It is a long time that I have laughed this hard reading posts on this forum.
However, in my opinion:
1. Chris has the right to comment on what he thought was an unfair personal attack
2. Controversial have the right to write what ever he wants in response.
3. It is obvious that the fans overwhelmingly side with, and support, Chris and disagree with Contro.
4. It is sad that, in order to strengthen their opinions, many have resorted to personal insults.
5. Contro however, should admit that Birchall's comments are the type of comments we hear almost every night after an NBA game and especially in the playoffs, many Major league games, or NFL games; and soccer players say the same thing when they lose. You hardly hear (except after the final game of a series), "they were just a better team than us." It is always: "They played harder than us;" "we did not play with enough enthusiasm;" "they wanted it more;" etc.
So it is hard to fault Birchall for his comments. And if the response is to suggest that he not play for TT again, then what about the other players? Is Controversial prepared to make the same recommendation for Hyland, Daniel, Tinto, James, Power, Peltier etc. (to name a few.) If not, then his post lacks consistency. Actually, Chris Birchall gets my respect for being the only player who was willing to respond to the fans (whether we agree with him or not). And we are all deeply hurt by the loss in Guyana.
So can we move on now?
there is no overwhelming agreement with birchall, you are misjudging
The HERD's response in droves, I have spoken to many supporters of our football and they share the same sentiments, not everyone posts their opinion on a public forum.
it is sad that big hard back men and women cannot debate a topic without insults, until the tide turn and they run for cover and asking for banning and deleting of threads.
like i said to another poster previously, club football and national football are 2 different scenarios, playing for country is not the same as playing for your club, WC football means more to me and hopefully to many others than a play-off game in the NBA, yea i love basketball and the knicks but we are talking about your country here, national pride, patriotism out weighs club affiliation.
you cannot say they are synonymous, because they are not, to many who are not affiliated to this board the comments were downright insulting to the nation and the players should not be proud of their performance and half effort.
i used birchall's statement as a point of reference, jones and himself were the mouthpiece of the team and if the team felt that way, we need new players who understand commitment to nation, not only their pockets.
the mere fact that both players spoke for the team put them in the spotlight, in my previous thread i addressed ALL players, not just birchall, it wasn't an attack at him only, but the entire team and since they were the mouthpieces they put themselves in the line of fire.
The TTFF and also the players are accountable, this is not club football, its national football, its important we as fans know the difference and also understand that accountability and commitment/dedication is at an even higher level imo at the national level.