'Preparing a bid'

Pepe LeFrits

The front page of the Telegraph’s (total rag) website this morning has an article with the title: ‘Arsenal prepare bid for De La Red’

Seriously, what the hell does that even mean?

Wenger prepares to pick up the telephone? Ken Friar prepares to key in Real Madrid’s fax number? Exclusive - Secretary’s assistant goes to the stationery shop to pick up some headed A4 paper! Big money bid on the way!

It’s one of those phrases that are commonly used in newspapers without actually meaning anything. Another is “set to bid for”. Every time I hear it I imagine the club manager and his board sitting in a board room staring at a telephone, daring each other to dial a number.

“Go on Rafa, give O’Neill a call.”
“No Rick, you do it.”
“No way, I don’t want to talk to him. Let’s send them an email.”
“Okay. Who types it?”
“I dunno. Let’s hire someone.”
“Bueno. I’ll place an advert for a copy-writer.”
“Good idea. The newspapers might get word that we are set to bid for someone though.”

Sorry, but it’s a **** morning and newspapers printing bollocks like this bugs me.

Also, if I see the term “midfield schemer” on skysports.com again today, I might just have to scratch out my eyes.

Xavi6

Swap 'Arsenal' for 'Spurs' and 'de la Red' for 'Corluka' and you're in my world.

Yesterday I ordered the new City shirt with 'Corluka 5' on the back off the website only to be greeted by this bollox this morning. Had to go cancel my order and everything just in case.

PHB

I'd imagine there could be some paperwork involved That might take a day :P

Mitch Connor

I suppose they would have to sort out financies to insure they could meet repayment deadlines for the deal, things like that, before making an official bid. I know clubs would not bid an amount they could not pay, but I would imagine they have to make sure of this type of thing before making a bid.

AnCapaillMor

Maybe if they put preparing to bid instead of bidding, they can't be done for talking sh1te.

If its arsenal, knowing how they go about it, and they're only preparing a bid now we might get him in 2009.


I tell you what else annoys the hell out of me "Skysports\BBC understands that.......".

leninbenjamin

it really depends on the context.

in order to make a bid clubs will have to ensure finances are prepared, probably in the form of getting a short term loan or similar, arranging the security on it, that type of crap. Generally pandering to the banks to ensure the cash is there when they need it.

that's the literal meaning at least. now when it comes to the papers who the f*ck knows... but i did see mentioned elsewhere that tentative discussions were held after the match yesterday.

podge018

also very few bids are straight forward money up front deals anymore, there's all sorts of add-ons and extras that have to be tailored to both clubs satisfaction.

pickarooney

It comes across to me like a shy teenager working up the courage to ask a girl to dance.

zAbbo

Unamed insiders and friends of a player - are other good ones.

I do like the 'BBC has learned' ones - which usually equate to 'BBC was watching Sky Sports News'

The headlines about preparing a bid are usually based on the paper going to print, and them not having a concrete story, but rather trying to pre-empt a story which may happen that morning.

2 weeks later you'll get the smug backpage shot of 'we got it first!'

Tom65

podge018 wrote: »

also very few bids are straight forward money up front deals anymore, there's all sorts of add-ons and extras that have to be tailored to both clubs satisfaction.

Yeah, I think most transfer fees are spread out over several months, and add-ons make it more complicated. I'd imagine once a club have decided to bid for a player they work all that out (plus all the bank stuff).

SectionF

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

The front page of the Telegraph’s (total rag) website this morning has an article with the title: ‘Arsenal prepare bid for De La Red’

Seriously, what the hell does that even mean?

Would it be a good idea to read the teensie type just below the headline in order to find out? I believe the Telegraph still works by this convention.

Pepe LeFrits

SectionF wrote: »

Would it be a good idea to read the teensie type just below the headline in order to find out? I believe the Telegraph still works by this convention.

Have you read the Telegraph lately?

The best you'll get is the cliché described with other classic clichés such as "X understands that...", "Y is thought to be...", and "Z have planned to swoop for..."

Besides, that isn't the point.

SectionF

But isn't most of that coverage just spin?

This so-called 'speculation' is little more than a circus designed to whip up interest and to disguise the fact that there actually isn't any football on yet. (At least not in England ).

The real scandal is that newspapers (and certainly not just the Torygraph) play along with it.

therecklessone

Welcome to the 21st century and the 24 hour "news" cycle.

SectionF

therecklessone wrote: »

Welcome to the 21st century and the 24 hour "news" cycle.

Indeed.
I remember that in the late 20th century this type of nonsense was confined to activities like professional heavyweight boxing. The two idiots -- Mike Tyson and whoever -- who were about to smash the living daylights out of each other in the ring would hurl abuse at each other for weeks in the run-up to the event, as would their promoters. That nutjob with the spikey hair, whose name currently escapes me, was the chief puller of the puppet strings.
Most people saw it for what it was: transparent nonsense aimed at the intellectually challenged and therefore harmlessly (for most) amusing.
Now, it's Fergie v Raffa v Wenger, or whoever pampered celebrity wants to leave/join/stay with whatever overhyped brand. You'd imagine that 21st century sophisticates would see through it.

ArmaniJeanss

SectionF wrote: »

I remember that in the late 20th century this type of nonsense was confined to activities like professional heavyweight boxing.

Maybe we weren't as exposed to the English papers over here until recently, buts it been like this a long time.

My first college summer away was to London in 1988, and I remember being stunned by the amount of transfer speculation on the back pages.

This guy Tony Cottee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Cottee was the Ronaldo/Keane/Barry equivalent of 1988, on the Sun or The Mirror back pages every day for 3 weeks with headlines like 'Tonys a Toffee', 'Cottees a Gunner', 'Pool bag Cottee' swapping between the papers as the big clubs were continually 'putting the final touches to deals' for this star of the English game.
And when he eventually signed for Everton, the next day all the papers had a little picture of the headline from the day they had got it right. 'You read it here first'.

So its been going on for a lot longer than people might realise.