The Mailbox reckons Ben White ‘should be celebrated’ for snubbing England, while Manchester City are warned they ‘will be pants’ when Pep Guardiola leaves.
Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…
 
Ben White
What’s the issue with him saying he doesn’t want to play for England?If you want to argue that he should feel honoured and all that then there’s an argument there. But if a player doesn’t feel honoured to represent the mighty England why should they?

It’s not national conscription in war times, it’s football. There shouldn’t be any problems with someone exercising the greatest thing this country has actually given anyone – free choice. In fact anytime somone doesn’t want to represent England or sing the anthem or kneel to the queen it should be celebrated because it’s an example that we actually do have some freedom left here.
The day someone is forced to play for England or forced to belt out the anthem will be a sad day, because it will mean will live in a nationalist fascist state where people can’t choose anymore.
Lee
 
Blithering idiots…
Yesterday I read Harry Redknap’s rant which almost tipped my bucket of bullsh*t. Today it was Mr. Griffin’s turd of a letter that overflowed the bucket. I’ll keep it as short and simple as I can, as just as I can only imagine Mr. Griffin doesn’t give a crap about what other people think, I don’t expect others to agree with me either. To each their own bucket I suppose.Arsenal bottled last season’s title push. Really? They were never expected to win. So much to most people’s surprise they were top of the table for a long time but were unable to last the distance. Last season’s favourites ended up winning the title and basically winning every major price since. Not a word about Chel$ea, Liverpool and co who no matter what they did last season are always expected to be up there. If Arsenal bottled it then so did everyone else besides ManC cause if I’m not mistaken, at the start of the table we’re all number one only seperated by alphabetical order. I loved the highs and the dreams of ‘what if’ my team gave me as it has been a very long time since that was so. Good or bad, I love my team and last season was good.
Related video: Man City 2-0 Newcastle: Pep Guardiola post-match reaction (Metro)

Can I ask about Bernardo Silva,

I’m Dutch and I actually was hoping the England team would win the Euros. Why? They seem to have a very good generation of players, better than other countries that I know of. Cue Harry Redknapp. His big red nose exploded after Ben White declined being up for selection for the England team? The horror! According to Mr. Redknapp, Ben White now has to tell everyone who has ever been called upon and never have been called upon and their dog, cat and goldfish that he declined the honour? I was going to say piss off Harry but judging from his nose he’s always pissed. What happened to normal responses like, shame he doesn’t want to play for England but it is his right and choice just as it is the choice of the coach to call up and select whomever he wants in his squad.
READ MORE: Mediawatch… Bellingham is collateral damage in furious rant at ‘loser’ White for refusing to take up England arms


So now I’m juggling between England having a nightmare of a Euros and ending up last in their group with zero goals scored and a 100 against. Or losing every game in their group on penalties.
And finally Mr. Griffin (no I wasn’t done with your turds yet). Before you stink up the place even further. If someone thinks player A belongs to the top X players of the world it doesn’t mean it is so. However, you seem to believe that just because Rice and Saliba are rated highly now EVERY ARSENAL FAN thinks so too. No one needs to tell any fan of any club who good or bad they ought to think there players are. What we’re smoking Griffin? I don’t smoke, it’s a disgusting habit. So what if someone says Rice is the best ever in the whole world. So? Now what? They still need to win the next game as that’s the only thing in football that matters. Winning the next game.

A few more things, I always hope for the most difficult draws, unlike my best friend who likes to coast to the title beating the nobodies in the world. If you want to be the best OF Europe you have to beat the best IN Europe. So Bring on the Bayern game, can’t wait to see how that will go.
Hoping for ManC fans that Guardiola stays with them for a long time to come and that the FFP case isn’t going to gut them. However, if ManC were in the wrong then they should face the consequences just like any other team including my beloved Arsenal should.
To ManU fans, a good manager will make or break a team and you had one of the best with Alex Ferguson. Look at the (big) names that have come and gone since. Put in a coach and expect him to get it wrong but when he’s good enough and I believe Ten Hag is then you’ll reap the rewards eventually. If it turns out Ten Hag is found lacking then give the next coach time. When Guadriola leaves, ManC will be pants and they’ll most likely go through the same withdrawal symptoms ManU has been going through. You need time to kick the habit having used the super coach cheat code and transition to a new way of living. At the end of the season, your team finishes right where it belongs no matter what their stature in the game is.

Best celebration ever is Alan Shearer’s. The arm, the smile, the bonkers Newcastle supporters. I know Arsenal have had Henry but for me, the best striker in Premier League history is Alan Shearer.
And finally, if Real Madrid signs Mbappe on astronomical wages will that spell financial doom for the club? Think about it, he’ll take the place of someone else, how much more could they win, how much more money could they generate from price money, sponsorhip deals and jersey sales? Don’t forget they already have a lot of big names on undoubtedly big wages as well. If Madrid does sign Mbappe I believe there’s a good chance that Madrid is the next big club to implode barring a rescue from some obscure club in Saudi Arabia.
That’s my bucket for now.
Soei (Gooner in the Netherlands)
 
Unhealthy Kane obsession
It was good to see Rob, Bristol Gooner once again demonstrate that Harry Kane may have left the PL but he’s still stuck firmly in Arsenal’s fans heads. He’s worried that Kane will ‘sh*thouse another penalty’ because as we all know, Harry Kane is the worst diver ever and no Arsenal player has ever done such a thing (well not since last week anyway).Now Harry Kane has scored a lot of penalties against Arsenal, 7 to be precise. But actually a grand total of 2 of those were for fouls on Kane, both of which were pretty much indisputable. It’s almost as if it’s a false narrative they’ve talked themselves into over the years. Arsenal fans should be worried about Kane, but because he’s the best striker in the world and in brilliant form, that’s enough without making up nonsense as well.

Phil, London
READ MORE: What next for Harry Kane? Five possible next destinations for the goal-laden Bayern FLOP
 
Response to Saliba, Rice claim
​Stewie raises an interesting point in his discussion of Saliba and Rice – to what degree must a player have won trophies and/or made a splash internationally in order to be anointed as a world-class performer? Certainly that venerable correspondent seems firm in his conviction that trophies/team success must be a part of any current assessment of the individual. Although I can agree with his perspective on Rice and Saliba, I’m not sure the wider point holds true; such strict limits would surely eliminate a number of historical figures who played on crap teams, no? And, whatever Stewie might have us believe, the archive of great players is not strictly limited to the Brazil teams of the 50s through 70s.

In his further discussion of Rice, Stewie appears to fall into a trap he often accuses others of tripping by using skewed data – namely, suggesting that ‘six months ago’ Rice had not played a CL game. What is the possible relevance of that fact now? Six months ago a whole bunch of things hadn’t happened yet – read the news – but you’re having this discussion in the present, when Rice has played several CL games and performed very well. Your argument was valid without skirting the same parameters you accuse everyone else of ignoring.
Grass, Stewie? Grass? This is not the first time you have attempted such a reference and somewhere deep inside me the (not necessarily non-cannabis-related) giggle continues. Grass. My goodness. Did they roll it up into spliffs? 1973 called…it would like you to stop mentioning grass.
George (Little-Edson-on-the-Waters, Spruffleton)

 
Reading
I just want to take a moment to talk about my team, Reading FC. Maybe you know what’s going on, maybe you don’t. For those not aware of the current plight of Reading, they are in the verge of being killed off by one of the most genuinely incompetent owners of all time, Dai Yongge. There is a petition which I urge you to sign after reading this, in order to try and get to the 100,000 signatures required so it can be taken to the House of Commons so the government can finally start to manage football’s ownership problem.
The looming death of Reading is no exaggeration – this week, the club confirmed the sale of the Bearwood training complex where the team trains for reportedly £22 million to League One rivals, Wycombe Wanderers. This was achieved because the millionaire owner who recently purchased a £4 million property in London is saying he doesn’t have the funds to provide Reading FC, though detractors believe he is unwilling to put money into the club, leaving the club with currently a £1 million unpaid wage bill and tax bill for March. Which if not paid, would give Reading a two point deduction, making it 8 points in total since the start of the season and 20 points during Dai’s ownership.

This has been done against the background of the EFL telling Dai to sell the club, despite having no power to make him sell, and alleged negotiations for the sale of the club going on for months to a number of bidders. The sale for the training complex, valued at £50 million in 2019 and one of the most valued assets attached to Reading FC, took three days to complete.
There is a great article which provides in detail the multiple horrors and transgressions of the ownership of Reading Football Club on the excellent fan site, The Tilehurst End.
I know many people have their quarrels with the ownership of their teams – Todd Boehly and The Glazers are often mentioned, and rightly so. But this is a whole other level of incompetency killing a club that has, in recent years, given the footballing world players like Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.

Thanks for reading and if you have taken the time to sign the petition, thank you.
Alex, Madrid.
 
The pyramid
First id like to to say thanks Jeremey Aves, that’s the first time someone has given me an actual answer as to why the premier league should support the lower leagues which wasn’t just all good vibes. The parachute payment thing does create an imbalance so I totally agree with the bailout based on that , it’s a problem created by premier league so really it should be one solved by it.Thanks for clearing that up for me.
I get the “it’s the right thing to do” argument however if I said – property developers with empty houses should house the homeless because it’s the right thing to do (it is) I doubt it would get much support.
If I said people on above average salaries should give some of that salary to people who are unemployed/employed and struggling, that wouldn’t get much support either.
So if you’re not willing to practice socialism outside of football where it’s much much more important then I don’t think you should advocate for it inside football either.
And yes I do advocate for socialist solutions but they do have to be lasting solutions rather than a plaster, it’s not enough to give someone a home they need to be given conditions whereby they’ll keep it too. While a bailout will help the lower leagues if they can’t afford to run their clubs it will mean bailouts every single year. Perhaps premier league clubs should become part owners of lower leagues which would give them an incentive to support and improve them over time?

Lee
 
Bees not buzzing anymore…
Brentford’s relegation fears appear to have been largely dismissed but surely they are right in the mix after recent results? They may be saved by the 3 promoted teams being worse than them but on the final day they will be fighting for their lives.Unlucky with injuries no doubt, but a rebuild is needed with the Toney money they will get.
Tom
 
Boring Man City
Has there ever been a team, in any sport, that are as utterly brilliant and mind numbing dull to watch as Man City?Stewart, Chicago
 
Tottenham = Premier League winners?
Does anyone remember when Spurs won the league in September?
Ryan, Liverpool
 
Just a brief email to say can the media just stop shitting themselves in the first 3 months of the league.
In October Spurs were going to win the league. In November it was Villa.
Very surprising that both teams are not going to win.
Adrian

Southgate admits Greenwood could play for England again as ‘likely’ Man Utd resolution emerges

According to Gareth Southgate, Manchester United loanee Mason Greenwood could play for England again but he won’t feature at the European Championships.
The one-cap England international has not featured internationally since his debut in the UEFA Nations League against Iceland in September 2020.

“It would be a big distraction…”

At the start of 2023, Greenwood was facing charges relating to attempted rape and assault but the case against him was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service was dropped following the withdrawal of key witnesses.
The Man Utd academy product has spent this season on loan in La Liga with Getafe after his Old Trafford return was scrapped ahead of this campaign due to severe backlash.
Greenwood has eight goals and five assists in his 27 appearances for the Spanish outfit across all competitions this season.
Southgate named his England squad for upcoming international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium earlier this week. Greenwood was not included but he refused to close the door on the 22-year-old playing for his country again in the future.
“Well for me I don’t think it’s something for pre-Euros. I think allowing him to get his career going again abroad appears to have been a good move but I have to say I have not tracked it closely,” Southgate told reporters.
Related video: Erik ten Hag says Manchester United have no plans to sell Marcus Rashford (Daily Mail)

You have envisaged a situation where the club may look

READ MORE: Five reasons why Michael Olise won’t sign for Manchester United this summer
“I think at this moment in time it would be a big distraction for the team and let’s see where that leads next season. I would need to know more details about the whole thing before it was an option.”
Greenwood’s form this season has caught the attention of clubs around Europe and he’s been heavily linked with La Liga giants FC Barcelona.
His current Man Utd contract is due to expire in 2025 and journalist Ben Jacobs believes a summer sale is “more likely” than a return to his boyhood club.
“I don’t think Murtough’s trip to Barcelona has any standing on the Greenwood rumours. According to sources, the trip had nothing to do with Mason Greenwood,” Jacobs told GiveMeSport.
READ MORE: Manchester United versus Liverpool combined FA Cup XI features Treble winners and Reds keeper


“As Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said, Manchester United will resolve the Greenwood situation and determine whether they may consider U-turning and bringing him back to the club or, more likely, selling him during the summer.
“Manchester United’s decision will be more than just a football one. It will be based on speaking to various stakeholders per the original review. They will then see whether, within the market, they can get the kind of fee that they’re looking for.
“Given his form at Getafe, all indications are that Man Utd will be able to cash in at a very beneficial level, which may allow them to move more freely in the market. The trip was just relationship building.”