Decode what looks like a quadruple negative please.

January 29, 2012 4:10 PM

Could someone explain the sentence from a Guardian article on yesterday's Liverpool v United cup tie: No Liverpool devotee left the ground wondering what the point was of buying Jordan Henderson or, through gritted teeth, having to steel himself not to admit his dissatisfaction with Carroll in the presence of people who are not fans of the club.
posted by therubettes to Writing & Language (5 answers total)

Best answer: My reading of this would be that the writer is suggesting that given Liverpool's victory, the bleating over Andy Carroll's poor performances will no longer dominate pub discussions involving Liverpool fans. I'm not familiar with Jordan Henderson, but from the tone of the sentence, it sounds like he's either found, or is finding, decent form.

Essentially, the whole sentence needs to be taken as the writer telling you what your average Liverpool fan is thinking.
posted by jaffacakerhubarb at 4:19 PM on January 29, 2012

Best answer: No Liverpool devotee left the ground wondering what the point was of buying Jordan Henderson

Because of this win Liverpool fans now see that Jordan Henderson is a good player.

or, through gritted teeth, having to steel himself not to admit his dissatisfaction with Carroll in the presence of people who are not fans of the club.

Carroll performed so well that Liverpool fans no longer have to pretend they think he is good, out of loyalty to the club.
posted by roofus at 4:20 PM on January 29, 2012 [2 favorites]

Best answer: It's an ugly sentence that stinks of being filed to meet a deadline on the subs' day off, but it's basically juxtaposing presumed gripes against players with their performance in that match. You could disentangle it this way: "Liverpool fans may have wondered what the point was of buying Jordan Henderson; they may have gritted their teeth to avoid admitting dissatisfaction with Carroll to those who aren't fans: none of them will have left the ground feeling that way."
posted by holgate at 4:20 PM on January 29, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks all.....
posted by therubettes at 4:23 PM on January 29, 2012

Wow, backward ran sentences until reeled the mind!
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:52 PM on January 29, 2012 [1 favorite]