Gabriel Obertan | 2010/11 Performances

[B Cantona]

This is a classic case of something relatively small irking people because it lacks class. No great thing is made of it, other than that people think its unprofessional. No one has called for Obertan to be beheaded or anything (think of the carnage)

And yet it's whipped into a frenzy by the same old same olds denying anybody the right to take even the slighest umbrage at any little thing that any United players does that might be considered untoward. They then tell us we're being such drama queens, need to get a life etc

How about we're right, it was unprofessional, he's there representing Manchester United and the least he can do is put his full attention into his team mates performance? Zany eh

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Come on PM. We know they haven't committed any major sin...However, it does not look professional for a young footballer to have his headphones on during the game.

That's a fair observation. My problem is with some of the more malicious comments, which have more to do with their most recent performance than anything else.

 

[decorativeed]

Some people can concentrate more whilst listening to music, I know I can, you don't need to pay attention to music, just hearing a beat you know, having that rhythm in your head, for instance professional skiers wear headphones when training, it's actively encouraged.

I can see how that could be beneficial to a skier while training as it sets a tempo. However, Obertan wasn't training and is not a skier.

As for your other point, maybe this is where we differ. I play musical instruments, so when I listen to music, I pay attention to it pretty closely. The idea that people do not and that people write music and others buy it just so it can be on in the background while they do something else more important is bizarre to me. Music seems to have increasingly become just background noise and it's totally unnecessary in most situations.

 

[decorativeed]

That's a fair observation. My problem is with some of the more malicious comments, which have more to do with their most recent performance than anything else.

That's the crux of my argument, but you appear to have missed that.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I can see how that could be beneficial to a skier while training as it sets a tempo. However, Obertan wasn't training and is not a skier.

As for your other point, maybe this is where we differ. I play musical instruments, so when I listen to music, I pay attention to it pretty closely. The idea that people do not and that people write music and others buy it just so it can be on in the background while they do something else more important is bizarre to me. Music seems to have increasingly become just background noise and it's totally unnecessary in most situations.

Might be bizarre to you but I'm afraid that's the way it is, especially for the younger generation who seem to get bored unless they've at least two or three different sensory inputs on the go at the same time.

 

[sincher]

Maybe he could just slyly push one out during the match instead.

 

[decorativeed]

Might be bizarre to you but I'm afraid that's the way it is, especially for the younger generation who seem to get bored unless they've at least two or three different sensory inputs on the go at the same time.

I know - sad thing is I'm only 30.

 

[Sir A1ex]

I've never seen anyone paid to watch football, full stop.
As per my previous post. Not every member of the squad even travels to every away game. They aren't paid to sit in the stands.

What are you on about?

"anyone who has paid to watch a football match", you plank.

The point being, why are none of the 75,000 people in OT every week listening to their ipods, if it's so condusive to watching a match you're interested in?

 

[Sir A1ex]

fecking hell.

We just won 4-0 away from home, Liverpool and Arsenal lose. City don't win. This is apparently what we find time to moan about.

Could be worse, we could be moaning about what other fans are moaning about on a forum.

Oh, hang on...

 

[phelans shorts]

What are you on about?

"anyone who has paid to watch a football match", you plank.

The point being, why are none of the 75,000 people in OT every week listening to their ipods, if it's so condusive to watching a match you're interested in?

Some people listen to radio commentary whilst at the game.

 

[Sir A1ex]

Some people listen to radio commentary whilst at the game.

Yes they do, and it's an outside possibility in Obertan's case, but is there even such a thing as French radio coverage of Premier League matches? Even if there is, there's something strange and unlikely about a squad member being interested in commentary, certainly never seen it before. Most players tend to look down on and ignore punits and commentators from what I've heard.

The massive cans make it a bit unlikely too - I've seen people using in-the-ear headphones to listen to radio commentary, but I've only ever seen big feckers like those used by people listening to music - it's what they're designed for.

 

[TheMancRedDevil]

I saw this on MOTD last night with Bebe on his phone and Obertan listening to his iPod and I wondered if anyone was thinking the same.

It just looked wrong, it looked like they didn't really give a shit what was going on in the game. I was more annoyed with Obertan because it might have been that Bebe was just turning his phone off or he had just received a really important message or something but to be sitting there listening to music while your teammates are out there playing their bollocks off just looked unprofessional, disinterested and disrespectful.

Play the music on the way to the match and on the way home but is it too much to ask that you just turn the things off for 90 minutes?

Having said that, maybe he was listening to the new Radiohead album. In which case, I forgive him.

 

[golden_blunder]

Watching a game and paying full attention is part of their apprentiship. I'd certainly give you a few glances if as a spectator you had your headphones on during a game at the ground.

its called multi-tasking. The way people were posting here you'd swear they can only do one thing at a time

i regularly wear headphones in my office and listen to mp3's. Does that make me unprofessional? No, because the work still gets done. In fact its better that i can drown out the noise of everything else

Is it unprofessional of some surgeons to play music whilst they are performing surgery? No, because the job still gets done

Theres a bunch of fannies on here. The lad is 21, wasn't involved in the matchday squad. I am sure that he is more than capable of listening and watching at the same time.

If he's running around with headphones on whilst he's training, thats a different matter. But in this case he was only a spectator

 

[Sir A1ex]

Having said that, maybe he was listening to the new Radiohead album. In which case, I forgive him.

That would explain the confused look on his face...

"Zis eez zee same band zat did 'Creep', oui?"

(I'm told that's how French people speak)

 

[Sir A1ex]

its called multi-tasking. The way people were posting here you'd swear they can only do one thing at a time

i regularly wear headphones in my office and listen to mp3's. Does that make me unprofessional? No, because the work still gets done. In fact its better that i can drown out the noise of everything else

Is it unprofessional of some surgeons to play music whilst they are performing surgery? No, because the job still gets done

Theres a bunch of fannies on here. The lad is 21, wasn't involved in the matchday squad. I am sure that he is more than capable of listening and watching at the same time.

If he's running around with headphones on whilst he's training, thats a different matter. But in this case he was only a spectator

I ask once again... Why does nobody listen to music at the match?

Nobody. Ever.

 

[phelans shorts]

I ask once again... Why does nobody listen to music at the match?

Nobody. Ever.

Fans don't as they are usually in some way involved with the atmosphere, which they can't do if try are listening to music

Do you think Obertan would be singing along to he big he's bad he's Wesley Brown in the directors box?

 

[golden_blunder]

I ask once again... Why does nobody listen to music at the match?

Nobody. Ever.

who says he was listening to music?

for all we know he could have been listening to an audio book "how to play football for Dummies"

and even if he was listening to music, so what?

Its possible to multi-task.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

What are you on about?

"anyone who has paid to watch a football match", you plank.

The point being, why are none of the 75,000 people in OT every week listening to their ipods, if it's so condusive to watching a match you're interested in?

I don't think it's conducive but how big a distraction is it, really? It's just a game of football. He's not studying Ulysses for an exam.

The comparison with fans makes no sense anyway. At the end of the day these are professional footballers They won't approach going to watch a game in the same way as you or I.

It doesn't look great and my biggest problem is it seems kind of rude to the person he's sitting beside. Although he may well have got the ok from Giggs first, for whatever reason. What I don't agree with at all is all the nonsense about how wearing headphones means he's less likely to learn what he needs to learn from watching the game. That's just silly.

 

[KingEric7]

Spanners. Always something to moan about.

Let's talk about something positive, instead - for example, how Josh King managed to get on the bench ahead of these two. Shows how highly he's rated.

 

[wr8_utd]

Some of the things said about Obertan and Rooney over the last two days are hilarious really. I honestly think that a bit too much is being made over this headphone issue.

And no I don't hero worship Obertan.

 

[K Stand Knut]

The one thing that instantly struck me was 'not very good team bonding this with Giggs sat in the middle of them both'

Then the camera moved off them and I forgot about the two dozy cnuts

 

[surf]

Great photo. Wish those two were 21 instead of Bebe and Obertan.

 

[K Stand Knut]

Great photo. Wish those two were 21 instead of Bebe and Obertan.

Sir Bobby and his missus?

Why?

 

[De Selby]

Who gives a flying feck? Seriously. One of our players decides to listen to some music while watching a match and a bunch of people on here start acting like a Victorian lady who's collapsed onto her fainting couch because she heard Lady Cholmondeley-Smyth sneezed at the local fair without covering her face with a hankie.

Obertan can possibly do two (two, you say!?) things at once. Listening AND watching. And it's not unprofessional, dickheads, it's just a lad listening to his mp3 player.

 

[K Stand Knut]

Who gives a flying feck? Seriously. One of our players decides to listen to some music while watching a match and a bunch of people on here start acting like a Victorian lady who's collapsed onto her fainting couch because she heard Lady Cholmondeley-Smyth sneezed at the local fair without covering her face with a hankie.

Obertan can possibly do two (two, you say!?) things at once. Listening AND watching. And it's not unprofessional, dickheads, it's just a lad listening to his mp3 player.

One good point - it doesn't matter.

One bad point - it's not unprofessional. It is!!!!

 

[B Cantona]

As Selby adds himself to the list of people steaming into the thread whipping this issue into a frenzy, when in fact it was me pointing out this was simply an unprofessional thing to do, dammit I'm going to quote myself...

This is a classic case of something relatively small irking people because it lacks class. No great thing is made of it, other than that people think its unprofessional. No one has called for Obertan to be beheaded or anything (think of the carnage)

And yet it's whipped into a frenzy by the same old same olds denying anybody the right to take even the slighest umbrage at any little thing that any United players does that might be considered untoward. They then tell us we're being such drama queens, need to get a life etc

How about we're right, it was unprofessional, he's there representing Manchester United and the least he can do is put his full attention into his team mates performance? Zany eh

 

[golden_blunder]

I dont hero worship Obertan, Brad

yet, i believe people are having a spaz attack over nothing. i'm sure that the lad can multi-task, maybe some of our knuckle draggers can't

 

[decorativeed]

I dont hero worship Obertan, Brad

yet, i believe people are having a spaz attack over nothing. i'm sure that the lad can multi-task, maybe some of our knuckle draggers can't

I can multi-task. I can chew gum, fart and scratch my nuts at the same time as serving a customer at work, but it just wouldn't sit well with my bosses. Again - it's just simple courtesy, decency and professionalism. That's what I'd expect of United players too.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I can multi-task. I can chew gum, fart and scratch my nuts at the same time as serving a customer at work, but it just wouldn't sit well with my bosses. Again - it's just simple courtesy, decency and professionalism. That's what I'd expect of United players too.

Didn't notice Obertan serving any customers in that clip. Did they have him behind a till in the mega-store afterwards? I know he was shit against Crawley but that does seem a trifle harsh.

 

[datura]

The main thing for me is that it looks very solitary, not part of the team. He has a legend alongside and in front of him that he can discuss the game with etc, and he's sat there listening to music (presumably) and on his phone.

 

[decorativeed]

Didn't notice Obertan serving any customers in that clip. Did they have him behind a till in the mega-store afterwards? I know he was shit against Crawley but that does seem a trifle harsh.

It's not the point I'm making and you know that. It's about simple standards of professionalism. Regardless of whether I managed a shop or a football club, I'd expect the same standards.

 

[Alex]

What are Bebe and Obertan on 20k a week maybe I have no idea, but even if it is less than that, they cant give their full attention for a 90 minute match. It would also probably serve both a world of good as they look about as confused at their as the likes of Manucho, I dont see how you can look at it in any way other than a negative light, although it is fairly trivial, I think it clearly shows that both of them had their minds on things other than football during the game which isnt too much to ask considering how much they are played, and well as the fact that both have been poor so far in their United career.

 

[Amir]

The main thing for me is that it looks very solitary, not part of the team. He has a legend alongside and in front of him that he can discuss the game with etc, and he's sat there listening to music (presumably) and on his phone.

But he's got Giggs around him on a daily basis to discuss these things. He may have removed his headphones after 10 minutes and talked about the game as well. People just assume too much because of a 5-second segment.

Like I said previously, it's the same as when a player is dropped, the camera shows him for five seconds on the bench, and the commentator says he looks unhappy. You don't know how he really was, but they caught him in a good moment for them when he isn't smiling. How many people smile on the bench during a game?

As for using the phones, the game was halted at that moment. Rio twitts during matches when he's in the stands, Lindegaard also twitted during the game (not sure if he was at the stadium). There's absolutely no problem with that, unless we know someone did not even bother watching the game as it was played.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

It's not the point I'm making and you know that. It's about simple standards of professionalism. Regardless of whether I managed a shop or a football club, I'd expect the same standards.

I know what you mean and I was being glib. Still, there is a difference between the standards expected when you're actually doing your job and sitting in a stand watching a football match.

 

[datura]

But he's got Giggs around him on a daily basis to discuss these things. He may have removed his headphones after 10 minutes and talked about the game as well. People just assume too much because of a 5-second segment.

All I said was 'it looked'. I don't think anyone can really defend it, even if it was only for 10 mins. It's incredibly unprofessional.

 

[wr8_utd]

Does anyone have proof of him listening to the video for anything longer than the 5 seconds we were shown?

 

[decorativeed]

I know what you mean and I was being glib. Still, there is a difference between the standards expected when you're actually doing your job and sitting in a stand watching a football match.

I know you were being glib, but I don't think there is a difference. If they are at the game, with the other members of the squad and club seniors like Sir Bobby, wearing club gear then they are, for want of a better expression 'at work', in my opinion and should act in a manner that is appropriate. Like Brad says though, it's not a big deal, I'm just disappointed with them as - trivial as it is - it reflects poorly on them, and ultimately the club. Perhaps as Amir said, it was only for a minute or two, but if you bring your massive cans with you to the stands, there is already the intent there to use them.

 

[Red Defence]

its called multi-tasking. The way people were posting here you'd swear they can only do one thing at a time

i regularly wear headphones in my office and listen to mp3's. Does that make me unprofessional? No, because the work still gets done. In fact its better that i can drown out the noise of everything else

Is it unprofessional of some surgeons to play music whilst they are performing surgery? No, because the job still gets done

Theres a bunch of fannies on here. The lad is 21, wasn't involved in the matchday squad. I am sure that he is more than capable of listening and watching at the same time.

If he's running around with headphones on whilst he's training, thats a different matter. But in this case he was only a spectator

Serious point there.

It's not classed as unprofessional for surgeons to listen to music while doing operations, neither is it classed as unprofessional if surgeons who are still training are listening to music during operations, at the same time as they are observing and learning from their superiors. Sounds strange doesn't it because these people have your life in their hands.....one slip with the knife no less and you could be a gonner.

Reason for that because it is widely known that music is relaxing and helps them concentrate and focus on their work.

Bearing that in mind how can it possibly be classed as unprofessional if a footballer listens to music while concentrating on his fellow professionals in action?

 

[B Cantona]

 

[TheMancRedDevil]

On the evidence of last performance, Obertan is perfectly capable of running, tying his legs in knots AND having no clue where the ball went all at the same time.

Leave off him.

I just think that Obertan and Bebe came in for a lot of stick for their performance the other week and there are some on here who don't think they are good enough to be at United and never will be.

I don't quite know how to put it because I don't know what the word is but just look at that photo posted above. Two United legends are doing one thing and two lads who have it all to prove are doing something completely different.

You might say that it is what they do on the pitch that matters but there's more to it than that so why not take cues from those two men who have seen and done it all?

Or at least give the match your full focus because you never know, you might learn something and I think it's fair to say that both of these players have a lot to learn.