Fans Comment
Anthony Evans

A pawn for the papers
7 July, 2004

Rooney: a pawn for the papers?

A common means to understand something, is to choose a lens with which to view it. And the press' current infactuation with Wayne Rooney serves wonderfully as a reflection of what they're really about.

Of course, Rooney's recent series of exclusive interviews with The Sun had been the catalyst for many papers to unravel their cloaks of deceit, and attack each other savagely: the battle lines have long been defined. This is nothing to do with Wayne.

In April 1989, 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death in what has since been proved to be a gross error of stadium policing by senior members of South Yorkshire constabulary. The grieving city was dealt an inhumane insult with the headline of The Sun, "THE TRUTH", followed by a series of incidents - presented as fact - of the most dispicable nature. The ramifications were severe, and The Sun has remained deeply unpopular on Merseyside since. The then Editor admits to having reservations about the headline, but proceeded based on the eye-witness accounts of "a Tory MP". The purpetrator of this crime has never been unearthed.

For a proud son of Liverpool, a city where love of football transcends club rivalry, to offer himself to The Sun is of course controversial. Clearly, his agents are guilty once more of mismanaging his geniune interests, but the response on Merseyside has been far more muted than the popular press has reported. Stoked by the Liverpool Echo, and the Liverpool Daily Post, however, the situation has turned into a national controversy.

The two Liverpool papers are owned by Trinity Mirror, the holding company of The Sun's biggest rival The Daily Mirror. Unsurprisingly, the correspondance pages of the Echo and Post do not reflect the opinions I've heard on Merseyside, creating a dispicable bias to villify the 18-year-old.

The local debate, skewed by the local press and then mis-reported by the national media, has unleashed an argument that exists solely within the ego's of the Editors. Predictably, The Sun has seized upon the comments in The Mirror to claim that the fans have turned against Rooney, and they've positioned themselves as protector. A front page article with Rooney, (literally behind a copy of the Sun), tells the people of Liverpool to forgive and forget, and not to blame Wayne. The people of Liverpool are not blaming Wayne - they can see through this sick episode. And they're disgusted by the Sun's attempts to claim that it's Wayne vs the people of Liverpool.
The Sun and The Mirror are well known as being the gutter press, never afraid to abscond from morality to shift a few papers. But the lens of Rooney unearths misdemeanor elsewhere.

An article on the Mail on Sunday reports on the personal lives of Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. It speculates about Gerrard's ex-girlfriend, who now dates a "gangster", and the mysterious threat to break Rooney's legs by "gangsters". I don't want to fuel speculation, but from what I know, both stories are furlongs from the truth.
The article ends with the following passage:

"Drugs and crime are everyday realities in inner-city areas like Croxteth and Huyton, the tough districts where Rooney and Gerrard grew up. Like other gifted sportsmen before them, they seized with both hands the chance offered by football to escape. Some people in Liverpool, it seems, are unwilling to let go."

Indeed, the ramifications of the Hillsborough article in The Sun continues. I was dumfounded to read journalist Derek Hunter given a full page to excrete his naivety, ignorance and bigotry upon a national audience. It's not quite inciting hatred, but certainly encourages crude sterotypes. It shows utter contempt to the good people of Merseyside, and a thorough mis-understanding of urban life.

I was even more suprised when I used the lens of Rooney whilst reading the Sunday Times, and Peter Schmeichal's regular column. In it, the client of ProActive argued that Rooney should leave Everton for Manchester Utd. (Treading the thin lines of legality considering Rooney is under contract at Everton.) Whilst Mr Schmeichal might have the resources to find himself on the right side of the law, his relationship with morality is far clearer. His transfer to Aston Villa, and then to Manchester City were conducted by John Gregory and Kevin Keegan respectively; two shareholders in Pro Active sports. Schmeichel himself is a client of Mr Stretfords organisation - a cosy alliance indeed. He has a record of involvement in transfers designed to skim money from clubs for the financial gain of a company he has a special interest in. The Sunday Times would be clearly aware that such practice, if discovered in the financial industry, would incur a jail term. That they should act as trumpet for ex-Professional's devious dealings is scandalous.
The way that the papers are dealing with Rooney is saddening to say the least. More so, that it's being fuelled by the unhealthy appetite of the public. The Sun's recent attempt to heal old wounds was so callous and insincere that I don't think it'll restore their reputation with the people of Liverpool. And I believe that the conduct of their rivals is little better.

The steady decline of the newspaper industry is cumupance for poor journalism, low standards, and arrogant leadership. With the internet prompting the emergence of new media resources, such as Toffeeweb.com (and I dare say my own website, http://thefilter.blogs.com), we can leave these scum behind.

I think it's time to boycott them all.

Anthony Evans

©2004 ToffeeWeb