Why are the Media so Anti-Villa?

[MoetVillan]

David Pleat has been accelerated into Public Enemy No 2 after Alan dicksplat Green.  Supposedly a football great who harps on about the greatness of his beloved Spurs. (Remind me what season they won the European Cup?) and stating that Villa are a step back from Sunderland for Bent.  Eleanor, you are quickly becoming as adept and knowledgeable about sport as Gabby Logan.  Step aside and let someone in who knows what they are talking about 

[ktvillan]

This is weird.

First, we have Robbie Savage laying in, as expected.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/robbie-savage/Robbie-Savage-column-Why-Darren-Bent-24m-move-from-Sunderland-to-Aston-Villa-is-proof-that-the-game-s-gone-stark-raving-mad-article677429.html

Then we have a bit of sticking up for us from, of all people, James Nursey.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/james-nursey/Revealed-Revealed-How-Darren-Bent-will-fit-into-Gerard-Houllier-s-Aston-Villa-tactical-masterplan-James-Nursey-column-article676961.html

The Nursey article is an all too  rare example of a football journalist actually giving the situation some thought and analysis.  He may or may not not be right but at least he hasn't taken the easy route of "who do Villa think they are, Tottenham?" which seems to be prevailing in most of the media.   It seems the fact we're having a bad/transitional season, the first in quite a while,  is enough evidence to suggest we aren't a big club, we shouldn't be taken seriously, we have unrealistic expectations etc.   I sincerely doubt the media would have attacked, say, Everton in such a manner, and certainly not Spurs when they were languishing at the foot of the table a few seasons ago.   Will they have a go at a rather mediocre (and not just this season either) Liverpool if they sign Suarez?  I sincerely doubt it.

As for Savage asying it's about money, so what, we could equally argue that case re Milner and Barry.  Plus he's a full ninja fuckwit anyway.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Can somebody remind me why Savage left the Rags for Blackburn. Wasn't it to be further away from his family?

[Rico]

I'll tell you why the media hate Villa. It's because they're all based in London or Manchester, and they hate the thought that a team from an unfashionable city could break into the big four monopoly. Also secretly they know that history suggests that the one team likely to break into the top four is Villa. No London club has ever won the European cup and don't they just hate that!

Fuck em!

[dave.woodhall]

I'll tell you why the media hate Villa. It's because they're all based in London or Manchester, and they hate the thought that a team from an unfashionable city could break into the big four monopoly. Also secretly they know that history suggests that the one team likely to break into the top four is Villa. No London club has ever won the European cup and don't they just hate that!

Fuck em!

The media don't hate Villa, and certainly not because we might break some monopoly, as if we did they'd be all over us and the club whose place we took would be quietly dropped. The media don't care about Villa. What's happened this week is that we've shown them and their skint/no ambition/hail the Blessed Martin line to be wrong.

[Pat McMahon]

Can somebody remind me why Savage left the Rags for Blackburn. Wasn't it to be further away from his family?

1. To be further away from St Andrews without playing for Carlisle
2. To get away from their fans
3. To play for a bigger club
4. To play for a club that is the biggest in the town in which they are located

[cheltenhamlion]

I normally stick up a bit for the media, it's often "If they say good things about The Villa - great journalism, if they say bad things, biased twats, they all hate us"!

But the last couple of days have been surreal, not one single journalist or pundit seems to be able to say that we have done well here. Picked a target, offered his club a good price, got him, job done.
And not one journo has bothered to think that maybe we really are a better long term prospect for Darren Bent than Sunderland.

Is about spot on

[Billy Walker]

On the subject of David Pleat I have NEVER heard him say anything positive about Villa!  I can only assume he was given dog's abuse by the fans when he was in the dugout all those years ago.  He must have been the eighties' version of Harry Redknapp.  Was Pleat the guy who signed Steve Hodge off us?

[Stu]

Yet more ill-informed fuck-wittery in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/jan/21/darren-bent-transfer-window-villa-sunderland

There was another one about Darren Bent as well but its been removed from the front page. Absolutely full of shize. They must be pissed off that they got it so wrong about Villa's resources, but that's their own fault.

[PeterWithesShin]

I don't think the media is particularly anti-Villa, they quite simply don't give a shite about us because we never win anything. Get in the CL and/or start winning things and they'll be noshing us off quicker than Gabby drives down the Expressway.

[Confusious says]

Did anyone see central news sport, presenter Steve, knocking and going over the top  in my opinion about the transfer tactics on the Bent signing. The inclusion of Michael  Johnson into the situation saying his old boss at Blues would not be pleased and Houlier should have shown him more respect and phoned him.    Sorry i have always had a suspicion they were Noses,since Mailin went beserk about Blues on air.so Midlands Today from now on.

[KevinGage]

This is weird.

First, we have Robbie Savage laying in, as expected.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/robbie-savage/Robbie-Savage-column-Why-Darren-Bent-24m-move-from-Sunderland-to-Aston-Villa-is-proof-that-the-game-s-gone-stark-raving-mad-article677429.html

Then we have a bit of sticking up for us from, of all people, James Nursey.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/james-nursey/Revealed-Revealed-How-Darren-Bent-will-fit-into-Gerard-Houllier-s-Aston-Villa-tactical-masterplan-James-Nursey-column-article676961.html

The Nursey article is an all too  rare example of a football journalist actually giving the situation some thought and analysis.  He may or may not not be right but at least he hasn't taken the easy route of "who do Villa think they are, Tottenham?" which seems to be prevailing in most of the media.   It seems the fact we're having a bad/transitional season, the first in quite a while,  is enough evidence to suggest we aren't a big club, we shouldn't be taken seriously, we have unrealistic expectations etc.   I sincerely doubt the media would have attacked, say, Everton in such a manner, and certainly not Spurs when they were languishing at the foot of the table a few seasons ago.   Will they have a go at a rather mediocre (and not just this season either) Liverpool if they sign Suarez?  I sincerely doubt it.

As for Savage asying it's about money, so what, we could equally argue that case re Milner and Barry.  Plus he's a full ninja fuckwit anyway.

Might be reading too much into it, but Nursey's 'tipped off' comment there could be quite revealing.

He more than any other journo seemed hellbent on filling every available Villa-related article with negativity in the summer. You could argue that the media only reflects the mood and outlook of the time, they don't set the agenda.  But it seemed like a relentless hatchet job.

Now, with a bit of communication from the club (or so it seems), he's pissing in our pocket.

The moral of this story?

I dunno. I'm not sure we should devote too much time to wooing the likes of Emily Bishop's son, Robbie Savage or any other fcukwitt of that pedigree.

But we could probably do with a few of the more respected publications going into bat for us, to counter some of the outright shite that has done the rounds since April/ May last year. Keeping so low a profile as to be virtually underground- as RL prefers- may be  a strategy that needs a re jig .  Personally I'm happy with it, would much rather RL's approach than that of the Porn Barons or even David Whelan. But there could well be a happy medium.

[Dave]

Yet more ill-informed fuck-wittery in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/jan/21/darren-bent-transfer-window-villa-sunderland

...the shrewdest buy is surely Dean Ashton's £7m move from Norwich City to Upton Park in 2006, which did much to help Alan Pardew's side reach the FA Cup final

Yes, spending £7m on a player who helped get them to a losing FA Cup final only to be a £7m retirement write-off was very shrewd. Total cost, £466,000 per goal. Not including wages.

Much better than say, Jermaine Defoe, Ashley Young, John Carew, Brede Hangeland, Patrice Evra or Nemanja Vidic.

[hawkeye]

The quality of football journalism is very very poor, they can hardly string a coherant sentance together let alone come up with relevant opinion.
I dont read much of it, once i read some idiotic comment by one of them or see thier pathetic ramblings on Sky, I avoid them. It must be one of the easiest jobs on the planet, few of them are any good at it.

[Sexual Ealing]

The quality of football journalism is very very poor, they can hardly string a coherant sentance together let alone come up with relevant opinion.
I dont read much of it, once i read some idiotic comment by one of them or see thier pathetic ramblings on Sky, I avoid them. It must be one of the easiest jobs on the planet, few of them are any good at it.

!