The sensationalist media has outdone itself
Add comment July 8th, 2008
The English press are master manipulators of speech, turning the most innocuous of quotes into a sensational backpage headline. However, their twist of Aleksandr Hleb’s comments this morning, particularly those relating to Cesc Fabregas, remains shocking in its crudeness:
“My view of how I should be playing didn’t coincide with the manager’s. I told him last season I wanted to leave and think he was quite upset about it. I don’t know where I’ll be next season but I’d prefer Barcelona. It is being negotiated and, hopefully, will be decided soon.
When we get scoring opportunities, Fabregas is much more selfish than me. Given a chance to shoot, he always goes for it — unlike me.”
Those quotes led The Sun to the following conclusion:
“The Gunners star says he has never agreed with boss Wenger over his role and brands Fabregas ‘selfish’.”
It’s a ridiculous misrepresentation of what has been said, and makes you realise just why footballers prefer to stick to well-worn clichés in most interviews.
Whatever Hleb’s feelings about leaving, he has always spoken highly of Arsene. And if anything, he seems to be paying Cesc a compliment. To translate those quotes from Russian, as The Sun have done, and frame them without context in such a way as to pain the club in a negative light must be close to slander.
I’m not exactly Hleb’s biggest fan, but fair play to him for immediately setting the story straight. Regardless, I still can’t see him being at the club come September 1st.
Congratulations are in order for Cesc, meanwhile, as he has been named the official Arsenal Player of the Season. The awards that really matter – Gunnerblog’s own – should follow shortly.
The players who have had the better part of the Summer off returned to training today. New boy Aaron Ramsey joined the likes of Theo Walcott, Bacary Sagna, and Gael Clichy in Arsene Wenger’s first training session of the 2008/09 season. Pics are available here.
Finally, Ray Parlour has announced that he is considering retiring. Why? With Flamini gone, he seems ready-made to step back into the Arsenal midfield. Now that I’d love to see…
