Kaboul has nothing wrong with his social media fingers at least. Currently getting ripped to shreds by Spurs fans for his further adverse comments about Pochettinno's man management style. They have a point. Should this guy make the 25 man squad?
On a more positive note there is a great 2 page article in The Times this morning by Henry Winter after interviewing Bobby Pereyra. If you need any further proof that he is an all round class act read that piece. Makes me feel we are going to achieve something at Burnley for a change.
Pt 1: Save Roberto Pereyra gives his address as “London, made in Argentina”. One of the stars of the opening weekend of the Premier League, after two eye-catching goals for Watford against Brighton & Hove Albion, Pereyra enjoys life in England and posts smiling selfies outside Big Ben, but the memory of overcoming adversity in his early years drives him. He was made specifically in Barrio Soeme, “always chasing a football” in San Miguel de Tucumán, 800 miles by road from Buenos Aires. Such are his roots deep in the city that he is known as “El Tucu” to many back home. At Watford, they love “Maxi”, whether fans thrilling to his attacking to training ground canteen staff, such as Linnette and Sharon, who smother him in huge hugs, and players such as Troy Deeney. “Maxi has a very interesting backstory,” Deeney says. Pereyra does not speak the best of English, but is hugely popular because of his happy demeanour, the dance moves he shows post-match, and humility of a player who has counted Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo as team-mates and who has even been granted an audience with the Pope. Pereyra is also so liked because Deeney and company know how hard he fought to make it as a pro. “There were difficult days, tough times in the barrio, especially when there was no money, and no jobs for my father or mother,” Pereyra recalls. Tucumán is a city that is very humble, very poor. When I went to the training ground [the local club UTA], I used to borrow a bike to get there and borrow boots to play. Football was always my dream.” At 15, Pereyra left home to make his way at Club Cadetes de San Martín in Mar del Plata. Trips were not exactly simple. “It was 1,600 kilometres away and I took a bus that took 20 hours. What did I do on the bus? Nothing. I was just on the phone, sending messages, listening to music, eating. I made a lot of sacrifices but football was always my life. I dreamt of what I’m doing now, and that is why I so love what I’m doing now.
Pt 2 Argentina always produces players. It’s South America. Football is life there. If you want to become a top player, you sacrifice everything. If it rains, you have to go training, and train in the rain. If you don’t have a bike or car to get to the training ground, you have to walk there. I know many great talents around the streets but ultimately they didn’t make it because they didn’t have the right attitude. You have to have the hunger. “My parents passed on to me lots of values. They taught me to work hard. They taught me the importance of respect, and always to respect other people. Sometimes I make mistakes but it was not because of them. It was because of myself. This is why I am very happy that I can now help my parents. I go out every day wanting to work to make them glad.” After developing at Club Cadetes, the 17-year-old Pereyra signed for River Plate, an emotional moment for him and his family. “In my house everyone is a River Plate fan. And a fan of Ariel Ortega.” The charismatic attacker, Pereyra’s idol, a mix of skills and combustible moments, was back at River Plate for his third spell when the impressionable youngster signed. “My father said, ‘Watch Ortega, try and imitate him, play like he does.’ I was lucky enough to play with him at River Plate. I learnt.” Pereyra also learnt pain. He was at El Monumental in 2011 when the club, an Argentine footballing institution, were relegated for the first time in their 110-year history. Fans reacted angrily to the decisive draw with Belgrano, charging riot police, who responded with water cannon. The ignominy was too much to bear. Pereyra’s habitual smile disappears. “It was a catastrophe. It was a very hard moment, a very sad moment. But we were a very young team, and weren’t really aware of how serious it was. Now I am older and more mature I understand how serious the situation was. There was a lot of a shame playing for such a big club as River Plate to have such a result.”
Pt 3 Such is Pererya’s love of River Plate that in April he responded with delight when the club sent him a certificate of loyalty, a member’s card and a River Plate shirt. That connection means so much. Back in 2011, amid the fallout of relegation, Pereyra was sold on, heading to Udinese. “Moving to Europe, there were bad moments,” he says. “I was homesick. Being away from my family was difficult. Even now I feel it. I grew used to it. I have my own family now, I have a child, a son, and I am glad with my life, but I try to get in touch with my family [in Tucumán] every day, so I don’t miss them so much.” Good performances over three seasons at Udinese brought a loan move in 2014 to Juventus, and six goals in 54 appearances that season, including Serie A and Coppa Italia glory. “It was a great experience playing with great players such as Pirlo and Pogba, I watched them closely and learnt a lot from them. Pirlo was so good with the ball. Juventus was all about possession with the way we moved the ball, attacking the goal, but unfortunately I don’t kick the ball as Pirlo does. The winning mentality that Pirlo and Pogba had was special. It was an amazing season. We won everything apart from the Champions League.” Pereyra came on for the last 11 minutes of the final in Berlin in the 3-1 defeat by Barcelona and Messi. “Messi is special, he has a natural talent that only Diego Maradona had. Everything Messi does he makes look easy, even the most difficult things.” Pereyra has played with him, as well as against. Some of the moments of his Argentina career he proudly displays on Instagram, images of him keeping Brazil’s Filipe Luís at bay while Messi awaits a pass, and celebrating victories in the dressing room with Messi, Sergio Ag*ero and Carlos Tévez. famous shirt. “Well, yes, yes. It is a great honour to wear that shirt. How do I explain it? I can explain how proud I felt looking at my mother and father, who were so happy. And I was so happy to make them so proud.” He loved every one of those ten caps, and at 27, clearly has time and the desire for more. He grieves when the team struggle, and understands the fans’ frustration. “There is huge pressure playing for Argentina. There is so much passion in every person in Argentina for the national team. Everyone. Everywhere. All the fans would do anything for the national team, even sacrifice their job, to go and watch the team.” His proudest moment came in helping Argentina to reach the 2015 Copa América final in Chile, where they lost to the hosts. Then Pereyra moved permanently to Juventus, winning another double in 2016 and being presented to Pope Francis at the Vatican. Injuries and selection persuaded him to move on, signing for Watford for £13 million. From the Vecchia Signora to Vicarage Road was clearly a step down. “I know it’s a different club,” Pereyra says. “But when I moved from Juventus to here, I didn’t think about what kind of club I was going to, I just wanted to play.” He scored on his debut, against Arsenal, but injuries limited his involvement to 13 appearances in 2016-17, yet last season, especially under Javi Gracia, Pereyra became more involved, finishing strongly. Of Watford’s past six league goals, he has scored five and assisted the other. “It takes time to adapt to a new place, as soon as you get used to all the people working here it becomes fine, and everything gets better.”
Pt 4 All the talk of Richarlison fading towards the end of last season and then leaving for Everton did not cause too many palpitations among Watford fans. They realised that Pereyra could slot in on the left. “I like that position best, it’s definitely the position I feel more comfortable with, and I hope to keep playing that position,” he says. Pereyra began the season in spectacular style, unleashing a volley from a well-worked corner routine. “We worked on it during the week. We’ve been working so hard in pre-season. They [pundits] have been talking about Watford getting relegated but it doesn’t affect the players. We know our targets. At the end of December, you’ll see where we are. You’ll see what we are fighting for. Based on the players we have, the players we’ve signed, and all the people working here you’ll see we will have a great season. It’s not going to be easy for other clubs to play us.” There is a camaraderie in the Watford dressing room, helped by characters and leaders such as Deeney. “There is a great humour in the changing room, I don’t speak English very well so I never understand what he and the others are saying. So even when they joke, I just look at them and laugh.” And dance. Pereyra is known as being one of the last out of the changing room after training and games. “Yes, I dance. We are just chilling, turn on some music. I have my favourite songs from Argentina. My favourite is Ulises Bueno, a singer known only in Argentina. His music is special.” Pereyra plays Bueno’s music at Watford from a unique set of dog-shaped speakers which he carries under his arm. He is quite a flamboyant character, wearing glasses on a chain around his neck and sporting trainers embedded with studs. But he is low-key. “I just love relaxing at home with my son,’’ he smiles. Resident in London but made in Argentina. So what does he miss of Tucumán, of his homeland? “I miss the environment in Argentina, the way we live there, the asado [barbecue], the grill with Argentine meat, and with all the families there. As long as you are there with the asado, anything can be happening and you are happy.”
He shouldn't feel too alone with Lamela, Foyth and Lanzini nearby for a communal asado. Cumbia is a very popular music genre in Argentina having originally been imported by Colombian musicians in the mid twentieth century. It is most popular in a style called cumbia villera which deals with social issues among the communal poor in Argentinian cities. Here is the said Ulises Bueno: It is also not true that all Argentinian footballers are from a poor background. Players like the great Fernando Redondo and Pablo Aimar for example were from wealthy upper class families, the former from a family of businessmen the latter medical practitioners. Thanks for the article GOBE.
Thanks GOBE. Yet another player lining up to stress how hard they've worked in pre-season and how good the atmosphere is around the place. Certainly reflects well on Javi.
Two things. I like him more. This gives us a lot of insight into him And how things currently are with the squad
99 is the name rather than the price. The inconvenience of handling out change means prices from ice cream vans will almost always be in round numbers so 99p would have been a non starter. At the risk of revealing my identity, I was the Cadbury’s Flake brand manager in the mid 80s.
That’s disgusting. To help arouse sensitivities and increase sales, surely a young RD wouldn’t try to imply that a piece of chocolate could represent a part of the male anatomy. A young man with this sort of subliminal thinking in the 80’s would go far .....
Think it's an age thing, seductive young ladies still have an effect but maybe not to the lengths they did in my youth.
After some discussion, it was agreed that I should remain behind the camera. I did get the final vote on the model, though.
Good idea but no. Whilst there is a bog on board, people would get suspicious at the smell after and the bumpy coach ride wouldn't help.
So today. A scrappy 1-0. Either to us, or to them. Or a scrappy 0-0. But definitely scrappy. More bookings than goals.
Bit boring as it'll be an easy 3-0 win to us, Burnley won't fancy it with Europa Cup qualification on the horizon. First challenge won't be till Spurs.
