I worked with an Irish guy and his nickname was "Yes Geoff", as nobody could understand a single word he said, everyone just said "Yes Geoff" to him
The following quote doesn’t read anything like he’s looking for an excuse to drop him ‘But it would be a big blow if he’s out, we would miss a top player and his leadership too’ Think some people just read things that simply aren’t there
When I was living down in Burlingame, just down the road from San Francisco, I had good friends from Waterford. She was fine, but I struggled to understand him; especially after he'd had a few. I just used to nod my head and laugh or grimace at the appropriate time, mirroring his expressions. To add a further twist, most of the restaurant staff here are Hispanic, and for some reason (Black Irish, maybe) they thought he was Mexican. Thing was, they couldn't understand him either, as they probably thought he was speaking some strange Spanish dialect. Ah, Happy Days!
Then there's the time when I went out for a few beers with my mate from Sunderland. His accent is fine, but we went drinking in a bar playing loud (and I mean LOUD music). I couldn't here a single word he said, so I just nodded and said "Yeah mate" all night. Imagine my surprise when the next morning he asked when I was arranging the week's holiday for us two and 2 other mates! I knew nothing about it!
Media flannel. Intermate your Captain might be out through injury and it would be a blow should he be out. That way no one bats an eyelid when he's on the bench on Friday.