Firstly, I”d like to apologise for the vile and incendiary language you”re about to read in the next paragraph. People of a nervous disposition should look away from this barrage of racist filth, but I hope other readers will recognise the need to expose hate speech with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play.
“It”s fantastic to have him back. He should never have been out in the first place.”
The most astonishing apologia for racism since Mein Kampf, this screed came from the mouth of none other than Kenny Dalglish, public enemy number one, the ranting demagogue threatening to tear asunder British football”s undoubted commitment to fighting, you know, racism and that.
At least, that”s the impression you”d gain if you followed football through the eyes of Oliver “is black c**t racist?” Holt and chums.
It”s open season on Kenny in the press, the peculiar circular logic they employ dictating that a comment is reckless and irresponsible and therefore must be amplified and repeated until it can be heard in every corner of the land. Because that”s the responsible thing to do.
Would Dalglish have been better saying nothing? As a communications and PR professional my initial reaction would be to say yes.
While it was hardly the Oswald Mosley-esque rant certain members of the fourth estate would have us believe, it was clearly the kind of thing the scribes would pounce on to reheat the entire affair for the umpteenth time.
Given what we know about Kenny, are we to believe this was a slip, a case of speaking in haste without due regard for the club”s reputation?
That”s the simple narrative, easy to arrive at and file before heading for your post-match chicken vermicelli.
Grist to the mill and fuel for the fire nicely arranged, the press have done their worst once again and Dalglish has only helped them.
That”s one way of looking at it. Here”s a different take – one based on Kenny”s experience, his undoubted media savvy, his unique insight in to the imperfect science of creating team spirit and holding things together in the most trying of circumstances.
Up until the interview, the post-match chatter focused on Suarez”s clearly accidental but unfortunate kick to Scott Parker”s midriff. Even this morning the “furore” over the incident, which was dealt with promptly and effectively by referee Michael Oliver, was leading BBC Sport”s garish new website. Apparently an England striker whose kick on an opponent earned him a three-match ban until the FA stepped in had Tweeted…I”m sorry, I can”t complete this sentence without wanting to vomit my internal organs out at the hypocrisy of it all.
Right, better now. At the time of writing the BBC headline has changed to “Suarez ban wrong, insists Dalglish”. And that, I suspect, will be seen by Kenny as job very much done.
In making himself the story, Kenny has deflected some of the attention from Suarez. Not reputable online casinos all of it – that would be too much to ask. But enough to provide some breathing space, enough to ensure the hand-wringing over a clash which Parker accepted contained no malice would rank alongside the appearance of a cat on the pitch as a second-tier story in the wake of the match.
The narrative is changing, from nasty foreigner does some racism to out-of-touch Scotsman defends the supposedly indefensible. It”s been a gradual shift, and one it”s tempting to conclude Dalglish has encouraged, placing himself as a partial firewall between his star striker and the media.
Perhaps the reason is pragmatic, born of a desire on Kenny”s part to ensure Suarez does not take what must be a strong temptation to cut and run, to take his talents away from England and Liverpool and seek a fresh start elsewhere. By taking on the role of media bogeyman he shows Suarez how far he will go to protect his man.
An alternative explanation is rooted in the Dalglish vision of the team, and of his central part in it. He may be dubbed the King, but Dalglish has always run a meritocracy, an approach which has antecedents in his remarkable rise as a player-manager. Dalglish has never seen himself as above the team but as one of its integral cogs.
If the team can be helped through Kenny taking a PR hit, that”s no different in his mind to Jay Spearing risking injury to stem a midfield breakaway or Craig Bellamy straining every sinew to drag Liverpool in to a cup final which has bought Kenny a significant amount of political capital he seems intent on spending.
That approach is key to understanding just why his statement after the Spurs game was not rash or ill thought-out. You may disagree with it, but it was surely planned and entirely consistent with both Dalglish”s previous comments and the direction he wants this story to travel in. Taking the hit himself may be the least-worst option right now, but sometimes that”s the most you can aim for.
Anyone seeing these latest comments as evidence of some kind of slide from relevance on Kenny”s part should beware. Past it? Not with the fire in him now.
A season which was threatening to lose its shape and direction is coalescing around a siege mentality and a sense that Liverpool are as unified now as at any point since May 2009. This season”s best stories are yet to be written.
I’m sure it is a comment he and a lot of others truly believe in and he will readily defend his stance. Not so sure it is pre-planned nor such an an extraordinary quote. I believe he would still repeat the same line any time anyone asks him. The “furore” around it, is just the same old bullies trying to force their opinion onto him, the club and LFC fans that have an opposing viewpoint. “What? You mean, even after the ban has ended, Kenny still hasn’t changed his mind and agreed with us? How shocking! What an evil man!” In reality, it is more “Kenny in still-not-changed-his-mind shocker”.
But come on, just how much do you think he will care? He has never exactly had much respect for the media or what they say. He isn’t exactly going to cower to their bullying. More likely, just do his usual trick of staring right at them with his wee smile, shoot them down with something far too witty for a football man and probably go off muttering some unintelligible Glaswegian under his breath.
He has every right to his opinion, and I am delighted he will express it when others try to bully him into silence, or worse still, a U-turn. He’s not asking people to agree with him. I wasn’t sure I could admire the man any more, but he just keeps finding a way to push the envelope. :)
Excellent!
Good article. I specially like the last line.
Press won’t let it go – keep asking about Suarez’s return after racially abusing Evra not after being ‘suspended’. We will keep defending him, it wasn’t with racist intent. He’s done the time’, it will be used to try and wind him up on the pitch for the rest of the season. Gordon Taylor on the news today said the Tom Adabeye event was as a result of how the club behaved about Suarez and went as far as connecting Hillsborough to the behaviour of fans. That’s really calming things down isn’t it.
Cracker of a piece that. Superb reading of Dalglish’s mentality.
Spot on mate
nice piece
Kenny said what he did because he firmly believes that Suarez is innocent of the charges laid against him and was stitched up by the FA’s Commission. He for one will not let this injustice be swept unde the carpet. It could be that he wants to rally team spirit or take the heat off Luis, but what is clear with Kenny is that he will not accept injustice and neither will the Club.
Excellent post. I feel Kenny is playing the media exactly like Mourinho (love him or hate him) did at chelsea. Shielding the players from the slings and arrows of the press, if an inncident had happened regarding one of his players he took the brunt of the media spite.. Kenny doing exactly the same thing and the players will walk thru walls for him! Bill and Bob will be proud!!
Super stuff Steve! It defeats me why so many people buy “news” papers.
They are as factual as the Dandy or the Beano. Invention & devisive.
I see some Journo’s as prostuitutes. There is no professional pride.
First off, absolutely AWESOME title. Taken from the greatest TV series I’ve had the pleasure of watching. For those not in “the know”, my strongest suggestion that you go watch the TV series ‘The Wire’. You will not regret it. Old link so don’t expect to see the free episodes but the writer does greater justice to the show than I can;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/jul/21/thewireisunmissabletelevis
(Series 1 currently showing on Sky Atlantic)
That done, United fan here. Feel the need to declare my bias.
Now on to the matter in hand and I have a number of points I’d like to express.
1) “Journalists” are parasites. Unfortunately they are also influential, effecting the way people think and act. At this moment in time LFC/KD/Suarez are “news” and every little detail will be magnified and then amplified for the sake of a story/column. It happens to United often enough.
2) Which leads into my second point, I tend to agree with original posters evaluation of KD’s reasoning behind his quotes and I see others agreeing. What I do take umbrage to, is how easily this argument becomes acceptable when it is YOUR manager and YOUR team. That’s not pointed at LFC fans, it applies for all clubs. SAF has used this tactic numerous times, as as Jose Mourinho. Arsene Wenger never “sees” a foul or dive that would result in him commenting negatively on his own player. And yet the same people dissecting and pointing out the motivations of one manger to say something will sit in judgement of another, condemning him.
3) As for the actual comments….I don’t think they were helpful, not least considering the fact the next game is MUFC v LFC. We can debate the merits of the sentence all over again but to support Suarez is one thing, to possibly inflame a situation is another.
I accept that is a judgement on my part however given the nature of the “offence”, I place in quotes purely because in the general sense I agree there’s a merit for debate on it though I don’t expect the Suarez version is also the “truth”, KD should have know better to say he never have been out is damaging. A ban was always going to be the right thing but the length of it was debatable.
Spot on. But can you remove this article as it gives the game away ;-)
Great read.although I think he,s done it to light the fire again. We won’t let the media get away with the disgracefull crap they,ve been spewing out for months now. We are not going to stand by and let them brand suarez,the club and the fans rascist based on lies.we,ll get them to confront themselves as to why none of them questioned the blatant stich up. I believe the cracks are already beginning to open up.paddy barclay,s heysel tweet tonight,is abhorent.he,s one of many who needs to take a long,hard look at himself.kenny knew excactly what he was doing and he,s the man to get them squirming
Bye bye Patrick Barclay…
Interesting article. As an LFC supporter, I am concerned that our loyalty is misguided. The balance presented in the last reader, Crip, is actually more rounded than the original article. KD is right to defend his player, but he has to be more responsible.
“You cannot hope to bribe or twist thank God! the British Journalist, But seeing what the man will do unbribed, theres no occasion to” H Wolfe.
Great headline. Brilliant wire reference!
Good article.
It’s obvious Kenny is sticking to his guns. He’s making this plainly obvious to everyone. He’s not being spiteful or stubborn. These are his beliefs, and if you take away a person’s beliefs they have nothing. Well done Kenny.
This is no ordinary defence of a player for something trivial,crip.this is no blind loyalty for one of your own. He,s been branded with the most henous of labels..,wrongly and without foundation.“ Blackie,blackie,blackie” seriously ?crip do you think suarez said that to evra with absolutely no evidence to back it up? Kenny,whether you like it or not, is still fuming over the way surez,the club and the fans have been treated and portrayed.
Bri5x,
I don’t want to get into a discussion what might have been said or not simply because it would just be circular, I will however say this, seriously I have no idea what Suarez said or what Evra heard. I don’t know either of them personally to vouch for them. And as a result I can’t see myself outright condemning one or defending the other. I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle.
As for what KD feels and believes, you may well be right, in fact probably are, however that doesn’t mean he has carte blanche to say and do what he feels is right. Again, I’m not condemning him, he is not the first to behave in this manner and won’t be the last. I’d want SAF to support his players as well, I just think in this instance he could have made a better fist of it.
Were the roles reversed, were it Suarez played for MUFC and Evra played for LFC, the same LFC fans that defend Suarez now would call for his head and the same United fans who call for Suarez’s head would defend him unequivocally.
Truthfully,if evra was an lfc player,I,d be embarrassed to defend him.I,d look at the report and its findings and I,d no doubt desparately try to find some credible evidence of suarez,s guilt but I wouldn’t find any.it would be impossible to agree with the verdict so I would say nothing.keep my head down.likewise,if I thought any lfc player was rascist,I,d want him out the club,so would kenny.he,s fiercely protective of the club and its fans.you,d be to if you,d gone to as many funerals as he did in 89 whilst hearing the authorities blaming the fans for the deaths at hillsborough.
Truthfully,if evra was an lfc player,I,d be embarrassed to defend him.I,d look at the report and its findings and I,d no doubt desparately try to find some credible evidence of suarez,s guilt but I wouldn’t find any.it would be impossible to agree with the verdict so I would say nothing.keep my head down.likewise,if I thought any lfc player was rascist,I,d want him out the club,so would kenny.he,s fiercely protective of the club and its fans.you,d be to if you,d gone to as many funerals as he did in 89 whilst hearing the authorities and certain newspapers,blaming the fans for the deaths at hillsborough.he and many thousands of lfc fans ,see this as another excuse for a number of sports journo,s and writers to drag lfc,s name through the mud and they,ve done it with relish.not one of them questioned an obviously flawed verdict.why? As to the timing of kenny,s comments,doesn’t make any difference.the papers are going to build it up to hysterical heights anyway.someone,s already said that suarez deserves everything he gets.ferguson will probably stoke it up that little bit more aswell but not in obvious way of coarse.
Crip,
Firstly, thanks for coming on here and not spouting bile. Your reasoned opinion is appreciated.
However, I think it is a little remiss of you to suggest Kenny “could have made a better fist of it” and imply his comments were not helpful prior to the game against your lot.
He was simply answering a question about Suarez’s return, posed to him immediately after the Spurs game.
Mr Ferguson went to a media outlet yesterday (CNN) and gave long copy to journalists in which he ‘demands a crack down on racism’. Which stokes the fires more before a big game?
To be fair, I’ll hold my hands up and say it’s a(nother) clever ploy by Fergie to put pressure on LFC and Suarez. But you can’t really accuse Kenny of being reckless with a one-liner remark when the opposition manager is giving interviews like that before the big game.
bri5X,
With all due respect, I see nothing in the report for Evra to be embarrassed about, I’m not sure what you’re seeing that I’m not. The gist of the report is that it is one man’s word against another. How that would lead you to be embarrassed on behalf of Evra I can’t quite grasp at all. The only way you can take that position is if you take Suarez’s position as fact and I can’t see how anyone can take his version as fact outright….or Evra’s for that matter.
Secondly the report doesn’t say Suarez is racist, Evra in his own statement says he doesn’t believe Suarez is racist. This isn’t a case for getting Suarez out of LFC.
For the record, in the build the same press also reported repeatedly that this wasn’t the first time Evra had made such an accusation which was not true and this was a position also taken by Liverpool to discredit Evra. Lazy journalism and lazy research by press and LFC.
momomo,
Agreed, KD was answering a question and a great believer in managers and players NOT answering the media immediately post game. The reason the media want it right after the game is purely to catch a player/manager in a charged environment and generate “news”, but I digress. I think KD could have supported Suarez but by saying he should “never have been out” suggests that no ban was required.
Even if we take Suarez’s version as fact, that he said so just the once and without malice I think a ban is STILL required, even if it is just one game. Evra was clearly offended. Regardless of intent I think it’s agreeable that just because it’s ok to say or do something in one culture doesn’t mean it is so in another. Those of us who exist in this culture would not go around to reference people as negro’s.
Back to KD again, I think maybe if it was his only comment on the issue it may not have flared up as it has but I think the view is LFC/KD public statements and acts since the verdict have been….shall we say consistently rash and not considered.
I think you can argue that maybe SAF was up to a degree of mischief but to be fair to him he’s said very little on the matter in the lead up to the verdict and post verdict. And since the event there have been a number of cases of “racism” be it fans in stadiums (United fan included) and comments via Twitter. So it can be argued that he was referencing the more broader issue of racism.
It’s perceptive. I have the fortune/misfortune of being a United fan, others here have fortune/misfortune of being LFC fans. It’s entirely possible the fate may made it so the reverse and I’d be arguing your point and you’d be arguing my point. And that is the crux of the matter of a fan level. I have seen LFC fans argue that LFC/KD and LS are the wronged party and SAF/Evra and MUFC/FA are the conspirators and equally so United fans have taken the reverse and it’s mind boggling simply because we believe the version of our players/club/manager simply because we happen to support them.
I use the word embarrassed because of the unfounded and frankly bizarre words he accused suarez of saying.again I go back to the “ blackie,blackie,blackie” accusation ,just plain weird.embarrassed for accusing him of calling him a “ n….r ”, embarrassed for saying to surez “ your sisters cunt”,embarrassed for the fact that he,s been involved in two other unfounded rascism cases in which he was adjudged to of exagerated and lied in his evidence.embarrassed for his whole behaviour that day from throwing a wobbler at the coin toss…what! Reacting comically to a kick on the leg to manically kissing his badge in front of the main stand.I will agree that suarez should of been given a 2 or 3 match ban for using the word “ negro ”,however benign its use in uryguay,it doesn’t travel over here with the same innocence.however,for what they went on to accuse him of,should of been settled with proper judicial procedure.on the surface,even though they don’t believe him to be rascist,what suarez was charged with is worse than what Terry is in court for! The fa,s disciplinary procedure was deemed “ not fit for purpose ” by the bar council back in 2005.that it makes a mockery of the profesionalism of lawyers to gather hard evidence when complying a case to secure a guilty verdict.no hard evidence was required by the fa to convict suarez.how can that be fair justice? I don’t expect man utd fans to agree with everything I’ve said but maybe you can understand why kenny,the club and the fans feel utter outrage,and continue to do so,over the way suarez,the club and kenny himself,have been treated.its refreshing to debate with a fair minded united fan.
TAW just gets better and better. A well thought out piece into the mind of our King.
I think this is still relevant to today…
http://youtu.be/0pAVssu20Is
It is entirely immaterial that a game vs MUFC is coming up for LFC. Kenny believes, and I fully agree, that Suarez did not, at any time, racially abuse, or use racially abusive language, towards Evra. Evra may have, at one point, thought he (Suarez) had, but that in no way, no matter the tortured circular logic and the massively ad hoc choices of the FA Commission, establishes that Suarez IN FACT actually used ‘racially abusive language’ towards him. We are delighted Suarez is back playing and believe he should never have been banned in the first place. Well said, Kenny. It’s only the truth, after all.
Kenny publicly backs Suarez because he, and most of, believe he’s an innocent man who’s been wronged and poorly treated – by the FA, the media, and all the rest of the lynch mob. We have never for a moment really believed Suarez was guilty of the FA charge at all. After all, he was only found ‘probably guilty’ by an FA-selected panel, not ‘guilty beyond reasonable doubt’ by a legal process.
Using the term “lynch mob” to defend a man that has been accused of using racist language is perhaps not the best idea.
Just sayin…
Unfortunately, the term applies too well because Suarez is part-black, and the frenzy of hate towards him is coming partly from him being “not one of us”. Case against him is built on xenophobia against Spanish language and his culture.
My initial reaction when hearing Kenny’s comment was one of dissapointment, to me the time was right for the club to lead the way in drawing a line under things.
Since then I have thought about it more and agree with the article in that it was said in a way of deflecting the attention away from Suarez and onto Kenny, and it’s worked. The media are now claiming if Kenny had kept quiet they would have draw a line under it and moved on….Bollocks!!
In honest hindsight, maybe there wouldnt have been such an issue if it was worded as it being the club’s belief that he should never have been banned, rather than it being taken as a direct attack on the decision. Afterall everyone knows where the club stand on the situation.
On a side note, whilst petty, the pre match handshake brought in by the FA should be adhered to at all times or not at all. Chelsea/QPR and the FA came to the decison to abandon this all together for the recent match between the two, which made a mockery of the FA’s respect campaign. It seems it will take place before the game Saturday and if so I think, both players and clubs should be applauded for not shying away from the issue all together.
There is a growing feeling amongst some LFC fans that the King and the club should just move on, this is all in past etc. These fans should ask themselves what is really to be gained by doing this?
Will it stop Suarez being heckled and booed by opposing fans? Will it stop media hacks having a dig at club for supporting him? Will it stop Suarez’s every action be scrutinised to the hilt and red card suggestions for every move he makes?
No it won’t. So stick it to them I say.
The event I am waiting for is the John Terry ‘trial’.
What seems to have been missed is that the DPP didnt take any action over the Luis/Evera affair.
Is this because Evera didnt lodge a official complaint? If the Mancs took legal advice would that advice have been ‘ no evidence’ – ‘one persons word against the other’ – no chance of a result.
The FA however took a different path and decided that a verdict could be arrived at by ‘weighing one persons word against another’
With regard to JT – the DPP HAS decided that there is enough evidence to levee a charge against Terry. An interesting point here is that the DPP’s decision to prosecute is driven by the chances of success in a court of law.
This indicates that there is a goodly raft of evidence to prove the charge.
Whatever the sanction the court may apply should JT be found guilty – how many games will the FA ban him for given that the charge has been proved in a real court of law?
Might just put a £5 on ‘none’!!!!!!!
Love the Omar Little clip! What a legend!
Oliver Holt has been banging this drum for some time.
Personally I feel that as soon as the FA had a QC on the case, we should have had one. It may have been an idea to contact the Uruguayan Embassy and ask for a language expert to confirm Luis side of the story.
Time for the club to put this episode to bed, starting on Saturday.
Evera is not having a good season, let’s make it worse!
I too think that Kenny’s remark on Suarez was deliberate, but with a different purpose: to reframe the debate while media are eager to support Terry and to criticize FA for taking action against him without proof of guilt.
When it was about Suarez, to question FA was a shocking heresy, and now it’s allowed again.
Good time for a second try maybe, to point out again that Suarez wasn’t found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, and so expressing reasonable doubt in FA verdict should be OK, just like for people who questioned FA decision on Terry.
FA lost its reverence lately, LFC should be encouraging that.
While it’s bad for LFC to attack Evra as there’s also no proof whether he lied and he could be a geniuine victim of racial abuse, and therefore any attempts to work this angle would be met with rightful scorn, there is nothing wrong in criticising FA for handling this affair, and slagging FA is a familiar ground for the journos.
Because with their verdict the FA/panel actually did bad by both men. (I treat FA and panel as one and the same as the panel job with 99% conviction rate is obviously to justify FA cases and not to seek the truth).
To push such an extreme version of events (Suarez using disgusting insults on Evra) as truth they either condemned Suarez as a vile rasist (even though they stated it wasn’t their intention), or presented Evra as doing an equivalent of deliberate career-ending tackle on a fellow professional (definitely wasn’t their intention either, but that’s how he’s been viewed now not just by many in LFC but by many outside of England too).
And they pushed this high-risk, high-stakes version without having ANY evidence either way, incredible!
What if some evidence WILL turn out and dispove their version? Imagine the damage for FA, for Evra, for the sport as a whole? With risk being so high, is it a wonder there’s such a propaganda machine going on in British media to squash even a squeak of dissent on this case?
And I’m not even touching the irony of all-white FA/panel condemning a brown foreigner from a disadvantaged background on zero evidence.
Questions could be asked, by both media and anti-rasist bodies, why did they need so much less proof to condemn a brown foreigner than a white Englishman? Because the value of the brown foreigner’s life and career is less? That’s how it appears to me from across the Pond, with Latino POV being much more prominent here.
FA/panel could’ve avoided all that damage by scolding/educating Suarez on the comment that he admitted, as for the rest of the accusations, they should have not even be made public, for Evra’s sake as well. If accusations like that couldn’t be substantiated, they could come back and hit the accuser.
But they didn’t, and now the only option for FA is to cling to their version and pray it’s continued to be seen by the public as truth beyond reasonable doubt, while it’s so easy to show that it’s not.
And the only option for LFC, to put the issue to bed, to move on – is justice being served and truth upheld, whatever it might be (even by Suarez really proved guilty as charged – I don’t believe in it though).
Don’t kid yourselves that by staying silent LFC would make it go away. Unfortunately, the fight for public opinion has to continue, as all the institutions like FA, FIFA and even courts and parlaments live and die by public opinion, so it has to be swayed for the justice to prevail.
Closing the ranks and ignoring it won’t make it go away, rational engaging with media is what has to be done.
Give them FA bone now as they are already gnawing it .
That’s what Kenny did I think, and I hope neither Kenny nor the club are letting it go.
I also hope they learned from their mistakes (which were plenty) and the second try will go better.
Speaking of swaying of the public opinion: it seems the wrong and damaging quote of Suarez is doing rounds right now, it was deliberately misquoted from the original interview Suarez gave to Uruguayan radio 890.
That’s what he said, from this transcript from Ovacion: http://www.ovaciondigital.com.uy/120208/futinter-623276/futbolinternacional/luis-suarez-el-dia-despues/
Or this: http://www.ovaciondigital.com.uy/120207/futinter-623241/futbolinternacional/-trate-de-olvidarme-de-todo-y-ayudar-al-equipo-/
“Nunca me bajoneé, mi conciencia estaba tranquila porque sabía cómo habían sido las cosas. Como dice la ley del jugador: las cosas de adentro de la cancha quedan en la cancha”
Translation: “The reason i never felt depressed is because my conscience was clear, I knew what had really happened. As the saying goes, what happens on the field stays on the field.”
The quote making rounds in British media: I knew what I did and there is a kind of football law that says: ‘What happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch and that’s the end of the story.’
As there are media folks reading this site maybe they could help set things straight here. Suarez shouldn’t have talked about it at all probably but if press will keep putting words in his mouth it wouldn’t matter if he stays silent or not.
Thanks for kind words and comments – lots of good points being made here, Crip you’ve spoken a lot of sense, pretty much in line with most intelligent United fans I’ve discussed this with. It reflects how this whole debate has matured and people have come to see there are much wider issues at play and a much more interesting and important discussion to be had. Unfortunately even some of the ‘quality’ press seem a long way from reaching that point.
Steve,
Agreed and actually we’re to blame in part for such journalists. The rules of journalism appear to be quite loose. We’re in an age where there are so many news mediums and each of these “journalists” are trying to justify their existence. The more controversial a opinion piece the more “hits” it gets and happier the editor is.
The quality press is only going to get worse as it grapples for readership. Most papers now have more commentators writing opinion pieces than actually investigative journalist researching stories and report news/fact as opposed to colour commentary.
What is the solution? Now, there’s a puzzle!
Great article but I honestly don’t think Kenny is that calculating. He is honest and fearless and does not accept a perceived injustice. It’s exactly those qualities, I believe, that endeared him to the club, City and the people of Liverpool. He instinctively gets it and that is why his judgement is always just about perfect. When he came back and started toying with the hacks like a cat with a mouse it made me wonder whether what I believe to be “the Liverpool Way’ is in fact ‘the Kenny Way’. I loved Rafa cos I felt he got us but when Dalglish came back it was apparent that he didn’t get us…he was us! Sorry to be so sentimental but he is fuckin priceless!
I think you might be right here, but ultimately I don’t think Kenny should have even mentioned the ban. OK he believes Suarez was innocent, but LFC has taken the hit, so lets all move on. I also know that the build up to the UTD game will all be about Suarez and Evra and yeah maybe Kenny was trying to deflect some of the attention from LS onto himself, but maybe he’s have been better saying what he has actually said post post match (if you get me) and that the incident is behind us and we are moving on. The more we gripe about the injustice the more we look like a club fumbling about for sympathy. I know we shouldn’t care what other clubs and fans think about us but is that how we want to be portrayed.
the club HAS been on the wrong end of injustices in the past some a lot more serious than others but the more we go on about this current situation the more it will drag on. Hopefully when we stuff UTD at OT we won’t hear anymore about it, though I seriously doubt it.
I feel a lot of why certain people in the media have been continually all over this is down to the dislike of KD. I believe quite a few of them have an axe to grind with KD and see this as a perfect opportunity to get at him. So many times we have seen at press conferences were Kenny has made some hack look like a fool with one of his witty reply’s to their usual stupid questions. They are like doctors they all stick together! Keep up the good work KD!
Kenny is just being consistent. The club has been consistent. They could not appeal the “verdict”, only the sentence, which would have only had the effect of validating the process. In effect what LFC have done is to not recognise the “court” of the FA, and basically withdrawn from what was in fact an unfair process. It’s an interesting view that Kenny is protecting Suarez, but I would not read that much into it. Because, I believe all he is doing is what he has done since the start of the process, which is simply to state that he does not believe the charge levelled against Suarez, and by extension will not acknowledge the media construct of an intransigent club, a racist fan-base, and a recalcritant manager. Any change in stance, any alteration of his view will be seized upon by the media as an admission of wrongdoing, and will be used to justify their straw men campaign against LFC. Keep it up, Kenny. You can do no other.