Gavin Bazunu

[Fabrice29]

16 minutes ago, whelk said:

Ed Sheeran laughs when innocents get killed

You seem to genuinely be annoyed about Bazunu saying something perfectly normal and obvious 😂

[whelk]

9 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

You seem to genuinely be annoyed about Bazunu saying something perfectly normal and obvious 😂

No just mocking the saps who are impressed with his statement. Plays to the sixth form student types who need a very simple ‘baddie’. Maybe he could have said war is stupid, and why can’t there be love peace and harmony across the world?

[Fabrice29]

9 minutes ago, whelk said:

No just mocking the saps who are impressed with his statement. Plays to the sixth form student types who need a very simple ‘baddie’. Maybe he could have said war is stupid, and why can’t there be love peace and harmony across the world?

I think you mean ‘Yes’

[Tom & Gerry]

1 hour ago, whelk said:

You think he actually wrote that statement?  “My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong” - what a guy doesn’t believe in the killing of innocent people - imagine having that personal belief?

Anyway sure he will get amazing gratitude on his social media and people love someone who is brave enough to take an unpopular stance of not wanting innocent people killed. 

Seems to be an increasingly unpopular stance, unfortunately. 

[Bobsmith]

Looks like Bazunu is going it alone. Putting politics above football will do nothing for his career. He might be able to get away with it as a world beater but at best he's a league 1 level keeper

https://news.sky.com/story/ireland-confirms-nations-league-game-against-israel-will-go-ahead-13592048

[CB Fry]

I've heard it's a subject he is truly passionate about and he just simply won't drop it.

[Dr Who?]

Up to him. Fair play. If you feel passionate about anything you should always stand up even if you are on your own. 

[Bobsmith]

3 minutes ago, Dr Who? said:

Up to him. Fair play. If you feel passionate about anything you should always stand up even if you are on your own. 

I agree, but it’s also important to pick your battles. More people probably know his name because of this, but future clubs may also wonder whether he’s likely to take political stances that could create issues.

Squad harmony has to be considered too. It would have created a pretty poor dynamic at our club if Bazunu were still here and refused to play against Peretz as Israel’s number one.

[Oldandtired]

1 hour ago, whelk said:

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Oldandtired
As usual I was talking bollocks

[Fabrice29]

5 minutes ago, Bobsmith said:

I agree, but it’s also important to pick your battles. More people probably know his name because of this, but future clubs may also wonder whether he’s likely to take political stances that could create issues.

Squad harmony has to be considered too. It would have created a pretty poor dynamic at our club if Bazunu were still here and refused to play against Peretz as Israel’s number one.

Have an opinion but don’t fuck anything up at Saints and remember you’re a league one keeper so probably better to keep your opinion to yourself is an incredible position to take.

[sadoldgit]

If more people had the courage of their convictions and stood up for them perhaps Trump would no longer be in office. Too many people duck below the parapet and hope it will all go away. The more people who come out in support the better. South Africa were hammered from all quarters. Netanyahu’s Israel should face the same level of international shaming. 

[Bobsmith]

4 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

Have an opinion but don’t fuck anything up at Saints and remember you’re a league one keeper so probably better to keep your opinion to yourself is an incredible position to take.

I love a strawman, but in reality actions have consequences. Refusing to play for your country for political reasons may be admirable, but it might also affect your selection in future. The ability point is simply about how indispensable you are. If you’re a world beater, you probably get more wiggle room on things like this. That’s not me saying weaker players should keep their opinions to themselves, just acknowledging that the more valuable you are, the more latitude you tend to get in professional sport.

 

[whelk]

All those marvelling at Baz’s stance presumably get quite excitable about Afghanistan having a cricket team and all those weak cricketers who agree to play them. No, thought not. Maybe someone could put a statement about saying their personal belief is that girls should have an education and homosexuality isn’t a crime to be punishable by death

[Weston Super Saint]

48 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

I've heard it's a subject he is truly passionate about and he just simply won't drop it.

If only he had such passion about football.

[Greenridge]

18 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

If more people had the courage of their convictions and stood up for them perhaps Trump would no longer be in office. Too many people duck below the parapet and hope it will all go away. The more people who come out in support the better. South Africa were hammered from all quarters. Netanyahu’s Israel should face the same level of international shaming. 

You realise he was voted in, yes? He didn’t get to be President via some kind of coup. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Greenridge

[Fabrice29]

20 minutes ago, Bobsmith said:

I love a strawman, but in reality actions have consequences. Refusing to play for your country for political reasons may be admirable, but it might also affect your selection in future. The ability point is simply about how indispensable you are. If you’re a world beater, you probably get more wiggle room on things like this. That’s not me saying weaker players should keep their opinions to themselves, just acknowledging that the more valuable you are, the more latitude you tend to get in professional sport.

 

I know what you’re saying but you’d like to think the people above him would support him having an opinion rather than punish him for it. But given it appears the goalkeepers as a whole seem to have been forgotten about on this topic, you could well be right, which as I said, is incredible really.

14 minutes ago, whelk said:

All those marvelling at Baz’s stance presumably get quite excitable about Afghanistan having a cricket team and all those weak cricketers who agree to play them. No, thought not. Maybe someone could put a statement about saying their personal belief is that girls should have an education and homosexuality isn’t a crime to be punishable by death

You’re so weirdly put out by this. I’m not entirely sure what your point is here though? Must be quite a nuanced yet enormous leap to get from Bazunu making a personal decision to anyone patting him on the back needing to take down the Afghan cricket team. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Fabrice29

[Lord Duckhunter]

Fucking hell the Paddies taking the moral high ground, a country whose Taoiseach  visited the German foreign minister in Dublin to offer official condolences following Hitler's suicide. Fuck me, Churchill even offered them a united ireland for the use of their ports, and they turned him down. We all know which side they took when Jews were being murdered in their millions, so it’s no surprise they’re turning on innocent Jewish footballers now….

[hypochondriac]

That is true bravery 

[Fabrice29]

6 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

That is true bravery 

‘True’ bravery. Another incredible position to take. This place gets weirder by the day.

[whelk]

38 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

You’re so weirdly put out by this. I’m not entirely sure what your point is here though? Must be quite a nuanced yet enormous leap to get from Bazunu making a personal decision to anyone patting him on the back needing to take down the Afghan cricket team

Keep on with the passive aggression mate but I sense you are the one getting very defensive after being in awe of an AI statement. Apologies the analogy was beyond you.

[hypochondriac]

26 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

‘True’ bravery. Another incredible position to take. This place gets weirder by the day.

There's nothing brave about taking a position that every progressive activist is taking at the moment. It would be so much easier for someone like Ed Sheeran to mindlessly shout Free Palestine at a concert than take abuse by suggesting there might be some nuance.

[Fabrice29]

6 minutes ago, whelk said:

Keep on with the passive aggression mate but I sense you are the one getting very defensive after being in awe of an AI statement. Apologies the analogy was beyond you.

Are you going to explain why you’re upset by the guy having an opinion or just going to call people 6th form saps whilst insisting someone else is being the passive aggressive one?

[egg]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

There's nothing brave about taking a position that every progressive activist is taking at the moment. It would be so much easier for someone like Ed Sheeran to mindlessly shout Free Palestine at a concert than take abuse by suggesting there might be some nuance.

Unless you're comfortable with what's happening in Gaza/West Bank, why take issue with a person taking a public stand against what's happening. 

[Fabrice29]

4 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

There's nothing brave about taking a position that every progressive activist is taking at the moment. It would be so much easier for someone like Ed Sheeran to mindlessly shout Free Palestine at a concert than take abuse by suggesting there might be some nuance.

There is plenty of nuance which is why dismissing one persons opinion and hailing another’s seems a bit daft to me. 

[egg]

4 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

Are you going to explain why you’re upset by the guy having an opinion or just going to call people 6th form saps whilst insisting someone else is being the passive aggressive one?

Opposing what's happened and is happening isn't 6th form. It's normal. 

Whelk has said in the lounge that he feels that people who take a stance against Israel have "inbuilt prejudice".

I prefer Baz's position to that. 

[hypochondriac]

3 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

There is plenty of nuance which is why dismissing one persons opinion and hailing another’s seems a bit daft to me. 

"Free Palestine" "I don't like people being killed." Such nuance.

[hypochondriac]

5 minutes ago, egg said:

Unless you're comfortable with what's happening in Gaza/West Bank, why take issue with a person taking a public stand against what's happening. 

I don't have an issue with him doing it. I'm just not going to pretend it's a brave stance to take.

[Miltonaggro]

2 hours ago, Bobsmith said:

Looks like Bazunu is going it alone. Putting politics above football will do nothing for his career. He might be able to get away with it as a world beater but at best he's a league 1 level keeper

https://news.sky.com/story/ireland-confirms-nations-league-game-against-israel-will-go-ahead-13592048

When I’ve heard Gav interviewed he’s always reminded me of Dougal from Father Ted, though less eloquent or informed. I would imagine his committed interest in international conflict politics is strategic PR by his ‘advisors’ or perhaps radicalisation at Abrakebabra in Bolton. 

[egg]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

I don't have an issue with him doing it. I'm just not going to pretend it's a brave stance to take.

Fair enough, but there's something to be said for speaking up...saying and doing nowt does nowt. 

[hypochondriac]

2 minutes ago, Miltonaggro said:

When I’ve heard Gav interviewed he’s always reminded me of Dougal from Father Ted, though less eloquent or informed. I would imagine his committed interest in international conflict politics is strategic PR by his ‘advisors’ or perhaps radicalisation at Abrakebabra in Bolton. 

Probably a similar sort of setup to brain of Britain Marcus Rashford and his absolutely authentic pronouncements in the media.

[Fabrice29]

5 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

"Free Palestine" "I don't like people being killed." Such nuance.

 Ironically missing the point/nuance.

4 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

I don't have an issue with him doing it. I'm just not going to pretend it's a brave stance to take.

Given the reports are he faced abuse from a team mate and very little public support from anyone around him, it does feel a tiny bit brave? Either way, you calling him a performative twat does feel you have an issue with him doing it tbf.

[whelk]

29 minutes ago, egg said:

Whelk has said in the lounge that he feels that people who take a stance against Israel have "inbuilt prejudice"

A little misrepresentative. Ireland have always been big Palestine sympathisers. In built prejudice in that seen as punching up to the authorities which is often associated with idealism from youngsters, pop stars etc - very simple and supporting the underdog over those in charge. Not necessarily anti-Semitic but there definitely can be a case of that with some.

I actually hope democratic process prevails and Netanyahu’s government get voted out. 

[Saint Marky]

1 hour ago, hypochondriac said:

There's nothing brave about taking a position that every progressive activist is taking at the moment. It would be so much easier for someone like Ed Sheeran to mindlessly shout Free Palestine at a concert than take abuse by suggesting there might be some nuance.

Maybe Ed should say he will follow Paloma Faith and say ‘ free Palestine’ to his kids at bedtime every night, then everyone will forgive him?

[sfc4prem]

7 minutes ago, Saint Marky said:

Maybe Ed should say he will follow Paloma Faith and say ‘ free Palestine’ to his kids at bedtime every night, then everyone will forgive him?

I think people just don't like fence sitters. Particularly those that only sit on the fence to ensure a nice healthy cash flow.

[Weston Super Saint]

1 minute ago, sfc4prem said:

I think people just don't like fence sitters. Particularly those that only sit on the fence to ensure a nice healthy cash flow.

Uh-oh.  I don't think @trousers is going to be too please with this post.

[sfc4prem]

Just now, Weston Super Saint said:

Uh-oh.  I don't think @trousers is going to be too please with this post.

I've heard the only reason he wears trousers is to protect his arse from splinters.

[whelk]

1 minute ago, sfc4prem said:

I think people just don't like fence sitters. Particularly those that only sit on the fence to ensure a nice healthy cash flow.

His £2million donation to Palestinian charities pales into insignificance compared to the Ireland team wearing black arm bands for 90mins

[sfc4prem]

2 minutes ago, whelk said:

His £2million donation to Palestinian charities pales into insignificance compared to the Ireland team wearing black arm bands for 90mins

I'm sure the Ireland players have donated some of their salary, too. £2million for Ed Sheeran is like me pressing 'Yes' when the card machine asks me to donate when I'm paying for my petrol.

[whelk]

7 minutes ago, sfc4prem said:

I'm sure the Ireland players have donated some of their salary, too

Based on what? Although I’m sure these donations you are aware of are so significant that they have now moved their kids to state schools - needs to have an impact, not like the tokenism from Sheeran.

[VectisSaint]

3 hours ago, Bobsmith said:

Looks like Bazunu is going it alone. Putting politics above football will do nothing for his career. He might be able to get away with it as a world beater but at best he's a league 1 level keeper

https://news.sky.com/story/ireland-confirms-nations-league-game-against-israel-will-go-ahead-13592048

He should be admired for taking a moral stance. Can't see how it can possibly damage his career 😉