50 replies to this topic

[Wendall]

"Not every player will be like Kris Radlinski or Sean O'Loughlin or Paul Deacon, who had nice upbringings and were always sensible lads," he says in a telling passage. "There are also plenty of players who are on the same wavelength as me.

"Rugby league is a rough game and of course it attracts people from rough backgrounds, but it shouldn't be ashamed of that – it should be proud of it. Rugby league gave me a path out of trouble, and there are people in the game who grew up on rough estates like me, who probably need a bit of advice to put them back on the straight and narrow."

http://www.guardian....es-terry-newton

I think Newton is spot on.

RL for the vast majority of players (and the fans) is the only way to escape from the mundane, slums and crime that we face in everyday life.

Its funny that he cites fellow Wigan boys like Radlinski, O'Loughlin and Deacon as coming from good backgrounds though????

[tim2]

Wayne Rooney

I rest my case

[HappyDave]

Isn't Sean O'Loughlin one of the dirtiest players in the Super League though? So possibly not the best example? Funniest thing I heard the other day: "He just can't tackle below neck height".

Ce message a été modifié par HappyDave - 08 juillet 2010 - 01:18 .

[paley]

RL for the vast majority of players (and the fans) is the only way to escape from the mundane, slums and crime that we face in everyday life

Nope

[Blotto]

Wayne Rooney

I rest my case

That Lame Brain Media Hack Mike Parry on TalkSquawk recently was bemoaning that there weren't many kids playing wendyball from middle class backgrounds cause their parents encourage them to play Cricket and Rugby (he didn't code distinguish) This was his latest excuse as to why England once again failed to live up to the hype the media put on the overpaid show ponies

[HappyDave]

That Lame Brain Media Hack Mike Parry on TalkSquawk recently was bemoaning that there weren't many kids playing wendyball from middle class backgrounds cause their parents encourage them to play Cricket and Rugby (he didn't code distinguish) This was his latest excuse as to why England once again failed to live up to the hype the media put on the overpaid show ponies

I think he probably meant Rugby Union as it is seen as a upper tier Middle/Upper Class sport and whenever you hear Rugby Union players speak you can tell theyr'e generally from 'well to do' backgrounds. So, I guess that analysis may be sad-but-true?...

Ce message a été modifié par HappyDave - 08 juillet 2010 - 01:58 .

[paley]

That Lame Brain Media Hack Mike Parry on TalkSquawk recently was bemoaning that there weren't many kids playing wendyball from middle class backgrounds cause their parents encourage them to play Cricket and Rugby (he didn't code distinguish) This was his latest excuse as to why England once again failed to live up to the hype the media put on the overpaid show ponies

Eton was always more soccer than union, presumably many old etonians play professional soccer

[HappyDave]

Eton was always more soccer than union, presumably many old etonians play professional soccer

I don't know of any Pro Footy players who went to Eton. 'Association Football' may have possibly started out at Cambridge Uni but it certainly seems to be a mainly working/middle class sport these days rather than upper-middle/Upper Class like Tennis, Golf, Polo and Rugby Union?...

I think a large portion of the footy players from London & the North seem to have came from fairly 'umble backgrounds?

Ce message a été modifié par HappyDave - 08 juillet 2010 - 02:33 .

[Shadow]

I don't know of any Pro Footy players who went to Eton. 'Association Football' may have possibly started out at Cambridge Uni but it certainly seems to be a mainly working/middle class sport these days rather than upper-middle/Upper Class like Tennis, Golf, Polo and Rugby Union?...

I think a large portion of the footy players from London & the North seem to have came from fairly 'umble backgrounds?

True, very few premiership footballers went to private schools. Unlike their children.

[HappyDave]

True, very few premiership footballers went to private schools. Unlike their children.

I guess most Premiership footballers could actually afford to buy their kids a private school.

[Bob8]

True, very few premiership footballers went to private schools. Unlike their children.

I believe Lampard is the only England footballer to have ever come from a public school, which in any case was paid for by his Dad's soccer career.

This is trotted out occasionally. It is said that the public school kids have the right stuff and would soon make us Champions as they do in rowing and equestrian events. If corse, it is rarely argued that the state school kids are the only ones with the right stuff, as shown by their global success in darts and snooker and the failure of public school kids to break into the Premiership.

It is utter drivel and if anyone is to listen to Talk Sport, they should scrub their brain out with a wire brush and certainly not flick the specks onto this forum.

[Blind side johnny]

RL for the vast majority of players (and the fans) is the only way to escape from the mundane, slums and crime that we face in everyday life.

Just ever so slightly over the top there, Wendall old chap.

Working class roots maybe; slums and crime - not the same thing at all.

[Northern Eel]

Never 'erd so much ###### in my life from Newton. I'm gonna nut 'im the whelk, once i've done our missus.

Ce message a été modifié par Northern Eel - 08 juillet 2010 - 05:23 .

[Hannibal]

Its funny that he cites fellow Wigan boys like Radlinski, O'Loughlin and Deacon as coming from good backgrounds though????

Why is that funny?

[Bulletproof]

Boxing? Darts?

[bangersandmash]

Eton was always more soccer than union, presumably many old etonians play professional soccer

Too busy running the country!

[RMam]

"Not every player will be like Kris Radlinski or Sean O'Loughlin or Paul Deacon, who had nice upbringings and were always sensible lads," he says in a telling passage. "There are also plenty of players who are on the same wavelength as me.

"Rugby league is a rough game and of course it attracts people from rough backgrounds, but it shouldn't be ashamed of that – it should be proud of it. Rugby league gave me a path out of trouble, and there are people in the game who grew up on rough estates like me, who probably need a bit of advice to put them back on the straight and narrow."

http://www.guardian....es-terry-newton

I think Newton is spot on.

RL for the vast majority of players (and the fans) is the only way to escape from the mundane, slums and crime that we face in everyday life.
Its funny that he cites fellow Wigan boys like Radlinski, O'Loughlin and Deacon as coming from good backgrounds though????

Please don't mistake 'working class' with 'underclass'. I consider myself to be working class by heritage and preference (parents were ambulance staff/ school dinners, and I am a teacher) but certainly didn't live in a slum or witness crime on any regular basis as a youngster. Both my sons went to university and played RL, one as a pro, and have friends in a similar situation. For many lads RL may well be a route to better things, but remember that not all lads who play RL are from a deprived background! Some actually choose pro RL before a career in 'the professions'

[fieldofclothofgold]

Too busy running the country!

or going on outings with the bullingdon club

[Maximus Decimus]

I don't know of any Pro Footy players who went to Eton. 'Association Football' may have possibly started out at Cambridge Uni but it certainly seems to be a mainly working/middle class sport these days rather than upper-middle/Upper Class like Tennis, Golf, Polo and Rugby Union?...

I think a large portion of the footy players from London & the North seem to have came from fairly 'umble backgrounds?

The problem with the Upper middle class theory is that English Rugby Union is hardly full to the brim with world class athletes. In fact our oik sport that generally gets the football cast offs does a better job of producing them.

[paley]

or going on outings with the bullingdon club

One of those chaps bought South Sydney Rabbitohs