Thierry Henry: a man in no mood to speak following Sunday’s setback
Mar 12, 2012, 7:30 AM EDT
I can’t quite figure out what to think about Thierry Henry’s performance Sunday afternoon in Dallas.
Not the performance on the field, where he had a quiet afternoon but did nicely arrange the Red Bulls only strike in a 2-1 loss FC Dallas. That one we’ll just mark under “Not good, not bad, nothing special.”
No, I’m speaking of his little performance, curt and obtuse, around a couple of reporters in the Red Bulls locker room. (We know for sure it’s a locker room because of PG-13, sexy time shot of Dax McCarty in a towel in background, over Henry’s right shoulder.)
Henry was clearly in no mood to answer questions. On the one hand, I get it. His team had just dropped the opener. He’s a competitive guy. He’s stompin’ mad and he wants to go cool his French heels, maybe enjoy an aperitif and forget about this one.
On the other hand, lots of guys in this league can stand in front of a camera or microphone and answer reasonable questions, win or lose. Damn near everyone, in fact. In general, Major League Soccer is stacked full of folks who understand that professional players and coaches remain soccer’s salesmen and ambassadors. They have some responsibility to “sell” the game, to help it grow and continue to flourish, and part of that is dealing amicably with media. In Major League Soccer, that’s just part of the gig, and few people seem to have a problem with it.
Heck, just in the Red Bulls locker room I talked to three or four other players and to manager Hans Backe. I am positive that none of them were happy to fall at FC Dallas Stadium, but they managed to be courteous, say hello, discuss the loss cooperatively and try to provide some actual, considered responses to questions.
It’s not that difficult. So, as I said, mixed feelings on this one.
Either way, kudos to MLSSoccer.com’s Simon Borg, who wasn’t about to let Henry off easy. Borg pressed and press, trying to get Henry to engage just a little bit more, to help understand what the Red Bulls might do better next time, etc. In other words, Borg did his job.
I’m not certain Henry did his in this case.
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- footballer4ever - Mar 12, 2012 at 9:27 AM
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I saw that interview at the end of the game….there must be more to it than what it meets the eye. Either way, gotta be a professional and ambassador on/off the field….maybe Beckham can show the frenchman some diplomacy. We, the league, not only great footballers, but great ambassadors and personalities.
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- slxc - Mar 12, 2012 at 11:38 AM
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Good broadcast.
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- matthewe08 - Mar 12, 2012 at 2:08 PM
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This shouldn’t come as a surprise, Henry has mentioned in the past how he doesn’t like all the media requirements in America. Always had a history for being a bit of a turd when it comes to that (unless he’s with Arsenal)
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- meeremia - Mar 12, 2012 at 2:21 PM
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Henry’s acting a little less-than-professional here. But in his defense, he’s talking to Simon Borg, who will shamelessly use innocuous quotes to stir up controversy, AND plays without any support from central midfield whatsoever under a coach of questionable intelligence. A rough ride.
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- footballer4ever - Mar 12, 2012 at 3:51 PM
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No type of Media should be understimated. He should know already our football needs all the help needed to make it grow. Being accessible to the media/fans is a requirement. Enough said.
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- vanderdeckenix - Mar 14, 2012 at 7:59 PM
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This is IdiotBorg at his best. Why the hell did you interview Henry? Is it because he’s a DP? If you’re going to ask a Red Bull, try asking Meara how it felt to do some awesome saves, or Cooper how it felt to score against his former team.
I think Henry did a good job being quiet. Knowing IdiotBorg and the rest of mlssoccer.com analysts, they would make a big deal on one wrong word (if there is any) that Henry might have said. Look at Marquez incident last year.
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- inetsalesmaestro - Mar 19, 2012 at 12:59 AM
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“sexy time” and “Dax McCarthy” don’t belong in the same sentence.
