Season 2021/22 The Good The Bad & The Ugly

[TheGreenMan]

No worries Sniff, you’re the boss  ;)

[Paplane]

Didnt see the start of rhe england game. Was there more booing?

[wassy04]

Didnt see the start of rhe england game. Was there more booing?

Yep was louder this time, lots of applause too

[TheGreenMan]

It’s only going to get louder as they let more fans back in.

[Paplane]

Its going to be a significant point of division in August.

Maybe the pfa needs to hold an anonymous ballot of its members on whether it should continue.

[Tricky]

Come on guys, Sniff has asked to drop this subject.

I have my own views and opinions on the subject and plenty of questions I would like to ask, but I remember last year during the first lockdown, when there was no football, politics became the number 1 subject of discussion and it did become very hostile on this site for a number of weeks.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

Come on guys, Sniff has asked to drop this subject.

I have my own views and opinions on the subject and plenty of questions I would like to ask, but I remember last year during the first lockdown, when there was no football, politics became the number 1 subject of discussion and it did become very hostile on this site for a number of weeks.

Exactly Tricky and some members left the forum because of it which really pisses me off.

I know it's quiet at the CG at the moment but we'll soon have plenty to talk about...

[Paplane]

Its an issue that's not going to go away soon. It'll be interesting to see if it's allowed to happy at the Euro tournament.

[Sabricadabra]

They are booing it though for the reason I mentioned. People want to keep politics out of football, I am sure they are not booing it for any other reason. Just for the record there are also many black players who don't agree with it and who are fed up with it too.

Completely agree Sniff. It’s become a hollow ritual with political connotations which has out stayed it’s welcome.

So what would you prefer to replace it?

Everyone was behind the Kick it Out campaign. Something similar which would get everyone on board would be better than the finger wagging by Southgate and the spoilt millionaire players. Doubling down on the divisive Knee virtue signalling and calling fans who object to it ‘racist’ helps no one.

[Tricky]

They are booing it though for the reason I mentioned. People want to keep politics out of football, I am sure they are not booing it for any other reason. Just for the record there are also many black players who don't agree with it and who are fed up with it too.

Completely agree Sniff. It’s become a hollow ritual with political connotations which has out stayed it’s welcome.

So what would you prefer to replace it?

Everyone was behind the Kick it Out campaign. Something similar which would get everyone on board would be better than the finger wagging by Southgate and the spoilt millionaire players. Doubling down on the divisive Knee virtue signalling and calling fans who object to it ‘racist’ helps no one.

Its all well and good making 'positive gestures' (Taking the knee) but football itself is still a very institutional racial industry.

I have just read a very interesting piece about black managers in the PL. Out of 240 that have managed in the PL, only 9 (NINE) of those managers were black and two of them, Terry Conner and Hayden Mullins, were in interim roles. Our own Chris Hughton is in the 9 and Ruud Gullit was the first. The other managers are:- Paul Ince, Jean Tigana, Darren Moore, Nuno Espirito Santo and Chris Ramsey.

Shockingly, in June 2020, there were only 6 BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) managers throughout the entire 92 EFL and PL clubs.

[Paplane]

They are booing it though for the reason I mentioned. People want to keep politics out of football, I am sure they are not booing it for any other reason. Just for the record there are also many black players who don't agree with it and who are fed up with it too.

Completely agree Sniff. It’s become a hollow ritual with political connotations which has out stayed it’s welcome.

So what would you prefer to replace it?

Everyone was behind the Kick it Out campaign. Something similar which would get everyone on board would be better than the finger wagging by Southgate and the spoilt millionaire players. Doubling down on the divisive Knee virtue signalling and calling fans who object to it ‘racist’ helps no one.

Its all well and good making 'positive gestures' (Taking the knee) but football itself is still a very institutional racial industry.

I have just read a very interesting piece about black managers in the PL. Out of 240 that have managed in the PL, only 9 (NINE) of those managers were black and two of them, Terry Conner and Hayden Mullins, were in interim roles. Our own Chris Hughton is in the 9 and Ruud Gullit was the first. The other managers are:- Paul Ince, Jean Tigana, Darren Moore, Nuno Espirito Santo and Chris Ramsey.

Shockingly, in June 2020, there were only 6 BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) managers throughout the entire 92 EFL and PL clubs.

That is a really poor statistic, especially as so many players in the game have been black. It's surprising really as you could suggest that a football club dressing room is probably one of the most harmonised workplaces there is, in race equality terms. I'd suggest the lack of representation at manager level has as much to do with the socio-economic backgrounds of black players as much as out and out racism in boardrooms.

[Paplane]

I'll tread carefully but my take is that the booing isn't happening because people are overtly racist, or that they are objecting to some kind of Marxist political agenda, it's because they resent being told by people in authority (not the players) that the status quo is racist and things have to change. Now, it may be that some of the people booing are actually racist but my point is the booing is happening because this new social agenda of absolute equality for all is pushing normally decent people out of their comfort zones and making them feel under pressure to conform. I think a lot of conservatively (lower c) minded people think 'I'm not a racist, why have I got to change'? A lot of these people are from a working class background which they consider has delivered them no advantage in life at all and now they're being told they're in the wrong and have advantage over others. I don't agree with the booing but I do understand perhaps why it's happening.

The knee thing is just going to stir up a load more hurt when more fans return. I hope it doesn't manifest itself in more radical behavior. Southgate has missed the chance to mediate in some way. Instead he's dug his heels in and suggested the people booing are racist and it's cranked the whole issue up a notch.