Media bias against City

[Don Karleone]

We should expect to get a normal commentary and analysis,good or bad and not the constant bullshit that we get,fair and balanced is all i ask for,i don't want to be fawned over

It would seem this is too much to ask for.

 

[The perfect fumble]

They should use people further down their chain to do this sort of stuff. No one seems to go for 'hearts and minds' because in the minds of millions in this country and abroad City have a bad reputation in many ways. Potential sponsors must see this too.
If the likes of Ferguson can manipulate the media why cannot we? Brian Barwick said that when he was a big wig at BBC Sport that Ferguson would be on the phone first thing every Monday when United had not been first match shown on MOTD. Barwick left the Beeb in 1998 so United were not the power they later became when Ferguson was using his influence all over the place.

Because Ferguson's style was confrontational and ours is not. Our guys run with the grain, it is not their style to do otherwise.

Hearts and minds? We do all the conventional stuff and more, we invite the world and his dog to see the marvel we're creating on the field and in the area of East Manchester, but grudging praise is the most we get. There are decades of bias and prejudice against us, our guys know this, they'll keep doing the right thing and one day it'll turn, that's their plan it would seem.

I'm not happy about it, but the Sheikh's not for turning.

 

[mancunial]

Nothing was as rabid as the nauseating rant about our club being morally bankrupt by those snivelling scribes on Sunday supplement a couple of years back, that was probably the worse thing I've ever witnessed being stated about a football club, after that everything is water off a ducks back, only the sheep will believe the bile.

 

[YaYa's Left Peg]

Jesus. Take the Sheik and possibly Andy Murray out of those pics, and it's a veritable rogues gallery!

Your occupation suits you mate.

 

[YaYa's Left Peg]

There can only be one reason....the sheik and Khaldoon hate us.

 

[moenchengladbach blau]

Nothing was as rabid as the nauseating rant about our club being morally bankrupt by those snivelling scribes on Sunday supplement a couple of years back, that was probably the worse thing I've ever witnessed being stated about a football club, after that everything is water off a ducks back, only the sheep will believe the bile.

But there are a lot of sheep out there who do believe it and these people say it because they get away with it. The sheep say do not see any reaction, defence or denial from the club and believe even more.

 

[mancunial]

The only reaction I can say to that MB is that if their was a verbal or media reaction, would that lead to an explosive situation giving these more press coverage as they don't seem accountable to any organisation that would make them print or state the truth, why help them fill their pages and studio with more verbal diarrhoea

 

[BrianW]

I don't know, but maybe the Sheikh feels it's below his dignity to respond to ignorant morons spouting shit. Maybe his way is to get even by working quietly in the background. He's a man with an awful lot of influence, not someone to be crossed.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

I don't know, but maybe the Sheikh feels it's below his dignity to respond to ignorant morons spouting shit. Maybe his way is to get even by working quietly in the background. He's a man with an awful lot of influence, not someone to be crossed.

I'm sure he watches the games on mute, like a few of us.
Saying that, i bet the Arabic commentaries are a lot more complimentary.

 

[The perfect fumble]

I don't know, but maybe the Sheikh feels it's below his dignity to respond to ignorant morons spouting shit. Maybe his way is to get even by working quietly in the background. He's a man with an awful lot of influence, not someone to be crossed.

Both the owner and the Chairman, great as they are, are absentee landlords. City might be a jewel in the crown, but it is one of many, part of a portfolio constructed to make money and raise the profile of the Emirates.

Their distance from the club geographically (the Sheikh has been to one game) and Khaldoon's global footprint, would lead you to believe he doesn't spend that much time in the UK, let alone Manchester, where, to be honest he's barely more than a day tripper.

You don't have to be Johnny on the spot to run a global business but you do need to be around to feel the vibe, to have a cultural affinity to the mores of the EPL and the media, and when you look at the management structure at City, the decision makers there on a day by day basis, who, apart from Brian Kidd, could point at a map and identify Stoke three years ago, let alone know what it's like to play there on a cold Wednesday night?

Strikes me that in the go global, let's be like Barca, let's build an empire, they've shipped in some of the best talent from around the world who are good at that stuff, but don't have contacts, outriders, or a feel for how the festering fuckers in the media work.

I think City suffers from cultural disconnect. We are owned and run by foreigners, talented people one and all and I'd not swap them for anyone else, but is it any wonder they either don't care or don't know about Jamie Jackson, Brazil, Collymore, Green, Sunday Supplement and the rest.

When you're focused on the bigger picture with your eyes on the heavens, busy building a global this, a European giant that and so on, it's easy not to notice you keep stepping in dog shit and it sticks, at fan level we notice it, but I suspect they don't.

Lots of global businesses get caught out by not noticing what they consider detritus.

 

[bluesoup]

Because Ferguson's style was confrontational and ours is not. Our guys run with the grain, it is not their style to do otherwise.

Hearts and minds? We do all the conventional stuff and more, we invite the world and his dog to see the marvel we're creating on the field and in the area of East Manchester, but grudging praise is the most we get. There are decades of bias and prejudice against us, our guys know this, they'll keep doing the right thing and one day it'll turn, that's their plan it would seem.

I'm not happy about it, but the Sheikh's not for turning.

I would not expect the sheikh to intervene in any media matters, that's just impractical!! that's why he employs people such as the city media department to put into practice, press management strategies. If our media department are unable to turn the tide after so many years, maybe the sheikh needs to review his deployment and their department's approach. Just look at United's media team they are amazing compared to ours and have the influence to nudge their agenda into the popular press. If our strategy is to do nothing overt that is fine and acceptable. But, there are strategies and influence we can do covertly to which I have no idea if our media team is capable of doing. To just say, our owner likes things conservative and our attempts at pushing our narrative has not worked well because of this - is a cop out. I think we need a new approach with new people and new thinking to deliver improved exposure. As a city fan, I've never seen it so bad. It is now acceptable to call us snakes, mercenaries, Death Star, vulgar Arab owner oil team and FFP cheats in the national press. We are having to read this type of dross almost daily and it is just tiresome for many fans to happily follow their team in the press / media.

Many of us have stopped listening to the sports radio, clicking on web sites, reading certain papers, mute certain TV pundits and avoid the bias build up to big games.

So, to illustrate pictures of our owners with powerful men and to stress their cultural conservatism is the reason city do nothing - does not sweeten my tolerance.

 

[The perfect fumble]

I would not expect the sheikh to intervene in any media matters, that's just impractical!! that's why he employs people such as the city media department to put into practice, press management strategies. If our media department are unable to turn the tide after so many years, maybe the sheikh needs to review his deployment and their department's approach. Just look at United's media team they are amazing compared to ours and have the influence to nudge their agenda into the popular press. If our strategy is to do nothing overt that is fine and acceptable. But, there are strategies and influence we can do covertly to which I have no idea if our media team is capable of doing. To just say, our owner likes things conservative and our attempts at pushing our narrative has not worked well because of this - is a cop out. I think we need a new approach with new people and new thinking to deliver improved exposure. As a city fan, I've never seen it so bad. It is now acceptable to call us snakes, mercenaries, Death Star, vulgar Arab owner oil team and FFP cheats in the national press. We are having to read this type of dross almost daily and it is just tiresome for many fans to happily follow their team in the press / media.

Many of us have stopped listening to the sports radio, clicking on web sites, reading certain papers, mute certain TV pundits and avoid the bias build up to big games.

So, to illustrate pictures of our owners with powerful men and to stress their cultural conservatism is the reason city do nothing - does not sweeten my tolerance.

I agree with much of what you say and undoubtedly it has got a lot worse recently, I do all the avoidance stuff you do, commentary, the press, radio and TV across the board it has all got much more vitriolic. Maybe it's because we might well be on to win our third EPL title in five years and with Utd in a tail spin and Leicester as a handy plucky outsider as an easy counter to oil rich City, the lazy fuckers in the media have just cranked up the prejudice.

I don't think the competence of the media team is the problem, they march to what ever tune the management strikes up, I can only assume that avoiding confrontation is club policy, I can see no other reason for it.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

I agree with much of what you say and undoubtedly it has got a lot worse recently, I do all the avoidance stuff you do, commentary, the press, radio and TV across the board it has all got much more vitriolic. Maybe it's because we might well be on to win our third EPL title in five years and with Utd in a tail spin and Leicester as a handy plucky outsider as an easy counter to oil rich City, the lazy fuckers in the media have just cranked up the prejudice.

I don't think the competence of the media team is the problem, they march to what ever tune the management strikes up, I can only assume that avoiding confrontation is club policy, I can see no other reason for it.

We will have the last laugh. I'm sure that's the view of the club.

 

[bluesoup]

We will have the last laugh. I'm sure that's the view of the club.

We've been saying that since the take over lol. Maybe when I draw down my pension I will have the last laugh with the club ;-)

 

[TCIB]

Something that may have slipped past many is the Neymar stuff. To give our press office credit they made sure every paper knew that we were not in for him on any level.
No way were we going to be used as Utd do to help get a new improved contract. It was rather obvious in the papers that the press had been made very aware we have no interest atm.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

We've been saying that since the take over lol. Maybe when I draw down my pension I will have the last laugh with the club ;-)

We might not be here to see it. How long is the long game ?

 

[bluesoup]

Something that may have slipped past many is the Neymar stuff. To give our press office credit they made sure every paper knew that we were not in for him on any level.
No way were we going to be used as Utd do to help get a new improved contract. It was rather obvious in the papers that the press had been made very aware we have no interest atm.

They do a few things well and good work - nice example of correcting an obvious tale born out of mischief making for an improved contract. But we knew that all along didn't we? Can you now correct the Death Star analogy and the snake references to sterling. Oh and whilst we are at it, correct his purchase price ;)

 

[mad4city]

Maybe it's because I find Star Wars a boring, childish fairy tale but I'm really not as upset about the Death Star reference as others seem to be.
Star Wars is in vogue right now and a writer used a topical reference to describe the difference in muscle power between the two clubs.
I wouldn't take it too literally. No more so than I'd believe we were being called animals, had we been described as ewoks.

 

[bluesoup]

Maybe it's because I find Star Wars a boring, childish fairy tale but I'm really not as upset about the Death Star reference as others seem to be.
Star Wars is in vogue right now and a writer used a topical reference to describe the difference in muscle power between the two clubs.
I wouldn't take it too literally. No more so than I'd believe we were being called animals, had we been described as ewoks.

Fair point, ewok is equally as ridiculous ;)

 

[BrianW]

I must admit, I do get sick of the press bias. But then as the press is biased anyway, not just about football, I rarely bother to read it. TV commentators are mostly wankers, but it does get a bit tedious. City probably do need to do more on the PR side, but I can see it's going to be an uphill battle, as most of the good stuff the Club already does (and traditionally have done, for many years) gets completely ignored. Short of Sheikh Mansour buying a newspaper and a TV company, I doubt even the best PR machine will change things overnight. We are just too easy a target for lazy 'journalists' and so-called pundits, most of whom are bears of small brain.