Saudi Pro League

[Zatman]

9 hours ago, WallisFrizz said:

That interview is the most disingenuous load of garbage I’ve read in a long time. There are a hundred better football projects out there than the Saudi league, of course he’s gone for the money. He should just admit that because most would understand it. 
 

The questions about the LGBTQ+ community and how he’s let them down were an excruciating read. Says he still cares but that he’s not going to make a public gesture in Saudi because he’s going to respect the culture and religion. How about don’t move to a country where you can’t speak openly in support of a cause you apparently care about.  
 

Honestly, he’s awful.

I think an even worse part on an actual football note, is that he is trying to convince people he moved to Saudi keep his England career alive instead of cameos at Liverpool

I wonder if this was agreed by the England manager before

[fightoffyour]

3 hours ago, It's Your Round said:

Seems a fair and locally appropriate punishment for him 

[OutByEaster?]

is it just me or does it feel like more managers are publicly falling out with their players now that there's a not particularly attractive, but extremely lucrative league out there willing to pay good money for them?

 

[WallisFrizz]

1 hour ago, OutByEaster? said:

is it just me or does it feel like more managers are publicly falling out with their players now that there's a not particularly attractive, but extremely lucrative league out there willing to pay good money for them?

 

Oh United would just love Saudi to come in for Sancho.

[Rds1983]

1 hour ago, WallisFrizz said:

Oh United would just love Saudi to come in for Sancho.

I'm sure Ten Hag would also happily swap the mess at Old Trafford for some random Saudi club and millions a week.

Saudi's would love to be able to say they'd got United's manager. 

[Genie]

Clearly still a cultural issue in the United dressing room even after people like Lingard & Pogba have moved on.

Jose tried to make an example of Shaw and failed.

Now ETH is trying the same with Sancho and now Sancho has broken the major rule of football which is you don’t go public with internal issues.

One of those will be gone by the end of January is my guess.

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

I see Brendan Rodgers auditioning for a job out there already, standing up against the the woke mob morality officers

[VillaJ100]

1 hour ago, Kuwabatake Sanjuro said:

I see Brendan Rodgers auditioning for a job out there already, standing up against the the woke mob morality officers

I thought that was ironic saying that about the UK Vs Saudi Arabia which actually does have morality officers 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

John Terry to take up his first managerial role in Saudi apparently 

[villa4europe]

1 hour ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

John Terry to take up his first managerial role in Saudi apparently 

they must have promised him his own exclusive golf course

[Rds1983]

2 hours ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

John Terry to take up his first managerial role in Saudi apparently 

Assuming he's not aware adultery is punishable by death over there.

[Genie]

12 minutes ago, Rds1983 said:

Assuming he's not aware adultery is punishable by death over there.

His wife put the application in apparently 

[BOF]

On 05/09/2023 at 14:09, WallisFrizz said:

That interview is the most disingenuous load of garbage I’ve read in a long time. There are a hundred better football projects out there than the Saudi league, of course he’s gone for the money. He should just admit that because most would understand it. 
 

The questions about the LGBTQ+ community and how he’s let them down were an excruciating read. Says he still cares but that he’s not going to make a public gesture in Saudi because he’s going to respect the culture and religion. How about don’t move to a country where you can’t speak openly in support of a cause you apparently care about.  
 

Honestly, he’s awful.

You'll like this. F365 go through his answers and they do not hold back.

Quote

Jordan Henderson has given an interview to The Athletic about his move to Saudi Arabia and how you’re all wrong about him and his motivation.

We thoroughly recommend reading the whole thing, not least because David Ornstein and Adam Crafton have done a fine job in holding Henderson’s feet to the fire. He is not given an easy ride or allowed to escape with facile answers.

But his answers are, frankly, absolute bullshit. Here are the worst of them, picked apart at furious length.

1) On wearing Rainbow Laces

I wouldn’t rule that out . But at the same time, what I wouldn’t do is disrespect the religion and culture in Saudi Arabia. If we’re all saying everybody can be who they want to be and everybody is inclusive, then we’ll have to respect that. We’ll have to respect everyone. And by doing something like that, if that did disrespect the religion, then no, I’m not going to do that. But if the opportunity comes where I can do it and it doesn’t, then yeah, because that’s my values.

This is the most important and shittest answer Henderson gives. Because it accidentally reveals the emptiness of everything else he says before and after this about how him and his values being in Saudi Arabia can be a positive.

He is admitting here that he will do nothing to try and change anything, but will happily pop some laces in his boots if things happen to change anyway and “the opportunity comes”. The opportunity won’t come, not under the conditions he’s laid out here, and Henderson knows this.

Because the opportunity to wear rainbow laces is there right now. He just won’t do it because of the ‘disrespect’, and he won’t push back against that. So where does that leave the oft-stated positive aspects of his presence in Saudi Arabia if he is so determined to meekly avoid any ‘disrespect’?

There are elements in this answer of the fallacious idea that being tolerant means being tolerant even of intolerance. It’s a paradox all right, but it is neither new nor controversial to assert that tolerance by definition requires us to be intolerant of intolerance. It’s not ‘inclusive’ to respect those who render illegal the very existence of vast groups of people you’ve previously claimed to support.

2) On change

Now, when I was making the decision, the way that I tried to look at it was I felt as though, by myself not going, we can all bury our heads in the sand and criticise different cultures and different countries from afar. But then nothing’s going to happen. Nothing’s going to change.

Fine. Yet a couple of questions later we get this…

It’s basically, “You have your values and your beliefs, which we will respect, but you respect our values and our beliefs” and surely that’s the way it should be.

So, again, how the juddering **** are you going to change things, Jordan?

Plenty more deliciousness in the linky above...

 

[villa89]

On 05/09/2023 at 14:09, WallisFrizz said:

That interview is the most disingenuous load of garbage I’ve read in a long time. 

Henderson was a media darling in the UK and got an easy ride/promoted over his station by brown nosing the media. In reality he was an average player who believed the rubbish the media used to write about him. I'd say he's baffled that he's getting any criticism. Fair play for two proper journalists actually questioning him correctly. No doubt Hendersons ego made him think he could do and interview and everything would be fine again. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by villa89

[villa4europe]

55 minutes ago, villa89 said:

Henderson was a media darling in the UK and got an easy ride/promoted over his station by brown nosing the media. In reality he was an average player who believed the rubbish the media used to write about him. I'd say he's baffled that he's getting any criticism. Fair play for two proper journalists actually questioning him correctly. No doubt Hendersons ego made him think he could do and interview and everything would be fine again. 

lets be honest...he was protected because 95% of the media in this country would rather write puff pieces on him because of the club that he played for rather than try and write anything of any interest

[Made In Aston]

I see Ronaldo is on full narcissism mode again, claiming he was responsible for all the players following him to Saudi. Yes Ronnie, they came for the honour of playing with a 38 year old has been and had nothing to do with the ridiculous amount of money Saudi clubs were offering!

[Zatman]

5 minutes ago, Made In Aston said:

I see Ronaldo is on full narcissism mode again, claiming he was responsible for all the players following him to Saudi. Yes Ronnie, they came for the honour of playing with a 38 year old has been and had nothing to do with the ridiculous amount of money Saudi clubs were offering!

In fairness he sort of has a point. All the money in the world you still need that one big name to get the ball rolling

His transfer did put the Saudi League on the map. I have sadly seen kids wearing Al Nassr Ronaldo jerseys

[luckyeddie]

6 hours ago, BOF said:

You'll like this. F365 go through his answers and they do not hold back.

 

Yeah but, no but

A politician's answer from a bang average player who has spent the last decade having smoke blown up his arse, and believing it. Just admit you did give a shit about LGBT+, until you were offered £700k per week, and suddenly other people's suffering paled into insignificance. Because your a rich clearing in the woods that wants to get richer. A hypocrite and a coward.

[Genie]

John Barnes was a top player in his day has debts of £238k. Jordan Henderson, with his best years behind him earns more than that over a long weekend. Madness.

[luckyeddie]

13 hours ago, Genie said:

John Barnes was a top player in his day has debts of £238k. Jordan Henderson, with his best years behind him earns more than that over a long weekend. Madness.

Ironically, if John Barnes had a pound for every time he was racially abused by fans, he'd probably be debt free.