The Art of Spinning the Truth

The Mail on Sunday yesterday went with a story that suggested Sean O’Driscoll is no more than a stooge in the scheme of some rich foreigner’s evil plans to flood our game with cheap dirty foreigners. As is their agenda to portray anything non British as inherently dangerous.

Suggesting additionally that funds were not in place to the tune they had suggested, soon Nottingham will be awash with cheap imported middle eastern players, and with the Mails rhetoric at least 2 of them will probably have links to Al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein, Colonel Ghaddafi or failing that is a scientologist who hated Princess Diana.

In short it was thinly veiled racism, which is what they specialise in pedalling.

The problem is here is that it makes for very easy copy. And people believe this twaddle. I would like to make it clear here that there will be quoting of extremely dodgy comments by fans of other teams, so I apologise for its content. I think it needs to be made clear these are the few of a few random nut jobs.

One Derby fan suggested that they can’t wait to see our team of “Paki’s” fail, and that it will be like watching Baghdad Sunday league. Sweeping generalisations and racist slurs in the space of a few minutes. But it sums up what an article like that can bring out in people. This unsavoury element always under the surface. It underlines complete ignorance (and a level of Geographic failing so amazing it confuses me)

They also laugh because they are from unfancied nations not rated highly in the world, which again is meaningless. Derby themselves have had a number of players unheralded before but turned out to be good, Paolo Wanchope for one. Additionally the ranking of a nation has no bearing on an individual. Look at George Weah, or Georgi Kinkladze.

One comment on their story from a woman from Doncaster bemoaned how Nottingham Forest look essentially like they are running an illegal human trafficking system if this happens and should be investigated and shut down. It beggars belief the flights and fancy and connections people make from the new owners simply wanting to use players they know, and like and see if they can help at the new club they owned. To suggest we are simply going to be a gateway for a multitude of Arabic based footballers is stretching the truth a whole lot. If that’s the case why not install a Kuwaiti manager instead of O’Driscoll? Why are we being linked with just as many English and European players, and these “floods of Arabs players” total 7, who are on trial, with no obligation to buy.

And why the hell does it matter? Look around the football world, and the English game, foreign players exist in great numbers, many teams fielding less English than none, so why make a big deal out of it being us.

And since I first drafted this earlier further evidence of the lack of journalistic integrity has been proved by Forest splashing the cash on Guedioura in a deal believed to be worth£750k. Hardly a bunch of cheapskates.

Comments

  1. I am surprised today's Mail headline isn't "Kuwaitis sign first Arab"

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