Remember when Kevin Keegan showed how cross he was at something Old Red Nose said? He was wearing a pair of seventies headphones and started to echo the thoughts of most football supporters in the land by saying he would love to beat the red Mancs, love it. Nothing particularly exciting about that, at the time we would have loved it if anyone beat them. I in fact still enjoy seeing or hearing that they have been defeated, it’s one of life’s little joys.
Sadly for all people with a scintilla of sense and decency the media took that moment as their cue to start praising the purple veined old coot for his deft employment of psychology to unsettle his managerial opponents. Or in their lazy shorthand, mind games. In fact Keegan’s little show of passion was only notable because someone in football had just told the unvarnished truth, and had done so in a way that made it transparently apparent that they in fact meant what they were saying. I don’t think it had much impact on the outcome of the title. We all know that in a tight race the more experienced, settled team (with the weight of the football establishment behind them) will often succeed and Keegan’s Newcastle just didn’t quite have enough to stave off the vested interests and the red mancs.
What’s always struck me is the way we have since been told to view Keegan’s barely suppressed anger as an outburst or a rant. Who really used mind games here? I suggest it was the media. Repeat a lie often enough and everyone will accept it. The interview is passionate, honest and relatively mild by any reasonable measure. And yet the media felt the need to over react and do everything possible to destabilise the rival to their favourite. It’s not much to me, a meh moment really, they have an agenda, big deal, so what? That’s not news. But last week they were at it again.
I read on the BBC news feed that Rafa Benitez had ‘ranted’ and been guilty of an ‘outburst’. The BBC. An organisation which used to be rightly famed for some degree of journalistic integrity. Not a tabloid, not a Fregie fawning satellite channel but Aunty Beeb herself. Intrigued despite myself, I looked up and found a video of this drooling, wild eyed, ill advised crazy harangue to which the poor unsuspecting journalists had been subjected. And surprise surprise, what did I find? A rather diffident, polite gentleman calmly and rationally explaining that he was working for a shamelessly non-supportive organisation and that football fans have a role and that role is to get behind their team. Their role was absolutely not to make defamatory banners nor to chant abuse at the club they purport to follow. I say the club and not the manager advisedly. These buffoons at Chelsea will always claim they have the long term good of their club at heart and are in fact merely ‘having a go’ at an inept manager.
Bollocks.
You shout abuse at your manager and you are shouting abuse at your club. As George would say, simples.
We of course at Arsenal are familiar with what is happening at Chelsea. Not the manager go round nor the ownership model, I don’t mean that, but rather the unrepresentative berks getting their names checked by an all too willing and complicit media and claiming to speak for all of the fans. The prats who think they know more about tactics and player selection than a man who clearly has more experience and professional acumen than they have acne blocked pores. I don’t have much sympathy for Rafa – he knew precisely what kind of horrible organisation he was walking into. But I do think he was absolutely 100% correct in everything he said. And more than that he did not rant and it wasn’t an outburst but the media have decided that we must all think it was.
Here’s my question. And I expect an answer so sit up straight at the back. What do the print journos, the radio and TV people gain from raising up these revolting little men (who I refuse to name here) that claim (wrongly) to represent fan unrest? Who benefits? Beats the hell out of me. A conspiracy needs a clear aim before it makes sense to simpletons like me. So maybe they just like stirring the shit. Maybe it makes life more interesting.
One thing watching Rafa reminded me is how wise Arsene is to treat the press with such gently smiling benign contempt. I am astounded when supporters think it is they who are on the end of his subtle dissembling, that he aims his careful political double speak at the humble football fan. It is a duel with the media and one he conducts with a cautious dignity, choosing when to swat them aside and when to dangle a tidbit. Mind games? Compared with the oafish clumsiness of the sot from the North Arsene is like the child of Gary Kasparov and Machiavelli. When he blithely states that he makes no plans for Gareth Bale on Sunday do people really seriously start screaming that he’s a fool and he’s lost it? Or do they think he ought to tell those press hounds all of his plans and just hope no one from the Lane gets wind of them.
Given the enormous task Arsene has faced over the last few years and the revolting way he is treated it is quite incredible that a genuine rant or outburst has never happened. He should be instantly forgiven it it did, but instead he tolerates the imbecility of the press pack with an avuncular patience and a patronising indifference which you nor I would have little hope of maintaining. Just one more thing he does rather well in my opinion.
And with that I’m off to try to fill a football free Saturday.
Positively Arsenal 
Aman, wudup bro!
Limpar, big ups!
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Splendid, Steww!
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Just about everyone is here now.
Are their any stragglers?
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The media is something else. What is evident is how some seem immune to the what they give. Fergie can say that keeping the game free from enhancement drugs is a pain and get away with it, while Liverpool can miss the CL on a yearly basis and they are not in any crisis.
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pg i always found irish positive and keeps the blog going throught the night
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We’re missing Bill and GoonerAndy, ninja George.
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Arse or Brain, fuck Irish.
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Gains – just stop it! Bill and GA are perfectly happy where they are I’m sure.
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Hahahahahaha!!!!!!
What a coward the West Brom manager is. Chelsea were there for the taking. Had they scored an early goal they would’ve had the crowd on Rafa’s back. What a better time to play Chelse than today?
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g69 ..just a suggestion personally i would rather promote from within finding new youngsters rather than big money transfers from other blogs
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Is Stephen Reed the absolute worst player in the BPL? I sincerely can’t think of anyone worse than him.
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Irish agitated for my expulsion from the other blog.
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arhh didnt know that then let his exile remain
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Fuuuuuuuuuuck!!!!!!!!!! West Brom could’ve nicked a point.
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Barca lose again.
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I remember that Gains,Jonny too
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Rotters
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@ arse_or_brain March 2, 2013 at 4:41 pm
ha ha
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scabby fence sitters
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Barca remind me of The Invincibles when we were robbed at OT. Confidence is a vital part of any team sport and even the very very best players can fail without it.
Funny that supporters can’t see it. If they did they might get behind the fucking team.
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What blog are you lot banging on about?
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@ steww March 2, 2013 at 5:13 pm
what happened in El Clasico? Dodgy decisions?
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2-1 RM
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Was it a poor ref?
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Oh I don’t know about the ref today, sorry, I meant their confidence looks shot latyely and they are losing games they previously may well have won. Happens to the best.
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That was odd. I mentioned this p[lace in my other blog and lo and behold the mention appeared in this comment section. Deleted it now of course, shameless self promotion otherwise which simply won’t do. Not the thing old boy.
http://slowanddirty.wordpress.com/
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Stew .you should not promote the finest radio show in Christendom on Somer Valley FM , Tuesdays at 8 o’clock.
That would be terrible.
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Darn it. The results didn’t go quit our way today. So much more the reason why we must put on a great show tomorrow and get a result.
west brom really dropped the ball today. Good result the swans.
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@ steww
got ya.
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What’s this about a new blog? Slow and dirty? Hmmm..
I think I’ll drop in and take a looksy. Glad you’re ok master George.
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Gains – I remember that shabby episode where you were binned. Let us learn and move on. No blog war for me. In my bar-hopping days this is like a new watering hole, just a lot more positive.
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hello Frank….Paul N….G69, FunGunner, Passenal, Fins…”what a reunion”..!
feels mighty comfy here.
Cartalunya’s lost 3 games in a row & have Milan waiting to knock ’em out of the CL…talk about losing your mojo.
All our rivals for 2nd-4th won today….ups the ante a tad for tomorrow.
Should be a cracker
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What show was that? The one you can stream live on http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk? On every Tuesday night at 8 pm – 10 pm, you say?
SPLENDID stuff!!
Welcome to ‘must listen’ radio …
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Andrew,are you promoting Stew Black’s brilliant radio show on http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk ? Not sure about that !
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My opinion only. The main difference between PA and most other so-called Arsenal blogs is not merely the words of support, which quite frankly is a dime a dozen. The difference is we support in good or bad times, ranging from the ecstasy of victory to the pain of defeat. Thus our antipathy to cheap, cowardly, uninformed critcism of the club, the manager and the players either in the main post or in the comments section. Most of us are aware that this type of criticism is simply a lever over time to undermine support for the club especially when it is most needed. No wonder the crappy conditional type of support from many other blogs who open their doors to all and sundry especially the weak-willed and spineless. Hence I support George’s spam bin. Posters must earn the right to post. Quality, not quantity.
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What shotta just said.
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How come we haven’t had a visit from One of Us, the esteemed Big Al? Have you locked him out George? There is a man whose opinions of Aresenal I respect.
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Word,as the kids say http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/9903319/Tottenham-v-Arsenal-Arsene-Wenger-is-a-wounded-warrior-determined-to-come-out-fighting-for-the-team.html
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He has gone to ground Shotta
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Yes, George – THAT show!
You can be sure of it, ‘n’all.
(His slowanddirty.wordpress.com blog is well worth checking out also, especially so on show nights).
***
Yes, One of Us is a top, top quality writer; hopefully he’ll pitch up at some point, somewhere (hopefully here).
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George/Andrew just to put you right, number 10s radio show- stew blacks slow & dirty,8-10pm somer valley fm is not recorded in Christendom, it’s recorded in Bristol on Tuesday nights at 8pm. On somer valley fm. Tuesdays.
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I’m not interested in a blog anything with those people, Shotta. I just don’t want them spoiling this blog with their half arsed neutrality and their stupid ass banter.
The only person I remember from over there whom I would love to see over here is Dexter. I used to love the way he and George went back and forth. Plus he wasn’t a fence sitter.
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Dexter has gone off the radar completely Gains.He also quit twitter.
I have not seen him since I stopped him smoking in bed.
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FFS Shoot was a top bloke also.
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‘Andrew,are you promoting Stew Black’s brilliant radio show on http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk ? Not sure about that !’
Goodness me, I’ve been furiously twiddling knobs like a good un for the last six months and couldn’t get any sort of reception for Steww’s programme. Is it possible to get wireless on the internet nowadays? Marvellous. What will they come up with next? I’m going to have a go at that.
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Enough already!
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Ok Stew does not want his show on http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk to be promoted any more
Tonight
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Excellent stuff Steww and some great comments thereafter. As someone who has never heard of somervalley thing I treckon I’ll go check that http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk out on Tuesday then
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Hey ,Its fucking good though
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Ha ha .I love it Steve
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