I know it's been mentioned many times on this forum but I'm just staggered how negative & depressing our local paper is. The city can once again be proud of its football club and look forward to a season in the top flight. Yesterday we had a bid accepted which could potentially smash our club record transfer fee and whats the headline our local rag displays outside shops? Saints star could leave? A reference to the non story of Chaplow returning to Burnley. Daily local papers are closing rapidly and I hope the Echo does soon.
I love the attachment of "star" to every player; they even deemed Connolly, Bialkowski and Holmes to be "big-name stars". No disrespect to them intended, but I doubt that even the players themselves would append such a title to their resumes.
The echo are not doing themselves any favours when it comes to reporting about Saints. I was in a conversation with my neighbors, who are Burnley fans and who have recently moved down here from up north. They know I am a Saints fan and were asking questions about the possible transfer. Obviously I could give them very little info, only really what the papers/sky and BBC have been saying. He is a member of not606 as well it turns out! Anyway they were telling me that they were considering having the local rag delivered as they are keen to learn more about the area they have chosen to live in. They have been buying it on the way home from work. It appears they decided not have it delivered and have stopped buying it simply because of the way it tends to report some things including articles about the club and it's players. To quote them "there is something weird about that paper". If that is typical of the response to the paper, from relative strangers and new readers, me thinks the stupid rag will not survive too much longer with it's current editors! At times it is very amateurish in it's presentation and reporting and that from relative strangers....interesting!
The club and the Echo should kiss and make up. If Cortese promised the Echo first shout on any news then they wouldn't have to make stuff up. I've said before that Saints don't need the Echo and the Echo doesn't need the Saints but surely both would benefit from a more harmonious relationship.
The problem is that Cortese would only tell the Echo when everything was confirmed, just because that is his style. The Echo can't ignore what is out there in other papers, nor can it act only as a club mouthpiece. I don't support the idea that the Echo is always negative...think some are oversensitive.
The echo delights in the "Woman nearly trips on pavement" type of story and I haven't read it in years. I must agree the standards of journalism in this country have hit rock bottom and I include all papers in that. Even the Times is disappointingly turning into a rag. I prefer to get my knews from the wireless, TV and the internet these days. The best part of the Times is the crossword!
I read a recent article about how the internet is making journalists of us all, which means that the role of professional journalism is being downgraded. The point was made that a lot of the stuff on the internet is opinion led with poor grammar and little good analysis. That could also be said about red tops, but it would be a shame if quality journalists will not have a forum in the future because many people have the attention span of a gnat.
Is it unusual that none of our players are rumoured to be targets of bigger clubs, is it because they are not considered to be good enough, or has NC frightened off all of the predators?
Still early days, but also can't see many as targets for PL clubs and none would look to move from us back to the Championship. Saints strength is as a team rather than as individuals.
