Prepare the tiny violins! Someone has been shouting at Diego Simeone! Famously thin-skinned and a bastion of all that is right and pure in this world, the Atlético Madrid manager was sent off on Wednesday night at Anfield after reacting to a fan’s jibes from behind the dugout, following Liverpool’s latest Slottage-time winner in their Bigger Cup tie.
While admiring John Waugh’s ‘more is more’ celebration of the extended Bigger Cup format (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), he evoked Albert Camus as justification for his case. As we all know, Camus owed everything he knew about morality and the obligations of men to football, but, whereas life may be meaningless, his love of his team RUA was so deep that when he went to Paris he went to watch Racing Club, because they wore the same kit as RUA, so he could pretend to still be watching his favourite team. ‘After all,’ he wrote (in French), ‘that’s why I loved my team so much – for the joy of victories, so wonderful when paired with the fatigue that follows effort, but also for that stupid urge to cry on nights of defeat.’ Were Algeria still French and RUA playing in Bigger Cup, and that Camus had been wearing a seatbelt on that fateful drive, and reached the ripe old age of 112 he would be have been ecstatic to watch them play against any old chaff they were drawn against” – Guy Cooper.
Has it occurred to our learned friend that Football Daily might be looking at the bigger picture (doubtful, I know)? Qarabag may be minnows in Bigger Cup, but they’ve won 11 of their past 12 domestic league titles because of the money they make in European competitions. I wonder how many fans find it fun watching non-Qarabag teams compete in the Azerbaijan Premier League? Contrary to John’s argument, I believe clubs having a chance of actually winning a competition would increase fan engagement and make the whole sport more appealing. Maybe a better idea than just cramming more teams into European competitions is to actually have fewer teams competing in them, but have Uefa distribute more money across those weaker leagues so teams are better able to compete?” – Thabo Caves.
What pleasure to read a reference to Larkin (yesterday’s letters) on a day when I myself had spent a little while reading part of an anthology of the great poet’s works. Noble Francis, and others, who may have found Larkin’s sometimes fruity language a little coarse for their sensibilities might have enjoyed attempts to sanitise literature that included: ‘They tuck you up your mum and dad’” – Michael Lloyd.
This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Continue reading…Prepare the tiny violins! Someone has been shouting at Diego Simeone! Famously thin-skinned and a bastion of all that is right and pure in this world, the Atlético Madrid manager was sent off on Wednesday night at Anfield after reacting to a fan’s jibes from behind the dugout, following Liverpool’s latest Slottage-time winner in their Bigger Cup tie.While admiring John Waugh’s ‘more is more’ celebration of the extended Bigger Cup format (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), he evoked Albert Camus as justification for his case. As we all know, Camus owed everything he knew about morality and the obligations of men to football, but, whereas life may be meaningless, his love of his team RUA was so deep that when he went to Paris he went to watch Racing Club, because they wore the same kit as RUA, so he could pretend to still be watching his favourite team. ‘After all,’ he wrote (in French), ‘that’s why I loved my team so much – for the joy of victories, so wonderful when paired with the fatigue that follows effort, but also for that stupid urge to cry on nights of defeat.’ Were Algeria still French and RUA playing in Bigger Cup, and that Camus had been wearing a seatbelt on that fateful drive, and reached the ripe old age of 112 he would be have been ecstatic to watch them play against any old chaff they were drawn against” – Guy Cooper.Has it occurred to our learned friend that Football Daily might be looking at the bigger picture (doubtful, I know)? Qarabag may be minnows in Bigger Cup, but they’ve won 11 of their past 12 domestic league titles because of the money they make in European competitions. I wonder how many fans find it fun watching non-Qarabag teams compete in the Azerbaijan Premier League? Contrary to John’s argument, I believe clubs having a chance of actually winning a competition would increase fan engagement and make the whole sport more appealing. Maybe a better idea than just cramming more teams into European competitions is to actually have fewer teams competing in them, but have Uefa distribute more money across those weaker leagues so teams are better able to compete?” – Thabo Caves.What pleasure to read a reference to Larkin (yesterday’s letters) on a day when I myself had spent a little while reading part of an anthology of the great poet’s works. Noble Francis, and others, who may have found Larkin’s sometimes fruity language a little coarse for their sensibilities might have enjoyed attempts to sanitise literature that included: ‘They tuck you up your mum and dad’” – Michael Lloyd.This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions. Continue reading…
