A game not played
(Who has the last word?)
For those of you who still have not enough of this story here are some last words received by email on
"A game not played
(or: one rainy afternoon in Sentul *)"--------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: Dale (League Coordinator and Wanderers player)
Sent:
Friday, 16 December 2005 01:36
To:
JIFL members
Subject:
Re: SILLY SEASON
Lucas... I appreciate your input but I stick by the edito.
Happy Holidays and good luck this Saturday.
Best,
Dale
----- Original Message -----
From: Lucas (DoIt player)
To: JIFL members
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 2:47 PM
Subject: RE: SILLY SEASON
Dale,
Just in case it rains this Saturday DoIt are bringing flippers and rubber ducks. If it is cancelled we will go to the pub and I can assure you it will not be a waste of a Saturday as you seem to imply.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of the situation were, if you want to comment on the situation I suggest you do it directly and discreetly with German+ and the Lions and if required bring it to the attention of the league committee. Report only the bare facts i.e. German+ claimed the points, report there was a certain level of dubiousness to it, and keep the rest of us out of it. Thereafter sling any insults veiled or otherwise in a more personal manner.
You are doing a good job coordinating the league, but I cannot remember whether Chief Pontificator / Sermoniser was part of the coordinating remit.?
If as you say football is the cake and winning is the icing, then everything else is superfluous.
Speak with Howie, Dieter, Andy and Paddy and put this pettiness to bed.
Paddy well said..."Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope to see some good football in the second half of the season - that is after all why the league exists"
Cheers
Lucas
----- Original Message -----
From:
Dale (League coordinator and Wanderers player)
Sent:
Thursday, December 15, 2005 2:11 PM
To:
JIFL members
Subject:
Re: SILLY SEASON
Howie,
I am glad that you enjoyed the Newsletter and happy that it means something to you. Where is your sense of humor? I thought that you would have a laugh at the news (like Alex Stedtfeld did).
No need to lose respect for me, Howie. If you want to be serious about this situation then consider the reason for the editorial: Regardless of whether the facts, as I got them from several sources including the X-Pats, the Japanese, the referees and, of course, several of the Lions, were in exact sequence or not, the hard fact remains that somebody in your side thought that actually going onto the field and having the refs blow the whistle was a good idea or it would not have happened. And furthermore, it appears nobody in your team showed any dissention. What is that like? Everybody seemed to have followed that line of reasoning. Well, it was wrong! Period. That is the wrong attitude to have in this league if you want this league to remain intact and friendly. I tried to imagine German Plus trying that stunt when I played there and at least one guy (that would have been me and, I imagine, a few others like Phillippe, Eric, Ollie, and Alex from that period) would have said, ''F%$& the forfeit! Let's play them!". After looking forward all week to a game of football, then putting aside your Saturday for the match, but then just packing up and heading back home after all of that travel, etc. and not even discussing any opportunity to try and play the match with the opposition? This type of behaviour is why some guys quit playing in our league. Most people like things that are reliable and predictable. Nobody likes crazy wild-cards thrown at them out of the blue. Of course, I am going to sympathize with the Lions in this instance. They travelled all the way out there (late or not) only to be insulted by that '2 points forfeit' attitude? That is just bad etiquette. I stand by my editorial.
I played two years for German Plus. I love the club. I just don't like the attitude at the moment. That is the difference. If I used German Plus as an example of how not to act then so be it. Simple. Don't act like that. That goes for all teams in the league and not just yours. We shouldn't forget why we have this league in the first place besides playing football against each other.
And, if German Plus now want to have a say in the events and how I reported it then why did neither you nor Dieter respond to any of my SMS's all week inquiring about the rescheduled match? I only got a response from you finally explaining that it is Dieter's decision. So I sent another to him (yet again) and guess what? Nothing. How is that for respect? Apparently, he has none for anybody in this league. Read one of his game reports, for instance. I am trying to get all of the games finished before the break. I should think that it would be the actual players in the team (who do the work on the field) who would want the match to go forward and not based entirely on his decision.
Lastly, you inquired why the Lions were caught in the rainstorm but not the Germans? Well, everybody knows the Germans are a prompt and reliable people and everybody knows that the Brits (since the loss of Empire) have become a rather unorganized and unruly lot. How is that for prejudice? The truth is is that the Lions just left a little later than your team and got caught in the traffic build-up during the rainstorm.
And please don't take it personally. It is a lesson for all of us collectively to learn from from. And even if it was your idea to try and take a forfeit (which I don't think that it was), I would never avoid you at the pub either.
'All the Best' this holiday season,
Dale
P.S. And I don't know why Chris is getting all bent out of shape about it either. He's Swiss!
----- Original Message -----
From:
Howie (League Commissioner and German Plus player)
Sent: Thursday, 15 December 2005 00:29
To: League captains and G+ members
Subject: JIFL Newsletter German Plus vs. Lions
Dear Dale,
I can only follow the arguments of my former team mate Chris below. Seems if you cannot talk, because nobody listens to you, then you have to write something.
I understand that you need a cliffhanger for your editorial, but this one is so one-sided and not according to the facts at all.
How come the Lions being caught in the storm on their way to Sentul and the Germans not?? There were mistakes made last Saturday by both teams, but after all has been settled already, there is no need that you pour again oil into the fire. Also there is no need to discredit one of the founding members of our league.
I will not avoid you at the pub, but will not listen entirely to you. I lost a lot of respect for you.
Cheers,
Peter (German Plus) or Howie - league chairman
----- Original Message -----
From: Christoph (Former G+ player)
Sent:
Wed, 14 Dec 2005 18:25:26 +0530
To: Dale (League Coordinator) and Howie (League Commissioner and
German Plus player)
Subject: The JIFL Newsletter
"Silent" Dale
Whatever happened last Saturday I don't think that it is the job of the league coordinator to insult an entire team on a website. Your below editorial is poor and demeaning. Seems you did not even bother to get input from both side before writing the article.
What do you hope to achieve with this attack?
Show a little bit more responsibility
Cheers,
Chris
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