By Tony Attwood
So how did it all go so right? Arsenal Fans TV and its camp follower Piers Morgan have been making fun of Arsenal, its players and its loyal Arsenal supporters for years.
Outrageously proclaiming on its web site that “AFTV is the No.1 Fan Channel on YouTube” it was set up with the proclamation of being by Arsenal Fans for Arsenal Fans,” it has been nothing of the kind.
In effect AFTV instead has simply been the forum for criticising the players, manager, board of directors, owners, past players, groundsmen, gate keepers, programme sellers and anyone else you care to think of associated with the club, taking the standard media message to an even lower level than most of us ever thought possible.
Rarely if ever has it presented anything positive about Arsenal, and for this reason it is loved by, and given publicity through (and some would suggest, financed by) the main stream media.
Indeed it was most interesting to see reports in the media being written with a somewhat sad air, noting as they did that at last a number of fans had turned on Arsenal Fans TV. In the new speak of the media the Youtube channel is now called “Controversial” as oppose to “Vibrant.” They haven’t yet got to “downright negative and insulting” as might be more appropriate, but they noted that there were “ugly scenes outside Goodison Park”.
Although I must admit I rather think the only thing that was ugly was Arsenal Fans TV. The Mail which covered the story along other newspapers, of positive fans turning on Arsenal Fans TV itself is notorious for promoting some of the most vigorously anti-Arsenal blogs in its on line editions, but now said, “Some Arsenal fans have got restless with AFTV because of how critical it can be.”
“Restless” is not quite how I would describe it, but each to his own.
It is indeed interesting that the Mail prefaced that sentence with the word “Some”. When commenting on negative comments by some Arsenal fans they normally just write “Arsenal fans…” dropping the “some” suggesting instead everyone is negative.
Also interesting is that some of the coverage proclaimed that AFTV is a media organisation, which I suppose would then mean that Untold Arsenal is a media organisation (and we at least have introduced a phrase into the lexicon – I speak here of course of Rotational Fouling – which is one of the things “media organisations like to do).
Anyway, trying to distance itself from its support for AFTV, the media, rather than admitting that it had been at the forefront of anti-Arsenal negativity over the years has now been developing such lines as, “Such division among supporters is symptomatic of Arsenal’s malaise.”
And if the owner of AFTV thought the national media which has been giving publicity to AFTV since it started might come to its rescue as the anger of the crowd grew, well, no it didn’t happen. Instead they went out of their way to make sure we all knew that AFTV was run by Robbie Lyle (not just Robbie as he likes to be known).
Of course what the media desperately do not want is for people to start thinking that part of the problem with the Arsenal is the way that it is endlessly reported in negative terms by the media. But I can’t imagine any TV station, radio station, newspaper or blog ever admitting that.
Certainly, I can’t see how AFTV has ever been or could ever be a force for good in relation to Arsenal, and since I do want good things to come Arsenal’s way, I’m rather pleased the tide has turned. Let’s hope Robbie Lyle gets the message too. His media supporters, fickle things that they are, have turned their backs.
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couldn’t agree more with you, tony
i hate AMoronsTV’s guts – i hope they’ll burn very slowly in hell, for what they did to arsène in particular
what the away fans did (very nicely, in my opinion, they just SANG – i’m in bewildered awe of their self-control) saturday warmed my heart, i felt like hugging them
if anything was “vibrant”, lately, it was Mikel’s presser; he has a 3,5 year contract, he’ll soon see the end of the bellerin-holding-tierney curse, and has the Hale End goldmine to pick out from, this might well be the dawning of a new era
let’s stick with him, he’s one of us
a very merry christmas to all untold regulars
Obviously this article smells of jealousy…I read some of your articles and thereafter the comments,and not all the comments are positive…so do we say because of those negative comments that your site spreads negativity? Robbie Lyle has done nothing wrong, he has only amplified what is the ‘comments section’ of other websites. eg. if I was on AFTV I’d have been able to express verbally and visually the emotions I feel which I can’t while writing this comment…if you don’t stop folks from airing their minds on your site, why would you want Robbie and AFTV to do so? or are you of the opinion that he should censor fan comments? bear in mind that the folks that appear on AFTV are arsenal fans that spend their hard earned money to go to games. In the spirit of true journalism every opinion should be heard whether good or bad, otherwise you shouldn’t also be running a site.
I really fundamentally disagree NAF and have tried to express my position in running this site many times over the years. Untold Arsenal was set up about 12 years ago for two reasons. First, because the dominant output of blogs, newspapers, and broadcasters about Arsenal was then and remains negative. Second because it seems to me that this remorseless level of negativity harms the teams.
I won’t repeat all the evidence to support these points of view – the research we have done comparing newspaper coverage of clubs, comments from players about negativity, the history of negative comments and player responses – it is all on here and on the Arsenal History Society site. So all of that makes me believe that negativity on the level Arsenal suffers all the time, is unhelpful.
I have often asked on this site why people feel the need to be so negative in public expressions about the club they purport to support – certainly there is no evidence that it helps the club at all and there is incidental evidence that it might reduce the chances of a player coming to Arsenal. The only conclusion I can reach, with the aid of quite a bit of psychological research is that it is to make themselves feel important, and to administer to deep psychological needs.
Those spouting their immature nonsens on that FanTV vehicle reminded me of Waldorf and Stadler in the Muppet show…. with the latter being funny.
And it is not because you can shout loudly in a microphone in front of a camera that what you say is making much sense. Au contraire I would say. “Empty vessels make the most noise” is an indiom in my lanugage. They were the living proof.
The fact that they gave Arsenal SUPPORTERS a bad name and got us ridiculed in the media is what made me upset with them.
Such joy before Christmas. Savage Robbie the fattened cockerel in an Arsenal shirt sung out of sight.
His pals with that huge IQ of 1 blad, can now get an education.
Sorry but is this really the way forwards? I heard of calls for unity at every level of the club and we have a presentation of a divisive issue. Just as I choose to ignore the majority of the media reports that are rightly examined on this site, surely ignoring an opinion you disagree with can be done with these anti-social media platforms. I feel the agenda must be based around facts and specifically the lack of any from the pigmob. We might ask why an independent organisation does not raise the issue. Why is nobody for that matter asking further questions following the pigmob publishing a list of mistakes they admit this season?
I would also like to point out that AFTV quite openly invite those who disagree with them to talk with them and offer their platform for those comments as well. It is much stated that they are only opinion. I suggest finding AFTV and testing their stance. Offer them your opinion. Flood their channel with supportive comments. Grab their camera time, take your friends along so they can do the same. If they are indeed a minority representation then let us hear the voices of the masses. We are said to live in a country with freedom of speech and I certainly think it important. How can I oppose something I do not know? Whilst it may not be pleasant to read what the likes of Farage are saying I must read it to understand it so I know why I disagree. Yes there may well be a lot of rubbish being said but that is a part of freedom of speech. Should we remove that because we don’t want to hear things we don’t like? Stop one platform and you start a domino effect which could see us left with just nice clean government approved information sources for everything. The world according to Boris anyone?
Let them have their say, politely reply that their comments were noted and move on. AFTV have now received publicity on this website through this article. Arsenal will be around long after anti-social media has bitten the dust. Look on them like the hula hoop, a novelty item which we look at now asking how it ever became a craze in the first place. Don’t get wound up about something so transient.
AFTV is just a bloke with an opinion. However, he has a very loud opinion and a camera. What he doesn’t exhibit is much logic, thought or analysis. Just loud opinions which echo the bias of the media which he clearly buys into……because he does no analysis. Just another bloke who despite having no qualifications, no experience and no inside knowledge, thinks he knows how to run a top football club.
There always used to be one bloke down the pub who had an opinion on everything whilst actually having experience of nothing. Sadly, nowadays, those people run blogs and have video cameras. They think it makes their opinion valid but it’s just as irrelevant as the bloke down the pub who despite having never worked in football still believes he can run a top club better than highly qualified, extremely experienced, very knowledgeable highly paid professionals.
Robbie Lyle is only kidding himself and the other blokes from the pub who fit the same person specification.
To the Neutral Arsenal Fan, what are your thoughts that fans of other clubs love AFTV for their meltdown each time they post a video on how Arsenal did in their last game? So not only are other fans loving how these “fans” react but also the media that pick up on it.
@Laso Gooner,
I admit that the issue with freedom of opinion/speech resonates with me. I can’r remember whih french philosopher said something along the lines of : I do not agree with your opinion but I’m ready to be killed to enable you to voice it.
However, all I have seen of AFTV was always coming from a negative stance. Like the defunct Pravda always telling the world Moscow was doing it right. Or like the so-called UK press telling us how not bad refereeing is by not talking about it.
I agree with you that flooding AFTV with positive stuff is an idea that I smile at, yet it would just make the guy richer. Because as far as I am concerned, the guy cares a f… for football and Arsenal. He’s just carved himself a place in the sun and earns money with advertising. So going there would just earn him more money. Rather you stay at Untold…. By the way, the negativity towards Arsenal – and no other PL club – at the Guardian is the one reason they will never get a penny from me even as they ask every time I go there (daily) for my contribution.
Then, to come back to freedom of opinion, why in the world AFTV criticising Arsenal would be ok and Arsenal fans singing out AFTV of the stadium would not be ? Why would it be bad to voice an opinion about AFTV here – be it a negative one – and what they are doing to Arsenal be ok ?
I’m just enjoying this moment, and hope that finances run out for them. As Walter said it. It is an empty ship making a lot of noise.
And by the way, I just hope the reaction of real fans stays at banners and songs. No opinion deserves any kind of violent response. Let’s stick to being creative.
So the AFTV line is that around 20 guys started making problems with AFTV and this was all a setup, an intimidation operation that happens all throughout football, fans should grow up, etc etc.
Just the spin he puts on things….
I’m not going to put up a link, he does not deserve it, he is a martyr…quite like I expected. but here are some of the things he said :
– the guys who were chanting were the worst types of fans who can exist….
– Let’s keep the chants coming. he is even saying we should give back energy to the team. If they are not performing, it is ok to criticise (this guy ought to look at what fans of other teams are doing when their team is down…)
He even dares to advise fans to put the energy behind the team…. seriously ?!?!
– “Let’s get rid of that football fan who thinks he can just intimidate people…” I mean, words fail me…
– Then it is the racist angle that come up, yeah….
And in the end, rants about those 20 fans who take substances….to finish off with : you know what, let me get a drink…. I mean…
Go back home you not-funny-in-way-over-your-head-self-praising-self-pitying-not-even-funny-incapable-of-assuming-your-responsibilities vlogger. In french they have a saying : who seeds the wind harvests a tempest. A small draft of air is all that you got so far and you are already running for cover screaming murder.
methinks the blokes from the pub should refrain from visiting the pub prior to their broadcasts.
The AFTV is a funny case
As they claim, AFTV (the number 1 fan channel, by Arsenal fans for Arsenal).
Surely Arsenal have a huge fan base, and there are more than a 1000 fans that go to watch a game (at home and away) – I try to minimise just to make an illustration.
How come the same core group of fans; DeeTee, Krispy Ken, TroupZ, K-lechi, I use pseudonyms get to air their opinion every week like it were some kind of post game conference?
Surely, these are characters with a predetermined opinion
@ Chris
It was Evelyn Hall who actually said,””I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. It was in reference to the beliefs of Voltaire to whom the quote is often mis-attributed.
Sounds a bit swotty but I thought you might like to know 🙂
I’m not seeing this AFTV incident in the medja any more, which is a shame.
—-
OT: Heung-Min Son kick
Dermot the Burbot on Sky Sprots says the red card is correct. Moaninho is saying they will dispute the red card. He is not that kind of boy.
With everyone talking about the racism, I suspect the hick will slide through without discipline.
England is not going to get an inquiry into football racism. They are telling The (sweet) FA to clean up their own house. To sweep this aside so quickly, perhaps the spuds will get some discipline with a 3rd red card in a season (1 rescinded for a not very good reason).
—-
OT: Moaninho News
Moan. Moan, moan, moan, moan.
—-
OT: Everton will Play Attractive Football
It all depends on where you call home. At the moment, Everton is in negotiations with Stoke City to play their home games there. They think that is the crown who will find their new style of football the most attractive.
—–
In Gloucestershire, it appears that they will be building a wooden stadium. I see nothing in the news about fans bringing flares to games.
—-
Apparently the Moaninho likes Dele Alli. There is no news about whether the Moaninho likes Harry Kane. But they are two of the best divers the spuds have.
Dele Alli is the pansy that kicks everyone and screams that it hurts. He is the biggest chicken in the coop that serves beer from the bottom? Whose bottom is yet to be established.
Son the cheat kicked out at Rudiger and deserved a Red card. His appeal should get him another two match ban. Spuds should get a hefty fine for the racist abuse and an even bigger fine for the missiles thrown on to the chicken grass. This behaviour might be tolerated in the Gaza strip but it sholudn’t be tolerated in London.
Some poetic justice that Son was sent off, recalling the rescinding of his red card from a few weeks ago against Everton, which resulted in a serious injury.
Also Son must be a serious rival for Alli and Kane for the position of most outrageous diver at Spurs.
Interesting set of stories. One is what football might become in the minds of the medja. Another is where Bury FC might be going.
https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2019/12/23/21035061/bury-fc-football-club-revival-jorge-luis-borges-esse-est-percipi
Gord,
Thats a brilliant piece you have put on here about Bury, thank you.
Glad you liked it Nigel. I think the author did a wonderful job.
I thought that we lived in a country where free speech was allowed but seemingly not.If you don’t like AFTV don’t watch it. There is a site called Positively Arsenal. Loved Wenger, oh how they loved Wenger. All naysayers were toxic arse holes,not proper fans at all. However they wanted Arteta to replace Wenger and as Emery was appointed instead those behind the site spent 18 months spewing forth negative bile in their posts, podcasts and tweets. Now they have their chosen one at last all is sweetness and light again. See its easy to accuse others of fostering negativity but very hard to avoid being hypocrites. The fact that those behind the anti AFTV chanting are 44/55 ex herd with EIE in their profile and were instrumental in the protests, stickers and planes against Wenger means that like so many Arsenal fans they are hypocrites of the highest order. Still having a civil war on the concourse between pro and anti AFTV Arsenal fans is really going to help a team in severe danger of being dragged into a relegation dogfight isn’t it?
Funny AFTV talking about negative fans and the need to up the energy but then giving the same said negative fans air time. such a bloody HYPOCRITES. the cheek to think we are all idiots!! they are only getting the same treatment they have been dishing out since they launched! we the fans can voice our own opinions, we don’t need AFTV to voice fan’s opinions. it is OK for fans to voice displeasure but NEVER to the detriment of the team which is what AFTV seems to be all about – as the saying goes, bad news travels faster than good news…and all we get from these so called experts who “love” the club is bad news. in life – anything you love you NURTURE not tear it down. can they be said to be nurturing the club / moving the club in a positive direction??
speaking of the media – there is also such a thing as shooting your own foot/ too much info! why is Arsenal official channel showing videos of training especially since it directly benefits out opponents?????
I know most clubs do it doesn’t mean we also have to follow the crowd!! as a club we always stood for carving our own path! as long as we win/ do well I really dont give a toss how we trained tbh. we love the club for what it represents – a few more training videos wont change our opinion!! i mean post some pics, engage with the fans…fine but don’t give the game away before we have even kicked a ball!!
so happy Ljunberg has a place within the coaching role/staff – Arteta & Ljunberg plus Mertasacker, Edu & co seems to me like club icons pulling together for the greater good. plus his candid views and not being afraid to speak his mind have raised my level of respect for him. we absolutely need this in the club! As Wenger said, I support ANY manager in charge of Arsenal. Let’s all get behind them & rebuild this great club to it’s former glories/standing especially as we are all custodians of the VALUES of this club. people like AFTV shout and scream but forget the basics – “VICTORIA CONCORDIA CRESCIT” and if there are they not pulling in that positive direction…well then we should rightly abandon them or at the very least drown out their negativity. which is why I am supporter also of UNTOLD ARSENAL. keep on fighting the good fight. Salute.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/10613291/arsenal-mikel-arteta-kidd-man-city/
Just another piece of s**t crapping another piece of s**t on our beloved club. As my father always said ‘The pointy side is never on the writer’s side’. I hate ‘modern’ journalism!
A large woman wearing a sleeveless sun dress walked into a pub in England. She raised her right arm revealing a huge, hairy armpit as she pointed to all the people sitting at the bar and asked, ” What man here will buy a lady a drink? ”
The bar went silent as the patrons tried to ignore her. But down at the end of the bar, a bleary-eyed drunk slammed his hand down on the counter and bellowed, “Give the ballerina a drink! ”
The bartender poured the drink and the woman chugged it down. She turned to the patrons and again pointed around at all of them revealing the same hairy armpit and asked, “What man here will buy a lady a drink? ”
Once again, the same little drunk slapped his money down on the bar and said, “Give the ballerina another drink!”
The bartender approached the little drunk and said, “I say, old chap, it’s none of my business if you want to buy the lady a drink, but why do you keep calling her ‘the ballerina’ ?”
The drunk replied, ” Any woman who can lift her leg that high has got to be a ballerina ! “
STOP clicking on negative media like AFTV. Don’t feed the trolls.
@Mikey,
I stand corrected,
Thanks for putting the record straight.
Learned something, that’s good.
I on occasion watch AFTV just to hear other peoples view on the match & to be entertained,I also enjoy reading untold,Arseblog @ The Gooner, I also regularly go to the home games.If you don,t like AFTV,don’t watch it.I am disappointed on how divided our fans still are,we should all have one thing in common,to support Arsenal through the good & bad times just like the Arsenal fans who stayed right to the end of the Man City game & started singing we love you Arsenal
Michael Ram
Apart from it being just another dose of Arsenal bashing I see they’ve taken to referring to Arteta, not just as ‘the Spaniard’ but ‘the LEGO haired’ Spaniard.
How do they get away with this shit?
Can we now start referring to every player thus:
De Bruyne as the ‘Ginger headed’ Belgium ?
Salah as the ‘fuzzy headed’ Egyptian ?
Guardiola as the ‘shiny headed’ Spaniard ?
Honestly the SUN is an embarrassment, as is just about all of the media.
Vas Avraam I agree with you when you say, “we should all have one thing in common to support Arsenal”. My position is that the raging negativity on AFTV is not a neutral event – it is a negative event. It just as cheering our team and supporting the club has a positive impact on the way the team play, being so negative about the team as AFTV is, has a negative effect on the way the team plays.
AFTV is not being negative on the team when it wins u never here anyone saying bad about the team so when its losing let them say it nothing to be positive when the team keeps losing only hyproctes do that
Neutral fan let me try and explain. Criticising the team you claim to support just turns the players off. As our analysis shows Arsenal get far more negative commentary in the media than other clubs, so when the fans join in, potential transfer players think, “do I want to play for this club?” and the answer is “no”.
So ok you think that it would be hypocritical to say anything other than criticising players even though that makes it harder to recruit players and harder to retain players. If your view is shared by many Arsenal fans, then maybe that explains why we are struggling to buy in the players we want.
Non Arsenal supporting friends of mine think AFTV’s level of criticism is hilarious (not in a good way), embarrassing or both, yet here we have an Arsenal fan singing it’s praises. Says it all really.
Why don’t any of you AFTV apologists say some thing profundly positive that they ( the AFTV) bring to the Arsenal support , and how their lift the spirits of those who feel down this season ?
Take you time !
AFTV playing the Victim Card after getting a taste of their own medicine This unruly mob would be harmless enough if their activities were confined to a designated area such as a children’s playground supervised by adults. What gets me is that they in their modest “opinion” are giving Arsenal fans a voice- not any Arsenal fans that I know of.
They are regularly foul and abusive even when women and children are passing. Lyle also sells sweat-shop tat to his gullible followers and none of them appear to have “job”. Perhaps , worst of all they are such lame, wooden dullards. Finally, shame on Arsenal for letting them into Lodon Colney and using the pitch at the the height of their obnoxious campaign against Arsene Wenger. If we wish to be “The Arsenal” once more then make a start by showing this rabble the door.