Ched Evans

[Behind-the-Gulls]

No club will touch him with a ten-foot barge pole now.

[SuperNickyWroe]

No club will touch him with a ten-foot barge pole now.

.......unless of course, his appeal is upheld.

then teams -including the dee-dars, will be queuing up....

[Gullscorer]

Liable to be arrested every time he scores...

[Dave]

I look at the behaviour of Ched Evans, his family, supporters and door-mat girlfriend, and will now say with out fear, any sympathy I had for his case has now gone right out of the window, good riddance.

[Scott Brehaut]

Behaviour that you've witnessed, or behaviour that's been reported in the media?

[Gullscorer]

I have no admiration at all for the man himself, but, looking objectively at the facts of the case, it has to be said that a miscarriage of justice here is more than a distinct possibility.

But even if he were guilty, he's done his time and should be allowed to get on with his life. The penalties listed in the law for such crimes do not include a requirement that he be banned from his work in football or that he should be hounded for the rest of his life.

Is there a club somewhere with the guts to stand up to the modern equivalent of the lynch mob - the online (feminist) petition - and sign him up..??

[AustrianAndyGull]

There are so many interesting sub issues in the whole Ched Evans situation.

First of all is the fact that both the Sheffield United and Oldham Athletic boards actually came out and said they were unexpectedly surprised by the overwhelming feelings of anger towards them even considering employing Ched Evans. Nice to know that being completely out of touch is not exclusive to politics.

It has become a bit farcical but IMO the clubs who to this point have considered signing him have only pulled out due to the the threat of financial loss ie fans threatening not to up, sponsors threatening to cut ties etc and NOT because they at first felt a strong moral obligation to do so.

I also believe that if Evans was for example Messi or Ronaldo or any high profile Premier League player then he would find another Premier League club in an instant. Why? Because he would be too much of an asset to be lost and those big clubs could take the hit on sponsors pulling out / fans not turning up and easily find others to take their place.

Money talks in both instances and let's not kid ourselves that morals have a place in football anymore.

I've learned a lot from more enlightened forum members on here about similar cases, Luke McCormick for example i was particularly angry towards when he was released but if i am to be a fair man then both he and Ched are free to continue playing football. They have done their time and whilst i find both abhorrent the law is the law and they must be allowed to continue with their lives.

That said, no football club is OBLIGED to offer Evans a contract. He can ask around and try and get fixed up sort of like applying for jobs like postman or whatever and prospective employers aren't allowed to discriminate BUT they aren't obliged to give Ched a contract / interview either. That is not banning him or hounding him, just their own preferences.

If there is a club out there who are willing to risk it though then it would be very interesting to see fans reactions and how far associations with that club will be stretched.

So in my response to Gullscorer, i actually believe the main reason for clubs not signing up Ched is because of the potential lost revenue from sponsors etc and not because they have listened to complaints from fans and the world and his wife on social media.

[Gullscorer]

Looks as if he's going to sign for Oldham: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30681333

(BTW shouldn't this thread be on the 'Banter Board and other Football' forum?)

[Dave]

I am the first to stand up and say if you've done your time, you should be free to resume your career what ever that was before any prison sentence was handed down.

If, as it seems Evans does sign for Oldham, this isn't a victory for anyone, it's not cause to celebrate, there will be no need for anyone to put two fingers up and say serves the woman right, justice has been done, their are no winners here.

Did Evans rape this woman, maybe, maybe not we are into the land of technicalities here. If a woman is to drunk to say no, she's to drunk to say yes, I've seen the video on Evans' website, yes, the woman doesn't look drunk, but how do you tell ? We've all been out on the town, some people can be almost blind drunk and hold a conversation and stand up straight, others are on the floor after 4 beers, so who knows.

I believe he has an appeal due, I do not believe he should sign for any club until that appeal is heard, and what ever the outcome I personally would like to see Evan's make some gesture towards, perhaps charities who support victims of rape.

[Dave]

Oldham officially confirm deal to sign Ched Evan's is off. Wise move, I really think the player need to get the appeal heard, before working out how he's going to rebuild his career.

[Gullscorer]

The threats to the club's staff and their families, along with the on-line petitions, are part of concerted campaigns organised by fanatical ideologues with a political agenda. The modern equivalent of the lynch mob or Hitler's Fascists. If nobody stands up to these totalitarian thugs our democracy is doomed. The problem is that even our politicians allow themselves to be browbeaten and coerced into submission..

In response to your point Forever, people can be a little drunk or very drunk and still be able to make rational decisions and to say yes or no, but it's when they are drunk to the point of incapacitation that they are at greatest risk of rape. When people are so incapacitated, it is blatantly obvious. If the young woman in the Ched Evans case did not appear to be so incapacitated, then she almost certainly knew what she was doing. When two people spend a night of consensual drinking and sex and the woman subsequently regrets her actions or is persuaded that she was raped, then miscarriages of justice can occur. These days a young man would be stupid to engage in such activity in potentially ambiguous situations, but there's no explicit law against stupidity.

[Sunnysideup]

The threats to the club's staff and their families, along with the on-line petitions, are part of concerted campaigns organised by fanatical ideologues with a political agenda. The modern equivalent of the lynch mob or Hitler's Fascists. If nobody stands up to these totalitarian thugs our democracy is doomed. The problem is that even our politicians allow themselves to be browbeaten and coerced into submission..

Does the comdemnation also apply to the campaign waged on social media against the victim? (I say victim as, regardless of your opinion, Evans was found guilty in a court of law)

[Neal]

The threats to the club's staff and their families, along with the on-line petitions, are part of concerted campaigns organised by fanatical ideologues with a political agenda. The modern equivalent of the lynch mob or Hitler's Fascists. If nobody stands up to these totalitarian thugs our democracy is doomed. The problem is that even our politicians allow themselves to be browbeaten and coerced into submission..

In response to your point Forever, people can be a little drunk or very drunk and still be able to make rational decisions and to say yes or no, but it's when they are drunk to the point of incapacitation that they are at greatest risk of rape. When people are so incapacitated, it is blatantly obvious. If the young woman in the Ched Evans case did not appear to be so incapacitated, then she almost certainly knew what she was doing. When two people spend a night of consensual drinking and sex and the woman subsequently regrets her actions or is persuaded that she was raped, then miscarriages of justice can occur. These days a young man would be stupid to engage in such activity in potentially ambiguous situations, but there's no explicit law against stupidity.

The Birmingham 6, Guildford 4, the jill dando geezer, the murder of that blonde girl with her daughter in the park. Now.... for me the guy has done his time, his a footballer, the only reason people don't want him back is jealousy. Because he can earn good money. They troop out the role model crap, parents should be in control of that for their kids not rely on the media. The thugs, bullies, control freaks and the PC brigade get a kick out of seeing someone crucified. Pathetic people!! He got convicted, done his sentence and if he was a bricklayer would be on site the next day, and so he should. Media loves it also, laps it up, making money out of it, and the politicians with no bottle joining the lynch mob to win a few votes.

[Trojan 67]

The Birmingham 6, Guildford 4,

. . . Tamworth Two -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamworth_Two

[Southampton Gull]

https://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2015/01/07 ... eam-media/