30 Jan 2022 20:03:04
Interesting how people from the same town with similar skills can turn out so differently. Compare Marcus to Mason. Obviously Mason has to be suspended from the club pending the conclusion of the legal process. However, even some form of guilty plea to a reduced charge in exchange for leniency will surely be enough to end his career. No one is going to want him now. Sports stars, like Tiger Woods, have had their careers upended for far less.

What gets me is what on earth an attractive young woman would see in such an unpleasant and stupid young man.

Looking ahead, do we need to panic about an inadequate forwards contingent? I'm not so sure. Don't forget we have Pogba coming back! You never know. He just might fit in really well playing further forward on the left. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving it his very best for the rest of the season. A good run in Europe could create some renewed interest in his services.

If, between Pogba, Bruno, Ronaldo, Cavani, Sancho and Elanga we are unable to score goals then we have bigger problems than losing one forward unexpectedly.

1.) 30 Jan 2022
30 Jan 2022 20:46:33
I feel a certain level of responsibility to respond to your question, as to what it is someone could see in Mason Greenwood. Having been in an abusive relationship and been a victim of the same crimes levelled against Mason Greenwood, I can tell you that it isn't that simple.

Such relationships do not start out this way, they are coercive by nature. Such toxic behaviour becomes normalised gradually over time within the relationship, as the perpetrator will take advantage of the victims trust and complacency. Many instances of sexual violence are so shocking to the system and normalised (particularly within a relationship) that it's hard to know whether what is going on is even wrong at all, or how to escape it. You try and rationalise it to yourself, barely even realising what is happening, until it is far too late and the damage has been done many times over.

I would like to point out that I am in fact a man and was the victim of these crimes at the hands of a woman; these issues are complex and are never a case of 'one size fits all'. I know that a football forum isn't really the place to speak out about this but I feel a sense of duty to answer your question. Unless we as a society take it upon ourselves to act and have frank and honest discussions about these issues, they will only continue to get worse. This is particularly relevant in the case of football as there appears to be a highly unpleasant correlation between the increasing levels of money, power and inflated ego afforded to these players, and their usage of said power to exorcise great harm over ordinary people, with which there is a clear discrepancy.

Not too long ago I believed that the era of tabloid fodder such as Lee Bowyer, Jonathan Woodgate, Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll were over. I believed that players were, by and large, more well behaved and professional than ever. Clearly, I was wrong. As painfully unimaginative and unfunny as the meme is, the sheer quantity of new admissions to the 'Prison FC' gang over the past few years indicates there is something very serious and frankly very dangerous beginning to develop within the game. There doesn't just need to be an enquiry into the actions of Greenwood, but the actions of everyone at Manchester United. If there is anything to the rumours that suggest United knew about Greenwood's behaviour and yet did nothing - or worse, instigated a cover up - then we need to know how this was allowed to happen, and what we must do to make sure it doesn't happen ever again.

2.) 30 Jan 2022
30 Jan 2022 21:01:04
Good post AW, sorry to hear of your troubles. I’m with you, there are too many sewer rates in the game and too many people looking the other way or excusing the behaviour.