Untold Arsenal » Arsenal fans vow to hunt Sun journalists to extinction

According to the Sun “Manuel Almunia has challenged Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy, by insisting: We can’t win anything with kids.” The story also appears in the Mirror.

No journalist or source is given, and at the moment I can’t find the usual suspect: the interview given in Spanish, and read by a Sun journo whose only linguistic skill is a very limited grasp of proto-English.

They state that Almunia said: “We need the manager to work harder to get what we need, the club to make an extra effort to make us more competitive. We need more than youth.”

And the Sun (part of the phone tapping Murdoch empire) says in its commentary, “Almunia’s outburst puts him on a collision course with Wenger, who rejects the idea that simply spending money is the way forward.”

Now you might think that this is enough for one day as a tirade against a player who has shown consistently that he is willing to srve to the club by waiting his turn without complaint, and then do everything possible for the club. But no. This is the Sun. In a story which looks suspiciously like a phone-tap the Sun now says that Almunia’s wife has seen a “ghoul at their swish pad on the site of an old asylum.”

“Spaniard Almunia, 30, has also heard chains rattling and had stereos turning on at full volume on their own. He is so spooked boss Arsene Wenger has given him permission to go home for lunch to avoid leaving wife Ana alone at the house in Abbots Langley, Herts.

“Terrified Almunia said yesterday: “My house is small but there is a lot of history to it and it seems there are ghosts.

“We’ve spoken to neighbours, and they said this was normal.”

So, two stories in two days against one player (although I am sure I have heard the ghost story before). Why is this? The most likely reason is that the editor of the made-up section of the paper said he wanted an Arsenal story against someone they haven’t done before, and two journalists came up with different made up tales. They then went into the editorial meeting, went through the “Michael Jackson seen playing for Lincoln City Youth Team” bit and came up with these.

Anyway, the paper is clearly trying like mad to derail Arsenal supporters with ever more fanciful nonsense (and judging by some of the comments received here in the last 2 days, succeeding in a few cases). So the question is what should we do?

Obviously the Curse of Arsenal has been put on the Sun (not something to be taken lightly after our effect on Birmingham City) But I suggest Sun journalists (who are mostly fat white men of Anglo Saxon heritage) should be nominated as a “dangerous” (as opposed to endangered) species and should be hunted to extinction.

Arsenic, rope around the neck, electrocution, injections of lemming powder, knife across the wrist and whitewash in the eyes (a variant on cut and paste), exposure to an actual football match, a bolt between the eyes, a ban from all pubs, clubs, bars and off licences, a hit over the head with a blunt instrument, burial alive, seduction by a preying mantis, seduction by one of those priests who seduced little boys and was then move on to another parish by the Catholic Church, all and any of these approaches are hereby sanctioned.

Meanwhile, and referring to more savory matters, I am most grateful to the Arsenal Youth blog for pointing out a fact I missed. Rhys Murphy (who I tipped as my absolute outsider for one who might just burst through unexpectedly this season) has been called up to the England U19 squad for this month’s UEFA European Championships in Ukraine. Also there are Gavin Hoyte and Henri Lansbury (who also got a mention in the list of players we might see coming through). Fran Mérida, who is higher up the list of likely players will represent Spain in the same competition.

Final, final point, you may have noticed that with the able help of one of our eagle eyed regular correspondents I have been trying to remove the people who just cut and paste articles from elsewhere onto the site.

These people are mostly the children of Sun journalists – journo wannabes who are still learning how to drink 18 pints before work.

It is a bit of a tough battle, so to help the cause a little further, here’s an extra twist.

If you have had a comment accepted before, your comment will go through automatically. But if it turns out to be an anti-Arsenal or anti-Wenger rant with no argument, and nothing to do with the article it is posted under, then I might remove it. I welcome all debate and reasoned argument against what is said on Untold Arsenal – but pure negative statement and made up invective of the Sun type seems to serve no purpose. Post on the Sun’s site, if you want to post that sort of stuff.

If you have not posted before your piece will go into moderation. To show that you have at least read this article, you will need to start your comment with the phrase “Ref Sun Journalists”. If you don’t I’ll know it is just another cut and paste job, and it won’t get through. I will give a new easy reference at the end of each article.

To emphasize, this only affects new posters – and is designed to pick off the people who get banned from the site for plagiarism and them come back with a new name. Sorry if it seems a bit Draconian, but the negative rambles picked up from other sites and deposited here are getting in the way a bit.

(c) Tony Attwood 2009