Lee Croft

[cahill]

The following words spring to mind:

Mountain, molehill, agenda

Let's crack on then, shall we?.........

Have to agree, it's all a load of bollox. I was directly behind the incident and half a dozen idiots took it upon themselves to wind the lad up after the whistle. So many fans were watching the incident unfold my grandson and I could't get out of the ground. That said Croft only has himself to blame by walking towards the lad so aggressively. Agree with Foxy, looked worse in real time than on tv.

Fans were just upset by an inept (understatement) non performance by the Blades.

Agree with "Brian the Blade" on last nights Football Heaven Kitson needs to lose weight. Slow and ponderous, makes him look disinterested

 

[stannyblade]

Agree with "Brian the Blade" on last nights Football Heaven Kitson needs to lose weight. Slow and ponderous, makes him look disinterested

Should this statement be moved into the thread about statements you never hear?

 

[SheepdipBlade]

I'll be honest, it was mostly a sarcastic attempt at pointing out that this was not a normal situation and should not be treated as such.
But what doesn't change is that you've got a guy who instead of being a professional towards a potential fellow professional, you've got a guy being a prick to a kid. A child. If this happened on the training ground with one the Oldham youths, would it just be another point in his healthy development, or would it be something different?
You know what, the more I think about it, the more I think that if that had happened to me as a kid, I probably wouldn't have wanted to do it any more.
Sorry to hear about your (lack of) work by the way. You got a plan?

Cheers mate.

I fully agree that Croft's actions are difficult to justify. The footage clearly shows him having a rant at the lad, and later the lad is still angry enough to refuse to shake hands and his body language in the last shot shows him upset rather than bolshy. It has all the appearances of a lad who is clearly upset and shaken - not a cocky teenager looking to big himself up. The unknown aspect is whether the lad is shaken by having a tongue-lashing (bullying) or racism. We'd need to know more about the lad to have a chance of interpreting his actions.

I'm sure the lad will be vary wary about taking on the role again - and Croft (and Oldham) really should go out of their way to help repair some of the damage they've done (don't hold your breath). It would be interesting to know about the culture of Oldham FC regarding its treatment of young people. From what I've seen of junior coaching (by apparently quality coaches) its done more with the stick than carrot and screaming at 10 year olds across a pitch seems far from rare. Having said that - in my earier posts I was more referring to adult bullying of kids that takes place outside workplaces and on the street. Would any of us be surprised if the lad at the Lane had been subject to racist taunts on the streets or in the parks around Sheffield? I wouldn't.

Re work - - I'm looking to shift careers now and aim to find work within the conservation movement as either an educatoin officer or a volunteer co-ordinator if I can. As well as being a youth worker, I'm a qualified teacher and an ex Greenpeace activist having worked on the Rainbow Warrior in Australia for a while. Fingers crossed!

 

[Wapping Blade]

Cheers mate.

I fully agree that Croft's actions are difficult to justify. The footage clearly shows him having a rant at the lad, and later the lad is still angry enough to refuse to shake hands and his body language in the last shot shows him upset rather than bolshy. It has all the appearances of a lad who is clearly upset and shaken - not a cocky teenager looking to big himself up. The unknown aspect is whether the lad is shaken by having a tongue-lashing (bullying) or racism. We'd need to know more about the lad to have a chance of interpreting his actions.

I'm sure the lad will be vary wary about taking on the role again - and Croft (and Oldham) really should go out of their way to help repair some of the damage they've done (don't hold your breath). It would be interesting to know about the culture of Oldham FC regarding its treatment of young people. From what I've seen of junior coaching (by apparently quality coaches) its done more with the stick than carrot and screaming at 10 year olds across a pitch seems far from rare. Having said that - in my earier posts I was more referring to adult bullying of kids that takes place outside workplaces and on the street. Would any of us be surprised if the lad at the Lane had been subject to racist taunts on the streets or in the parks around Sheffield? I wouldn't.

Re work - - I'm looking to shift careers now and aim to find work within the conservation movement as either an educatoin officer or a volunteer co-ordinator if I can. As well as being a youth worker, I'm a qualified teacher and an ex Greenpeace activist having worked on the Rainbow Warrior in Australia for a while. Fingers crossed!

I was thinking it from a Safeguarding and Duty of Care point of view for SUFC as an organisation that has many youngsters from an early age that it is responsible for. This is not a case of an "in the street" incident.

 

[mattbianco1]

Not wishing to be controversial, but to my mind, having seen the reply on TV our ball boy was at fault.

He deliberately kicked the ball away from Croft, who had walked to the ball to pick it up for the throw. He had no business to do that.

Now, I don't know what Croft said to the boy, and if it was a racist comment then that is totally unacceptable, but if he just told the boy-off then he got what he deserved.

HH

If it was Oldham's throw-in then Croft had a right to get the ball back. As it was United's throw, he was just been a total arsehole.

Thing is, if he wasn't been racist then people shouldn't report the race card as this could be a sentence and punishment more than is deserved.

He still needs dealing with either way. A full grown adult shouldn't square up to a 14 year old child whatever the circumstances. In front of live TV camera's too. (I'm led to believe we were streamed abroad before people start with sarcy comments!!)

 

[Darren]

If he has made a racist remark then he is well out of order, personal insults are totally unacceptable and unwarranted. Croft should be ashamed of himself, the fat bastard!

I assume this is irony....

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Interesting to see the apologists making excuses for the fat bastard on here. A man goes and screams in a 14 yr old`s face and blades fans make fucking excuses for him, trying to say its not race....

 

[super_pig]

Interesting to see the apologists making excuses for the fat bastard on here. A man goes and screams in a 14 yr old`s face and blades fans make fucking excuses for him, trying to say its not race....

amen mate

 

[Bladesway]

Fucking hell, mountain out of a molehill and we end up scrapping amongst ourselves on a messageboard. A new high I think.

If he did say something he shouldn't then the police and FA will have a piece of him. If he didn't he shouted at a kid, which is piss poor but hardly a hanging offence.

 

[Ste]

Hi all, Oldham fan in peace here (and one that can post something that (hopefully) makes more sense than the OP)!

I'll get straight to the point, I think this whole thing has been blown out of proportion.

It seems that because a white man has had a verbal 'go' at a black man (boy), it automatically becomes an issue of race. Whilst I don't accept Croft's behaviour on the whole, in that he shouldn't have really said anything 'abusive', as such, I really don't believe he aimed anything remotely racist towards the young kid.

I know it's a tired old saying that tends to come from the 'suspects' own fans but, I don't think Croft is that type of guy. Yes he gave some stick out to some of your fans, presumably because he was getting it from them all game which should come as no surprise to the any footballer these days, and yes he said a couple of words to the ball boy (who, let's be honest, did kick the ball away as soon as Croft approached him, regardless of whether the throw-in should have been given to you) but, I'd be absolutely gobsmacked if he's guilty of anything remotely racist.

Don't get me wrong.....if it turns out he is guilty, then as far as I'm concerned, he can fuck off back to Derby, and that's the opinion Oldham as a club will hold too. It'd take someone of John Terry-esque proportions to verbally abuse a young lad whilst the whole topic of Racism hasn't left our TV screens these past few months. However, I'm expecting this to be a non-story (certainly with regards to the racist element) and this whole thing to be brushed under the carpet very soon.

The fact he went over to the young lad at the end of the game to apologise says to me he regretted giving him a bit of stick, however I'd have thought one might not be interested in apologising if they were willing to give someone racist abuse in reward for an extremely small provocation.

This whole saga has taken some of the shine off what was a great (and IMO deserved) point for us and I hope everything will come out in the open soon, and with good news too.

 

[Mendi]

Danny Wilson said the club never complained so where has these racist remarks come from.

I like Danny Wilson he is very honest person.

 

[SheepdipBlade]

Hi Ste - and thanks for having the bottle to come on here.

I'm sure it won't come as a huge surprise to find that I don't actually read the situation the same way! Croft has clearly had a rant at the lad - that can't be denied - and his only defence to date has been that he lost control through his "frustration". The undeniable fact that he had a go at a child makes him a bully if nothing more - but as said earlier in the thread - its not a hanging offence and its not unusual. The unknown aspect is the allegation of racism - the lad was clearly angered and upset by what happened - and his body language was that of a lad coping with the situation - not maximising it for an adolescent ego trip - therefore the kid feels he's been bullied, and maybe racially abused.

I'd like to hear why you think Croft isn;t capable of racist behaviour when he's frustrated - do you know him personally, or is this a more general (hopeful) comment?

The offered apology at full time could be read as genuine regret for a small incident as you say - or equally as a guilty man trying to dig himself out of a hole, especially in the wake of the Terry affair.

I'd suggest that the likelihood is that he did use racist abuse as I assume the allegation was first made by the lad himself - and as said above, his demeanor is not that of a kid trying to big himself up. It would all suggest that the charge is credible. The only possible mid-ground is that Croft said something he didn't mean to be racist - but was perceived to be so by the lad - which sounds a thin defence to me. Our resident lawyer Darren might have an opinion here?

It is good to hear that Oldham as a club and fan base would want to see the back of Croft if he is found to have used racist taunts - I'm sure once the statements of those around are gathered we'll get to hear more.

 

[alcoblade]

Agree with "Brian the Blade" on last nights Football Heaven Kitson needs to lose weight. Slow and ponderous, makes him look disinterested

And when he loses that weight, he won't be looking to play in England's third division.

He was one of the few positives on Saturday. Brian the Blade is a complete cock, 5 nights a week.

UTB

 

[stannyblade]

Ste - Croft had no right to even go for the ball it was clearly not his throw. The ballboy then kicked the ball in the direction of Blackman whose throw it was. If he did use racist taunts then he should be banned. To be fair he probably did enough diring the game to get a red card anyway

 

[shreds1975]

And when he loses that weight, he won't be looking to play in England's third division.

He was one of the few positives on Saturday. Brian the Blade is a complete cock, 5 nights a week.

UTB

Off topic, but I thought Kitson was one of about two players who coul dcome out of that first half performance with any credit and if Blackman learns how to play off a target man properly there is a great partmnership inthe making.

As for Croft, I had an argument with an Oldham fan on Saturday who was adamant that Croft hadn't said anything racist (a bit like Ste's stance above) and I told him the only people who know what was said are Croft, the ball boy and anyone within earshot (photographer maybe?). If it is proven he deserves all he gets.

Until this situation arose, I was actually admiring Croft's performance. Yes he is an aggresive little twat, but I wish we had a winger who runs at his full back and looks to pull a cross in from the byline. I seem to recall Marcus Williams commenting on his pace being an asset. Well it wasn't when the rotund one ran at him 1st half and caned him off. Brilliant workrate as well. In fact Oldham's all round closing down on Saturday was very good.

 

[super_pig]

Fucking hell, mountain out of a molehill and we end up scrapping amongst ourselves on a messageboard. A new high I think.

If he did say something he shouldn't then the police and FA will have a piece of him. If he didn't he shouted at a kid, which is piss poor but hardly a hanging offence.

umm.. no we're 'discussing', the scrapping hasn't started yet.. it's hardly a hanging offence agreed.. but it is an offence

 

[Micalijo]

Did anyone make a complaint about racism immediately after it happened or did they all wait until after the game and Oldham's equaliser?

Did we have a collection of expert lip readers in John Street on saturday? What did they hear exactly? Anyone know?

 

[Micalijo]

If it was Oldham's throw-in then Croft had a right to get the ball back. As it was United's throw, he was just been a total arsehole.

Thing is, if he wasn't been racist then people shouldn't report the race card as this could be a sentence and punishment more than is deserved.

He still needs dealing with either way. A full grown adult shouldn't square up to a 14 year old child whatever the circumstances. In front of live TV camera's too. (I'm led to believe we were streamed abroad before people start with sarcy comments!!)

Agree with you in general but didn't Croft have a right to fecth the ball if he felt the kid was delaying the return of the ball to any player? The kid just stood there with it and could have rolled it Blackie or Croft alot sooner than he did.

 

[mattbianco1]

Agree with you in general but didn't Croft have a right to fecth the ball if he felt the kid was delaying the return of the ball to any player? The kid just stood there with it and could have rolled it Blackie or Croft alot sooner than he did.

It's only like when GK's hold the ball to prevent the oppo taking it back for kick off. Yeah it's wrong but it's more gamesmanship than owt else. The ref could've and probably did add the time on.

Remember Watford in prem drying ball for their throws but not ours? Is there anything wrong with that?

 

[Bladesway]

umm.. no we're 'discussing', the scrapping hasn't started yet.. it's hardly a hanging offence agreed.. but it is an offence

In which case the Police and FA will have a piece of him. Watch it die into nothing however.

 

[Grecian2000]

Brian the Blade is a complete cock, 5 nights a week.

Presumably he dresses as a woman at the week-end.

Arse biscuit!

 

[judge]

Did anyone make a complaint about racism immediately after it happened or did they all wait until after the game and Oldham's equaliser?

Did we have a collection of expert lip readers in John Street on saturday? What did they hear exactly? Anyone know?

Yes yes and yes

 

[mpjacko]

It was United's throw and the ball boy was waiting for a signal from our players who was going to take it. So not his fault at all but the ugly fat twohat Croft had to get involved. Big man swearing at a young boy, he must be very proud.

opposed to fans swearing at the ref and the other team players? Fans are just as bad as players

 

[mpjacko]

I wondered how long it would be before it was the fans fault.

Millionaire footballer now getting indignant still thinks it's Ok to abuse a 14 year old. They are untouchable aren't they ? He must be getting prouder and braver by the minute.

Yet fans think it's ok to verbally abuse a player because of their hair colour or size. In any other walk of like, this would be considered as bullying and you would be suspended from your job / from school. Just because fans pay for the priviledge they think it's ok.

 

[UnitedBlade]

Yet fans think it's ok to verbally abuse a player because of their hair colour or size. In any other walk of like, this would be considered as bullying and you would be suspended from your job / from school. Just because fans pay for the priviledge they think it's ok.

Fair enough, I personally wasn't anywhere near the incident but you think Croft should be suspended for this bullying of a 14 year old boy then or not ?

 

[mpjacko]

I think he should be suspended if the allegations are true / he is found guilty, just the same that fans should be banned from a number of games if they abuse a player. The problem is, many fans get on their high horse and say how disgusting a player is / how the book should be thrown at him / he should never play for our club again, yet they are prob the same people who hear other fans abusing players during the match but never report it to a police officer / steward saying it's all part of the game.

 

[mpjacko]

.....................

 

[judge]

Saw mpjackos name and thought we'd lost

 

[mpjacko]

Saw mpjackos name and thought we'd lost

 

[1889]

If he has made a racist remark then he is well out of order, personal insults are totally unacceptable and unwarranted. Croft should be ashamed of himself, the fat bastard!

I assume this is irony....

Well that was the intention, but it clearly went unnoticed!

Thanks for bringing my comedy genius to the attention of others Darren.