mbulela:

dude, that phrase does not apply.
i would be glad if you could explain how it fits within this context?
What is xenophobic in my comment?

mbulela:

the fact that they cannot do it with Fergie, Wenger or Ancelotti reinforces my point.
they know where their bread is buttered.If you can act in such unprofessional manner like Anelka did and the rest of the squad did,then you are not truly proferssional.

Vavavoom:

I saw the bird, the grey-white Quail
aloft the Algerian goal
quiet and undistrubed
It had the best view for the whole 90
making its nest in so much tranquil
knowing the bereft men in white
wouldn't hit a barn door from 2 yards
Piss poor English like the French
Ego bags dufus in blue and white
soon to board their expedient flight
their folly the tale of Irish delight
aurevoir! Les Blue we hear the Irish cry
Sweet song of Karma ''the hand of frog''

chrisical:

The french team is truly in complete disarray.

Vavavoom:

I saw the bird, the grey-white Quail
aloft the Algerian goal
quiet and undistrubed
It had the best view for the whole 90
making its nest in so much tranquil
knowing the bereft men in white
wouldn't hit a barn door from 2 yards
Piss poor English like the French
Ego bags dufus in blue and white
soon to board their expedient flight
their folly the tale of Irish delight
aurevoir! Les Blue we hear the Irish cry
Sweet song of Karma ''the hand of frog''

reindeer:

The Irish God at work!!

lanre_s:

WHEN THE FOOLISH COACH DECIDED TO LEAVE BENZEMA AND NASRI OUT OF THE FRENCH SQUAD, I KNEW HE WAS HEADING FOR TROUBLE. FOR CHRIST SAKE, BENZEMA PLIES HIS TRADE WITH MADRID (THOUGH HE WASNT A REGULAR) AND WOULD HAVE ADDED SOME BITE UPFRONT. EVEN NIGERIA WENT TO THE WORLD CUP WITH A DANNY SHITTU THAT DID NOT SEE 90 MINS IN A SEASON.
AND WHAT OF NASRI? A FANTASTIC YOUNG LAD WHO PLAYED THE POSITION OF CESC FABREGAS WHEN THE SPANIARD WAS INJURED. I STILL CANNOT FORGET NASRI'S GOAL AGAINST FC PORTO IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.

Seekers:

is dat a coach?sum1 shld answer dat, silly  drop nasri and benzema,gave evra captain ahead of some other senior players(xcluding gallas,doesnt wot a leader), bench experience henry, am speechless.tank GOD dey ve sack the  n why choose a successor b4 worldcup, do u xpct him to performing kniwing he's already sack?strupid fa

eldee:

Hehehe . . . you're questioning my use of language instead of the point I raised??
Anyway, xenophobia is the fear of an alien group/concept/way of life. . . moral panic is just the expression of anger towards a set of people because of a deviation from what has been falsely considered right for a long time.
In this case people that watched football in the 70s/80s are scared that the way players are getting money these days and feel it should be blamed for everything that happens in modern football.
Any more grammar lessons you want to give me??

Dude, you're taking the blame away from the manager and putting it on the players and money.
'Commercialisation' is not to blame for this, players have been going on strike before money came into football.

Evra isn't earning up to half what Kaka used to at Milan, yet we never heard of Kaka talking back to Dunga.
Messi is being played out of position by Maradona, he's too scared to say anything . . . it's not about the money, it is the Manager.

"I told the players they had tarnished the image of France," she said. "It is a morale disaster for French football.

"I told them they could no longer be heroes for our children. They have destroyed the dreams of their countrymen, their friends and supporters."

French sports paper L'Equipe wrote: "A rebellion? No, a caprice. A strike? No, cowardliness. Don't deceive yourself. The republican solidarity that our players showed the world yesterday is an illusion.

"Evra has once and for all shown that he has muddled up the role of captain with that of a gang leader.

"Domenech, by lending a hand to this masquerade and reading out himself the players' statement, has missed his final opportunity to show some style and courage."

Newspaper Le Figaro added: "It is collective suicide, the French team has heaped ridicule on itself in front of the whole world at Knysna.

"It was almost hallucinatory. This is a psychodrama that will go down in the history of the World Cup. The French team has been reduced to ashes."

Results were not coming good, performances were piss poor - Domenech never inspired, never instilled any form confidence in them; the french public never had any shred of belief in him, many might sympathise with him now, but it doesn't go beyond that.

RuuDie:

Mbulela,

u can blame Anelka and the whole french squad of players all u want, but the underlying fact remains that Domenech had since lost the respect of the French players and nation as a whole. . . . the handwriting has always been on the wall and the FFF chose to ignore it.

Results were not coming good, performances were piss poor - Domenech never inspired, never instilled any form confidence in them; the french public never had any shred of belief in him, many might sympathise with him now, but it doesn't go beyond that.

How the French players have managed to live with such glaring tactical/technical & man management deficiencies to date, I cannot help but wonder. . . . . . It's a big shame on the French nation that such is happening at the biggest stage in football but it is best becuz there has to be DRASTIC changes, probably this is the only way it could be achieved!

mbulela:

Bros,
so the ineptitude and idiocy of Domenech is an acceptable reason for the verbal volleys Anelka unleashed on the man, right?
If they have managed to put up with the man this long, why not just endure for another week, since it is certain he was leaving?
What drastic change were they expecting?
What exactly were they intending on achieving with that imbecilic act?
force the man to quit on the spot?
push the frontiers of what is unacceptable and confirm the suspicion that they are spoilt brats? (my guess is that this is all they have proven).

I have said it before, these silly boys are not the first persons to have a silly man as boss and team leader and i am sure you will not act likewise and throw your toys out of the pram if faced with a similar situation in real life.
Patrice, hid your head in shame.You are a disgrace!!!!!!!!

What drastic change were they expecting? What exactly were they intending on achieving with that imbecilic act?

RuuDie:

Guy. . . . this will not be the first and last time that players will protest over anything. . . . u ask why they couldn't just endure for 1-week more I'm sure u knw that patience like every other thing about life runs out eventually - when it will, nobody knows! They have been putting up with Domenech's stupidity since 2004!!!

Even in Africa where respect for elders, leaders & authority is vehemently encouraged, there comes a point where certain things are not accepted from a leader/elder/authority!
Have you even bothered to ask yourself why all the players are totally in support of Anelka!? Not one single voice raised in dissent!
I don't think you know Domenech at all, you probably only just heard of him last week - he's been at loggerheads with French footballers since the very second he was made manager.


Watch and see; Domenech will leave, the bloody ignoramuses' in the FFF will leave too but the bulk of players in this current Les Bleus side will still be there in years to come - thats the power of a football player on show for you!

If Le Blanc is now manager of france, i do not know; as at two weeks ago, i had not even heard traces of such a speculation - na 4 your mouth i jus dey hear am now.

tkb417:

are they the only set of players working under a crazy coach?
arent the Portueguese struggling under Quieroz? didnt they come back to win 7-0
are the english people not struggling under Capello (even tho Mr.silly made some rubbish comments about the coach), have they gone to the extent of verbally abusing the coach or going on training strike?

tkb417:

Truth be told, these set of French footballers lack class and no right thinking club will look at a player like Evra as a captain anymore
he has displayed immaturity, pettiness and clealy he is not a leader
Im sure his own defination of being a leader is holding his country to ransom; i feel like he shd be sacked frm UTD sef

mbulela:

I do not need your lessons in grammar but thanks all the same.
my point in highlighting the phrase in question was that there was absolutely nothing xenophobic about my comments

mbulela:

and i wish to Reiterate that while the manager is a problem (and this is not the first team to have a silly manager), the players have no sense of responsibility whatsoever.
The french players are examples of a wide spread malaise that has afflicted the game in recent times.
That does not mean that you cannot find examples of players who are exceptions.The fact is that the attitude of the french players is the norm in recent times.
What has that strike solved?

Scandal-hit France back in training after boycott
Mon, 21 Jun 12:50:00 2010

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21062010/2/scandal-hit-france-training-boycott.html

The troubled France team returned to training on Monday to prepare for their final Group A match against South Africa, a day after boycotting a session in support of expelled striker Nicolas Anelka.

All the France players turned up on the pitch at their World Cup base in Knysna, Western Cape, and prepared normally for their final training before Tuesday's game in Bloemfontein.

Reporters were asked to leave after 15 minutes but a team spokesman said the session went on normally.

"Everybody was there," he said.

That included fitness coach Robert Duverne, who had a heated exchange with captain Patrice Evra on Sunday after finding out that the players had decided not to train.

Evra and his team mates did so to protest against the French Football Federation (FFF)'s decision to kick Anelka out of the squad after he insulted coach Raymond Domenech at halftime of a 2-0 defeat by Mexico last week in Polokwane.

Sunday's chaotic events also saw France team director Jean-Louis Valentin say he was resigning over what he called a scandal.

The furore prompted President Nicolas Sarkozy to step in, asking sports minister Roselyne Bachelot to prolong her stay in South Africa to speak to Evra, Domenech and FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes on Monday.

RuuDie:

@ eldee,

abegi. . . . anytime u enter naija, just buzz me u gats man'ya ontop my head, u be correct guy!

i just don't understand where mbulela is coming from or heading to!

Truth be told, these set of French footballers lack class and no right thinking club will look at a player like Evra as a captain anymore
he has displayed immaturity, pettiness and clealy he is not a leader
Im sure his own defination of being a leader is holding his country to ransom; i feel like he shd be sacked frm UTD sef