2020/21 Jordan Pickford

[Jim Hopper]

I would love for the club to come out and announce full support for our player and completely go to town on the media and even name some of the pundits that have called it assault, intentional and calculated.

Think that ship has sailed now mate. We allowed him to be dragged through the gutter, although I’m sure the club were supporting him behind the scenes, but our handling of the media and their dangerous game which led to his death threats was a joke.

 

[Mat70s]

Pickford’s experience is a microcosm of the direction of football discourse. Much of the noise around football has been shifted online. The immediate feedback you can get when eliciting a vile opinion on the Internet is completely and utterly seductive and becomes consuming.

The ante is upped, the boundaries are pushed and the normalisation of antisocial ideals takes place and contaminates the echo system.

Even the fact that it’s still a minority of people behaving like this, it affects the way football is discussed in the mainstream. Everything becomes exaggerated, dramatic, and IMPORTANT. It’s all so very important.

The sheer vitality of football coverage means that everyone who is engaged with it is compelled to take a side; they’re obligated to back their colours and stick to it. There’s no discretion or room for moderation.

On Pickford: his challenge was poor and was legitimately criticised. But the player he injured is arguably the most important player in the league in terms of impact on his club. So the coverage is extensive and non-stop This then creates a circus which bleeds into mainstream coverage. Fringe opinions about a huge ban become talking points despite it being wildly disproportionate.

SomeLiverpool fans want blood. They refuse to move on. Some Everton fans argue it wasn't even that a bad challenge. The polarisation of opinion adds to the cacophony of vitriol which is now totally deafening. Talking about the Pickford incident becomes exhausting. The ante is upped. Death threats from some nut job makes the papers. The story continues, fans keep talking about it and the race to the bottom goes on.

 

[Lelouch]

Vile vile fanbase.

 

[Papa Shango]

Think that ship has sailed now mate. We allowed him to be dragged through the gutter, although I’m sure the club were supporting him behind the scenes, but our handling of the media and their dangerous game which led to his death threats was a joke.

To be fair they have sent death threats to their own goalie in the past let alone ours.

Some proper weirdos who follow them.

 

[Shibbywiggles]

Will the media acknowledge that it’s pretty much their fault?

No, no they will not.
All they want are your clicks and if they have to get them through publicly destroying someone’s life, that is how they will do it.

 

[Shibbywiggles]

Didn’t say it at the time because I was gutted by our limp performance overall but fair play to Pickford for even getting on the pitch following a bad run of form and public execution in the media. Actually played fine as well imo. To say this could be a turning point for him and maybe help sort his mentality out as I’m sure he was working with our best mental experts before anyway is probably wrong but he’ll have at least until January to fight for his spot.
I think it’s clear Olsen won’t start over him because if he could he’d have started against Southampton I’d think

 

[Terrarian]

Hows he supposed to perform with all this going on, bodyguards fgs well out of line. I'd take him out as his head won't be in the right place, it isn't at the best of times.

 

[davek]

Murderpool trying to murder someone? I dont believe it.

 

[kenada_blue]

Zero surprise.

But all the other outlets, Joyce etc, won't mention any of this.

Would love Carlo in the presser to ask the journos what they think of all this. Flip the tables. See which kopite cries.

 

[duncs pigeon]

I think its easier for him to play without fans atm. Ok, the media spotlight will be on him but no abuse raining down on him from the terraces. All fans would jump on the bandwagon and give him grief- as we would if it was an opposing player.

 

[Toffeelover]

Pickford’s experience is a microcosm of the direction of football discourse. Much of the noise around football has been shifted online. The immediate feedback you can get when eliciting a vile opinion on the Internet is completely and utterly seductive and becomes consuming.

The ante is upped, the boundaries are pushed and the normalisation of antisocial ideals takes place and contaminates the echo system.

Even the fact that it’s still a minority of people behaving like this, it affects the way football is discussed in the mainstream. Everything becomes exaggerated, dramatic, and IMPORTANT. It’s all so very important.

The sheer vitality of football coverage means that everyone who is engaged with it is compelled to take a side; they’re obligated to back their colours and stick to it. There’s no discretion or room for moderation.

On Pickford: his challenge was poor and was legitimately criticised. But the player he injured is arguably the most important player in the league in terms of impact on his club. So the coverage is extensive and non-stop This then creates a circus which bleeds into mainstream coverage. Fringe opinions about a huge ban become talking points despite it being wildly disproportionate.

SomeLiverpool fans want blood. They refuse to move on. Some Everton fans argue it wasn't even that a bad challenge. The polarisation of opinion adds to the cacophony of vitriol which is now totally deafening. Talking about the Pickford incident becomes exhausting. The ante is upped. Death threats from some nut job makes the papers. The story continues, fans keep talking about it and the race to the bottom goes on.

Some folk like our neighbours should go on line and look at some of the tackling VVD has done and escaped being carded. Within first two minutes of the derby start had done bad tackles on two of our most important players and got away with it. No sympathy from me.

 

[KaiserEFC]

To be fair they have sent death threats to their own goalie in the past let alone ours.

Some proper weirdos who follow them.

They even sent them to the fans’ all time favourite player in the time before social media where you actually had to put the effort in to write the bloody threat out and post it.

 

[ozerton]

It won't happen but I'd love to see Pickford come out with a slander / inciting violence lawsuit against the pundits and potentially rags who accused him of assault

 

[BlueDraka]

Didn’t say it at the time because I was gutted by our limp performance overall but fair play to Pickford for even getting on the pitch following a bad run of form and public execution in the media. Actually played fine as well imo. To say this could be a turning point for him and maybe help sort his mentality out as I’m sure he was working with our best mental experts before anyway is probably wrong but he’ll have at least until January to fight for his spot.
I think it’s clear Olsen won’t start over him because if he could he’d have started against Southampton I’d think

The threats against Pickford were a joke. Put out by RS pundits and media. Now that media is reporting the bodyguards issue. You couldn't make it up. The media sound astonished that Pickford has had to get bodyguards. Maybe if they hadn't kept with the RS agenda for days after Pickford wouldn't have had to do that.
But also for me Pickford should have done a lot better with that first goal. It was a well hit shot right across him and very near to him. He actually looks as if he pulls his hand away from the shot. A taller keeper makes that save and keeps us in the game. It's a recurring issue with him. Don't get me wrong he never cost us the game because not 1 player played well against Soton. But I would put it down as a save Pickford should have made.

 

[Gwladysstreetlad]