mito said yesterday that Suarez should have given more interviews explaining his side of things so the press would maybe warm to him a bit more [or something like that]. I don't think he's confident in the language to take that on but what I think should have happened is that someone should have stage-managed some good stories like him buying a minibus for local kids charity. The clubs PR dept has been awful - a good team of PR 'experts' could have turned some of the negative press around very easily.
PR stories always get pulled to bits by fans anyway, usually see comments like "what's £10k on a mini-bus when you earn £150k per week". The media may warn to him a little but it won't stop the crap he gets because, quite simply, he has done things to bring it upon him self.
True G, but this is a specific PR. look at Cantona, Giggs, Rio. Uniteds PR machine is perfect. Blanket involvement with the media then after a while the threat to withdraw it from specific reporters or media outlets if they step away from the script too far. Yes, being the most successful club at the time helps that tactic but even the BBC eventually caved in. I'm not being conspiracy united posters; just applauding an effectively run machine. I think we are still living with the repercussions of Hillsborough (about this very narrow point folks so not an excuse to Wum). Our ingrained mistrust of all areas of the media have not allowed that relationship necessary to prevent the "Suarez" type of press happening. His actions obviously don't help but pointing to the examples above; our now traditionally hostile relationship with the press is the real reason the coverage is as extensive. We don't have the relationship or clout of modern success to stop it. I honestly think its the real reason KD was removed. The owners quite rightly couldn't criticise him for his attitude without criticising where the attitude was born but they also couldn't allow it to continue. It's sad how a series of events combined to get us here but we can't continue to complain about coverage (and yes I did) and then refuse to get into bed with them.
Agree with your analysis, but not your 'solution'. We're never going to be, or ever was, the media darlings of United with several placemen infesting every paper and tv channel. Caving in and licking the crusty bits off Murdoch, the mail and suchlike is a betrayal of everything this club has ever stood for (at least over the last 24 years anyway). If you're a Liverpool supporter (or player) you instinctively understand that - there are certain papers and parts of the English media that are never to be trusted or collaborated with ever again. Luis knew it, but still couldn't stop himself ridiculously biting a defender and has come to a crossroads where he himself knows he can never win. To be fair, it's a season after I expected with the Evra stitch-up. The problem is our shyster owners, who left Luis holding his dick in his hand last year, believing they can appease the likes of Lawton, Samuel, Holt and the Sun. They can't, they won't and they're deluding themselves. If they think it's toxifying their brand, as the self-fulfilling prophecies of the above ****-rags claim, then they should **** off and sell the club to the fans. We are not, never have been and never will be, some gooey merchandising conglomorate selling branded bubble-bath to five-year-olds in Boston and Adelaide. Our fans worldwide know what we are and what we are not. Any crawling to the press to try and pretend otherwise is simply ceding the Sudetenland. Wait and see - unless and until we get owners who are combatitive and adverserial with the media we will stay in this cycle of public whipping-boys. We never really took off after what was a fantastic springboard after Istanbul in 2005, with so many, many missed opportunities since then. After the Hillsborough report of last year, against the backdrop that it took 23 years of struggle with not one jot of assistance, and instead near overwhelming resistance, from the English media in general, we should be moving forward aggressively in our media relationships, not kissing arses and begging for forgiveness. **** them, and **** our owners past and present if they don't appreciate this and act accordingly, whether it 'toxifies' their ****ing brand or not.
This The guy gets a bad press because he does things that are considered negative or bad in this country, not necessarily in others like uruguay. Diving, calling people names, biting etc. Things which the Brits find repulsive and unsporting but which others may not and may accept as part and parcel of the game... He either should have been more aware or someone in the club should have helped him. The PR department has been particularly weak.
Yes PR stories do get pulled to bits but at least it could help show a more balanced side to an individual who's being called a 'despicable person' [really] based on a few over hyped reports from on-field behaviour. Suarez will struggle, quite rightly, to explain to his daughter why her daddy bit another man - he really needs to address that and it is within his power to do so. He can't worry about his 'image' when he's behaving like that. But to say he brought on the vile, vicious attacks he's had in the press over it and the race issue is just wrong. There's very much an element of does the punishment fit the crime were Suarez is concerned and for me the punishment has out-weighed the crime hugely - I'm talking about trial by media here not the actual 'trials' by the FA - but punishments all round have been way too excessive.
"Public whipping boys" ???? Really??? Jesus, that's one of the most paranoid, delusional posts I've ever read. Suarez was vilified because of his actions, not because of the shirt on his back. The man is a total twat & always will be, he'll continue with his crazy behaviour in Spain, same as he did here, same as he did in Holland & he'll continue to be vilified for it.
This is some post mate! I am struggling to work out whether this is a parody or you really meant all this..
DD: breaking a destructive cycle is not kissing arse. We have been proved right, to keep the siege mentality on towards generation after generation of journalist until those new journalists only see an aggressive & surly LFC without context is pointless. Yes, this year we can express it, & righteously but specifically. I'll say again; generalised descriptions & perceptions is what lead to the disaster; it would be ill fitting to those lost to use the same errors & stereotypical generalisations of our enemies as our own plan based simply on a shared profession. I'm not suggesting "we tow the line" I'm suggesting we become media neutral. We can continue to allow them to use us without our cooperation to make money for themselves or we can give the amount of cooperation to get out of the situation too.we are contractually bound to do so anyway so unless we make a stand on principal & accept ejection from the league it's a hollow stance hurting only ourselves and aiding our competitors. In other words its another form of surrender cloaked in bravado & false gusto. You don't complain if FSG spend millions to buy players so don't complain about the very obvious methods by which they acquire it. Your "fan ownership" is a lovely idea but will not work in our league set up...ever.
Fans of all clubs believe they get an unfair press. Especially after a defeat. But to believe that there has been a deliberate targetting of a club by the press and the journos is simply astonishing. This is extreme paranoia verging on the pathological.
I really wanted to keep it narrower than this. If a mod wants to take this particular section and put it in a separate thread as its way off topic. Will try to be briefer. Government & media regarded & reported the football supporter (generalisation) as an animal, and deserving to be caged as such and treated as subhuman. This degradation of the individual lead to the disasters small & large that followed. It was a specific set of actions or inactions that lead to Hillsborough but they happened because the Police & others had come not to care about the people going. The perception was so successfully transmitted & engrained in the general public it also allowed for the cover up afterwards. I'm suggesting that falling into the same trap of generalising "all journalists (and I'll add police, govt departments etc) or purveyors of media" as the same scum complicit in this propaganda & cover up even if they've only been doing the job very recently is counter productive to the success & well being of our club. Highlight those responsible individually for hurts against us specifically and go after them with a vengeance by all means. That's actual justice. I mean a Journalist coming into the sporting section of a newspaper today is not responsible for articles printed by someone else unless its still under the same editorial/management control (that rag is still; and that management is unapologetic as Murdochs tweets expressed clearly) I'm talking about balance and being classier than those against us not using their tactics. Not lumping every slight, insult & yes horror into one pot and painting all those with negative remarks & opinions about us with the same brush as the worst bastards.
Bin it would probably be a fine idea. I wish I hadn't started it's what starting to drink early while reading the news does to you. Stupid no football.
If I am going by my time you have started drinking at 8:28 Anyway, enjoy the day, hope we don't get pumped by the German C team and hope Brazil give you lot a thrashing! Am sure there is a thread for this.
I agree with most of what you've said here but I don't think we can blame the owners for hanging Suarez out to dry in the media. FSG know very little about this country never mind how the press works, and they know even less about football and running a football club. Ayre on the other hand, not only a native of the country but a native of the city and life long Liverpool supporter, knows exactly how the press works and the club's long relationship [or lack of] with it. He should have surrounded himself with the very best PR people, also taken appropriate legal advice [in the race case] and handled the media a whole lot better. Given the club's instinctive mistrust of the press, they really need 'outside' independent advice as well as their own policy on press matters. Suarez came with baggage so was always likely to be swooped on over any incident, the fact he wears a Liverpool shirt may have doubled that attention, especially in the Evra case as I can't see Fergie launching into the tirades he did against say a Swansea or Norwich player, but we each draw our knowledge from our experience and we allow that to colour our views.
They've spent a decade in US sports, which is all about image. To say they don't know about PR is like saying Mohammed Ali didn't know about publicity. Which is unusual for a Commercial Director who's career has been in commerce. It beats me why Purslow and Broughton did all the talking. FSG didn't hang Kenny and Suarez out to dry deliberately but their inaction produced the same result. I don't know if the media are necessarily outright anti-LFC - unless it's the Utd clique at the Independent - but they need melodramatic headlines to earn and they are often borderline racist. Their treatment of Rafa back in the day is solid evidence of their double standards - Henry Winter slagging off Rafa for staying in Japan when his dad died but praising Pulis for showing up at the Brittania when his mum died. And there's a case for saying the FA did the same with Suarez, punishing him far more heavily than English players for the same offences. Little things like that build and contribute to a fortress mentality, which is something we can all relate to.
I get what you're saying. My point - probably not very well put - was that FSG live and operate in the US and have distanced themselves figuratively as well as literally from what goes on here. They may be well versed in PR but their lack of action or giving clear direction to those employed at the club in a PR capacity shows they either weren't aware that any action was needed or they chose to remain silent both of which could be classed as mis-judgments and show a lack of understanding of how the press operate in this country. Remaining silent on an issue here is tantamount to admitting guilt.
