Getting back to the original post...Liam Kennedy is now NOT covering SAFC....Good, he should never have been employed in the first place.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport...land-echo-statement-on-liam-kennedy-1-8134017 JOY YATES 13:43 Monday 19 September 2016 We have received a large number of complaints about comments made by journalist Liam Kennedy before he was employed by the Sunderland Echo. We have taken these concerns from our readers very seriously. The Echo has a dedicated team of staff writing, gathering and overseeing sport content - Liam is one of these journalists. For a number of reasons, the decision has now been made that Liam will no longer be covering SAFC. We are always happy to take on board feedback from our readers. I hope we can bring this issue to a close and continue to provide unrivalled and award-winning coverage of the club that is as important to us as it is to our readers. The level of response on this issue from our readers highlights how important our coverage is to the fans and the city and for this we are appreciative and proud.
That's diplomacy . . . . it's just a pity that some idiot employed him to cover S.A.F.C. in the first place (without doing their homework, so it seems)
This guy came to the Echo to report on football and for him to be the head reporter at a premier league team would be great for his CV. I cannot see him hanging around while he ponders on a day reporting on Thorney Close School sports day...He will pi$$ sooner rather than later
Last Tuesday, Newcastle United thrashed Queens Park Rangers. If the result registered little more than a shrug on Wearside, a couple of Sunderland fans noted a surprising enthusiasm for the result from new Echo journalist Liam Kennedy. Pondering Kennedy’s rumoured status as a Newcastle supporter, Mackems on Sunderland’sReadytogo forum and on twitter passed the evening considering that his background might lead to a little light ribbing in his new role covering SAFC. If Liam thought he was in for a short-lived frosty but good-natured welcome, he was oblivious to the furore about to emerge. In truth, the warnings were already there. Having cut his journalistic teeth during four years in Dundee, his farewell article to the people of Scotland’s fourth largest city invited them to share in the incredulity he felt at leaving them to cover Sunderland: "Pastures new are calling and Premier League football with the Sunderland Echo. Yes you did read that right – Sunderland". Little did fans, or presumably his new employer, realise at that point, but Mr Kennedy in fact had a history of using his column for the Dundee Evening Telegraph to chronicle his following of Newcastle United. His musings were also occasionally smattered with a dose of anti-Sunderland comment. Admittedly, it was pretty mundane stuff. Oh how they must have giggled, or at least Liam did, but the old saying of words returning to haunt their author simply could not have been more foretelling than in this curious tale. Because, his repartee at the expense of Sunderland in the column inches of the Dundee newspaper, belied a hidden plethora of private musings of a rather more offensive manner. By last Wednesday, some social media detectives had located a photo of Kennedy with his "NUFC" tattoo on full display and a varied assortment of abusive terms for the people of Sunderland and supporters of its football club. By Friday he had issued an apology. A glib affair, it patently misjudged the mood. Apologising for his social media comments, Kennedy explained "It was a long time ago" and appealed to readers to consider his family and his livelihood. Fair enough, except it wasn’t a long time ago; it was just December gone when he was still active in his newspaper column looking forward to "the biggest laugh" should Sunderland be relegated and proclaiming there could be little worse than purchasing his children a red-and-white shirt. Pressure continued over the weekend; likely not aided by the "apology". If The Echo and Mr Kennedy had hoped a Sunderland win would appease the faithful and that their mood would lighten with three points at White Hart Lane, David Moyes’ charges proved why they should never be relied upon, by failing miserably. Faced with a growing chorus of complaints and no doubt due to the fact that word had reached Sunderland AFC themselves, The Echo clearly felt it had little option but to formally remove Liam Kennedy from his official capacity as a "Sunderland AFC reporter" with the issuing of a statement proclaiming that they had listened to their readers. And let that be the end of the matter. Not many people wished to see Liam Kennedy lose his livelihood, I’m sure of that. That was not what this was about. There is plenty of other content for a man with Liam’s qualifications and experience to report on at the city’s newspaper. Good luck to him. This was about how a proud fan base, following a proud club, in a proud city are represented. The Sunderland Echo has a long history of representing this city and the modern-day custodians of the newspaper have a duty to stay true to its past. The position of SAFC reporter carries with it a certain weight and a certain lineage. The modern-day Argus must surely represent that. It also is a moral of footballing rivalry and a timely reminder that the supporter’s voice remains loud and proud in the modern game. PR gurus will recount tales of 'Liam Kennedy and The Sunderland Echo' in years to come. They will proclaim it as an example of how an institution can get things so completely wrong in misjudging their customers and place it alongside such disasters as Gerald Ratner's speech that wiped $400m from his company's value and the Krispy Kreme Klub ("KKK") slogan for doughnuts. It should also serve as a prompt to anyone going for a job this week to check and double check their social media history. There’s a funny thing about the written word – it can and will come back to bite you, if you’re not careful. Right, need to pop out for a bit.
I wish this organised hoedown was between two people I didn't like, I'd be having all sorts of fun with it. I pray for both of their safe returns, Namaste brothers Brian and Eightythree.
What's happened has happened. Doesn't matter which way it went, there's now a line drawn under it. It's got nothing to do with anybody else, I won't be breathing another word of it, but I can't speak for him.
There was nothing funny about it. Two ****ing mates should never have come to that. I know I said last word but that narked me a bit mate
