Stuart Barnes

[Adamspoon]

Could someone please enlighten those of us who have no idea what you are all talking about? What heinous scout realated faux pas did Barnes commit?

[Noggs]

Im sorry but this thread is a joke, and i believe there wouldn't be so much uproar if it was say Will Greenwood who said it. Like most people im not a fan of Stuart Barnes, but it seems to me that some people are just desperate to find any reason to attack the guy on here some times.

Don't need a reason. The man's an

[me2]

I agree that the comments shouldn't have been made.

Good.

But unlike some other people on here Bill, I have actually heard the comments that he made & do not feel the need to be disgusted by them.

They were nowhere near as bad as people have made them out to be & probably wouldn't have been jumped on had the same things been said by someone who was "liked" on this forum.

[Johannesburg]

I was also in the Scout organisation for years and a awarded the Queens Scout award.

Maybe Stuart Barnes dreamt of wearing a skirt in the Girl Guides.

[retired fullback]

Didn't hear "Shut Up" Barnes comments. Was he talking about Northampton Old Souts RFC?

[Bill W (2)]

I was also in the Scout organisation for years and a awarded the Queens Scout award.

Maybe Stuart Barnes dreamt of wearing a skirt in the Girl Guides.

Hi Jo'burg. Welcome to the forum.

Not sure we want to delve into S. Barnes' fantasies!!

Stuart Barnes was a good player and unlucky that Rob Andrew learnt to kick. Barnes was a more creative and "natural" fly half IMHO. As a commentator he is hardly unbiased and often has the unfortunate habit of stating the blindingly obvious (INMO). Nonethless some of his analysis is quite perceptive (again IMHO).

My immediate reaction on hearing his comments was "That is out of order". I would suspect he has already made a suitable apology and donation to the Scouts.

[DickyP]

"a gratuitously insulting and sneering attack"?!?

Honestly?


I agree that the comments shouldn't have been made but I have heard far worse said by (sporting and non-sporting) commentators in the past about equally venerable institutions without so much as a mutter from the listening/viewing public.

I agree I have heard worse and that's why I chose my adjective carefully - I didn't say it was a hanging offence - I said it was 'gratuitous' (Concise Oxford English Dictionary: Uncalled for; Unwarranted;Lacking good reason) rather than something stronger. It just should not have happened! I still believe that an youth organization with 28 million members worldwide is deserving of more than sneering throw-away dismissal in the middle of a rugby commentary. In truth I suspect that SB was trying to be humorous - he failed!