The Agenda: Part Deux

[pirate]

And they will get it. AVB got I worse that Mancini has ever got it when he was failing at Chelsea, so did Hodgeson when at Liverpool.

of course they'll get it. But this lot won't see it. I bet chelsea forums are full right now of one eyed fans gnashing their teeth about the media's agenda against them.

I don't know where you get off on referring to those that disagree with you as "this lot", but kindly pack it in. Patronising twat.

That notwithstanding, a cursory glance through the papers this morning, sees plenty of speculation on Di Matteo's future, which is not unsurprising given Abramovitch's track record for pulling the trigger at the first sign of defeat, but crucially no stories that I can see spitefully alluding to the Chelsea manager's competence, no screaming headlines about how their elimination is an epic fail given the money spent and nothing on the embarrassment factor of crashing and burning in a group containing Shakhtar (albeit that I think they're a good side) and Nordsjaelland. I have also been unable to find any reference to Cech's "cockiness" or "arrogance", despite him having conceded 2 goals near identical to the 2 that brought Hart so much criticism for England last week. Different tones for different teams and different individuals. If you want to pretend that Di Matteo is getting the same treatment as Mancini, who was "cracking up" and so on, that's up to you

i am not totally convinced there is an agenda, but you do make a very very good point

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

And they will get it. AVB got I worse that Mancini has ever got it when he was failing at Chelsea, so did Hodgeson when at Liverpool.

of course they'll get it. But this lot won't see it. I bet chelsea forums are full right now of one eyed fans gnashing their teeth about the media's agenda against them.

I don't know where you get off on referring to those that disagree with you as "this lot", but kindly pack it in. Patronising twat.

That notwithstanding, a cursory glance through the papers this morning, sees plenty of speculation on Di Matteo's future, which is not unsurprising given Abramovitch's track record for pulling the trigger at the first sign of defeat, but crucially no stories that I can see spitefully alluding to the Chelsea manager's competence, no screaming headlines about how their elimination is an epic fail given the money spent and nothing on the embarrassment factor of crashing and burning in a group containing Shakhtar (albeit that I think they're a good side) and Nordsjaelland. I have also been unable to find any reference to Cech's "cockiness" or "arrogance", despite him having conceded 2 goals near identical to the 2 that brought Hart so much criticism for England last week. Different tones for different teams and different individuals. If you want to pretend that Di Matteo is getting the same treatment as Mancini, who was "cracking up" and so on, that's up to you

There are differences though (at least in terms of the "cracking up"). Mancini's outburst, brief and harmless though it was, is precisely the type of thing that the press love to latch on to and develop. Benitez's 'list' and Keegan's I'd love it' outburst are other, more extreme examples of this. The press love a nutter. Di Matteo has been very temperate in his dealings with the press and has therefore escaped such scrutiny in that regard.

I will say, however, that Ferguson, who appears at times to be clinically insane and pathologically paranoid, seems to act in such a way with total impunity, probably for the reasons I outlined in my earlier post.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

I suspect we'll see the press' guns being deployed on Di Matteo and Chelsea in the days ahead, especially given the match at the weekend.

There is certainly no sentiment when it comes to the Fourth Estate, and in that sense at least, no agenda.

There is no doubt, however, that united don't get the same treatment when they go through a bad patch and this is a function of three factors imo:

Firstly, that they are the best supported team in the country and money talks in terms of circulation/subscription. Secondly, the fear that Ferguson seems to strike in otherwise bullish media types. He really has cowed a lot of them into submission. But in all fairness there is a third reason: they have written Ferguson off before on numerous occasions and been proven conspicuously wrong each time. For that reason at least he has earned a degree of credit and the benefit of the doubt with the press. He truly is a remarkable manager and survivor, whatever your thoughts on him as a human being.

Make no mistake, however, once they properly smell blood with him it will be a feeding frenzy. There are a lot of grudges and resentments that have been harboured for a long time by many members of the press towards this bully of a man.

If he does stay on too long it certainly will be a beautiful sight to behold.

Super post. Particularly the bit about Ferguson. As long as he retires as opposed to just dropping dead, there will be a hell of a lot of score settling from various journalists and media agencies. Particularly if he doesn't retire at the top ...

Good post, but I'm not convinced. There might be the odd dissenter, but there'll be far more brown nosing; greatest manager of all time, blah, blah, blah. United are still the ultimate cash cow for the media, and I doubt there'll be too many editors coveting permanent exile from the Swamp by sanctioning complete hatchet jobs on the purple nosed clown

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I suspect we'll see the press' guns being deployed on Di Matteo and Chelsea in the days ahead, especially given the match at the weekend.

There is certainly no sentiment when it comes to the Fourth Estate, and in that sense at least, no agenda.

There is no doubt, however, that united don't get the same treatment when they go through a bad patch and this is a function of three factors imo:

Firstly, that they are the best supported team in the country and money talks in terms of circulation/subscription. Secondly, the fear that Ferguson seems to strike in otherwise bullish media types. He really has cowed a lot of them into submission. But in all fairness there is a third reason: they have written Ferguson off before on numerous occasions and been proven conspicuously wrong each time. For that reason at least he has earned a degree of credit and the benefit of the doubt with the press. He truly is a remarkable manager and survivor, whatever your thoughts on him as a human being.

Make no mistake, however, once they properly smell blood with him it will be a feeding frenzy. There are a lot of grudges and resentments that have been harboured for a long time by many members of the press towards this bully of a man.

If he does stay on too long it certainly will be a beautiful sight to behold.

Super post. Particularly the bit about Ferguson. As long as he retires as opposed to just dropping dead, there will be a hell of a lot of score settling from various journalists and media agencies. Particularly if he doesn't retire at the top ...

Good post, but I'm not convinced. There might be the odd dissenter, but there'll be far more brown nosing; greatest manager of all time, blah, blah, blah. United are still the ultimate cash cow for the media, and I doubt there'll be too many editors coveting permanent exile from the Swamp by sanctioning complete hatchet jobs on the purple nosed clown

I think you underestimate the capacity for vindictiveness among the nation's press, even at editorial level :-)

 

[Anonymous]

I think you underestimate the capacity for vindictiveness among the nation's press, even at editorial level :-)

That's my feeling on it too. I think there's already muttering there.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/samuel-luckhurst/sir-alex-ferguson-bans-journalists-reports_b_1832503.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/samuel- ... 32503.html</a>

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Super post. Particularly the bit about Ferguson. As long as he retires as opposed to just dropping dead, there will be a hell of a lot of score settling from various journalists and media agencies. Particularly if he doesn't retire at the top ...

Good post, but I'm not convinced. There might be the odd dissenter, but there'll be far more brown nosing; greatest manager of all time, blah, blah, blah. United are still the ultimate cash cow for the media, and I doubt there'll be too many editors coveting permanent exile from the Swamp by sanctioning complete hatchet jobs on the purple nosed clown

I think you underestimate the capacity for vindictiveness among the nation's press, even at editorial level :-)

I hope you're right!

 

[Anonymous]

Di Matteo's been sacked.

 

[honkytonkman187]

The Suarez story was leaked by one person only - Mark Lawrenson.

Lawrenson told the story to a local scouse journalist, who thought he could earn brownie points with a "scoop" and told other journos.

When these looked further into it, Lawrenson claimed to have been told by Robbie Savage.

City's press department have checked with Savage, who categorically denied having any such knowledge, or even having told Lawrenson anything.

It seems that when challenged as to the ultimate source of the story, Lawrenson panicked, obviously not wanting to drop one of his mates in Liverpool in the shit, and named Savage.

The reason every merseyside journalist had the story to run with was purely "safety in numbers"

If Mancini wanted a story out, it would go to one of two manchester-based journalists, probably through David Platt.

Mancini did not leak the story.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Now someone's getting close to the truth. Can anyone think of a friend of Robbie savage who might give him city ITK information? I can't, but if anyone does we might get a bit closer to the truth ;-)

I love the 'lawrenson panicked and named savage' line. Funny as fuck. Yeah mate, lawrenson is so green to to the media he didn't have the nous I say 'I'm not telling you'. He was so intimidated by this journo he just blurted out a name.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Part watched CFC last night before I turned on The Last Tango in Halifax, I can honestly say I wanted them to win, just as much as the commentators did.

I shall be at the match tonight, I haven't got a Sky football match sub so I can't tape the match, but anyone who saw the whole CFC match last night and watches our match tonight, compare the tenor of the commentary, the additions by the co-commentator, the comments by the pundits and by the presenter. Just see if anyone within tonight's broadcast gives yer the feeling that they want us to win!