Why are the Media so Anti-Villa?

[Dave Cooper please]

Dave, it is because I know that you're usually one of the more level headed when it comes to the press that I was surprised by your post above. I don't agree with what Winter has said but I fully accept that it his opinion and that he's entitled to it. I used to get really wound up by Bill Howell in the Mail but in the end he's just a bloke who sees things differently to me. Some of the stuff on here is getting near to Tom Ross phone in level.

Fair enough. But there has been some real pig-headed ignorance in the media over the Bent transfer, there really has. I don't mind people having different opinions to me, but Winter's article (and he isn't alone in this) comes over like a child in the playground sticking his fingers in his ears and going, "La la la la, I'm not listening, la la la, O'Neill was great, Houllier smells, la la la."
Even a small, grudging, "The Bent transfer could be good for Villa, and maybe, possibly Darren Bent." might have made it look a bit better.

[cdbearsfan]

Let's just hope Bent keeps scoring, every goal is a dagger through Oliver Holt's black heart.

[Monty]

That Winter article is truly cringeworthy.

[The Situation]

Randy wouldn't give MON money cos he'd spunked millions on shit players who never made it close to the first 11.

We don't know that, and the media don't know that. That's part of the problem, we can only guess or speculate as silence is usually golden around Villa Park and the departing manager after he goes. The big four also sign "shit" players or pay over the top for signings who don't make it. MON made mistakes, he also signed Young, Milner (both for sums some people on here moaned about at the time), Collins, Cuellar, Dunne etc.  Some of the media suspend their critical faculties when it comes to MON but some of the vitriol coming his way and re-writing of history from fans is nearly as bad.

Herp Derp.

Why did O'Neill leave then?

If we had to pick a story which is most believable as to why O'Neill spat his dummy out I know I'm going to put my faith and trust in our owner rather than a bunch of moronic Hooray Henry's who only attend top 4 matches.

[Billy Walker]

Winter is a twat of the highest order
 
I remember writing a vitriolic letter of complaint to him years ago when he wrote about us in very derogatory terms when it looked as if Brian Little might go from Villa to Newcastle to be their manager. He did, in fairness, write a letter of apology to me
 
My solution is just not to read or listen to any of it. I don't watch Sunday Supplement, never read the after match reports in the paper, never watch any pre- or post-match analysis and I go to the loo at half-time and catch up on here. H and V and, to a lesser extent, VT are the only sources of anything I read about the Villa and, in the case of the former, are about 1000% more reliable, informed and intelligent...

When was this?!  Please say it wasn't so!

Back in the 90s when Little's stock was high and Newcassle were searching for a new manager

Winter wrote about us as if we were Barnsley or some such other club and about Newcassle as they were some sort of equivalent to the modern day Barcelona

So it was Winter suggesting it - Brian not actually wanting to make such a move (heaven forbid).

This is another interesting side to football journalism.  They slag off players for their lack of loyalty yet have no problem at all in championing movement if it suits their agenda.  For example, Oliver Holt makes a big deal about Darren Bent walking out on Sunderland, he makes a big deal about how Randy Lerner did not back O'Neill, yet all the while, in his articles, he was championing O'Neill for the England and Man Utd jobs!  If O'Neill walks out on Villa for the England job then that's no problem at all for Holt.  Who cares about loyalty then?  Who cares about the fans and Lerner's investment in O'Neill up to that point?   

My big problem with the media is that it is they who create this mythical pecking order between clubs.  Get them on side and they will champion your club and push you forward and promote you.  Historically, it is a game Villa never seem to have played.

I think I mentioned this on another thread before: the first English club manager I can think of who got this right was Herbert Chapman; Matt Busby did too.  They got the press onside and utilised PR to move their clubs forward.

The big problem for the Midlands clubs, as a whole, is that we are in a media no man's land.  For whatever reason the media has gravitated to the North West and London...the BBC moving their entire sports operation to Manchester, for example, simply highlighting this.  Maybe we need to invest in some serious PR muscle and work hard on building the profile we think we should have?

[cdbearsfan]

Billy, why didn't your son play yesterday? Is he likely to be available for Wigan?

[The Situation]

The problem with West Midlands football in regards to the media coverage is that if we're going to be quite frank and honest, we're the only really good team (not big market team though) and everyone else is irrelevant and play in the lower league's.

London has a pedigree of big market and successful clubs as does the North-West.

I blame all our rivals for being shit and no marks.

[Small Rodent]

"Why are the Media so Anti-Everything They Were Trained to Do At Journalism School"

[Billy Walker]

Billy, why didn't your son play yesterday? Is he likely to be available for Wigan?

He tweaked his back I think.  Hopefully returns for Wigan.

[The Situation]

Billy, why didn't your son play yesterday? Is he likely to be available for Wigan?

He tweaked his back I think.  Hopefully returns for Wigan.

Who's your son?

[Monty]

Billy, why didn't your son play yesterday? Is he likely to be available for Wigan?

He tweaked his back I think.  Hopefully returns for Wigan.

Who's your son?

It's a joke, Sitch. Refers to young Mr. Kyle Walker.

[Billy Walker]

The problem with West Midlands football in regards to the media coverage is that if we're going to be quite frank and honest, we're the only really good team (not big market team though) and everyone else is irrelevant and player in the lower league's.

London has a pedigree of big market and successful clubs as does the North-West.

I blame all our rivals for being shit and no marks.

Here's the point I'm making and even our own fans view the football world like this: we are not viewed as a "big market team" because we haven't the media presence or backing.  The media plays a huge part in creating this perception of a pecking order.  As for a pedigree of successful clubs,  Aston Villa are as successful as any.  Not only that, but the Midlands is home to THREE European Cups! 

[Jimbo]

Winter is a twat of the highest order
 
I remember writing a vitriolic letter of complaint to him years ago when he wrote about us in very derogatory terms when it looked as if Brian Little might go from Villa to Newcastle to be their manager. He did, in fairness, write a letter of apology to me
 
My solution is just not to read or listen to any of it. I don't watch Sunday Supplement, never read the after match reports in the paper, never watch any pre- or post-match analysis and I go to the loo at half-time and catch up on here. H and V and, to a lesser extent, VT are the only sources of anything I read about the Villa and, in the case of the former, are about 1000% more reliable, informed and intelligent...

When was this?!  Please say it wasn't so!

Back in the 90s when Little's stock was high and Newcassle were searching for a new manager

Winter wrote about us as if we were Barnsley or some such other club and about Newcassle as they were some sort of equivalent to the modern day Barcelona

The big problem for the Midlands clubs, as a whole, is that we are in a media no man's land.  For whatever reason the media has gravitated to the North West and London...the BBC moving their entire sports operation to Manchester, for example, simply highlighting this.  Maybe we need to invest in some serious PR muscle and work hard on building the profile we think we should have?

Is close enough to the right answer. Look at Forest, small club that punched above its weight, became good, won stuff and reached the pinnacle of club football, not once, but twice. Can you imagine if West Ham had done that? Or Bolton Wanderers? You can't help thinking the London/north west media would have talked these clubs up so much that they'd be much bigger than Forest ever got. And look at Forest now.

It's not just in sports journalism, it's in the media as a whole. Listen to 6 Music. A BBC station - a national station - but might as well be called Manchester Music. The media power bases are in London and Manchester and the only city that might challenge both in the country is Birmingham. No wonder it's serially derided. It's not just about the personal preferences of media people in these areas, it's an economic thing too. Run down your competitors as inferior and reap the rewards for yourself.

Do you remember Birmingham's olympic bid? It was laughed at in the media and got very little support nationally. It was destined to fail. Yet when London bid for the olympics, we were all told to back the bid, it would be great for the whole country, etc. etc. Will the olympics in London really be great for Birmingham? Maybe. Could London stand to have the olympics in Brum? Never.

[The Situation]

Ah, I see *delayed and awkward laugh*.

Now we're on the topic of Kyle Walker I'd just like to say I look foward to his return to the team. I like Cuellar and rate him highly but Kyle Walker is a much better right-back.

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't agree with the "the media hate us because we're in Birmingham / they're only interested in the north west and London / concerted campaign against us" nonsense, if we were winning things, they'd be all over us as well.

This week, though, there has been a remarkable onslaught against the club.

As for the Winter article, it is really hard to see how any Villa fan - regardless of what he thought of MON's tenure - could not get angry at the way he left and the ensuing chaos (regardless of whether we're now at a point where we should be over it, it doesn't change the fact it happened).

To see a journalist like Henry Winter suggest he's effectively one of the managers of the season, with this  his only "contribution" this season shows an absolute contempt for Villa fans. Compare this with the widespread dabbing of wet eyes for the Sunderland fans this week after Bent left them.

Anyway, i had a bit of a rant back at HW ("pongowaring" in the comments section). It at least made me feel better about it and a bit less angry. I'm starting to think, though, that the best idea might be to ignore the football press until the end of the season.