04/26/24
July 25, 2006
"You can't be that good - you never played for Manchester United.": I'm guessing being spit on would have been preferred to former player Gary Charles than hearing those words.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY to soccer at 03:11 PM - 12 comments
Should have gone for a headbutt to the chest.
posted by pholcomb at 04:55 PM on July 25, 2006
Two things came to mind when I read the article. 1. The guy is a tool 2. Don't make wisecracks to drunk folks.
posted by blakrain at 05:26 PM on July 25, 2006
I thought the Limeys only treated their wives like that? Live and learn.
posted by brutaltruth at 09:15 PM on July 25, 2006
Thanks. Thanks for dropping by. That should be about enough xenophobic stereotyping for one thread. Wanna "Limey" thread? Start your own. I'm sure it'll be fun for kids of all ages.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 09:41 PM on July 25, 2006
As an Englishman born and bred I don't particularly object to the term limey. However the suggestion that domestic violence in England is somehow a greater problem than elsewhere in the world is surely unwarranted. I used to watch Gary Charles play at the City Ground when he was at Forest. He was an excellent player who never really achieved his full potential (mainly due to injuries but possibly due to the problems with addiction that were revealed after his career was over). This isn't the first time he's been in trouble with the police. One can only hope it's the last. Interview with Charles about his struggles with addiction here. (Note that the interview took place before the incident for which he's now been punished).
posted by squealy at 04:34 AM on July 26, 2006
I remember one story about Charles and his problems and that's when he was stopped near his car and clearly drunk by a policewoman. When he denied he'd been driving, she said she didn't believe him because the engine was warm. He put his hand to his crotch, fired her a good pelvic thrust and said something along the lines of This is warm too, but I haven't been using that either.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 04:54 AM on July 26, 2006
Sounds like a truly charming human being. Being an ignorant American, I have to ask if this is the UK's version of Lawrence Phillips. A professional athlete beats and kicks a woman to the point that he has to be dragged away before he caves her head in, and this is the consequence? Shameful. By the way, what does 'twice-capped' mean?
posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:25 AM on July 26, 2006
Played internationally, homey.
posted by yerfatma at 06:10 AM on July 26, 2006
When you're picked for your country, you get a cap. It used to be a real cap, but that's been cut back a bit now, which is a shame, I think.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 06:39 AM on July 26, 2006
I've never heard of him - he cant have played for Man Utd I guess. Of course domestic beatings are worse in England - we don't all have an arsenal of automatic weapons from which to select a tool to put the wife in her place with a more clinical strike.
posted by JJ at 06:44 AM on July 26, 2006
Charles is 100% wrong, and lucky to have a suspended sentence. Wedge didn't deserve what she got at all, but perhaps she won't talk shit to drunk ex-footballers next time. Reminds me of this girl who got mugged at gunpoint last year here in NYC, and got shot and killed after talking shit to her assailant: "What, are you gonna shoot me now?" The answer was "Yes." In both cases, the assailant was totally wrong. And in both cases, the victim was playing with fire. Drunks and thugs are dangerous and should be treated as such.
posted by Hugh Janus at 12:39 PM on July 26, 2006
Brutal... And I don't think the moron's drinking is an excuse. When a 36 year old man is handing out beatdowns to 42 year old women, it's time to stop pitying him for his addictions. If nothing else they should have forced him into a supervised rehab program. The Dame Edna clinic, or whatever they have in Limeyland. At least verify that he is not a threat to others throughout his recovery.