[Albion] Garth Crooks - Team of the week

[Kalimantan Gull]

The Team of the Week always does my head in - its a good idea for a piece, and the comments can be insightful, he certainly likes to be very direct with his praise or criticisms - but why oh why can't a bit more effort be put in, it can't be that hard can it? Basically any defender who scores a goal goes in, any midfielder who scores a goal goes in, unless they are big 5 players who ran the show; and big 5 clean-sheets against anybody seem to get a pick, even if the opposition basically had zero attacking threat. He picks players simply so he can talk about their manager, or a potential transfer, or any news story thats relevant that he wants to shoe-horn in. So van Dijk got picked last week even though he had basically nothing to do against Norwich, just so he can talk about him being back. Oh, and any player from any non-big club (expanding to include the likes of Leeds and Villa here) cannot be included without talking about how they are too good for their club and should be sold to a big club.

Yes yes yes its completely expected, its just a microcosm of how the BBC has this big club bias running through every one of their TV and radio programs (with MotD almost being an exception, unless Danny Murphy is a pundit). Still doesn't stop me reading it or feeling pride when one of ours is included

....

In some ways it all sums up the 'hidden' promotions that our club has to achieve in the premier league. Getting promoted to the premier league was just stage one. Getting promoted to being more than a novelty club was stage two, then there is promotion to being an 'accepted premier league club', followed by promotion to being an 'established premier league club'. The final promotion, to being a 'big club', isn't achieved by results alone, need to be elected to that. Like the football leagues re-election process of yester-year, its quite a closed shop with the existing big clubs deciding who is allowed to join them. Leicester might get there soon, but I doubt it

 

[Stephen Seagull]

The Team of the Week always does my head in - its a good idea for a piece, and the comments can be insightful, he certainly likes to be very direct with his praise or criticisms - but why oh why can't a bit more effort be put in, it can't be that hard can it? Basically any defender who scores a goal goes in, any midfielder who scores a goal goes in, unless they are big 5 players who ran the show; and big 5 clean-sheets against anybody seem to get a pick, even if the opposition basically had zero attacking threat. He picks players simply so he can talk about their manager, or a potential transfer, or any news story thats relevant that he wants to shoe-horn in. So van Dijk got picked last week even though he had basically nothing to do against Norwich, just so he can talk about him being back. Oh, and any player from any non-big club (expanding to include the likes of Leeds and Villa here) cannot be included without talking about how they are too good for their club and should be sold to a big club.

Yes yes yes its completely expected, its just a microcosm of how the BBC has this big club bias running through every one of their TV and radio programs (with MotD almost being an exception, unless Danny Murphy is a pundit). Still doesn't stop me reading it or feeling pride when one of ours is included

....

In some ways it all sums up the 'hidden' promotions that our club has to achieve in the premier league. Getting promoted to the premier league was just stage one. Getting promoted to being more than a novelty club was stage two, then there is promotion to being an 'accepted premier league club', followed by promotion to being an 'established premier league club'. The final promotion, to being a 'big club', isn't achieved by results alone, need to be elected to that. Like the football leagues re-election process of yester-year, its quite a closed shop with the existing big clubs deciding who is allowed to join them. Leicester might get there soon, but I doubt it

I’m genuinely interested now.

Out of curiosity, where would you put the current Premier league teams in these categories. How many are “established” “accepted” or novelty etc.

 

[Muhammed - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

I think he tries to come across more educated than he is.
He should take a leaf out of my book and just use big words so people think he is all photosynthesis

 

[goldstone]

What about criticising people of a different gender? Like I made the mistake of doing on Saturday and was swiftly rounded on. What is the difference?

As far as I'm concerned feel free to criticise anybody and everybody. It's a free world (or was until recently) and criticism is a good way of reigning in idiots. If people don't like it, then ignore it.

 

[The Optimist]

Really ? I missed the other thread I think but that sounds really childish.

The other thread https://www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?389719-Football-Focus-WTF

 

[The Large One]

The fact-checkers could be a bit more pro-active. As well as the 'Potter's second season' line, there's this from the article...

Did you know? Among central defenders, only Dunk and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (both 10) have scored more Premier League goals than Duffy (7) since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

Actually, Dunk has 11, and is therefore the WINNER.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

The fact-checkers could be a bit more pro-active. As well as the 'Potter's second season' line, there's this from the article...

Did you know? Among central defenders, only Dunk and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (both 10) have scored more Premier League goals than Duffy (7) since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

Actually, Dunk has 11, and is therefore the WINNER.

Dunk only has 11 if you include the 17-18 season.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I’m genuinely interested now.

Out of curiosity, where would you put the current Premier league teams in these categories. How many are “established” “accepted” or novelty etc.

oh god... ok - so as I reckon the media perceive it, Brentford are 'novelty', Norwich are on the cusp of 'novelty/accepted', Watford, Brighton, Burnley, Palace, Southampton, Wolves are 'accepted', Newcastle, West Ham, Leicester are 'established', Leeds, Villa, Everton are 'big clubs (sleeping giants)', Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs are 'big 6 behemoths'



To elaborate, a 'novelty' club is one where the mere fact of them being there is a story, they are followed all season long to their inevitable relegation. If they stay up its an amazing miracle and then forgotten about as they crash in season two. An accepted club are usually 'not bad this lot' but any time they take points off a behemoth club its a real bad result for the behemoth and a sign of crisis at that club. They are always a 'well-run' club with an identity that forms the basis of any narrative about them, and are quite cunning in the recruitment market, but first sign of crisis in the club usually leads to relegation very quickly. An established club starts getting their teams, tactics and managers analysed properly and they tend to sign 'name' players for lots of money. They often mess up but any relegation is usually followed by a bounce-back promotion. Their fans tend to be some of the most vocally miserable in the league when they underperform. A 'big club' is one with pre-premier league history of being a behemoth, where a relegation is a shock and everyone says they 'deserve to be in the premier league'. Despite being shit for years they are elevated to the top table instantly based on their name and 'passionate fans'. Their games against the behemoths are always looked forward to with expectation that they'll get a result - although they never do. They are expected to do well in the cups - although they never do. Their whole lives are expectation mixed with the crushing disappointment of reality that they'll never be a behemoth again.

 

[nickbrighton]

Two Brighton players (Sanchez and Pascal) in Girth Crooks team for the first round of matches

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

"Morning Garth. It's Dave from the BBC. Do you have the Team of the Week?"
"Wh....What time is it?"
"It's 10am Garth. Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Ummmmm nope. I...ummm...what time is it?"
"It's 10am Garth. I need your team of the week"
"Oh..ummm...so....I...."
"Shall I just put the players who scored or who got assists again?"
"Yes please"

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

"Morning Garth. It's Dave from the BBC. Do you have the Team of the Week?"
"Wh....What time is it?"
"It's 10am Garth. Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Ummmmm nope. I...ummm...what time is it?"
"It's 10am Garth. I need your team of the week"
"Oh..ummm...so....I...."
"Shall I just put the players who scored or who got assists again?"
"Yes please"

He actually put in a defender who didn't score but played well defensively (Saliba). I'm shocked

 

[Badger]

Two paragraphs talking about Man Utd and Lisandro Martinez, before he finally got on to Pascal Gross. TEXTBOOK Garth.

 

[JBizzle]

Two paragraphs talking about Man Utd and Lisandro Martinez, before he finally got on to Pascal Gross. TEXTBOOK Garth.

He seemed to be using the relative prices of the two players as a cack-handed link. Completely irrelevant of course

 

[El Presidente]

Two Brighton players (Sanchez and Pascal) in Girth Crooks team for the first round of matches

Is that Girth Crooks reference a Freudian slip?

 

[nickbrighton]

Is that Girth Crooks reference a Freudian slip?

not at all, he is stealing a living, and Im guessing he ate a lot of the pies-

 

[Thompson720]

Is that Girth Crooks reference a Freudian slip?

Girth Crooks wouldn't put out such Flaccid opinions.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Robert Sanchez (Brighton): The selection of Robert Sanchez is as much a testimony to the performances of the Brighton team as it is to their goalkeeper.

Albion's 2-0 win was a bad result for West Ham and confirmed all our fears that their defeat last week against Nottingham Forest was no fluke. The Seagulls however appear a match for any team these days.

Sanchez looks very comfortable between the sticks and pulled off two outstanding saves that, had they gone in, might have robbed the best side of victory. West Ham have problems and they need to find their rhythm sharpish. If not, the fans will turn on David Moyes very quickly.

 

[Simster]

I'm more irritated by Sanchez' inclusion than if he'd left all of our players out. The two standouts in a great team performance were surely Welbeck (for his tireless running and constant ability to bring his team into the game, as highlighted by Jermaine Defoe on MOTD2) and Trossard for another immaculate performance. If there is no space for either of them because others elsewhere excelled to their exclusion, then fair enough. But don't just include our goalkeeper because otherwise it looks like you've ignored joint second-placed Brighton. He didn't have much to do, whereas Nick Pope was excellent for Newcastle (despite conceding three!)

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I don't know why we continue to take any notice of this self-opinionated oaf.

 

[Stato]

I'm more irritated by Sanchez' inclusion than if he'd left all of our players out. The two standouts in a great team performance were surely Welbeck (for his tireless running and constant ability to bring his team into the game, as highlighted by Jermaine Defoe on MOTD2) and Trossard for another immaculate performance. If there is no space for either of them because others elsewhere excelled to their exclusion, then fair enough. But don't just include our goalkeeper because otherwise it looks like you've ignored joint second-placed Brighton. He didn't have much to do, whereas Nick Pope was excellent for Newcastle (despite conceding three!)

He also picked Sanchez against Man Utd. I thought it strange as Bob was a bit at fault for their goal. Crooks has a history of fixating on players and picking them if their team wins however they play. He used to pick Dunk virtually every week when Hughton was in charge. However, he's right to say that Sanchez's concentration and a couple of good saves from corners saved us from getting sucker punched at the end of a dominant performance.