Zat Knight

[Deckydee]

Apologies if this thread has already been started

Pity if true

http://83.245.38.234/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/02/05/International-Knight-snubbed-Ireland-over-threats/?facets/sport-space/football/great-britain-locale/Aston-Villa/

[elroy]

Cant see why he would make that up, sad to hear. Could certainly have done with him in our team

[boovidge]

what a disgrace

[Lionel Ritchie]

Disgusting carry on.

Can't imagine they emanated from people who actually support the Irish football team but they deserve a vicious beating whoever the cowardly fcukers are.

[BaZmO*]

IIRC, at the time nobody actually wanted him for the Irish Squad. However, that doesn't excuse any idiot that sent any racist letters to him.

[cheifo]

Horrible,cowardly and embarressing.

[beautifulrock]

Not good, dont think he is much good but that is disgusting. Strange thing as we have had plenty of black players playing for us and none, as far as I know, have ever been abused.

[blobbyblob]

Racism - Bad bad bad. Not good. Sad its come out like this. Dont think he ever wanted to play for us anyway and I doubt he made up his mind over a couple of letters that he "took with a pinch of salt"

Its not to say its not rife in this country but thats whole other story.

I've only openly witnessed it at one international game ever and the guy was an a**hole to begin with. (The victim,a fan who was sitting beside this guy, complained to the stewards at half time who proceeded to laugh at her and walk off - Slovakia '07)

[JimmyP]

There was a series of racist letters received during Kerr's time with the team, if you remember.

[dr_peepee]

Have to be carefull how i word this...

He never said the racist letters were about being black.. It could well have been a because he was English.... and blatantly trying to use his Irish elligabillity as leverage to squeeze into the England squad. Which he was doing....

[livehead1]

I'm glad he's been capped by England as although I feel he's good enough for us, he ain't Irish in any way shape or form. However, racism has no place what so ever in Irish football or Irish society as a whole.

[Deckydee]

Have to be carefull how i word this...

He never said the racist letters were about being black.. It could well have been a because he was English.... and blatantly trying to use his Irish elligabillity as leverage to squeeze into the England squad. Which he was doing....

Are you sure about that? Why would he use that as a leverage?

Strange

[BaZmO*]

Are you sure about that? Why would he use that as a leverage?
In much the same way El Tel was using the Bulgaria job to try and secure the Irish job. That is, of course, if the accusation is true.

[RogerMilla]

terrible stuff , wonder where they emanated from ? imagine being so het up about it that you worte a letter to a player who might play for ireland ?? sick people out there

[dr_peepee]

Are you sure about that? Why would he use that as a leverage?

Strange

It was covered here on this board at the time. He more or less said if Sven didn't cap him soon he was gonna play for us instead. Which of course p!ssed people off over here.

So I was thinking maybe the racist letters were more in the vain of "You're not wanted here so f'ck off you English ****", instead of what that little ol' lady said to the New Sheriff in Blazzing Saddles!!!!

Not that either one is right you understand..

[blobbyblob]

little ol' lady said to the New Sheriff in Blazzing Saddles!!!!

.

The Sheriff's near???

[NeilMcD]

If this is true its terrible. Bit of a bizarre thing to come out with.

[Hibs4Ever]

If this is true its terrible. Bit of a bizarre thing to come out with.


Definitely, and why come out with the story now?

[jmurphyc]

Yeah, it's pretty disgraceful. It ****es me off that a minority of people can influence football so much with disgusting actions like this. However, from reading the article is sounds like he isn't really that bothered about playing for us and doesn't consider himself Irish at all, so in that regards to that, it probably worked out the best.

[Deckydee]

It was covered here on this board at the time. He more or less said if Sven didn't cap him soon he was gonna play for us instead. Which of course p!ssed people off over here.

So I was thinking maybe the racist letters were more in the vain of "You're not wanted here so f'ck off you English ****", instead of what that little ol' lady said to the New Sheriff in Blazzing Saddles!!!!

Not that either one is right you understand..


Hmm, that was not the way to go about it!!

I think he is a bit of an idiot for doing that.

[Deckydee]

Yeah, it's pretty disgraceful. It ****es me off that a minority of people can influence football so much with disgusting actions like this. However, from reading the article is sounds like he isn't really that bothered about playing for us and doesn't consider himself Irish at all, so in that regards to that, it probably worked out the best.

I guess if he really wanted to play for Ireland, REALLY WANTED TO he would not have

A - Said those things to Sven mentioned above

B - Not let it bother him, performances on the pitch could have swayed the minority of a few supporters

[Plastic Paddy]

Have to be carefull how i word this...

He never said the racist letters were about being black.. It could well have been a because he was English....

I think that's a good point Dr. I've had that sh*t from one or two posters on here and I don't openly profess any attachment or feeling towards being English.

I know that I have chopped the rest of your sentence but I feel the point stands merit on its own. There is still plenty of anti-English sentiment out there in main street Ireland and it is possible that some of this found its way to Knight.

:ball: PP

[Wangball]

Thats pretty awful, you can only hope that this sort of thing doesn't ever dissuade lads from ethnic backgorunds who actually want to play for us in the future

[Wangball]

I guess if he really wanted to play for Ireland, REALLY WANTED TO he would not have

A - Said those things to Sven mentioned above

B - Not let it bother him, performances on the pitch could have swayed the minority of a few supporters

Really good point, You have to really question whether he ever wanted to pla for us in the first place, I've been to a lot of matches in the UK and racism is still huge over there.....you have to believe he experienced this kind of thrash before yet he's let some, presumably, anonymous thrash from a whacko influence him to that extent

One can only imagine the kind of guff Hughton must of out up with in the early 80's

[Plastic Paddy]

Really good point, You have to really question whether he ever wanted to pla for us in the first place, I've been to a lot of matches in the UK and racism is still huge over there...

I don't agree. I think the "Kick Racism Out of Football" campaign has had a profound effect on attitudes to race and ethnicity in British football, especially since black players have become a mainstay in the England side, and a permanent feature - albeit to a lesser extent - in the Wales and Scotland sides.


One can only imagine the kind of guff Hughton must of out up with in the early 80's

Indeed. As Lesley Poles Hartley said, "the past is a foreign country; they do things differently there". We have moved on, I hope.

:ball: PP

[Wangball]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/2006/0119/ireland.html

Do ye remember this??

[Fr. Murphy]

These are his comments about playing for Ireland....

“I don’t say that I have been overlooked by England, but if I can look down another road and try to get into their team, then maybe I should. As far as England is concerned, I know it’s going to be hard for me to break into the side.”


Try to get into THEIR team, proud Irishman me thinks

From http://www.eleven-a-side.com/boysingreen/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=14158

[4tothefloor]

Knight has no balls if he let that get to him. Better off without him, he's **** and in the same bracket as Titus Bramble anyway. Andy O'Brien is a far better defender for one......

[Fr. Murphy]

Totally agree, never rated him. Always taught he was prone to a mistake or two a la one half of the chuckle brothers.

[RivaldoBabb]

Totally agree, never rated him. Always taught he was prone to a mistake or two a la one half of the chuckle brothers.

A mistake or two???

He makes Titus Bramble look like the best defender in the world...its a blessing he cant play for us, hes an accident waiting to happen.

[OwlsFan]

http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=32918

Racist letters sent to some of our players were discussed before in a previous thread a year or two back.

[Serb]

It's obvious he was never really serious about playing for Ireland, it's a disgrace that he was racially abused whether it was based on his race or nationality, but to write him off as sh*te based on the current defenders we have at our disposal is insane.

Yeah, he's far from the best defender out there, but if there was a dedicated Irishman of a similar ability playing in the Premiership today, I have no doubt he would be very close to the starting 11.

[youngirish]

Is it just me or has this form of rascist tripe crept into Irish society only recently now that we're actually exposed to people from different ethnic groups due to the miracle of the Celtic Tiger and the subsequent immigration that it attracted? I never remember any rascism from Irish fans directed at Paul McGrath or Chris Hughton or in the later years even to Rivaldo Babb when I was growing up.

[Morbo]

There is no excuse for racism but I dislike the way the guy used his Irish grandmother as a bargaining tool to get himself and English cap and then he tries to brush us all with the same brush because of a few idiots? F*ck that he is obviously another spoofer, I don't buy that this racism is the reason he won't play for us for a second

[kennedmc]

there are racists in every country in the world - unfortunately Ireland is no different. If he got the same letters while playing with England would he then not play for them?
Knight should be a stronger person.

In the above article he actually ends upcoming across as abit of an ar$ehole.