Lovely couple of lines from Jim White in the Daily Telegraph folowing on Wenger storming off and refusing to shake Hughes' hands at the end of their 3-0 drubbing by Manchester City in the Carling Cup quarter-final:
But then maybe Hughes should not have been too surprised that Wenger refused to participate in the empty ritual of the conciliatory shake. After all, he is French. And when it comes to football, the French have other uses for their hands.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
I think Wenger brings more good than bad to the game but football just pees me off (though I'm going through a down spell!). Governed by scumbags, played by scumbags, managed by scumbags, watched by scumbags, surrounded by scumbag agents & advisors and so on. I don't know what I see in it. I guess I'm like a battered wife who stays loyal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLe_6...eature=relatedOriginally Posted by Stuttgart88
excellent stuff.
Wenger shook hands today. They won....
Interesting. Balancing attractive football against sportsmanship. An Arsenal fan would vote for the former I suspect (although the trophy cupboard has been empty for 4 years now) while I would vote for the latter from an overall games point of view. His rants against referees and other managers don't do any credit to the game. I am just amazed he can be so myopic. I can see fouls by and against my own teams. He can't see any it would appear.
For my own teams I would put winning ahead of attractive football. I never really enjoy watching my own teams anyway. Too nervous and worked up. It's the result afterwards (if positive) that the enjoyment comes from apart from the high of a goal during a game of course.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
While there certainly is a point to what you're saying, I don't see how anyone could disagree with the statement that "Wenger brings more good than bad to the game". While Arsene does see things through tinted specs occasionally and often deflects from a bad performance by blaming the officials or rough tactics, what he has contributed to the game has been monumental. He is a fantastic man-manager, a student of the game and has been incredibly successful at implementing his ideas/ideals throughout his career. As regards sportsmanship, Wenger has made hypocritical statements in the past, but I believe that he has a genuine belief in sportsmanship - and he did offer to replay a cup game against Sheffield United.
Perhaps in recent years he has spent too much time lamenting the game, and focused too much on youth - I am an Arsenal fan, but I'll admit that he likes his high horse - but I find it hard to believe that any football lover would disagree with Stuttgart88's statement. I hate Ferguson, but I wouldn't disagree if the same statement were made about him. Mourinho on the other hand..
I hink it's all true of Wenger, but also true of just about every other manager as well. I don't see wenger as being less sporting than Ferguson or Benitez (to compare him with other managers of 'big 4' clubs. Ancelotti hasn't been around long enough yet, but Mourinho was as bad as anybody.)
In Charlie Nicholas article after the game he says that Hughes went onto the pitch and congratulated two of his city players before turning around and looking for Wenger to shake hands.
Im not saying that Wenger isnt a sore loser but it puts it into a bit more perspective. I dont think he should be standing around waiting for Hughes to congratulate his team before acknowledging him. Especially since im sure that Hughes exemplifies everything Wengers hates about buying teams, having bought Adebayor and Toure off Arsenal.
It's just the premier league. Try watching la liga or particularly the bundesliga for less of that kind of BS. No manager drama, no constant cheating, no power hungry chairmen or attention hungry wingers. Just packed stadia week after week and end to end action with far less predictability. Great passion and great fun to watch!
are u jokingno manager drama , cheating , power hungry chairmen or attenion hungry wingers in la liga or bundesliga ... la liga real madrid & barcelona both built around power hungry chairmen, how many managers have madrid & barcelona had in last 5-6 years , plenty of cheating on and off the pitch and as for no attenion hungry wingers were now is ronaldo / robben / henry etc
how long now has ribery been looking to get out of bayern and van gael having serious problems with players at bayern also..
" football is a simple game "
yeah you're right, real madrid, tabloids transcribing for Ribery and the ever so specific "player problems" at Bayern. That totally blows my argument out of the water.
I'm not even going to bother replying like that, it's people like you that make the internet an unbearable place to discuss sometimes. People who ignore the point entirely to try and nitpick a minuscule point or two believing the slightest discredit somehow ruins the entire point. *sigh*
No, that's just the RTE pundits.
No, Wenger shouldn't have to shake hands. The handshake is one of those weird British customs they feel compelled to do, after a game in every sport they invented, that they demand everyone else follows.
If you win you want to celebrate, if you lose you want to clear off, not play happy families with the opposition. Thankfully, football hasn't descended to rugby's level, of players applauding the opponents off on the touchline, - yet.
If anyone thinks it's bad sportsmanship, what happened in our box in Paris should put the failure to shake hands into perspective.
In fairness, exactly the same thing goes on, it just isn't spread across the sports pages of every tabloid over here. In Spain, they have dedicated sports papers, there's 'Marca' and 'Sport' e.g. in Madrid and Barcelona respectively which are filled cover to cover every issue with the latest nonsense in La Liga.
Cork City: Making 'Dream Team' seem realistic since 2007.
yep just because you dont see it everyday in the news doesnt mean its not going on... tut tut.. kids now adays..
sorry oh righthous one .. you posted your view and i replied with my view is this not a discussionyeah you're right, real madrid, tabloids transcribing for Ribery and the ever so specific "player problems" at Bayern. That totally blows my argument out of the water.
I'm not even going to bother replying like that, it's people like you that make the internet an unbearable place to discuss sometimes. People who ignore the point entirely to try and nitpick a minuscule point or two believing the slightest discredit somehow ruins the entire point. *sigh*
" football is a simple game "
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