Dead right - it's the way we learn our own language and how to learn a foreign one (I learnt Dutch and Swedish - neither particularly easy, but at least one of them could be useful to shout abuse next season ) and the way was being told when you made an error. I don't see why native English speakers get upset when corrected - it's only to help!!
Proper time and place. This is a football discussion forum, not an English class. If a non-native speaker wanted to post their thoughts on Southampton's next match and took the time and effort to type something out in a language they are not fluent in, I could see why they'd be somewhat annoyed if rather than engaging in discussion with them, people simply remarked on their grammar.
Yes, that might be a fair point actually. But when is the time and place for someone to learn something that they've been previously getting wrong. Less so non-native speakers.
The common grammatical errors can make me want to chew my arm off, but I resist correcting people as this is a football forum. However, some people (usually the young) need to be aware that a minimum of punctuation should be used for clarity. I am also aware that, whilst my grammar may be better than many, it is not perfect. Nothing more embarrassing than correcting someone, only to have your split infinitive pointed out.
Agreed Fran. I only pointed that one out as it actually made the post quite hard to understand at first reading.
The lesson should be about proof reading before posting. I'm dyslexic but I'm old enough to know that I will make mistakes so I should check before letting anyone else see what I write. I know there are different levels of unhappiness and I'm sure Jose and jack can't be that happy when they see others getting new deals but they aren't yet. I was trying to make a point about how some people try to say look everything is related, it's all the same thing. The players who have left haven't left due to being unhappy with communication from the club or not getting enough love from the board. They've left for money and the chance to play at the highest level in club football.
Please don't let my little bit of anal-ness put you off TNOTB - your posts are really good reading on the whole.
Not a problem, you corrected me but you weren't rude and you didn't take the piss. As Nigel Adkins would say "we move on"
One lesson I've learned from this (or, not learned because I always knew it, but it's definitely been reinforced) is how futile efforts to progress in football are. We came close to it, closer than any other small team has come in recent memory, and then this happens. There's no way we'll ever make it to the next level, and the sooner we accept our place as one of the underlings of football - the replaceable ones, like Blackburn, Fulham and Bolton who stick about in midtable for years before being relegated with not a tear shed - the better. It's a shame how pointless the Premier League is for everyone but a few teams.
Now you're getting it. But further from that, I imagine that being good and winning trophies isn't really that satisfying either. Football is pretty empty, it's more the hope of being good that is the rewarding part.
This. With the exception of being bought by a multi billionaire there is no chance a club can break the top teams in the PL. It is basically a closed shop of Arsenal, City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd. Spurs and Everton may get in there occasionally, or be challenging, but they will never displace one of those 5 in the pecking order long term unless something really dramatic happens at one of the big 5
The Prem league is about: Man City Chelsea Liverpool Arsenal Man Utd Everton About it really the others just survive and get the odd great win at a top 6 team. The FFP has added to it and there will never be another City type of surge again.