Humphries on Sonny Bill

andrewdcs

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/1115/1224283324744.html

Bit of a sad reflection these days on the IT having all their talent on the sports desk (their business and economics sections are criminally poor)
Though this was another superb piece.

Figures for Carter (and predictions for SBW) are insane for rugby, chances of an injury / insurance / team aspect can't condone much like this surely. How many shirts / tickets will he sell on his own above any other reasonable player? Won't stack up, and he must be laughing.

That way leads to madness, tickets prices can't inflate forever. I'd love to see the books of the top 10 teams and run some sustainability on them.

d'Oracle

What the hell is he talking about rugby for?

JustinDee

Carter is one of the most valuable players in the world. Sonny Bill will probably be too.
The clubs you're thinking of are at the mercy of the private owners currently in charge.
This is of course all fine so long as these investors don't get bored and bugger off with their toys under the arm.

With kolpak ruling under review in Brussels and talk of salary caps/overseas player limitations, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some owners to jump ship.

From a player's perspective, careers are relatively short so before ducking out, make what you can.

I wouldn't be surprised if Tom Humphries didn't get that.

themont85

Humphreys is a professional troll. No surprise he actually knows a thing or two about rugby after all.

Badgermonkey

Humphries on rugby? eh, no ta.

Snickers Man

Is it true that he's one of these prima donna journalists that refuses to let sub editors make amendments to his copy? Even when it's necessary?

By way of example, look at the number of times the subject is referred to as Sonny BOY Williams. He will probably try and say it's actually a comic device only meant to alluded to the cute hoor aspects of Sonny's character. Or maybe that of his agent's.

But he won't be fooling anyone.

TitoPuente

Why did he write that article? The wonderful, far-reaching world sports of the Gaelic Athletic Association not providing enough fodder for his myopic pen these days?

But yeah, he has a point. Sonny Bill Williams is looking a bit special. Sonny Bill for Leinster 2011.

CatFromHue

in fairness sonny bill willaims as he is new to the all blacks is a story, then when you add in his league career, his boxing career, and the way he joined toulon you have a pretty big story!

im not sure where he was going with the carter story though. he was given a sabbatical from new zealand but who wouldnt give him one? plus he was only meant to leave for what 6 months during which the all blacks had no games i.e november to may.

i had to laugh though at the toulon owner giving about carters wage demands. he is the best outhalf in the world and toulon have some very average players on big contracts. they have inflated the market themselves and they are giving out about haha!

Podge_irl

TitoPuente wrote: »

Why did he write that article?

Because he hates rugby and likes any opportunity to snipe at it.

PhatPiggins

Got as for as Tom Humphries, realised it wasn't by David Huumphries and stopped reading

copacetic

Humphries could have been a good writer if he wasn't eaten up with some kind of bitterness. It's laughable that he is let write about his various shoulder chips about golf, rugby, schools, etc etc etc. He's the kevin myers of sports writing..

Chucky the tree

copacetic wrote: »

Humphries could have been a good writer if he wasn't eaten up with some kind of bitterness. It's laughable that he is let write about his various shoulder chips about golf, rugby, schools, etc etc etc. He's the kevin myers of sports writing..

Whats the bitterness is this article?

Badgermonkey

It's not the article per se. It's that when Humphries has written about Rugby in the past, the articles have tended to be fairly mean spirited and somewhat coloured by a sense of inferiority he felt as a youngster in Marino, when comparing himself and his pals to the otherworldly private school kids.

He's a fine writer, but he's got form writing about rugby which would lead many to dismiss his articles on same.

Thankfully many kids in 2010, regardless of where they're schooled, seem to share a love of soccer, hurling, football and rugby.

So long as they stay away from Dungeons and Dragons I'm happy.:D

myflipflops

I think he writes some fine pieces (and actually, this is a decent one too) but he should stick to what he knows best.

This is a heavily overweight man with no sporting or coaching background who once wrote an opinion piece disagreeing with the training of Irelands fastest ever distance runner.

He also loses an unbelievable amount of credibility by continuing to refer to camogie as the best sport n the world. Camogie isn't even the best sport within womens GAA.

To judge him as a journalist at his best though, have a read of his pieces on Michelle Smyth around the 1996 Olympics. Top class stuff.

padser

copacetic wrote: »

He's the kevin myers of sports writing..

Don't be giving out about Kevin MyArse - great writer!

myself69

[SNIP]

thebaz

as an ex drinker - i realise how hard giving up the sauce is - but what does Sonny Bill do , he takes up boxing , and is undefeated - total respect

Risteard

thebaz wrote: »

as an ex drinker - i realise how hard giving up the sauce is - but what does Sonny Bill do , he takes up boxing , and is undefeated - total respect

He's a muslim as well so I'm presuming the drink is off limits in any case.

Trojan

No need to be dragging up old threads to make snide remarks, a free holiday will be the prize for the next folks to do it.