CHATTY MEN<\/p>\n
Back in the 1990s, when sitting in a TV studio chair gravely intoning that \u201cyou\u2019ll never win anything with kids\u201d became fashionable, Manchester United fans took grave exception to what they viewed as the excessive number of highly decorated former Liverpool players being given a platform<\/a> from which to pontificate because they felt they were all too biased. Fast forward to the present day and increasing numbers of United fans are similarly miffed by the ubiquity of highly decorated former players from their own club because they\u2019re not biased enough. Of course the advent of podcasts and round-the-clock subscription TV means there are far more jobs for the boys available and no shortage of United alumni have been recruited. We have now reached a point of such super-saturation that even Paul Scholes, who maintained an almost heroic public silence throughout the entirety of his playing career, seems unable to keep quiet.<\/p>\n Contrary to what some would have you believe, listening to Scholesy, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Nicky Butt or Rio Ferdinand opine on the state of United is not compulsory, but such is their ubiquity and high profile that for anyone with even a passing interest in football, they are almost impossible to avoid. Their status as United legends often confers a wisdom upon their every utterance that is undeserved and it is increasingly common for journalists to fire the opinions of these former pros at struggling United managers in a bid to get a reaction. While the regulars on The Overlap and The Good, The Bad and The Football podcasts might view what they do as little more than a lucrative hustle in which they are asked to do nothing more taxing than chat football among friends, what they say carries weight and is even rumoured to influence decisions made in the United boardroom. However, as happy as they are to dish out stick, it seems not all these United old boys are quite as prepared to accept it in return.<\/p>\n Speaking on their podcast before the Manchester derby<\/a>, Scholes and Butt joked harmlessly about the disparity in height and stature of the giant Erling Haaland and comparatively small Lisandro Mart\u00ednez as they wondered what kind of humiliations the former might visit upon the latter over 90 minutes at Old Trafford. As luck would have it, Haaland only lasted for 80 before being hooked to a chorus of jeers. The Norwegian\u2019s ineffectiveness was due in no small part to the number done on him by his diminutive, World Cup-winning marker. Upon being invited to comment on the pre-match ribbing to which he\u2019d been subjected by The Good, The Bad and the Football\u2019s answer to Waldorf and Statler, Mart\u00ednez pointed out that while they are both welcome to say whatever they like on their podcast, he also invited Scholes and Butt to call around to Mart\u00ednez Mansion and criticise him to his face<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think when someone gets so upset about something in the media or a podcast \u2026 to come out and say, \u2018They can say what they want\u2019 and \u2018Come to my house\u2019 and all that \u2026 [effing] grow up,\u201d chirped an in-no-way upset Butt, who appeared to interpret Mart\u00ednez\u2019s fairly mild-mannered post-match quotes as a threat of violence. \u201cI\u2019m [effing] 50, I\u2019m not going knocking on someone\u2019s house saying can we have a chat. It\u2019s ridiculous. And if you\u2019re going to get that precious, you better be [sh!t] hot every week.\u201d Scholes, meanwhile, said he\u2019d messaged Mart\u00ednez on some social media disgrace or another but had yet to receive a reply. On the plus side, of course, neither Scholes nor Butt appear to be even remotely upset by any public criticism they are shipping for the public criticism they are only too happy to dole out.<\/p>\n LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE<\/p>\n Join Barry Glendenning from 5.45m GMT for minute-by-minute updates on Bod\u00f8\/Glimt 0-2 Manchester City in Bigger Cup, then at 8pm Rob Smyth will be on hand for Tottenham 0-1 Dortmund and Will Unwin will have all the goals from the other games, including Inter v Arsenal, in his clockwatch.<\/p>\n QUOTE OF THE DAY<\/p>\n \u201cI made a mistake against Barnsley but I have to make it clear it wasn\u2019t disrespectful in my opinion and I would do the same against Arsenal, [Manchester] City and against Chelsea as well\u201d \u2013 Dominik Szoboszlai makes Liverpool fans shudder by suggesting he\u2019d happily come bringing gifts in his own six-yard box against elite Premier League rivals, too. The midfielder also confirmed talks are progressing<\/a> over a new contract Anfield but \u201cno decision\u201d has been reached over his future yet.<\/p>\n Dominik Szoboszlai would do it again, maybe even in training for Liverpool\u2019s trip to Marseille. Photograph: Jan Kruger\/Getty Images<\/p>\n On the grounds that it is better for a Stockport County fan to post this<\/a> rather than someone who will take the mickey, the own goal scored by Rotherham on Saturday was very funny, but it didn\u2019t matter. Here it is, ho ho ho. Funnily enough I had just been pondering on the absence of comedy OGs in recent years at Edgeley Park. Has there been a more ludicrous one this season?\u201d \u2013 Dan Levy (not that one).<\/p>\n To whomever is meant to be in charge: by all means fiddle around with offside, meddle with the last-man red card or dabble with the yellow card goal thingy but please, please, please turn your attention to the WWE shenanigans that happen every time there is a corner. We may well roll our eyes at the events in the Afcon final but the players there acted like proper gentlemen compared with the childish behaviour shown in Premier League penalty areas. Back to a darkened room for me\u201d \u2013 Nick Smyth.<\/p>\n I was relieved to learn that, when faced with the question Ta Bi or not Ta Bi, Sunderland decided in the affirmative<\/a>. In football as in life, \u2018tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune\u2019\u201d \u2013 Peter Oh.<\/p>\n If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com<\/a>. Today\u2019s winner of our letter o\u2019 the day is \u2026 Dan Levy, who lands some hot Football Weekly merch. Terms and conditions for our competitions are here<\/a>.\u200a<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED LISTENING<\/p>\n