Chelsea fan Clive O’Connell has been sacked today for his foul-mouthed video rant aimed towards Liverpool supporters that included calling them ‘Scouse scum’. Sam McGuire on an award-winning lawyer who let his professional mask slip.
Bret Easton Ellis wrote American Psycho in 1991, It was made into a film in 2000 and there’s rumours it may be getting a remake in 2017. Three different decades and yet the message it conveys has, and will be, topical every single time.
There’s a theme in the novel about donning a metaphorical mask to fit in when working in the corporate world. The charade gets too much and the real person eventually surfaces. Obviously the novel goes to the extreme to hit the point home but the Clive O’Connell debacle isn’t too dissimilar to the story of American Psycho.
Clive, an award-winning corporate lawyer, shows the world the real man behind the lawyer masquerade in a series of blog posts. Under the pen name ‘Driver on the Wing’s’ he uses match previews to actually preview the people of the area the club is situated. I’m not sure about you but the fact Stoke statistically leads the charts for prostitutes and sex workers in Britain means absolutely nothing to me in a match preview.
He uses his blog as a way to get across the disdain and contempt he has for large parts of the country. He uses a different method to that of the lead character in the novel but both are intent on belittling and devaluing those they feel are inferior to them.
He’s definitely the sort to have Silian brail on his business card.
When International law firm Goldberg Segalla broke the news that outspoken Chelsea fan, Clive O’Connell, had been dismissed following on from his outburst on fan TV after the Chelsea defeat to Liverpool, you had large accounts, the same ones that chastised him for such comments, now saying it was out of order.
“There’s no law about being a dickhead. If my employers read my Twitter I’d be sacked.”
“Modern society is screwed, I thought we had freedom of speech and there’s a man there losing his job for getting caught up in the heat of the moment.”
“It’s just football rivalry.”
Wrong.
I’m not sure how you can defend a man in the position he’s in that not only branded Liverpool supporters “Scouse scum” he also implored them to “crawl back to your horrible Merseyside home”.
Mr O’Connell of course apologised and said his quotes had been passion fuelled and didn’t represent him as a person. Which is correct. Usually Mr O’Connell had a far better handle of the English language. When blogging he made his thoughts on Liverpool as a city abundantly clear.
“Your short malnourished and impoverished life in some war torn, tropical hell hole may seem bad, but thank everything holy, you are not in Merseyside.”
“It has long amazed me that (Nigel) Farage and his fellow nut jobs complain about hard working industrious people who bring their education and drive to improve our country’s economy while tolerating the indolent undereducated masses lounging around on Merseyside (a place he calls ‘self-pity city) at tax payers’ expense.”
He also felt it necessary to say the Scouse accent is an assault on the ears, compare all older Scouse gentlemen as looking like Jimmy Saville and calling Liverpool as a City, inbred.
Charming isn’t he? He’s doesn’t have a vendetta though, he shows distain for other parts of England too. Once again Mr O’Connell shows his true self whilst online.
Talking about Crystal Palace fans he states they’re pointless and “bury dead bodies underneath their patios.”
Not content with calling Palace fans he goes on to label those living in Croydon as “mundane and having a pointless existence”.
“For years and generations they have toiled, up early to catch their train to London, working nine to five before the train home to their loveless marriages and their rebellious children who in turn tire of rebellion and settle down to dull uninteresting lives that reflect the lives of their parents and that last them until death and give them the opportunity to see their children and grandchildren following the well-worn furrow towards unrewarded obscurity.”
On both occasions Clive has turned football rivalry into an attack on a City and part of a City. This is deep-seated resentment, almost hatred for these areas of England and he uses football as a tool to air these views.
Goldberg and Segella released a statement which alluded to Mr O’Connell’s comments as not being consistent with the company’s ethos. If you look on their website that have an entire page on why diversity matters. “We will continue to innovate and to improve diversity in law and business – both within Goldberg Segalla and across the communities in which we live and work.”
Let’s not pretend though that the law firm didn’t dismiss Mr O’Connell due to the fact his presence in the company was now bad for business. As a Scouser I wouldn’t be looking at that firm to represent me in any way, shape or form because there would be a seed of doubt in my mind. Would I get the same treatment as somebody with a London accent?
It’s 2015 and there’s still prejudice when it comes to accents and dialects within England yet people wonder why Sexism and Racism is still rife. If people can’t get over pre misconceptions about dialects then we’re fighting a losing battle aren’t we?
People may feel Mr O’Connell was hard done by but this is a man that’s been spouting his vile putrid online for years. He’s a troll and an antagonist with radical views, not designed to evoke a reaction for ‘banter’ but because these are his beliefs. The Palace comments were flagged up in April 2014 and reported in a local paper before the piece was taken down.
An arrogant man with inflated self worth and entitlement that’s finally got his comeuppance due to the fact Liverpool fans dared to chant about Jose Mourinho getting sacked sent him into a narcissistic rage. His mask finally slipped. Common sense would dictate if you’re a lawyer and you held these values you wouldn’t be stupid enough to turn them into articles and participate in fan videos.
Do you agree with Sam? Or do you believe that a supporter should always be allowed to be a supporter no matter his views or profession?
Let him know on Twitter @SamMcGuire90
