Media Thread - 2021/22

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

I don't mind Sam, when he's on podcasts he generally speaks well of City.

It's a tough position for him (and Mooney) as they aren't going to criticise their work colleagues/employer, certainly not publicly.

I think all City fans seem to agree that Crafton's article was a hit job on City. If it turns out that everything is above board then why bother writing the article?

A 5min google shows the below when looking into sponsorship dealings with other premier league clubs.

The company Red and White Holdings, which includes Iranian funds, bought up 29% of Arsenal for $250 million in 2007. Arsenal have been sponsored by Emirates since 2004 and recently have been sponsored by Visit Rwanda, which isn't very LGBTQ+ friendly. There was also very little mention of Usmanov when he was a shareholder.

A company from Bahrain purchased 100% of Leeds United back in 2012 for $84 million. GFH Capital established and manages the Middle East's first Sharia-compliant VC TMT fund.

We know who Liverpool are sponsored by and the silence surrounding their continuation with their main sponsor considering recent legal issues is surprising, lets for one moment think of the coverage had it been Etihad found guilty.
Also do not look too closely at the Russian owner of their sponsor InstaForex, we don't want to see a pattern emerging and of course there's been no outcry by the LGBTQ+ supporters in the football media concerning their sponsorship ties to Mauritius. Perhaps the New York Times once having a stake in FSG might have seen them get/and still receive favorable coverage, now remind me who the New York Times recently purchased.

Liverpool fans hate Abu Dhabi's oil money and human rights record so much. Yet the reporting of Henry's travel to the Middle East to build future relationships with businesses there was covered very positively and we haven't heard any condemnation when Liverpool opened a megastore in Abu Dhabi back in 2016.

United, sponsored by state entities from Saudi Arabia (at the time the biggest non shirt sponsorship deal), Russia and Turkey but not a peep about that being bad for football nor asking United fans to denounce their club nor that any trophies won during that time are tainted.

Last but by no means least our own FA and the sponsorship of FA Cup since 2014 by Emirates. Surely there was an outcry when this deal was signed? Human rights stories etc. bvHow could they taint the romanticism of the FA Cup. No doubt the fleet street hacks refuse to attend and report on games.

What!? Delaney turns up but just doesn't eat the halftime sausage rolls? Well that will show them. Wait till he finds out who owns the paper he works for.

Now imagine what an article from a real investigative journalist (without football bias) doing research into English clubs' ties with shady foreign investments might look lie.

Great write up..........

 

[spiny]

Sports jornalism and reporting on facts is an expensive business, not least because of multiple clubs in multiple locations with multiple reporters for multiple publications. Up to the 1970's the "quality broadsheets" rarely reported football but did rugby union, horse racing, cricket, tennis, rowing and even lacrosse. Following football is no longer seen as a sign of low social standing and a lack of education. It is the global sport.

The shift has been to syndication, to comment, to reporting opinion and gossip on social media. Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal (MULA -moola- Clubs) have been the main beneficiaries of the explosion in wealth and interest in football. Their dominance was threatened first by Chelsea, now City and next Newcastle.

The attempts of MULA and their bedfellows to influence, block and undermine City have failed. City have prevailed and continue to pull away. To paraphrase Khaldoon, the campaign against City is clear and obvious and the names of MULA have been at the fore. It is not a big stretch to imagine that MULA are sponsoring anti City stories that the media pick up for free.

Since ex Sun and Mail reporter Neil Ashton became a PR adviser for Manchester United, there has been a flood of stories in the media taking top headlines. I recall Liverpool were shown to pay media influencer companies to promote them. Who knows what Arsenal get up to although anti City guff seems to appear on their headed paper? Der Spiegal, the Guardian and NYT all appear to be mouth pieces and now possibly the Athletic? It is a murky world.

 

[Shirley]

Ffs from the muen…..can’t bring myself to post the link.

Why Manchester United should be one of England's most loved clubs for all fans

 

[Del_Bosque]

It's really bizarre that they are trying to paint the silent majority who don't reply to journalists tweets as conflicted morally on the ownership.

I think generally the match reports and terms used to describe us are (to put it lightly) a lot less enthusiastic than when reporting on other big 6 clubs, whether that's bitterness, for clicks or generally because we are more successful then them over the last 10 years. Either way doesn't bother me too much, never felt the urge to comment.

I don't think I've ever seen an impartial article on FFP regarding City, presumably because it drives the clicks wild. Again doesn't bother me too much, never felt the urge to comment.

But when they tried to paint that Crafton article as some forensic accounting piece when it was all just done with a nudge and a wink to imply we bent the rules rather than broke them, it's the only time I've ever commented on a tweet from a journalist and cancelled my sub.

The club get plenty wrong ticket prices, cheesy media stuff, matchday "experience" and I think they could have some serious q's over the Mendy stuff.

But I've never for 1 minute thought there were any moral issues with the ownership and I seriously doubt 99% of the fanbase do.

I don't think the opinion given by David Mooney can be taken as a bell weather for the fans, it's a really fringe position imo.

 

[jockblue]

Has Sam Lee seriously tweeted to a blue ‘not all City fans are militant cranks’ ??!!

No idea what his big picture here is but he surely can’t to planning to contunue to write about City when he seems to be deliberately sabotaging his flimsy reputation with blues.

The charitable view is that he's merely repeating and defending us against other journalists views that we are "militant cranks". "Quick poll gives 100 sensible answers so clearly the fanbase are far from militant cranks" for example. However, this would assume he's able to construct a tweet that isn't capable of easily being misunderstood in the way you describe. As a professional writer, you'd expect him to be able to do this.

Its odd - I like Mooney and I like Sam on the podcasts they appear on - I can even see how difficult a position they are in working for the publication that publishes the sort of tripe we constantly have to defend - but its an odd slip to be sure.

 

[Maly]

Sam Lee pinning his colours firmly to the mast here:



He's found 100 City fans (assuming they are City fans of course) who aren't "militant cranks". I'm not defending this prick any more.

Agree with Sam & you’re a reasonable fan, disagree & you’re a militant crank?

The narcissism of these journalists is flabbergasting

 

[Bonzo Nododo]

I didn't personally agree with David Mooney's view that "the vast majority of media coverage of City is fair", but he's entitled to his opinion of course and some of the personal digs at him are a bit unnecessary imo. Argue the point with him by all means, but let's keep it civil and respectful please.

Thanks for that Ric. I think the same. No fellow blue deserves that sort of abuse for having a different opinion to others.
My own opinion is that he is completely wrong.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

It's really bizarre that they are trying to paint the silent majority who don't reply to journalists tweets as conflicted morally on the ownership.

It's bizarre to us but I thought about this earlier and, in true paranoid, militant crank style, believe there's a pattern and explanation.

You have to remember that The Athletic is now owned by the New York Times, which also employs Liverpool fan Rory Smith, and Tariq Panja, one of the worst anti-City trolls, who's a mouthpiece for Gill and Parry and was the recipient of leaks from the UEFA FFP case all along. The NYT have clearly extended their editorial policy to The Athletic.

Lee's upcoming piece will be along the lines of "I heard from conflicted fans who say they love City but have serious doubts about the ownership". When you add that to Crafton's article, which clearly fed the "City would be skint without Abu Dhabi" narrative, you can see a trend emerging. On one level, it's designed to undermine us and even sow doubt among our own fanbase. but there's another level to this.

One of the biggest problems CFG face in securing a stadium site in New York, is anti-Arab sentiment. We saw that clearly in the leaked emails from the UAE ambassador to the US, where he spoke about winning hearts and minds and was told, obliquely, to stress their good relations with Israel. It's maybe somewhat far-fetched to suggest the subsequent normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE was solely to ensure this NYCFC stadium can happen but their presence in New York is clearly important to CFG and the UAE. Obstructing us in any ways they can is clearly important to our US-owned rivals, as we already know.

Is it really therefore a coincidence that all these articles, including Mooney's weird Tweet, appear within a few days of each other? I susepct they're acting under orders.

 

[remember arthur mann]

You’re definitely a crank!

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I didn't personally agree with David Mooney's view that "the vast majority of media coverage of City is fair", but he's entitled to his opinion of course and some of the personal digs at him are a bit unnecessary imo. Argue the point with him by all means, but let's keep it civil and respectful please.

I've no personal issue with Mooney either and, like you, I think he's off the mark. But I notice you don't mention Sam Lee. You must have seen his keyboard warrior hard man performance on Twitter last night?