We’ve all fallen for it. Some of us love it, and others cringe yet still fall for its sex appeal. You’ve Googled or Bing’d it whether you’d admit to it or not. You’ve secretly wished it to be true in some cases and in others hoped like hell it wouldn’t come to fruition. It is of transfer chatter that I speak of, and that has left my pint 3/4 empty.
Insane transfer speculation is so engrained in our everyday footy daily routines that we barely lift an eyebrow at even the most ridiculous theories. How about the one this past week that had Sir Alex Ferguson on his way out to make room for Jose Mourinho? Jesus, really? You couldn’t think of something more realistic? How about three different teams said to have locked up Pep Guardiola for January (two of them from the EPL and one from Bundesliga)? I won’t bore you with headline after headline, most of which would either leave you with headache or cause you to be so intrigued that you’d forget all about me and head to Google. Either way, it’s not in my best interest. Already I have lost 20% of those who started reading who are now on some stupid blog that is claiming Sir Al was spotted in Munich. Good riddance.
Here’s the thing, I actually get why people dream up these scenarios – they’re trying to sell something, obviously. Whether it be newspapers, magazines, books, or their own soles to the devil, amateur writers (which I am one in case you didn’t already figure that out) are in an incredibly competitive market. Some are willing to do whatever it takes to get noticed and either become the next big thing or else sell some ad space. Either way, there is a motive other than pure and utter lunacy – though I suppose both could be true.
Do these people serve a purpose? I suppose they do seeing as how they are still running their sites. Some are so good at it that they have lucrative jobs that pay them to dream this garbage up. So who’s the sucker, them or us? Look, if I see a headline that reads, “Messi spotted in London Colney With His Agent” I would have to put my head between my knees for fear of passing out (in a good way) or may just go play in heavy traffic. I would certainly read it – I’m not trying to be hypocritical here. I just think “reporting” has become so out of control that nothing surprises me, and I’ve grown to not trust anything I read. So if we can’t trust anything we read, what’s the point in reading it in the first place?
We read it because a) it’s fun to dream, and b) it’s a story-starter. That is, footy fans congregate. They gather together whether at the water cooler or via Twitter or on some message board. Football fans love to talk and what more interesting thing to talk about then transfer talk? All of our teams are involved, and each, if you believe those “reporters”, have some big plans that are just around the corner.
Finding those few credible sources is important, however, and when you do it’s helpful to share and give kudos to those responsible journalists. There are several who I follow very closely, some directly reporting on Arsenal, and others on the Premier League and the football world as a whole. I have found them to not always be the first to report a story – that is not the important part for me. What I have found them to be is respectful, up front and candid in their transfer reporting. Most importantly though, they are accurate, and that’s what I appreciate most.
So while I drain what’s left of my rapidly depleting ale, I tip my hat to those responsible journalists and snub those who are reporting that Jack Wilshere is set to leave the Emirates. Bugger off!
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