Anfield’s great and Chelsea and Liverpool are NOT s***
Congratulations to Jorge Valdano - he has, in one myopic, ignorant but brilliant article, done what out-of-style players and managers dream of.
He’s fucking famous, ladies and gentlemen. Sure, he’s hated by Liverpool and Chelsea, but apart from being loved by the rivals of these teams, he knows (as does Jose Mourinho) that bad publicity is better than no publicity at all. And really bad press might just be better than anything he’s ever managed in his life.
Valdano’s column is profiled by the Sun, but here is the glorious passage that caught everyone’s attention:
“Football is made up of subjective feeling, of suggestion and, in that, Anfield is unbeatable.
Put a shit hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it’s a work of art.
It’s not — it’s a shit hanging from a stick.”
He is wrong about certain things, such as when he criticises Mourinho and Benitez for not achieving anything as players and that affecting their management skills.
And Chelsea and Liverpool are not shit - these are good teams who play effective football and we already know what position pretty football without effective play gets you, right?
But I’m afraid the image - that of shit hanging from a stick, will forever stay in footballing lexicon as the perfect description of boring, boring football.
Chelsea and Liverpool fans - relax, there’s no need to get worked up over an idiotic, incorrect comment. Find the humor in it, realise that this is history in the making (like pulling a rivaldo), and laugh.
Shit hanging from a stick.
Shit hanging from a stick.
Shit hanging from…
oh, you get the picture.
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Discussion - 19 Responses
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I thought it was one of the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. That fella needs to be given more column inches and even some TV time.
I’m a Liverpool supporter and obviously disagree with him but you cant deny his entertainment value. I wish one or two of the pundits over here could be as entertaining.
Shit on a stick. Hahahahahahahaha
the man is a nutcase alex ferguson wasnot a great player either so what do you call him listen pal liverpool are and allways will be a great team i get fed up with has beens like you listen to mardona 3 times the player you were he likes liverpool maybey your face is to closr yo your arse
Using that word means he’s in it. He must be the one at the end of the stick!
What have Real achieved apart from dishing out millions of euros for galacticos??
I guess the answer to Real would be a highly successful player cum coach! Couldn’t they find one?
Oh yes! I know what’s it all about… one Mr Benitez has turned them down twice if not thrice!
Wow and this Valdano must have been a very great player, how come he’s not a great coach too?
Valdano your’e a real diahorrea…
but its true liverpool and chelsea play boring football
What someone should tell him is that the fans and directors of Real Madrid would crawl on their knees to have benitez or mourinho as their manaber
Real Madrid were guilty of turning football into a circus with their chase of galatico stars. Where did that get them? How great was the football they played???
From what I recall it wasn’t the the beautiful football he’s on about in the article.
Liverpool & Chelsea style is not new. Many teams have played the same effective football for decades.
Real madrid have spent an awful lot of money over the last few years. How many trophies have they won in that time?
Truth hurts eh.
I think the most hysterical part of all this is the fact that it is coming from a man whose club (Real Madrid) currently employ Fabio Capello of all freaking people. Tell me, since when has that man ever coached a team to play “beautiful football”??? From the man’s own mouth gentlemen: “results are much more important than playing beautifully.” - Fabio Capello. Now, what’s that saying? Something about removing the plank from your own eye…
totally wicked article..i guess it must hurt all those liverpool and chelsea fans (if there are any) out there.. but i guess he makes his points.. liverpool and chelsea fans need not worry.. they’ll play good entertaining football.. eventually.. i think..
SteelScouser, is that supposed to make sense? Valdano never had anything to do with Capello, in any way.
Another thing to mention. Valdano doesn’t work for Real Madrid and hasn’t for years. And he’s equally critican of Capello.
Some bitter pills are being swallowed, but I think he’s spot on.
Oh and one more thing.
As a fan of Real Madrid, Peter, I wouldn’t want to see Mourinho and especially never Benitez, coaching my team. Mourinho I could deal with because he teams don’t ALWAYS play crap football and he has a lot of qualities. Benitez, despite his links to Madrid, I despise as a coach, I despised him at Valencia and the football they played there and I hope I’m never subjected to it. Capello is more defensive than Madrid is used to but compared to Benitez he’s a f-cking Victor Fernandez.
Ah and Ahmed. Re-reading your article, I get the impression you have no clue who Valdano is, or the weight his opinions are given. The Guardian opened a blog piece on his Marca article and I suggest you read it to gain some perspective.
Heh and again re-reading the comments I get the impression some of you have no fucking clue who Valdano is either. He was a great player, and the short time he dedicated to coaching, he was quite good (League winners over the “Dream Team” playing very nice football in 1995).
I’m not attacking Valdano, however I do criticise his article. The focus of THIS article is to highlight the phrase and how it will be part of our vocabulary for a long time.
Even the brightest and best people are wrong when they let personal emotions get in the way of their judgement. Valdano is wrong to attack Benitez and Mourinho the way he did, and not only that, he’s wrong about them.
Assuming that I don’t have any idea of who Valdano is OR that I need to get some perspective is unfair, I think, and you know me better than that. The comments attack Valdano, I’m just dealing with the article - one, it doesn’t matter who he is if he’s wrong, and two, his status and background (which I spent time researching because I didn’t have a good handle on him initially, hence the delay in getting this post out) should have no influence.
To use Valdano’s own words:
If you put a shit on a stick in front of a great, passionate audience, some people will tell you that it’s a piece of art.
It’s not, it’s still a shit on a stick.
The same applies for Valdano’s rant. We as a society seem to think that because someone respected or someone who has achieved a lot in a field says something, it must be true. That’s not the case.
If he’s wrong, he’s wrong regardless of his standing. If he’s talking shit, it’s not insightful, it’s still shit.
Mind you, I agree with some of what he says, but not with his personal attack / analysis of Rafa and Jose. It’s incorrect, regardless of his standing (which I’m aware of).
great article
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=428836&root=europe&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5901
To Peter Gil: Except for the Ex-President Martin that wanted for 6 weeks, no one from Real Madrid contacted Benitz .. He plays awfull football and is certainly not wanted at Madrid.
TO SteelScouser: Capello vertainly plays more better football then MOurinho & Capello, thats without a doubt.
[…] the other half of the ’shit on a stick’ duo did its fans proud. They were smart, they gave it their best and in Europe, are the better team […]
I’m a Chelsea fan and the man was right two drab games.
Chelsea v Liverpool games are always crap, with both sides
defensive tactics strangling the game.
Oh well i guess shit hanging from a stick just went and won the champions league five times wow what a great work of art
!!!!!