quote:

Best player in the English leagues, tremendous.

Don't give a gently caress if he is a lunatic. Still believe to this day that what he called Evra was nothing like what was reported. I don't quite buy into the whole Ferguson instrumented it, but I don't think Suarez comes across as the type to hold race above another person. Plus, let's face it, Evra is a grade A oval office - easily worse than Suarez - and he was found out before for talking shite about racist remarks. The fallout was completely overblown and it's a shame it's ruined Suarez for the masses because rather than appreciate the fact he is an unbelievable player, they just buy into the media frenzy and want him shot, it's quite sad.It's pretty much racism, which is ironic considering they all hate Suarez for opinions created by the media, fuelled by racial undertones.

Oh, and I'd rather have a player like Suarez who is a complete and utter lunatic and may do the odd crazy thing, but gives more to the team than anybody. Not just goals, but his general commitment - he was chewing his own fists after giving away the penalty. When we lost to United he was FURIOUS, wouldn't look at his teammates, where as shitehouses like Downing were laughing away withunited players. When we lost to Zenit recently - the diddy cup until we are in it of course - he looked ready to cry, where as if Gerrard - y'know, Mr. LFC - did not looked fussed at all.

The guy buys into Liverpool 100% and would take that type of passion in all our players, Celtic or Liverpool, with the chance they may gently caress up and get a ban or do something nuts, than a team of shitebags who don't cross the line and don't care if we lose.

I defend Suarez to the hilt for the same reasons I defend Lennon when people try to assassinate his character. I defend them both because I believe that if I was to stop either in the street and tell them I think they are brilliant, I reckon both would be quite happy to hear it. Not because I count for anything, but because they actually give a eff about making a difference to the fans. They both have dealt with incredible hardship in their career, and both are willing to go to incredible lengths for the club they play for/manage.

Suarez looks like a prick on the pitch, but some of the stuff he has done away from football has been great, I haven't read anybody really call him anything but positives in interviews, meetings in the street, charity event etc. He's an extremely humble person from what I read.

No doubt somebody will have to remind me but he dives/is a racist/is a cheat/is a prick but that's your opinion, this is mine. He may have some character flaws but so do I, and so do all of us. The media has killed his image to pretty much everyone, but I find it most concerning that Celtic fans of all people have turned so harshly on him, considering we see the exact same tactics being used on Celtic players for decades.

Institutional racism - is biting worse than Rooneys tackle that was so bad it needed four top brass lawyers to try and rescind? - in the FA and English football is rife. It's disgusting and frankly rather than make me feel like they are pushing ahead to save the game in England, they've completely effed it. They took one of the key entertainment values in the league and banned him for six months. No saviours in England, only the corrupt , stuck in their ways old bigots.

For the record, I laughed when Suarez bit Ivanovic, and I couldn't stop laughing. That was funny business, truly hilarious. It's not condonable, of course, it's madness and he deserves a ban of some variety - 3/4 games - but for god sake it's hardly a cynical, evil, career ending lunge or a poke in the eyes. It was akin to that of a slap around the face, worth of a red but gently caress all else.

I would also laugh if I seen Ashley Young, or Hazard, or anyone bite an opponent. I laughed when Defoe done it and I laughed when Hazard attacked the ballboy. Why? Because I don't get mockrage when something happens in football. I appreciate that they are people and sometimes people lose the nut. I'm not a bastion of integrity either, so why should I expect them to be?

I think it's time people dropped this role model poo poo because if you aren't a good enough parent to be your own children' role model, stop blaming professional sportsmen and sort your own life out. Footballers are not role models, nor should they be, they live an exceptional and very rare lifestyle that only a million or two in the whole planet get the chance to.
If I ever have a kid and he bites somebody and tries to relate it to a footballer as his justification, I'll put him in his room and concrete the door up until he learns some brains. If you are stupid enough to believe that because a guy on the telly done it, it's aright, well you need some quiet time to mature because TV is full of pumpkins and if people do not tell their kids that, that is their fault - not the guy on the tv.

Personally understand the furore of what he done wrong and shampoo, but this general idea that he is some terrible person is effing horrible and a poor assessment of who is, trust me, every bit as good a person as some of the people you hold in the highest esteem at Parkhead. I've read far too many stories about Suarez and his outside of football behaviour to think he is the petulant primadonna he is made out to be.

If he leaves in the summer because of the way he is treated and not sporting ambition, I think I'll be packing it in with regards to watching English football. Watching Liverpool of course will never change, even if we were in the Alliance, but I can't go the monotony and the constant poo poo of the Premiership any longer, it's really beginning to wear me down. Celtic, Liverpool and Bundesliga for me I think, don't need the stress of a morally bankrupt EPL and the way they castigate good men but reward filth like Terry and Giggs* as pantheons of the world of football.

* Respect what he has done, he is an excellent player, but all of his on-field attributes to me are diminished by the fact he shagged his brothers wife for ten years. I'd say that's worse than biting someone, yet he still brave Sir Ryan, and not a loving iota is said about that, by anybody.

quote:

Trevor Noah, the South African comedian who recently replaced Jon Stewart as presenter of The Daily Show, is a huge fan of football. “I love the game so much,” he tells me. But asking him who he supports elicits an unusual response. “I have no team that I support. I’ve never fundamentally understood that concept because I fall in love with players and then they leave and I’m still now meant to be indebted to the team? That doesn’t make sense because the players are the team. Where Zinedine Zidane went, I followed him. Where Thierry Henry went, I followed him. I’m loving [Anthony] Martial at Manchester United, I still love Luis Suarez regardless of everything. Sometimes people lose out because they’re so focused on hating the opposing team that they forget to enjoy and applaud the beauty and spectacle of the game.”

Noah’s approach to the beautiful game is illuminating since it illustrates both his dislike of partisanship and his optimistic outlook

quote:

They're nothing like the Greece teams that terrorized men's soccer for a decade.

JFairfax posted:

I had to have a belly laugh at the posts from blogs and websites getting giddy that Pep Guardiola, when asked about my MirrorFootball column, looked puzzled and asked: "Stan Collymore?”

They’ve had a field day, gleefully saying “he doesn’t know who you are etc” which, bearing in mind most of these journalists wouldn’t be recognised in their own front room, makes it even funnier.

If Pep doesn’t know who I am, that’s absolutely fine, all he needs to do is watch Sky Sports, there’s usually the 4-3 game (Liverpool vs Newcastle, 1996) on, or used in an advert.

Maybe he could give the former manager of his current club, Stuart Pearce, a call and ask him about who Nottingham Forest’s greatest 11 is, managed by a true great of the game, rather than one spoon fed lots of cash to get success.

Or ask Robbie Fowler, Liverpool legend, and someone I’m sure Pep knows the name of, who his best strike partner was amongst Owen, Rush, Viduka, Shearer, Cole et al.

...

And to all of those bloggers and journos laughing in Pep’s press conference today at my expense, I’ve won awards in YOUR industry and have a 15-year playing career to back it up.

If Pep genuinely dismisses me, just imagine what he thinks of you!

I’m comfortable not being known by Pep - Brian Clough knew who I was and rated me highly.

He was a double European Cup winner who did it from scratch, not from an Abu Dhabi or Qatar silver spoon.

I’ll make sure I state my name, National Union of Journalists' number and full address when I’m next at the Etihad, just in case Pep, just in case.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/its-fine-pep-guardiola-doesnt-9452252

Jose posted:

there is a laudrup compilation i saw years ago where he does a rainbow flick over the defense for an assist and i've never been able to find it again

sticksy posted:

larkko posted:

https://twitter.com/ToonMouthTyne/status/1438996680834265089?s=20

SHOCKWAVES

Eric Cantonese posted:

That reminds me of this clip of Steven Gerrard during his first day at Rangers.

https://twitter.com/TPHartley90/status/1459071712000196640

the sex ghost posted:

It's 2032 and a crying jurgen klopp hangs a 'CLOSED' sign on the shankly gates as there are no more footballers due to being gay

sticksy posted: