Comments on: Tiny Slaps to the Face of Nemanja Vidić http://www.runofplay.com/2008/05/22/tiny-slaps-to-the-face-of-nemanja-vidic/ Attacking Football Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:36:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Linda http://www.runofplay.com/2008/05/22/tiny-slaps-to-the-face-of-nemanja-vidic/#comment-1371 Linda Sat, 24 May 2008 02:16:44 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=921#comment-1371 I do feel sorry for Terry, if only because I hate penalty shoot-outs and their random cruelty, but otherwise I agree with ursus. (It wasn't Terry's fault that he slipped, but he can't blame the miss on the pitch entirely given the other successful pens. As a centerback, and not even a ball-playing one, he just should never have been picked to take one in the first place.) And yeah, the sexism is awful, but par for the course in a lot of footie writing, unfortunately. I do feel sorry for Terry, if only because I hate penalty shoot-outs and their random cruelty, but otherwise I agree with ursus.

(It wasn’t Terry’s fault that he slipped, but he can’t blame the miss on the pitch entirely given the other successful pens. As a centerback, and not even a ball-playing one, he just should never have been picked to take one in the first place.)

And yeah, the sexism is awful, but par for the course in a lot of footie writing, unfortunately.

]]> By: roswitha http://www.runofplay.com/2008/05/22/tiny-slaps-to-the-face-of-nemanja-vidic/#comment-1369 roswitha Fri, 23 May 2008 17:05:03 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=921#comment-1369 My problem is that I can never tell when someone is being a "stud" or when they're just pretending to old-fashioned hard man-ism. It's probably sisterly charity that has had me tend to categorise John Terry as one of the latter rather than the former, and so, the emotionalism actually seemed rather consistent with his persona. He'd be like something out of DH Lawrence. I didn't know about the underage girls. [They were girls, I presume, else we'd have heard a lot more etc.?] My problem is that I can never tell when someone is being a “stud” or when they’re just pretending to old-fashioned hard man-ism. It’s probably sisterly charity that has had me tend to categorise John Terry as one of the latter rather than the former, and so, the emotionalism actually seemed rather consistent with his persona. He’d be like something out of DH Lawrence.

I didn’t know about the underage girls. [They were girls, I presume, else we'd have heard a lot more etc.?]

]]> By: ursus arctos http://www.runofplay.com/2008/05/22/tiny-slaps-to-the-face-of-nemanja-vidic/#comment-1362 ursus arctos Fri, 23 May 2008 11:41:21 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=921#comment-1362 I don't think you can look at this particular case without taking into account Terry's entire Alpha Male/Mr. Chelsea persona (which extends to screwing 16 year olds in the back of his Bentley (though not while parked in a space reserved for the disabled)). Given that "JT" has been far from an innocent bystander in the creation of that persona, he has to expect to take a certain amount of flak when the facade cracks so visibly. Personally, I found his reaction to be very much humanising. You had to be stone cold not to feel for the guy on at least some level. I don’t think you can look at this particular case without taking into account Terry’s entire Alpha Male/Mr. Chelsea persona (which extends to screwing 16 year olds in the back of his Bentley (though not while parked in a space reserved for the disabled)).

Given that “JT” has been far from an innocent bystander in the creation of that persona, he has to expect to take a certain amount of flak when the facade cracks so visibly.

Personally, I found his reaction to be very much humanising. You had to be stone cold not to feel for the guy on at least some level.

]]> By: Fredorrarci http://www.runofplay.com/2008/05/22/tiny-slaps-to-the-face-of-nemanja-vidic/#comment-1349 Fredorrarci Thu, 22 May 2008 22:35:42 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=921#comment-1349 Some of the criticism of Terry's crying has certainly been quite sexist, whereas other reaction has been of the "it's only a game, man" variety (and some has conflated the two). My reflex reaction would be along the "get some perspective" line. But then I think of how badly I feel when I watch my team (from a safe distance, in my sitting room) lose in a similar way, however irrational and temporary it may be. How must it feel for someone like Terry? His life is defined to a huge degree by what he does on that field fifty or so times a year. What more defining moment could there be than a single kick to decide whether or not your club wins the tournament which itself by a defining point in their history? (I'll stop saying "defining" now.) Add to this the fact that Terry is a lifelong Chelsea fan and has been with them as a player since he was a kid, and must therefore feel the blow all the more sharply, and even this Arsenal fan has a smidgin of sympathy for him. Some of the criticism of Terry’s crying has certainly been quite sexist, whereas other reaction has been of the “it’s only a game, man” variety (and some has conflated the two).

My reflex reaction would be along the “get some perspective” line. But then I think of how badly I feel when I watch my team (from a safe distance, in my sitting room) lose in a similar way, however irrational and temporary it may be. How must it feel for someone like Terry? His life is defined to a huge degree by what he does on that field fifty or so times a year. What more defining moment could there be than a single kick to decide whether or not your club wins the tournament which itself by a defining point in their history?

(I’ll stop saying “defining” now.)

Add to this the fact that Terry is a lifelong Chelsea fan and has been with them as a player since he was a kid, and must therefore feel the blow all the more sharply, and even this Arsenal fan has a smidgin of sympathy for him.

]]> By: roswitha http://www.runofplay.com/2008/05/22/tiny-slaps-to-the-face-of-nemanja-vidic/#comment-1347 roswitha Thu, 22 May 2008 18:20:08 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=921#comment-1347 Can we get Grigoriy's opinion on Jonathan Safran Foer [or his football-writing brother Franklin, if he likes], Brian? The sexism inherent in the slagging off of John Terry [and Didier Drogba] annoys the hell out of me, even though I harbour a tenderness [cough] for a sort of mechanical stoicism among sportsmen and -women, myself. Can we get Grigoriy’s opinion on Jonathan Safran Foer [or his football-writing brother Franklin, if he likes], Brian?

The sexism inherent in the slagging off of John Terry [and Didier Drogba] annoys the hell out of me, even though I harbour a tenderness [cough] for a sort of mechanical stoicism among sportsmen and -women, myself.

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