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jonthefox

The "do they mean us?" thread

By jonthefox, in Leicester City Forum

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Fox92

Fox92

Posted
Posted (edited)

Makes sense.

You know what'd make more sense? You actually thinking of something original.

You've got no imagination. Take a walk.

Edited by Fox92
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Carl the Llama

Carl the Llama

Posted
  • Popular Post
Posted (edited)
 

Gonna do my best to do the article justice since it's an interesting little read:

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why would you want Mahrez to go to a big club?

 

The way stars gather at one (or two) clubs frustrates Philippe Auclair who sees such movements as an erosion of what makes the game beautiful.  In an ideal and revolutionised footballing world, Riyad Mahrez would stay at Leicester.

 

If there's any justice in the the world, nobody will beat Mahrez in the race to Player of the Year in England; and to judge by the opinions of the journalists at the Football Writers Association who have a vote and who I have spoken to, my voice is not alone in backing Leicester's marvellous artist, the fox and the fennec who, more than anyone else - even Vardy, even Payet - will have lit up this season come the end. Whatever happens to his team, what he's already accomplished deserves recognition.

 

Nonetheless please don't take this chronicle as a panegyric on the former Le Havre reserve player who Marseille decided to ignore, not that I wouldn't like to write one.  The idea came to me upon reading the numerous replies to my tweet publicly declaring that he had my vote and encouraging my colleagues to do the same.  If indeed they needed encouraging.  Their responses were in no way insulting, on the contrary:

 

"I've tried to find any reason not to admire this team and this player, and I have failed."

 

After all, how can you not love Mahrez?  He scores (15 times, all in the league, and not exactly tap-ins either); he assists (10 times, including the assist of the season for Andy King during the recent 2-2 against West Brom); and more besides, the charm, the moments of genius, the balls fished from the sky as if on an invisible line reeling them to his hook-feet ( :D ); all of this he does with such joy and such modesty that, as I was told by a friend who supports Watford - beaten 1-0 by Leicester this weekend from a goal scored by you know who: "I've tried to find any reason not to admire this team and this player, and I have failed".  "Maybe we can do something crazy" said Mahrez to the BBC after the match at Vicarage Road, his face lit up with a large grin which resembled those seen on the fans who he and his team mates are allowing to dream.  Football can sometimes be very beautiful.

 

But. Those replies I was talking about earlier. Some of them made me want to puke, saying for instance "it's incredible, next year he'll be able to play for a big club".  Read: Barcelona, obviously.  Or Real Madrid (at a stretch - and I'm not exaggerating that).  Leicester City, it's true, do not carry much weight when faced with the trophy collectors of la Liga.  The mantle of champions that an entire country, all of Europe even, wants to see them win would in fact be their first in their country's top division in the club's 132 years.  That's 15 years older than Barca and 18 older than Real, but this counts for nothing in a world with football in a state of collective amnesia.

 

"Big?"

 

A world where the word "big" is used indiscriminately.  A world where it seems that the very idea of competition has become anathema.  In which to be "big" means thrashing clubs with tiny budgets week in week out, putting them "in their place".  In which each team must have a Best Of.  In which everyone is 'crap' - except for the MSN trio.  Or Ronaldo.  And Lewandowski, sure, and Dybala (who'll no doubt have to join a 'bigger' club than Juve, 49 titles and counting, to really become one).  Ok, Zlatan and Thiago Silva too.  We seem to disdain of the glorious uncertainty of sport, or even fear it, because what we seek is precise certitudes.  In results and so too in our analysis and opinions 

 

What football has to gain from the accumulation of 'stars', current or potential, by a smattering of super-elite clubs I do not know. I ask myself what these clubs themselves have to gain in the long run if current trends continue.  In the 60's and 70's - particularly during the big catastrophe-film craze - the large Hollywood studios engaged in an absurd war in which the ultimate weapon, they believed, was to sign the highest possible number of 'stars', naturally.  Take a look at The Towering Inferno: Everyone who was anyone was in it.  Paul Newman.  Steve McQueen.  Faye Dunaway.  Fred Astaire!  O.J. Simpson!!!  At first the greater public gladly swallowed it.  They soon grew tired of seeing the same faces in the same blockbusters though and cinema regained its senses.  American sport, well, it never lost them.

 

Ah that ugly word, "American".  After all it's  high fashion to complain about the Americanisation of our beloved football, forgetting that we could learn from its more attractive features rather than aping its excesses.  If you consult the list of Superbowl finals you'll see that no less than 13 franchises have fought over it in the past 10 years, more than a third of the 32 teams in the NFL.  9 of them lifted the Vince Lombardi trophy during that period.  You may find American Football boring (I sure do), or incomprehensible (I used to), you have to admit though that it does have the merit of being unpredictable, which is much better than poor old Formula 1 which tries desperately each year to find a way to spice up its "Grands" Prix to no avail.

 

Without Leicester, sport is going stale.

 

Perhaps a bit of Americanisation would do us some good, us who witness the same collections of 'big name' players and 'big' clubs demolish the competition in the Champions League season after season?  If we can even still call it competition...  Note that the word "match" in English also means "equal"!  Without true competition, without shocks, without Leicester(s), sport is no more than the most bland forms of entertainment.  The Americans who know a thing or two about what constitutes 'entertainment' understood early on; these horrible capitalists have adopted what, however you look at it, is none other than collectivism - I'm talking about the draft system whose singular goal is precisely to avoid the NFL equivalent of Mahrez fattening the collection of one of a few franchises who have dominated the previous seasons.  Far from joining Barca, PSG, or Man City, he would more likely find himself in the Newcastle dressing room.  The poor guy...

 

So what is a true "challenge"?  When Alan Shearer chose Newcastle over Manchester United, that was one, certainly more of one than that faced by the medal collectors whose agents try to get them into a 'big' club.  A true challenge is Totti at Roma, Mancini at Sampdoria, Cruyff leaving for Barcelona after winning 3 European Cups with Ajax when Barcelona hadn't won la Liga since 1960.  It's also - and I might surprise a few by saying this - Zlatan creating a 'new' PSG on the pitch.

 

So hands off.  It's not being at Leicester which will stop Mahrez becoming a great player.  After all the Foxes have a far better chance of playing in the Champions League next season than Liverpool and the two 'big' clubs of Manchester; and the Champions League has been without a Leicester for too long don't you think?

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Edited by Carl the Llama
  • Like 7
MPH

MPH

Posted
Posted

By that logic there is no such club as Man City, Man United, Spurs etc.

Notts is an abbreviation of the County. Nottm, of the City. Hence Notts County and Nottm Forest.

  • Like 1
Wymsey

Wymsey

Posted
Posted

With their billionaire owner, Forest should be in or just close to the play-offs.

 

Or hasn't he spent much, or most of the money he provides goes straight to the (most) average players' pockets?

Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo

Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo

Posted
Posted

With their billionaire owner, Forest should be in or just close to the play-offs.

 

Or hasn't he spent much, or most of the money he provides goes straight to the (most) average players' pockets?

By Forest, I take it you mean Notts Forest? It's important not to forget the Notts part otherwise you could be talking about any Forest and most forests don't have football teams

  • Like 4
Oxfordfox83

Oxfordfox83

Posted
Posted

There is no such club as 'Notts Forest' just like there isn't any such club as 'Man U' or 'Bristol' which I somehow hear/see football fans refer to.

Calling them Notts Forest pisses them off, which is why we do it. If you were a better football fan you'd know that.

Likewise Man U, albeit that still strikes a little too respectful.

Knowing what fans like and dislike might make you a footballing geek, but thinking we ought to respect that suggests you're more of an observer...

MC Prussian

MC Prussian

Posted
Posted

With their billionaire owner, Forest should be in or just close to the play-offs.

 

Or hasn't he spent much, or most of the money he provides goes straight to the (most) average players' pockets?

Nevermind Forest, freshly-bolstered and now-magic Bolton Wanderers will overtake them soon.

 

"It's the investment, stupid."

Guest Bilo

Guest Bilo

Posted
Posted

Nottingham Forest, Notts Forest, Florist, who cares?

I personally prefer the History Boys or the Archaeologists.

Guest
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