Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News. Supporting the Lord Wenger in all he does » 2010 » May
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‘Football is a simple game’ – The biased Media
By Guo Sheng Lee
How many times have we heard the saying: ‘football is a simple game’?
Maybe it’s just me, but I seem to have seen/heard it too many times when reading/watching the English press. The way in which the media and former players criticize current teams resembles a chiding, frustrated school teacher who simply cannot understand why their student is unable to grasp a simple concept – ‘1+1=2! What is so difficult to understand?’ The only problem with this analogy though, is that the world of professional football isn’t a science, and constancy and guaranteed results are simply not possible, unlike mathematics where equations give you definite answers.
This is not to say that it’s only the press who have taken on this myth of simplification, as various other blogs and comments on this site have shown, but it’s definitely the fault of the media for perpetuating these myths and stereotypes that influence those who are unwilling to think beyond what the media feeds us.
Ironically, the press accuses Wenger of rose-tinted glasses, of deluding Arsenal fans with promises of glory that only end up with failure. One particular description stands out for me – Myles Palmer’s description of Wenger as ‘the greatest spin doctor in football’. Frankly, I’d have to say that Wenger is only the runner-up in that list, whereas the press are the ones who give outlandish spins on stories that people instead lap up as fact.
What do I mean by this? Consider the following story:
‘Cesc wants future resolved’ – The press focus on the fact that Cesc said he would like to play for Barcelona IF he ever leaves Arsenal, and create a picture which depicts him as wanting to leave the club for Barcelona. They downplay the part where he says ‘I’m very happy at Arsenal and have no plans to leave’.
This is a clear example of sensationalist writing, with clear agendas in mind. The headline could have easily read ‘Cesc happy at Arsenal but wants to play in Barcelona one day’… but that isn’t much of a headline is it? Bearing in mind that Fabregas just signed a new contract with the club, and that he wasn’t simply making a statement to the press but probably responding to questions by journalists, it could be argued that the questions were framed in a way to illicit such a response from him, as is the common tactic practiced by journalists. It would be interesting to see the whole interview WITH the questions posed to him as well.
In this case, I’m guessing that the lack of response from Arsenal is just so they do not incite further propaganda from the Spanish press. Keeping silent seems to prevent even more malicious rumours from spreading, as people now believe that a deal is being struck, while the facts are out that there have been no bids from Barcelona for Cesc.
This is theoretically an ideal situation is it not? The club cannot transfer a player if there is no bid from the interested club, so in effect there is little news to be reported. Furthermore, as seen in the past with Vieira and Henry, responding to rumours and declaring that players are not for sale does not stop the rumours, but instead fuels them with talks of conspiracy behind the scenes, so there really is no point in making further statements.
However, this has by no means stopped the English press from going into overdrive based on ‘facts’ by ‘a reliable source’ that Cesc is having showdown talks with Wenger in London, and that Arsenal are now a failed project in meltdown.
In effect, this just seems like a tactic to force the rumour into truth by inciting anger amongst Arsenal supporters who take these stories to be fact and begin their criticism of their player in the most public fashion possible even though nothing has even happened yet. In fact, these attacks on a player before an event has even happened are counter-productive to the Arsenal cause, and can only lead to one result – Cesc eventually leaving the club. After all the criticism levelled at Cesc over the past month even though he has not done anything wrong and gave his all to the club, why would he want to stay? Even if he does stay, he should already have some doubts about carrying on as captain after the next season thanks to the comments of those who believe the media’s hype.
Enough about the Cesc story though, it’s just another sad episode of people being unknowingly shepherded like sheep by those who talk the most, for there can only be one possible reaction to these types of stories – anger and disillusionment, which only fuels further stories for the press.
On to another area of simplification of the game – the seemingly simple answers to all of Arsenal’s problems. If we read enough of the press, it seems that all Arsenal need to be successful is to buy 4 players which include a goalkeeper, and get experienced players in. I’m not going to go into detail about these issues though, as I believe they are beyond my meagre football knowledge, but I’m rather more concerned by the people who are making these comments.
Notice how most pundits in England are former players? Juxtaposed with the fact that managing a team is very different from playing in one, one must question the judgement of all these players in their judgements. After all, they sit comfortably in their studios or in front of their computers writing about easy solutions to the game, but yet do not have any past success as managers! It’s rather rich that they should be offering advice and criticizing present players and managers when they themselves have not been particularly successful in managing teams.
Pundits such as Graeme Souness, a great player in his time with Liverpool but a dismal failure of a manager with Blackburn and Newcastle, can criticize teams and give their opinions all they want, but they should not advocate them to managers who have been far more successful than them, should they? If not, they would have already become winning managers rather than sitting in a studio. After all, how many pundits have had successful enough managerial careers to give advice? Personally, if they really wanted someone to comment on clubs and managers, wouldn’t it be more prudent to have someone like Ferguson or Wenger to analyse things? Yet, we accept these media personalities with little credence as fact, and round on our own successful manager.
What I’m saying is that just because the majority say that something should be done does not mean that it’s the right thing to do. For example, if everyone told you that borrowing large sums of money to gamble away on the lottery or in a casino was a good idea because you could win even more, would you do it? They conveniently avoid mentioning the fine print: ‘but you could lose all your money and we’ll take your house when that happens’.
Similarly, hasn’t that been the case with football in general? Spend more money and you will get success – just look at Manchester City this season. Their season reminds me of Leeds and how they gambled all their money away on achieving Champions League qualification, and when it did not arrive, they’ve gone as far down as League 2. The only reason Man City can do this without similar consequences though, is due to a rich sponsor who supplies them with millions. Arsenal do not have such means, and competing in a market with the likes of Real Madrid, Man City and Chelsea means it is impossible to get players at reasonable prices anyway if they decide along financial lines, which means Arsenal has to spend beyond our means to get the absolute top players, while leaving us with the possibility of administration if the team does not do well in the event of a freak occurrence.
The argument that clubs should spend in transfers what they earn from their player sales does not make sense, as the club is theoretically still in debt, and even if players could be bought, it would be at an inflated price which would not make sense, as the funds could be better spent later on players in a non-inflated market.
Moving on, the stereotypes given by the press of Arsenal lacking the ‘English fighting spirit and determination’ are dubious at best. How does nationality equate a certain type of player? By saying that all English players are ‘hard working and honest’, it’s just another nationalist calling, as by implication, all foreigners are ‘lazy and dishonest’.
For example, I doubt we could ever call Jermaine Pennant a hardworking, honest player, could we? Could we call Gerrard and Rooney honest players after their dives against us (they may have dived against other teams, but I don’t watch them so I won’t know)? Or could we say that Tom Huddlestone is a hardworking player? Similarly, we overlook the fact that the likes of Clichy, Vermaelen, Sagna, Song, Cesc, Van Persie, Arshavin (I had to give this to him considering how red his cheeks get every game), and Walcott are constantly running for the team and fighting to win.
In effect, that is the spine of the team isn’t it? Yet the media persists with calling Arsenal as a team with no spine. And when the team does fight and give some back to their opponents, it is either deemed as a foul or as a yellow card even though similar offences are committed against Arsenal with less consequences.
The constant labelling of Arsenal as a ‘soft team who don’t like it up ‘em’ could give referees the impression that any time the Arsenal fight back, it’s cheating and a foul – or at least that’s what the crowd often accuse us of. The ring of ‘same old Arsenal, always cheating’ when we get decisions our way can easily influence referees just because of the crowd mentality along with the assurance that these calls would not be highlighted in the media, allowing for easy ways out of pressure situations.
In the same way, it works against the team as we are labelled as moaners when things do not go our way. However, why aren’t other teams given similar tags? If we look at the games carefully, who are the ones who are constantly complaining? We see Chelsea surrounding the referee, but no one labels them as moaners. No, instead they are labelled as experienced and with a winning mentality amidst commentary that laments surrounding the referee. For some reason, no one else picks up on these issues which happen across the board in all teams, but rather focus on Arsenal because it’s a simple target with the stereotypes already in place.
The ‘soft team’ with the ‘whinging French manager’ surprisingly does the same thing as the ‘hard, physical team’ with the ‘honest English manager’ – Think of Pulis complaining that Arsenal get decisions in their favour
First of all, it’s not as though it’s any business of his, as it was an incident against Wolves rather than Stoke. Secondly, and more importantly, dangerous tackles have been committed by these two teams against Arsenal players – Shawcross on Ramsey and Henry on Rosicky. There really is no defence on their part, and Pulis’s spin that his team’s approach is simply competitiveness and should not be penalized by referees is a case of rather short-term memory considering it was only a few weeks prior that Shawcross broke Ramsey’s leg.
However, no one claims that Pulis is a moaner, or that he’s perpetuating the stereotype that Arsenal players are soft and teams should be allowed to be more physical with them. On the other hand, if Wenger complains, it’s seen as one-sided.
Why do the press constantly round on Wenger in such a manner? Almost no one takes the side of Wenger because no one else is affected by it other than Arsenal, and the physical game is seen by pundits as the way to play, based on an era long gone. Thus, this myth of the physical game is translated throughout the world through the interpretations of pundits which people conveniently accept as truth, as apparently going against the grain just encourages ridicule.
Accepting the views of the majority does not always provide the best option, and while I’d gladly go along with convention in most cases, the idea of going along with convention set by a select group of people who have their personal egos and agendas just does not sit well with me.
These are the same people who accepted the likes of Vinnie Jones, accepted discreet fouling in the game, and played at a much slower pace than the teams at present. There is no way that players aren’t fitter now than they were during the time of pundits, as witnessed by Arsenal’s revolution under Wenger and the physical superiority of the team with the likes of Vieira, Parlour etc. Sure, it looks slow on TV, but the game is in fact much more physical than it was 5 years ago, much less 20-30 years ago. A tackle that looks innocuous on TV can actually hurt a lot in real life – just film yourselves playing amateur football and witnessing tackles that hurt, as it looks like absolutely nothing on film at a distance.
We simply accept that players should be ready to receive pain because they are paid to do so, and they mostly do so rather admirably, but it does not mean that those tackles do not really hurt and affect a player during a game. In fact, the game vs ManU that ended the Invincibles’ run was a particularly brutal game but has now become the norm for teams playing Arsenal. Yet, people persist with the stereotype that Arsenal are soft despite that kind of behaviour not being acceptable 8 years ago, amidst claims that the game is getting softer now.
It’s really amazing how things can be seen in such simple terms, as the press really do not have anything to lose by criticizing teams and offering their opinions, or perpetuating stereotypes that create stories. After all, they simply want to create headlines that would lead to higher ratings.
However, if we believe everything they tell us without analysing it for ourselves; we’re prone to descend into the dreaded herd mentality, albeit at the direction of the media and their cattle prods. I would like to end off by calling for all gooners to see the truth for what it is, that the media is just another influence on us to create situations and stories for their own personal agendas.
While Wenger is definitely not omnipotent, he’s certainly a lot more successful than all the pundits who are calling for his head and giving him advice. I’m not going to criticize fellow fans for seeing things their way if they truly believe they aren’t influenced by the media at all, but for those who would listen, just take a moment to reflect on exactly what influence the media has on us, and its credentials in its criticism. Let us not allow them to make us tear our own club apart.
A parallel time, a century ago