Good morning.
The game against Bolton was quite rightly abandoned. By the rules the game ought to be rescheduled in theory for the second Wednesday after the original which would take us to the 28th of this month.
Some perspective to those recoiling at the crass, insensitive suggestion of the football world not skipping a beat, on the 6th of February 1958 the Munich Air Disaster occured killing 23 people including 8 of the Manchester United team and 3 members of United staff.
On the 19th of February Manchester United played Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup. The last victim of the tragedy, Duncan Edwards passed away two days after that tie.
United went on to face Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup Final and it was the Trotters that won 2-0.
Public emotion toward the depleted Red Devils understandably ran high at the time and aside from the nation wishing United well, Red Star Belgrade actually suggested that United be made honorary European Champions that year.
The Bolton legend Nat Lofthouse scored both of the FA Cup Final goals.
I’ve seen it suggested that the tie be abandoned completely and I disagree. Given the naturally sympathetic mood of the nation towards Fabrice Muamba after his miserable collapse it would be a fitting display of ‘football’ pulling together and carrying on.
Life goes on.
Does anyone think Muamba himself would want everything to grind to a halt? Not playing the game isn’t going to help the poor stricken lads health. The other players will probably have a tough time going out on the pitch again having witnessed what they did, but they’re going to have to deal with it sooner or later.
It’s suggested this morning that the Stoke game is now under threat too. You fall off a bike, you need to get back on it it straightaway.
I went with a horse, but yeah, a bike will do the trick :-)
You pervert LL, I’m calling the RSPCA. (did you have to use a step ladder?)
LOS you’re on the money there.If/When he wakes I would imagine he’ll give his team mates a rollocking. On a different note Something very sad happened to a kilmarnock player yesterday. He won the league cup then found out his dad had passed away at the game. In some respects I find that more upsetting.
i dont think its our decision to speculate over. If the Bolton players arent going to be right in the head then its their decision and i personally think its irrelevant what others have done or been able to do in the past.
How long do the Bolton players get to be “not right in the head”? Are they going to postpone their PL fixtures as well?
If you think their experience is something they’re going to snap out of, waking up one morning, saying “I’m fine now!”
Of course not. They’ll carry this with them for the rest of their lives. But there’s no point in delaying the inevitable. They’re professional footballers, and they play football. If they can’t do that, then they’re not professional footballers.
A colleague of mine died in the canteen a couple years ago. It’s not like we closed up shop until everyone was “over it”.
Best thing for everyone is to dust themselves off and get back on the horse.
All im saying is its not our decision to speculate. They already have postponed a Premiership Fixture and the fact they are considering what to do about the cuptie shows how seriously this has affected the whole club. Dusting one’s self off and getting back on the horse is easier said than done and while they may physically feel like they are OK these guys are human beings playing in an extremely high pressured situation and things like this can effect them without even knowing at the time.
What are the potential dire consequenses of them trying to play a game too soon? They might not play a blinder? Ok. So what?
And this is a blog. They were invented to allow people to speculate.
tell you what mate, next time you experience a personal tragedy, come on here and tell us about it and let us all sit around speculating on what you should do with your life to make you feel better.
And so you highlight the insanity of all this. In our personal lives we get on with things. Move on. Because more often than not we have to. But when it comes to ‘public grief’ it’s a competition to see who can be the most distressed for longest. Maybe we should shut down the country for a fortnight as a token of the nation’s respect?
Balance is what is required here. In 1958 anyone over voting age had been through World War 2. A period of genuine suffering and genuine deprivation.
2012 and people are threatening to top themselves because their wifi for their iPad is too weak to play a bloody pop video.
youve used to extremes there, which is fair enough i get your point. But this is very different to what you have said. Again, all i am saying is my opinion is irrelevant. I have never suffered through a tragedy like what happened on Saturday and i very much doubt anyone playing for Bolton has either. All i am saying is lets respect their decision whatever it may be. The same way you would want someone to respect yours if you were struggling a bit and picking yourself up and dusting yourself off wasnt the easiest thing to do at first.
Who’s speculating, anyway? I’m stating an opinion – my opinion. I think it’s bollocks that these so-called professionals seem to be claiming that they’re so distraught that their world has come to a grinding halt.
I have lived through personal tragedies. Did you read about the lunatic Anders Behring Breivik, July 22. 2011, here in Norway? Deranged f*ckup bombs government buildings (killing 8) and proceeds to massacre a labour party youth camp (killing 69, wounding 66, almost all kids). THAT is a tragedy.
People were understandably distraught after watching it all unfold on TV, not knowing whether friends or family had been injured or killed (almost everyone I know was either directly affected, or knew someone who was). Most people (including myself) went to work the next day. For my own part, it was far from the most productive day at work, but staying at home wouldn’t have helped either.
Here we are talking about ONE PERSON, who may or may not die. Get the f*ck on with it.
That is my OPINION (no speculation).
I hear you duds. My girl died of a sudden heart attack at the age of forty. I felt it as if I had been hit with a hammer. Prior to that, nobody that I really cared about had died, and I had always been emotionally repressed, so I had no expectation of the overwhelming feelings that were released. I was no use at all for weeks and weeks. Could hardly concentrate to feed myself. Absolutely nothing I could do about it.
It is not for us to tell others how to feel, and what they “should” be capable of. Shock leaves you distracted and unable to concentrate. Yes you should get back to normal life as soon as you can, but it’s not for others to tell you when that is. People must make that decision for themselves.
That sounds terrible. I’m sure you were deeply in love with her, and had been for so long that the idea of not having her seemed impossible. She must have been the center of your universe, and it saddens me to think about what you must have gone through.
The players have a colleague who is critically ill. This is someone they work with. It is not the love of their life/mother of their children. And he’s not dead.
If you ask me, there are some crucial differences between the two situations.
Put well.
Los, in no way would i make light of any tragedy by comparing one to another or by comparing the reactions of one person or anothers in any given situation. People re-act differently in different situations. In fact different people re-act differently in when they have experienced the same situation. So i dont think any of us can know how the players and staff at Bolton are feeling and how they best see fit to move on with this.You are right, it is one player but that one player has a very solid and very personal relationship with a lot of the staff at Bolton. I think to tell anyone who has a personal relationship to someone who is gravely ill to ‘get the fu*k on with it’ is a little insensitive.
I wouldn’t say that to their face, no. Of course not.
I am speaking from personal experience when I say that succumbing to sadness and depression is not the best may to deal with these emotions.
Get out on the pitch and play with your heart on your sleeve! Play for Fabrice! These things might help the players feel better. Wallowing in self-pity and fear will definitely NOT.
I’m not trying to tell anyone how they should or should not feel. I am merely suggesting that throwing your hands up and saying “what’s the point!?” is a rather useless and counterproductive reaction, and a frustrating aspect of this millenium’s zeitgeist so far.
I agree with you mate but im not sure its that clear anyone is doing that just yet. I think that this is a very unusual situation and the powers that be at Bolton are weighing up the options and trying to decide what is best to do in the situation. I would like to see the game played in the way that you said – with pride and passion in Muamba’s honour but its up to Bolton and i wont knock any decision they make.
You could be right about “its not our call”. But from my limited experience I find the longer you leave something like this the more gravitas it gains.
im not saying that it doesnt or couldnt, i just think sometimes, in certain situations like this, others opinions are irrelevant. Whatever the club decides to do is the right thing. end of.
I think deep down. I would hate my club to go through because a young man had a heart attack.
Of course the tie ought to be played out. Just hope the poor blighter pulls through; not only for the sake of his family, but to also spare us all from the endless bouts of minute silences and all the grief groupies queuing up to tell us how they new the bloke better than anyone.
I knew him better than anyone, you insensitive prick!
Cock
Can’t add anything to that, spot on.
Regardless of what happens with the tie now, Spurs fans have quite right been commended on their excellent and commendable behaviour on Saturday. Watching it as an outsider i was moved by the compassion of your supporters and this is coming from an Arsenal supporter that has had his fair share of bad experiences at WHL. The same happened the day Rocastle died and we played you at Highbury. The minute’s silence was impeccable. Congratulations, and well done.