Webber makes the national news

[The Real Buh 3,437]

I don’t think I’ve ever been this right. I just keep getting righter.

[Corbs1 89]

This is a good example of how it does one no harm to be a tad more “aware”, what African Americans called woke. Live and learn hopefully. Also this was a public comment not a private conversation. Something of a relief that he has moved on. 

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

1 hour ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

When the clear intent of the guy is all about drawing attention to pulling kids out of poverty and steering them away from bad life choices, digging in to argue that the guy's a rampant racist when it's clearly not the case is just plain ridiculous. Like I  said, waste of space  single issue campaigners justifying their existence is the problem here; not Webber.

What % of kids that play footy age 14 go on to be pros Birdyo? Less than 0.01%. getting a pro contract has nothing to do with keeping kids, no matter what colour, out of trouble. his whole speech was BS. I know you like to take the 'Smarter than thou' angle and argue the small stuff but do leave off. He's made a fool of himself, before we even get to race/background etc.

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

5 minutes ago, Corbs1 said:

This is a good example of how it does one no harm to be a tad more “aware”, what African Americans called woke.

 

A masterpiece of Partridgism.

[The Real Buh 3,437]

Raheem Sterling is like “Stuart Who?”

[......and Smith must score. 1,343]

35 minutes ago, The Real Buh said:

I don’t think I’ve ever been this right. I just keep getting righter.

If you’re always right in the first place how can you be getting righter ?

[Samwam27 527]

2 hours ago, Midlands Yellow said:

Soul Church Baby, Soul Church. 

I go to Soul Church every week. I can assure you what one idiotic individual says, doesnt represent what the rest of us 'Christians'. 😁

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,431]

2 hours ago, lake district canary said:

it is quite clear to anyone who is familiar with his habit of putting his foot in his mouth (like we know of him as fans) that he was trying to say something meaningful and with good intentions - but he just got it wrong.    It wasn't Webber being racist, it was just Webber being Webber.

Lakey, being a nobody like me (and possibly you ) is one thing. We can say what we like within reason.

Being a highly paid high profile Sporting Director of a professional football club , with a clear diversity  agenda , you cannot be excused. The comments about Women's football, Divorcees and now this blatant casual / subconscious racism is pathetic in every sense of the word. Webber is in the position where he shouldn't need a sympathetic interpretation on what he said. 

The naivety here is extraordinary  as were earlier comments on the Club not needing to say anything. 

 

 

 

[shefcanary 2,409]

5 hours ago, lake district canary said:

I have. He was clumsy with his comments, didn't think it through and it came out badly, but I don't think for one minute he was being racist.

I see he's apologised so maybe he recognises he said something in a stupid way, but at least he wasn't afraid to say something, whereas a lot of people are scared to say anything for fear of being labelled racist, when all they are trying to do is talk about a problem that is well known to exist. The alternative to not talking about these subjects is that they don't get discussed enough!

Woah, Lakey. As I've said elsewhere he could have made similar statements and named four white lads. But the same issue would have resulted. There was no problem with these named lads! That is the only problem here.

Webber has implied the players had a social background and upbringing that he knew (or should have known given his access to the personnel records of them) was false in public. That is in effect implying their parents were somehow active in poorly nurturing their sons. Irrespective of race of those he named, the implied criticism of their parents is defamation. Just weird, not clumsy, definitely stupid.

I know the above just repeats similar thoughts from others on here, but I am just ramming home the point- Lakey you are so wrong.

[Well b back 3,208]

A few people on here living in the past and not quite understanding racism. 
I am actually quite surprised that this thread has not been removed, with the defending of racial profiling. 

[daly 503]

6 hours ago, mannings bandy legs said:

I wonder what he thinks of sherpas. Where would they be if they were not guiding mountaineers?

Mounting Goats

[BigManInTheBarclay 75]

7 hours ago, Helsinki canary said:

Best advice for Webber is to keep his egoistic gob shut and get up that damn mountain 

maybe he should stay up the mountain!

[Duncan Edwards 2,237]

1 hour ago, daly said:

Mounting Goats

Racism on a thread about racism. Discustard. 

[Mr.Carrow 376]

9 hours ago, lake district canary said:

Unbelievable. Reported for racist comments? His intention was clearly to reflect the problems young black people have in society - a problem the BBC and other news groups have reported on, multiple times. He was clumsy with what he said, but to me he was highlighting social problems and how these players might have avoided them by being involved in football. That is a good thing.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like him and think he is egotistical and lacking in humility, but in this case, there is nothing here to get excited about in so far as reporting him.  I think it's ridiculous - he might need to apologise and explain himself a bit more  what he was trying to say, but to villify him nationally is just over the top.

Exactly. Yet again people are choosing to apply the worst possible interpretation on language which can be interpreted several different ways from a guy with no previous. So the idea that it was racist is based on feelings rather than hard evidence and worse, anyone who points this out is then tarred with the same brush. It's not far off the religious punishment of apostates and rides roughshod over Liberal values. 

[TheBaldOne66 689]

9 hours ago, lake district canary said:

Wind your neck in and read what I've said. I've not excused him, he was wrong to say it in the way he did and it came across badly, but it is quite clear to anyone who is familiar with his habit of putting his foot in his mouth (like we know of him as fans) that he was trying to say something meaningful and with good intentions - but he just got it wrong.  Easy to shout "racism" at things like this, but really it's a song and dance about very little - and something for which he has rightly apologised and we should all move on without getting too irate. It wasn't Webber being racist, it was just Webber being Webber.

Meaningful? Really? Why then are the families of these players rightly so upset? 
 

You are the Stuart Webber of this message board as you don’t think either before you post on here just like he doesn’t before he opens his mouth. 
 

Think about what you write before you post for once. 

[dylanisabaddog 4,931]

9 hours ago, skittles said:

Bet you wouldn’t say Muslim if he was one.  Weird hypocrite!!

I suggest you visit the non football pages where you will find I hold people of all religious beliefs in equal contempt. 

When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.

Edited March 26 by dylanisabaddog

[canarybubbles 1,919]

1 hour ago, dylanisabaddog said:

I suggest you visit the non football pages where you will find I hold people of all religious beliefs in equal contempt. 

When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.

That's a great quote Dylan. Where does it come from?

[makham 81]

1 hour ago, dylanisabaddog said:

I suggest you visit the non football pages where you will find I hold people of all religious beliefs in equal contempt. 

When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.

So you are allowed to refer to other comments you've made previously to mitigate for and provide context to your emotional and hateful OP. Likewise, Stuart Webber also deserves that chance. You don't seem to want to be judged purely by your stand alone comments in your OP here. May not be nice for SW, too. 

(And just to be clear, I would also be very annoyed initially  if I was one of the players mentioned by SW or a family member.) 

[makham 81]

12 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

Racist comments just reported on BBC news.

I'd probably get banned if I said what I thought about this Christian racist tw*t

Should really have  quoted your OP as well in my post above.

[dylanisabaddog 4,931]

34 minutes ago, makham said:

So you are allowed to refer to other comments you've made previously to mitigate for and provide context to your emotional and hateful OP. Likewise, Stuart Webber also deserves that chance. You don't seem to want to be judged purely by your stand alone comments in your OP here. May not be nice for SW, too. 

(And just to be clear, I would also be very annoyed initially  if I was one of the players mentioned by SW or a family member.) 

What extraordinary nonsense. There is no reasonable explanation for what Webber said other than he has a problem with race. He has specifically named individuals who would have been in jail if it wasn't for him. That's what is called a God complex. It's absolute nonsense of course but on the plus side it's now highly unlikely that he will work in football again. Or anywhere else for that matter. 

[dylanisabaddog 4,931]

1 hour ago, canarybubbles said:

That's a great quote Dylan. Where does it come from?

It's been widely used in Africa and America for many years. I've no idea who said it first. 

Unfortunately it's true and what's worse is the level of racism within Christian religions, particularly in America and particularly within Evangelical groups 

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/racism-among-white-christians-higher-among-nonreligious-s-no-coincidence-ncna1235045

A Mark Twain quote also springs to mind every time I think of Webber. 

"It's not what you don't know that gets you in the end. It's what you absolutely know for certain that simply ain't so" 

The problem is that if Webber read that quote it would never cross his mind that it may refer to him. He appears absolutely certain that he is always right and everyone who doesn't agree with him is wrong. Perhaps there's something in his genetic make up that is to blame? 

 

Edited March 26 by dylanisabaddog

[Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,278]

13 hours ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

When the clear intent of the guy is all about drawing attention to pulling kids out of poverty and steering them away from bad life choices, digging in to argue that the guy's a rampant racist when it's clearly not the case is just plain ridiculous. Like I  said, waste of space  single issue campaigners justifying their existence is the problem here; not Webber.

I assume you include Kamara, Aarons et all who have publicly condemned the comments under your umbrella statement? 

[JonnyJonnyRowe 446]

4 hours ago, Mr.Carrow said:

Exactly. Yet again people are choosing to apply the worst possible interpretation on language which can be interpreted several different ways from a guy with no previous. So the idea that it was racist is based on feelings rather than hard evidence and worse, anyone who points this out is then tarred with the same brush. It's not far off the religious punishment of apostates and rides roughshod over Liberal values. 

If he's sued Mr. Carrow the argument won't be about whether Webber's remarks were racist or involved racial profiling. So many people seem stuck on this bit. 

It will be about whether he has damaged the reputation and possibly the earnings potential of the 5 individuals by smearing their name like this, and I feel that this is undeniable and could prove incredibly expensive to Webber. I would suggest that if he gets the opportunity to settle out of court he does so swiftly.

[dylanisabaddog 4,931]

14 hours ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

When the clear intent of the guy is all about drawing attention to pulling kids out of poverty and steering them away from bad life choices, digging in to argue that the guy's a rampant racist when it's clearly not the case is just plain ridiculous. Like I  said, waste of space  single issue campaigners justifying their existence is the problem here; not Webber.

Do you have first hand knowledge of those named? I know the lady who provided lodgings for Jamal and he stayed with her for 2 years from 16 to 18. She had 5 or 6 lads stay with her over the years but says Jamal was by far the best. Very intelligent and polite. To say she is angry is an understatement. 

This is all extremely ironic when one of our senior white players has made the national news this week over his dubious involvement in a betting scandal. What a shame that Webber was unable to save him. 

If I was one of the players named I would not have taken this well. I wonder how keen Rowe and Kamara will be to stay here now?

The statement made by the club falls way short of what was needed and the players perception of the club will possibly be affected by the fact that Mrs Webber is still there. She shouldn't be blamed for his behaviour but I'm afraid she will be. 

[dylanisabaddog 4,931]

12 hours ago, Samwam27 said:

I go to Soul Church every week. I can assure you what one idiotic individual says, doesnt represent what the rest of us 'Christians'. 😁

What Jesus would actually have looked like and what he looks like in an Evangelical church. The biggest whitewash in human history 

[lake district canary 4,533]

13 hours ago, wcorkcanary said:

 He's made a fool of himself, before we even get to race/background etc.

This is the main point - he messed up - but it is obvious to anyone that has a brain that he was trying to make a positive comment about football being good for black youngsters - he just wrapped it up in a very poor way, bringing in names that he shoudn't have used, making it easy for the woke brigade to jump on him and shout "racist" and upsetting those players and their families.

So he could have named some white footballers too, but statistically, black people have more problems in the job market than white and there are reports/reviews/study after study that show this is still a big issue in society - and that was what he was trying to say.

People keep saying "you're wrong, you're wrong" but I've not excused him one bit, all I've done is to try and understand the meaning of what he was trying to say. Yes, I'll agree he laid himself open to cries of racist, but there is much more to it than that.

Edited March 26 by lake district canary

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

50 minutes ago, JonnyJonnyRowe said:

If he's sued Mr. Carrow the argument won't be about whether Webber's remarks were racist or involved racial profiling. So many people seem stuck on this bit. 

It will be about whether he has damaged the reputation and possibly the earnings potential of the 5 individuals by smearing their name like this, and I feel that this is undeniable and could prove incredibly expensive to Webber. I would suggest that if he gets the opportunity to settle out of court he does so swiftly.

Webber's remarks concerned what these players might have become rather than what they did become. That makes the question of libel less clearcut than it might have been. "M'lud, my client has been accused of triumphing over adversity."🤩

Even if libel was proved the players would then have to demonstrate actual reputational and financial damage. Webber has apparently apologised to at least some of the players and apologised in general. As said on another thread, perhaps he might care to divert some of his Everest charity money to Kick It Out or a similar body. Even if not I would be surprised if he gets sued.

 

[Midlands Yellow 3,994]

18 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

This is the main point - he messed up - but it is obvious to anyone that has a brain that he was trying to make a positive comment about football being good for black youngsters - he just wrapped it up in a very poor way, bringing in names that he shoudn't have used, making it easy for the woke brigade to jump on him and shout "racist" and upsetting those players and their families.

So he could have named some white footballers too, but statistically, black people have more problems in the job market than white and there are reports/reviews/study after study that show this is still a big issue in society - and that was what he was trying to say.

People keep saying "you're wrong, you're wrong" but I've not excused him one bit, all I've done is to try and understand the meaning of what he was trying to say. Yes, I'll agree he laid himself open to cries of racist, but there is much more to it than that.

Keep tying yourself up in more knots. 

[Jim Smith 2,321]

21 minutes ago, PurpleCanary said:

Webber's remarks concerned what these players might have become rather than what they did become. That makes the question of libel less clearcut than it might have been. "M'lud, my client has been accused of triumphing over adversity."🤩

Even if libel was proved the players would then have to demonstrate actual reputational and financial damage. Webber has apparently apologised to at least some of the players and apologised in general. As said on another thread, perhaps he might care to divert some of his Everest charity money to Kick It Out or a similar body. Even if not I would be surprised if he gets sued.

 

I’m not sure how active his charity really is yet. There’s not much evidence of activity in its website other than his climb and the podcasts. No mention of any programmes or grants they are running/offering yet. 

Personally, im surprised more eyebrows were not raised at the time when the two most senior executive employees at the club set up their own foundation, whilst in full time employ of the club and with more or less the same objectives and aspirations as the clubs own charitable foundation of which Zoe is a trustee. He could easily just have raised money through his climb for the CSF but perhaps that doesn’t set up their foundation for the future for them. 

 

 

Edited March 26 by Jim Smith

[sonyc 5,525]

29 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

This is the main point - he messed up - but it is obvious to anyone that has a brain that he was trying to make a positive comment about football being good for black youngsters - he just wrapped it up in a very poor way, bringing in names that he shoudn't have used, making it easy for the woke brigade to jump on him and shout "racist" and upsetting those players and their families.

He may well have meant those things LDC but the intentions don't hold much weight. Intentions are, in this matter, unfortunately useless. The expression "they wouldn't mind me saying this" is presumptuous too. 

Splitting hairs? Maybe I am. Nothing to do with a woke brigade however and everything to do with lived experience. It's about power. Whose judgement is it to make? Stuart Webber's?

I get the point you are making and have some sympathy for people who get things wrong. He will definitely reflect on this and that will ultimately be a very good thing for him. He has always had this complex of greatness and this episode will have taken him off his own pedestal. Not a bad thing for him. In time.