by RETURN WITH STING?
The first thing to say about Ivan Toney is that he is very good at football. If it wasn’t for Harry Kane, there’s a good chance he’d be the No. 1 striker. 1 by Gareth Southgate, and with what one could imagine a very fruitful (albeit interrupted) quality campaign behind him – meanwhile, in this imagination. In this case, Toney struck a chemistry with Bukayo Saka that made Mikel Arteta and every Arsenal fan go weak at the knees – one could imagine the forward leading England’s charge towards this summer’s Euros. The reality is not much more farfetched. Despite playing for a bus stop in Hounslow, Toney scored more Premier League goals last season than Mohamed Salah, with only Erling Haaland and Kane topping him. And he has risen to join this company via Northampton, Newcastle, then Barnsley, Shrewsbury, Firewall FC, Wigan, Firewall FC (again), Peterborough and finally Brentford. It is not traditionally a well-trodden path to the top.
The second thing to say about Ivan Toney is that he was diagnosed as a gambling addict. He is a criminal and a victim, having collected 232 gambling violations (including 13 times when he supported his own club to lose) which led to a recent eight-month ban from the game. But gambling has an oppressive grip on football, its players, clubs and fans, and Toney is exposed to relentless advertising encouraging people to part with their money. Take his club Brentford: currently sponsored by Hollywood Bets, the Bees will be delighted to have him back in action, with Toney hoping to make his league return this Saturday against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.
The third thing to say about Ivan Toney is that he has a history of making some … interesting statements. The infamous was “Eff Brentford”, an unsolicited comment on the club that pays his salary. In a separate incident, when asked where he was playing football, Toney replied “There’s no exciting place”. Stick that one on a notice board over the Chiswick Flyover. Toney’s return week should be a triumphant one for the Bees, much like their dramatic social media post about the “return” of their king. Perhaps it was a grateful tribute to Brentford, how they stuck with him during a difficult period. Perhaps it could be aimed at Toney kicking the habit, which is more important than any football-related matter. If only. Although Toney showed his gratitude to Brentford, it wasn’t the headlines.
“Obviously I want to play for a top club, everyone wants to play for the best clubs, fighting for titles and things like this,” he said. “So it doesn’t matter this January for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows? But what I do most on the field is my main focus is to let the background work take care of itself.” Oh, Ivan! Less Return of the King, more Lord of the Spin. The latest comments have definitely left many fans with a sour taste. Chances are good that Toney will get his big bucks. The 27-year-old may fail to find his touch again and return to a lower club. We hope not. But as Kurupt FM has shown, anything can happen in Brentford. One minute you’re selling peanut dust, the next you’re on a pre-season tour of Japan.
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STATEMENT OF THE DAY
“I completely understand it. I had to think about it very carefully and I understand that there is a long way to go and we appreciate their support. I would be disappointed to see Eze go because he is one of our best players, but I would also be disappointed if he was injured in the last 30 minutes and couldn’t play against Arsenal ” – Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson addresses the concerns of Eagles fans who traveled to Merseyside for their FA Cup replay at Everton, only to lose 1-0 with a whimper.
DAILY FOOTBALL LETTERS
Re: David Moyes (Yesterday News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). I think I have blamed this VAR stuff. If you lose and you don’t have VAR, it’s because you don’t have VAR. If you lose and you have VAR, it’s because you have VAR. Is there a chance you will lose because the other team scored more goals?” – Roger Noble.
Excellent work by Rob Hamilton and his track record of the fastest, least sloppy and least dirty teams in the Premier League (Football Daily letters yesterday). As Leeds fans, it’s heartening to see that we’re still up there with the big boys (Brighton) despite the best efforts of Big Sam and co, as well as our temporary low status. As for Manchester United, I should point out that teams probably aren’t bothering to waste energy (and possible cards/suspension) fouling them because they all know someone is likely to do them destroy yourself at any moment” – Jeremy Boyce.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter winner is … Roger Noble, who offers a copy of The Africa Cup of Nations: The History of an Underappreciated Tournament, published by Pitch Publishing. Visit their football bookshop here.
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