I don't think its that bad.
Timing was off, should have all been done after. Recognise the achievement of making the CL final and use that to build the next season on.
Yeah I personally would have just seen it for what it is, a nice gift for reaching the final of CL and recognition for an amazing run to the final - like you say, poor timing perhaps.I don't think its that bad.
Timing was off, should have all been done after. Recognise the achievement of making the CL final and use that to build the next season on.
That’s his “engraved memory” of the final? No wonder we put in such an insipid performance then. Pathetic.This is shocking!
We do all have one engraved memory, though. Four days before the final, Daniel Levy called us all together to announce that, with the support of a sponsor, we would each receive a luxury aviator watch from the club. At first, we were excited to see the elegant boxes. Then we opened them and discovered that he’d had the back of each timepiece engraved with the player’s name and ‘Champions League Finalist 2019’. ‘Finalist.’ Who does such a thing at a moment like this? I still haven’t got over it, and I’m not alone. If we’d won, he wouldn’t have asked for the watches back to have ‘Winner’ engraved instead.
I have considerable respect and esteem for the man and all he has done for the club as chairman – I got to know him – but there are things he is simply not sensitive to. As magnificent as the watch is, I have never worn it. I would have preferred there to be nothing on it. With an engraving like that, Levy couldn’t have been surprised if we had been 1–0 down after a couple of minutes: so it was written.
The revelation about the documentary is more worrying to me. The fact that it was given the go-ahead without any consultation with the manager or players seems very odd ...at best.Yeah I personally would have just seen it for what it is, a nice gift for reaching the final of CL and recognition for an amazing run to the final - like you say, poor timing perhaps.
If this really affected the players to the extent this is hyped up to, it does nothing but confirm what a weak mentality our players had - if it was as upsetting as Lloris wants to make out, then there would have been a real 'I'll show Levy' attitude instead of putting in a pretty limp performance. But I don't buy it to be that big a deal, and more just the usual dramatic autobiography content that is required to sell.....
The revelation about the documentary is more worrying to me. The fact that it was given the go-ahead without any consultation with the manager or players seems very odd ...at best.
The watch incident on its own is perhaps not too concerning; it could be seen as being part of a pattern, though, of a man who is good at business but not so good at football business - and often at reading the room (remember the issues around furlough during covid, for example).
I guess Levy's lack of good sustained PR means he's an easy meal ticket for those publishing books (Pleat anyone?). Oh well..
He's also tried to shift the blame from the players - With an engraving like that, Levy couldn’t have been surprised if we had been 1–0 down after a couple of minutes: so it was written.That’s his “engraved memory” of the final? No wonder we put in such an insipid performance then. Pathetic.
I see what you did there!I don't think its that bad.
Timing was off, should have all been done after. Recognise the achievement of making the CL final and use that to build the next season on.
Yeah I personally would have just seen it for what it is, a nice gift for reaching the final of CL and recognition for an amazing run to the final - like you say, poor timing perhaps.
If this really affected the players to the extent this is hyped up to, it does nothing but confirm what a weak mentality our players had - if it was as upsetting as Lloris wants to make out, then there would have been a real 'I'll show Levy' attitude instead of putting in a pretty limp performance. But I don't buy it to be that big a deal, and more just the usual dramatic autobiography content that is required to sell.....
It's really not a good look either for Levy or the player tbh.
Levy clearly meant well, but at the same time it adds to the previous episodes when he just doesn't either act like a chairman who prioritises winning things or he doesn't quite get the tone right with certain actions.
Lloris, for all he might have a point in terms of Levy seemingly celebrating us just getting there, isn't really in a position to moan about how we got on in finals or mentality seeing as he could be seen at fault as anyone for our lack of trophies. Even in the world cup final he ballsed up for the Croatia second goal and luckily his France team was so good at the time it didn't matter. Wasn't he also at fault for Portugal's winning goal in the final of Euro 2016?
I also wonder if he mentions anything in the book about his drunk-driving charge or the real reason he didn't come out for the second half in the 6-1 mauling at Saudi Sportswashing Machine (sorry, i still don't buy the story that he was 'injured').
I guess Levy's lack of good sustained PR means he's an easy meal ticket for those publishing books (Pleat anyone?). Oh well..
I don't think its that bad.
Timing was off, should have all been done after. Recognise the achievement of making the CL final and use that to build the next season on.
We should never have had the Amazon thing, that was a massive own goal