Why do the national media dislike Saints?

[Saint J 77]

I've often wondered why the national media seemly dislike us. I know some of the current anti Saints agenda is Cortese stirring but its not just the papers the TV are at it now too. During the Brazil Croatia match the when the commentator mentioned Lorven the first thing he said was " Lorven who has handed in a transfer request at Southampton" you could almost hear the smile on his face.

 

I'll quote from League 1 Minus 10 to save me a bit of typing here as he says exactly what I've been thinking... "Then there was Liverpool’s Lambert – no matter how many times you say it or hear the ITV **** commentators say it – it doesn’t make it any easier. Saints are never mentioned in connection with him now. It's like we have been airbrushed from history - it's now Liverpool - rejected - beetroot - lower leagues - England - Liverpool."

 

As soon as we got 3 players in the England team the press has done their up most to unsettle and move those players on. So it's not just Lambert airbrushed from our history but any player who makes the England squad. When Poch left us for Spurs and Lambert got his dream move to Liverpool It felt like I could almost see the little turds high fiving each other knowing a potential collapse at the club had began.

 

I bet they are annoyed they currently still have to say Lallana and Shaw of Southampton. I'm hopeful that Koeman's potential/impending appointment might stop this surge of anti saints talk but I doubt it will. There seems to be a lot of bitterness at our recent success. I know historically we've never been a popular club in the eyes of the national media but why is it they do not want us to do well?

 

Don't they realise that wishing all young talented players are playing only for the big clubs is actually hurting our game? It would be much more beneficial for England for our young team to stick together but they can't wait to see our team torn apart and us destroyed. For some reason it seems to hurt some journalist to think little old Southampton could aim big and ruffle the feathers of the "big clubs". So why does our National press seem to dislike Southampton so much? Why don't they want other clubs other than the big 5 challenging for domestic honours? Surely a club like us succeeding would make a more interesting story than it being ripped apart?

Edited 13 June, 2014 by Saint J 77

[Bad Wolf]

They don't. Everyone thinks the media dislike and have an agenda against their club

[John Boy Saint]

In reality we are the only place where stuff is going on after an impressive season. Makes life dead easy for the hacks

[offix]

They don't. Everyone thinks the media dislike and have an agenda against their club

this

[Latheal]

I've gone through a multitude of different emotions so far this pre-season. Thought RK's statement before Rickie's sale was completely naïve. For the first time in ages I thought about not renewing. I'll admit that most of this is influenced by logging on to twitter, here, bbc and seeing our best players linked elsewhere.

 

And then I look back. I remember the 30k against Leeds in Lg 1, the match against MK Dons when we 2-0 down and Jonno Quick, the 4-0 v Coventry and realise I'm upset not because of the raised expectations, but because the heart of the team who had been there during that time is probably about to leave. I thought they were like my mates and we'd been through this together.

 

i felt that we were on the brink of doing something special, and doing it the right way; upsetting the status quo makes you a threat, and other teams look at you as such. I've no doubt now that part of the raid on our club is to protect other clubs positions as much as it is to improve their own squad.

 

I now look it in a different way. I love Lallana, but if he was to leave for £30mil, and Shaw the same, hell even Lovren for £20mil, I prefer to look at it as you've just armed us with £100mil (including the £20mil rumoured budget) to go and improve on 8th.

 

Add a manager who obviously wants European football and can attract big names, and I'm actually now excited. I tweeted it earlier but if Koeman is the manager, he's left a Champions League club to (IMO) try and get a new team into the Champs League or at least Europe, then what are the players going to say to him? You can't say that Koeman couldn't have got a Champs League team.

 

I also like to think to that with most of the teams above us reportedly after all our 1st 11 players, and our players reportedly capable of playing in the Champs League or Europe, then MoPo under achieved. Not saying it's right, but it makes me feel better. Been said on here before, but always felt he had no plan B. We played some great football last year, he obviously improved the players, but how many points did we lose from being in front? At points, it felt he was playing youngsters just because it was the "Southampton Way".

 

The papers can say what they want. If we get Koeman, then the board have done a great job. I don't care what anybody says, his resume is second to none and is a massive upgrade on Poch in status alone. They needed to hold on to the stars until we had a manager, if the players still want to leave after meeting with that manager, let them go when the buying club meets the price. But make a stand. Make a point. Lallana goes for £25mil up front. Shaw £27mil+. Lovren £20mi+ All with add ons. Then reinvest wisely. I'd love to have £80-£100mil to go and spend on players to improve our team, even with those three gone.

 

Let the media have their say. I'm happy to give the board (apart from RK, he should never speak in public again) a fair crack of the whip. We were supposed to give MoPo an unwelcome first game due to the sudden Adkins sacking...Saints fans didn't. We were supposed to be in meltdown after Cortese left...we didn't...we're supposed to be livid that Shaw and Lallana are being sold...yet to meet a Saints fan who Doesn't think that £50mil+ for those two is good business.

 

We're the media's plaything at the moment because we dared to be different. They are loving the fact that it's open season on us. I'm loving the fact that we've played hard ball over Lallana and Shaw. Years ago, they'd already be gone.

 

The worst that happens is that we sell everybody and we end up playing our youth team again. And then maybe Cortese's master plan (11 from the academy) comes to fruitition. Enjoy the ride, I think it's still moving. We're about to name a world renowned name as manager. We have six players at the World Cup, and two of them can't even get in our first team. Either one of our right backs could have gone to the World Cup and improved the England team.

 

I'm starting to believe it's not as bad as the media reports.

 

I'm starting to believe again. And even if it goes all Pete Tong? We've always got the days like Leeds and MK Dons to look forward to. Reading on here, League One was better than the prem anyway, right?

[Frank's cousin]

Got to be careful you don't get paranoid!;-)

 

There is no agenda, no dislike of us and as some have said above, over the course of last season we have more than our fair share of media plaudits as a result of our youth development and lack of fear in integrating them early in the first team.

 

With that relative success comes more rumour and gossip as the top teams all want to grab our players... And it's stories about ten top teams that always sell more papers... As they have ten largest 'neutral' or national support... So very simple really.

 

I appreciate it can seem like they are just ignoring our part in player development and focussing on the players and optical buying side, but that's the story... Not 'player gets better at saints...oh and by the way he might interest Arsenal.'

 

if we do do get a high profile name like RK or even a highly rated up and coming Tuchel, I am sure we will get some positive column inches.

[CB Saint]

Seriously, lambert is a Liverpool player, we are old news. Time to get over it.

 

how would we like it if they kept talking about Rodriguez as the ex-burnley striker every time he played?

[CB Fry]

I've often wondered why the national media seemly dislike us. I know some of the current anti Saints agenda is Cortese stirring but its not just the papers the TV are at it now too. During the Brazil Croatia match the when the commentator mentioned Lorven the first thing he said was " Lorven who has handed in a transfer request at Southampton" you could almost hear the smile on his face.

 

I'll quote from League 1 Minus 10 to save me a bit of typing here as he says exactly what I've been thinking... "Then there was Liverpool’s Lambert – no matter how many times you say it or hear the ITV **** commentators say it – it doesn’t make it any easier. Saints are never mentioned in connection with him now. It's like we have been airbrushed from history - it's now Liverpool - rejected - beetroot - lower leagues - England - Liverpool."

 

As soon as we got 3 players in the England team the press has done their up most to unsettle and move those players on. So it's not just Lambert airbrushed from our history but any player who makes the England squad. When Poch left us for Spurs and Lambert got his dream move to Liverpool It felt like I could almost see the little turds high fiving each other knowing a potential collapse at the club had began.

 

I bet they are annoyed they currently still have to say Lallana and Shaw of Southampton. I'm hopeful that Koeman's potential/impending appointment might stop this surge of anti saints talk but I doubt it will. There seems to be a lot of bitterness at our recent success. I know historically we've never been a popular club in the eyes of the national media but why is it they do not want us to do well?

 

Don't they realise that wishing all young talented players are playing only for the big clubs is actually hurting our game? It would be much more beneficial for England for our young team to stick together but they can't wait to see our team torn apart and us destroyed. For some reason it seems to hurt some journalist to think little old Southampton could aim big and ruffle the feathers of the "big clubs". So why does our National press seem to dislike Southampton so much? Why don't they want other clubs other than the big 5 challenging for domestic honours? Surely a club like us succeeding would make a more interesting story than it being ripped apart?

What a load of nonsense, especially at the end of a season when the positive media love - in over us was beginning to make me feel slightly ill.

 

There is no anti - Saints agenda in the media, just paranoid lunatics on football forums.

[adrian lord]

All this season we have been praised and lauded unremittingly by the media - print and TV pundits. Common themes:

 

- beautiful passing and pressing game

- wonderful academy, English core to team,

- youthful, give the kids a chance

- something very special going on on the south coat etc. etc. etc....

 

I literally lost count of the lengthy eulogies by Gary Neville and also paeans penned in the serious press by top football writers.

[supersonic]

because journalists are CLINTS ....the most untrustworthy, slimy, dishonest people to walk the earth.

 

I have a journalist student working for me and he thinks he knows everything about football (despite being a Reading fan) - I take great pleasure in proving him wrong

[positivepete]

One of the problems the press have with us is that we do our business discretely behind closed doors. Liverpool for instance conduct their transfer policy through the press. Our strategy leads to wild speculation on the things going on at the club, most of which in the last six months have proved to be rubbish.

[CB Fry]

One of the problems the press have with us is that we do our business discretely behind closed doors. Liverpool for instance conduct their transfer policy through the press. Our strategy leads to wild speculation on the things going on at the club, most of which in the last six months have proved to be rubbish.

There is no evidence of Liverpool conducting their transfer business through the press any more than we do.

[Saint Fan CaM]

There is no evidence of Liverpool conducting their transfer business through the press any more than we do.

 

Have you been asleep this last month?!

[Wes Tender]

I've gone through a multitude of different emotions so far this pre-season. Thought RK's statement before Rickie's sale was completely naïve. For the first time in ages I thought about not renewing. I'll admit that most of this is influenced by logging on to twitter, here, bbc and seeing our best players linked elsewhere.

 

And then I look back. I remember the 30k against Leeds in Lg 1, the match against MK Dons when we 2-0 down and Jonno Quick, the 4-0 v Coventry and realise I'm upset not because of the raised expectations, but because the heart of the team who had been there during that time is probably about to leave. I thought they were like my mates and we'd been through this together.

 

i felt that we were on the brink of doing something special, and doing it the right way; upsetting the status quo makes you a threat, and other teams look at you as such. I've no doubt now that part of the raid on our club is to protect other clubs positions as much as it is to improve their own squad.

 

I now look it in a different way. I love Lallana, but if he was to leave for £30mil, and Shaw the same, hell even Lovren for £20mil, I prefer to look at it as you've just armed us with £100mil (including the £20mil rumoured budget) to go and improve on 8th.

 

Add a manager who obviously wants European football and can attract big names, and I'm actually now excited. I tweeted it earlier but if Koeman is the manager, he's left a Champions League club to (IMO) try and get a new team into the Champs League or at least Europe, then what are the players going to say to him? You can't say that Koeman couldn't have got a Champs League team.

 

I also like to think to that with most of the teams above us reportedly after all our 1st 11 players, and our players reportedly capable of playing in the Champs League or Europe, then MoPo under achieved. Not saying it's right, but it makes me feel better. Been said on here before, but always felt he had no plan B. We played some great football last year, he obviously improved the players, but how many points did we lose from being in front? At points, it felt he was playing youngsters just because it was the "Southampton Way".

 

The papers can say what they want. If we get Koeman, then the board have done a great job. I don't care what anybody says, his resume is second to none and is a massive upgrade on Poch in status alone. They needed to hold on to the stars until we had a manager, if the players still want to leave after meeting with that manager, let them go when the buying club meets the price. But make a stand. Make a point. Lallana goes for £25mil up front. Shaw £27mil+. Lovren £20mi+ All with add ons. Then reinvest wisely. I'd love to have £80-£100mil to go and spend on players to improve our team, even with those three gone.

 

Let the media have their say. I'm happy to give the board (apart from RK, he should never speak in public again) a fair crack of the whip. We were supposed to give MoPo an unwelcome first game due to the sudden Adkins sacking...Saints fans didn't. We were supposed to be in meltdown after Cortese left...we didn't...we're supposed to be livid that Shaw and Lallana are being sold...yet to meet a Saints fan who Doesn't think that £50mil+ for those two is good business.

 

We're the media's plaything at the moment because we dared to be different. They are loving the fact that it's open season on us. I'm loving the fact that we've played hard ball over Lallana and Shaw. Years ago, they'd already be gone.

 

The worst that happens is that we sell everybody and we end up playing our youth team again. And then maybe Cortese's master plan (11 from the academy) comes to fruitition. Enjoy the ride, I think it's still moving. We're about to name a world renowned name as manager. We have six players at the World Cup, and two of them can't even get in our first team. Either one of our right backs could have gone to the World Cup and improved the England team.

 

I'm starting to believe it's not as bad as the media reports.

 

I'm starting to believe again. And even if it goes all Pete Tong? We've always got the days like Leeds and MK Dons to look forward to. Reading on here, League One was better than the prem anyway, right?

 

This is exactly my position, apart from ever considering to not renew my ST. Like you, I loved the journey upwards from the third division, but since the Markus Liebherr takeover, I have never had any real cause to be disgruntled about the direction that the club has been going in. The experience of seeing how things have turned out during the past few years has taught me that when on the face of it things were about to take a turn for the worst, the best position is to adopt is to wait and see.

 

It is interesting to note that whenever there has been talk that we might have reached a glass ceiling, it is stated as a fact that we would need to spend £100 million or so to reach the next level. Well, as you point out, there is the potential to have those funds available if we sold those three players, so it is ironic that some would see it as such a disaster. Also as you indicate, we can't be that far away from the top teams if they wish to buy so many of our players.

 

We gain a measure of success under our manager and another top club take him off us. We could have had 4 or 5 players in the England World Cup team and so the top clubs try and take them away from us. But we are hoping to sign a manager with a much higher profile of success than Pochettino and say that we are going to invest any funds received from the sale of players into new players, who ought to be of at least the same calibre of those we lose, if our scouting system is as good as it is reported to be. And then the academy production line should produce more talent the equal of those we have currently produced. So despite the efforts of the top team hierarchy to keep us in our place, it isn't going to be as easy as they believe.

[Wes Tender]

There is no evidence of Liverpool conducting their transfer business through the press any more than we do.

Only the evidence of our own eyes. I would say that the media's coverage of any story regarding Liverpool's interest in several of our players could reasonably be described as at frenzy level.

 

If you wish to kid yourself that we have conducted our business through the media to anything like the same extent, then go ahead. I suspect that you are in a small minority who think that.

[eurosaint]

They don't. Everyone thinks the media dislike and have an agenda against their club

 

My son-in-law is a Man Utd fan and he has always been convinced that the media hate them and not just last season when they were turd !

I believe the exact opposite, to the extent that even referees favour them, not just the press, so the point above makes a lot of sense to me !!!

[Toussaint]

I've gone through a multitude of different emotions so far this pre-season. Thought RK's statement before Rickie's sale was completely naïve. For the first time in ages I thought about not renewing. I'll admit that most of this is influenced by logging on to twitter, here, bbc and seeing our best players linked elsewhere.

 

And then I look back. I remember the 30k against Leeds in Lg 1, the match against MK Dons when we 2-0 down and Jonno Quick, the 4-0 v Coventry and realise I'm upset not because of the raised expectations, but because the heart of the team who had been there during that time is probably about to leave. I thought they were like my mates and we'd been through this together.

 

i felt that we were on the brink of doing something special, and doing it the right way; upsetting the status quo makes you a threat, and other teams look at you as such. I've no doubt now that part of the raid on our club is to protect other clubs positions as much as it is to improve their own squad.

 

I now look it in a different way. I love Lallana, but if he was to leave for £30mil, and Shaw the same, hell even Lovren for £20mil, I prefer to look at it as you've just armed us with £100mil (including the £20mil rumoured budget) to go and improve on 8th.

 

Add a manager who obviously wants European football and can attract big names, and I'm actually now excited. I tweeted it earlier but if Koeman is the manager, he's left a Champions League club to (IMO) try and get a new team into the Champs League or at least Europe, then what are the players going to say to him? You can't say that Koeman couldn't have got a Champs League team.

 

I also like to think to that with most of the teams above us reportedly after all our 1st 11 players, and our players reportedly capable of playing in the Champs League or Europe, then MoPo under achieved. Not saying it's right, but it makes me feel better. Been said on here before, but always felt he had no plan B. We played some great football last year, he obviously improved the players, but how many points did we lose from being in front? At points, it felt he was playing youngsters just because it was the "Southampton Way".

 

The papers can say what they want. If we get Koeman, then the board have done a great job. I don't care what anybody says, his resume is second to none and is a massive upgrade on Poch in status alone. They needed to hold on to the stars until we had a manager, if the players still want to leave after meeting with that manager, let them go when the buying club meets the price. But make a stand. Make a point. Lallana goes for £25mil up front. Shaw £27mil+. Lovren £20mi+ All with add ons. Then reinvest wisely. I'd love to have £80-£100mil to go and spend on players to improve our team, even with those three gone.

 

Let the media have their say. I'm happy to give the board (apart from RK, he should never speak in public again) a fair crack of the whip. We were supposed to give MoPo an unwelcome first game due to the sudden Adkins sacking...Saints fans didn't. We were supposed to be in meltdown after Cortese left...we didn't...we're supposed to be livid that Shaw and Lallana are being sold...yet to meet a Saints fan who Doesn't think that £50mil+ for those two is good business.

 

We're the media's plaything at the moment because we dared to be different. They are loving the fact that it's open season on us. I'm loving the fact that we've played hard ball over Lallana and Shaw. Years ago, they'd already be gone.

 

The worst that happens is that we sell everybody and we end up playing our youth team again. And then maybe Cortese's master plan (11 from the academy) comes to fruitition. Enjoy the ride, I think it's still moving. We're about to name a world renowned name as manager. We have six players at the World Cup, and two of them can't even get in our first team. Either one of our right backs could have gone to the World Cup and improved the England team.

 

I'm starting to believe it's not as bad as the media reports.

 

I'm starting to believe again. And even if it goes all Pete Tong? We've always got the days like Leeds and MK Dons to look forward to. Reading on here, League One was better than the prem anyway, right?

 

 

I think this is worthy of its own thread. A great summary of recent emotional roller coaster, shame if it gets lost here.

[CB Fry]

Only the evidence of our own eyes. I would say that the media's coverage of any story regarding Liverpool's interest in several of our players could reasonably be described as at frenzy level.

 

If you wish to kid yourself that we have conducted our business through the media to anything like the same extent, then go ahead. I suspect that you are in a small minority who think that.

That's not evidence of Liverpool FC "doing their transfer business in public" just evidence of the media being interested in who Liverpool want to sign. What with them being, like, Liverpool Football Club and everything.

 

Meanwhile, in the last six weeks or so our Chairman and our head of football have made several very public statements about the status of potential transfers. Kinda "doing" our "transfer business" in "public" just as much as anyone else. And, our transfers of pretty much every player we have signed recently, from Jay Rod and Gaston to Osvaldo and Mayuka has been covered in the press before they happened. The only difference is the media just aren't as interested.

[Horley CTFC Saint]

So how long have you had these feelings of paranoia? Oh your a football supporter - T1T go home and stop wasting my time

[Saint J 77]

What a load of nonsense, especially at the end of a season when the positive media love - in over us was beginning to make me feel slightly ill.

 

There is no anti - Saints agenda in the media, just paranoid lunatics on football forums.

 

The media love in was earlier in the season when Cortese was still here and was written by his favoured journalist. They wrote the positive stories. And yes I too felt slightly uncomfortable by the brown nosing from the press. I can't remember a time before when there had been so much postive spin on our club by the national media. I'm not asking for an unrealistic level of support from the national press, just a more balanced view. For example not forgetting who Rickie Lambert played for until his very recent transfer, and that he has yet to kick a ball for Liverpool.

[Wes Tender]

That's not evidence of Liverpool FC "doing their transfer business in public" just evidence of the media being interested in who Liverpool want to sign. What with them being, like, Liverpool Football Club and everything.

 

Meanwhile, in the last six weeks or so our Chairman and our head of football have made several very public statements about the status of potential transfers. Kinda "doing" our "transfer business" in "public" just as much as anyone else. And, our transfers of pretty much every player we have signed recently, from Jay Rod and Gaston to Osvaldo and Mayuka has been covered in the press before they happened. The only difference is the media just aren't as interested.

 

I'm really surprised that somebody of your intelligence cannot see the difference. Liverpool's candidates for purchase from us have been clearly identified and the amounts that they are prepared to pay for them and even details of the payment plans proposed have been released in the media. Now, it might be that all of this information is p*ssing in the wind without solid foundations, but as I say, if you think that we have had anything like this detail about our prospective purchases released through the media, then I think that you must be seeing things that are hidden from most others. Statements released by the club about the policy regarding signings have been about generalisations of policy, not specifics about individual targets.

 

The difference is easy to ascertain; nobody is seriously questioning whether Liverpool or United are after Shaw or Lallana, whereas can you definitely place any credence on the speculation as to who we might be targetting as replacements? As usual, we are doing our business behind closed doors with no information being released by the club until the players or manager are signed.

[CB Fry]

The media love in was earlier in the season when Cortese was still here and was written by his favoured journalist. They wrote the positive stories. And yes I too felt slightly uncomfortable by the brown nosing from the press. I can't remember a time before when there had been so much postive spin on our club by the national media. I'm not asking for an unrealistic level of support from the national press, just a more balanced view. For example not forgetting who Rickie Lambert played for until his very recent transfer, and that he has yet to kick a ball for Liverpool.

You're going to have to get used to it. Lambert is a Liverpool player, it's a fact. Expecting a lecture about Saints every time his name is mentioned is just silly.

 

The positive stories about our style of play and our players had nothing to do with Cortese's media chums - the high point was when Shaw was called up which was post-Cortese. Those stories didn't suddenly stop when Cortese left.

 

The Italian just looked after his acolytes purring about his Champions League pie-in-the-sky.

[John B]

I've often wondered why the national media seemly dislike us. I know some of the current anti Saints agenda is Cortese stirring but its not just the papers the TV are at it now too. During the Brazil Croatia match the when the commentator mentioned Lorven the first thing he said was " Lorven who has handed in a transfer request at Southampton" you could almost hear the smile on his face.

 

I'll quote from League 1 Minus 10 to save me a bit of typing here as he says exactly what I've been thinking... "Then there was Liverpool’s Lambert – no matter how many times you say it or hear the ITV **** commentators say it – it doesn’t make it any easier. Saints are never mentioned in connection with him now. It's like we have been airbrushed from history - it's now Liverpool - rejected - beetroot - lower leagues - England - Liverpool."

 

As soon as we got 3 players in the England team the press has done their up most to unsettle and move those players on. So it's not just Lambert airbrushed from our history but any player who makes the England squad. When Poch left us for Spurs and Lambert got his dream move to Liverpool It felt like I could almost see the little turds high fiving each other knowing a potential collapse at the club had began.

 

I bet they are annoyed they currently still have to say Lallana and Shaw of Southampton. I'm hopeful that Koeman's potential/impending appointment might stop this surge of anti saints talk but I doubt it will. There seems to be a lot of bitterness at our recent success. I know historically we've never been a popular club in the eyes of the national media but why is it they do not want us to do well?

 

Don't they realise that wishing all young talented players are playing only for the big clubs is actually hurting our game? It would be much more beneficial for England for our young team to stick together but they can't wait to see our team torn apart and us destroyed. For some reason it seems to hurt some journalist to think little old Southampton could aim big and ruffle the feathers of the "big clubs". So why does our National press seem to dislike Southampton so much? Why don't they want other clubs other than the big 5 challenging for domestic honours? Surely a club like us succeeding would make a more interesting story than it being ripped apart?

 

I think you should get a life and not be so paranoid

 

All they are doing is reporting what is going on for goodness sake it is the players and manager who dont want to be at SFC

[KK the 2nd]

I think there is a element of "build 'em up then knock 'em down" generally with the media. They were glowing and gushing through much of last season and now they seem to be loving tearing it all to bits again.

 

Then maybe I'm also paranoid ...

[Saint J 77]

I think you should get a life and not be so paranoid

 

All they are doing is reporting what is going on for goodness sake it is the players and manager who dont want to be at SFC

 

I have a busy family life which is why I don't post often on here but thanks for your concern John. I'm only posting my thoughts, that seem to be shared by the majority of Saints fans I know. Friends, family and work colleagues have all said the same to me recently.

[waggy]

It's what the uk media do, build you up then knock you down. If you aint used to it now then you are going to need up sticks to another planet.

[david in sweden]

In over 50 years, I've noted a love-hate relationship in the media, some of whom have always regarded us as South Coast upstarts who were really only fit to be goal-fodder for " the big city " teams.

 

It was easy to start a rumour about about some " big club " buying our growing talent(s) at the drop of a fiver and a drink/chat with an agent. " Forcing a deal" and then claiming praise and glory for developing a gifted player who....just happened to have been a youth player at a South Coast club.. What a idiotic media joke that was.

 

When we look back at last season and see how many of the media " predictions " have come to reality there will be proper chance to evaluate where the truth lies.

Did Lovren e-mail his transfer request, and Shaw ask for a move to MU and will Adam Lallana really move to get CL football......and all because their beloved manager left? - maybe so.

Some people on here have been accusing Les Reed of " lying " about bids / enquiries for players, and breaking promises that were clearly designed to win over one person ..(who has since left the club) and prefer to believe the Daily Liar when it prints stories about a mass exodus, agreed transfers to clubs who haven't made offers, house-hunting players with promised enormous salaries elsewhere.

At least spreading such " rumours " goes along way to making the bookies ...(who are a big investor in the media) - a lot richer doesn't it?

 

The one exception I make to that is the Lambert transfer. More has been written on this site in praise of Rickie Lambert that I could say BUT after MP " jumped ship " it was clear that such statements need not be honoured, as a new manager... building his own side would almost certainly start RL on the bench in the future, and we'd see the memory of his great career fade back back into the Championship and L1. when he has been an excellent servant to us. I hope that whatever is left of his career is full of glory and I won't begrudge him a minute of it.

 

The final word is back with the media. Having spent a season cursing MP for using an interpreter, they grew to love him and now he's joined one of the " big London clubs ":lol: they'll love him even more, and

try to rub salt in the wound by reminding SFC what they lost every time we lose a game next season.

 

A love-hate realtionship? ....(choose your own phrase) but the media have to have someone to kick when they're down and we've always been an easy target.

Edited 15 June, 2014 by david in sweden

[brmbrm]

Just your paranoia.

 

Nobody really notices, honest. There are shed loads of footy clubs that are not the big 4, 5 or 6 or 7. We are one of them. Thats all.

[david in sweden]

Just your paranoia.

 

Nobody really notices, honest. There are shed loads of footy clubs that are not the big 4, 5 or 6 or 7. We are one of them. Thats all.

 

 

......hardly paranoia ....just a longer memory.

[CB Fry]

So pretty much every media outlet has reported our new manager as being Koeman and all seem to know we've offered him a contract and will announce this week.

 

Good job we do our business in private, ain't it?

[DuncanRG]

I think there is a element of "build 'em up then knock 'em down" generally with the media. They were glowing and gushing through much of last season and now they seem to be loving tearing it all to bits again.

 

Then maybe I'm also paranoid ...

 

Or lots of good things were happening last season and now things are a bit more negative so they're reporting accordingly.

 

Praising us for our luscious passing football in the close season is not news.

 

I honestly think if you asked football writers and broadcasters to name their favourite PL teams we'd be up there for most of them. Every club has paranoid fans but it really takes the biscuit if people think the media hate Saints at the moment.

[gonzo]

I've seen nothing but positive coverage of us since about halfway through our first season back in the Premier League. I don't see the problem.

[angelman]

I realise that unless the press portray the club in a way you like/agree with, then you think that there is some sort of axe that they are grinding. However, the spurious articles about us recently might lead some to think that there is an agenda. How many times have we imploded? MP was leaving us for Spurs about 2 months before the end of the season, taking all the players with him or them going elsewhere. It may well be true in the long run, but if you read and believed everything (especially from the rags that Guan said to ignore) then you would think that we were going to fold. Sure, at the beginning of the season, I think that most journos were glad that there was a different team in the mix, but that soon changed at the end of the season back to the laissez faire of the top 6 or 7 being the top 6 or 7.

 

But.... You have to question certain sections of the media about their view of Saints. For example......

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2658594/Ronald-Koeman-named-Southampton-manager-search-replace-Mauricio-Pochettino-ends.html#comments

 

At the time of writing this (as they do change things, like Ashton's "Reed it and weep" headline), they put up the video of MP speaking English in his first interview at Spurs. Why do that on an article about Saints appointing a new manager, an article where they can't even get the facts right? It sums up that they are a little disrespectful to little old Southampton, the team that dared to dream that they might break into the upper echelons of the league.

[Fan The Flames]

If people don't believe that there is a symbiotic relationship betwen some clubs and some journalists then they probably think that we live is a world where journalist didn't hack a dead girls phone or pay cops for stories.

 

Football sells papers, stories from big club are a currency, so its not a great leap of faith to take you to a place where journo's pump out stories that benefit the a big club in return for better access to the big club. It doesn't even have to be an expressed relationaship, although I'm sure there are plenty that are. Why wouldn't a paper help a big club, papers are commercial beings and journalists have to remain useful. And why would a big commercial organisation like a football club not use papers to present a story that suits them, every organisation in the world does it.

[david in sweden]

.......it's all part of the media hype that feeds the bookies, but never mind the suckers - it's all show biz.

 

Some of these stories seem to have little or no foundation in fact, but after the journos " create " a storyline, the bookies take over and people start betting on something that was never even a race.

 

Go back a few weeks ....and we read about Lallana and Shaw up north house-hunting, whilst others trying to prise themselves away from SMS ...now that their favourite uncle Mauricio has jumped ship.

 

....but today, " unforseen circumstances " mean that such-and-such club has moved their attention away from (the above-mentioned) to another player, who likely isn't going to sign, either.

 

Right now, SFC are (according to some) a club in crisis, ready to implode with all the top players fleeing to pastures new ....and the bookies are already quoting odds for our impending relegation, without having played even one game.

 

Man Utd, meanwhile, are being toted among the favourites to win the Premier League ...and regain some CL football, with " Superman " van Gaal and his £200 million war chest for new players.

 

How gullible do they think people are ?