No More Sarri - Premier League 2019/20

[Ray de Galles]

I think the fact he's a malicious violent cunt both on and off the pitch (and seems particularly proud of the former, at least) is the root of many people's problem with him.


Watford striker Troy Deeney has been jailed for 10 months

"Whenever I play Arsenal, I’ll go up and think, ‘Let me whack the first one and see who wants it’.”

[Snake Plissken]

Newcastle v Burnley. One of those occasions where the punditry on MOTD was more entertaining than the game, and the punditry was dull as fuck.

Since Newcastle came back up, the 6(?) matches between the teams have been a case of which manager has the shittiest football stick. To be honest, though, Benitez set one hell of a benchmark.

[Sits]

I think the fact he's a malicious violent cunt both on and off the pitch (and seems particularly proud of the former, at least) is the root of many people's problem with him.


Watford striker Troy Deeney has been jailed for 10 months

"Whenever I play Arsenal, I’ll go up and think, ‘Let me whack the first one and see who wants it’.”

Oh.

[Snake Plissken]

Not excusing the first one, but the latter of the two is just your usual reducer - happens all the time. And to be honest, he's right. Arsenal have been a powder puff side since Viera moved on.

[Ray de Galles]

He's talking about deliberately elbowing players in aerial challenges, he's a cunt.

[Snake Plissken]

Show me a forward or defender who says that they haven't done that and I'll show you a liar.

[JM Footzee]

I'm not having a lot of this. Nowhere have I seen Deeney express pride in the incident he was jailed for in 2012, and he's talked impressively about moving on from that incident. He's very consciously built a brand in his time in the Premier League, and there is a degree of cynicism to the amount he talks about prison and his upbringing, for sure. I can see why people would find that irritating, but then I also think he's one of the few current players not to offer bland soundbites in interviews. Sometimes he falls into the trap of going to look for something controversial to say, he offered some quotes a year or so ago about Watford taking turns to foul Zaha which struck me as something to play to the simmering Watford-Palace rivalry rather a reflection of what played out on the pitch (beyond the fact I suspect it's something a lot of teams think about when it comes to tactical fouls). You're inferring the elbow from his quotes there, it can just as easily be read as being robust in your challenges - and that's how it's played out in the aerial duals on the pitch. Again, he's thinking about his own hype too much. And the rest of the Arsenal stuff is fine - they have a reputation for softness, and sides have had success against them playing with a high intensity/hard press. Obviously there's a line to be drawn, but I don't think any Watford team has strayed beyond it.

He should have been booked yesterday for the tackle on Trent, but he's not a violent player or even a snide one. He's been sent off three times in ten years at Watford, and his booking record is not especially remarkable. He was sent off last season for catching Torreira mid-run (I went back and forth on whether it was a deliberate elbow or whether he caught him accidentally while attempting to run in alongside and move him off the ball - it sounds like a lame excuse, but he is pretty small!) but otherwise I struggle to think of any other elbow incidents or times where Deeney has injured someone in the air. To be honest, he over-eggs how useful his physicality is on the pitch, especially in the time we've been in the Premier League.

He's been an impressive leader for Watford on and off the pitch for the eight or so years he's been captain. Obviously on the field that sort of presence can be, and in his case probably is, synonymous with being a bit of a gobshite. He also plays the pantomime villain on occasion too, especially against Villa. Again, I get why people dislike him, I'm not saying I'd likely get along with all that much, but I can't stand for him being misrepresented as an especially violent man, even if it's an image he occasionally, pointlessly, leans into a bit.

[hobbes]

Show me a forward or defender who says that they haven't done that and I'll show you a liar.

Burnley fan defends "overly physical" players.
In other news Pope Catholic.

[Ray de Galles]

So he's not an especially violent man...apart from his history of being jailed for kicking a man repeatedly in the head, being sent off for elbowing a player in the face, a three match ban for violent conduct after gouging a player's face (these are just the first two incidents that come up in a google search, btw) and the fact he's repeatedly (as you've said) deliberately portrayed himself as a violent player.

OK then.

[JM Footzee]

Yeah, OK then.

I'm not going to defend the incident he went to prison for, but he has expressed regret for it and hasn't been in any trouble with the law since then bar a speeding offence. He served his time and should be allowed to move on.

On the field, a marginal elbow red card, the Joe Allen ban (which I confess I'd forgotten about - stupid to grab someone by the face, although it isn't a gouge), two other red cards - I don't think that's an especially remarkable disciplinary record over the course of a 10-year career at Watford (I can't account for what he was like prior to joining us). It's not the best, he's no angel, but it's not a record of a uniquely violent person.

And he hasn't repeatedly portrayed himself as a violent player. He's occasionally played to the gallery about getting in the faces of opposition and once gave the quotes about the team (not him) fouling Zaha. It's probably a bit lame, and in the case of the Palace quotes I don't think he should have said it (not least because it didn't seem to be true) but he's not continually going out talking about how he's going to maim the opposition.

[Gangster Octopus]

That was offside.

[Sporting]

That was offside.

The Everton "goal"? Not sure, what's the collective opinion here?

[Tactical Genius]

Yeah, OK then.

I'm not going to defend the incident he went to prison for, but he has expressed regret for it and hasn't been in any trouble with the law since then bar a speeding offence. He served his time and should be allowed to move on.

On the field, a marginal elbow red card, the Joe Allen ban (which I confess I'd forgotten about - stupid to grab someone by the face, although it isn't a gouge), two other red cards - I don't think that's an especially remarkable disciplinary record over the course of a 10-year career at Watford (I can't account for what he was like prior to joining us). It's not the best, he's no angel, but it's not a record of a uniquely violent person.

And he hasn't repeatedly portrayed himself as a violent player. He's occasionally played to the gallery about getting in the faces of opposition and once gave the quotes about the team (not him) fouling Zaha. It's probably a bit lame, and in the case of the Palace quotes I don't think he should have said it (not least because it didn't seem to be true) but he's not continually going out talking about how he's going to maim the opposition.

Well said and I agree 100%.
Hanging his prison sentence over his head is kinda poor form, It was a long time ago and like you said, he has shown contrition over it whenever it has been raised.

Regarding dirty play, I think he likes to build himself up as some modern day John Fashanu/ Mick Hartford type and he is nowhere like that league. I actually like his honesty in interviews quite refreshing.

[Satchmo Distel]

Meanwhile, Spurs are down to 7th. Is there a likelihood they and Arsenal will both finish below even the Europa places, and when did that last happen to both clubs in the same season?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Meanwhile, Spurs are down to 7th. Is there a likelihood they and Arsenal will both finish below even the Europa places, and when did that last happen to both clubs in the same season?

Neither qualified direct for Europe in 1995, Spurs finishing 7th and Arsenal 12th. Spurs did take up the option of entering that summer's Intertoto Cup, which was used that year as a kind of final backdoor route into the UEFA Cup (kind of like entering the Europa League in the early qualifying rounds now) but didn't take it seriously, played their home games in Brighton in front of about 1,500 fans and didn't qualify.

[blameless]

but didn't take it seriously

I'll say they didn't. They won only 1 game, shipped 8 goals to Köln, and finished with a worse record in that year's Intertoto than such European giants as Tromso, Dnepr Mogilev and, er, Partick Thistle.

[Nesta]

Funnier to imagine that was them taking it seriously

[3 Colours Red]

Funnier to imagine that was them taking it seriously

Doubt anything with Alan Pardew's involvement could be considered "taking it seriously".

[Sean of the Shed]

I'm not sure about "taking up the option". I seem to recall that Intertoto Cup participation was compulsory, it was just the levels of enthusiasm and effort that were optional.

[Jah Womble]

Indeed. Our complete apathy toward the competition in 1995 was sufficient to bring about an embarrassing record defeat (0-8 vs FC Köln) which I managed to watch through my fingers live via DSF in the early-ish days of satellite television.

Burnley fan defends "overly physical" players.
In other news Pope Catholic.

Not sure Snake said he 'defended' it so much as he suggested that most teams have players that 'do' or 'have done' it.

Which is the case, however some may wish to deny this.

[Patrick Thistle]

Not sure Snake said he 'defended' it so much as he suggested that most teams have players that 'do' or 'have done' it.

Which is the case, however some may wish to deny this.

And it wasn't that long ago Liverpool fans were defending the actions of a serial biter.

[Tactical Genius]

If Spurs had players who were capable or willing to put in Tactical fouls, we would have beaten Wolverhampton easily yesterday. Unfortunately we had in DM and CD defenders who were more like matadors waving Wolves strikers towards our goal like angry Bulls.

[Nocturnal Submission]

And it wasn't that long ago Liverpool fans were defending the actions of a serial biter.

Popcorn, I think:

[Patrick Thistle]

If Spurs had players who were capable or willing to put in Tactical fouls, we would have beaten Wolverhampton easily yesterday. Unfortunately we had in DM and CD defenders who were more like matadors waving Wolves strikers towards our goal like angry Bulls.

Steve Bulls?

[Antepli Ejderha]

Daniel Sturridge is available if anyone is interested, he's left Trabzonspor less than half way through a two year deal. Mutual consent is what they are saying but we'll see. When he played he did well but he didn't play that often.