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Robert N. LiM

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Everything posted by Robert N. LiM

  1. Haha, yeah, when I was right I did think "I spend too much time on this forum"
  2. Haha, I saw on the homepage you'd replied to this thread and I thought to myself, 'I bet he's recommended a Fall song'
  3. Will be the most damaging in recent times - right up until late May when hopefully there will be one or two more.
  4. I probably should have added here that if it were part of a recognised pattern of behaviour rather than one isolated comment (and, as far as I'm aware, absolutely no suggestion that SW treated black players any differently when he was SD here), then that kind of labelling would seem much more reasonable.
  5. I understand that and completely take the point, especially about the notion of trying to be aware of and control your subconscious prejudices. While I'm here I might as well say that I think your comments on this thread have been absolutely excellent and I've agreed with pretty much all of them. I'm just thinking in terms of what works. Presumably the goal for all of us is that our society should continue to become less racist. And I think you and I agree that becoming more aware of our subconscious biases is an important part of that. I just also feel that labelling a person as 'racist' (rather than focussing on the specific comments they used) runs the risk of seeming like it's an accusation about their whole character, which is likely to provoke an understandably defensive reaction - and make it less likely that they reflect on their behaviour. Whereas if you focus on the specific comment or incident, and especially if you note that subconscious biases are something that we all have, you are more likely to prompt an honest reflection. But I am quite prepared to accept I might be wrong about this, and that I'm being overly generous. I'm white and don't have to absorb this kind of shıt on a daily basis. So that might be one of my unconscious prejudices.
  6. Can't remember who it was, but someone on here floated the delicious possiblity that they will finally end their losing streak in the play-off second leg at Portman road - but that our bigger victory in the first leg will see us through to the final. In other words, even when they win, they lose. That really would be exceptionally funny.
  7. Good comment, Hoggy. Sounds like quite a sensible middle ground to me. The only bit I'd slightly take issue with is this: I think that's all true in theory, but the reaction of the specific players and their families really undermines that defence in practice. I think their reaction is far more relevant than Troy Deeney's. And I agree with your conclusion: I think your last line is really important and perhaps where those arguing on this thread could reach some kind of accord. I think it's really important to acknowledge that we are all capable of prejudice, making inaccurate stereotyped assumptions, etc. To do so doesn't mean that you are a secret Klansman. We should definitely be making a distinction between 'that statement was racist' (or 'contained racist assumptions', if you prefer) and 'that person is a racist'. I think it should be possible to condemn such comments, make it clear that they are completely inappropriate for someone in a position of such power and authority - SW had a great deal of influence on the careers of the four NCFC players mentioned - and, yes, to say that the comments were racist, without completely condemning the person who made them, not allowing them to apologise, not allowing them to learn from the experience and be better. This goes back to the principle of charity that @Mr Carrow was talking about. But if you're going to apply that charitable principle, you have to apply it to the families too, to take their objections seriously and not brush them off.
  8. And this has basically always been the case. I've been watching England in tournaments since 1986 and the pattern is fairly clear. We beat the teams we expect to beat and lose to the top sides. If we define a top side as 'a team that's won the world cup', I think I'm right in saying that we've only beaten one of them in a major tournament knock-out game since 1966: Germany in Euro2020 under [checks notes] Gareth Southgate. Our par achievement is quarter-finalists - anything less than that is a disappointment, anything more than that an achievement. This year, thanks to the attacking talent we have at our disposal I'd hope we can reach the semi-finals. But the defensive weaknesses we have make it unlikely we can compete with the very best (except, as you say, by playing more defensively than Southgate's critics would like and trying to stay in games). And I'll just come back to my old refrain. You can think England would do better under Anyone But Southgate if you like. But you have to acknowledge that they've done better under him than under Anyone Else Who Has Actually Done The Job Since 1970.
  9. Be careful. Do you really want me to answer that question?
  10. Great post, and this bit above is exactly the point. To be honest, I think anyone who hasn't accepted this yet is never going to, so I wouldn't waste your time any further. I think you should be encouraged by the fact that the vast majority of people on this board do understand it.
  11. Just on a point of order, the concept of potentiality is already contained within the image of the banana skin, it being something you might slip on. If we win easily, the game will still have been a banana skin, just one we didn't slip on. Describing it as a potential banana skin gets us into dangerous metaphysical territory, making the intrinsic potentiality of the banana skin simultaneously contingent, so that the very existence of the metaphorical banana skin enters into some kind of quantum realm. So on balance, I think it's safer to just call it a 'banana skin game', because footballers and metaphysics have been uncomfortable bedfellows since the death of Albert Camus and the retirement of Eric Cantona. Oh yeah, and I think we'll win comfortably.
  12. It was interesting to hear Bellingham's comments immediately after the game. First, what a staggeringly mature speaker he is for 20 or whatever he is. Second, he said he was relieved when he scored because he knew how much negativity the England team would get if they'd lost twice in the same week. It really made me think - seems to me that the negativity surrounding the team is way out of proportion. We have some really good, exciting players up front and some glaring weaknesses at the back. We'll probably be contenders at the Euros (personally I'd hope for the last four) but anyone thinking we should be winning it with the players we have is setting themselves up for disappointment. And while there are obvious areas you can criticise Southgate for (notably, in my view, his caution with subs and slowness in reacting to changes of the balance play in-games - the Italy final the most obvious example), the idea that he (I'll say it again, objectively England's most successful coach since Ramsey) is the one thing holding us back is just nonsense. There seems to be a weird mixture of entitlement on the one hand and nihilism on the other. I'd say, get behind them this summer. It could be fun.
  13. I think it was considered, but it turned out to generate far too much toxic pollution
  14. https://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2024/mar/26/david-squires-on-england-flag-furore-kit-collar-woke-things-destroying-football
  15. Not an og, of course, but for early hilarity/catastrophe it reminded me of this classic https://youtu.be/SGdQvqbIexk?si=laTqFStLOpWgbzX4
  16. The Mail got their union flag knickers in a twist about it in 2012 if I remember correctly. In my view, the main difference is that at that point politicians hadn't really lowered themselves to getting involved in this culture war nonsense.
  17. Excellent - and it is actually Tintin-inspired. Tintinspired, if you will. https://www.tintin.com/en/news/6069/tintin-inspired-away-kit-homage-to-cartoonist-herge#
  18. Goal here: https://x.com/pinkun/status/1772717662964982204?s=20
  19. Yeah, I think he might just be more excited to have scored for his country against France than about his upcoming clash with Plymouth Argyle.
  20. Hang on - are you saying it's not all the fault of [checks notes] England's most successful coach in 60 years? Huge if true.
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