‘Good job I’m used to dressing room banter’
Michael Owen has criticised an under-18s girls’ football coach over a vile comment he tweeted about his daughter Gemma Owen.
Nineteen-year-old Gemma is a contestant on this year’s series of hit ITV2 dating show Love Island, where she is currently coupled up with fishmonger Luca Bish.
Since his daughter’s entrance into the infamous villa, the former Manchester United and England star has remained tight-lipped on how he feels about the situation, though he did recently admit that he doesn’t want to see her kissing on the reality show.
In response to this, however, a Twitter account under the name of Paul Proud wrote: “Can’t wait to see her getting smashed,” alongside a stream of laughing-face emojis and a thumbs-up.
What a fine example to set from a man in your responsible position. https://t.co/wG1s6Tknsp
Of course, Owen was less than impressed with the now-deleted tweet, and shared it to his page, writing: “What a fine example to set from a man in your responsible position.”
Proud’s Twitter account – which has now been deleted – claimed he was a scout and manager for the under 18s academy at Glasgow City FC, a football club for girls and women, and also a former professional player.
The footballer went on to say that Proud’s tweet was among ‘hundreds of examples’ of messages received about his daughter since she entered the villa, with him writing: “I only selected him from of hundreds of examples.
“Good job I’m used to dressing room banter/ taking stick. And you’re right, nobody ever says anything to your face!”
I only selected him from of hundreds of examples. Good job I’m used to dressing room banter / taking stick. And you’re right, nobody ever says anything to your face! https://t.co/MfYTTGfoFr
Social media users were quick to jump to Michael’s defense, slamming Proud’s comment as ‘sickening’ and ‘disrespectful’.
One person wrote: “She’s really good because she’s kept who her family are to herself instead of just trying to use it to win people over. I respect that. I hope this guy coming on now doesn’t ruin that for her.”
Another commented: “To be fair she hasn’t put a foot wrong, she’s a very mature 19 year old, she knows dads watching.”
Gemma was thrown into the centre of a bombshell scandal on the series last night with the arrival of ex-boyfriend rugby player Jacques O’Neill. Love Island continues on ITV2 tonight at 9pm.
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It turns out the Mancunian accent isn’t as beloved as we once thought…
In news that will undoubtedly infuriate one half of the country, a new study is claiming that those with a Northern accent are deemed as ‘less intelligent’ than southerners.
Research by a team at Northumbria University in Newcastle (of all places) has shown that prejudice still exists when it comes to regional accents, with Northerners faring worse than southerners when it comes to judgemental ears.
The four-year project questioned more than 350 people from all walks of life, and played a mixture of Northern and southern speech samples.
Then, recipients were asked to associate positive traits – such as whether they sounded educated or friendly – with those voices.
Sadly, the study found that while Northerners are deemed as ‘friendly and trustworthy’, their accent can also make them appear as ‘less educated’ than their southern counterparts.
It was also found that ‘accentism’ is rife, with most recipients being completely unaware of their ‘unconscious bias’ towards a southern accent.
The project lead, socio linguist Dr. Robert McKenzie, said he was ‘disappointed’ with the findings – a reasonable reaction considering he’s from Glasgow.
Dr. McKenzie explained: “Disappointed is the word that I would use. As a linguist we have been looking at language in this way for the past fifty years.
I'm pretty proud to have a northern accent. When I worked at one of my first jobs I was told to never lose it/cover it because people loved the friendliness & warmth the accent invoked. https://t.co/sAev8V9PlV
“People still think others sound stupid, lack intelligence or ambition or sound unfriendly from the way they speak… It is not based in reality – it is based on social judgements in the wider community.”
Stockport-born MP Angela Rayner has previously spoken about the judgement she faces regarding her own Northern accent, noting how she has been criticised for it by politicians in the past.
Writing on social media earlier this year, the deputy Labour leader said: “I’ve been on the media this morning so my accent and grammar are being critiqued.
“I wasn’t Eton educated, but growing up in Stockport I was taught integrity, honesty and decency.”
Liam is still invited ‘with open arms’, however…
Noel Gallagher has been banned from China for life after being classed as an ‘enemy of the people’.
The former Oasis guitarist received a letter from the Chinese government stating he is banned because he is an enemy of the Chinese people as a result of his performance at the 1997 Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York.
However, his brother Liam is still permitted to visit China whenever he pleases after he turned down the invitation to appear at the gig.
Noel only realised his predicament in 2009 when Oasis were due to go on tour in Beijing and Shanghai – there, officials within the Chinese Ministry of Culture branding the band as ‘unsuitable’ to perform.
A post shared by Noel Gallagher’s HFB (@themightyi)
The singer-songwriter told The Daily Star: “I’m an enemy of the people. I only found out I was banned when Oasis got invited to go to China a good twenty years ago.
“We’d agreed to go and all the paperwork came and you had to send through a list of your songs and the Chinese government sent you back a list of songs that weren’t appropriate and we’d agreed to do all that.
“About a month before we were about to leave I got a letter saying you lot can come but you can’t because of this thing you did for the Tibetan people.
“I’d forgot I’d even done it! The reason that they didn’t want you there was in case you started spouting off some pro-Tibetan s**t.
A post shared by Noel Gallagher’s HFB (@themightyi)
“I was like, ‘Mate, I’m not even interested in Tibet, I’m not arsed just let me go’.
“I’ve got a letter somewhere from the Minister of The Interior saying, ‘You are an enemy of the people’, or something like that. The rest were invited with open arms.”
Noel added that he’d only played the Free Tibet Concert because Liam and none of his former bandmates could be bothered to do it.
He recalled of his solo gig: “I walked out on stage in front of 50,000 people and as I walked out I thought, ‘Why have I agreed to do this? I’m not even the f***ing singer. I’ve got a Marshall stack and I’m going to do ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Cast No Shadow’.
“As I remember I only did about three or four songs, but it felt like it was about four hours long.”
The plant has been known to grow in local parks across the region
A Bolton primary school has issued a warning after one of its pupils was left with horrific burns after coming into contact with ‘Britain’s most dangerous plant’.
The four-year-old girl was playing in Longsight Park in the Harwood area when she touched the toxic giant hogweed plant, resulting in severe blistering on her hand and fingers.
The child later required hospital treatment as a result of her injuries.
The incident has since prompted Hardy Mill Primary School to issue a warning to parents about the plant, saying in a statement: “One of our children has sadly been in contact with this plant over the half term break and ended up at the hospital with second degree burns.
“Please look out for this plant in your garden and when out and about with your children.
“We have been informed that this plant is definitely growing in Longsight Park. It would be helpful to show your children what this plant looks like so they can avoid coming into contact with it.”
Read More: Parents warned over toxic plant that causes severe burns and blisters after it’s spotted in Greater Manchester
Giant hogweeds are recognisable for their long stems bearing large umbrellas of white flowers, and look completely harmless.
The weed has been known to grow up to 20ft tall, with each giant hogweed plant having the capacity to spread out to cover a range of around two metres, making it hard to avoid in green spaces.
Despite its pleasing aesthetics, however, the plant harbours a toxin-bearing sap that causes horrendous blistering burns, even from gentle contact.
The effect of the sap is often not immediate, with blistering usually occurring within twenty-four to forty-eight hours after exposure.
The burns can last for several months and can leave the skin itchy, sore, and overly sensitive to UV light for many years.
And if the plant comes into contact with the eyes, it can cause sight issues and, in severe cases, partial blindness.
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