21-06-2016, 12:59
Thanks for that, SCO.
On the question of `no bad publicity`, you`re probably right. in the short term it certainly isn`t going to do the club`s reputation a lot of good and there is the chance of his being found guilty at the end of the retrial which could make the damage more long-lasting. That`s why, although I don`t pretend to be comfortable with the decision and on balance probably wish they hadn`t made it, I actually think that the club`s decision to offer him a contract is a very brave one. They must be thinking, like you (and me, as it happens) that he will probably be acquitted at the retrial and that that will take some of the heat out of the situation. They may be right on that one, they may be wrong.
As regards the the timing of the signing, I was about to go into great detail about why I thought the club moved now rather than waiting until after the trial, but I`ve just seen Dev`s new post so won`t bother. He`s said pretty much what I was going to say, and far more concisely. Also, I really don`t see a problem with Ched Evans playing before the trial. If one us were waiting to go to Court, would we not be allowed to continue working in the meantime? Why should a footballer be any different?
I must say that I didn`t follow the original trial very closely so really don`t have much idea about the evidence on which the conviction was based, but I`ll be following the retrial VERY closely; obviously. I also wasn`t aware of the abuse that the girl had received from the Evans family; if that`s true, I agree that it is completely disgusting and inexcusable. It doesn`t alter my general view, though, about the balance of anonymity allowed to the accuser and the accused in these cases.
By the way, before I forget.
Happy Birthday, Dev
On the question of `no bad publicity`, you`re probably right. in the short term it certainly isn`t going to do the club`s reputation a lot of good and there is the chance of his being found guilty at the end of the retrial which could make the damage more long-lasting. That`s why, although I don`t pretend to be comfortable with the decision and on balance probably wish they hadn`t made it, I actually think that the club`s decision to offer him a contract is a very brave one. They must be thinking, like you (and me, as it happens) that he will probably be acquitted at the retrial and that that will take some of the heat out of the situation. They may be right on that one, they may be wrong.
As regards the the timing of the signing, I was about to go into great detail about why I thought the club moved now rather than waiting until after the trial, but I`ve just seen Dev`s new post so won`t bother. He`s said pretty much what I was going to say, and far more concisely. Also, I really don`t see a problem with Ched Evans playing before the trial. If one us were waiting to go to Court, would we not be allowed to continue working in the meantime? Why should a footballer be any different?
I must say that I didn`t follow the original trial very closely so really don`t have much idea about the evidence on which the conviction was based, but I`ll be following the retrial VERY closely; obviously. I also wasn`t aware of the abuse that the girl had received from the Evans family; if that`s true, I agree that it is completely disgusting and inexcusable. It doesn`t alter my general view, though, about the balance of anonymity allowed to the accuser and the accused in these cases.
By the way, before I forget.
Happy Birthday, Dev