[Archived] Guardian article on Kean - unbelievable!

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

In addition, we must never give any oxygen to this poisonous theory that Kean suffered unprecedented levels of abuse last season.

I think this depends on perspective.

The level of abuse received by Kean have only ever been chanting, never physical (though for some reason he needed a body guard) or particularly abusive. However - it was/is unprecedented in the length of time he has endured it for - as GoneSouth points out it is unheard of for a manager to be so unpopular with a clubs fans or have such a poor record for such a long period of time and remain in a job.

[thenodrog]

Love to know what these valid reasons were .......

30 pieces of silver..... or more like 'exclusives' regarding Kentaro/SEM clients transfer activity.

Consider what we know....Rochina for 400k + 1.4m in agents fees. 1.4m for just one signing could grease a lot of palms never mind multiple ones.

[thenodrog]

Hi all

First time poster here - been a reader of the forums for a long time and always found them to be the best source for good Rovers-related discussion, so keep up the good work etc!

The reason I've ended up signing up for an account today is that I read the Guardian article this morning and was so irritated that I ended up emailing their football editor Mike Adamson. Got a reply from him too, so thought people on here might be interested to see it.

So here's what I sent:

Excellent move Gone south. Always go to the top if possible. Most people will respond to well formed and well written posts such as yours. Well done for PhilipL too for approaching the press complaints commiittee.

I too decided against joining the general rant (not for any reason except that that was being well covered) and considered emailing the editor but instead emailed a Guardian sports correspondant contact I've been aquainted with for some years to get some clue as to Alexander's motives. No idea if I'll get a response but nothing ventured.....

[philipl]

I wrote to my contact at the Guardian before making my PCC move. No reply from the Guardian as yet.

Gone south's note is wonderfully articulate and has drawn a rather patronising, self-satisfied response. I do know the Guardian has twice been in possession of explosive Venky's/Rovers stories through their own efforts which on both occasions could not get passed their lawyers to be published. In all fairness one of those stories was subsequently debunked by Nick Harris so it is understandable that reputable papers like the Guardian are very careful.

Having said that, if the Guardian can publish something as flimsy as the Jeremy Alexander blog, they can hardly claim to be the responsible community-minded sons and daughters of the Scott Trust they would like us to believe.

I don't know if this is true, but the author of yesterday's effort(s) is rumoured to have a relative on Rovers' staff. That might have got him privileged access and then he failed to do what journalists are supposed to do which is cross-check their facts with the fall guys in the story or at least invite them to comment.

[allanncd]

I was utterly gobsmacked to read that Guardian article. Te reporter has just swallowed the Venkys bullshit spin hook line and sinker. He does not even stop to check the assertions as, if he did , he would find they are complete tosh. There is no evidence that Venkys have put any money into the club that has not been borrowed from a bank. Is this man a Dingle ion disguise?

[Paul Mellelieu]

The Guardian has form: scroll down to read this exchange with Rovers' fan Paul McGarry

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/dec/31/manchester-united-blackburn-rovers-report?INTCMP=SRCH

[Rover_Shaun]

Shame on you for buying such a waste of print Paul.

There isn't the term Guardianista for nothing ;-)

[AllRoverAsia]

IMO we should await Shebby's comments on this. After all Bellend has just spent good dosh. Interesting next 5 days. (just checking till Sat it over)

[Rovermatt]

I think this depends on perspective.

The level of abuse received by Kean have only ever been chanting, never physical (though for some reason he needed a body guard) or particularly abusive. However - it was/is unprecedented in the length of time he has endured it for - as GoneSouth points out it is unheard of for a manager to be so unpopular with a clubs fans or have such a poor record for such a long period of time and remain in a job.

The length of abuse may have been unprecedented but the level certainly is not.

[Rovermatt]

The Guardian has form: scroll down to read this exchange with Rovers' fan Paul McGarry

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/dec/31/manchester-united-blackburn-rovers-report?INTCMP=SRCH

I had a few ding-dongs with Glendenning last season on the very same topic. He was completely unmoving in his assertions that Kean was being bullied, targeted and subject to the vilest abuse. The man is a bloviator, unwilling to admit the error of his ways.

[seanc88]

Well done GoneSouth. Very well written

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Firstly, the "abuse" Kean has received is no greater than anything else failing managers have received in the Prem....secondly, he can resign whenever he wants. therefore he chooses to put himself in that position and should receive no sympathy as it's his decision in the first place.

[FourLaneBlue]

Press Complaints Commission?? Really??I think you need to get out more Philip. Not the best article ever, but doesn't it ultimately suggest what many of us are now waiting on - that results (or lack of) will finally see the back of Kean.

Claptrap.

The article was a disgrace. Not only that, but It seems likely you read the hastily rewritten version as well which is far less venomous.

Perhaps you would like to comment on the many deleted comments that did nothing more other than put across the side of the fans?

Much as I dislike the writer, I re-read the article and it doesn't seem quite as much of an anti-Rovers hatchet job the second time around.

What, you mean what with being rewritten and all?

This bit particularly irritated me originally:

"He said in so many words that, when you have been confronted by 50,000 chicken farmers, what are 20,000 football fans? Those fans should be flattered that Venky's embrace Blackburn in a portfolio that includes the famous old Bombay Cricket Club and Sachin Tendulkar. Verbal terrorism will get them nowhere."

But I don't think it's the writer calling us verbal terrorists - it sounds like he's still paraphrasing one of the Venky brothers in the last two sentences there.

I think there's a big element of tongue-in-cheek running through the entire article:

"Contrary to terrace chants, Venky's do know what they are doing and will go on doing it."

Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't read like a pro-Venky's statement.

And the "Churchillian gravity," when referring to our glorious leader is surely not to be taken seriously.

For a football reporter, Jeremy Alexander can be notoriously difficult and annoying to read, which is why I always try to avoid his articles. He could probably do with a more ruthless sub editor, but I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Errr...what are you actually on about?

So, your take on things is that all those things that Alexander wrote in plain, unembellished prose is actually the exact opposite of what he meant?

Ah, now I see...it's a satire on Venky's!

[RoyRover]

Many thanks for your extremely eloquent, rational and well-argued email. May I suggest you send it to [email protected], our readers' editor, who would consider it for publication. I know that Jeremy had valid reasons to write the article in the way that he did having done plenty of research of his own and spoken to sources with a deep understanding of the club, but I take on board your comments and will discuss them with our sports editor and head of sport to consider how we cover the Blackburn story in future.

Best regards,

Mike

What valid reasons are those? The brown paper envelope with a wod of or well worn 20's in it? Sources with a deep understanding of the club? Were they Stevo, Paul Agnew, Balaji and Jerome Anderson? No one else would have come out with this nonsense. I still can't believe tha this was written as a serious piece of journalism.

Great letter by the way GoneSouth.

The Guardian has form: scroll down to read this exchange with Rovers' fan Paul McGarry

http://www.guardian....ort?INTCMP=SRCH

I had a few ding-dongs with Glendenning last season on the very same topic. He was completely unmoving in his assertions that Kean was being bullied, targeted and subject to the vilest abuse. The man is a bloviator, unwilling to admit the error of his ways.

I too have had a number of back and forwards with Glenndining over the treatment of Kean. I argued that the level of 'abuse' that people believe Kean to have received is nothing more vile or abusive than anything that has gone before. He then took the stance that just because other people do it doesn't make it alright. To which I replied that it may not necessarily be alright, but why have Rovers fans be singled out and so closely scrutinised? And back and forth it went.

[philipl]

The fact the Guardian allowed it to be re-written and substituted would seem to be an admission that they were in deep difficulties with the first version. Not that the second version doesn't also contravene Article 1 of the Editors' Code of Conduct in my opinion and the PCC has been asked to adjudicate accordingly.

Currently there are 135 comments on this article:

21 have been removed by the moderators

5 are complaints about the removals saying that there was nothing that contravened the Guardian rules in the original posts

3 are supportive (but might be ironically so)

105 are against the views expressed in the article, many of which including detailed supporting evidence/argument for their opposite views

1 plugs BRFCS (as a website for those whose posts are being deleted could use as an alternative to the Guardian)

I have copied the entire comments section and submitted it to the PCC in support of my original complaint.

[FourLaneBlue]

Surely one thing this does is make crystal clear, for once and for all, that Rovers are - and have been for sometime - staging a media PR war against their own fans.

Why else would a match report on the first game of the season not even cover the match until the penultimate paragraph?

The unwarranted abuse claptrap was started and maintained through Kean-friendly sources. Now, who has the power, reach and desire to be helping out Kean?

We all know who is comes from. What are the initials of that journalist again, BTW?

21 have been removed by the moderators

Far more than that have been fully removed without leaving so much as a note behind.

Other posters, who broke no communty - laughable - rules have had their posting rights taken away.

The Guardian - not a paper any Rovers fan should buy.

[philipl]

Surely one thing this does is make crystal clear, for once and for all, that Rovers are - and have been for sometime - staging a media PR war against their own fans.

Why else would a match report on the first game of the season not even cover the match until the penultimate paragraph?

The unwarranted abuse claptrap was started and maintained through Kean-friendly sources. Now, who has the power, reach and desire to be helping out Kean?

We all know who is comes from. What are the initials of that journalist again, BTW?

Far more than that have been fully removed without leaving so much as a note behind.

Other posters, who broke no communty - laughable - rules have had their posting rights taken away.

The Guardian - not a paper any Rovers fan should buy.

Thanks for that- do you have any evidence of how many posts and posters have been affected and any copies of posts that have been deleted?

Please use the mail service if you have evidence you can transmit to me.

[purplegrover]

Just want to issue a round of applause to Gone South, Philipl and Glenn P for standing up for all of us (the fans) on this issue and putting aside their own time and effort to try and set the record straight.

[FourLaneBlue]

No Philipl...but I personally had 4 removed without the "breaching community standards" line. They were just completely deleted. There were no swear words involved no did I make any direct insults.

As for the guy who sanctioned this article and then defended its writer, his integrity and his research...

here is his twitter -

http://twitter.com/mikeadamson11

The Football Editor who was obviously rather happy with the article + that last season of Kean deserving Manager of the Year due to such hellish treatment by the fans.

Think he gets any transfer gossip tips from a certain agent?

[philipl]

No Philipl...but I personally had 4 removed without the "breaching community standards" line. They were just completely deleted. There were no swear words involved no did I make any direct insults.

As for the guy who sanctioned this article and then defended its writer, his integrity and his research...

here is his twitter -

http://twitter.com/mikeadamson11

The Football Editor who was obviously rather happy with the article + that last season of Kean deserving Manager of the Year due to such hellish treatment by the fans.

Think he gets any transfer gossip tips from a certain agent?

Thanks. Have noticed he is rather fascinated by betting odds.

[ultrablue]

Jeremy Alexander has previous trolling experience. Daddy didn't turn up for his choir concert I guess.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/davidjohnson/9279315/Abusive_Stoke_City_fans_celebrate_victory_over_beautiful_Boro/

[perthblue02]

having re-read the article imo it's pretty obvious what was intended and can only hazard a guess who the source (or PR Company employed to protect the club manager is ). It's imo obvious with the "" attributed to one of the Rao's and ignoring their failings that this piece was to stir up more anti venky feeling and divert (spread) some of the attention away from his holyness the Kean and his associates .

Kean is going to get loads of verbals anyway but what better way to tone it down than to spread it more to the Rao's/ Venkey's. What we are seeing here is a step up in the war between the two parties and the influence they have over our football club.

As an added bonus also smearing supporters again , wonder who's idea that was? Perhaps somebody will get a reward for their efforts in this department last season, oh hang on they already have.

We could do with St Patrick at the moment because he would clear the snakes that are crawling round Ewood and destroying our club for their own benefit.

[FourLaneBlue]

Apparently, "Comment privileges for this account have been disabled" on The Guardian, and 4 comments removed without trace,

No swear words, no trolling...just a questioning of the reasoning behind such an attack disguised as a match report.

No wonder so many people despise the paper.

Apparently, "Comment privileges for this account have been disabled" on The Guardian, and 4 comments removed without trace,

No swear words, no trolling...just a questioning of the reasoning behind such an attack disguised as a match report.

No free speech in that paper.

[Jackie_Moon]

Interesting read from Gone South

What was the crack with John Jensen though? Never knew why he left. I heard a rumour that Kean was interviewing for a new assistant whilst he was still at the club though. Classy guy.....

[Philly13]

Gone South should consider a career that involves writing. Fantastic.