The Page Which Is Off To Read The Papers
Monday April 18 2005
Crossing The Line
Raging against the 'brutality that shames the game, deliberate and malevolent behaviour of the Wild Rovers', The Sunday Times led the way in the press' denunciation of Blackburn Rovers' conduct in their FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal.
The paper went on to add that 'there was unanimous condemnation of the physical tactics adopted by Blackburn in their attempts to prevent the inevitable'.
That unanimous condemnation, however, was not carried on by Match of the Day.
"A bit over the top" was the closest panellists Sam Allardyce and the utterly charmless Peter Reid came to suggesting that Rovers may have crossed the line while committing a total of 30 fouls, two knee-high hacks, approximately half-a-dozen kicks at Patrick Vieira in an apparently premeditated first-half assault on the Arsenal captain, and one swinging elbow.
If there was anything worse than Blackburns behaviour at the weekend then it was MOTD's refusal to acknowledge that Rovers had done any wrong. Blackburn could at least point to the tactic being in their best interests; but what interests do MOTD hold if not to the wider game?
It was difficult to determine whether the refusal was generated by Allardyce and Reid glorifying in their self-issued title of "two former tough-tackling footballers", or just a basic inability to differentiate between "working hard and closing down" and basic brutality.
Mediawatch suspected it may have been the latter. The second illustration apparently provided to demonstrate how Blackburn "played to their strengths, shut Arsenal down and did it well" ended with the sight of Patrick Vieira leaving David Thompson in his wake and the Rovers midfielders promptly kicking him to the ground, with a booking duly following.
That Reid believed this was still, nevertheless, "within the rules" and to the absolute credit of Rovers was staggering.
Robbie Savage, meanwhile, was merely "a little bit lucky" to escape scot-free after attempting to rearrange Fabregas' knee-cap. The referee, too, "dealt with things really, really well".
Quite what Reid was doing on the show was never explained. It may explain, however, why the conduct of Mark Hughes' team was not subject to any serious scrutiny. To the eternal shame of the BBC, this was the old boys' act in full swing.
Mark My Words
"I am enjoying my football. I am enjoying my life where I am living. There has been talk in the media about Real Madrid and Chelsea, but there have been no offers for me while I have been at United and if there were I would dismiss them straight away," Rio Ferdinand, March 10 2005.
Retaining Your Pride
Will some conscientious member of the metropolitan constabulary be taking action against Ms Radcliffe on the grounds that defecating in the street is a public order offence?
Moreover, as questioned by the F365 Forum, what would have been the outcome if a luckless wheelchair racer had gone over Radcliffes deposit?
Perhaps thats what they mean by a skid mark...
How Things Change
"This is a very nice feeling. It has been a difficult few weeks and it's nice to get to another final Roy Keane celebrates reaching the 2005 FA Cup Final.
"The Wembley myth, the folklore attached to the walk out of the tunnel, the red carpet, meeting the big shots, going up to the Royal Box to receive your medal, a pat on the back from the great and the good (and hopefully the Cup), all of it was bollocks" Roy Keane explains why ManYoo only care about Europe and the Premiership in his biography.
Some Folk Are Never Happy
Almost as odd as Liverpool beating Juventus in the Champions League was the behaviour of Rafa Benitez upon the final whistle in Turin.
And no, it wasnt that he smiled (for he never does that). Instead, what caught Mediawatchs attention was his haranguing of Jamie Carragher. Despite the clean sheet, the poor lad appeared to be receiving something of a bollocking from the boss.
So what was going on? Er, just that.
"He was telling me I had to be careful about Ibrahimovic coming off me and getting in behind," confirmed Carragher in an interview with The Sunday Times. "It was as if the game hadn't finished."
Nor was Benitez's ire limited to Carragher's apparent shortcomings.
"You know what the manager did when we got on the plane? He told us off for not keeping the ball well enough: we hadnt had the bottle to pass it and were just belting it long. That was the first thing he said. Everyone was delighted to be in the semi-final of the Champions League. And he was saying we basically bottled it in the second half..."
Rafa sounds the type of guy who wins the lottery but then complains it wasnt a rollover...
Heres One For All Those Who Noticed The Quality Of Laurent Roberts Set Piece Delivery On Sunday
"In terms of his abilities at dead-ball situations, Laurent is up there with anyone you would care to name in the world" Graeme Souness, March 7.
We would include Peter Schmeichel's contention that Roberts delivery was so poor that "he must have been doing it on purpose as if to make a point" but after golfer Ernie Els took legal action against a US PGA tour official who accused him of "giving up" in a tournament, we're hoping that Laurent takes similar recourse against the Incomprehensible One as that should ensure he is taken off our screens.
You-Couldnt-Make-It-Up-Moment Of The Footballing Day
Galway Football Club have hired Nick Leeson, he of the Baring Bank collapse, to put the club on a secure financial footing.
Headline Of The Day
'More decline on the Tyne' The Times.
Worst Headline Of The Day
'The Bogey Van Will Get You' The Sun. Deary me.
Quote Of The Day
"I read all of his books. And the Malcolm X biography and the Martin Luther King biography and Che Guevara and some French literature. I like to read a bit of everything&They all read something at Arsenal. I swapped books with the masseur, told him to get into Paulo Coelho. Everyone else is obsessed with The Da Vinci Code. I don't want to read that. I'm really interested in theology, I have a lot of friends in Geneva who are Muslim so I read a lot about Islam - all the monotheistic religions in fact, the similarities and the differences. I don't want to read a book that undermines all of that" Arsenals Philippe Senderos, The Observer.
Rumour Of The Day
'The pregnant ex-girlfriend of Corrie star Jimmi Harkishin is dating David Beckham's DAD. Divorced Ted Beckham, 54, met busty glamour model Miranda Lipinski, 25, at a boxing match' The People.