Stupid footballer!

Fantastically funny although I am not sure who was "taking the Mickey" out of who?

I think he probably knew exactly what he was doing and it worked as he has had masses of media attention as a result.

PS I once went swimming with him in a hotel pool in Majorca (while he still played for Newcastle) and I didn't have a clue who he was unlike the men sitting around the pool who couldn't wait to ask me what we had chatted about for so long!

I'm not sure it makes him stupid.

My very smart and multi-lingual son, who's here for the weekend from Switzerland where he lives, just yesterday showed me a clip of him (my son) addressing a meeting - it was filmed for training purposes. He was speaking in English to an international group.

I pointed out to him that at times he's almost doing a Joey Barton by occasionally sounding a bit 'foreign'!

Maybe something to do with immersion or empathy?

I have managed to live/work in French speaking countries for close on 20 years, and I have managed to speak English without a French accent! I even manage to speak French with a Salfordian accent!

Oh come on Greatnan not even joust a leetle beet of an accent?

She isn't exaggerating....

I guess I just don't have an ear for languages! (Or music ,much as I love it, I can never hit the right note)

Well I couldn't do such a consistent French accent so hats off to him.

I've noticed DH adopts a foreign accent when speaking English abroad. It's the same accent whichever country he is in.

Oh I've just noticed the subject heading - stupid footballer.

I don't know why people like to find evidence which seems to prove footballers are stupid (especially if it's Mr Beckham).

Two of my grandsons are very keen footballers, both rather intelligent.

No, Petallus, I didn't say all footballers were stupid! Just this one.

And I thought the video was amusing!

I don"t think he is stupid he seems okay to me .

Rather handsome to boot .

Once more - I thought it was funny.

Oh, I meant generally Greatnan. There are often comments in the media, and on Gransnet at various times, about the stupidity of footballers, particularly Beckham.

Why would that be I wonder, more than for other sports like tennis, cricket or golf. It's all physical stuff.

Could it be that footballers are likely to be WC and have funny accents and hairstyles and have no taste (or at least no middle class taste).

Having said that I did think of a reason for the strange behaviour of speaking English with a French accent in France. Some people are quick to pick up accents and maybe this footballer had spent some time having French people speak to him in accented English.

I used to do it as a child, Welsh accent after visiting my grandmother in Wales, American accent after watching lots of cowboy films at the cinema.

Drove my mother mad.

I have not been bowled over by the keen intellect or sparkling personality of most famous sports people. I know there are footballers with degrees - but then there is Wayne Rooney.

One of my best friends lives in liverpool and has a great accent. We chat on the phone regularly. My OH says I speak scouse for an hour after. I can take on an accent like a hat, I don't realise I'm doing it!!

One of my grand-daughters is like that - after a month in Yorkshire she was sounding like a real tyke, but she could revert to her normal accentless voice when needed. After a month in New Zealand, she was a veritable Kiwi! Her three siblings who actually have lived in NZ for two and a half years, still speak without any noticeable accent (they grew up in Kent). They were never bullied when they moved to Yorkshire -in fact they seemed to be regarded as rather exotic, and were often asked to say something in their 'lovely posh voices'.
The only thing I have noticed about myself is that when I am with my sister, who has never lived outside the Manchester area, I tend to revert back to a Lancashire accent, even though I left for good in 1963.

Funny, yes... stupid, no, a bit unfair really.

If this guy speaks French all the time, daily, morning to night with lots of people - then I'm sure this is happening normally and he may not even be aware of it at all. If you live isolated and only speak French from time to time for essential things only, then it is of course very different.

I pick up accents so easily - and I know my English accent has altered quite a lot since we are back in Switzerland, speaking French most of the time- I am in fact very aware of this.

Well he may not be technically stupid but he does sound very rather unpleasant.
This is from Wikipedia:
"His [Joey Barton] career and life have been marked by numerous controversial incidents and disciplinary problems and he has been convicted twice on charges of violence. On 20 May 2008 he was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for common assault and affray during an incident in Liverpool City Centre. Barton served 77 days of this prison term, being released on 28 July 2008. On 1 July 2008 he was also given a four months suspended sentence after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm on former teammate Ousmane Dabo during a training ground dispute on 1 May 2007. This incident effectively ended his Manchester City career. Barton has been charged with violent conduct three times by The FA: for the assault on Dabo, for punching Morten Gamst Pedersen in the stomach and for attacking three players on the final day of the 2011–12 season.2

Do footballers have to murder someone before they get banned for life?

Just very unpleasnt

I know nothing about the guy Jane - and am not a fan of football and even less of (hugely overpaid professional) footballers- so he may well be stupid - but this has nothing with him taking on the accent of where he lives day in, day out.

I have lived in France for many years and I have yet to meet any English person who spoke English with that ridiculous French accent.
BUT IT WAS JUST A JEST!

But it was the word 'stupid' in the thread title which has put some people's backs up! Surely you can undersand that, Greatnan?

understand.