins to Wembley!

More than unbelievable cloughers ...

[LMcD]

Silva and Mendy. These Manchester City lads certainly seem to be struggling with the concept of team spirit.

[teamsaint]

Silva and Mendy. These Manchester City lads certainly seem to be struggling with the concept of team spirit.

Talking of your team, the 10 year wait must surely be ending soon ?

Lets hope so.

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-reactions-so-much-has-happened-since-ipswich-last-won-an-fa-cup-game-20190105

[Maclintick]

"Emotions got the better of me" tweets Raheem Sterling. It would be nice, but probably naïve, to think that a grossly overpaid soccer player could afford a few lessons on how to grow up.

But US-style emotional incontinence is pretty much de rigeur these days. If you don't emote, you ain't perceived to be "authentic" in some indefinable way. I recall England's ignominious exit from World Cup Brazil 2014, when normally one would have expected the team captain Gerrard to face the media in the journalistic feeding-frenzy after Costa Rica ensured our departure, but it was poor, inarticulate Wayne Rooney who had to apologise to the nation -- Gerrard being "too upset" to participate. Hmm, couldn't imagine Bobby Moore evading responsibility in similar circs...

[jayne lee wilson]

I don't find this especially "inarticulate" (perhaps an unfortunately clichéd term for footballers...) just numb & heavy with shocked disappointment, finding some stock phrases for the usual stock questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLM9yS17-_Y

As for Gerrard, he was already haunted by the infamous and crucial mistake against Chelsea (effectively costing us the 2014 Premiership) just weeks before, and made a similar (headed) one against Uruguay a few days before, gifting Suarez the winning goal....He was devastated & probably knew his playing career was well past its peak - approaching its end. Hardly surprising if he was in no mood to "face the press"....

But he''ll be a hero forever to me and Reds fans everywhere. Those last-minute Goals, that leadership! Captain Fantastic! Istanbul!
He would never give up, he was the spiritus loci. I could never doubt his character. And maybe you have to live in a football-crazy city like Liverpool - or Turin, Naples, Milan, Madrid, Rio, Buenos Aires etc....to really get the emotional intensity which is nothing to do with "US-style emotional incontinence"....

Have you seen Asif Kapadia's(**) latest masterpiece, "Diego Maradona"?
Just finished crying over it......That's the kind of fierce pride and devotion football can inspire (but when it turns against you...heartbreaking....)...

(**)
He made Senna and Amy...

As for the storm in the England (yet to win a) Cup, Barney Ronay (as usual) sums it up well, showing the key understanding of how media works now, and sensitivity and insight about Sterling himself in the last few paragraphs...
https://www.theguardian.com/football...erling-england)

[Edgy 2]

Silva and Mendy. These Manchester City lads certainly seem to be struggling with the concept of team spirit.

Oh,you mean manchester city

[Edgy 2]

[jayne lee wilson]

Wonderful, outrageous, unique, irreplaceable Zlatan!
I watched quite a few highlights of his spectacular Galaxy triumphs..... wouldn't put it past him to return, at 38, to the Premiership and stun us all again.....my god, just look at his record!

Adorable, glorious Ibra!
(Except when he plays for United against us... then boooo! Which, oh alright, sometimes might dissolve into grudging admiration...)