Monday May 12:
The big story everyone is talking about in the national media today is Trent and the booing. I’ve said my piece on what happened in the match report, but in terms of this media feeding frenzy, there are two thoughts I have here. The first, is that this doesn’t happen if the booing doesn’t take place, so the discussion is a result of the actions of some of our fans. We opened the door for this. Well, Trent opened it and we pushed through it.
He deserved to be booed but that doesn’t mean we had to do it. And having done it when he initially took the field, the point was made and it should have stopped then as we had a game to win. If it had stopped then, the story would still be out there today but personally I’d feel a lot less grubby about how the crowd had reacted.
It’s fine for some of our fans to be upset about what happened and to be unhappy with those who booed, but it isn’t fine for all of these outsiders to be commenting on it. Not unless they’re going to do the same thing any time another player is booed by his own fans. Granted, usually players are booed when they return rather than when they are still there, but then it’s rare that supporters have prior notice that one of their own has run down his contract to join a rival (which Madrid are). There isn’t a fanbase in the country that wouldn’t react this way or a whole lot worse if they were in the same situation. If Chelsea were doing this it wouldn’t even warrant a mention, which I guess is a backhanded compliment to us in a way. It has surprised people so it’s now a talking point nationally.
One thing this showed us though was that if he ever comes back here with Madrid then the booing he got yesterday will seem like nothing. He’ll get the full Goodison treatment if he rocks up here in his fancy all white kit with his gobshite Galactico buddies. And it will be fully warranted because of how he - and they - acted throughout this. That’s what the national media aren’t talking about. They’re missing the point entirely. “Trent is being booed because he’s leaving”. No he fucking isn’t. It’s much more complex and so far the only person I’ve seen in the national media who gets it is Carragher.
There’s a quote doing the rounds from Virgil today that is being seen as a dig at Trent. “There’s no other place to be” is the quote being thrown around in what is being described as “a message to Alexander-Arnold”. All well and good, except what he said was “for me there’s no other place to be”, which can mean two things. It can mean in his opinion, there’s no other place to be, full stop. Or it can mean that there is not other place for him to be, which seems far more likely.
I do get the vibe that he is less sympathetic towards Trent than other players are though. And we’ve all seen the regular dirty looks he’s flashed Trent’s way at times over the last couple of seasons.
In other news today, Slot is partying in Ibiza and the players are on a farewell to Trent lads holiday in Dubai. We don’t play until next Monday night and it has kind of been standard since we got knocked out our Europe that everyone gets a couple of days off at the start of the week. Still, seeing Slot on a stage with that Wayne Lineker helmet was a bit jarring.
One more thing, I see Kostas was linked with Leeds today. Steer clear lad, they’re going straight back down. You can do better. I can see why Leeds want him though. Remember that train wreck they had at left back last time they up? Firpo I think his name is. He’s still there. And so is the fucking clown goalkeeper who got them relegated.
The Premier League has become exactly what the American owners all wanted. It’s a no-relegation league now, only every season they allow three Championship clubs to take part for a year.
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