Ali Dia

[East Kent Saint]

Subject of podcast “53 Minutes” Dara O Briain and Josh Widdicombe presenting !

[64saint]

Oh dear, this is never going to go away. Just been featured on BBC'S One show. 🙄🫣 Peak time viewing !!!!

[Master Bates]

What a dia situation it's become.

[CB Fry]

Podcast episode one is up. Not listened yet but have discovered it is six parts. SIX episodes on bloody Ali Dia.

I like Josh Widdecombe (he's done quite a lot of 90s football podcasts) and Dara but blimey, feels like overkill.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

It's only fitting that he rejoins us in episode 6, and takes us to promotion. Age is nothing when you have that talent. 🙂

[Master Bates]

1 hour ago, CB Fry said:

Podcast episode one is up. Not listened yet but have discovered it is six parts. SIX episodes on bloody Ali Dia.

I like Josh Widdecombe (he's done quite a lot of 90s football podcasts) and Dara but blimey, feels like overkill.

Link please boss

[CB Fry]

8 hours ago, Master Bates said:

Link please boss

Um, I think it depends on how you get your podcasts.

Its called 53 Minutes so searching for that in your usual podcast player will find it.

Episodes weekly on Tuesday, so will be 6 weeks before the whole series is up.

https://53-minutes.captivate.fm/

[Master Bates]

1 hour ago, CB Fry said:

Um, I think it depends on how you get your podcasts.

Its called 53 Minutes so searching for that in your usual podcast player will find it.

Episodes weekly on Tuesday, so will be 6 weeks before the whole series is up.

https://53-minutes.captivate.fm/

This will be my first podcast, im a virgin. 

[CB Fry]

3 minutes ago, Master Bates said:

This will be my first podcast, im a virgin. 

Exciting! I'm on a Android smart phone  and use Pocket casts app. Is free.

https://pocketcasts.com/

There's a world of podcasts out there but not many will have the level of Barry Venison content that this one promises.

[StDunko]

43 minutes ago, Master Bates said:

This will be my first podcast, im a virgin. 

Username checks out.

[david in sweden]

IT seems that everyone is looking to blame Graham Souness for the whole fiasco. Well ...YES... he was manager at the time, but I saw

a longer interview sometime ago when GS explained the circumstances of the entire situation in some more detail. 

YES - he did get a " fake call from someone claiming to be "  nephew / cousin of  George Whea ( a great player in his time) which 

meant you should at least meet / take a look at the fella,  and so Dia was invited to come along and train, where GS  said " he ran around a lot ".  

GS  said that there was a long injury list at the time, and by Tuesday we still didn't have a complete team fit enough to train for the weekend game. 

By Saturday Dia  was the only fit forward available to sit on the bench, and the rest of them were nearly all defenders.

20 minutes into the game Matt le Tissier pulled a muscle, went off injured  and was replaced by ...Ali Dia. 

The rest - as the saying goes - is a well-documented history , which brings "  humour / shame " on Souness as a manager, and something

he will live for the rest of his time.   He wasn't holding a Bible in his hand whilst telling his side of the tale, but he looked suitably

embarrassed at having to re-tell (yet again) how the situation was on the day. 

I thought him to be honest and straightforward in the telling of his side of the story,  others will doubtless continue to ridicule him.  

I didn't like GS  so much as a player, but thought him to be a more than competent TV analyst with a very good knowledge of the game. 

[franniesTache]

As someone who as there that day I've long thought the Ali Dia thing was a massive storm in a tea cup, if you take out the phone call then it's basically just a trialist who played for us because we had injuries who wasn't that great and happened to be brought on for Le Tiss (and how different the story would've been if he'd scored, which he came very close to doing).

In my opinion he doesn't even come close to the worst players i've seen play for us, Lee Todd wins that one by a country mile, in fact as far as i can tell most people who talk about him being our worst ever player weren't at the game, didn't see him play and base the entire thing on the story rather than reality.

[the saint in winchester]

16 hours ago, CB Fry said:

Podcast episode one is up. Not listened yet but have discovered it is six parts. SIX episodes on bloody Ali Dia.

I like Josh Widdecombe (he's done quite a lot of 90s football podcasts) and Dara but blimey, feels like overkill.

Listening to it as I type this. I can't imagine all 6 episodes will be about Ali Dia. Surely 2 to 6 will be on different subjects. I'll know for sure within 50 minutes

[gio1saints]

I thought he was alright when he came in. Don’t know what the fuss is all about. 

[Miltonaggro]

Is there a big reveal that Ali turns out to be Kamaldeen Sulemana's dad?

[Kenilworthy]

1 hour ago, franniesTache said:

As someone who as there that day I've long thought the Ali Dia thing was a massive storm in a tea cup, if you take out the phone call then it's basically just a trialist who played for us because we had injuries who wasn't that great and happened to be brought on for Le Tiss (and how different the story would've been if he'd scored, which he came very close to doing).

In my opinion he doesn't even come close to the worst players i've seen play for us, Lee Todd wins that one by a country mile, in fact as far as i can tell most people who talk about him being our worst ever player weren't at the game, didn't see him play and base the entire thing on the story rather than reality.

Just suppose he had scored with that first touch? I get a lot of questions from supporters of other clubs about Ali Dia, and when I tell them the truth as recounted here they don't want to hear. As the newspaperman says in the Man who shot Liberty Valance "when the legend becomes fact print the legend".

[Lord Duckhunter]

Fuck me, if they get 6 episodes out of a useless bloke ruining around like a headless chicken for 60 mins, the Dnjeppo one is going to drag on a bit. 

[franniesTache]

27 minutes ago, Kenilworthy said:

Just suppose he had scored with that first touch? I get a lot of questions from supporters of other clubs about Ali Dia, and when I tell them the truth as recounted here they don't want to hear. As the newspaperman says in the Man who shot Liberty Valance "when the legend becomes fact print the legend".

Yup it's all really a non story but the fact he claimed to be George Weah's cousin made it more than it was. And then a generation who i'd hazard never saw him play (i mean most saints fans didn't as there was only about 15k there that day) have turned it into a far bigger thing than it ever should've been due to social media.

And now you see him regularly voted one of the worst players ever to play in the premier league by fans and journalists who have absolutely never seen the time he was on the pitch and judged it on a story about a phone call alone

51 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

I thought he was alright when he came in. Don’t know what the fuss is all about. 

Wouldn't say he was alright, but honestly not the worst, don't forget we had players like Frankie Bennett back then who'd come from being a waiter in a bournemouth hotel (i think) and Tommy Widdrington, who's only moment of note was accidentally scoring off his arse.

Like i said before i honestly don't think i'd count him in my top five worst Saints players, maybe not even in my top ten.

Trying to think who the "top" worst five would be and i'd probably have to go with
1. Lee Todd
2. Sergey Gotsmanov
3. Nigel Quashie
4. Callum Davenport
5. Olly Lancashire/Franny Benali (yeah i love him now but anyone that says they loved him as a player is lying)

[pingpong]

I was at that game, thought he looked alright.  Nice little flick around the corner near the touchline.  Not in our worst 100 players probably.

[John Boy Saint]

14 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

Trying to think who the "top" worst five would be and i'd probably have to go with
5. Olly Lancashire/Franny Benali (yeah i love him now but anyone that says they loved him as a player is lying)

I liked him because he was good at kicking people - ok when caught the resulting yellow had a red not far behind.

[franniesTache]

4 minutes ago, John Boy Saint said:

I liked him because he was good at kicking people - ok when caught the resulting yellow had a red not far behind.

he was great at booting people off the pitch, and actually a half decent man marker. Basically as long as he was nowhere the ball he was a good player, but he'd cost us a goal or two a game and probably score his share of own goals along the way (his diving header own goal "for" Bolton sits in my mind).

Franny was also great as that sort of player you wanted on the pitch to wind someone up so they got sent off or taken off, remember him doing a great job of just niggling Cantona all game until he lost it completely.

[Miltonaggro]

1 hour ago, John Boy Saint said:

I liked him because he was good at kicking people - ok when caught the resulting yellow had a red not far behind.

I was level with his kung fu kick on Barmby at White Hart Lane.  I genuinely think that was his career highlight.

[Maggie May]

Love the Quickly Kevin podcasts but this was really hard to enjoy. 

[CB Fry]

1 hour ago, Maggie May said:

Love the Quickly Kevin podcasts but this was really hard to enjoy. 

Me too - am going to the QK farewell gig in May. I'll give ep 1 a go bit I am not sure I care enough about Ali Dia to give it three hours of my life.

[Challenger]

Looks like this urine stain episode is never going to be erased.

[malcolm waldron]

4 hours ago, franniesTache said:

Wouldn't say he was alright, but honestly not the worst, don't forget we had players like Frankie Bennett back then who'd come from being a waiter in a bournemouth hotel (i think) and Tommy Widdrington, who's only moment of note was accidentally scoring off his arse.

Like i said before i honestly don't think i'd count him in my top five worst Saints players, maybe not even in my top ten.

Trying to think who the "top" worst five would be and i'd probably have to go with
1. Lee Todd
2. Sergey Gotsmanov
3. Nigel Quashie
4. Callum Davenport
5. Olly Lancashire/Franny Benali (yeah i love him now but anyone that says they loved him as a player is lying)

Off his goatee'd chin if I remember correctly?  Might have been Leeds at home in the mid 90s?  1995?  I seem to remember The Echo called it a 'goatee goal' at the time. 

[Noodles34]

16 hours ago, Miltonaggro said:

I was level with his kung fu kick on Barmby at White Hart Lane.  I genuinely think that was his career highlight.

Nah, Fash's take out at Plough Lane, he didnt even wait around for the red card, just started walking off. 

[Miltonaggro]

1 hour ago, Noodles34 said:

Nah, Fash's take out at Plough Lane, he didnt even wait around for the red card, just started walking off. 

Good call, but I wasn't there to here the crunch and yelp for that one.  Around that era I recall rumours of Jimmy Case laying out Jones in the tunnel at Plough Lane after Snatch had tried to take the piss out of his hearing aid, hope that was true.

[richardc]

I was there too and he didnt stand out as being any worst than any of the others on the pitch - I remember he nearly scored 

[Lord Duckhunter]

15 minutes ago, richardc said:

I was there too and he didnt stand out as being any worst than any of the others on the pitch - I remember he nearly scored 

It’s funny. I’m still going to games with almost the same group of blokes and I don’t recall one person saying he was shite. Nobody said he was great or promising, but nobody said he was shite. Personally, I just presumed he’d been substituted as a substitute because of a lack of fitness. Now of course everybody knew he was terrible as soon as he put his boots on. I think it’s Less Tiss who has helped drive this with the story where he claims he thought he was a prize winner. My takes always been the same. Had he been as bad as some made out at training, then Souness wouldn’t have put him on bench. He’d have been found out within a few minutes. Obviously, he wasn’t up to any professional level, and would have been sussed once involved in a serious game, but I don’t buy the bollocks that he could hardly kick a ball. Once on the pitch pros would be able to tell from the runs he made, his touch, intelligence etc, but the watching public never had a clue from that one run out. 

[pingpong]

 

On 20/03/2024 at 13:56, franniesTache said:

Yup it's all really a non story but the fact he claimed to be George Weah's cousin made it more than it was. And then a generation who i'd hazard never saw him play (i mean most saints fans didn't as there was only about 15k there that day) have turned it into a far bigger thing than it ever should've been due to social media.

And now you see him regularly voted one of the worst players ever to play in the premier league by fans and journalists who have absolutely never seen the time he was on the pitch and judged it on a story about a phone call alone

Wouldn't say he was alright, but honestly not the worst, don't forget we had players like Frankie Bennett back then who'd come from being a waiter in a bournemouth hotel (i think) and Tommy Widdrington, who's only moment of note was accidentally scoring off his arse.

Like i said before i honestly don't think i'd count him in my top five worst Saints players, maybe not even in my top ten.

Trying to think who the "top" worst five would be and i'd probably have to go with
1. Lee Todd
2. Sergey Gotsmanov
3. Nigel Quashie
4. Callum Davenport
5. Olly Lancashire/Franny Benali (yeah i love him now but anyone that says they loved him as a player is lying)

Franny love started before he retired, I remember when Beckham was at his absolute peak, after one half of being pummeled by franny, sir Alex moved beckham to right back to try and avoid the battering he was getting. Same game pahars went insane I think, it was great.

[franniesTache]

3 hours ago, pingpong said:

 

Franny love started before he retired, I remember when Beckham was at his absolute peak, after one half of being pummeled by franny, sir Alex moved beckham to right back to try and avoid the battering he was getting. Same game pahars went insane I think, it was great.

Yeah he was definitely a cult hero by the end of his career, but that was mainly based on the fact that he clearly fucking loved the clubs and city, was a Sotonian lad and got away with ABH on the pitch most games, to add to @Miltonaggro and @Noodles34 ones him seeing if he could launch Paulo Futre into orbit at Upton Park, or going straight through the back of Steve Bruce at the Dell stand out.

Also his goal was probably one of most "connected" fans/players goals i can think of in my long time going, up there with Le Tiss closing out the Dell, and Marian scoring against the skates at St Mary's.

The split second of absolutely silence when it went in, followed by someone at the back of block five shouting "it's fucking franny" and all hell breaking lose will long be one of my favourite Saints moments ever.

But despite all that i can also remember his name being booed when he was in line ups and general groans around the Dell when he did something shit (and outright abuse when he gave away another goal).

[Lee On Solent Saint]

54 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

Yeah he was definitely a cult hero by the end of his career, but that was mainly based on the fact that he clearly fucking loved the clubs and city, was a Sotonian lad and got away with ABH on the pitch most games, to add to @Miltonaggro and @Noodles34 ones him seeing if he could launch Paulo Futre into orbit at Upton Park, or going straight through the back of Steve Bruce at the Dell stand out.

Also his goal was probably one of most "connected" fans/players goals i can think of in my long time going, up there with Le Tiss closing out the Dell, and Marian scoring against the skates at St Mary's.

The split second of absolutely silence when it went in, followed by someone at the back of block five shouting "it's fucking franny" and all hell breaking lose will long be one of my favourite Saints moments ever.

But despite all that i can also remember his name being booed when he was in line ups and general groans around the Dell when he did something shit (and outright abuse when he gave away another goal).

Remember the West Ham one, think Futre wound him up big time by taking the piss by just going past him a few times like he wasn't there. Another one when he didn't even look at the ref before walking off. 

[CB Fry]

On 20/03/2024 at 18:01, CB Fry said:

Me too - am going to the QK farewell gig in May. I'll give ep 1 a go bit I am not sure I care enough about Ali Dia to give it three hours of my life.

I did indeed listen to one episode.

I found the fake football commentary of the Ali Dia match to be incredibly annoying (even worse than the Statto commentaries on the MLT Unbelievable video, nostalgia fans). And yes to string it out episode one mainly about George Weah and Italia 90 but not in any kind of interesting way.

And Widdecombe and O'Briain pretty much just reading out a script. 

I think maybe the target market is people that weren't born when it happened. So not me.

I'm out - don't make this the first podcast you ever listen to...!

Edited March 21 by CB Fry

[Oh no Mick Mills]

3 hours ago, franniesTache said:

Yeah he was definitely a cult hero by the end of his career, but that was mainly based on the fact that he clearly fucking loved the clubs and city, was a Sotonian lad and got away with ABH on the pitch most games, to add to @Miltonaggro and @Noodles34 ones him seeing if he could launch Paulo Futre into orbit at Upton Park, or going straight through the back of Steve Bruce at the Dell stand out.

Also his goal was probably one of most "connected" fans/players goals i can think of in my long time going, up there with Le Tiss closing out the Dell, and Marian scoring against the skates at St Mary's.

The split second of absolutely silence when it went in, followed by someone at the back of block five shouting "it's fucking franny" and all hell breaking lose will long be one of my favourite Saints moments ever.

But despite all that i can also remember his name being booed when he was in line ups and general groans around the Dell when he did something shit (and outright abuse when he gave away another goal).

He had the most uncanny ability to pass accurately to the opposition. Almost as if he was colour blind and as you say he was hated and  ridiculed for a number of years and some held onto that till the end. 

Most of us though were gradually won over by his tenacity and fighting spirit. 

He truly represented us as a proper Southampton lad.