Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Arsenal and Arshavin the latest victims of media mischief

This time of the year sees newspapers, TV companies and websites all furiously discussing, dismissing and raising rumours around the football transfer market. This site is no different and we all enjoy a bit of gossip about who might be going where.

Rumour

What I don’t like is a situation where the rumour is entirely made up by the media and serves no purpose other than to sell newspapers and to unsettle players, clubs and fans.

A case that I believe to fit this description came up yesterday in the Sun newspaper in England. There was an article entitled, “Andrey is Shavin a laugh.”

The first paragraph of the article read, “Andrey Arshavin has stunned Arsenal by revealing he wants to play for Barcelona.”

Alongside the article was a picture of Arshavin with the caption, “Arsh words. Andrey would love to join Barca.”

Transfer

If, indeed, Arshavin is asking for a transfer from Arsenal and is holding talks about a possible move to the Camp Nou then that would indeed be a story and Arsenal would have every right to be ‘stunned’.

The reality, of course, is probably very different to that scenario indeed.

The actual quote used by the newspaper is Arshavin saying, “If I have the chance to play for Barcelona, I’d be really happy.”

Happy

You could substitute the name of almost any footballer in the world, with the possible exception of a few Real Madrid players, instead of Arshavin and of course they would be happy to play for Barcelona. At the moment they are probably the top club in the world. They play great football in a great stadium in front of huge crowds. Barcelona is hot, has great beaches, a wonderful nightlife, the best shopping and great restaurants.

In fact, ask me if I would like to play for Barcelona and I might just say yes!

I have no idea what the actual conversation with Arshavin was but I would guess it went something like this:

Reporter

Reporter: Are you happy at Arsenal?
AA: Yes, it is a great club.

Reporter: Are you going to stay at the Emirates for the rest of your career?
AA: Who knows what the future might bring.

Reporter: So you could move?
AA: Of course

Reporter: If at some stage in the future Barcelona tried to sign you, would you be happy to go there?
AA: That is hypothetical

Reporter: Yes, but if it happened, would you be happy?
AA: If I have the chance to play for Barcelona, I’d be really happy.

There we are then, that’s a story. Arshavin would be happy to play for Barcelona!

If I was asked if I would be happy to write a weekly article for the top football magazine in the world and be paid a ridiculous amount of money to do so, I would say that I would most certainly be happy. That doesn’t make it any more likely that it is going to happen and it doesn’t mean that I am not perfectly happy doing what I do now!

Mischief

I would be very surprised if Andrey Arshavin doesn’t stay the whole of next season with Arsenal and the article about him yesterday seemed to me to be nothing other than simple mischief making. Luckily, I’m sure Arsene Wenger won’t be ‘stunned’ by the ‘revelation’ and he will see the story for what it is.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Graham Fisher


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  • Cajan

    0 0

    I just love what the papers do. They make the preseason and January transfer windows very interesting. As for the players, i do not blame them, they are not less than us. We all switch jobs whenever we see an opportunity say either a better paying job or a job with much better job security. How would you feel if you were christiano ronlado and fifty 15 years from now players less talented than you are are bragging about their houses and cars and achievements and you have little to show for all your efforts. You wouldn’t want to end up a sports commentator , would you? I am a man united fan.

  • kukaka

    0 0

    That is very obvious, Brad.
    I hate the papers when it comes to transfers…

  • Brad

    0 0

    That wouldnt be enough, they need to do something about the stupid papers…

  • christopher

    0 0

    actually i will like to advice the arsenal coach to try by all means to let arshavin to play 4 the team because his a very good boy in times of commitment

  • Brad

    0 0

    And Graham is right about the press. Even here in the U.S. where football( the real football, I will say) is not as popular as baseball and our own football, the papers are always making big rumors about someone like Juan Pablo Angel of New York Red Bulls might transfer to some other club, and the fans will be on their back, and the player himself will start wanting to move, and lastly his form starts dropping.
    I think it is time that FIFA files some sort of law suit on the press for being so fucking annoying. That might just make them only print the truth and no rumors they made up to sell their copies……

  • Brad

    0 0

    Personally, I like what Arshavin did at Emirate’s stadium.
    I may be a ManU fan, but I would like to see Arshavin stay in Arsenal’s books- as I have always admired them for their players and manager- and it would be a shame if Arshavin left for nou camp before he could become a Gunner’s Legend, and a legend in the Premiership.

  • wengerball

    0 0

    How on earth have we ended up with this miserable, incompetent and lazy lot?
    ——————-

    When “most” of the writers are ex or failed players,
    When said writers have little or no access to players,
    When there is really nothing to write about,
    When the readers believe anything you write,
    put it together and you get rubbished media all with their own agenda.

  • Jimmy

    0 0

    They say that, as a country, you get the media you deserve. If so, then what have we done to end up with this lot? When you look at the high quality coverage both on TV and in print, that cricket gets, it beggars belief. How on earth have we ended up with this miserable, incompetent and lazy lot? What have we done to deserve Rob Shepherd, Harry Harris, Neil Ashton, to name but 3 and now even old Martin Samuel, who used to at least have one foot in reality, has sunk to new depths. It really is a crying shame.

  • Jack Staniforth

    0 0

    There are a few established and loyal players still about but they`re the ones looking into the sunset a little and have been part of the furniture for a number of years. The sunset also offers a little more than beer money to make sure that their loyalties stay in tack….so there we have it. As for the rest it`s a money jungle.

    As I`ve said before the only contract worth having has the Queens head on it and many wouldn`t reconize the Queen if they fell over her in the street.

    Will Ashavin stay a week, a month, a season or honour his contract. Will he go to Barcelona, Real Madrid (for say 300.000 pounds a week or something) who knows and frankly I`m one of those who doesn`t care, there are another hundred waiting in the wings.

    In not so many years from now those of us who are left will be saying ” remember the heady days when players were earning 200,000 pounds a week and transfer fees were in excess 50 million” The bubble will burst, believe me.

  • TheSKAGooner

    0 0

    Actually, Arshavin DID say this.

    Unfortunately for the Star, he said it almost a year ago when he was talking to Barca, Spurs and some of the Italian teams.

    After the massive fail regarding Cesc Fabregas’ comments last week in the Sun (comments that prompted Cesc to make a statement through Arsenal’s official website reiterating his commitment to the club and wholly refuting the article by the Sun), one has to wonder if this isn’t a bit of “hit back” at Arsenal for calling the media out so publicly and embarrassing them.

    They should be embarrassed and ashamed. But they’re not. The will continue to throw out the names of Arsenal players without any real connection to the purported “story” if only in an effort to, as you pointed out, disrupt the club, players and supporters of Arsenal. It’s pathetic.

  • TheSKAGooner

    0 0

    Actually, Arshavin DID say this.

    Unfortunately for the Star, he said it almost a year ago when he was talking to Barca, Spurs and some of the Italian teams.

    After the massive fail regarding Cesc Fabregas’ comments last week in the Sun (comments that prompted Cesc to make a statement through Arsenal’s official website reiterating his commitment to the club and wholly refuting the article by the Sun), one has to wonder if this isn’t a bit of “hit back” at Arsenal for calling the media out so publicly and embarrassing them.

    They should be embarrassed and ashamed. But they’re not. The will continue to throw out the names of Arsenal players without any real connection to the purported “story” if only in an effort to, as you pointed out, disrupt the club, players and supporters of Arsenal. It’s pathetic.

  • Jack Staniforth

    0 0

    There are a few established and loyal players still about but they`re the ones looking into the sunset a little and have been part of the furniture for a number of years. The sunset also offers a little more than beer money to make sure that their loyalties stay in tack….so there we have it. As for the rest it`s a money jungle.

    As I`ve said before the only contract worth having has the Queens head on it and many wouldn`t reconize the Queen if they fell over her in the street.

    Will Ashavin stay a week, a month, a season or honour his contract. Will he go to Barcelona, Real Madrid (for say 300.000 pounds a week or something) who knows and frankly I`m one of those who doesn`t care, there are another hundred waiting in the wings.

    In not so many years from now those of us who are left will be saying ” remember the heady days when players were earning 200,000 pounds a week and transfer fees were in excess 50 million” The bubble will burst, believe me.

  • Jimmy

    0 0

    They say that, as a country, you get the media you deserve. If so, then what have we done to end up with this lot? When you look at the high quality coverage both on TV and in print, that cricket gets, it beggars belief. How on earth have we ended up with this miserable, incompetent and lazy lot? What have we done to deserve Rob Shepherd, Harry Harris, Neil Ashton, to name but 3 and now even old Martin Samuel, who used to at least have one foot in reality, has sunk to new depths. It really is a crying shame.

  • wengerball

    0 0

    How on earth have we ended up with this miserable, incompetent and lazy lot?
    ——————-

    When “most” of the writers are ex or failed players,
    When said writers have little or no access to players,
    When there is really nothing to write about,
    When the readers believe anything you write,
    put it together and you get rubbished media all with their own agenda.

  • Brad

    0 0

    Personally, I like what Arshavin did at Emirate’s stadium.
    I may be a ManU fan, but I would like to see Arshavin stay in Arsenal’s books- as I have always admired them for their players and manager- and it would be a shame if Arshavin left for nou camp before he could become a Gunner’s Legend, and a legend in the Premiership.

  • Brad

    0 0

    And Graham is right about the press. Even here in the U.S. where football( the real football, I will say) is not as popular as baseball and our own football, the papers are always making big rumors about someone like Juan Pablo Angel of New York Red Bulls might transfer to some other club, and the fans will be on their back, and the player himself will start wanting to move, and lastly his form starts dropping.
    I think it is time that FIFA files some sort of law suit on the press for being so fucking annoying. That might just make them only print the truth and no rumors they made up to sell their copies……

  • christopher

    0 0

    actually i will like to advice the arsenal coach to try by all means to let arshavin to play 4 the team because his a very good boy in times of commitment

  • Brad

    0 0

    That wouldnt be enough, they need to do something about the stupid papers…

  • kukaka

    0 0

    That is very obvious, Brad.
    I hate the papers when it comes to transfers…

  • Cajan

    0 0

    I just love what the papers do. They make the preseason and January transfer windows very interesting. As for the players, i do not blame them, they are not less than us. We all switch jobs whenever we see an opportunity say either a better paying job or a job with much better job security. How would you feel if you were christiano ronlado and fifty 15 years from now players less talented than you are are bragging about their houses and cars and achievements and you have little to show for all your efforts. You wouldn’t want to end up a sports commentator , would you? I am a man united fan.

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