Martin Samuel thinks so, and I’m inclined to agree, as I often am. As a Rangers fan I’m also not a huge Mike Ashley fan, although I wouldn’t paint him as the bogeyman that many others do – he simply took full advantage of the pathetically weak commercial situation Rangers were in due to the toxic influence of previous directors, up to and including David Murray (at least for the latter part of his reign). But the fact that his media ban is misguided (unlike the surgical-strikes against specific papers or journalists employed by the likes of Fergie and Mourinho) stands out like The Angel of the North…
Steve McClaren chose to make a quiet entrance at Newcastle on Saturday(…)
Yet is it any wonder the fans are underwhelmed. Newcastle’s ludicrous attempt to corral the media -dealing with only those organisations prepared to endorse the club’s positive messages — has made McClaren a distant figure already(…)
McClaren needs to start winning. It is going to be as bleak as Get Carter up there otherwise.
I reckon Newcastle will do ok. I can see plenty more teams in the Prem with worse squads. Last season was a disaster because of John Carver. He was dreadful as a caretaker manager at Leeds and just as bad, for longer, at Newcastle.
McClaren is a good manager. I can see Newcastle being top half of the table (but no more).
He’s been much maligned since his spell in the England job, but McClaren did a damn good job for us at Boro – we won our only major trophy under his management, and reached a European final, the run to which included the two most exciting nights I’ve ever experienced in a football ground. I’d swap that for the 6 years we’ve spendt being thoroughly average in the Championship (although things improved markedly last season). His style of football can at times be over-cautious and plain, but unfortunately the skunks have got themselves a damn good coach.
Agree about McClaren – a talented coach, but the point that Samuel was making was that he’s hamstrung from the beginning due to influences outwith his control. Like it or not, these things can make or break a manager, not just what he does on the training field.
Aren’t Newcastle one of the biggest spending clubs in the Premier League so far this summer? I seem to recall that they’ve splashed £30m+ already.
Samuel’s biggest complaint seems to be that Ashley is hostile to the media. I can’t say I blame him.
I’m ever so slightly liking the ignore the media angle. Would be funny if all the clubs did it and the journo’s actually had to work at getting stories.
If I owned a football club I wouldn’t let the bastards through the front door.
Easiest job in the world, football journalism these days.
But Samuel, in my opinion and that of many others the best sportswriter in the UK, is hardly, with all due respect to NUFC, needing to batter down the doors of St. James’s Park for column inches. Which, I feel, makes his viewpoint worth listening to.
Thats a bit like saying he’s the least smelly turd.
Genuinely puzzled by the enmity shown here towards sports journalists.
Certainly as far as the likes of Martin Samuel, Henry Winter, Oliver Holt, Hugh McIlvanney are concerned, while one may disagree with this or that analysis, it’s hard to see them as malign, to be honest.
As a Leeds fan, I can understand that the constant negativity towards your club can get wearing, something which also applies in spades to Rangers. However, I think we need to be aware that a large part of the negative coverage of our clubs in recent years has been merited.
I don’t think they do a good job. They are part of the machinery of the game and they operate in a vacuum and won’t bite the hand that feeds them. The article on McClaren is a good example. He wants McClaren to fail so he can be proved right.
They are victims of the 24 hour media, like many other issue areas – though football might be the worst.
At one time a journo could spend a day, or even a week, thinking about what they would say in a print media column. Now they are up against a million online blogs, twitterers and football websites they have to say something, anything, 24/7.
Add to that the changed relationship with the players — who won’t go near journalists if they can do anything to prevent it, and are coached how to answer questions without saying anything.
Not surprisingly, 95 per cent of “journalism” is repetitive drivel.
If he doesn’t need access to St James’ Park then there’s not much point moaning about lack of access to St James’ Park.
well, ah hae ma doots…
Dougie – I believe there’s a very real chance the, laughably awful. retail contract that Green handed Ashley will be torn up.
well I sincerely hope so…
Agree with Dougie that Martin Samuel is the best football writer in Britain today. I do think however that towards the end of last season the quality of his work diminished as it seemed he was trotted off to nearly every major sporting event in Europe and beyond, including the US Open.
Interesting that Rangers have banned Graham Speirs, the ‘journalist’ from the Herald and sometime BBC, from Ibrox due to some pretty unflattering articles over the years. There’s also been a big fallout with BBC Scotland who have decided to boycott the club over allegations of bias within the organisation.
They’ve finally spent some cash this summer, and I think Newcastle will be more than alright this season.
Football journalists, mainly due to nonsense programmes on Sky and endless radio phone-ins, seem to think they are an authority on the the game these days – despite non of them ever playing the game professionally, or even working at a club. I doubt Samuel would find a pair of shorts to fit him, let alone ever kick a ball in anger…
Winds me up no end when they start with; “My sources at Man Utd tell me that…” like they are someway connected with the club internally! The sources are either football agents using the journalist or the key who opens the gate at the training ground…
Engine – can you clarify what the dispute is between the BbC and Rangers?
Sunderland’s second kit might cheer you up.
It’s well dodgy, in a market-place known for it’s well dodgy-ness.