Negativity On The Club. A good thing?

[mighty_west]

Re: Negativity On The Club. A good thing?

That didn't bother me so much, it was more the 25 year old woman with a Hawks cap on who waited until I was almost off the train yesterday before she let fly with, 'I hope you ****en lose after sacking Aker, you ****en low pack of losers'!

Funny how in the space of a milisecond so many nasty retorts come into your mind.

I would have blown her a kiss, give her a wink and walked off.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Negativity On The Club. A good thing?

It's funny that most of the people who are standing up for him are probably the ones who booed him every week and asked for him to be sacked after that article.

Couldn't agree more.

The one thing that staggered me was the amount of criticism i heard towards Campbell Rose today. I'm not really sure what people expected him to do/say? Did they expect him to start teeing off at Aker?

As you say a win this weekend will just about put this to bed.

[AndrewP6]

Re: Negativity On The Club. A good thing?

I guess this is as good a place as any to say this (even though I've said I wouldn't say any more on the Aker matter, but here goes):

I didn't quote the whole thing (space-saving legend that I am! ) but I agree Lantern. Agree indeed!

[AndrewP6]

Re: Negativity On The Club. A good thing?

So who else went into work today with people firing pot shots about our club left right and centre?

It seems Akers sympathy card has worked alot better than i first anticipated.

Everyone I spoke to sided with me (and Aker). Every single one.

[Before I Die]

Re: Negativity On The Club. A good thing?

Big clubs, in all sporting codes, handle big personalities all the time. You think Maradona, Kobe, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane etc. were tame personalities? If we think Aker is a loudmouth we don't watch American sports (anyone watch a NFL interview recently?). We think Aker 'leaking' thoughts about opponents and teammates is damaging? They do that during half-time interviews in the NBA. Roy Keane's foul mouth publicly bagging out his own teammates and supporters was a weekly occurence, but Sir Alex knew that it was a sign of an on-field perfectionist, and made him captain to get the best out of him. Players in the EPL routinely publish crappy 'biographies' while they're still playing potting some of their teammates but no one bats an eyelid.

Only small-town clubs struggle with larger-than-life personalities. Sheffield Wednesday, my beloved soccer team, didn't pick Eric Cantona after he came over for a trial because we thought he would be too disruptive, and we all know how he turned out at Man Utd (and his kung-fu kick is far worse than anything Aker ever did). We stubbornly did the 'club is bigger than the individual' crap when we got rid of Paolo di Canio (an Aker-type look-at-me loudmouth), and he went on to star at West Ham as we got relegated twice.

I don't think comparisons with NFL, NBA and EPL heavyweights are valid. As you rightly point out these teams are full of characters who make Aker look like Bruce Doull. It is a different culture, player salaries are on a different scale, in some codes players have short term transfers between clubs and one or two game contracts, in other codes players pick who they will play for etc, etc, etc. Our culture is closer to the amateur Gaelic clubs in Ireland than the Dallas Cowboys, or Man United. Dennis Rodman played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. He would have never stayed in the same hotel as the rest of the team or travelled on the team bus with any of these teams. Is this the "Big Club" mentality you want the Dogs to aspire to? These same "Big Clubs" offer contracts to convicted drug traffickers, rapists and murderers. The TV dollar may eventually drive our competiton to the same place, I for one hope that never happens.

[Mantis]

Re: Negativity On The Club. A good thing?

Everyone I spoke to sided with me (and Aker). Every single one.

Everyone I spoke to sided with me (and the club).... Except my mum, she likes Aker.

[comrade]

Re: Negativity On The Club. A good thing?

I don't think comparisons with NFL, NBA and EPL heavyweights are valid.

Great post, BID.