Not sure this really clarifies anything, to be honest
Jake Humphrey has responded to the backlash that followed his ‘tone deaf’ comments about Newcastle United this afternoon.
The BT Sport presenter was anchoring the coverage of Liverpool’s trip to St James’ Park, when he took aim at Newcastle’s critics, saying: “As ever with this club, there are people standing on the sidelines, ready to snipe and have a bit of a pop. At the moment, the way they’re running the club, it’s proving difficult for them, isn’t it?”
Most viewers came to the conclusion that he was referring to the many vocal critics of Newcastle’s new Saudi-led ownership, given the appalling human rights record of the Saudi government, its anti-LGBTQ+ laws and its continued destruction of Yemen. And therefore, suggesting that one cannot criticise the club’s owners if the team are performing well, which they are.
That’s Amnesty International told. pic.twitter.com/qwwT4rJCEA
— Sachin Nakrani (@SachinNakrani) April 30, 2022
The backlash that followed saw many viewers call his comments ‘tone deaf’, but Humphrey has since hit back with an attempt to clarify his comments.
“I appreciate how this clip looks,” he claimed.
“Let me be absolutely clear though,” he continued.
“Eddie Howe has just left us moments before this, we were talking about him, and my praise, my use of ‘they’, was aimed squarely and only at him and his staff.”
I appreciate how this clip looks. Let me be absolutely clear though, Eddie Howe had left us moments before this, we were talking about him, and my praise, my use of ‘they’ was aimed squarely and only at him and his staff. https://t.co/tFhqgVfIVd
— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) April 30, 2022
So, to break it down: Humphrey was saying that Eddie Howe’s work and the improved performance of the players is making it difficult for critics to ‘have a pop’ at the club.
It appears he has still not grasped the reasoning behind why people criticise the club’s owners and the Premier League for allowing such a takeover to happen.
To quote Lee Mason-Thomas, founder of Far Out Mag, “That literally makes no sense.”
That literally makes no sense.
— Lee Thomas-Mason (@LeeThomasMason) April 30, 2022
Another Twitter highlighted what some would deem hypocrisy on Humphrey’s part, drawing attention to the presenter’s profile picture on Twitter, writing: “It’s pure essence of Jake Humphrey to be harrumphing about people who oppose a ruthless director, one who is committing crimes against humanity in prosecuting a terrible war against a smaller neighbour, while himself ‘standing’ in solidarity with Ukraine.”
It’s pure essence of Jake Humphrey to be harrumphing about people who oppose a ruthless director, one who is committing crimes against humanity in prosecuting a terrible war against a smaller neighbour, while himself ‘standing’ in solidarity with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Fl6Rj5OCzh
— Martin Calladine (@uglygame) April 30, 2022
