The last word by Alan Oliver

Always liked this fella and he's speaking sense here.


http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/spor...ews/john-gibson-newcastle-uniteds-ban-6253919


The message came down from the mountain top. You are banned!

Mike Ashley had spoken. Well, er, not quite, he never does, but presumably he had instructed his minions to carry out the dastardly deed.

All those who reside at Trinity Mirror’s local offices in Newcastle have been banished from St James’ Park and United’s training ground.

What an absolute farce. What paranoia, what arrogance, what pettiness.

It would appear freedom of speech is no longer a privilege of the individual. At least not in Ashley’s domain.

We are not allowed to have an opinion. You, me, your neighbour, mates down the pub, guys who cough up much of their wages in pursuit of heroes and happiness.

We were all, it would appear, under a misapprehension. This is not our club, our birthright to be followed regardless from cradle to grave. It is Ashley’s club, his alone not to be shared with punters, and to heck with anyone else.

Wanting to win trophies is stupid. Only finishing in the top 10 of the Premier League counts. Not the FA Cup or Capital One Cup. Not Europe. Just the balance sheet and if you do not understand that at least have the decency to shut up.

Our crime was we reported on the Time4Change march in the city against Ashley and his cohorts. We gave it “disproportionate” publicity - or so we were accused.

As a consequence, an attempt has been made to gag us which effectively means denying fans because we are conveyors of news and opinion to supporters of Newcastle United. Nothing more or less.

Doesn’t Ashley and United realise taking on the local press, who are the umbilical cord between club and fanbase, as well as 50,000 supporters when the club is in such a precarious position is nothing short of an act of stupidity. Yet again.

Banning those who dare to speak out not as PRs but customers and observers does more harm than good to those who are being dictatorial.

The way to bring peace is not to wage war. Open hostility only creates a greater divide and, heaven knows, United can do without that in troubled times.

Having lost a critical derby in such a spineless way at Sunderland with Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs to come you would think United would want to keep a low profile. Not take a dirty big spoon to stir a bubbling cauldron.

Instead of blaming marching fans, the local press et al, how about Ashley concentrating upon putting things in order at St James’ Park where there is much unrest and confusion. Is he right and everyone else wrong?

What is happening now has happened before. Ashley’s United had previously banned individuals, me included, in terms of player interviews. They have banned newspapers too – the Daily and Sunday Telegraph last season for example. They have also banned certain sections of local radio.

What good did it do them? They simply look like bullies rampaging round the school yard.

Can’t Ashley realise football is part of the entertainment industry which gives people the right to an opinion on what is served up for public consumption. Theatre critics earn a living doing it. Music columnists do likewise regarding new albums. Film reviewers help decide an Oscar nomination or box- office flop. Yet they are not banished, harsh as their point of view may be. Discussion, opinion, creates interest which in turn sells a commodity. Don’t talk about something and it goes unnoticed.

The bottom line is Ashley has no time for supporters or sports writers. We are an inconvenience, an irritation.

At least the supporters are paying money so grudgingly we will let them in as long as they stay stum. Hacks are different. Nothing but pests.

Television, of course, is quite another matter to the rest of the media.

Clubs can make very good money from it, therefore what is said on Match of the Day or Sky has to be grudgingly accepted.

Alan Pardew, one of those who put his name to the banning order, recently summed up his boss Ashley thus: “He loves football but sometimes cannot understand how it works. It confuses and upsets him and when he is upset he does things which are not brilliant for the football club.”

Even those on his side of the fence realise the shortcomings of a man used to getting his own way.

Of course, the written press can receive as much criticism from the public as the owners of football clubs.

We, too, are viewed in some corners with cynicism, heightened by the Leveson inquiry and the phone hacking scandals which, I must point out by way of truth, havein the past mainly been the weapon of some national not local newspapers.

Ironicallym the greatest accusation levelled at the local press by football fans is they are a PR mouthpiece for the club. Towing the party line rather than criticising. Well, United don’t see it that way.

I can understand newspaper men have to ride the bucking bronco.

It is not a job in which it is easy to curry favour with club or fans if it is done properly and honestly. No-one can please all of the people all of the time.

However, I am under no illusions about what is the basic job of a sports journalist. He or she must report the facts and the quotes without fear or favour while, if employed as a columnist, offer an honestly-held opinion which may stir debate in the pub that night and, yes, compliment profusely when it is deserved. Plain and simple.

Throughout it all, however, must be the right to have an opinion and voice it. Ashley and those who have formally signed the declaration of intent to ban those who dare to stand their corner disagree but that in itself is an opinion and we have not banned them from our Bigg Market offices because they have voiced it.

No, what Mike Ashley has done is score a huge own goal. Not for the first time.

 

I agree with him that Ashley has scored an own goal.
Last night in the pub a lot of talk before and after was about the media ban, also the little trust we had in Pardew seems to be waning.

 

The club invited sky sports into the changing rooms and the managers office yesterday. Something that has never been done in recent times.

This was clearly an attempt to put it out on the national stage that we are a club that cares. WHAT A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS.

This was actually underhand bullying tactics again..... The club effectively saying "Listen to these ickle fans and local newspapers complaining about us when all we want to show the world is we have the resources to be bigger than them"

Its a bit like someone giving a one sided argument. We on the inside of the club are trying to get our views across in protests or newspapers (local) but to little effect and then the club using their clout making us look again like little idiots by effectively saying... Everyone else is welcome.... BUT THE ACTUAL FANS!

Farce

 

Personally I think its a petty mistake to make. However I think it only has a negative impact if you give a ****. He seems unruffled regardless if the PR is good or bad.

 

The paper ought to have blank spaces where the reports would have been with the words "banned by Ashley" in small letters in the middle.


Oh, Mr Oliver, it's "toeing" not "towing". One is not dragging anything anywhere but stepping right up to the mark. tsk, tsk! (/pedant)

 

Have to say I'm no grammar Nazi but this now commonly accepted use of this phrase annoys the hell out of me. I accept grammatical accuracy is not important in most forms of life but surely our hacks should have some?

I'm not a big fan of Oliver, he is typical of the self serving hacks we have in this country. This is somewhere near the mark though.

 

Hacky, I am in the same boat as you. This 'towing' and 'loosing' are two which really piss me off. And, for me, the worst is the misuse of the name of an ancient Mesopotantian city for 'your'.

As you say, Oliver should know better.

 

After last nights result Mike must be delighted. It’s all going so well. Out of the first Cup competition and only the next one to ditch in January whilst maintaining our mid to lower table position.
A couple of cheap signings in the next window to appease the mugs (sorry, fans) and the job’s a god ‘un.
Then onto next season … to do it all again.
It’s great to be a Toon supporter isn’t it?

 

Are we supposed to choose between The Chronicle and Alan Oliver on one side and Ashley and JFK on the other? Is that the choice? Crikey, we really are f***ed.

 

Ashley amazes me at every turn. How can a self made billionaire be such an imbecile? It beggars belief, it really does.
A few more hardy fans will be disenfranchised by this latest offering from the big man!

 

"Loosing" and "none" for "non" [e.g. that idea is a none starter] are my personal peeves.

"Towing" the line, while wrong, at least could make sense: in the same way that you can be made to tote a barge or lift a bale, someone could be require to tow a line.