Born and grew up there.
Adnan Januzaj | 2013/14 Performances
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Born and grew up there.
You're Polish where fans give Nazi salutes. Your indignation is misplaced.
Still a chance he'll find an Irish grandmother.
I'll rephrase myself in case you didn't understand: I hope he picks any national team other than England. Make it be Albania, Kosovo or Belgium.
And you're ignorant and completly ill-informed, where have you read about those Nazi salutes? The Sun ?
And what does it even matter if I'm Polish and what Polish fans, allegedly, did ? Does it make English less of plebs for booing Munich ? Does it make them more classy when they were mentally destroying one of our players ?
Fair enough that stance, I'd just like to remind you that it was his father who advised him to stay with us rather than pick one of the other 12(?) clubs that wanted to snatch him. Seems like a reasonable person who cares about his son's future rather than profit-focused agent.
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He should go with Belgium. Basically any other team than England
I hate this anti-England thing where everyone pretends the English press are the only ones who get on their national side's back. They're not. Everyone knows they're not but still its "Grr, England *shakes fist* "
How many major footballing nations have a press that greet failure of their national side with the headline:
"Well you tried, and that's just super!" ???
The whole 'I'm not against England it's the press' is usually always said by someone with no clue as to what other national presses are like so is ill-informed to comment or by someone who is well informed but just want to pretend anyway.
It's such an old, tired cliché. Yes the English media are bad but that's par for the course with all media in major footballing countries.
How many major footballing nations have a press that greet failure of their national side with the headline:
"Well you tried, and that's just super!" ???
The whole 'I'm not against England it's the press' is usually always said by someone with no clue as to what other national presses are like so is ill-informed to comment or by someone who is well informed but just want to pretend anyway.
It's such an old, tired cliché. Yes the English media are bad but that's par for the course with all media in major footballing countries.
I appreciate his father doing that if he was the reason Januzaj stayed but the bottom line is Januzaj should play where he wants to play, at club and international level. If it is true his father has the final say in either instance I dont think that is reasonable, personally. Id hope his father would "advise" him where he should play but not use his paternal influence to make the decision for him. I dismiss any suggestion that Januzaj wants to play for England, that is just tabloid bollocks not worth spending a moment even considering. But if he wants to play for Belgium he should play for Belgium. Having said that, I have no idea what he wants, obviously, none of us do.
Same for club football, being objective. Of course I would love him to keep playing for us forever. But if he dreams about playing for Madrid or AC Milan or whoever else, that is his business, not his dad's.
Again, fair enough. Treat his father as his agent, most of the agents nowadays would jump cash and send him to PSG, Chelski or City yet he advised him to stick to us. You're right that his father shouldn't ( and I don't think he will ) have a final say in where Januzaj will be obliged to play, national team wise. I do believe that we'll find out sooner than later, he's recognized by many people now and there probably will be some higher pressure on him to make a pick.
It seems to be a bit of a myth on here that playing for England is some horrible and cruel fate. Fair enough if that is a perception from fans but it doesn't really tally up with what we see from players.
How many England players complain about playing for England and reject the chance to? You even have guys like Berahino and Zaha who would rather play for England than the countries of their birth. In Zaha's case the country of his birth is one that qualifies for major tournaments and has several world class players. Zaha would have a greater chance of getting into that squad too. Sven Erikssen said that the proudest moment of his career was managing England.
Does playing for England have a detrimental effect on a players club career? Look at players like Beckham, Lampard, Terry, Ferdinand, Rooney and Ashley Cole. All those players were or are considered among the best players in the world in their positions and have extensive medal collections at club level.
The press are ridiculous in England but again it is a myth that that is something exclusive to England. France and Brazil's international players are pressurised and harassed by the press also, to name but two.
I would be surprised if Adnan chooses to play for England but if he does I am sure that he will enjoy it as will the England fans.
How many England players complain about playing for England and reject the chance to? You even have guys like Berahino and Zaha who would rather play for England than the countries of their birth. In Zaha's case the country of his birth is one that qualifies for major tournaments and has several world class players. Zaha would have a greater chance of getting into that squad too. Sven Erikssen said that the proudest moment of his career was managing England.
Does playing for England have a detrimental effect on a players club career? Look at players like Beckham, Lampard, Terry, Ferdinand, Rooney and Ashley Cole. All those players were or are considered among the best players in the world in their positions and have extensive medal collections at club level.
The press are ridiculous in England but again it is a myth that that is something exclusive to England. France and Brazil's international players are pressurised and harassed by the press also, to name but two.
I would be surprised if Adnan chooses to play for England but if he does I am sure that he will enjoy it as will the England fans.
One benefit of him choosing England might be him preferring us over foreign clubs.
Good point. Never thought about that.
If him choosing England means he'll stay with us longer, then I'm all for it.
Do they have Nando's in any of the other countries?
I'm smart like that.
Yes. It's a big chain of restaurants spread across continents, not just countries.
No, Luckily the only European countries that have them are the UK and Ireland.
Although if he does find that ubiquitous Irish grandparent...
@Jimy_Hills_Chin, I always assume the country people are likely to relate to is not necessarily the country of their birth but the country they grew up in. People dont remember the midwife who delivered them, they dont even remember where they took their first steps etc, they remember where they went to primary school, their first friends through to the people they hung out with as teenagers in their most formative years. If he had been in England during those years I have no doubt he would feel English but given he came when he was 16, I would assume he probably feels Belgian. Zaha moved to England when he was 4, hence he feels English.
I can't speak for anyone else but I can't see any Irish person being even one iota bothered or effected if he chooses England. If it was a choice between England and Ireland it would be different.
Come on now, we're desperate, haven't had a good player since Roy Keane.
Hands off our Adnan! English and proud.
Tbh, that doesn't even bother me, what about the Keane kids? Didn't Michael rep Ireland underage, and now wants to play for England?
To be fair you stole Andy Townsend from us, we'd probably have won the World Cup in the 90s but for that.
And how much do you know about England fans beyond the obvious "Ing-Er-Land" cliches and second hand examples? Have you been to many England games?
So you can rattle off your cliches and individual examples, but we can't rattle off ours? Hypocrite much?
And which player did we mentally destroy? Former captain and highest capped ever player David Beckham who unashamedly loves the National team, played through his off season just to keep himself available and was cheered at games more than any other player in his last 10 years?
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I wouldnt hold it against the player or be butt hurt about it but I would prefer they choose Ireland. My point being that I doubt anyone from Ireland, Scotland of Wales would give a shit who he chooses apart from United fans and how it effects us.
Oh definitely I'd prefer them to pick Ireland, but if they don't, so be it, I couldn't blame them.
As for Januzaj, like you say too.
As a United fan, I'd just like him to go where he'd have the best time of it, which is likely Belgium.
Kosovo and put his feet up every summer.
Belgium would be the best for him. I tend to think that if he was going to play for them, he would've by now though. The whole "holding out to concentrate on his club career" thing makes no sense to me. It seems likely his dad's holding out for Kosovo.
They were born in Stockport to Irish parents so it is a grey area. The boxer Matthew Macklin was born in Birmingham to Irish parents and chooses to represent Ireland. I don't think that there is any problem with the twins choosing to represent either country. Michael has vacillated and we can only speculate to the reasons why.
@Adebesi
It is an individual choice. No doubt influenced by a persons upbringing and personal experiences. My point was simply that playing for England isn't the punishment that a fair few posters on here (some English) seem to make it out to be.
@Irwinwastheking
I was speaking a bit in jest there.
Mediocre at best, I guess Duff wasn't bad when he was a rent-boy?
I should have used white text.
Sorry mate, couldn't be sure, I've come across people who've actually rated Duff before......
I know as much as I'm seeing, I've seen English fans booing Munich anniversary, I've seen them boo their players off, I've seen abuse they've thrown at our players, what more do I need to see? I don't care about England, English national team or English players. I care about Manchester United players because I'm Manchester United fan.
Hypocrite? There's a connection between English fans giving shit to English Manchester United players, there's no connection between Polish fans, Polish National Team and Manchester United because there are no Polish players at United. Therefore, it's irrelevant what Polish fans do because it doesn't touch Manchester United. Get it ? Plus Januzaj is not picking between playing for Poland or other countries, he's picking between playing for England and other countries. Poland is completly irrelevant in this discussion.
Before we even move forward, I do consider most Polish NT fans idiots, because I know plenty and the behaviour they've shown at certain games leads me to that conclusion as well.
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In terms of professional progression England (if possible) or Belgium. If he feels drawn to a Kosovo team in the future then that's understandable given his origins.
Cool stuff Jimmy. We have a bit of a take all comers here in relation to sports stars. If you're half decent and want to wear the green then over you gone. I'm just surprised England has developed the same attitude given how strong your home grown sports stars are. There's quite a few foreigners representing the 3 lions or team GB in various sports.
Duff was indeed very good for a few years.
Because United fans have never sung Hillsborough songs or 96 Was Not Enough or anything similarly unsavory?
Because United fans have never booed our own players? Or stood outside their houses in balaclavas threatening them?
Perhaps a greater perspective of the cross section of football fans, and National Team fans in particular and less inclination to jump on a 15 year old bandwagon to seem like a bigger fan, and a less childish attitude of partisanship when flaming whole fanbases on the board of an English team where it's likely to come into opposition. Also perhaps a better understanding of recent history, where United players have been amongst the biggest cheered and most supported. Including your supposed "mentally destroyed" player, who'd been treated as a hero for 10+ years.
Yes I get it. Your view of fans isn't remotely consistent or fair, and depends entirely on partisan tubthumping.
So Plugsy wasn't completely ignorant and ill informed then? You were just instinctively defending your kin from his rather simplistic, outsider's view? Like, say, England fans would of yours?
"Januzaj was born in Brussels, Belgium, where his Kosovar-Albanian family had migrated in 1992 so his father Abedin could escape Yugoslav Army recruitment. Januzaj's father was the eldest of six children from Istog, Kosovo. Januzaj's uncles, Januz and Shemsedin, were members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which fought for Kosovar independence in the Kosovo War."
He has plenty of connections to Kosovo. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't consider himself Belgian at all, even if he grew up there.
He shouldn't play for England though, that's for sure.
How is it connected to the topic? We're talking about Januzaj-United-England situation here and it was English fans who booed Munich anniversary, not United fans that booed, I have no idea, bombings in London's tube. I'm not getting into antagonisms between Liverpool and United here, even though naturally those chants are damn-worthy.
Again, it was United fans then, not English fans. You really can't see the difference or don't want to see it to suit your argument ? I couldn't hear our fans booing Januzaj after not scoring the penalty against Sunderland as well.
Fair enough, I'm well aware that there are good fans and the idiots who will always be the louder ones but because of the latter, I hope Januzaj never wears English jersey. United fans were cheered when they were winning, when they were not scoring penalties they were ridiculed, were sent insults towards them and their families and so on. For that reason, I don't want another United player who is not English ( which is quite omitted so far ) to join this national team. I didn't say that Becks was mentally destroyed, I've said that they were mentally destroying him, and that's true.
He was ignorant and ill-informed about Nazi salutes, that's complete bullshit. I base my opinion about those who went to Polish matches on, for example, booing our ex-captain who was playing his last game, he was the player who always gave his hearth for this national team. Those who did that are as pathetic as those, who booed Rooneys, Beckhams and so on. Implications and accusations of fascism/nazism would get his shit slapped here.
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It very obviously is. They're both examples of fans disrespecting a tragedy. If you think England fans are all wankers because some of them booed Munich, you must think United fans are all wankers because some of them disrespect Hillsborough. It's the same thing.
Yes I can see the difference. The difference is that you support one and not the other. So what you're saying is; If United fans do it, it's Ok. If England fans do it, it's not. As someone who supports both, I don't agree.
And I've been to countless England games, including games in Poland, and I can vouch that your opinions of England fans are outdated, and it's annoying hearing them regurgitated.
Why would he want to play for England when he can play for Belguim who are miles better.
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