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Rags Writing City Reports For MEN
- Thread starter Uwe Rosler's Grandad
- Start date
Rammyblues
Well-Known Member
Welcome and good luck with the new job, as far as I am concerned it isn't who you support that matters it is what you write, take cheap shots at City and you will be hung out to dry, make fair comment even if that comment is not complimentary, some will take that as objective journalism although some who are mentally challenged may still hang you out to dry.
Nixon_The_Bike_Thief said:Balti said:Didsbury Dave said:Balti said:At the bottom of the Tevez article it refers to 'moneybags City'. That's a cheap shot.
A cheap shot?!?!?!?!?!?
Jesus wept, I told you you were on a loser here, Stuart
OK lets put it another way. Quality pieces of journalism won't automatically include such phrases. The Sun and the Mirror probably will. The MEN is supposed to be supporting their local club....not helping to denigrate us. We've enough enemies looking to cheapen the name of Manchester City FC as it is.
We cannot be over critical while we regularly have fans singing "we'll buy your club and burn it down", waving wads at chelsea fans, printing £50 notes with Suliman Al Fahim's head on them. How is it supposed to work ? we are allowed to use our money to take the piss but its not allowed to be used against us ? now that is a Rag mentality. However as DD pointed out "Moneybags" is hardly offensive, maybe I can see where your coming from if I try to be more disengaged from the subject and possibly replacing Manchester with Moneybags is at worse playground childish but honestly, I just dont think that one was in there for a snipe when you read the full article in context.
DD is probably right and tabloid-esque would have been a better description. Just find the little digs irritating and one-sided is all. But sod it, we are seriously minted. MINTED!!
M9 Blue
Well-Known Member
Well that was an enjoyable multi page read (for a change)
Fair play to our new rag friend for coming on and facing the music,and he has already p***** off the rags with the glazer thing so i'm warming to him already.
Good luck Mr Brennan..............you'll need it!
Fair play to our new rag friend for coming on and facing the music,and he has already p***** off the rags with the glazer thing so i'm warming to him already.
Good luck Mr Brennan..............you'll need it!
Dubai Blue
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 23 Jul 2007
- Messages
- 15,250
Really? Has Ric said as such? Are we now free to talk about what REALLY happened in Leeds with Robinho?Damocles said:All of the admins and the moderators here are liberal with their censorship, and libel law will not apply.
I suspect not. You may want to check with the boss man before you start declaring Bluemoon as a libel law-free zone.
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Anonymous
Guest
Good luck to you in your new job Mr.Brennan.
I have read a few reports of yours with interest in the last few days...I wondered why your "tone" was a little more sympathetic towards us!!
Now I know!!
Just one point I'd like to make,if you could be so kind.
Please tell Mr.Spencer that his bitter,sarcastic digs about City during his "interviews" on Talksport are a total embarrassment to both his journalistic integrity and his duty as an impartial sports editor of a respected local paper.
His last effort about City having all this money but trying to buy players who "weren't good enough" for United was simply childish,unsubstantiated crap far more suited to the sun or mirror.
Tell him to grow up,please.
I have read a few reports of yours with interest in the last few days...I wondered why your "tone" was a little more sympathetic towards us!!
Now I know!!
Just one point I'd like to make,if you could be so kind.
Please tell Mr.Spencer that his bitter,sarcastic digs about City during his "interviews" on Talksport are a total embarrassment to both his journalistic integrity and his duty as an impartial sports editor of a respected local paper.
His last effort about City having all this money but trying to buy players who "weren't good enough" for United was simply childish,unsubstantiated crap far more suited to the sun or mirror.
Tell him to grow up,please.
JohnMaddocksAxe
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 30 Apr 2008
- Messages
- 2,854
Interesting thread.
Most relevant points have been made but as this is one of my hobby horses and I am a repetative bore, I would agree with the following.
There's nothing sadder than the general "the world is out to get me attitude" of the football fan. It's present among a large percentage of fans of all clubs but as it's City that I support, I have to hear City fans embarrassing themselves with this sort of talk much more often than fans of other clubs.
All this "MUEN", "Hince is a rag", "Wagg is a rag", "Bailey is XYZ", "All the national newspapers hate City", "Everyone says that City are ruining football and never criticises anyone else" stuff is just plain embarassing.
The only saving grace is that loads of Bolton and United fans are also so thin skinned that they are also convinced that the MEN is biased against their teams. You could also conduct a survey amongst fans of every other club in the country and all of them would contain a large percentage of people who would be convinced that the press and media as a whole hate their club and are biased against them.
It really is pathetic stuff. Instead of accepting that there will always be positive and negative articles/reports about every club, these little darlings are all for throwing themselves off a cliff at the first sign of a sentence (or even one word in a caption earlier in this thread) that they don't like.
Just as pathetic is the slew of "Brilliant journalism", "Tremendous Article" comments that were seen on here earlier in the year just because Martin Samuels (a more biased journalist you could not find, imo) wrote a couple of articles with his tongue firmly lodged up the backside of the manager and spreading the 'all the players are letting the bloke down' line, and throwing in a few more toadying titbits about the club to ensure that he got on the band wagon for the success that awaits down the line.
What they really mean, and it's found on forums of every club, is not "brilliant journalism" or "great article", it's "look here's something that is sycophantic and doesn't feed my persecution complex about my club".
So, if Stuart Brennan moves slightly away from the tone of Chris Baliey's articles of the last few years and becomes a bit more objective (even if that is down to him having 'rag eyes') then I for one will be more than happy.
As a couple of people have stated, Bailey's articles had become little more than PR pieces for the club. There's been hardly anything objective or constructive in there and the opinion pieces have been suspiciously 'on message'.
Not just over the last few months, imo, but dating back to a load of pieces covering Wardle's financial mess, Shinawatras murky history and dealings (although as soon as he is off the scene the tone miraculously changed) and the current manager's lack of results. All those subjects and more have been well worthy of some constructive and critical articles but they have been nowhere to be seen (maybe the odd nod towards them followed later by a massive 'on message' opinion piece).
I don't necessarliy blame Bailey for that as the paper is in an awkward position where they rely on some sort of relationship for stories. What those stories are though, I'm not sure. Does anyone really buy the paper for the huge number of 'exclusives' that they have, especially in the age of rolling news and the internet.
I don't think they do so I'm not sure that they should be so subservant to the club. Who honestly gives a stuff if the MEN breaks the story that Hughes is definitely the manager for next season. Most people heard about that on the TV or the internet and had seen the whole story by the time they had got dressed that morning. It was a good story but I bet most people didn't even buy the paper to read it.
And the same could be said for any of the few 'exclusives' that they get fed on four or five days of the year in exchange for the paper spouting boring PR lines for the other 360 days.
Yeah, it might also get them a few bland interviews with players who say nothing of interest and are told to always stick to bland answers too, but is that really a price worth paying?
I hardly buy the paper now, not because I think the sports section is biased, but because I think it's a mouthpiece for local clubs and I just don't want to read the latest club spin.
United area joke with Fergie's pathetic fall outs with anyone who doesn't print exactly what he wants. Hopefully Bailey can do us all a favour and ensure that City move away from the model of trying to copy that and we can get back to having a local paper that prints interesting, thought provoking and critical (both positive and negative) articles that are worth reading.
Surely that is the least he could aim for, given the amount of ar$e licking the previous incumbants must have attempted to have him do over the years. Cos attempting to emulate on this one the most unpleasant man in football, Ferguson, is not the way I want my club to go.
If they are penned by a 'rag' I couldn't give a shit, providing they are fair.
Most relevant points have been made but as this is one of my hobby horses and I am a repetative bore, I would agree with the following.
There's nothing sadder than the general "the world is out to get me attitude" of the football fan. It's present among a large percentage of fans of all clubs but as it's City that I support, I have to hear City fans embarrassing themselves with this sort of talk much more often than fans of other clubs.
All this "MUEN", "Hince is a rag", "Wagg is a rag", "Bailey is XYZ", "All the national newspapers hate City", "Everyone says that City are ruining football and never criticises anyone else" stuff is just plain embarassing.
The only saving grace is that loads of Bolton and United fans are also so thin skinned that they are also convinced that the MEN is biased against their teams. You could also conduct a survey amongst fans of every other club in the country and all of them would contain a large percentage of people who would be convinced that the press and media as a whole hate their club and are biased against them.
It really is pathetic stuff. Instead of accepting that there will always be positive and negative articles/reports about every club, these little darlings are all for throwing themselves off a cliff at the first sign of a sentence (or even one word in a caption earlier in this thread) that they don't like.
Just as pathetic is the slew of "Brilliant journalism", "Tremendous Article" comments that were seen on here earlier in the year just because Martin Samuels (a more biased journalist you could not find, imo) wrote a couple of articles with his tongue firmly lodged up the backside of the manager and spreading the 'all the players are letting the bloke down' line, and throwing in a few more toadying titbits about the club to ensure that he got on the band wagon for the success that awaits down the line.
What they really mean, and it's found on forums of every club, is not "brilliant journalism" or "great article", it's "look here's something that is sycophantic and doesn't feed my persecution complex about my club".
So, if Stuart Brennan moves slightly away from the tone of Chris Baliey's articles of the last few years and becomes a bit more objective (even if that is down to him having 'rag eyes') then I for one will be more than happy.
As a couple of people have stated, Bailey's articles had become little more than PR pieces for the club. There's been hardly anything objective or constructive in there and the opinion pieces have been suspiciously 'on message'.
Not just over the last few months, imo, but dating back to a load of pieces covering Wardle's financial mess, Shinawatras murky history and dealings (although as soon as he is off the scene the tone miraculously changed) and the current manager's lack of results. All those subjects and more have been well worthy of some constructive and critical articles but they have been nowhere to be seen (maybe the odd nod towards them followed later by a massive 'on message' opinion piece).
I don't necessarliy blame Bailey for that as the paper is in an awkward position where they rely on some sort of relationship for stories. What those stories are though, I'm not sure. Does anyone really buy the paper for the huge number of 'exclusives' that they have, especially in the age of rolling news and the internet.
I don't think they do so I'm not sure that they should be so subservant to the club. Who honestly gives a stuff if the MEN breaks the story that Hughes is definitely the manager for next season. Most people heard about that on the TV or the internet and had seen the whole story by the time they had got dressed that morning. It was a good story but I bet most people didn't even buy the paper to read it.
And the same could be said for any of the few 'exclusives' that they get fed on four or five days of the year in exchange for the paper spouting boring PR lines for the other 360 days.
Yeah, it might also get them a few bland interviews with players who say nothing of interest and are told to always stick to bland answers too, but is that really a price worth paying?
I hardly buy the paper now, not because I think the sports section is biased, but because I think it's a mouthpiece for local clubs and I just don't want to read the latest club spin.
United area joke with Fergie's pathetic fall outs with anyone who doesn't print exactly what he wants. Hopefully Bailey can do us all a favour and ensure that City move away from the model of trying to copy that and we can get back to having a local paper that prints interesting, thought provoking and critical (both positive and negative) articles that are worth reading.
Surely that is the least he could aim for, given the amount of ar$e licking the previous incumbants must have attempted to have him do over the years. Cos attempting to emulate on this one the most unpleasant man in football, Ferguson, is not the way I want my club to go.
If they are penned by a 'rag' I couldn't give a shit, providing they are fair.
Hamann Pineapple
Well-Known Member
Aaah, The Axeman returneth. Some valid points JMA, especially those regarding constructive critisism from impartial reporters. I don't want sycophants either but I don't accept your monotone sermon regarding the "paranoid" fan. Even you must recognise negative spin when you read it. Like most, I read the majority of articles online and regard buying newspapers as a thing of the past. I'd be interested to know how this impacts the income of the MEN group as internet advertising must generate more income than that bloke shouting Evening News on Market Street. One thing it does is allow immediate interaction such as this or will I have to await your response on next weeks letters page.
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Anonymous
Guest
He is a rag though? i am sure someone on here went to the Football Wrieters Award and he said he was a York fan or somrthing like that.
Didsbury Dave
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 1 Feb 2007
- Messages
- 38,150
Excellent post, JMA. As you can tell from this thread, the persecution complex of City fans is something I find cringeworthy too.
I actually think at City we're worse than many other fans, quite simply because United are next door. Lots of Blues see United's influence in everything and the minute someone says something they don't like, they become paranoid. So the Ref is a Rag, Mark Lawrenson's a Rag, "The Media" are Rags, MOTD are Rags, the car parking attendant who moved them on was a Rag etc etc etc.
It is an insecurity that has become part of the makeup of lots of City fans. You can see it coming through loud and clear on this thread.
I actually think at City we're worse than many other fans, quite simply because United are next door. Lots of Blues see United's influence in everything and the minute someone says something they don't like, they become paranoid. So the Ref is a Rag, Mark Lawrenson's a Rag, "The Media" are Rags, MOTD are Rags, the car parking attendant who moved them on was a Rag etc etc etc.
It is an insecurity that has become part of the makeup of lots of City fans. You can see it coming through loud and clear on this thread.