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CR7
Unlike many people who are offering critical opinions on Cristiano Ronaldo I watched all 90 minutes of his interview with Piers Morgan.
My view of modern professional footballers is coloured by the life experiences of those I knew when I was a kid. Back then, Ian St John combined the early years of his career with an apprenticeship in Motherwell Bridge. Many of those before and around him were part-timers from start to finish. They were also slaves: as soon as they signed a professional contract they were registered to that club until they were sold or released. Pre-Bosman players did not have freedom of contract.
No question, Cristiano is a lucky man to have been born into his era, Regardless of ability, anyone who can afford to turn down a €350 million offer, in the twilight of his career or at any other time, is blessed indeed.
And yet the slave mentality persists, Worse, it is supported by the attitudes and behaviour of media that haven’t really changed from the days when press boxes housed a disproportionate number of drunks and the semi-literate.
The response to the Ronaldo interview has been distorted. He has been portrayed as an uppity millionaire who is upset because his ego allows him to believe he should have special treatment. Possibly that criticism is valid, but he is also a man with undeniable grievances.
It is undeniable that chunks of the Morgan interview have been distorted and taken out of context, for example Sky Sports is reporting that he would be happy if Arsenal won the Premier League. It fails to mention his qualification, ‘after Manchester United’, or that his remark was in response to a question by the Arsenal supporting Piers Morgan. If he had chosen to give the interview to Sky’s Gary Neville rather than to a turd in a Savile Row suit I don’t need to ask how it would have been presented by the channel.
As a Man U supporter I am sad that Cristiano will never play for the club again. But given his emotional attachment to it, I am equally sad that he had been allowed to feel betrayed. That is classic mismanagement for which the club’s decision makers are entirely responsible. I’m beyond sad by his revelation that in the twelve years or so between his departure and his return the club’s infrastructure was entirely unchanged. I’m infuriated that its reviled owners have never met the man whose image has underpinned the countless millions they have trousered since they were allowed by our absurd corporate system to buy the business with borrowed money.
Today we are being told that the club has initiated appropriate steps. The (formerly Manchester) Guardian is reporting that these include taking CR7 to court. To me the most appropriate step the owners could take would be to meet with the finest player the club has known (with the possible exception of George Best) for a serious discussion, for it’s clear he knows a hell of a lot more about the business than they do.
New balls
Simon Holmes, my least favourite Sky pundit, has a new phrase: ‘unforced error’. If his studio companion has any mischief about her, maybe she’ll ask him how an error in golf can be anything other than unforced.
Level up the playing field?
I am indebted to my friend John for pointing out something that should have been obvious to me … or maybe I simply ignored it.
At my suggestion he has started watching Aussie Big Bash cricket on BT Sport. Last time we spoke he had a rant about the amount of advertising that’s jammed into the coverage, and he’s right. They seem to slot an add in after each over, two when a wicket falls, and as many as they can during other breaks. This has an impact on the coverage, as BT is taking the Australian output, but cutting off the expert commentators in mid sentence. There must be close on 100 commercials in a single match broadcast.
That’s further evidence to me of the mendacity of BT. We all have to live with that, but there is one way in which it and Sky might be opened up to really serious competition. What if the BBC was allowed to enter the subscription TV market, in a way that didn’t compete with its core entertainment services, concentrating on sport and premium cinema services? With its customer base, which still dwarfs the satellite operators, it could afford to outbid any competitor. As a bonus, the profit this would generate could go towards reducing or even eliminating the Broadcasting Tax.
Obscene or crazy or both?
Premier League: Clubs pay £263m to agents in 2019-20 – BBC Sport
— Read on www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/sport/amp/football/53170215
Cheaters usually win
English football community says endlessly that its is the best league in the world. It isn’t. It is disfigured by a conning culture; the slightest contact is penalised by full-time professional officials whose livelihoods depend on the approval of their supervisors, and most of it is contrived or simulated. Refs seem afraid to apply basic common sense, and the sad thing is that the most experienced are the most guilty.
Tiny Wharton must be turning in his grave.
Time up
Closing in on 4000 career yellow cards, over 100 red cards: Mike Dean needs to be subbed.
Question
What goes ‘Beep beep. Beep beep. Beep beep’?
England Rugby’s open top bus reversing back into its parking place.
Hasty
www.skysports.com/share/11832738
If Samoa beat Ireland without conceding a losing bonus point, Scotland will settle happily for a cancellation and two points.
Quote of the week?
‘It didn’t have to be this way, but World Rugby has made the bizarre decision to keep the stadium roof shut all through the World Cup. By the second half the place was steamier than the dog-eared bits of a Jilly Cooper classic.’
Andy Bull, The Guardian
Interesting legal question
Vuelta a Espana: Helicopter TV footage leads to cannabis farm raid
Why?
The Six Nations has enduring popularity and decades of tradition. It ain’t broke, but these guys want to change it. Why? For money. ‘**** off,’ would be an appropriate response, one that would be supported by the majority.
Recollection
Danny Willett winning again reminds me of his notorious brother, and the following gem.
National Club Golfer columnist Pete Willett on the team dynamics of the Ryder Cup. Oh, and his love for the Team USA crowd.
— Read on www.nationalclubgolfer.com/news/pete-willett-i-aint-partisan-hes-my-brother/
Noses off
Half empty
I enjoy watching golf on telly far more than I ever did playing the silly game. But that enjoyment dims when Mark Roe is in the box. The man is a critic, not a commentator, expecting players to reach a standard that he never did himself, and slating them when they do not. He needs to listen and learn from the likes of Ewan Murray, Dougie Donnelly and Andrew Cotter.
