England qualify for the World cup 2014

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

England qualify for the World cup 2014

freerider · Futures level

great england performance. Townsend and Baines looked so dangerous first half.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I am as chuffed as anyone else. But what is this doing in the Women's tennis section.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Bob in Spain wrote:
I am as chuffed as anyone else. But what is this doing in the Women's tennis section.

A1's only just realised it exists, Bob! wink I'll see if I can move it...

Ratty · County player

Oh joy, I am already looking forward to the chavs taking over the country for 4 miserable weeks next summer, our city centres being turned into no-go zones, stupid plastic flags stuck on cars, fat tattooed men wearing England tops, etc ...

I hope we go out VERY quickly.

Bah, humbug

indiana · Tennis legend

....and the other huge amount of very decent folk who love the great game of football and will be supporting England.

They even have my best wishes !

john · Top national player

Ratty wrote:
Oh joy, I am already looking forward to the chavs taking over the country for 4 miserable weeks next summer, our city centres being turned into no-go zones, stupid plastic flags stuck on cars, fat tattooed men wearing England tops, etc ...

I hope we go out VERY quickly.

Bah, humbug

Bah humbug indeed. Lighten up lol

indiana · Tennis legend

Sad to see someone wish disappointment on many.

I get it that some folk don't like football and / or the hype and everything that surrounds it with clubs and / or countries. OK, just ignore it ( as much as possible, which is really quite a lot ) and leave the rest of us to follow it.

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

I am still baffled by that.

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

john wrote:
Ratty wrote:
Oh joy, I am already looking forward to the chavs taking over the country for 4 miserable weeks next summer, our city centres being turned into no-go zones, stupid plastic flags stuck on cars, fat tattooed men wearing England tops, etc ...

I hope we go out VERY quickly.

Bah, humbug
Bah humbug indeed. Lighten up lol

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

Stircrazy wrote:
Bob in Spain wrote:
I am as chuffed as anyone else. But what is this doing in the Women's tennis section.
A1's only just realised it exists, Bob! I'll see if I can move it...

What's bob doing in Spain - I hope it's running a wine bar ?

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

A1 tennis academy wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Bob in Spain wrote:
I am as chuffed as anyone else. But what is this doing in the Women's tennis section.
A1's only just realised it exists, Bob! I'll see if I can move it...
What's bob doing in Spain - I hope it's running a wine bar ?

Actually I am currently in Brazil doing ...

Bobs Burgers 1.jpg

But I am sure I could find you a bottle of wine if you want one wink

korriban · Challenger level

It was an old joke, a bit of a classic really.

Has it really got to the stage that a zoology lecturer might need to consider his position if he said the word monkey (when lecturing about primates) just in case there were black people in the audience.

I recall Naomi Campbell either taking legal action or threatening to sue Piers Morgan over a comment he made about something she'd said or done as being as "useless or pointless as a chocolate teapot". It was something like that. An old fashioned phrase with no hidden meaning whatsoever. The fact she was offended was part ignorance about the meaning of the phrase (which shouldn't surprise anyone - it's Naomi Campbell), but mostly a knee-jerk chippy almost gleeful reaction to anything which she could potentially claim as being racist.

There are enough appalling examples of racism out there, and so many people continuing to suffer from this terrible blight, that it annoys me when the media or indeed do-gooders generally focus on "nothing" incidents like Roy Hodgson this which actually call into question the agendas of those supposedly fighting the good fight. Have we forgotten Hodgson, Bernstein and many of the players visiting the Polish concentration camps - I was proud of all of them for doing that. It had resonance, and was powerful. The monkey "story" says more about the media and the headline-seeking interest groups who put fame and publicity above principles, than it does about Roy Hodgson. He should not have apologised - the papers should have.

I find it very interesting that at my daughters school amongst the girls of ethnic origin (the 1%, not the 99% who are wonderful) there are girls who often behave in a bullying way towards others (something which happens everywhere, whatever people's background) , but when they are repelled, immediately make up and claim racism. Every time. They are "looking" for it, and when they can't find it, they make it up. Newspaper stories like the Hodgson one encourage this type of behaviour.

-- Edited by korriban on Friday 18th of October 2013 07:42:26 AM

john · Top national player

It's like these organisations are trying to cause a kneejerk reaction AGAINST themselves so they can then shout even more about racists and get paid even more

"A letter of complaint from a pressure group has been sent to the Football Association demanding that Hodgson attend a 'race appreciation' training course.

"The 'innocent remark' made out of ignorance is sadly a common feature of football," said Peter Herbert, the head of the Society of Black Lawyers and who also runs the new Race For Sport organisation.

"We are using the appropriate complaints procedure to urge the FA to provide mandatory 'race appreciation' training and 'cultural capital and cultural intelligence' training to Roy Hodgson and all football managers in the UK.""

This whole incident is like some sort of comedic parody

-- Edited by john on Friday 18th of October 2013 01:11:38 PM

john · Top national player

Just, wow, at the latest attempt by the Press to destroy the England football team.

How can it be racist to mention the word monkey or tell a joke about a monkey, the animal, not in any way whatsoever intended to refer to a person of any colour, race or creed.

Surely the racist ones are those who automatically associated the word monkey with black people. As this didn't occur to Woy whatsoever, and wouldn't to myself or any normal person not associated with the rabid Anti-Racism industry (and I use the word industry very deliberately), clearly the question must be asked who the real racists are here?

The people who make a living from highlighting every perceived minor offense and making such a big deal out of it that people start to think there is actually a problem are actually the problem themselves imho.