Pravda

[pauliewalnuts]

Those moaning about the stuff on the OS, you're right, it is pointless, empty, repetitive bollocks, but look at it from the web editor's point of view. He's got to find content to stick on there every day of the week.

It isn't easy to do. What do people really expect to hear on the official site?

Joe Bennett mounting an impassioned critique of the Lerner fiscal regime? Matthew Lowton discussing the Heath government? Fabian Delph on Kosovo? Barry Bannan discussing Scottish independence?

Of course not.

I don't bother with the OS, because it is just that, official. If you're going to use it with any regularity, then surely you've got to expect a certain, narrow range of content?

[dave.woodhall]

Those moaning about the stuff on the OS, you're right, it is pointless, empty, repetitive bollocks, but look at it from the web editor's point of view. He's got to find content to stick on there every day of the week.

It isn't easy to do. What do people really expect to hear on the official site?

Joe Bennett mounting an impassioned critique of the Lerner fiscal regime? Matthew Lowton discussing the Heath government? Fabian Delph on Kosovo? Barry Bannan discussing Scottish independence?

Of course not.

I don't bother with the OS, because it is just that, official. If you're going to use it with any regularity, then surely you've got to expect a certain, narrow range of content?

This is the downside of 24 hour rolling news. If you're the Villa correspondent of a local paper you've got to find five stories this week, despite nothing happening - that's hard enough. If you're running the club's website you've got to find probably five stories a day, and they all have to be positive.

[Risso]

It annoys me that they start playing automatically.

Agreed.  It really is symptomatic of how utterly rubbish the OS is.

Agreed on that, it is exceptionally bad form to have video with an audio track start to play automatically. See also the Birmingham Mail site, which does the same.

It's like some shit website from 2001 trying to flog mobile ring tones before they got to be even as good as polyphonic.  Anything with sound coming on which you didn't expect is just really bad form.

[Risso]

Those moaning about the stuff on the OS, you're right, it is pointless, empty, repetitive bollocks, but look at it from the web editor's point of view. He's got to find content to stick on there every day of the week.

It isn't easy to do. What do people really expect to hear on the official site?

Joe Bennett mounting an impassioned critique of the Lerner fiscal regime? Matthew Lowton discussing the Heath government? Fabian Delph on Kosovo? Barry Bannan discussing Scottish independence?

Of course not.

I don't bother with the OS, because it is just that, official. If you're going to use it with any regularity, then surely you've got to expect a certain, narrow range of content?

This is the downside of 24 hour rolling news. If you're the Villa correspondent of a local paper you've got to find five stories this week, despite nothing happening - that's hard enough. If you're running the club's website you've got to find probably five stories a day, and they all have to be positive.

I wouldn't have that poor sod's job for a gold pig.  Imagine having a year trying to spin McLeish's performances into something positive, only to then be followed with Mr "We Go Again".  Must be like trying to make Ed Milliband sound charismatic or George Osborne vaguely intelligent.

[pauliewalnuts]

I wouldn't have that poor sod's job for a gold pig.  Imagine having a year trying to spin McLeish's performances into something positive, only to then be followed with Mr "We Go Again".  Must be like trying to make Ed Milliband sound charismatic or George Osborne vaguely intelligent.

That's exactly it, though.

He's sat there, tasked with churning out content, and not sounding like a miseryarse.

He's probably one of three people at the club who are forced to pretend everything is great, all the time. Him, Faulkner, and Lambert.

Actually, the marketing bloke also will have to. Imagine his face when he has to start pushing the button on all that "Lambert's Lions" bullshit. No wonder he slips into humiliating nonsense like referring to Spurs as "giants" or talking about the "Theatre of Dreams" and all that bollocks.

I reckon he knows it'll piss people off and is just doing it to make his day more bearable.

I genuinely mean this, but if that was my job, I'd amuse myself by slipping shit like that into the OS, and then sitting back with a cup of tea, and watching this place to watch people go batshit about it.

[PeterWithesShin]

Overall I don't mind the OS, it does what it's meant to. Just those bloody videos bug me.

[old man villa fan]

Gone are the days as a youngster buying the Sports Argus on Saturday night to read the Villa player columnist as this was about the only thing from the players in those days.  Only later as you got older discovering that most, if not all, was ghosted.

[Risso]

I wouldn't have that poor sod's job for a gold pig.  Imagine having a year trying to spin McLeish's performances into something positive, only to then be followed with Mr "We Go Again".  Must be like trying to make Ed Milliband sound charismatic or George Osborne vaguely intelligent.

That's exactly it, though.

He's sat there, tasked with churning out content, and not sounding like a miseryarse.

He's probably one of three people at the club who are forced to pretend everything is great, all the time. Him, Faulkner, and Lambert.

Actually, the marketing bloke also will have to. Imagine his face when he has to start pushing the button on all that "Lambert's Lions" bullshit. No wonder he slips into humiliating nonsense like referring to Spurs as "giants" or talking about the "Theatre of Dreams" and all that bollocks.

I reckon he knows it'll piss people off and is just doing it to make his day more bearable.

I genuinely mean this, but if that was my job, I'd amuse myself by slipping shit like that into the OS, and then sitting back with a cup of tea, and watching this place to watch people go batshit about it.

Imagine the day he plans on handing his resignation in though, you might see some proper headlines then:

"Well, that was fucking shite - Villa thumped again"

"Stephen Ireland - roar the lads to safety, because I can't be arsed!"

[Pete3206]

Friday Media Watch
Benteke "Sod this for a game, I'm off in May. A few other others are talking to their agents as well, I can tell you"

Click here to snap up your Man City tickets

[mattjpa]

The worst part about it is this bs is now standard fare in the sport. Anyone who speaks the truth (di canio, benitez, Barton etc) get fined, banned, cause uproar in the media. When was the last time you heard a post match interview with any truth, honesty or lack of cliches? For me it was Benitez the other day criticising the owners fans and leadership. He spoke in total honesty and Fleet Street have been wanking themselves into a stupor for two days since calling for his head. Meaningless interviews are now  a systematic part of the game.

[ktvillan]

It's quite simple, don't read it.  I only rarely visit the OS for ticket or fixture matters, and tend to totally ignore the laughably hollow propaganda.

[Damo70]

Gone are the days as a youngster buying the Sports Argus on Saturday night to read the Villa player columnist as this was about the only thing from the players in those days.  Only later as you got older discovering that most, if not all, was ghosted.

That got me thinking about Argus columnists over the years. The only ones I could think of were Steve Hunt, who they got shot of for going back on his word about giving them an exclusive on his move from Coventry to Albion, Ricki Herbert having the unenviable task of putting a weekly positive spin on Wolves fortunes in the mid eighties and Ron Saunders SOS- save our society campaign. As for the OS, I think the only times I have been on there this season has been as a season ticket holder checking out ticket details for the home cup games.

[PaulTheVillan]

I don't go on 'Pravda' any more.

Why do we call it that anyway?

[Nev]

It reminds me of Match Of The Day 2, in that it seems to be aimed at five year olds.

[Damo70]

I don't go on 'Pravda' any more.

Why do we call it that anyway?

Because it is incredibly stylish like those Pravda shoes and handbags much coveted by the female sex.