10 Things we Noticed about the media’s coverage of Arsenal this weekend

By Dr Billy “the dog” McGraw, chief psychologist to the journalist community, at the University College Hospital of the North Circular Road.

1,  Disgruntled fans is still a story

“‘Are you serious?’ Some fans cannot believe what Arsenal are reportedly planning”

That was HITC reporting the alleged return of Arsene Wenger.  Of course what one has to recognise is that it is quite likely that the original story about Mr Wenger returning to Arsenal was fake, and if so we have a fake tale, generating a few comments from fans who believe the media, reported by the media as if it were important.

2.  Disgruntled fans will say anything

There must be a special place in the wastelands for disgruntled fans – after all, there can’t be much in their lives that if being disgruntled is their main activity.  Take for example

“Weaker than a wet noodle’, ‘Fabregas would laugh’ – Some Arsenal fans lash out at youngster”
The Transfer Tavern took this as the main Arsenal news of the day after Guendouzi answered a silly journalistic question about his time at Arsenal as honestly as he could, suggesting that fans expect more of him now that he’s been at the club a while.

3.  It’s never the fault of the fans

“Leno’s comments shine a light on Emery and those higher up” claims Arseblog in a piece that seems to suggest that although Emery was no good, it wasn’t the fault of the fans who demanded Wenger’s departure.

Although without the fans I am not sure that Mr Wenger would have gone one year before the end of his contract.   Mind you I did spot at least one article blaming Mr Wenger for leaving a year early, when if only he had stayed on another year, the big payout for early departures of himself and his coaching team, would have been avoided.

In fact it seems nothing is ever the fans’ fault.   So we must be customers after all.

4: Not all transfers work

“Lallana is a player I like but he has had so many injury problems,” Winterburn told The Metro, according to a piece in the Metro.    While HITC has “Careful’: Arsenal legend issues warning over player linked with Spurs.

And if that message gets across that will be a big step forward.  As things stand the general feeling seems to be that all transfers should work, and if they don’t it is the fault of the directors for bringing in the wrong player.   But the reality is that all clubs have transfers that don’t work.

5.  Huddersfield Town and Arsenal fans gush over Emile Smith Rowe after award

“The playmaker won a vote to be named Championship Player of the Weekend after his goal and assist in the defeat to Fulham,” says the Examiner, and yes, of course, a much better way forward is to bring through your own young players.

But that’s not really news, not when we have…

6.  Mikel Arteta made a massive gamble in the transfer window that could cost Arsenal dearly 

That is the Express, and the gamble was… he didn’t buy anyone.  But a look at the number of transfers that work and the number that don’t and still, bringing up youngsters through the system remains the most cost-effective way forward.

He didn’t buy anyone.

7.  Mikel Arteta hints at when Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares could be fit to play for Arsenal 

This one is from Football.London so you know it is going to be a wild and whacky affair, one of their 40 a day habit.   Here’s what they build that story on – its a quote from the boss…

“The new players that we have, it is a great opportunity for them to spend time together with the other players, get to know each other, live together – the same with the backroom staff as well. I think it will be a very important break.”

8.  4m loanee drops hint about joining Arsenal this summer 

I wonder if HITC‘s figures are down a bit as they seem to be going into overdrive in the last few days.  This “story” (I use the word in its fullest fictional sense) says, “The Spanish centre-back revealed to the club’s official website that he wants to be at the Emirates Stadium club for ‘a long time’.”

9.  Arsenal fans notice major change to Gabriel Martinelli during warm-weather training camp

This is from the Daily Star so you know it is going to be a whopper, and it is.  The story is that one fan said Martinelli looked like he’d spent time in the gym.

10.  Triple injury boost

I will let FoLo round up the gibberish, with the tale that “Kieran Tierney, Sead Kolasinac and Reiss Nelson all took part in the training session and some fans are speculating that the Scotland international is way ahead of schedule.”

Do you want to contemplate that one?   The fans are speculating that the players are ready to return… and that is newsworthy of a story in its own right in the strange world of FoLo.   I think perhaps we should leave it there.

Tomorrow: How us fans are being weaponised to make cheap stories for the media to tell.

4 Replies to “10 Things we Noticed about the media’s coverage of Arsenal this weekend”

  1. Well, I don’t get it…Arsenal die not ‘buy’ any player, but did they not get 2 players on loan with options for the reminder of the season ? Well, anyway, Arteta did not buy anyone, that is the soundbyte that sticks… shrewd additions to the team would have been too complicated a headline and to exotic in terms of vocabulary I guess…

  2. OT: Premflix

    Football365 has a blurb about “streaming” football games.

    https://www.football365.com/news/premflix-end-premier-league-john-nicholson

    I think it is probably too late for any “model” of showing football games in my situation. The endless hype and the dishonest, cheating PGMO have ruined it for me. I have no interest in paying to watch any football on a monitor. If I at some point found myself in a city where Arsenal was playing, I might see if tickets were available to go to a live match.

    But, I think there is a market for people to watch games on monitors, where the only sound stream was the sound from fans in the stadium where the game is taking place. No idiots endlessly babbling about no end of stupid crap. And give us all of the statistics on the games, so that we can decide for ourselves that the games are played fairly.

  3. OT: National Team Players

    Eurosport has a blurb surrounding Pickford and national team players.

    https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/premier-league/2019-2020/football-news-everyone-hates-you-when-you-play-for-england-everton-s-jordan-pickford_sto7659324/story.shtml

    With FIFA, UEFA and every other FA looking for their piece of the pie, there are simply too many games for players to play in over too short an interval of time. I think what has to happen, is that for say the English team to say in July, that this is the roster of players we want to play for England this season. And the clubs then release those players to the national team for the season. The national team pays their wages, and sees to their medical care. And the club doesn’t have this endless worry about whether the players come back fit to play.

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