2020-21 European Teams

Pretty sure Champions League gets your A team, especially if you have aspirations of winning. A keeper can typically take that extra workload as well.

 

Reading Demba Ba's quote (Senegalese, but born and raised in France), it definitely seems like the complaint wasn't about the Romanian word used, but rather the 4th official pointing him out as "the black guy over there" rather than "the assistant coach over there."

 

If there was a bench full of black coaches with one white coach, the 4th referring to an incident quite well could have referred to the white guy. The CBS crew after the game had Micah Richards on the wrap up and he made the comment context and tone matter. He said he may not be offended if someone identified him as the black guy in the studio just for identification. Did the 4th handle it well, absolutely not. Was there other context or tone, we don't know.

 

You have a bench full of coaches probably wearing the same jackets and clothing. Identifying a particular person quickly to the ref is not easy. The 4th should have pulled the official aside and discussed it. Then called over the particular coach, not referring to him as the black guy.

 

Wait, what? Are you claiming that it's not ok to address a crowd as "you guys"? If a coach says "you guys worked your butts off to be here" is that now racist in your opinion?

Is it some sort of gender issue? I frequently hear people of both genders use the term guys to refer to a crowd of mixed genders. Do they lack wokeness? What if someone says they are plural and their pronoun is "you guys"?

 

It is a gender thing saying you guys to a group that might include women. I catch myself doing it as it is hard to break, but really should be something to work towards. I wouldn't expect you to support it because, well you are you.

 

Oh brother. Women use the term "guys" to refer to groups of mixed genders all the time. I think you've been conned by someone trying to convince you that it's insulting to women in a group to refer to the group as "you guys". If they say guys and gals or guys and dolls, does that make it better in your view?

 

Times are changing my man. Should anyone take significant offense to a group being called guys, no I don't think so. Just because it's the way things have always been doesn't mean it's right.

 

I get what you are saying. But I am going to disagree. If a group of 10 people are standing around, and one of them yells something, and the ref asks, "Who said that?" and the person who did is the only black guy present, what in the world is wrong with responding with, "the black guy?" I would.

If there were nine black guys and one white guy, and the white guy did it, I'd say "the white guy."

If there were nine women and one man and the man did it, I'd say "the dude."

If there were nine men and one woman and the woman did it, I'd say "the girl."

There is nothing racist or sexist about it. You are just trying to ID the person in a group by an easily discernable feature. The redhead. The blonde. The bald guy.

Now, in this situation, I have no idea what the makeup of the group was. Or the motivation of the speaker. But the idea that the use of black/white (man/woman?) to describe someone is, in and of itself racist, is completely nuts to me.

In this situation, if most of the group is white, saying "the white guy did it" does not help pick the person out, does it?

Look, I do not even know how to tag someone, or the full backstory on the conversation. But if we are not even allowed to call black folk black, or white folk white, or women women, or baldies bald, then we have gone around the bend.

 

Yeah. Champions League gets the A team for sure. Maybe a bit of rotation if it is a superpower vs a minnow. But even then, GD is a factor, and if you are a superpower you want an easier draw in the 16s. You want to finish first, not second.

Now, once placing in group is locked in, then you'll get some B teamers. Even then, for the smaller clubs, it is still a thrill to play vs Madrid or Barca or Bayern or Liverpool. I'd want to, wouldn't you?

Europa League or early round Cup games is different. Even then, once you get to tge QF/SF stage, you try to win it.

Perhaps a big team that gets KO'd from CL might prioritize winning the league over Europa Leage. But only if they are securely in a CL spot. Man United is in that spot. Inter Milan almost was, but they finished 4th and are out altogether. But since winning the EL gets you a CL spot now, most teams will go for it.

 

I would challenge you to replace "you guys" in your vocabulary with "y'all."

Not because I'm a snowflake or because you're an insufferable prick, but rather because it's better to avoid stepping on toes in the first place.

That said, if you don't give a smelly sh*t about those that you interact with: Carry on.

 

Or you could just say "You" and the context would indicate the plural versus the singular.

 

In my client-facing role, "you" indicates finger pointing. "Y'all" softens that blow, especially when paired with the folksiness that my pseudo-southern genteel accent brings.

 

In my client-facing role, "You" is neutral, especially when you aren't putting the stress on the "You." For me, with my decidedly non-Southern accent, "Y'all" is inauthentic at best and sounds condescending at worst. For me, trying to put on a Southern accent sounds just as absurd as putting on a British or Australian accent. "Y'all" is just never going to be a part of my vocabulary in a normal setting, and I wouldn't recommend putting it on unless you grew up with the word and are speaking to a group that is comfortable with the term. And don't get me started with "Yinz."

 

I wouldn't "yinz" if my life depended on it.

But, I agree: it's all about the speaker and audience.

 

Back on topic, Gio Reyna with a fantastic first touch and finish to bring Dortmund level. A real joy to be able to watch Dortmund weekly.

 

Favre was just canned at Dortmund after their 5-1 home lost to newly promoted Stuttgart...

 

Brett?

 

Steffan getting a start against Chelsea ..Think I heard them say due to players lost to Covid

 

Final: Gladbach 3 Bayern 2!


Doop

That is all.

 

Sundays FA Cup match between Tottenham Hotspur and 8th level Marine FC will be the biggest disparity between clubs in FA Cup history.