Online banter has come under the microscope recently.
Despite being the Premier League Champions of England, Arsenal are being mocked by fans, pundits and even ex-players more than any of the 19 clubs they finished above in the division. For years, going 22 years without winning the Premier League was the stick used to beat the Gunners with, but now the focus has suddenly shifted to the fact that Arsenal have never won the Champions League.
Simon Jordan this week blamed AFTV for creating a culture on the internet where much of the content surrounding Arsenal appears to be driven by negativity and, at times, outright hatred.
Credit to talkSPORT for allowing callers to ring the station and challenge opinions, while also having an employee admit that the morning show remains one of the few programmes that still offers genuine sports debate rather than relying on manufactured characters.
Unsurprisingly, AFTV founder Robbie Lyle was quick to defend both himself and those who have worked for him.
I have always found it ironic how sensitive some of these individuals become when faced with criticism.
They make their living standing outside someone else’s business and often telling a club everything it is doing wrong.
Yet look at how they react the moment their own business is questioned.
The Double Standards Of Online Football Content
Troopz feels that Mr Jordan addressed him as a “mouthy little twit” because of the colour of his skin. In doing so, he fails to realise that his reaction only reinforces the accusation that he struggles to present a calm and articulate argument.
All Mr Jordan has ever said regarding Troopz’s style is that he dislikes the shouting and swearing. He is entitled to that opinion, just as Troopz felt entitled to verbally abuse Arsenal players and managers over the years.
For a long time now, content creators have accused the mainstream media of feeling threatened by a new wave of journalism and attempting to suppress them.
The reality is that Sky Sports and traditional broadcasters operate under policies and procedures that many social media personalities do not.
Roy Keane cannot swear on live television.
On YouTube, you can.
One is expected to maintain a degree of neutrality. The other is not.
Has The Audience Moved On?
I sense that Robbie Lyle is intelligent enough to read the room and adapt, but several of his peers may struggle because the genre itself appears to be losing momentum.
When you watch former players, many of whom never came close to winning major honours themselves, mock footballers for losing a European final, it starts to look desperate and sad.
When people genuinely try to argue that Spurs and West Ham can sing “Champions of Europe” because they won secondary European competitions, while simultaneously claiming Arsenal’s secondary European trophy does not count, it becomes difficult to take seriously.
When bottles are being brought into conversations because Arsenal supposedly bottled a final by supporters whose clubs were not even competing in Europe this season, the joke simply stops making sense.
The Overlap, The Club and Mark Goldbridge have become more successful not because of race, snobbery or even production values.
They succeed because hosts and guests can discuss football without excessive tribalism and without constantly feeling the need to perform.
The belief that any attention is good attention may bring subscribers in the short term, but over time that approach often leads to decline rather than growth.
Source:
https://youtube.com/shorts/c8-7GBFtWcc?si=J1AqU3YQIKS7eJ7Q
Dan Smith
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Cry more 😭
It was on JustArsenal that I ever got to learn about the existence of a certain AFTV. And the way they’re being given coverage here, it makes me want to go seek them out and watch them, which I honestly do not ever want to. Let’s talk less about them and more about actual football topics – like who we need to sell, sign or keep, how much we can get for our sales, how much Arteta’s new contract should cost, our ambitions for next season, etc.
Sure if I had a good idea, I’ll throw it in as an arricle
mate it’s less about AFTV and more why has the content from a Talk Sport becomes less analytical ?
why are pundits ( sometimes ex players ) acting like characters instead of having football conversations?
Mostly Talksport gets it right. It’s a 24 hr sports radio station and there is a limit to how much new material can be regurgitated and a bit of diversity isn’t a problem for me. Hawksbee and Jacobs have football at their heart but add proper humour and don’t resort to humiliating people. A magazine of different sports and they are professional.
Where I draw the line is former players who don’t have a history in sports journalism- such as Henry Winter & Sean Custiss who do – having free reign to act as shock jocks and are frequently ill informed and just bigoted. Taking the P out of callers before they’ve opened their mouths is insulting to them and anyone else listening. No wonder they are on late in the evening when most people are putting their pyjamas on and off to bed. The producers also have a lot to answer for.
SueP, have you tried Live From N5 on YouTube? Nicole Holliday & Jeremie Aliadiere are such very nice people, & everyone’s up for a laugh. They were also the hosts for the Champions League bus tour last Sunday.
You can also access the show from the .com, of course.
Good idea Jax. Aliadiere has a sweet accent and yes, they were good.
Woops! Did I say Champions League?🤣. Wishful thinking!
I liked AFTV back when it was just Robbie and his camera guy trucking around the away grounds and giving post-match analysis, but he let the muppets in to hijack his show. He seems a decent enough fella, and I don’t blame him one bit for making the money he’s made.
AFTV crew are this week touring some African countries to celebrate the title with Arsenal fans there through concerts and various public gatherings.