Supporting Arsenal from Barcelona

WTTGT Writer: John Montanye

I live in Sabadell, a suburb of Barcelona. The views are spectacular, and the beach is close, too bad it’s behind enemy lines. I say this in jest, but here they see it as reality. We are their enemy, by we, I mean us Gooners. We are the bad guys keeping their “son”, Francésc from coming home. We are also the EVIL club that is “stealing” their young up and coming players.

The rumour mill is in overdrive over here. The latest magazines show Césc as a hostage. Arséne slip-sliding off a boat in a picture that was taken ages ago; it is reported as fact not only here but in the UK too.  Therein lays the problem. Too much sensationalist gossip is being transformed into fact rather than exactly what it is, opinion.

There is one particular show here that is two hours long and plays nightly. This particular show spends about 30 minutes nightly on the Césc transfer. The topics oft include; Césc’s dad, his friends, his “future” teammates, etc. This commentary comes from the pro-Barcelona part of the contingent. At least we have some allies, the pro-Madrid guests. They cleverly point out that if the selling team wants X for their player, then the buying team should pay X. WOW! Lunacy! Maybe that is why when they saw Barca balking at the price Arsenal put on Césc when they put in their own proper bid.

The pro-Madrid contingent also makes an interesting point. If Césc is one of Barca’s own, how can they be publicly humiliating him by saying he is not worth as much as the Gunners want? That does not seem to be a very intelligent way to recruit a player does it?

Another point is that no one in the UK has made any report on the likelihood that Pep Guardiola is leaving at the end of this year due to falling out with Rossell [the Barcelona president]. Why? Because Rosell has a different vision for the club, and that vision is in direct conflict with Guardiola’s.

What is one sticking point of this conflict? It is Césc! No one seems to write about that, and how Rossell does not want Césc in Barcelona colours, and Guardiola does. One of the major reasons for Césc wanting to go back to Barcelona is that he wants to be coached by the Barca gaffer. Maybe that is why we don’t see him publicly requesting a move?

The funny thing is that what is given as opinion here magically becomes the truth when it gets translated and put on paper, or onto the internet. Day after day I see the dreaded “source close to the player” regurgitating the opinions of the various panellists.

I see very little due diligence or originality in the reporting, one media outlet copies the other, no allowances are made for translation mistakes, misinterpretation, etc. This lack of real journalism leads to what has happened over the last year.

I urge you, the avid Arsenal news seeking reader, to take each and every so-called report, news item or even just plain gossip, and look beyond it.