Back from the game - Blackpool

[Maguire]

mcanuff gets paid thousands of pounds a week to play football and take some abuse, but thats like every footballer!! i wouldnt mind getting thousands of pounds a week for a whole stadium giving me abuse!!

its a bit like someone saying your shit at your job so why cant you say that to mcanuff, seeming he is getting lots of money from it

if someone said "I was shit at my job" ...I would probably deck them

You sound like a nice guy

[handbags_harris]

I keep reading the word "abuse", as though I gave McAnuff a foul-mouthed tirade of unwarranted insults, when (as rabidbee rightly points out) I criticised him because what he did was one of the most frustrating things of the day and I felt he deserved it for his perceived laziness or lack of awareness. I did not give him abuse. What people fail to remember is that if he had been in an onside position we had a 3-on-2 situation in the box because we had just countered and their defence hadn't got back in time. If he stays onside, he receives the ball, and then if he puts in a cross we know he's capable of it's a chance to score. As it was, he squandered the opportunity by being so obviously offside. It was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, but he was meant to hear it and it's something I've done before and I'll do it again if I see fit, whether they can hear me or not.

[Elm Park Old Boy]

Didn't go today, so can't comment. But it sounds disappointing after our excellent recent run.

I have really enjoyed the cup run, and TBH I think we could beat W Brom to extend it. But has the time come to rotate on Wednesday and rest some players ahead of next Saturday? It seems unlikely to be coincidence that we beat Palace on Wednesday after they had one day fewer to recover. And now we subside at Blackpool after less than 72 hours recovery.

[Slinky]

Just to clarify I had no idea what was said to jobi just heard and quoted what he said back.


Oh and apologies handbags just read my first post and did write about a fan that had 'abused' him but I clearly didn't mean it to be read like that as didn't know what was said. Let's draw a line under it___________

[sandman]

Swearing at someone is an aggressive act so yes because of the tone you did abuse him. If I came up to you in the street and started swearing at you you would hit me or give some back.

A couple of years ago at an England match a bloke was sitting next to his kid and was shouting all sorts abuse at Joe Cole. When he was challenged about it his response was the predictable "I've paid my money so I can do what I like" the guy who had confronted him informed him that he was Cole's dad and then offered the guy 50 quid so he could shout obscenities at the blokes kid. I would ask you the same if McAnuff gave you the admittance fee could he abuse you for 90 minutes?

I've said things about players before and if they'd heard I would expect some abuse back, in fact I'd be disappointed if they didn't because it would show that they didn't care about the club. Forget the "he's a professional so shouldn't rise to it" bull, he's a human being

[handbags_harris]

Swearing at someone is an aggressive act. Is it? If I went up to his face and shouted inches from it, yes that would be aggressive. Shouting at him from a distance so he can hear it is not aggressive, nor is it abusive, whether there is swearing involved or not. If one of his teammates had said the same thing as I did from a similar distance, in a similar manner, would that also be considered abusive? No, I thought not. If I take the swearing out - "it's basics, Jobi, basics", I have no doubt that I would have had the same response so the swearing doesn't actually alter the fact that what I said to him was critical, note abusive.

And if Jobi McAnuff wants to pay £50 to watch me play football and offer criticism when I make (one of many) errors, then fine, I have no problem with that. I have never, and will never, have a problem with someone criticising me if I do something wrong if I think the criticism is warranted. If he wants to pay £50 to simply insult me to my face, then he can take a running jump. I certainly didn't offer 90 minutes of criticism or abuse so quite where that question has come from is beyond me, it was no more than a couple of seconds of comments and counter-comments. Like I keep saying, I saw something wrong that was worthy of me voicing my displeasure to the individual who was to blame, so I acted on my right and voiced that displeasure.

[sandman]

Swearing at someone is an aggressive act. Is it? If I went up to his face and shouted inches from it, yes that would be aggressive. Shouting at him from a distance so he can hear it is not aggressive, nor is it abusive, whether there is swearing involved or not. If one of his teammates had said the same thing as I did from a similar distance, in a similar manner, would that also be considered abusive? No, I thought not.

Yes it would because if they'd have sworn at him. The distance between the abuser and the abused doesn't matter if he can hear it and takes offence then you have abused him. Or are you really that slow?

[rabidbee]

Being told "You are shit at your job" would constitute abuse, I think. However, if a customer criticised somebody for doing a job badly, I think that would be fair criticism. (And, I think, that's a fair analogy, seeing as we pay money to watch the footballers play.)

You can criticise Handbags' use of swearing, certainly, but -as he points out - in the context of what is said on the pitch and in the dressing room, it seems normative for football. Again, it's as much about what is said and how it is said than simply whether or not he swore. In this case, the swearword is just express emphasis and also frustration; calling Jobi a c**t - for example - would have constituted unwarranted abuse.

For the record, I don't think professionalism means that you should put up with abuse. Remember, for example, when the England fans told Beckham they hoped his wife died of cancer. Unacceptible. Yes, giving them the finger was unprofessional, but Beckham shouldn't simply accept it silently because he earns millions. How much you earn has no relevance to how you can expect to be treated by others.

[Rex]

Just leave it Handbags. Some either cannot comprehend the word criticism or are such sensitive souls. Swearing in the context of a comment is not directly swearing at a person and is therefore not abuse.

Can you get a fcuking move on ......not abusive
Fcuk off..................................is.

[sandman]

McAnuff obviously saw it as aggressive otherwise he wouldn't of answered back. It used to be normal to shout and ball at each other in the dressing room but as McDermott said at the fans forum the other day it doesn't achieve much. Of course in the heat of the moment things happen but the overall outlook is not what it once was and the manager can do something about it when it does happen i.e. substitutions.

[Maguire]

Christ, only Reading fans would try and launch into some kind of tedious analysis of the boundaries between abuse and criticism

[floyd__streete]

HH, did you not think to ask McAnuff why he has rarely bothered performing for us since his mate Brendan left?

[Rex]

Next subject - what constitutes a crap chant.

[sandman]

Christ, only Reading fans would try and launch into some kind of tedious analysis of the boundaries between abuse and criticism

I'm right he's wrong end of analysis.

[rabidbee]

Christ, only Reading fans would try and launch into some kind of tedious analysis of the boundaries between abuse and criticism

are you new to the internets?

[Compo's Hat]

HH, did you not think to ask McAnuff why he has rarely bothered performing for us since his mate Brendan left?

^^^^
This

If you can't get basics right and are handsomely paid then you deserve it McAnuff, grow up and take it like a man. You would get the same abuse from me, just like if someone took a foul throw, etc.

[floyd__streete]

I've said things about players before and if they'd heard I would expect some abuse back, in fact I'd be disappointed if they didn't because it would show that they didn't care about the club. Forget the "he's a professional so shouldn't rise to it" bull, he's a human being

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Iz7-8W9Ro

I always love the opinion which people offer in this argument 'how would you like it if someone turned up to your work and gave you abuse' asIf you work in the entertainment industry. The Reading supporters who attended today will have paid the largest part of £25 for the privilege of sitting on scaffolding and - from what I understand - witnessed their team failing to show up, so they are quite within their right to give out a bit of stick and not expect a bit of lip back from overpaid individuals, especially overpaid individuals who have barely performed in the last couple of months.

[Maguire]

Christ, only Reading fans would try and launch into some kind of tedious analysis of the boundaries between abuse and criticism

are you new to the internets?

Holy Jesus, suddenly you lot don't seem all that bad

[sandman]

I've said things about players before and if they'd heard I would expect some abuse back, in fact I'd be disappointed if they didn't because it would show that they didn't care about the club. Forget the "he's a professional so shouldn't rise to it" bull, he's a human being

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Iz7-8W9Ro

You know what homophobia really means don't you?

[floyd__streete]

I've said things about players before and if they'd heard I would expect some abuse back, in fact I'd be disappointed if they didn't because it would show that they didn't care about the club. Forget the "he's a professional so shouldn't rise to it" bull, he's a human being

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Iz7-8W9Ro

You know what homophobia really means don't you?

You're living up to your location on this thread, mate.