Joey Barton is a Legend

[W12_Ranger]

Sounds like someone beleives everything they hear. You were there, in the shower?

No dad has a mate who worked at Chelsea at the time

John O Shea is suppose to be quite blatant about it as well I've heard and do you think those Ashley Cole rumours were unfounded.

[vespa]

I don't want to write on the previous thread about gay footballers because it's full of stupid, ill-informed, homophobic comments which wouldn't be out of place on a Chelsea messageboard. As the Secret Footballer wrote last year, fans stop gay players coming out:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/mar/12/the-secret-footballer-gay-players

I'm sure other players and managers have an effect too but the type of fearful, ignorant and prehistoric comments on the previous thread play their part.

Having seen Joey Barton's interview on Amal Fashanu's documentary, I have to say I am very impressed by his maturity and willingness to speak on the subject. No professional footballer will talk about this so it's refreshing to hear Joey's thoughts and personal experience. I was ambivalent about Barton signing for QPR but I feel proud that the only footballer in the Premier League willing to stand up for tolerance plays for our club. Talking about the issue will help to prevent other suicides. It also goes some way towards giving gay footballers the same rights as any other employees. A gay footballer playing at Loftus Road would not be protected in the same way as if he were working for the BBC 200 metres away. That's a sad indictment of the narrow, chauvinistic culture of the game.

We can't attack John Terry for being racist and at the same time feel good about the type of discriminatory comments on offer in the previous thread. Or at least I can't...

OOH GET HER:kiss:

[W12_Ranger]

youre correct nd all mate: Monkou n Jones went end of '92 (even though Monkou had just signed a new 5 year deal and pledged future to club) then in March '93 Le Saux was also off.

Voila

[MattyRangers]

No dad has a mate who worked at Chelsea at the time

John O Shea is suppose to be quite blatant about it as well I've heard and do you think those Ashley Cole rumours were unfounded.

Nope, hes bi.... Near on certain of this 1.

[DeepcutHoop]

I reckon there are hundreds of gay footballers in the english league, when the first one comes out i guess many more will follow. I dont think it is the fans they are worried about as any gay chanting will be stamped out (like racist chanting) i think it is the attitute of other players and managers, it may be damaging for their career as managers like to have a closeknit team, a gay player may be percevied as a disruptive influence when in same dressing room as the dreggs of society (JT, Suarez etc) so many managers would be reluctant to sign them

Read the article by the Secret Footballer from earlier this year, he suggests it might actually be easier to come out to other players, but it's the attitude of the fans (as evidence on here last night and this morning) that prevent it. The levels of abuse they may be subjected to, and he describes the chant aimed at Sol Campbell for being only suspected of being gay, mean they dare not do it.

It's abysmal in the 21st century, that when most other sports fans, can behave like grown-ups on this subject, it appears that a large number of football fans aren't beyond giggling schoolkids at best, and full on bigots at worst.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/mar/12/the-secret-footballer-gay-players

[silvercue]

Voila

People leaving a club is proof of sexuality now? We have a lot of gays in football then...almost all of the players must be.

[DeepcutHoop]

Was caught in the shower with Ken Monkou at Chelsea by Vinnie Jones who proceeded to give them a kicking. Check transfer history around then all 3 shipped out within months off each other. Why do think Robbie Fowler wiggled his #### at him.......because he read the Guardian, don't be so naive. I suppose Onohra will get the same treatment based on that analogy because he has got his A Levels. Le Saux is a batty boy end off.....The Guardian, haha.

i know it's not evidence per se but it's more than anyone else has offered in this thread. (from Wiki)

Homophobic abuse

Further information: Homosexuality in English football#Homophobia
Despite being straight (he is married and has two children),[4] Le Saux was dogged by rumours of homosexuality during his playing career. He attributed this to his lack of enthusiasm for the 'typical' footballer's lifestyle, his university background, and the fact that he read a left-wing broadsheet newspaper, The Guardian. This led to abuse from opposition fans and even players. He became involved in a running series of taunts with Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler during a Chelsea game versus Liverpool on 27 February 1999. In the game, Fowler repeatedly bent over and pointed his backside in Le Saux's direction, causing him to delay taking a free kick and be booked for time wasting. Unseen by the match officials, Le Saux later struck Fowler on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area. In an interview with The Times, Le Saux said, "More than anything in my career, that offended me. What [Fowler] did was wrong and he has never admitted that. He still talks as if it was a bit of a laugh."[5]

[W12_Ranger]

People leaving a club is proof of sexuality now? We have a lot of gays in football then...almost all of the players must be.

I think it backs up th rumour pretty well as does the stick Fowler gave him, choose what you want to believe I couldn't give a toss.

[MattyRangers]

i know it's not evidence per se but it's more than anyone else has offered in this thread. (from Wiki)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Le_Saux#Homophobic_abuse

[silvercue]

I think it backs up th rumour pretty well as does the stick Fowler gave him, choose what you want to believe I couldn't give a toss.

Fowler gave him the stick because it was already a common slur against him because he didn't fit in with the macho footballer image at the time.

You could put 2 and 2 together and come up with literally anything.

I suppose his family is just a "smoke screen"?

[W12_Ranger]

Overmars and Di Matteo were apparently lovers , hacks were following one off them over something else then were surprised to find one off them leaving the others house on the regs very early in the morning.

[Rebel R's]

Guess nothing much happening at loftus road this morning if this tedious thread is taking centre stage

[W12_Ranger]

Fowler gave him the stick because it was already a common slur against him because he didn't fit in with the macho footballer image at the time.

You could put 2 and 2 together and come up with literally anything.

I suppose his family is just a "smoke screen"?

Plenty off closet queers are happily married

[DeepcutHoop]

I think it backs up th rumour pretty well as does the stick Fowler gave him, choose what you want to believe I couldn't give a toss.

But the volume of abuse he got from fans and in this case a player too, based on a rumour ffs, shows that it is impossible for gay players to actually publically live their lives how they choose.

They have to hide a large portion of their life, and who they are, because of bigotry and hatred.

That's terribly sad, and anyone who has contributed to this should think how they'd feel if they couldn't even acknowledge their wives or girlfriends in public for fear of the abuse they'd receive at work, or on the streets.

I thought we might be getting close to a point where gay footballers could come out safely, if this board is representative of football fans in general, then it's a long, long way off.

Well done boys, give yourself a pat on the back.

[essex]

Read the article by the Secret Footballer from earlier this year, he suggests it might actually be easier to come out to other players, but it's the attitude of the fans (as evidence on here last night and this morning) that prevent it. The levels of abuse they may be subjected to, and he describes the chant aimed at Sol Campbell for being only suspected of being gay, mean they dare not do it.

It's abysmal in the 21st century, that when most other sports fans, can behave like grown-ups on this subject, it appears that a large number of football fans aren't beyond giggling schoolkids at best, and full on bigots at worst.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/b...er-gay-players

But do you not think that is the FA's job to stop that? We rarely hear of racist chanting in recent years because of the good work the FA and the work that organisations like "show racism the red card" and "kit it out" have done, maybe a similar approach should be taken over homophobic abuse?