Tex Redmund's Roar Profile

We live in a world where stating “Freedom is a human right” is apparently too controversial to allow. Good times. I don’t recall it being so easy to frighten the sensitive little right-winged snow-flakes in the past? They need to harden up, get a job, smile more.

'You'd be shocked': Khawaja vows to 'fight' CA ban on anti-war statement as he's told he has 'zero right' to protest

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Dec

Ps apologies… my tolerance to utterly hypocritical ‘spirit of cricket’ nonsense has exhausted & I snapped – wrote before reading & realising it was satire.

The spirit of cricket was murdered in cold blood by sunburnt thugs - and the game might never recover

Jul

Oh here we go… “the spirit of cricket”… this old chestnut…

It seems to have very inconsistent references from teams & punters. The go-to statement when biased, selective memory facilitates faux outrage.

Would it have been in this spirit if 2 days earlier Bairstow was successful in his identical attempt to run out Labuschagne?

Was it in the spirit when the England coach, as a player, ran out batsmen who walked to congratulate teammates milestones? How about when this English team ran out De Grandhomme for wandering from his crease?

What about when Stokes took runs after a throw deflected off his bat in the World Cup Final v NZ?

Was Broad acting in the spirit when refusing to walk when given not out after edging to 1st slip? How about back to W.G.Grace when he refused to walk when bowled, telling the bowler “these people are here to see me bat, not you bowl”?

Was Jardine et al acting in the spirit of the game when they formulated a tactic of targeting the body with fast bowling, so dangerous that it led to the rules being changed? What about the underarm delivery?

Was it in the spirit when Ambrose sledged McGrath about his wife? When Harbarjhan called Andrew Symonds a “monkey”, when Waugh’s ‘mental disintegration’ was in play?

How about when England won the Ashes via 5-Tests of ball tampering via mints… or the scores of other tampering occasions across the globe?

Come to think of it… when did this “spirit of the game” actually exist in practice?

Sorry, I hate to be negative, but no no no no no.

Allowing players from other countries, ineligible to represent Australia into Origin… it has a few issues in my opinion.

You suggest it be called “The Origin Series”… the Origin of where? They wouldn’t be Origin representative sides, they’d be All-Stars teams. They couldn’t be called Queensland and NSW, when potentially those regions make up the minority of players in each squad.

All-Stars games have been tried but have never captured the imagination of the fan-base. This would be no different, and would kill the very concept and interest in Origin. Why? The same reason for both… Identity.

All-Stars teams are a mish-mash of players from all over, a concept which lacks an identity… which fans are unable to identify with. This is the very strength of Origin. They are Queenslanders. They are New South Welshmen/women. They stand united for their tribe… clearly identifiable tribes of traditional rivalry. A shared-border. Decades of deriding. It means something to the citizens… sure more so to Queenslanders, but also to NSW.

This suggestion would destroy that entirely. Maroon All-Stars vs Pale-Blue All-Stars.

Then there’s the impact on the Kangaroo’s. It would deny potential Test players the opportunity to trial in and gain experience in this elite level of footy – whilst providing the opportunity to direct rivals.

Good on you for thinking of an innovative idea, but with respect, not all innovation leads to desirable outcomes.

Now is the perfect time to expand State of Origin

2020

Good luck with that ????

Winter A-League survey: The results are in and not what you may have expected

… paid for by whom?!

My surprise is that some are shocked that people expect crowd numbers to drop, & so few think that pitches will be badly affected.

Rugby league & aussie rules are clearly more followed codes in Australia than football. People & particularly families only have so much time, & so much money. A move to winter will force them to choose between football or the other codes, & with the others enjoying infinitely better support there’s no doubt that (sadly) football will be the code dropped. This could have generations of impacts on football in Australia. ☹️

As for pitches… Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, West Sydney, Wellington, Victory & City all share grounds with far more powerful & influential footy teams – who will show 0 good-will towards football scheduling & pitch quality. They’re going to be churned to shreds. ☹️

A crowd of 5,000 in Canberra for that tie. The city really must be included as a franchise in the next expansion round.

See an article arguing exactly that, here…

Victory, Mariners amongst FFA Cup winners

With respect, and I realise that this is an emotive and passionate issue, but I couldn’t disagree more and am pleased by the FFA response. Please hear me out.

Football in Australia is only just reaching widespread media and social appeal in this country. Its immense potential to dominate the national landscape is well known and feared by both other established football codes. This is a very sensitive time for the code in Australia as it attempts to consolidate itself in what has been a hostile market, and anything that could potentially impact upon this must be succinctly acted upon, or risk setting the game back more years.

I recall as a younger bloke in Brisbane going to a Strikers v Sydney United game in the NSL. As a newcomer to the game, I found the “Croatia” chant quite confronting, and lets be honest – sadly – it can be confrontational in some cases (I’m in no way saying this is isolated to one group in particular).

In a recent Canberra finals series for example, these strong, traditional affiliations and for some fans, an accompanying historical international rivalry, led to crowd violence which benefits no-one – certainly not the greater good of the spread in popularity of football in Australia – and to true football fans, this is the end goal which all should be hoping for.

Whilst I will never be arguing that clubs delete their history, I can certainly see the logic behind and applaud the FFA stance and position to not be inactive in ignoring potential sensitivies and flash-points.

I guess this is the dichotomy of the FFA Cup, these traditions are what fuel the vibrant atmospheres at the grounds, but the lid must be kept on to ensure they fuel nothing more…

FFA has gone too far in its attempt to de-ethnicise football

Agreed

Big money buys trophies, and it sickens me

I was a blues supporter in the days of Gullit, Vialli, Zola etc, and then into the dark-days of bankruptcy when the club could only afford to borrow players (just prior to the Roman revolution). Kidding ourselves each season that we had any chance of winning the league, albeit whilst achieving some excellent, overachieving Cup runs in both England and Europe.

To read of someone complaining now of the manner of this unprecedented success… wow… it’s pretty clear that you did in fact come in to ‘support’ Chelsea only when they were winners.

After enduring those days, I for one have no intention whatsoever of swapping teams now that it’s actually a successful club.

Look I respect peoples positions in regards to footballing philosophy. Of course watching Barca at their best was a joy to behold, and in Brazil this year I delighted in the Chileans (despite their first game) and Germans, much less so the Dutch. But so to do I delight in the fact that in football, unlike in most other sports, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

The formations and the interpretations of them are boundless, and no matter what one tactician puts forward the option is there for another to completely counter it. I was raised on and still love rugby league, but that game is so one-dimensional tactically in comparison to football.

This diversity tactically and the managers employment of them, should be celebrated rather than mocked. Its an immense positive in the game, and those few managers who stick steadfastly to ideology despite their cattle are always caught-out when it matters most – looking at you Arsene.

So fair enough mate, go support and enjoy watching the Saints this year. I too really enjoyed their verve and fearlessness against Scousehampton at Anfield last week. Just don’t buy up too much on merchandise because when the tide turns and this style of play is one day abandoned, you’ll be off looking for another club to pledge your first-born to – as long as they play attractive football.

Me, I’ll be sticking to the one club that I chose to support as a child. I believe that you never really appreciate the highs unless you experience the lows, and so I won’t go mocking Chelsea’s recent success and will take the results whenever they are offered. Having been punished for the decision I made as a 5 year old to support Parramatta in the NRL – man oh man it’s nice to enjoy some victories no matter how they come!