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Astroturf 19th March

Astroturf 19th March

Stephen King19 Mar 2021 - 20:30
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A series of personal thoughts from the side of the pitch.

By Aiden Mynott

Well peeps I have been watching and waiting for the outrage at Wilfried ZAHA not taking the knee. I expected all social media to be full of it. Instead, all we got was the run of old cobblers about the H&M and how it effects Brenda. Really is that the response?

Well to me it emphasises what Mr ZAHA was saying. Taking the knee has become a meaningless gesture, a bit like when people say, I am offended by that. We are told when the players do this at the start of the game it emphasises Football’s intention to stamp out racism in the game. If anyone bothered to read Wilfried’s tweets before he took his decision and refused to take the knee, they will know he doesn’t think that.

Stamping out any form of bigotry, phobia and unequalness is something that needs to happen everywhere in society. Football we are told is a team sport. But it is individuals that make the team interesting, on and off the pitch. Take Georgie BEST and Marcus RASHFORD. Harry REDNAPP still hasn’t the courage to tell his wife that Woolwich Arsenal is not in Newcastle and its just a coincidence it also has a pub named the Cauliflower.

Let us stop having awareness weeks and days, over 30 in America in the month of March. Let us educate people, that it’s all about choices. Give us the facts and let us choose what is right or wrong. Let us as individuals make choices for ourselves for the benefit of the team. We are not sheep, or for that matter numbers (some of you older readers will recognise the reference to the TV programme the prisoner). Rodney MARSH did not follow blindly coaching instructions when he was on the pitch. He made decisions on the spur of the moment, that is why we all loved watching him. He was not predictable. He did not conform, which of course may well explain his limited appearances for England.

Kev KHUN has regained FA Charter standard for the Club, something Mike VARNEY and I achieved for the Club 15 or so years ago. It brings all sorts of benefits to the Club and attracts youngsters whose parents want safeguards that their children are not going to suffer as many did in the 70’s and 80’s at Clubs at all levels in the pyramid. Education made those changes possible and individuals standing up and saying this is not right how I have been treated. Again, we come back to individuals in the team.

The easiest option is a blanket instruction. The hardest option is getting to individuals and getting the right message understood. Wilfried ZAHA in my humble opinion has started that process. He should be applauded and supported by other individuals making their own mind up. Yet again Rugby leads football in this matter as it does with concussion and the connection of Alzheimer’s to head injuries or simply heading a ball.

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And on that bombshell
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