This puts Sunderland in a very tricky position, I think. Especially given the criticism they received over failing to sack Adam Johnson. The actions of the two employees are incomparable, of course. But they'll be pressured into doing something. But many employers would react to a key, senior employee being filmed threatening to slap a female reporter by giving them the tin tack.
Obviously you can "Lol" my posts if you like, .
I think both the likelihood and possibility of this happening are extremely thin.
Another spirit crushing episode from the dementors who insist on finding the faintest hint of offence where none actually exists. The supposed "victim" of Moyes's comment, wasn't offended, hasn't complained and both were laughing throughout the exchange. Ill advised comment? Possibly, but only because of the modern mania for fundamentalist pc drivel and mock shock.
He really shouldn't have said it - even in jest. Violence against anyone is unpleasant and when a joke is made in reference to violence against women it is offensive and unnecessary.
However Moyes did apologise, and more importantly he apologised swiftly and meant it. The reporter accepted his apology in the spirit with which it was given.
Moyes has had a lesson learned about keeping his gob shut, and made himself look like a right proper idiot in public so that really should be the end of the matter, IMHO.
To quote the top comment from this thread on the situation:
People saying this is just a joke... Yes, he's ostensibly joking but his joke is about slapping a woman and intimidating her. Just because it's being delivered as a joke doesn't mean it's acceptable. It's not funny, and he'd be facing disciplinary actions in any normal job.
Unbelieveable. Has everyone actually listened to what he said, as opposed to read it ?
He was joking and laughing when he said it.
Ok, in the age of offense, it was an ill advised joke. Just as you possibly shouldn't make a joke at a job interview or in court or at an airport, but none the less, he was clearly joking.
Too many people these days appear to have a severe lack of understanding humour.
Certainly fair enough in that I read it before hearing the clip, and you're right in that there is a huge difference in tone between the two.
I think you've gone a bit too far the other, because I do still think it's a very weird thing to say, at best.
Most importantly, I agree with Leuth that he is bang to rights guilty of being an awful manager. My first reaction to seeing the headline was "he's still Sunderland manager?"
Edit: The two posts above me both bring up excellent points. Just because it's a joke doesn't mean it's okay. But also, Moyes has apologized and I think we can draw a line under this.
Seriously though, 20 points form 29 games and dead last. I just went to the Sunderland website and there is literally no link to the Premier League table.
To quote the top comment from this thread on the situation:
People saying this is just a joke... Yes, he's ostensibly joking but his joke is about slapping a woman and intimidating her. Just because it's being delivered as a joke doesn't mean it's acceptable. It's not funny, and he'd be facing disciplinary actions in any normal job.
No he wouldn't. I work in construction and that jokey behaviour goes on with men & women.
Unbelieveable. Has everyone actually listened to what he said, as opposed to read it ?
He was joking and laughing when he said it.
Ok, in the age of offense, it was an ill advised joke. Just as you possibly shouldn't make a joke at a job interview or in court or at an airport, but none the less, he was clearly joking.
Too many people these days appear to have a severe lack of understanding humour.
Oh, so now he's making jokes about violence against women!!!
It's just been on the BBC news. The FA are now launching an enquiry and are going to write to Moyes asking for his observations.
His observations ?
FA, do something useful about unfit football club owners and stop going for the easy option.
A bit like the police last week stopping a father and young children picking "wild" flowers and taking them away, to give to a charity. Just advise them, they shouldn't and get on your way to something more pressing.
I'm fairly sure that lots of pressing occurred at the station that day
Love how the same old posters are trying to outdo each other as the righteous defenders of liberal values at the beginning of this thread.
He so obviously said it in jest.
Thanks for the input, and for trying to drive a wedge! I'd actually say that people across the political spectrum came to the conclusion that the medium in which you got the information was important, and that while it was ill conceived, he is seemingly sincerely sorry and that we should collectively move on.
Some of the comments have been just plain ridiculous...
"Burn him! Crucify him then burn him! Torture him, crucify him then burn him! Kidnap him in the dead of night, torture him, crucify him then burn him! Force him from his home into a low budget Sunderland bed sit, kidnap him in the dead of night, torture him, crucify him then burn him!"
Love how the same old posters are trying to outdo each other as the righteous defenders of liberal values at the beginning of this thread.
He so obviously said it in jest.
Thanks for the input, and for trying to drive a wedge! I'd actually say that people across the political spectrum came to the conclusion that the medium in which you got the information was important, and that while it was ill conceived, he is seemingly sincerely sorry and that we should collectively move on.
Love how the same old posters are trying to outdo each other as the righteous defenders of liberal values at the beginning of this thread.
He so obviously said it in jest.
Thanks for the input, and for trying to drive a wedge! I'd actually say that people across the political spectrum came to the conclusion that the medium in which you got the information was important, and that while it was ill conceived, he is seemingly sincerely sorry and that we should collectively move on.
"Sacked immediately". Get over yourself.
Yup. And then I amended it shortly thereafter. But let's not let that get in the way of what? Cheap points scoring? I don't even know that we disagree on this, and I feel like CE and Leuth and Chizz and I are roughly aligned on this, so I don't understand what your point is for bringing this up. Can't we just agree and move on? Don't we have enough to fight about already?
He was interviewed straight after a game, his tone, as others have said, was jovial. I didn't for one minute take it that he was saying it in a sexist or threatening manner and the fact sky and the BBC have been running with it shows how unhealthy 24 hour rolling news is.
He apologised and gave me the impression it was sincere, the 'victim' didn't make a complaint, even though he apologised to her for saying something unnecessary.
Violence against women is abhorrent and as a family man, not even that that should make a difference, I'm certain david moyes isn't condoning violence towards the fairer sex.
I watched the ticker scroll along sky earlier and saw how action groups were demanding investigations or something similar and just wondered why sky or any other media outlet do nothing about the intimidation given to referees and linesmen by coaches and players in plain view when cameras are rolling.
Of course they could report on something newsworthy like what is happening to Charlton, Blackpool, Leyton orient and Coventry.
They will drop all this bollocks as soon as Mourinho winds Wenger up or Wayne Rooney fails a fitness test anyway.
I thought it was jovial until he said "heat of the moment" in his apology, and he's not said anything about being jovial or joking, so I watched it again.
She immediately and cheekily laughs before he's even finished talking, because she's being admonished for asking a question he didn't like.
Were she to respond with "and I'll slap you back", with them both laughing uproariously, then that's fine - it's clearly a banterous exchange. But it's not that at all.
He follows it up with "be careful the next time you come in" - he doesn't laugh once. And then the cameraman laughs at the slap comment, again a little awkwardly because they're in a tiny room and Moyes is pissed off.
That all said, it's still not a huge deal (surely managers say moody stuff to reporters fairly regularly) and I definitely don't think it's worth a huge fuss, including me writing this much.
Never say anything in any tone that could be seen as offensive or aggressive if written down, and without any context. This goes double if the person you are speaking to is a minority, and triple if the person you are speaking to is female.
For me, the way that what he has said has been taken deliberately without describing the tone is outrageous. It reads like he was offering her out into the car park... "Click-bait" as someone described it is completely correct... "DAVID MOYES THREATENS TO SLAP FEMALE REPORTER." A headline that would make people, some in here, quiver with excitement at the opportunity to argue over who is most outraged. And as long as that continues, this kind of sensationalism will continue.
I actually feel bad for the guy. He must be sitting there wondering why something that was at worst poor judgement (specifically because people would look to escalate it rather than the fact he could offend someone actually present...) is now resulting him having to answer questions to the FA.
I thought that it was (essentially) a complimentary comment.
She had evidently done her job well and asked probing questions - his comment acknowledged that.
I wonder if this is a generational thing? I was brought up in a world where everyone constantly pulled each others legs. It was recognised as humour before political correctness labeled it as bullying. In retrospect, I think it may have been peculiar to Brits of a certain era. As globalisation has taken place those nuances of language and irony have been lost in translation.
What a storm in a teacup. As a woman I'm not at all offended by his comments as they appear to have been made in a jokey fashion. No-one can seriously believe that he meant what he said.
Comments
Hold the front page!
Ill advised comment? Possibly, but only because of the modern mania for fundamentalist pc drivel and mock shock.
However Moyes did apologise, and more importantly he apologised swiftly and meant it. The reporter accepted his apology in the spirit with which it was given.
Moyes has had a lesson learned about keeping his gob shut, and made himself look like a right proper idiot in public so that really should be the end of the matter, IMHO.
I think you've gone a bit too far the other, because I do still think it's a very weird thing to say, at best.
Most importantly, I agree with Leuth that he is bang to rights guilty of being an awful manager. My first reaction to seeing the headline was "he's still Sunderland manager?"
Edit: The two posts above me both bring up excellent points. Just because it's a joke doesn't mean it's okay. But also, Moyes has apologized and I think we can draw a line under this.
Seriously though, 20 points form 29 games and dead last. I just went to the Sunderland website and there is literally no link to the Premier League table.
Everyone wants to be offended these days.
His observations ?
FA, do something useful about unfit football club owners and stop going for the easy option.
A bit like the police last week stopping a father and young children picking "wild" flowers and taking the flowers away, to give to a charity.
Just advise them, they shouldn't do it and get on your way to something more pressing.
They are f*cked now and going down. A different manager may have not been able to save them, but they will never find out. Too late.
His comment would still be a load of crap even if said to a male reporter.
Also, considering Sunderlands position, probably not the right time to be joking around like that, if he was joking.
It's not banter. The 2 people were not friends prior to the interview. It's a time to be professional. Your on camera.
Whether or not she gave a shit. Doesn't matter.
If he said that to me I would say. Go on then. See what happens.
Reporter just doing her job.
The interview had ended and he said it afterwards. Somehow they still recorded it outside of the interview area.
He so obviously said it in jest.
"Burn him!
Crucify him then burn him!
Torture him, crucify him then burn him!
Kidnap him in the dead of night, torture him, crucify him then burn him!
Force him from his home into a low budget Sunderland bed sit, kidnap him in the dead of night, torture him, crucify him then burn him!"
Ted Mackem (Hetton-le-Hole Sunderland Supporters group)
He apologised and gave me the impression it was sincere, the 'victim' didn't make a complaint, even though he apologised to her for saying something unnecessary.
Violence against women is abhorrent and as a family man, not even that that should make a difference, I'm certain david moyes isn't condoning violence towards the fairer sex.
I watched the ticker scroll along sky earlier and saw how action groups were demanding investigations or something similar and just wondered why sky or any other media outlet do nothing about the intimidation given to referees and linesmen by coaches and players in plain view when cameras are rolling.
Of course they could report on something newsworthy like what is happening to Charlton, Blackpool, Leyton orient and Coventry.
They will drop all this bollocks as soon as Mourinho winds Wenger up or Wayne Rooney fails a fitness test anyway.
However, I've just seen the video. What a load of nonsense
She immediately and cheekily laughs before he's even finished talking, because she's being admonished for asking a question he didn't like.
Were she to respond with "and I'll slap you back", with them both laughing uproariously, then that's fine - it's clearly a banterous exchange. But it's not that at all.
He follows it up with "be careful the next time you come in" - he doesn't laugh once. And then the cameraman laughs at the slap comment, again a little awkwardly because they're in a tiny room and Moyes is pissed off.
That all said, it's still not a huge deal (surely managers say moody stuff to reporters fairly regularly) and I definitely don't think it's worth a huge fuss, including me writing this much.
In my opinion.
For me, the way that what he has said has been taken deliberately without describing the tone is outrageous. It reads like he was offering her out into the car park... "Click-bait" as someone described it is completely correct... "DAVID MOYES THREATENS TO SLAP FEMALE REPORTER." A headline that would make people, some in here, quiver with excitement at the opportunity to argue over who is most outraged. And as long as that continues, this kind of sensationalism will continue.
I actually feel bad for the guy. He must be sitting there wondering why something that was at worst poor judgement (specifically because people would look to escalate it rather than the fact he could offend someone actually present...) is now resulting him having to answer questions to the FA.
She had evidently done her job well and asked probing questions - his comment acknowledged that.
I wonder if this is a generational thing? I was brought up in a world where everyone constantly pulled each others legs. It was recognised as humour before political correctness labeled it as bullying. In retrospect, I think it may have been peculiar to Brits of a certain era. As globalisation has taken place those nuances of language and irony have been lost in translation.