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Stan Collymore warns to 'tread lightly' after what happened to Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch
Stan Collymore doesn’t think it was as fun as people make out for Leeds United manager J’We’d have been up in arms’ – Collymore in bizarre reaction after what Leeds boss Marsch saidesse Marsch to be invited to the set of Ted Lasso in London.
Marsch has regularly been compared to the fictional American football manager and he told ESPN ahead of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Wolves that he’d been asked to watch the filming of the series amid comparisons.
However, Collymore feels that it’s dangerous to tick boxes in the way it has been for Marsch.
Writing for the Sunday People on 7 August (page 59), Collymore said: “The first thing you think when you hear Jesse Marsch was invited to the Ted Lasso set when they were filming in London is, ‘Well, he’s American, white and a football coach, it’s all just a bit of fun…’
“But if Lasso was a pastiche of a black, female or Muslim character and they’d invited someone to the set because they ticked the same boxes, we’d have been up in arms, so therefore we need to tread lightly when comparing the Leeds boss to Jason Sudeikis’ alter ego.”
Oh come on
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This is all ifs and buts to make something that’s a bit of harmless fun look as though it could be dangerous.
Collymore is trying to make something out of nothing here.
There were no black managers, female managers or Muslim managers compared to TV characters so where Collymore has got that from is bizarre.
Marsch was being compared to Lasso in a demeaning way because it was an attempt to talk down an American showing his face in English football.
But he took the poor attempts at an insult with good humour, which is something that should be applauded really.
Marsch tackling the Ted Lasso insults head-on has kind of quietened them down.
Of course, if things start to go south for Leeds this season then the comparisons may come back because in the first season of Ted Lasso, his team is relegated from the Premier League.
But based on what we saw against Wolves on Saturday (6 August), we might be just fine in the battle against the drop.
In other Leeds United news, a deal for this senior player to quit Elland Road is all but done.