to be annoyed at someone being offended by this - "FEED THE MONKEY"?

[redshifter]

I thought it would be discussed on here, as it is all everyone was talking about at work. I guess not many MumsNetters are into football, but I was interested in the opinons of fellow MumsNetters about this.

[mynewpassion]

Was hodgson being a racist? No.

Did he use a poor analogy? Yes.

Is there a history of using the word "monkey" to denigrate black people and in football specifically? YES!!!

[ExcuseTypos]

Think you just summed up things pretty well, mynewpassion

[Serendipity30]

A mixed race player is called a monkey and your annoyed that someone is annoyed. Im Black, im not a fucking monkey and im annoyed that you dont see why others are annoyed.

[OctoberNights]

Is the NASA monkey joke well known then?

I don't think so

I've heard it, neither has anyone I have asked about it.

It's not knock knock who's there

Doctor

Doctor who

It is not a well known joke , it is an excuse for veiled racist commentary

[imofftolisdoonvarna]

Am I the only one who doesn't get the 'feed the monkey' nasa joke, and why Roy hodgson would use it in a team talk? Can someone explain it to a totAl thicko please?!

[anon2013]

DH dictating this to me, he says he loves this thread.

basically the monkey is the most important and skillful part of thay team so feeding him is important. The player needed the ball feeding to him to cause damage to the other team.

[Serendipity30]

Bullshit, an excuse to be racist. They are trying to explain it away

[anon2013]

if you believe it's an excuse to be racist then you're an idiot to be honest

[Lweji]

I saw it as anon's husband really.

[OctoberNights]

so why not just be like any other manager and scream pass the fucking ball to Townsend?

[OctoberNights]

and as far as I know monkeys dont play football

[limitedperiodonly]

imoff I didn't get it either. But anon2013's DH helpfully gives this explanation for us thickos:

basically the monkey is the most important and skillful part of thay team so feeding him is important. The player needed the ball feeding to him to cause damage to the other team.

Roy Hodgson could have just said that.

I've no idea why he didn't. It must be why he's earning a fortune as England manager and I'm not.

However, no one has ever accused me of racism so I must be doing something right.

[limitedperiodonly]

Alternatively, what octobernights said.

[olgaga]

I think it's absurd to perceive racism in this comment. The joke was the monkey was the most competent member of the crew.

He could easily have said it about another player if they were having the game Townsend had.

I think RH was right about it being a "generational misunderstanding".

Townsend was right to point out that no offence was meant, and none was taken.

But he's obviously an intelligent guy - he lays for Spurs. Who needs Gareth Bale?

[olgaga]

Er, that should be plays, not lays, for Spurs. Not that I know much about his private life!

[TiggyD]

"No offence meant and no offence taken gate". That won't sell newspapers.

[limitedperiodonly]

Also I think it's what people mean when they say they don't understand what institutional racism is.

Sometimes they're genuine (like I think Hodgson is), but sometimes they're spoiling for a fight.

But do you know what, I'm a bit too tired to explain it right now and I'm going to watch The Blacklist.

And guess what, obtuse people, that's not me being funny.

[mynewpassion]

October:

I think if he said that more footballers would understand what he meant. Simplify, Simplify.

[TiggyD]

And he should have said the Mr Walcott, "Why the fuck haven't you been doing that for the last 8 fucking years!"

[imofftolisdoonvarna]

Ah right, thanks anon 's DH!

Hmm don't really know what to think. He obviously meant it in terms of the joke rather than monkey as a racist term, because in the joke it was a monkey? I imagine if the joke had involved a dog he would have said 'feed the dog' no?

It's definitely a generational thing, I have never heard that joke before!

[TheBigJessie]

I think it says a lot for the players' professionalism that they actually did so well after what may have been the most confusing half-time talk ever!

[THE ROOM- how it may have happened]

Hodgson: pass to Townsend, feed the monkey, like the Nasa joke.



Townsend thinks, did our manager just say that?
Other players think, "that's bang out of order, he just called Townsend a monkey!"

Player troop out in a confused cross state, sieving useful instructions from seeming racism in the inner sanctum!

Tell you what, Hodgson can use this as an anecdote for the retirement party in whenever year.

"My career hasn't been perfect. Sometimes, I've relly messed up. The most famous time was the half-time talk with the England team. I'd been sitting on my hands for 45 minutes seeing missed opportunities, and planning how to get them to change for the second half. Along the way, I got fixated on this cold war era joke. I thought it would make it all clear.

It didn't. They just thought I was racist. I'm still amazed they won after that. Either it down to the boy Townsend's commitment to his country, or simply that the team felt they should pull together against me, but they beat Poland.

They were still pissed off though. One of them told the Sun."

He probably won't tell it like that.

[mayorquimby]

"Am I the only one who doesn't get the 'feed the monkey' nasa joke, and why Roy hodgson would use it in a team talk? Can someone explain it to a totAl thicko please?!"

It's a joke with a supposed message/lesson where the ego of the individual should be set aside for the benefit of the mission and focus on the role who is actually making things happen.
So in this case smalling (the rb) or others who get the ball should not be worried about the appearance or interpretation of their individual performance or contribution because ultimately it is andros who is being effective so they should just give the ball to him and then the whole team/mission benefits

[limitedperiodonly]

The joke is shit though, isn’t it?

Maybe the complainant used the accusation of racism as a cunning cover to expose the paucity of Hodgson’s half-time talks.

Let’s expose him. Who do we think is smart enough to have done that?

[MidniteScribbler]

I've never heard that joke either.

But if the manager/coach/whoever this guy is leading a major football team and doesn't understand why he should refrain from calling a player a monkey, regardless of context, then he's not really cut out to hold that level position.