Benjamin White (4)

Bruce Blanco it is

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shut up bb, I know it

But everyone aside from his mother calls him Ben. Fuck his preference, respectfully

Ok, Benyameen Whitenyahu then

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https://twitter.com/ConMarbleHalls/status/1770510821476438327

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Article in the Mail Online…assume this is elsewhere online as well in addition to the above Tweet…If this is true then Southgate has got something to answer for…and moreover, fully respect and back Ben White for deciding to withdraw from the squad.

Revealed: What England No 2 Steve Holland ā€˜said to Ben White at Qatar World Cup in front of team-mates’… which ā€˜eventually led to the Arsenal defender withdrawing from international football’

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sounds true and valid, and makes sense to me.

Meh sounds like a bit of a boomer vs gen z type thing, where Holland probably meant it as a joke but it came off awkwardly.

Not sure it warrants this level of drama but maybe there’s more to it that hasn’t been covered in detail that adds more nuance to Whites level of upset.

By drama do you mean all the media bollocks?

Yeah

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I guess the alternative is that they write about actual international football and who wants that :grin:

Hahaha yeah tell me about it, fuck I have the international breaks

Jesus wept they’re gonna live off this all the way til the city game now aren’t they.

Hope England get stuffed and walker has a shocker so they can mention it even more.

Depends on the tone he said but it seems like a nothing statement. Ben White must surely of heard worst than that in his life.

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Combined with not being given a chance to earn a starting line up, I can see why Ben may have thought ā€œfuck this, im wasting my time hereā€¦ā€. And Southgate is shit so its not like hes actually missing anything

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Still gotta be able to read the room if you’re in Holland’s position. Guy sounds like a dumbass.

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Tone matters for sure, but if the tweet is accurate and a fairly complete telling of how the scenario played out, I’d say the issue is more White being singled out.

The way it is presented in the tweet, other players basically answered in the same way White did, saying they didn’t know, yet seemingly didn’t receive a personal dig from Holland in front of the rest of the group.

If I was at work and a senior member of staff made a belittling/mocking/dismissive comment to me that painted me as unprofessional, uncommitted and even incompetent, while ignoring that several other people in the room also gave the same answer I did to their question, I wouldn’t be at all pleased, even if I had heard far worse in my life. That’s really poor leadership/management skills.

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Yeah that’s the heart of the issue. And it was done in front of his peers.

People will say that ā€œoh footballers are so precious, get over it, they’re so privileged, this is about playing for your country etc.ā€

Bollocks.

Regardless of the work environment, it’s belittling, it’s personal and it’s not equal treatment. I’d be furious if that had happened to me. It’s a fucking HR case in most offices lol.

This isn’t even taking into account the fact that Southgate has his favourites even if these cunts aren’t playing regularly for their club, or have fucked off to some mickey mouse league. So even if he was there, White is getting zero minutes at the tournament proper.

I’m disappointed for White because he should be the starting CB and, on form, contending directly with Walker for RB given that James is injured and Trent is more of a midfield option. Shame for him.

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I’d still say (from my perspective) the tone matters entirely, whether it was a shite attempt at a joke or outlandish criticism (There’s also this whole part where even if it’s true, why does Ben White even care?) perhaps there’s also a cultural and upbringing difference at play. Being raised by a Jamaican parent but being singled out was just…the way it is. Wouldn’t say it was the nicest thing but I just got over it quickly.

I suppose I’m saying if I was Ben White I wouldn’t throw the chance of starting for England completely away over that. Something ridiculous could happen (Like the the time he bought several right backs and they got injured lol) and it’s his time to make Southgate look a dumbarse for not picking him. Heaven forbid to our chagrin I suspect Southgate will be around for awhile. Barring a disastrous EURO 2024.

This is such a weird dynamic to observe now that I am in the middle stage of my career with my bosses, essentially boomers and my juniors, GenZ.
I think both Boomers and Genz need to improve their communication or grow up.

I have seen way too many managers make an awkward attempt at a joke without pausing to retract or do damage control. It is good to lighten the room’s mood when something tense is being discussed. But if you have failed to do so, a simple one-to-one message saying, ā€œHey, It was a joke; I landed it wrong.ā€ can help.

At the same time, juniors need to be well-prepared for every meeting. I have seen quite a few of them awkwardly lie during the meetings; they think everyone is too naive to dismantle the logical fallacy in their statements. Their managers are left in weird positions in front of everyone, and it doesn’t look good on the manager & the junior.

That said, GenZ employees are much more efficient than any other generation I have seen. Credit to their priorities but also credit to the Millenials & Boomers for putting good processes.