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ECHO Comment: "Fears of Witch-hunt Against Liverpool FC" part 3

catcherintherye said:
It's not really a sporting award though is it, as it's about personality as much as anything.

I mean even if it was a Sporting Award, I'm struggling to see how Henderson merits it.
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Its not really a personality contest though. Thats just the name it was given 50 years ago.

The only winner I can recall winning it based on their personality, or popularity/celebrity as much as sporting prowess is Beckham. And he did achieve stuff along the way. Giggs got it for longevity I guess. Most though have delivered significant or memorable sporting success in that year.
 
catcherintherye said:
It's not really a sporting award though is it, as it's about personality as much as anything.

I mean even if it was a Sporting Award, I'm struggling to see how Henderson merits it.
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Like it or not (obviously) Henderson is an Englishman who captained a league winning team. If United had won the league last year, Harry Maguire would be in the list, despite clearly not being Man U's most important.
 
Henderson organised some charity thing as well didn't he? During the original lockdown. That sort of thing along with being captain of the league winners certainly makes his face fit for the BBC.
 
number4. said:
Like it or not (obviously) Henderson is an Englishman who captained a league winning team. If United had won the league last year, Harry Maguire would be in the list, despite clearly not being Man U's most important.
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Well, he captained Liverpool. Reasonably sure other Brits have captained league winning teams before now. Cant recall any of them being nominated.
 

number4. said:
I think you have answered your own question here Catcher - BBC have created the special merit award, to ensure that SPOTY remains a sporting achievement award.

Skip 12 months down the line & Jordan Pickford remains his clumsy self, but managed to rescue 10 kids from a burning building, he should be winning the Marcus Rashford award not SPOTY.
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The special merit award is just a fudge. It's not got anything like the prestige of SPOTY.

To me what a sports person did was also important, and should have got him on.

If it's on merit, I'm struggling to see what Henderson has done to merit it. How many women have made this list? He's been elevated because of other factors.
 
roydo said:
Well, he captained Liverpool. Reasonably sure other Brits have captained league winning teams before now. Cant recall any of them being nominated.
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I havent the time or energy to go through the list, but I can tell you Vardy was nominated in 2016 despite not being the top english scorer in the league.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not in anyway trying to canvas or justify his place in the list; i'm just saying I'm not surprised he is there.
 
number4. said:
Like it or not (obviously) Henderson is an Englishman who captained a league winning team. If United had won the league last year, Harry Maguire would be in the list, despite clearly not being Man U's most important.
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This is just nonsense I'm afraid. He was not the key member of the team, and has done nothing at international level. I can't remember many other English players who captaiend a side that won a single trophy being given this.

It's elevating mediocrity based on other factors.
 
number4. said:
I havent the time or energy to go through the list, but I can tell you Vardy was nominated in 2016 despite not being the top english scorer in the league.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not in anyway trying to canvas or justify his place in the list; i'm just saying I'm not surprised he is there.
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But Vardy was invovled in the most remarkable sporting story of all time and the central figure in it. Henderson isn't. He's peripheral.

It's genuinely very sad, to see someone not sururpised than an average white man is getting plaudits, over outstanding women or an outstanding black man in Marcus Rashford. I suppose that sums up the problems we have today.
 
roydo said:
Its not really a personality contest though. Thats just the name it was given 50 years ago.

The only winner I can recall winning it based on their personality, or popularity/celebrity as much as sporting prowess is Beckham. And he did achieve stuff along the way. Giggs got it for longevity I guess. Most though have delivered significant or memorable sporting success in that year.
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I've always thought personality was an important aspect of it. Its why Fury was omitted a couple of years back. I'm surprised that Rashford hasn't made it as footballs rep.
 

catcherintherye said:
I've always thought personality was an important aspect of it. Its why Fury was omitted a couple of years back. I'm surprised that Rashford hasn't made it as footballs rep.
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It really isnt mate. Go back through the past winners, and you instantly remember the sporting reason they won it, with a few exceptions. (Beckham and Giggs basically, as in there isnt an instant recall of a specific event).

If Covid hadnt laid waste to sport, the Olympics in particular, I doubt he would be on it.
 
number4. said:
I havent the time or energy to go through the list, but I can tell you Vardy was nominated in 2016 despite not being the top english scorer in the league.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not in anyway trying to canvas or justify his place in the list; i'm just saying I'm not surprised he is there.
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Just to add, I have scrolled throughabout the last 15 years or so and i can see no precadent that the title winning captain, English or otherwise gets nominated. Not only is there no precadent, it's never happened. The precadent would be that winning the title as captain would not be worthy of inclusion.

But I suppose in the era of BLM, MeToo, structural inequality, letting a a mediocre white man elbow his way into a slot deserved by others more is just the message we want to send. Who cares about precadent? Or fairness? Or merit?
 
roydo said:
It really isnt mate. Go back through the past winners, and you instantly remember the sporting reason they won it, with a few exceptions. (Beckham and Giggs basically, as in there isnt an instant recall of a specific event).

If Covid hadnt laid waste to sport, the Olympics in particular, I doubt he would be on it.
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Fair enough, we can agree to disagree on that point.

However even using your rhetoric, he does not deserve to be on the list. Compared to past nominees, he's mediocre.
 
roydo said:
Yep, agreed on that.
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Like I thought he was on the list because he seems a nice bloke. That was genuienly my understanding. He took a knee. He smiles a bit. I am genuinely astounded people are trying to make the case on sporting merit.

Trent Arnold has done more. Much as I hate the bloke, Robertson has done more, when you consider what he did with Scotland as well. He's not even the best nominee at his own club. I just thought he got it because he's a bit more palatable than a cup of sick (or Robertson/Arnold).
 

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