[Football] Kurt Zouma

[super-seagulls]

West Ham have properly fúcked this up in my opinion. I would argue, on reflection, that his offence was probably not career ending in the same way that Adam Johnson's was, and Mason Greenwood's will undoubtedly be if / when convicted. As such, they've got this very wrong.

They've stubbornly tried to protect their asset, a £30m player and the third most expensive in the club's history. Fined him two week's wages and assumed that "if we say he can play, he can play". But they've forgotten two very important things.

Number one, it's 2022 and there are forces at play far bigger than any football club. Call it trial by social media, call it wokeism, call it what you want. If you are a high profile individual, and someone benefitting massively from that status, and you fúck up publicly, you will pay for it. No ifs, no buts. It doesn't matter how powerful you think you are / were; ask Harvey Weinstein, ask Kevin Spacey, ask Prince Andrew. Zouma's crime is different in nature to those individuals, but the same lesson applies 100%.

Secondly, in trying to protect their 'asset', they've forgotten about the human being. No matter how cowardly his acts where, Zouma is just as afflicted by the human condition as anyone else. I would assume, unless he is a genuine psychopath, that he has been through the emotional ringer in the last week. That's not a show of sympathy by the way, but a mere statement of fact. He'll have experienced crushing feelings of shame, embarrassment, fear, sadness, and regret. All entirely of his own making, but I imagine he's just experienced the worst week of his life.

He needed to be seen to have taken his medicine. He needed to be kept out of the firing line. For weeks at the very least, maybe a couple of months. He needed support from psychologists to help him understand how he came to do what he did in the first place, and how to deal with the consequences which will follow him around for a long time. Certainly for the rest of his career.

But West Ham thought they could take the shortcut. Be stubborn. Be resolute. Be behind the player. Perhaps they were, but all the time they were behind him, he was out on the front line getting absolutely peppered by enemy fire.

Well fúcking done, you mugs.

Yep, you’ve nailed it there. (Not the cat)

 

[B-right-on]

"We should not allow this to blight anything which has gone on before," Hammers boss Moyes told Sky Sports.

"A player has made a mistake and there are plenty of managers with players who have made mistakes.

"Somewhere along the line you always hope there is a little bit of forgiveness and people are willing to accept they made a mistake, given an apology and we hope that is the case."

Moyes added: "I hope that we have changed a bit of how West Ham is perceived, but more importantly how it is perceived on the pitch. We have a good, exciting young team that we are trying to make it better and grow it.

Moyes is a Class A

 

[Super Steve Earle]

'Moyes added: "I hope that we have changed a bit of how West Ham is perceived, but more importantly how it is perceived on the pitch.'.

Moyes is partly correct. Nobody even notices how they are perceived on the pitch now. However, the club's and Moyes' response to the Zouma affair has certainly changed how West Ham is perceived. And sadly, he just keeps on digging.

 

[Durlston]

Playing the man, there. I enjoy Richards' punditry, even if he has 'misjudged the house' on this occasion

I just find him agreeing with a lot of the banter with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer and then when he has got something slightly controversial to say he looks like he's stepped on an upturned nail barefoot because he has to show an opinion occasionally.

Give me Emma Hayes any day. Extremely knowledgeable and straight to the point.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Moyes is a Class A

I had liked Moyes, and even felt a bit sorry for him after his Man U experience. But the way he, and the club, has handled this incident is truly appalling. And he keeps on digging.

Further, the RCPSA have now countered the claims the club made about donating money and seeking advise on how to educate Zouma; in short they said they have not heard a peep from them about anything.

Class A tosser seems a fair description.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I agree with all the comments about Moyes and West Ham, but sadly I think they'll come away scott free. This will be forgotten about in a month, something else will grab the headlines sooner or later. They've obviously decided to ride out the storm, and they will eventually.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I agree with all the comments about Moyes and West Ham, but sadly I think they'll come away scott free. This will be forgotten about in a month, something else will grab the headlines sooner or later. They've obviously decided to ride out the storm, and they will eventually.

Football supporters have very very long memories though.........

 

[Nixonator]

Shameless all round, and would expect nothing less from that club.

Like others have said, he should be taken out the firing line for a good while. Football fans may have long memories but it's never going to be as bad as it is for the next couple of months. In that time he can hopefully be taught to be less of an abhorrent wanker.

And the masterful insights of Michail 'Is it as bad as racism?' Antonio really don't help them.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Souness said yesterday, "For me, the cat hadn't done anything wrong"

Utterly brilliant and no sense of irony.

[TWEET]1492897642178879490[/TWEET]

 

[Bry Nylon]

Like others have said, he should be taken out the firing line for a good while. Football fans may have long memories but it's never going to be as bad as it is for the next couple of months. In that time he can hopefully be taught to be less of an abhorrent wanker.

Thing is, he's 27 - not 4. I should imagine his biggest take-out from this whole incident will be "next time, don't get caught."

 

[Badger Boy]

Souness said yesterday, "For me, the cat hadn't done anything wrong"

Utterly brilliant and no sense of irony.

[TWEET]1492897642178879490[/TWEET]

I was watching live and had the feeling he'd regret that part his little inarticulate rant.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Souness said yesterday, "For me, the cat hadn't done anything wrong"

Utterly brilliant and no sense of irony.

[TWEET]1492897642178879490[/TWEET]

That makes me think of Paulie Gualtieri's reaction to Chris killing Adriana's dog!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA549b7veJk

 

[Bold Seagull]

That makes me think of Paulie Gualtieri's reaction to Chris killing Adriana's dog!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA549b7veJk

Tony was rather upset at his horse dying too...

"what sick **** would do something like that on purpose huh?

 

[Acker79]

Souness said yesterday, "For me, the cat hadn't done anything wrong"

Utterly brilliant and no sense of irony.

I was watching live and had the feeling he'd regret that part his little inarticulate rant.

I thought that initially, but I think perhaps that was more in a sense of 'if the cat had been clawing at/biting a child, people would be sympathetic to you hitting away to protect the kid', or 'if the cat is on the floor and he realised he was dropping/spilling something he might instinctive use his foot to push the cat away from danger, etc.', but nothing like that applies in this case, so he doesn't have those as an excuse.

 

[B-right-on]

Football supporters have very very long memories though.........

Yep. Look at the player who was being boo'd the other week for the car accident he had 10 years before in Spain.

He's set himself up for years of abuse. Moyes has added to it.

 

[Sirnormangall]

Yep. Look at the player who was being boo'd the other week for the car accident he had 10 years before in Spain.

He's set himself up for years of abuse. Moyes has added to it.

Yes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sold in the summer to a club in the Middle East , Far East or any country where he won’t get the endless stick that he’ll get if he stays in this country.

 

[GT49er]

Yes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sold in the summer to a club in the Middle East , Far East or any country where he won’t get the endless stick that he’ll get if he stays in this country.

Yep, probably somewhere they don't give a sh*t about cruelty to animals. Spain maybe.


In the meantime, thousands of voices screaming out 'Miaow!' every time he kicks the ball could make it almost too embarrassing for the **** to end this season playing for West-for-heavens-sake-why-the-fuss-it-wasn't-racism-was-it-Ham.

 

[Motogull]

I thought that initially, but I think perhaps that was more in a sense of 'if the cat had been clawing at/biting a child, people would be sympathetic to you hitting away to protect the kid', or 'if the cat is on the floor and he realised he was dropping/spilling something he might instinctive use his foot to push the cat away from danger, etc.', but nothing like that applies in this case, so he doesn't have those as an excuse.

How does he square that with the excessive teasing of the cat?

The Zouma brothers need a kicking . Possibly two.

 

[Acker79]

How does he square that with the excessive teasing of the cat?

The Zouma brothers need a kicking . Possibly two.

Huh? It doesn't. It (possibly?) squares with Souness's 'for me, the cat hasn't done anything wrong'

 

[Brok]