Can Deeney Save Football? By Dan Smith
Many have ‘reportedly’ expressed their concerns about returning to Football in this country, but Troy Deeney is the first professional to publicly speak out about refusing to train. When I say publicly, I don’t mean Sky inviting a player on Zoom to ask their opinion. Deeney decided to go all over media to make his voice heard.
So not quite the statement the Premiership put out yesterday insisting their 20 clubs were all behind ‘Project Restart’ Those who make money might be, but maybe players are not listened too, they are just puppets told to dance when owners want their millions?
I guess it would be a PR blow if they included Deeney’s misgivings. He’s not a big enough name to change things on his own, but he’s still a captain.
It’s funny how Watford banged the drum about neutral venues not being fair. They argued that not playing at Vicarage Road would harm their chances of beating relegation (even though there wouldn’t be a crowd) yet apparently they are happy for their leader to miss training?
What happened to the ‘integrity’ they preach? I guess what stadium you play at makes you money, when the welfare of your skipper does’t?
My hope is that now that one person has spoken out, others will feel more comfortable to do the same.
We can only take Deeney’s word for it, but he insists that there are more of his peers than you might imagine that are really not happy with going back to work in June. They don’t see the point sharing how they feel, because they believe they will be dismissed as greedy footballers, and told to ‘get on with it’.
To clarify he’s happy with Stage 1, which consists of respecting social distancing with a coach 2m away. That’s essentially what you can do at a park (although parks now are filled with groups of 10 having a barbecue).
it’s Stage 2 and 3 he had asked questions about, with his concern being that no one can answer them. Stage 2 is 5-6 players now joining in, essentially building up weekly till the whole squad is interacting with each other.
Deeney’s concerns are based on having a 5-month-old with breathing problems. Similar to Abraham living with his dad who is asthmatic. The law of averages say they won’t be the only two with these complex situations.
From day 1 of this Pandemic, it’s been a useful social experiment. There are those who can listen to their government and there’s others with a sense of entitlement. I see people refusing to respect a rule of only 5 individuals at a time in a shop, or go to the beach just to say ‘look at me’. I know those who have driven miles just to see a friend, when they wouldn’t have bothered had they been allowed.
So, there will be fans who only see Football coming back and will be blinded by that.
Many examples exist where people’s moral compass is different when it comes to Football compared with daily life. So, some, including on Justarsenal, will argue ‘you earn thousands a week so get back on that pitch.’ However rich you are though, nothing is more important than your loved ones.
It’s an employers responsibility to make a workplace safe. Guidelines say there are certain jobs you simply can’t do at the moment; some things are not realistic right now. Trust me if you went to your GP and explained your family was high risk, not one employer could force you to leave your house.
So, the idea that a man gets verbally abused online for wanting to protect his baby just because his wage is big? Wow… Human values shouldn’t change just because you can’t wait a little longer for sport to resume.
You wouldn’t hammer that person if we were chatting about a Coffee Shop. Nor if you have been affected by this virus would you see sport as crucial. It’s only those who think these things wouldn’t happen to them who only see Deeney as a striker not a human.
Just remember that, over 30,000 thousand families have dealt with deaths in the last 2 months and you are crying because you haven’t seen a ball kicked since March.
6 players have tested positive in the Premier League testing results. That supports Deeney’s stance. At the moment it’s only Troy Deeney, but Deeney speaking out, combined with how many players go into isolation will only encourage more players to find their voices. The odds are stacked against Deeney as well as time. Yet if he encourages the right player…
The right player, with the big social media following, the lucrative sponsor, the influence in the dressing room, could yet stop this restart.
Never thought I say this about Deeney, but he deserves a medal.n Deeney Save Football?
Dan Smith