England head coach Gareth Southgate says he understands why people think Jordan Henderson’s decision to play in Saudi Arabia “doesn’t align” with his support of the LGBTQ+ community – but does not think that is a reason to boo him.
Adam Crafton and Tim Spiers of The Athletic join host Adam Leventhal to delve into Southgate’s new ‘combative’ management style.
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#henderson #southgate #england
20 Comments
NO
and the athletic is becoming more and more enablist…
They've got this wrong. English people don't like hypocrisy. And they've been dictated to on non-football related matters for a number of years. To then see one of the key leaders of that movement play in Saudi is too much.
If I tell you what to do what to do,think and feel would you do it?
That's what this boils down to.
Do whatever you want because if you don't you're fooling yourselves
Forget the politics aspect entirely. Jordan Henderson is not playing football at a high enough level to earn a place in the squad over guys like James Ward Prowse and Sean Longstaff who have been playing their hearts out in both the premier and Europe so far this season.
Does Tim Spiers own the Athletic? Says nothing of value on any of all the podcasts he's on
He pick's his team for political reasons rather than football reasons. It seems now its jobs for the boys instead of being picked on merit. It's a bit like when becks seemed to be picking the team when Sven was in charge.We've got the tail wagging the dog.
Don’t muddy the waters. Hendo was bought by a Saudi club—no decent club in a decent league would offer him similar money because…he’s past it. End of. If you want to get upset about the LGBT+ doublespeak from him, fine! But fans should be mad from a footballing standpoint regardless of their feelings about everything else. He’s done, the Saudi league is near amateur in comparison to almost every European league as well as several others around the world. Hendo has no place in the England team. Not as a player, not as a leader—because by going to Saudi he’s admitted that serious football is no longer his priority.
I thought the reason he was booed was because fans don't see why he's picked by the coach when he's playing in a semi retirement league and they're just booing Southgate via Henderson for the selection. 🤷♀
England fans should accept anything Gareth Southgate says or does because they would still be utterly irrelevant if he hadnt built them into a team thats favorites at every major tournament now. Maybe in a few decades the english will finally understand that. Their typical entitlement makes them think that was "going to happen anyway" because they have good players. Its been years and I still cant wait until southgate leaves and the entire organization comes crumbling down under its own ineptitude, then we will see.
England fans are so musch stupid to degrade a player cos he joined Saudi, but always wanted an Arab owners to their club…
Woke crafton gave a pass to Henderson. It's about hypocrisy. Anyway woke sticking up for woke.
If Southgate was a popular manager and England were doing well, the players wouldn’t be being booed. Simple. But I guess in that scenario, Henderson and Maguire wouldn’t be anywhere near the team anyway so it’s just one big negative feedback loop
Yes end of the day most people in the UK would do same thing take the Saudi money
There is a political element to it absolutely.
But there’s also the issue of Southgate exposing himself as a hypocrite. He set down a marker early on that if you’re not playing regularly and at a decent level for your club, then you won’t be picked.
Yet he continues to pick Maguire and Henderson. He has something to answer for there too
Honestly find the characterisation as to why fans booed Henderson so out-of-touch here. Hendo prided and build his public image around being an LGBTQ+ advocate, spokesperson and activist. He then chose to move to and promote a regime that suppresses and even executes members of that community, exposing him as a hypocrite and a charlatan. He then had the brass neck to complain and berate those football fans who critiqued his double-standards. That's why they booed.
9 months ago all Southgate and Henderson wanted to talk about were the broader questions around politics and representation in football. Now that it's no longer a convenient or popular narrative to pedal for either of them, this conversation is suddenly a problem, "not relevant" and the fans are wrong for showing their anger by booing. Both are hypocrites and totally disingenuous.
It’s so naive that they are banging in that fans are booing because of LGBT issues or taking money from Saudi, the main issue is that he hasn’t been great for a while now, he’s semi retired in the Saudi league whilst JWS is having a blinder of a season. It’s frustrating fans that players that are in great form are not even been considered because Southgate has his favourites and form or playtime doesn’t effect his favourites
Harry Maguire's comments really bothered me. 'Proper' england fans don't boo their players. Maybe 'proper' fans don't boo 'proper' players. Some fans will always boo but Henderson wants to have his cake and eat it too and people aren't having it.
this is an uncharacteristically terrible and tone-deaf segment while still remaining characteristically dull. i understand trying to empathize with Southgate but this is 9 tedious minutes of "boohoo, poor Gareth, won't anyone think of what Gareth is going through, being worn down by all these "social issues" " when the whole situation was completely avoidable if he didn't pick the completely washed up player playing in a nothing league. Trying to frame this choice as somehow being brave by Southgate and Henderson is genuinely embarrassing thinking and makes me feel like I'm sitting in on a family dinner at the Southgates residence. Trying to draw equivalence with picking Henderson to picking someone from Man City/Newcastle is also embarrassing and intellectually dishonest – the politics of it all may be murky but absolutely everyone knows it isn't the same thing and not a single fan, outside of maybe some deranged Liverpool ones (who "Hendo" also seems to have lost), would react the same way.
Why are these fans pretending that they care about LGBTQ issues??? They boo Henderson because he plays in a Muslim league full stop. These racist and idiotic England fans are an embarassment to their kids and country.