Ken doesn't think Ronaldo is one of the greatest ever.... Not sure what to even say 😂
Yeah, Ken was talking quite a lot of nonsense in that episode. Either he was just playing devil's advocate or he'd forgotten just how good Ronaldo has been throughout his career.
Half an hour of waffle about Ronaldo was too much. Hopefully we’ve heard the last of it now. I thought Brewin was good
Wouldn't be hard after Ken's droning on and on which was not very inciteful!
You wanted him to start an argument? Looks like he has going by Eoin's reaction and some in this thread!
Is he wrong though? One of the greatest goalscorers of all time without question.
If I was talking to some randomer and they said that Ronaldo wasn't one of the greatest players of all time I'd hastily try to move the subject away from football because that's such a daft opinion that I don't know if I'd be too bothered discussing the sport with them any further.
Ken is the number one reason I listen to the podcast. But sometimes I do wonder was John Giles essentially right...
They appear to have no interest discussing Man Utd when things are actually going OK.
Ronaldo has behaved like a clown for several months, but he's still one of the greats. Surprised Eoin didn't mention Euro 2016, which was a huge achievement for him and Portugal.
Ken's quasi Ger Loughnane impression was funny.
Also the 5th most assists in the history of football. Strange that Ken choose to leave this fact out…..
Yeah. Clearly it's absolute nonsense. They are spending more time on it today and Murph is in agreement with Ken. I feel like Eoin isn't even sure how to argue because the lads are completely wrong. Just because they don't like the guy doesn't mean that he isn't worthy of praise.
The one thing I'll say about Ronaldo (I don't like soccer, I don't watch soccer, so this is based on what I've heard from various podcasts/etc) is that he's a super individualistic player, to the detriment of the team at times. And that needs to be taken into account.
I was listening to a Malcolm Gladwell podcast and he mentioned that the sport of soccer is much more about the weakest link rather than the elite player in ensuring wins (basketball on the other hand is all about the super star). So if Ronaldo doesn't get involved in defending or other areas of the pitch, his weak link is amplified more than any star qualities he has...
Plus he's ab absolute tool, that can't be ignored.
Ken Seemed to be forgetting the types of goals he scored. He also has a a very impressive assist record. Ken (and Murph to a lesser extent) making him out to be some type of 6 yard goal poacher
"This fella, Ronaldo, is a cod"
Ken Early - Jan 2023
Of course Giles is right. There isn't a human in the world who can be right about everything in football and churn out an entertainment show several days a week. Giles could have been talking about carragher, neville, keane, guardiola or klopp and still be right.
The whole reason football works is that it can never be perfected. City have all the money but lose sometimes. Brentford have no money but over achieve. Villa waste money. Spain don't make finishers and England don't make modric style in game managers.
Football is entertainment. Unscripted jeopardy. Ken doesn't have to be right, he just needs to engage and entertain as he describes the narratives. The tone of seriousness is just the accepted style but there's no way he believes everything he says as seriously as he says it. He wakes up each day asking himself how can i knock some ne craic out of this.
As Dunphy said, it's showbiz baby.
I think a Frank Lampard episode is incoming…..
I was just an about to post the same 😂
Ah, I think Ken was putting a marker down for it to be challenged.
This has happened a few times where a fairly banal (yet contentious) issue is duscussed and Ken takes an unpopular contrarian and contestable opinion.
In debating societies it's called "holding a flag". It means "come at this opinion and I'll have at ye even if I don't necessarily believe it myself".
They've done this before.
But this time it's been well set up.
I'm enjoying it.
I enjoyed their world cup coverage but that Ronaldo episode reminded me that I needed to cancel my sub.
Its not a bus - you don't need to announce you are getting off
You really need to stop announcing to fellow commuters when you have to get off a bus
..
That is just wrong though. He is super individualistic but it's only in the last one or two years that it has been to the detriment of the team.
The guy has won five champions leagues and seven league titles. A champions league with United and four with Real. Three premier league, two serie A and two La Liga titles. I'm not sure how his super individualistic nature was a detriment to those teams. He won the Euros with Portugal and he was practically only coaching in the final.
A lot of the arguments before the world cup were that if Messi wins the world cup that would seal the Ronaldo v Messi debate. Now it seems that since Messi won and a 37 year old Ronaldo has effectively retired... actually Ronaldo wasn't that great after all.
Absolute BS from anyone that doesn't consider him to be in the top 3/4 all time.
I’m sure if Ronaldo was Irish, Ken would still be a doubter to his claims as one of the best, if not the best player of all time
Wasn’t Ken’s Twitter profile for many a year a picture of Ronaldo standing alone ? I think he has hated Ronaldo for a long time and now he sees a great chance to go mega troll.
Ken definitely says a few things with his tongue in his cheek, but I think him not rating Ronaldo as one of the greats is pretty genuine. He's been throwing shade at him for years and years. I think you can say something that you know is a contentious take - and also believe it at the same time.
Look, there's a lot to dislike about Ronaldo. And I hated him myself for years and Messi is clearly the better of the two: not even a debate there.
But, I wouldn't be silly enough to not acknowledge that he's one of the best ever to play the game and he wasn't just some guy who happened to play when Messi did: he was the other huge figure in football over the last fifteen years. Ronaldo's reputation has taken a battering over the last year, but, as someone who doesn't support United and, yes, who did laugh at him during every petulant strop, it wouldn't be honest to also not acknowledge his greatness as well.
It is all showbiz baby, as an earlier poster has remarked, and sure, lookit, Ken can say whatever, but, I dunno, he went down in my estimation when he said that.
Ah deadly, thanks a million!
Eoin really didn't want the guests to downplay the Celtic Symphony being played in the RDS at all. I enjoyed one of the lads saying the Irish women's team video was much worse because it really was.
Anyone noticing any sound issues in the last week or so, finding the conservational sound very low and have to increase the volume, and then decrease again when the audio beds come on as it seems to revert to normal levels.
The thing that infuriated me was the contributor says Leinster were wrong to play the foggy dew in the RDS as it references English guns and this wasn't fair to Stuart Lancaster.
Whatever about Celtic Symphony, trying to brush away our history and culture for fear of offending a couple of English men was laughable.
