The following is a quote from Mr Thompson; ”The current predicament of Channel 4 News says much about the bizarre ways of modern British football. We find ourselves banned today from a major football club because we wanted to ask about football clubs banning the media. The club? Why, Newcastle United of course – under Mike Ashley’s controversial control they have banned more journalists than any other club since 2007.Nowhere else in British public life is this kind of conduct tolerated.” For those that do not know, Alex Thompson is in fact a Newcastle United fan. Here is a follow up article he wrote on the subject. It is an emotive subject and I have read one poster state that people have died for the freedom to express their opinion (so the censorship should not be allowed), whilst I have also read comments suggesting the press have portrayed Newcastle United in a bad light for such a long time that the current stance is proportionate and understandable.
The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards was allegedly banned for reporting that all was not well in the Toon dressing room, whilst the club has apparently selected Sky Sports and The Mirror as its ‘preferred media partners’. When McClaren was unveiled it was only these two agencies that were invited to the party. The Sun newspaper responded with a piece headlined: ‘We wont dance to your Toon.’ They went on to state they they were the ONLY independent paper that could be trusted to hold the club to account.
Michael Martins of the Newcastle United Supporters Trust had this to say; ”They have had yet another opportunity to change, another opportunity to clean up the mess they have got into and they have failed to take it. This just seems unnecessarily antagonistic. To not have the local media there makes them look like a club that does not even know where their supporters are from. It looks like a club that has no idea what it is doing, it is clumsy, clunking and shows what a daft football club it is. We were told things were going to change, that there would be better communication and more transparency, but this suggests nothing has changed at all.”
It all looks pretty damning on the face of it – but delve a little deeper and you will find that Charnley and Co. are not the first or only football club bosses to take such a stance. Rangers and Celtic have been doing it for years. Sir Alex Ferguson famously refused to talk directly to the BBC, including Match of the Day, for years. The Sun seems to turn on the charm only when it suits itself. It takes the high ground in this particular scenario because it has not benefited from coverage of Newcastle United whilst their competitor have done. Only last year The Sun was accused by it’s rivals of having made a ‘preferred media partnership’ deal with NUFC when it was the only national paper to appear at the unveilings of Cabella, De Jong and Colback.Around about the same time The Sun presented the Country with this headline; ”Why we should love Mike Ashley.” It’s not like The Sun had not seen this coming. Only the year before they were selected as ‘preferred media partners’ for those unveilings, they were banned (together with NCJ Media outlets such as The Chronicle) for printing derogatory stories about the club.
Toon fans have long been accused by rival fans, newspapers and pundits of being fickle. If the above example of The Sun’s ‘changing Toon’ does not reflect the irony of such media allegations leveled towards us fans then I do not know what does?
Newcastle United has a fanatical fan base that lives, sleeps and eats football. That is why there is so much media interest in all things Toon. For a long time, the club has been described as a ‘Goldfish Bowl’ – most notably by Jermaine Jenas when he left for Spurs. Everything that gets reported about the club gets magnified and scrutinised not just by our own fans, but by most other fans too. If you look at a lot of comments on blogs from rival clubs, the fans quite often express their lack of empathy for us in recent years. The ‘fickle’ tag has stuck. Does this harm the club’s reputation abroad – where a very big market is there for the taking and with it an opportunity for the club’s brand to expand? If we ever want to compete at the top of the league again then we have to break into that market.
Newcastle United is high profile, so we get all the attention. But ours in not the only football club in England that has taken this stance in recent times. Swindon Town, Rotherham United, Blackpool, Southampton and Port Vale are all ‘guilty’ of the same policy from time to time. Yet I do not see them getting a massive slating from The Sun? Lee Charnley explained at the recent Fans Forum the current media approach was to; ”control and reinforce the positive messages the club wished to deliver.” Some see this as akin to a dictatorship, some see it as the club genuinely attempting to turn the image of the club around after years of ‘bad’ press. I suspect it’s not been brought about because the Big Bosses have have their feelings hurt by some articles in recent years, but because they have recognised that something has to change if they are ever going to break into the wider market.
The question is, are they going about it the right way?
[poll id=”85″]
Well collated article there Shamrock. You have to wonder how much these preferred media partners are paying? If it’s more than £2 then that’s why Ashley’s doing it. Nowt to do with censorship imo.
georgio(Quote)
Shamrock: I think the reason that Swindon and Rotherham don’t get any press is because they are Swindon and Rotherham. We are a much bigger club and will get bigger when fat man puts a bit more money in.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
More money in! Ime getting dizzy
icedog(Quote)
SHAM good read,all I’ll say is I believe in free speech and free press
icedog(Quote)
Brilliant article, Shamrock.
SAF didn’t want to talk to the BBCbut he didn’t stop the club doing it.
As for the club wanting to control and get reinforce the positive message it wanted to deliver, that’s probably why North Korea only have their own nationalised media outlets that claim the dear leader’s father once went round a golf course in 38 under with 11 holes in one and also that he wrote 1,500 books in just 3 years!
Stuart79(Quote)
I could never understand why the club couldn’t just let us judge whether it was positive or not when McClaren was appointed. We didn’t need only the Mirror to let us it was.
Stuart79(Quote)
Good well balanced article Shamrock, thank you. Well I said most of what I think on the last thread and stand by it. We have missed a chance to be much more open and transparent this season, it simply isn’t right to vet every question the press want to put to you. At the end of the day the press are mostly asking the questions the fans would like answers to anyway. While we have missed a chance for a better relationship with the media, Ashley certainly hasn’t missed his chance to make a few bob for the club and extra exposure by way of ads for SD. But we may of sacrificed some goodwill for the relatively modest amount of £250,000 the mirror are pumping into the academy.
kimtoon(Quote)
Oh, and Shamrock. It was a good article, man.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Sham – a well put together piece mate, but I said all I had to say on the matter this morning. My tick was firmly in the N.F.I box 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
Ferguson would have if he could the petty *******, He actually had to allow people to talk to the BBC, It’s part of the agreement Sky and the beeb have when they pay for the coverage they get access to players & coaches
He should have been made to climb down ages before he did as well
CC(Quote)
I agree, CC. Why didn’t he just sue the BBC and have done with it and get on with his and his sons life? It’s pathetic . We have libel laws in this country for a reason.
Stuart79(Quote)
We all know the fat c@nt does what he wants.
batty(Quote)
So scum wanted Toney as well,tough ****
icedog(Quote)
http://talksport.com/football/istanbul-hero-tips-liverpool-miss-out-top-four-and-arsenal-win-title-dietmar-hamanns
kimtoon(Quote)
Ice@13, makes it all the sweeter 😀
kimtoon(Quote)
Good, balanced article there mate. I love articles that present the facts and appreciate both sides of the story, rather than telling me what I should think.
I reckon the club could have gone about things in a better way but the media are mostly selfish and nasty if it suits them. It must be a hell of a job to keep them onside and virtually every club has fallen foul of some paper or channel at one time or another. And we’re an easy target as a big club with passionate fans but not in that zone of seriously challenging for the CL. The media knows that our fans will latch onto articles about our club and they love to fan the flames around Ashley and other issues even when they should know better.
I’m hoping McClaren can have better control over interaction with the media though. It seems clear that nobody else at our club has the experience and personality to manage them in a way that we would like them to.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
The point I think is that if the club were trying to hamstring the media completely then there would restriction of free speech. But anyone can choose who they want to speak to. Even in court people have the right to silence. What we have here is not trying to stifle the pressbecause there are plenty of routes for questions and investigation. Also it would appear that what NUFC is doing is not significantly changing the goalposts. So while I may not bein favour of what they are doing, I can understand it and do not find it sinisterin any way.
premandup(Quote)
And yet again I accidentally read an article from The Mag. This time a disgusting attack on Colo. I don’t need to read from a site with writers having an agenda to slag off our players! I expect that from a Mackem in the pub, not a writer on a site, there to report the news!
Colo is a classy defender whose physical attributes have obviously waned at the age of 33. Put a plank like Willo next to him and Colo is forced to do things that he shouldn’t have to do, but a more athletic defender next to him and I expect Colo to use the extra time and space to position himself and the rest of the defence well without panicking. He’ll be like Rio in his latter seasons at Man Utd. He’s not going to last forever, but let’s enjoy him while we have him, he’s generally been an excellent player for this club and deserves respect. I hate The Mag. **** Mackem lovers.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
PREMANDUP
I agree with you. But the heavily anti Ashley brigade will twist the truth to give them another stick to attack Ashley with. And all the time, it’s creating negative vibes about our club…and about a topic that is frankly really not that relevant.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TDS I don’t know what people support when they call our club Nazis
Premandup(Quote)
The reality is that the club are banning media outlets because they don’t like what they write – true or not! That’s just pathetic and its called gerrymandering. It’s sad and futile.
The fact the club have to pick and choose who they invite to manger press conference shows how insecure they are.
Stuart79(Quote)
Oh and it’s got nothing to do with being Anti Ashley. It just seems to be that the majority of things he does is just tacky and pathetic. I also happen to think Blackpool are the same.
Stuart79(Quote)
Well so far 51% of voters don’t agree with it.
kimtoon(Quote)
TDS@18, While I mostly agree with a lot of what you say there on Colo, lets take off the rose tinted specs a moment. I do not really think he should of gotten a 1 year extension, simply because the time has come for a revamp of the CB and Mbemba will not change us alone and neither will Lascelles ( too inexperienced ). We should of had a big commanding experienced CB in to play alongside Mbemba or Lascelles, we have basically the same bunch of CB’s that have shipped a shedload of goals over the last 3 seasons and to not address that is reckless to say the least. I have never thought Colo captain material, he never speaks after a defeat instead leaving it to another player which I personally think is out of order. He wanted away to San Lorenzo not so very long ago, even writing a love letter of kinds to their fans, or do we simply sweep that memory from our minds? Lastly if he’s so respected by the other players why then couldn’t he get them to muster a few half decent performances at the back end of last season.
kimtoon(Quote)
Would want Colo replaced but, to be fair, it is risky replacing both CBs in the same season.
griffrisky replacing both CBs(Quote)
woops! 🙂
griff(Quote)
KIM have you sorted a top (shirt) out for lewis??
icedog(Quote)
Good article Shamrock personally i dont give a **** who the club uses to get the stories out too the public. Once a story is released its on Internet in no time anyhow . What i do give a **** about is the content of the story and all the bad press that the club keeps getting , mostly its own making . Hopefully with the new headcoach and backroom staff alot of the bad press will be diminished , i dont see this lot having fist fights or slaging matches on the touch line with opposing trainers, players or our supporters . I dont see McClaren accusing his players of Getting sent off on purpose or slagging them in public for a bad game . I just hope that this lot get the team playing the type of football the fans want and the Anti Ashley protests can be dropped and the stadium can become a proper stadium again full of the noise we are famous for. If that happens the bad press will be no more and we can all enjoy our football again and press bans will no longer be a talking point.
Axel(Quote)
Ice@27, I sent them an email asking them to let me know when they are back in stock.
kimtoon(Quote)
KIM OK mate let me know if you get problems and I will see what I can do from this end,I did read somewhere you have to pay for your shirt first
icedog(Quote)
It’s an utter disgrace that some of the press and Ch4 are banned.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
I only hope that the few that voted to agree with the club’s policy are Mackems or are just being mischievous
It can’t be justified
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Good article, Shamrock, but …
Total furphy of a topic. Meaningless nonsense. Only an issue because we have a lot of drama queens as fans. Nazis? Freedom of the press? What a load of bollocks!
Brisvegas(Quote)
So SM has told Pardew to tell the truth that he did offer Colo a three year contract,after Pardew put it on their club web site he had no interest in Colo,don’t worry SM Pardew leaned how to tell lies everyday at the toon
icedog(Quote)
BrisV: I totally disagree. Just because Stuart went over the top doesn’t negate the point Shamrock is making.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
TROY STAVERS 31
maybe you the mackem bud everytime some1 disagrees with what you think you use the mackem word,by the way do you rush off to channel 4 for ya footie news sounds like it to me
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
not being funny but this was debated to death on the last blog 🙄
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Eric: No problem with Shamrock’s article – that’s why I said it was good. Well enough balanced.
The underlying issue that provoked it is bollocks. And the reaction to it is cringeworthy. My last word on the subject. I don’t think it is worth any more of my time.
Brisvegas(Quote)
Thanks for the article Sham. Yep storm in a tea cup… but it really shows the true nature of some fans. Their eagerness to jump on any negative aspect surrounding the club and then blowing it all out of proportion is as embarrassing as it is fuken sad!
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Good read. They’re as bad as each other
The club do their best to rile the press, at the same time the press are a murky bunch. We should learn not to make poor decisions for the press to write about or if we do, man up and take the flak…
I hate the Sun, I’m sure when they were preferred the would of had SD ads in their papers
GASHLEY(Quote)
BrisV: for the most part the press are a bunch of tossers but we have to defend their right to say their piece because that way we are defending all of our rights to say our piece.
I have said it a few times, but I don’t think the local journalists are doing their jobs, whatever the restrictions. I understand they have to put out copy every day but they NEVER write anything original or interesting. This is why blogs like this are interesting because Shamrock and Kimtoon and NUFC.com (and AMF previously) write about NUFC in an interesting and unrestrained way.
Ryder could at least put out a considered article once a month instead of his formulaic tripe. If he is to call himself a journalist he should try writing for a living rather than serving up “5 things we never knew” pap.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Good read Sham, I believe in freedom of the press but also believe in my freedom not to bother with the ***** they print so not really arsed on a personal level. 😛
Aussie…Did ya join up to that NUFC fans group in Perth?
Richietoon(Quote)
Sorry Stu, was busy yesterday and didn’t get a chance to check or respond to your comment.
“I do not dictate at all. I disagree with people and call them idiots – sure I do, and that’s because I get frustrated with people not seeing the reality. But I certainly DO NOT and NEVER WILL have a go at anybody for actually having an opinion! It is their right. Whether I agree is a completely different argument as well you know.
But you, Lionel, like many others are frustrated with me because I happen to emphasis my points hard and do not give in during an argument. But probably your biggest bug bare is I am usually always proved correct in the end.”
You really are an arrogant and deluded individual, Stu, and severely lacking in self-knowledge and respect, which are crucial to open debate. Calling people idiots and defining the reality they should see is very much bullying behavior, and carries the essence dictatorialism. This is a blog so of course you cannot control the content but the next best thing for you is to not listen to how other people see reality and shout them down with insults. This way of behaving has been proven to challenge the sense of self that many have, when they are forcibly shouted down and their reality defined as ridiculous, it has been the source of psychological abuse for women for centuries.
You think I don’t like a strong debate, you really are a deluded soul, I love a good debate, the more forceful the better. My bug bear with you has absolutely nothing to do with the points you have made, which just shows how utterly arrogant and deluded you are, Mr. Powerful Orator. The problem with you, as you just articulated with an utter lack of irony, is that you like to define the reality and think you are always right, plus you are a right negative whiner.
Just to be clear, Stu, giving someone the right to have an opinion and then not fully listen to the argument, the logic, the rationality of that opinion and then shout it down with abusive and rude language is bullying, and bullying is maybe not pure dictatorship but it is a long way along the path. So, again to be clear, my bug bear with you is not that you debate hard, because in fact you don’t, it is also not because you are always right, as one, I don’t believe you are, and two, it’s a football blog I don’t care that much, it is that you are an arrogant, deluded, miserable and negative bully,
You and others may think this is too personal, but you are being very personal to plenty of people on here, Stu, when you call their opinions ridiculous and stupid, and when you try and define a reality for others.
Lionel Speed(Quote)
good read sham.
i couldnt give a ***** if reporters get banned,but this isnt just us who do it,manu have and chelsea have banned reporters in the past.and the people on here in uproar about it give ya heeds a shake.
hitman(Quote)
Thanks for the character reading, Lionel. I will use it in the future.
Made me laugh actually. You have a go at me for being arrogant and a bully then go on to get rather personal with the description of me as you see it…
Is that ironic?
Stuart79(Quote)
No, it isn’t. Slipping and sliding, baby, slipping and sliding. Laugh away, mate, laugh away. You think i would expect anything else. 😆
Anyway, here’s to Colloccini, our own Bobby Moore. I predict we’ll beat Southampton 3-0. You may have a different prediction, Stu, and may well be right. 🙄
Lionel Speed(Quote)
Hitman: if you don’t think that plutocrats like Murdoch influence the press, politics and life for their own ends then you haven’t been watching very closely. Murdoch was a kingmaker for Blair and Fox News here in the USA riles all of the right wing up at Murdoch’s behest.
Football might play a minor part in media manipulation but there are slippery slopes that we should all avoid if at all possible.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
LS: I started off with my prediction at 1-1 but then realised that we are no longer managed by Carvs, and changed to 3-1 (to us) 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
LS @43: that was a rant and a half 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
@Eric 48 & 49 😆
You are right, can’t help but still be ecstatic that Carver, or Pardew for that matter, aren’t going to be in the dugout. I fancy a cheeky, undeserved and out of character clean sheet!!! 😆
Lionel Speed(Quote)
Sad, Eric. People tend to get personal when they’ve lost the argument.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart: I am not moderating your argument with LS, I actually can’t figure out why you are mad at each other 🙂
But, Southampton went to Arnhem last night then go home, then to NUFC. That’s a bit of a ****** for the first game of the season! If they were playing Bournemouth I wouldn’t worry for them but we are a long way away.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
So nearly 10yrs without European football and Billic has West Ham out before they even properly qualify.
That’s a real show of ambition from their new man isn’t it?! 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
Classic, Stu. The iron hammer of irony just keeps on reverberating incessantly!!!! Enough said. You save it for the future, mate!!! 😆
Let’s hope we can get a victory this weekend, and then build up a decent playing style during the season. I do bloody hope so, at least.
Lionel Speed(Quote)
We witnessed the death of music this weekend in Chicago. Lolapalooza used to be where new bands could be seen with 2 or 3 stages of legends and greats bringing in the crowds. This year it was Paul McCartney first night, then Metalica and the Florence and the f-cking Machine headlining with nobody that you have heard of on the other stages. $250 a ticket, give me a break.
This is the Simon Cowelification of music. American idol and Britain’s got talent have killed everything that was good and new. We are left with underground groups that we have never heard of and a bunch of boy bands and divas (yes, that includes you Sam Smith, who’s main song is a rip off anyway).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
What it used to be is that you would go and see 2 or 3 headliners on different stages each night and drift around and watch new bands and have a bit of a f-cking groove on. But Paul McCartney and Florence and the Machine as the main acts !!!!!
Eric Sykes(Quote)
KIM
Sorry, was out for birthday drinks yesterday by the time you responded!
I do tend to agree that I would have preferred for him not to have had a 1 years extension as we don’t know what condition he’s going to be in by next season. I would have preferred if we’d started discussing a new deal early 2016 if he’s playing well.
But…the reality is that he’s a 33 year old and apparently he was offered a 3 year contract from another club. Presumably that was a lucrative contract and he would have had pressure from his agent and family to accept that offer. Didn’t Nolan leave because West Ham offered him a 6 year deal? So I think we either lost him or gave him at least an extra year.
People have slated the club before for letting experienced players leave, so I think it was important to keep him to help transition.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Lets be honest the journalists make a living out of making NUFC fans look like chumps so quite frankly I fully support the clubs stance.
Luke Edwards is a complete ponce scalded for posting utter tripe so its just sour grapes.
Great read though Sham.
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Liam – Luke Edwarda was banned for writing an article that was true!
Stuart79(Quote)
In other news Rondon apparently close to signing for a PL team today. Likely to be Villa but we have also been linked. 😕
Anyone got a low down on Rondon?
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Stuart – Most of his stuff is fabricated maybe one out of the many were accurate.
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Stu – Edwards was banned for writing an article on player unrest & dressing room bust ups. What proof did he have of that?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Really hope Old Maccy grows a pair and plays Mitrovic; hes in my fantasy team!
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Sharpy – He had a text message from one of the players. He still has it and he even asked the club to sue him and he would bring his evidence. Surprise surprise they did nothing and that’s partly my point to be honest. To ban a journo you would think they had done or written someone so shocking that they would sue them, but they never do. Why not? If it’s bad enough to ban someone it’s got to be bad enough to follow it through surely…
Stuart79(Quote)
LST – I think long term he plans to, but he missed a lot of pre season with Anderlecht not playing him. His fitness may not be there, but I reckon he will feature as at least a sub.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Richie nah mate, first I’ve heard of it!
Apparently the papers here in Oz are banned from advertising or reporting about it! 😯 😛
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Stu – really?!. I don’t know that like. If that’s the case, **** banning Edwards, I’d want to know the name of the person sending the text and get rid of them!!. Stuff like that should stay within the 4 walls of the club IMO so if we have person texting journos that’s the problem – not the journo writing the story.
It seems mad they are trying to control what comes out of the club through the media, yet they have someone feeding them.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I hardly believe any Toon related news unless it’s on the BBC or SSN. I’d be pissed off if I owned/ran a football club and the media kept writing stories that weren’t true or were overly intrusive!
Fans should be pissed off when a newspaper wrote an article about rumoured dressing room unrest at our club when we were still trying to avoid relegation! True or not, it wasn’t good for our club, so why should we do them favours?
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Doesn’t matter if he got a text from a disgruntled player! That sounds like the kind of thing Joey Barton would do. He read a hell of a lot into the text without validating it by speaking to other players or others at the club. Some naïve young player or pissed off player who wasn’t playing sends a text and they write a whole article?
That’s the problem with the media these days, the slightest hint of a story and they expand on it massively with speculation, opinion and spurious details. Most of it is ****.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
How do you think journalists get their info, Sharpy? There’s always people feeding info to people. Sometimes it’s direct and sometimes it’s indirect.
Stuart79(Quote)
Aussie…It’s on nufc.com they watch the matches here apparently:
The Game Sports Bar, 90 Aberdeen Street, Northbridge WA 6003 from 7pm
Richietoon(Quote)
Actually, TDS if you follow Edwards on Twitter you would know he did in fact talk to the player and he was a very senior player and it wasn’t Barton as he wasn’t at the club at the time.
Stuart79(Quote)
That’s my bloody house address! 👿
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
I also noticed the club didn’t take any legal action even though in their statement banning the Telegraph they said they would be consulting their legal team. Wonder why they went quiet… 😳
Stuart79(Quote)
You’ve missread it, it doesn’t say The Gay Sportsbar 😯 😆
Richietoon(Quote)