Gather round: Once upon a time, there was a news reporter called Bill and boy, did he get it wrong
Wednesday, 14 May 08, 09:24 PM
Martin O'Neill has publicly humiliated Bill Howell this evening after the Birmingham Mail reporter claimed that Gareth Barry could leave Aston Villa, if the price was right.
Now, there is no evidence whatsoever, in fact quite a lot of reporting to the contrary, to suggest Martin O'Neill would be happy to see Barry leave, but Bill has quickly created the headline, as if he was about to walk on the set of Jackanory.
Now, it doesn't worry me, because we've become accustomed to sloppy journalism over the years, but doesn't this newspaper have a responsibility to report the news and not just make it up?
What they've done is actually make this headline up and sure, they'll get away with it, but it's just gutter press reporting. We can get away with it, because we're a blog and as such it's mostly about opinion and commenting on things like this, but it's just wrong that a local newspaper can do it and get away with it.
To some extent, it stems form the club and the media policies the club have. The paper know they'll get away with this, much like the Post did with open letter to Richard FitzGerald, and they'll continue to do it because the media department at the club are not very media savvy.
But, I once again digress and the point is, it's a nothing story and there is no price, although there probably is, it's just that Martin O'Neill has never spoken about it. I say that, because every player has a price and we all know that, but Martin O'Neill has never said it. Sorry for repeating myself, but I think it's important to confirm that Martin O'Neill never said that.
As far as Martin O'Neill is concerned he didn't say 'anything of the sort' and I for one am inclined to believe him over Bill Howell. Sorry Bill.
Comments (14)
Bill Howell is a clown simple as ;) :D
bill howell the international man of muppetry!!! the whole paper is diabolical ive got some issues with the whole paper not just bill the plank howell.
writing false storries about people they dont know and dont do the follow up research to find out both sides of the coin etc..... bad and lazy jurnalists... bill howell just fits that bill nicely... :( :( :(
Not that I've read it, but i do know that the headline and the story do not cohere at all, i would say this...journalists write the stories, and the sub-editor does the headlines. They've obviously got a load of quotes, they've stuck a headline and an intro to it that doesn't correspond to the quotes and got lost somewhere along the line of reporting. It is one of the more peculiar stories i've ever read, as it states something as its main crux, and is then in no way built upon in the body. Bizarre.
You'd have thought that the local press would be your friends. What sort of cooperation does he think he'll get from the club now?
Typical Bill, everyone knows he's a Baggy, he'll probably get the same as he did when DOL was there.....banned
Hang on a minute...I'm not defending Bill Howell - and I haven't as yet read the article - but if Barry doesn't want to stay and the price is right, we'll sell him...simple as...Mart has said he doesn't want to keep hold of players who don't want to be at the club...it's a cheap headline from the Bham Mail for sure, but it's not "bad" reporting...at worst it merely states the bleeding obvious.
gutter reporting is what he is good at we should write to them and ask where he gets is information from prob goes to bed and dreams about what garbage shall i write today but he also knows that he will get a reaction for all the jackanories he tells
Funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny Bunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny :D
Well I did read the article and it was just copies of MoN's comments from Tuesday that had already been widely circulated. Not one of MoN's comment's said what the headline read - they just made it up.
Barry wants to finish somewhere above 6th before he retires...so the quicker you lot get that, the quicker you'll get over him joining Liverpool. We'll pay 15m for him, get Sidwell and some other bum with that.
well the point is bill has made a comment thats neither here nor there. any player could leave any club if the fuckin price is rite. simple. thing is, bill is prob pattin himself on the back for sumthing he thinks is groundbreakin.
anyone else bored of this? i don't care what this guy bill howell says about the villa, and i also don't care about your irrational hate campaign against him. i prefer to read about the club, not you bitching about some journalist CONSTANTLY
I dont pay attention to a word he says, much like scouse red or any other foolish scousers....
ScouseRed is right: Barry doesn't want to finish 6th.
He wants to finish 4th, see his club spend a fortune every year and - despite this - sistematically under-achieve and end 20 points behind Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea and maybe win the European Cup when a clearly superior opponent commits sporting suicide.
Way to go, Gareth.