Fish!
There are eighteen comments pending moderation. They’re all offers of very cheap ‘meds’. In all cases, in fact, the commenter expresses surprise at having found them so cheaply, ‘after hours of looking’. It’s strange that this would be such a hot topic when I don’t remember asking for med recommendations on this blog, but I guess sometimes debate spirals in an unexpected direction.
If you look at this:
http://www.respectfootballclub.com/
…you can see the ad I was talking about last week, where I pretended to be a football chairman advocating respect and had to wear a deplorable suit and be held upside down by a very big man etc etc. It’s a sign of the times that I haven’t put this link up on Twitter because I’m rather tired of, how can I put this, arseholes leaving offensive comments on my Twitter feed. But it should be safe here.
A couple of people left interesting remarks about this last week. One said something to the effect that if massively influential footballers themselves are shockingly behaved and shout at referees and so on, isn’t it a bit of a waste of time encouraging much less highly-paid fans to mind their language and decorum? My answer is: hmm, yes, maybe, but a surprising number of footballers AREN’T dreadful, so we should try to take our lead from them, rather than the ones who let everyone down. And also, just because you’re watching poor conduct doesn’t mean you can’t set a higher standard for yourself. You might go to a zoo but you don’t necessarily try to climb on your wife’s back and have sex just because that’s what you’re seeing in the cages.
Someone else said: listen, I’m a nice quiet inoffensive man most of the week (like me, Mark), I support a Championship club (like me, Mark), don’t I deserve the chance to vent some of my pent-up energies on footballers, who are paid to stand there and take it? I sympathise with this because it’s like me, Mark. The answer is yes, yes you do. I wouldn’t for a moment suggest that the ‘Respect’ campaign means we all sit there quietly and clap goals by the other team and say things like ‘well, whoever wins, it’s been a lovely sunny afternoon’. I’m all for getting disproportionately wound up while watching sport. I’m just trying to make sure it stays at the level of pantomime villainry rather than actually-ruining-the-occasion-ry.
Good good. I’m still not quite able to reveal what is happening on February 28 but I must urge you again to save that date because without wishing to spoil it, it’s going to be a big show and I need your support.
Oh yes, I’ve been eating more fish instead of meat! Salmon today! It’s good for you and it keeps at least two of my resolutions. And so unexpectedly, Fish! becomes the title of today’s entry. Who would have thought?
Posted by Katy on January 20, 2011
I did make a comment on here previously but can’t see it. Chances are I pressed the wrong button.
Basically I said its a good advert and that I’m jealous that you’ve worked with Kingsley.
Posted by Tracey on January 18, 2011
Regarding Twitter, I don’t see why anyone would want to leave you nasty comments. I did try Twitter briefly but changed my mind as, like another poster, I don’t get it either. Tracey x
Posted by Tracey on January 18, 2011
Hi Mark. Unfortunately, I can’t really comment on football as I know nothing about it beyond the fact that you can’t be offside in your own half. I must be married to the only football hating Scot ever and he knows the offside rule, explained it to me but I’m still no further forward. I accept that there are some decent footballers in the game today but I do find them to be few and far between. The ones that make the headlines don’t even seem to be able to read or string a sentence together. Maybe that’s harsh but as I’m currently glued to the Australian Open tennis, I can’t but compare how the tennis players are to some footballers. You very rarely hear anything negative about most of them.Regarding fish, I love and eat most of it although I do not fancy trying octopus and that wolf fish on television the other night looked vicious in it’s entirety! Normally, if I’m presented with a whole fish on my plate, the head does not worry me. The head of a wolf fish though would be a different matter! Dill goes really well with salmon as does guacamole. Take care, Tracey x
Posted by Rachael on January 18, 2011
I love fish! If I am cooking for myself I will have it nearly everyday.
Posted by Kathryn on January 18, 2011
Hmm, I’m really interested in this thing on the 28th. I don’t usually have time to disappear to London for an evening but maybe I’ll make an exception… It would be quite nice to be able to take part in something for once without having to make excuses about water getting in the way.
Posted by Lydia on January 18, 2011
I like the advert. Hopefully it’ll help.
Angry internet people are weird. I bet they would never say half the awful things they type online in real life. They’re idiots.
Posted by Andrew on January 18, 2011
It’s a nice video, and I really hope it does some good. Many’s the Sunday game I’ve watched my eldest play that’s been ruined by overly aggressive ‘encouragement’ from the opposition management. That said, I fear I stand by my comment saying that, much as I admire the sentiment, the Respect campaign won’t work until it has some teeth. If the FA is serious about changing the nature of football, they need to do it with zero tolerance from the top down, and that’s not going to happen any time soon.
Posted by Corey on January 18, 2011
Theres great rivalry in rugby and cricket but the banter never gets to the level it can get to in football. I went to a cricket game in Oz once to see Australia v Sri Lanka and the aussie fans were so passionate about their team, and sang all day like a english footie crowd would…….but at no point did it go beyond good natured banter…….its an old cliche, but it is only a game!
Posted by Nuala on January 18, 2011
Yes, watch the Fish Fight and sign the petition at fishfight.net
Posted by Aislinn on January 18, 2011
The combination of
a) fish
b) a Big Event and
c) adverts in dodgy suits
makes for a very enjoyable blog.
Well done Watson.
Posted by Lisa D on January 18, 2011
I’m all for a campaign for civility in sports fandom. My favorite moment of polite fan abuse happened at a Red Sox game. I’ll skip the details since I’m betting there aren’t a lot of baseball fans in this neck of the net, suffice to say an outfielder on the opposite team missed a ridiculously easy catch and was next to the stands when it happened. A guy in my section let out a very loud “Aw poor guy!” For the rest of the game if the ball went anywhere near the poor bastard we’d start chanting positive affirmations at him. “You can do it! BE the ball!” and so forth. Really fun day at the park
Posted by Natalie-Helen on January 18, 2011
As you are the sort of lovely person who cares about things, and I notice an increased interest in fish, may I suggest that you being your fish odyssey positively by checking out the Big Fish Fight and try to use sustainable and welfare friendly sources. I have no doubt that you will have endevoured to do this already. But it was a very good program.
^_^
Posted by Ally on January 18, 2011
I wish I would be able to attend the big event on the 28th, but unless it is online based I won’t be able to participate
It’s a pity you’re getting spam-related comments, though on the upside some of these can be highly amusing. I love fish, Salmon is one of my favourites, that and barramundi. Yum. I now know what to have for dinner tonight 
Posted by Helen on January 17, 2011
Loved the advert, brilliant stuff! I’m getting really quite excited for the 28th as well. Shame about the arseholes, you deserve so many lovely tweets, not nasty ones. x
Posted by MusicalLottie on January 17, 2011
Fish is good. Fish is very good, in fact.
I shall come back and watch the video tomorrow, and Feb 28th is sounding ever more intriguing …
Posted by Laurs on January 17, 2011
Love the ad Mark! Though I do wonder if it is wrong of me to get excited by the fact that one of the mascots was for my team (Nottm Forest)…
Anywho, I hope you get lots of lovely messages on Twitter, you’re a lovely bloke who deserves them. (I would tweet you, but I’m not on Twitter, I just don’t get it…) x
Posted by Misha on January 17, 2011
What do you call a fish with no eyes? A Fsh.
Sorry.
It’s an interesting point re: football, but you can get shouty and excited and angry WITHOUT being abusive. Playing a pubquiz which involved watching old olympics races from the year I was born (long story) we as a pub all shouted and screamed for our chosen runners without being abusive. I think you’re allowed to shout and boo if the oposite team gets a goal without wishing actual physical harm on them yes? The rugby fans manage it.
Also. Down with arseholes. Up with Feb 28th, if I have to borrow last minute money for train tickets I will. It sounds too exciting to miss.
Posted by Beth on January 17, 2011
I was going to post something nice here, but now I’m going to go and tweet something nice at you instead.
Posted by h2osarah on January 17, 2011
Shame about the spammy comments and that you’re tired of getting abuse from twitter. I hope that twitter is a largely positive experience for you. And glad us blog readers get a little bit of special treatment. It feels nice.