“This correspondent yields to few in his admiration for Jason Roberts, Piara Powar and Lord Ousley in their campaigning on diversity but, seriously, there are more important fights out there than belittling a well-meaning coach’s lack of awareness of a word’s sensitivity in the currently strained and confused lexicon of allowable language in English football.â€

 

Henry Winter (The Daily Telegraph, 18^th October 2013)

 

One word shines out like a beacon of light in this quote taken from what turns out to be remarkably dim dogma from Henry Winter in his latest article on Roy Hodgson and the Space Monkey story. That word is ’seriously’ and, such is the absurdity that envelops the ‘diversity’ he refers to, it is about time it was used, if only to bring everybody involved to their senses. Henry may have been brought to his belatedly, but at least, at last, he recognises the nub of the matter. Heaven knows he has taken his time and still augments arguments with ritualistic deference to individuals, like Roberts, Powar and Ousley, when they are not only unworthy of it, but are blatant stirrers of the racist issue melting pot that Winter now wishes to cool on the stove. This next snippet is even more revealing of both the problem and the journalist’s continued confused state of mind…

 

“Modern managers have to be careful. It is a PC world. During his time at West Ham, Harry Redknapp observed of Samassi Abou’s unavailability for a series of games that the attacker must have been ill because ’the lad went home to the Ivory Coast and got a bit of food poisoning. He must have eaten a dodgy missionary or something’. Abou actually had malaria.â€

 

Two points here, imagery upon which Henry should chew on; the first being the missionary zeal with which he relates a tale (presumably straight from Redknapp’s autobiography) that is, quite frankly, a breaker of more Kick It Out rules on racism than Roy’s faux pas ever was, simply because he has seen fit to put it in the public domain, as opposed to keeping it between four dressing-room walls. Secondly, this moral messenger has deliberately chosen to be the bearer of gratuitous tittle-tattle that is, by its very nature, unacceptable in English football right now, yet he purports to be ‘aware of sensitivities’, unlike our belittled, but well-meaning England coach.

 

Alas, Winter is no stranger to double standards, as witnessed by his pious, witch-hunt reporting on JT in the Anton Ferdinand affair. No mention back then of bringing a ’serious’ element to proceedings, oh no, just plough on in there, denounce the guy, call for his head on a platter and, subsequently, when doubts were beginning to be expressed on JT’s behalf, fall into line with the rest of the media’s hatred of the man. Strange, how he thought a stage-managed scenario back then was ’serious’ enough to go overboard on, yet this requires its seriousness to be questioned instantly. Indeed, Winter even has the gall to mention press coverage at that time in his current article, in what comes across as a haughty attempt to distance himself from any agenda-driven coverage on this occasion. It reads as follows:

 

“They [the England fans] have not forgotten or forgiven the media for wrongly accusing them in Serravalle before the San Marino tie of singing en masse about putting Anton and Rio on a ’bonfire’. The truth was that only one fan - one too many - was heard singing it.â€

 

Truth will out, it seems, in media circles, but only when it suits and I don’t recall Henry Winter, or any other frantic-to-be-at-arms-length reporter, immediately debunking that particular story. My recollection is of how poor Anton and Rio were universally described as being sorely wronged by those English hordes/thugs/racists (insert as affronted) who were desperate to lend their support to the [by implication alone] infamous John Terry. Moreover, talking of Henry’s voluntary truth call, since when has such late whistle-blowing as this, on one’s own kind, been construed as morally acceptable, as opposed to being reprehensibly late? Unsurprisingly, Winter seeks refuge in even muddier waters…

 

“Finally, and closer to home for this member of an England press pack currently torn between timing and tenor of the story… Hodgson needs a quiet reminder about the modern paranoia over certain words but, please, the timing is poor… It is rare that the pre-tournament fall-out between press and players occurs this early. In fact it is probably a record and all down to one player who is now unlikely to travel to Brazil. All very sad for all parties.â€

 

So let’s get this straight, shall we? On this story Winter remains torn between ‘tenor and timing’, as if to suggest that the tenor of this type of joke-telling is tolerable, but it is misplaced when told at halftime in a World Cup qualifier? Or is he saying that, as with all good jokes, the timing was fine, but the content unacceptable. Either way, it seems that the scribe, like the FA according to Harry Redknapp, hasn’t got a clue what he is on about. And to make matters worse, he then goes on to venture an opinion on the [as yet unknown] dressing-room whistleblower, expressing a measure of sadness at his impending wheedling-out and eventual non-appearance on the plane to Rio. Well, correct me if I’m wrong, Henry, but I don’t recall the same regrettable, but definitive, need for exposure being expressed on behalf of whistleblowers everywhere when JT was hung out to dry by an [as yet unnamed] individual somehow hearing something on his telly that the rest of us missed.

 

Clearly, there is no such thing as a suitably contrite Sun newspaper either and the [assumed] affronted player will soon be known to all and sundry. Quite right too, I say, and no doubt so does Heather Rabbatts, the FA’s first female and currently the only ethnic minority director who, lest we forget, became an FA board member two years ago and was a driving force in JT being stripped of the England captaincy. Indeed, I fully expect her to instigate a two-pronged attack on Greg Dyke over his initial mishandling of matters in his new job, combining this and the lack of ’ethnic diversity’ on the new commission into the state of English football, for what is bound to be described by Winter and his colleagues as the ‘dream ticket’ in any argument involving racial matters - always assuming, of course, that Henry’s ’torn’ conscience has been suitably repaired by then and he can Kick It Out with the best of them once again.

 

The signs are not good for this to happen anytime soon, however, if Winter’s appearance on BBC’s 5-Live Gary Richardson Show this morning is anything to go by. He seemed stunned to silence by Richardson’s interview with The Sun’s middleman informant when he revealed that his [player-at-the-scene] contact was, in fact, one of several to be offended by Roy’s touch of whimsy - a list that include Gary Neville, who had immediately asked his boss to ’explain’ the joke in full, to avoid confusing connotations. At this point, the best Winter could do for a diversionary tactic was to hastily cite Andros Townsend’s comment [that he took the whole thing as a compliment] so obvious was it that the Hodgson situation sands were shifting in the direction of an already FA beached John Terry.

 

Worse was to follow, with PFA Chairman Clarke Carlisle being brought into the debate and, red flag to the bull that had gone before, he promptly weighed in with an attack on Greg Dyke and a referral to Heather Rabbatts bone of contention - the complete Caucasian Commission - thereby bringing all the embarrassing strands together in one loose-knit load of woolliness that nobody was ever going to wear. Once again, Henry then threw in another woolly wobbly by putting Rio Ferdinand’s name forward as a potential Commission addition who would command respect (???) forgetting, no doubt, the Clarke Carlisle autobiographical description of Rio and Anton Ferdinand as ’sh*thouses’. Needless to say, we were not about to hear the PFA Chairmen respond to Winter's suggestion.

 

Nor was this to be an end to the fun and games, Richardson saving the best till last, phoned Ray Wilkins to get [what he hoped would be] final closure on Ash’s England career, bowing to the brilliance of Baines, and for him to also cast a critical eye on Gary Cahill’s prospects if he couldn’t even get into the Chelsea side ahead of [the infamous] John Terry. But, joy of joys, Butch did us proud, saying there was nothing to choose between the two full backs, one being better going forward and the other a superior defender. Bottom line, he’d have Ash in on the important matches against the stronger teams. Better still, he praised JT to the hilt and even suggested that Roy might do well to give him a ring [to see if a recall was possible] Cue studio chaos and Richardson immediately inviting Trevor Brooking (no, I didn’t know he was there either) to confirm that ’this could never happen’. He believed it was unlikely… and all the while Henry Winter’s silence was deafening.

 

Suddenly, in that single moment, it was as if the hypocrisy surrounding all of those previously mentioned ’strands’ had been ruthlessly exposed and the catalyst - that FA and media witch hunt of John Terry and his eventual loss of the England captaincy - brought into sharp focus. In short, lip-service paid on all these politically-correct issues and to all the individuals concerned is beginning to wear thin, many observers having woken up to the ridiculousness of pursuing Roy Hodgson over a comment that was never an indication of his racial prejudice and the sooner a word like ’seriously’ takes hold and appears regularly in debate, as a questioning force, cutting a great swathe through the faux effrontery that exists in our game at the moment, the better.

 

Unfortunately, in the current environment, when correspondents like Henry Winter stumble upon the word inadvertently, insufficient notice is taken of its significance. How I wish someone could have shouted it from the FA rooftops long ago - shortly after hearing of our captain’s ambush at QPR would have been nice - but it wasn’t to be and, unlike in a week’s time, we cannot put the clock back.

Once again, Henry then threw in another woolly wobbly by putting Rio Ferdinand’s name forward as a potential Commission addition who would command respect (???)

 

That one defies belief, Dorset.

 

A great post, as always.

Interesting, and bizarre stuff. I don't know what to make of the press and the FA any more.

 

Yes, Hodgson's clumsily chosen joke has been taken out of context to embarrass him for very dubious motives.

 

Yes, JT was subjected to a witch-hunt that lasted a year and will haunt him for eve, for shouting words that noone heard in a context that noone can be certain of, in circumstances that a court of law found to be impossible to reach a safe and fair conclusion on.

 

Yes, Ferdinand was found guilty of racial abuse of an England colleague and has been guilty of some of the crassest misjudgements imaginable (from missed drug tests to contemptuous tweets), but still he finds himself championed by the press as a 'respected' figure.

 

This is doing my head in.

Good stuff Dorset, love reading your posts.

 

We should all tweet Winter and get him to read this. 

 

Used to think of him as 1 of the better journalists out there, now just see him like the rest. A coward.

 

He'll have some job on his hands if he wants to reach the depths of Ollie Holt though.

Nice post Dorset im just about to listen to the interview on bbc radio online now. No doubt it will anger me enough to put me off my sunday dinner. It would do the working class better if they was to remember as a collective " black and white " that it was this very same hirachys elders that encouraged racism in the first instance, and now spend their days selecting high profile working class rooted people to expose as racist pondlife, only to paper over the cracks that started to show in their own biggotry.

That one defies belief, Dorset.

 

A great post, as always.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if poison Rio turned out to be behind the leak.

Rio championed again, this time by Daniel Taylor in the Guardian:

 

 

A personal view will always be that Hodgson's real gaffe goes back to excluding Rio Ferdinand for all that time, when the strong suspicion was to link it directly to that charming exchange between the player's brother, Anton, and John Terry, then a fixture in the England setup.

Wonder if Terry will get the plaudits he deserves this season or is that a silly question .. ?

 

I know I know, it's a silly question.

 

He's been England's best centre-half for a long while now and this season it's more evident than ever.

 

Jagielka and Cahill are both good but nowhere near Terry's class and put them up against the best and they may get found out.

 

Terry continues in the same vein, keeps his head down and Chelsea keep on winning, and Wilkins may not be the only one asking for his return to the international fold, as the WC approaches.

 

After all, Terry was acquitted, his offence constituted a four game ban.

 

As we know, Hodgson has no issue with Terry, and now that Rio is out of the picture, I don't think anyone else in the England fold does either, although obviously that doesn't apply to the opinion-formers in this country.

 

Let's face facts here, England's chances are greatly enhanced with him in the team, let's just hope he carries on playing well and England's loss will be Chelsea's gain.

 

Must be terribly hard for Terry, knowing England are going to Brazil, and he's still one of the best in his position in the world, and the stand-out performer in his position in the Prem.

 

He's an unbelievable defender. By far the best we have ever had.

And Ferdinand is now part of the England commission, Jesus

Rio championed again, this time by Daniel Taylor in the Guardian:

 

Utd fan Taylor's coverage of the whole saga was perhaps the most biased and disgraceful of any.

 

He distorted the truth to such a degree it was shocking.

And Ferdinand is now part of the England commission, Jesus

 

Is this true?

Is this true?

Yes, him and Hodgson. Unbelievable eh.

Is this true?

 

It's true, this wonderful man is perfect for the role apparently makes me frigging sick.

He's an unbelievable defender. By far the best we have ever had.

 

He's also well underrated as a footballer. An excellent passer and two-footed, something a surprising number of top players are not. And just for good measure, he chips in with more than his fair share of goals as well. 60 in his career is impressive, particularly for a defender who doesn't take penalties. He almost had a couple more yesterday.

Utd fan Taylor's coverage of the whole saga was perhaps the most biased and disgraceful of any.

 

He distorted the truth to such a degree it was shocking.

Agreed. However, he's a Forest fan, or at least he claims to be. He just writes as if he's a Utd fan. I can't stand him.

Agreed. However, he's a Forest fan, or at least he claims to be. He just writes as if he's a Utd fan. I can't stand him.

 

Okay, I stand corrected, but he has written a book about Utd and clearly feels a strong sense of allegiance, not least towards Rio Ferdinand.

Any sympathy that I had with those beating the racism card has now all but evaporated.

Clarke Carlisle, Jason Roberts, Herman Ouseley, Heather Rabbatts, Red card, Government diversity bigots, positive discrimination manipulators etc go and find a proper job.

Stop looking for your agenda in innocent and everyday life, I am sick of this government endorsed engineering and I find you interference offensive.

He's also well underrated as a footballer. An excellent passer and two-footed, something a surprising number of top players are not. And just for good measure, he chips in with more than his fair share of goals as well. 60 in his career is impressive, particularly for a defender who doesn't take penalties. He almost had a couple more yesterday.

 

There was a match a few years ago, can't remember who against, where in the 1st half, 4 or 5 times, JT raked diagonals from his position, right onto the boot of whoever was playing wide right with his 'weaker' foot. Did a few of those yesterday too. Absolutely pin-point.

 

Can't help but think that Rio would be knighted if he had the talent to do that.

 

Frankly, England don't deserve to have him playing for them.

If there's one thing that is truly underrrated about our captain, it's his footballing ability. More specifically, his passing. And his touch. And his two-footedness. Make that four things. Ally those to his positional play, his heading, his goal scoring, his tackling, his chest control, his bravery, his toughness, his commitment.

 

Oh, and his captaincy is pretty good, too.

 

You can see why the FSW preferred to use Benayoun when we were hanging on to leads last season.

 

As AdamCFC mentioned, he delivered some breathtaking passes yesterday. And weirdly, none of them were even commented on by the guys on the stream I was watching.

Stiliyan Petrov had a benefit game at Celtic last month. Terry has been a huge support to him so he was invited to play in the game. Predictably, he was booed throughout by the Celtic fans, mercilessly, despite the occasion.

 

Terry has a pop at goal on 1min 20secs.

 

Check it out ..

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNO9hWmijoQ

Plus we've all read the stories about how good he is with the kids in the academy and the one where he sent the lad that broke his leg on holiday...

 

Other than by Chelsea fans, he will never be as highly regarded as he should be. The best English centreback ever.