How they assist in the destabalising of a football club
In a time when Twitter is the go-to source for all breaking news, it’s no surprise that the media’s stranglehold over football is at an all-time high. With many journalists using the media channel as their primary form of quick communication to the rest of the world, there is certainly no surprise that the media has such a command in the shaping of football’s landscape.
The media has the power to determine what kind of atmosphere hangs over a club. They’re painting a picture that may or may not be entirely truthful of a situation, but many fall into the trap of believing exactly what is put in front of them and at first glance.
No one needs to tell an Arsenal fan that the 8-2 thrashing away to Manchester United was a bad and even humiliating day for the club. However, the media painted Arsenal as this club in crisis and one who would finish well outside the top four. There was no consideration for the lack of a full squad for the trip to Old Trafford, nor were the recent outgoings of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri put forth as obvious shackles on the team, instead they were viewed as players jumping off a sinking ship.
The recent Bacary Sagna story has also arguably been thrown out of proportion. The Arsenal right-back talks about the disappointment of big name players leaving the club, while also mentioning that he has not been approached over a new contract. Once again, club in crisis with a key member of the first-team looking to depart in the near future. That’s fine, Bacary Sagna may leave the club at some stage in the near future, but is it because of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, or the doubt that has been planted by the media?
It’s a whole self-fulfilling prophecy that footballers have when the media portrays one situation as something completely different. Maybe Arsenal want to wait and see how the player responds following two big injuries before extending a new contract. Arguably, that’s very smart management, especially in a time when Arsenal are so criticised for the way they conduct their contract business. But the media clearly holds a great power in distorting the views of players and even clubs as to where they might be in their career. Obviously, Sagna was asked about the current situation at Arsenal, but why couldn’t the interviewer send across much more positive questions and force a better reaction? Of course, all is not completely harmonious at Arsenal, but it shows the kind of influence the media have following only a couple of questions.
It was extremely embarrassing the way the media mourned Harry Redknapp’s departure from Tottenham this past summer. The media’s favourite had been moved on and Daniel Levy was playing with fire by letting go of a very good manager. Luckily for Levy, a lot of Spurs fans saw straight through all that media blubbering and roundly supported their chairman.
Furthermore, for all the good Redknapp did for Tottenham, he did have his flaws. His lack of tactical awareness and knowledge became apparent as last season went on, and his age certainly meant that something needed freshening up in the dugout. But there’s no mention of that, rather the media tried to portray Tottenham is a club moving backwards and assuring themselves of missing out on Champions League football for next year. That may be so, but that only helps to strengthen the argument that the Premier League is king in terms of competition. And what about Andre Villas-Boas and his views of the game? Surely there’s got to be some form of interest in a young and ambitious manager who was once under the wing of Jose Mourinho.
The media do a good job of creating uneasy environments for football clubs and specifically key individuals in those teams. But what is interesting is that the suits at football clubs seem to put so much worth in the image that is painted of them. Yes, the media are in a position where they have to give their opinions and help to report on the news, but why do clubs give into it? You wouldn’t find managers or owners taking advice from football fans on Twitter, because quite plainly those fans’ opinions don’t mean a damn when you’ve got experienced managers on huge wages running the show. But it reinforces the power of the media and how they can cast doubt on positive steps forward.
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Brendan Rodgers is working to clean up the mess from previous regimes, while also acting as the first line of defence for a set of owners whose financial commitments to the club can also be questioned. But we sometimes get the impression that Rodgers isn’t good at what he does or that Liverpool have shopped in the bargain bins to pick up a manager. To be fair to the club, every team has to shop in the “bargain bins” at some stage in their history, but a little more decency for Rodgers’ position would be welcomed.
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