The press is like the peculiar uncle you keep in the attic – just one of those unfortunate things

15 June 2006


So it seems that the conflict between the rugby players and the meeja peoples isn’t actually resolved. Of course, there is nothing about it on the official rugby website apart from in the forums, which are only for members of the supporters club. And even there all the IRFU have said is

The full facts on this have not been made public in the interest of trying to resolve the issue and the IRFU will not be commenting on it at this time.

But, a classy paper at the best of times ;) The Indo are clearly loving it.

For, what has ultimately occurred this week is a shattering of the bond between the players and the supporters – the media are merely the conduit through which this symbiotic relationship is recorded. That bond is a sacred one and has existed for over a century before this week’s events and, undoubtedly, will continue for many centuries to come.

I’m sorry, but wtf? A shattering of the bond between supporter and player. Are you mental? The media is a conduit, yes, but the fact that the rugby players decided not to talk to one reporter is hardly a vow of silence. I didn’t hear anyone moan about freedom of the press when Jack Charlton refused to talk to Eamonn Dunphy. It was the rest of the journalists who decided to walk out on the team.

There is nothing wrong with criticising a team for a poor performance. But that wasn’t what we got on Sat, from all reports Ireland played well, but made errors in the final 15/20 minutes. I didn’t see it of course because it was only shown on Sky Sports. And there is a difference between constructive criticism and bashing.

Also, can someone tell me what a Losser is? Because across the top of today’s Irish Independent is a banner. Half of which is about the World Cup, the other half says “Rugby Row Irish Fans The Lossers. Someone must have spotted the mistake, because there is a different banner showing on the pdf version on the unison site

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9 Responses

  1. NineMoons says:

    A sacred bond, eh? Marvellous. Just marvellous. Ooh, maybe we could have a Roman-esque musical about this disaster.

  2. anne says:

    Also "symbiotic relationship". Does that sentence really make sense?

  3. Fence says:

    Maybe we should sacrifice a bull NM?

    Maybe, if they are aliens Anne :)
    Although he probably means that without the rugby players the press wouldn't have a job. WHile without the press the players… well they'd have lower profiles.

  4. NineMoons says:

    Sacrifice a bull to the great hairdryer god?

    Is it really symbiotic or is it leaning more towards parasitism with a few good bits for the victim thrown in?

  5. Fence says:

    Oh, that reminds me. Supposedly Fergie is known throughout the land as the hairdryer, it wasn''t somthing they just made up. Cause of his tendency to scream and shout in people's faces, hot air, or something like that.

  6. Ann says:

    Losser (n) – One who suffers many losses.

    That's pretty bad. I wish I could remember the exact mistake, but we were at the Country Fair in Portlaoise over the bank holiday weekend. The main show ring had banners up around the perimeter, for the sponsers. The banner was misspelled, badly. Something like National Gun Dug Club.

    Which is nearly as good as the food stand in our old neighbourhood in Chicago which sold "hat dogs" and promised "the best tacos in tawn".

  7. Fence says:

    Well, maybe the sponser was trying to be "down with the kids" and just got the use of "dig" wrong ;)

  8. NineMoons says:

    OOOOOOHHHHHHH!. Now it all makes sense.

    I could think of at least ten billion better nicknames for him. Like, em….

  9. Fence says:

    Yes, that is a great nickname :)