England

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/barclays-pr...46286/englands-future-bright-thanks-to-saints

ESPN article so fulsome about Saints you would think it had been written by our media department.

 

Or even a Saints fan

 

'The reputation of the biggest southern club outside of London has grown from that of nurturers of talent to Dream Factory.'

What the actual ****?

 

Can't see anything wrong there, unless you seriously think Pompey (in league 2) are bigger than Saints (in PL). I didn't mention we are second because that would just be showing off

 

Well, firstly size is more than just league position, otherwise you could say Man City are bigger than Man United, which they really aren't. Secondly, it's extremely unprofessional for a supposedly unbiased news site to use site divisive terminology and talk about 'the biggest club in the south', instantly alienating Reading, Portsmouth, Brighton fans, none of those clubs are exactly tiny. Though in the media's eyes, the south doesn't exist, so as Southampton are the only southern team in the premier league, they're clearly the only southern team that actually exists.

 

.

 

Haha! The article wasn't even claiming to be unbiased. He doesn't hide he is a Southampton fan in his bio. I'm not sure Pompey can even use their "history" as much of a fall-back for being a big club these days. They sold it to the devil for one last day out in Wembley. Reading have the capacity to be a similar status club, but they have very rarely been at our level in the last 40 years. Brighton and Bournemouth? No. Seriously, no. Should we worry about upsetting Eastleigh too?

 

Fan or not, you should be impartial or you shouldn't work in journalism. Sure, write your own blog and be as impartial as you like, but this article is written on behalf of a mainstream media organisation. I am sick of the amount of bias and lack of partiality in media, to such an extent that certain papers are famous for being left or right wing. The job of the media isn't to tell people what to believe, but to give them the facts to form their OWN opinion. The media would do well to remember that. Fat chance.

 

Unless it's a public funded media source, the job is to write what sells.

I suspect you meant impartiality (no criticism intended)

 

Well yes, that is the job of the media.... but that imo should not be the only job. Although I accept that it pretty much is. I'm just being idealistic.

 

If you're looking for sound journalistic principles you'd be best off avoiding the internet. Everything is click bait.

edit: that said, premier league owl is good.

 

Why is he alienating the fans of those clubs? Saints clearly are the biggest club in the south. He's only being truthful.

 

As you correctly noted, the article was written by Chris Rann. The chap also noted for those half hour audio blogs with monotone Dan.

You, along with an awful lot of others [me included sometimes], ought to read up a few posts of a thread before you react.

 

Well yes, there is a mistake there. It should have read "including London". Obvious.

 

But then our fans get upset when the media say it is only a matter of time before x or y leaves Southampton for a bigger club. I don't believe reports can be unbiased you have to have an opinion, however the most relevant thing and the point to boast should be the youth and academy development.

 

And the statistically best goalkeeper in the Premier League sits... in the stands. Ben Foster is sub-goalkeeper.

I'm beginning to think Roy Hodgson picks his teams with a Ouiga board or a roll of the dice. It would also account for the randomness of Clyne's debut, and the fact that Keiran Gibbs starts at LB.

 

That's also quite unprofessional, it's putting a subjective judgement on the worth of a club. Somehow bigger clubs are 'worth' more. And I don't mean financially, but they are somehow perceived to be better, and by implication 'small clubs' are worse, not important, etc.

 

Wembley pitch is like something out of the 1970's. In terrible condition.

 

have our groundsmen been poached yet? (again)

 

Clyne started a good move there.