By Tony Attwood
Put another way… “Does it matter what the media says about Arsenal?”
One could argue that it clearly matters to some supporters because their comments make it clear that they believe some of what is written. But does it actually affect the club?
For example, does it make it easier or harder for the club to make the next transfer, if the media is full of over-puffed Arsenal “failings” in the previous season, with growing suggestions that the manager has only a few months to prove himself before he is sacked?
In such a case I would say yes, the media is having an influence, because of player’s agent might say to the player – “They are in chaos at Arsenal; Arteta had a terrible season last time and there’s talk of him having only 10 games this season to save his career. If you go to Arsenal and he Arteta gets the chop, the next manager could have a totally different view of how the team should work.”
In this regard part of the problem is that the media’s perception of Arsenal at the moment is unified – that the club had a terrible season last year and are trying to buy players to pull themselves out of the mire.
I would argue that when the media from blogs to newspapers speak with one voice, that voice is hard to resist.
First let’s look at the lies…
- Arsenal failed last season with a terrible defence
- Arsenal failed last season with a terrible attack
- Arsenal are desperate to buy but keep on moving too slowly or trying to get the price down, allowing someone else to come in.
The “first time in 25 years” that Arsenal have not been in Europe story is presented as the worst kind of failure, but in fact NO OTHER ENGLISH CLUB HAS EVER MADE IT TO 25 YEARS IN EUROPE IN SUCCESSION.
But players and agents are taken in by the negativity. Sometimes it is just with the comment, “I hear things aren’t right at Arsenal” but sometimes taking the whole negativity seriously. This then can affect not only who the club can buy but all the profit and loss of the club.
Arsenal are seen to be desperate and the prices go up as the feeling that Arsenal are in chaos spreads. Players who might once have considered the club, no longer do.
So why don’t Arsenal fight back by saying, “The media is lying. Last season we invented a new form of playing, and the statistics prove it. In the last two thirds of the season we were second best in the league…” They don’t because media won’t touch a story that says the media got it wrong.
Of course it is not just lies about Arsenal having had a bad season, it is also nuance. Take the Guardian this morning “Premier League clubs can benefit from lack of lucrative summer jaunts” which basically seems to be there to enable them to make the point that Arsenal will suffer from going to the US.
And when we do sign a player we get “Ben White’s biggest weakness that will concern Mikel Arteta after £50m Arsenal transfer (
Of course some look promising like “Arsenal’s incredible squad for Premier League opener if Edu seals six more deals” in the Express, but just pause and think – could Arsenal, in a couple of weeks, create a new team with eight or so new signings?
Last season, as we have shown over and over, it took a third of the season to introduce the revolutionary tactics and get them to work. And that was with a stable, established squad. Why would Arteta throw away another third of a season, with all the negative publicity that would bring, going through that all again?
And all the time we get headlines like, ““He is better than that” – Pundit surprised at star sealing transfer to Arsenal … (
At the same time lists of players we are going to sign appear. The last analysis we published was of 111 players tipped to be coming to Arsenal and we’ve found quite a few more since then!
This is an outright assault by the media on Arsenal, day after day after day, for one reason only. To make Arsenal fail.
The enemies of Arsenal and how they are trying to destroy our club
- “We’ve got a really successful keeper, let’s get rid of him”
- “Arteta’s making unusual decisions”. How Keown was more right than he knew
- Wenger and Arteta: two revolutionaries each under ceaseless attack
- How the English media followed Trump as a way of attacking Arsenal
- The enemies of Arsenal, and how they are attempting to bring about our fall
- We kept the wrong goalkeeper. Here’s the evidence. (Caution article might cause swearing)
- Last season revealed significant referee home bias, but what about penalties??
- Media move on to regular insults against Arsenal to hide the real data
Hi Tony,
I think in this modern age, with all access to social media for the players and their agents who advise them, even the players family etc who the player trusts as their well wishers, have easy access to the social media and this is where negative propaganda surely hurts the team as a whole.
Just like this, Gabriel Maghalaes said he was overwhelmed with the response of arsenal fans on social media and it played a part in him joining arsenal (which I think is a bit far fetched) but still social media is impacting people’s lives.
So in that scenario, Mikel Arteta has publicly stated that he is being backed by the owners which is really assuring but the media still tries to pull arsenal down with negative stories, for example the media has never focused on arteta’s backing by the owners and make up fake news.
Anyways on footballing terms:
seeing the first two matches of pre-season (Not much to be taken from it) but still our attacking play is not coherent and fluent enough, its somehow too mechanical and labored. Id like to see arteta utilize the talents of Pepe consistently backing him as he has backed Willian and Aubameyang all of last season even though they failed to return Arteta’s trust.
Secondly, We have already spent 8 M on Tavares, maybe 18 M on lokonga and around 50 M on White, thats about 76 M pounds invested in the squad, (Outgoing might get us around 40-50 Million) so a net spend already of 20 M seemingly, so the Kroenkes are backing Arteta. How do you see our fanbase going forward lets say if we are around 7th by Christmas, do you think our fan base and the media will spare arteta after the money invested in the squad. ? And do you think the pressure from the fanbase and AFTV likewise stuff, the Kroenkes will let him run what he wants ? I will find it Hard enough.
PS I will blindly follow arteta and back him for the next 03 seasons trusting him to build the squad for competing for best honors ONLY IF he somehow installs an attacking fluent beautiful football mindset within the squad. (Arsene Wenger has totally ruined me)
You have to laugh at Danny Mills latest outburst. He can’t believe that Ben White would come to Arsenal and is amazed that United didn’t come in for him. Well it could be one of he most ignorant and poorly researched comments I have ever read from a pundit. Here it is (or some clone of the original) in all it’s it’s bitter and twisted glory:
https://www.caughtoffside.com/2021/07/19/ben-white-arsenal-transfer-dig-from-danny-mills/
A mediocre defender at best, he is better known for his bitter outbursts on subjects which he seems clueless about (his own profession). It’s doubly surprising when you think he was a defender himself. I find these comments mind-bogglingly ridiculous.
Does he know that United have spent £375 million on defenders recently? Obviously not. Most of us know this but for any professional footballers or pundits who don’t know, here is a link:
https://www.espn.co.uk/football/blog-the-toe-poke/story/4200942/man-uniteds-375m-of-transfer-spending-on-defenders-since-sir-alex-ferguson-retired-rated!
I mean why would a brilliant young defender want to come to the Team with 13 titles and 14 FA cups (the most in the premiership)? Maybe because, as has been pointed out here, we have one of the best pedigrees, 2nd best form in the prem since Christmas and a brilliant young manager who has the potential to be one of the best managers in the world.
It’s just a tragedy that someone in a position to make useful and insightful comments, instead comes out with some of the biggest load of rubbish ever written.
What a load of rubbish. He had very little credibility beforehand but anyone who knows anything about football will snigger at the sheer stupidity of this so-called pundit. Poor Danny Mills. Does he have heat stroke or is he just simply an ignorant, bitter and twisted individual who becomes more laughable every time he opens his mouth?
Better than. being ignored like some clubs are..Most trolls are from supporters of insignificant clubs and ex player/pundits with below average intelligence and never made it footballers.Put in a few questionable refs eyesights and there you have the task before the ARSENAL kicks a ball. Still.we shall overcome..
Ansar, I do recall how it was the fans from Arsenal Supporters Trust and Black Scarf who vigorously promoted “Wenger out” and those people are still there, still with their negativity. And although Black Scarf has gone very quiet, AST is agitating like mad, demanding a seat on the board etc. So that is where the problem comes from, and others of course pick up on it.
Sally Pally
Nice to hear from you again.
“Poor Danny Mills. Does he have heat stroke or is he just simply an ignorant, bitter and twisted individual who becomes more laughable every time he opens his mouth?”
I would say simply ‘bitter and twisted’ Sally, and this may be part of the reason why. I mean nobody likes to be made to look a complete fool in front of 38,000 live supporters do they, and then worse to have the humiliation preserved on line for all time ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhR-WnafzoE
I know I posted it on the previous article but it would be a shame if anyone missed it. In fact I might just keep re posting it, you know, just so everyone can have a little giggle at his expense.
Sally
I did a big article about diving the last time this waste of space was given air time to spout his nonsense but I’ll never find it so here’s the gist:
This from Wikipedia
FRANCIS LEE
His career started in 1959 at Bolton and ended in 1974 at Derby County
Francis Lee played for Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Derby County and England. A fast forward, he won League Championship medals with Manchester City and Derby, and scored more than 200 goals in his career. In 2010, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
He holds the English record for the greatest number of penalties scored in a season, a feat which earned him the nickname Lee Won Pen and led to accusations of diving.[1] One such accusation, from Leeds United’s Norman Hunter, led to an on-pitch fight.[2]
And this from football.co.uk back in September 2009:
TOTTENHAM legend Jurgen Klinsmann has been voted the Premier Leagues worst ever diver, according to a poll conducted by talkSPORT.
The former Germany striker, also famed for his notorious diving goal scoring celebration topped the poll with 35 per cent of the votes.
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, former Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and another Spurs hero David Ginola round out the top five.
The poll was conducted in the aftermath of Uefa handing Arsenal striker Eduardo a two-match ban for diving against Celtic during their Champions League qualifier at the Emirates Stadium last week.
NB A dive I believe that was proved NOT to be a dive when another angle of the incident surfaced that showed he was fouled, but I may be wrong.
Anyway, as well as Lee, who’s 1st division career started in 1959, we have Klinsman 1994, Ginola 1997 and Gerrard 1998 all voted ahead of Pires, who all started their Premier League careers before Pires who arrived at Arsenal in 2000.
But the point is again, it took me 10 minutes of research to find these articles, something Mills could easily have done, but worse probably didn’t need to do because he knows this already. Of course he already knows about Lee, Klinsman, Gerrard and Ginola, but it doesn’t suit his agenda against Arsenal so he just spouts this garbage again and again, and if it isn’t about diving it’s garbage about something else.
And what’s EVEN WORSE the outlets that are giving him air time ALSO know he’s talking garbage and they don’t care either as long as it fits their anti Arsenal agenda they will allow him to say what he wants.
It’s an absolute joke, but a joke that’s wearing a little thin it has to be said.
Rooney did 2 penalty winning dives at OT. The Riley award against Campbell in game 50 and falling over against Almunia, awarded by Riley’s disciple, Mike Dean.
Nitram
I didn’t know a lot of the stuff you write about. I do remember the disgusting campaign against Eduardo. It summed up for me exactly what was wrong and helped me to understand the depths of depravity that had befallen the pigmob and media when Sir Alex was in charge at United.
The video explains everything and it is high time Mr Mills got over it. Maybe Gary should have a word in his ear. Maybe he did and it came straight out the other one.
Sally Pally
Blimey! Not only nutmegged between the legs but nutmegged between the ears !!!