English media's affect on English football

Dots1982

Did a blog on the subject above. Feedback appreciated.

Media fascination with Adnan Januzaj’s Nando’s Dates and Yaya Toure’s Birthday cakes betrays English Football’s ambitions



Eamon Dunphy called English football a soap opera on Wednesday following Chelsea’s Champions League exit. He did this to address what he saw as the overblown melodrama of English football which is used, as he saw it, to mask the lack of quality within England’s top clubs.

On Sunday, as if to prove Eamon’s point, The Sun newspaper ran a front page headline including camera phone footage of Wayne Rooney seemingly getting knocked out in his own kitchen while having an impromptu boxing match with a fellow footballer. Rooney didn’t seem to mind this intrusion by a newspaper that had twice previously broken stories of Rooney’s infidelity with prostitutes. He played along with the joke in his goal celebration on Sunday afternoon by falling on his back much the same as he had in the aforementioned video.

The subtle point that Eamon appeared to miss is just how English Football’s subjucation to the media might be a big factor in what holds back their club teams from being able to get the better of the best European clubs. If Lionel Messi is to consider leaving Barcelona for Chelsea, as was mooted a few months back, will he be prepared to trade his personal privacy for an extra €100,000 or so a week? The Spanish press stay out of Messi’s life and that’s the way most footballers like it. For instance Messi’s tax issues aren’t hugely pursued as a story in Spain, compare that with the scoffing John Terry suffers for something trivial like when he changes into his kit having being unable to play due to suspension after the Champions league final. Stories such as Oliver Giroud’s pre-match preparations in a team hotel with a glamour model or Jack Wilshere’s smoking habit are all interchangeable tittle-tattle that English papers thrive off which foreign papers would have no interest in publishing.

Luis Suarez stated in an interview during the week that the English press was the reason he took himself to Spain away from what he felt was the unfair treatment he received for the Evra and biting incidents. While we may have our own feelings about the lack of personal responsibility Suarez displays in such sentiments, there is no doubt that he would have received far less negative press coverage for this behaviour if he had been playing in Spain. If you don’t believe me then I refer you to the recent incident with Arda Turan “forcefully” throwing his boot at a linesman in a tense game with Barca and only receiving a yellow card and no further disciplinary action. Can you imagine the outcry in England’s media outlets if a high profile player launched his boot at a linesman?

The press in Spain, Italy or Germany do not have this “outrage gene” or the “it’s the public’s right to know” attitude. Take the recent example of Malky Mackay’s and Dave Whelan’s racial/religious remarks which brought out a huge media response and have negatively affected both individual’s lives in football even after grovelling apologies. Stand this against Arrigo Sacchi who’s comments about there being too many black players in Italian youth teams was met with an uninterested response from Italian media despite his high profile. While Mackay and Whelan shouldn’t be excused since they were heavily racist in what they said, you only have to look at poor Roy Hodgson’s name being temporarily impugned after his half-time team-talk comparing Andros Townsend to a monkey space explorer became an issue he was being grilled about in press conferences. It all becomes slightly ridiculous when it gets to that.

When Louis Van Gaal was asked after the game today about his take on Rooney’s self-parodying celebration. It’s fair to say he didn’t get why he was being asked the question. He asked what kind of “twisted world” is it fair to be asked such “ridiculous” questions. Louis obviously doesn’t realise it yet but there is nothing ridiculous about the question in the twisted media driven world of English football.

Harry Palmr

Eamo pah. All that article tells me is that in foreign leagues players are held less accountable for their actions and they have no sense of humour.

Dots1982

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Eamo pah. All that article tells me is that in foreign leagues players are held less accountable for their actions and they have no sense of humour.

1- Should players be held accountable for having personal issues away from their job?
2- does my article not show to some extent that the easier ride you say they get abroad means they will be less likely to play in the PL?

Harry Palmr

Dots1982 wrote: »

1- Should players be held accountable for having personal issues away from their job?
2- does my article not show to some extent that the easier ride you say they get abroad means they will be less likely to play in the PL?

Money talks - if someone offers enough they'll move unless they are already at the top of the tree - players like Messi will never end up in the PL but players like Aguero do.

Eamo the very man who discussed Rod Liddles private life live on air in the heat of an argument over Roy Keane back in December 2005.. ah yes showbusiness baby showbusiness :rolleyes:

Liam O

I think the article makes some decent points but I would hope Suarez would be pursued in Spain if he racially abused a player or bit someone again as there is no reason why you should escape scrutiny for something that happens on a pitch. The personal stuff yes, racism and borderline unprovoked assault on the pitch, no.

Marca arent much better by the looks of the abuse Bale has received recently. I agree the trailer-trash media cause alot of distraction with English football but the bigger issue with English football lies with how they train their footballers at both the clubs and Lilleshall. Too many statisticians and map drawers involved. Footballers are no longer picked with regards to playing with natural flair and instinct. They are mere robots with no mind of their own but they have to be faster, stronger, harder (to borrow a line from a daft punk song) robots because the computer says so. Look at Aaron Kernans experience with Sunderland for example. You had a guy giving him all of these stats and yet in the real world for all their standards set, Sunderland are absolutely rubbish

Oranage2

it's like those z list 'celebz' flashing their vaginas for the papz then moaning about it.

This media invasion is the same reason why QPR have a larger wage budget than atletico Madrid. You take the good with the bad, and a lot of players personal lives go unnoticed so it must somewhat come down to choice.