Wednesday 23 May 2007

Spot the Difference...

Alan Oliver of The Newcastle Evening Chronicle has been accused by many supporters of being simply a PR man for the current chairman of the mighty Magpies. I couldn't possibly comment on this, however, I thought you may like to have a look at the following excerpts from articles written by Mr. Oliver.

Written by Alan Oliver on Mar 6 2006 when Mr. Shepherd was ignoring fans views on who should be the next manager of Newcastle and talking up Glenn Roeder (the cheap option!).

Those fans who have had a little wager on Sam Allardyce being the next manager of Newcastle United know what they have to do today - tear up their betting slip.
The bookies make Big Sam third favourite behind Martin O’Neill and Roberto Mancini, but there is no way the United supporters will want to see their team playing the way Bolton play - even if it’s another 50 years before they win a trophy.
In fact, it’s a good job Alan Green, the Radio Five man who called Bolton’s football ugly and fell out with Allardyce, wasn’t at St James’ Park on Saturday.
Ugly? That was almost playing Bolton a compliment. It was joyless, brutal stuff, especially compared with some of the one-touch football United played at times.


And just over a year later when Big Sam had been given the job and thus endorsed by Mr. Shepherd.

Written by Alan Oliver on May 17 2007

I remember Bolton beating United at the Reebok on the last day of October in 2004. It was Graeme Souness’ first reverse as United manager after seven wins and a couple of draws.
Souness came across to me just outside the United dressing room and started bleating about Bolton’s tactics.My immediate reaction was to think “well, you are paid £2m a year to come up with ideas to combat whatever tactics opposing managers may throw at you”.
The Bolton brand of football has been perceived as functional, physical, long-ball and unattractive.Allardyce’s response to those jibes was always the same -If Chelsea played that way, it was fashionable. If Bolton followed a similar path, it was grubby.

Never bite the hand that feeds you Alan eh?




2 comments:

Anonymous said...

All journalists are the same, i remember a few years back Steven Howard (Sun writer/Arsenal supporting twat) slagging off Sir Alex for buying Kleberson and the like (this was fair comment), but he then went on to cite Pascal Cygan and Senderous as examples of how Arsene Wenger was a master in the transfer market, only to dismiss them in the last two seasons. Then last season he slagged off Vidic and Evra, whilst this season he has been nigh on sucking the pair of them off from his poxy Gooner-biased desk. They're all cunts.

Rivs said...

Strong sentiments there Daz but that's what my blog's all about - proper grown up debate with proper grown up swearing!

I don't think they're all bad, I don't read your paper but there's a couple in my usual one that are ok. Niall Hickman covers the boxing scene and North East football for the Express and seems quite fair (gets the odd dig in at shepherd - he'll do for me) and Mick Dennis is a columnist who hates everybody equally.