Let's just get on with the game

As we roll ever deeper into October, the blissful sporting summer of 2012 now seems to be fading into the distant past. The heady days of Mo Farah winning his two Gold medals, Chris Hoy becoming our greatest ever Olympian and George Michael mercilessly plugging his new single during the Olympic closing ceremony are now only memories, which I am sure we will all treasure forever. But now the London 2012 banners and merchandise have been taken down and have inevitably been banished into some time capsule in the Blue Peter garden; football, the ugly sister of British sport, is now taking centre stage once again. And once again, it is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.  

The John Terry/Anton Ferdinand row is fast becoming the never ending story, as a new thread seems to emerge on this sorry episode week by week. The latest plot twist involves John Terry’s fellow media pariah Ashley Cole, who landed himself in hot water by branding the FA a ‘#BUNCHOFTWATS’ via his twitter account after the governing body called into question the evidence he gave during their investigation of Terry, who has been charged with racially abusing Ferdinand.  Yes, Cole was foolish for responding to the FA’s reaction in that way, as he must have known the ‘twitterverse’ would have been going apoplectic with rage at his latest outburst. Yet, unlike some of the Rottweiler’s in the media who are thirsty for Cole’s blood, I feel sorry for him.

 Despite the controversies that has followed the left back throughout his career, the majority of people agree that he is one of England’s genuine world class players. This  in-turn makes him one of the countries leading black footballers and a role model for youngsters in the black community. So why on earth would he defend John Terry if he knew that a serious case of racial abuse had occurred, but chose to fabricate his evidence? I think and I hope it wouldn't be out of some misguided loyalty to his club. If you ask me it is borderline offensive. The FA have effectively condemned Cole as a liar and for someone who has been racially abused numerous times on international duty with England, and who has fought racism through the Kick It Out campaign, you can understand why he took such umbrage with the FA Independent Commission's report. The Chelsea left back had actually acted with great dignity prior to his much maligned twitter ‘meltdown’ on Friday afternoon. When Rio Ferdinand retweeted a message labeling Cole a ‘choc ice’ after he gave evidence on behalf of Terry at Westminster Magistrates court in July, he made no complaint. In-fact, he actually made a statement saying that he hoped Ferdinand would not be charged and that it was probably just a misunderstanding. But Cole did not receive any plaudits for responding to the insult in such a manner and Ferdinand was given a fairly easy ride by the press, not that I feel he should have been put in the stocks anyway. However, if the shoe was on the other foot, I imagine it would be a lot different.

So, despite the fact that the press try to convince us all that they are even handed, they are clearly not. I am not saying they have helped themselves over their careers but John Terry, Ashley Cole and Joey Barton easily bare the brunt of most of the media's venom. Why was Rio Ferdinand given an easy ride (well compared to what the above three would have had) by the press in the wake of his choc ice comment? Ryan Giggs, the golden boy of the Premier League era, hasn't escaped controversy. He had a Super injunction taken out to stop the press reporting on his affair with model Imogen Thomas and it was later revealed that he had an eight year affair with his brothers wife. Yet, that blot from Giggs career seems to have been wiped from the memory, but the same cannot be said of Cole and Terry's extra marital trysts. I am personally glad for Giggs that the public and media have let that storm pass and instead choose to talk about his glittering career, yet it also reeks of double standards. But this isn't an article driven out of club loyalty attempting to further ignite the tribal rivalry that so often tarnishes the beautiful game. To be frank, I love football, I don’t care about the garbage littered around the media. When I phone up a plumber to come and fix my boiler, I pay for his services because he is good at his job. I don’t care whether he is having an affair with Sheila from down his local. By the same token, I pay to watch Ashley Cole as he is a great footballer, I don’t give a proverbial monkeys if he has played away from home. The only reason we care, is that his ex wife is somehow seen as the modern day Lady Diana, so because of that we should all tut and shake our head at Ashley as he has wronged our ‘national treasure’. In general terms football has a problem and we in the media play a part in it.

Many journalists wax lyrical about how footballers are role models to our children and should be upstanding citizens in society. Yet they are the same ones who crave the controversy and go out of their way to ensure that certain footballers are caught with their pants halfway down their trousers. Why do they think we care? These people are the ones that put footballers on a pedestal as national role models yet they are also the same people who would go out of their way to break them so they can get a front page story. As a lover of football, it leaves me baffled. Of course footballers should not be absolved of blame. Ashley Cole and Joey Barton among others have not always covered themselves in glory, but they are humans, they are going to make mistakes, just the same as actors and musicians do. I want to talk about Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney for the fine footballers they are, not for what they get up to at Manchester United's Christmas party. You won't find the tabloids newspapers saying how disgusted they are when someone from The Only Way Is Essex goes out on a drunken escapade. But if it's a footballer, specifically an England player, well Stop the press! 

So what can we do about these out of control footballers? Well, for starters how about we leave them alone? Wouldnt  it be refreshing if the only time we heard Ashley Cole's name was on a Saturday afternoon. Of course some matters like the John Terry racism trial transcend football, but it is a thought. Maybe if we did take away the cameras and dim the spotlight, footballers would be less inclined to behave 'inappropriately'. Maybe, when the only thing they need to focus on is playing football and not the glare of the media, they can truly be role models.  Of course this will never happen, the papers need column inches to fill and we are now so entrenched in this vulgar celebrity culture that an escape is futile. But if you ask your everyday football fan, I am sure they care more about their teams result on a Saturday afternoon than who their left back is sleeping with.

Didier, it's been emotional!

Enigmatic, powerful, dramatic, frustrating, graceful and brilliant. Pretty much any adjective that you will find In the Oxford dictionary could describe outgoing Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. An irresistible force yet also an immovable object, and as we all know, part time drama queen. The Ivorian epitomise's the win at all costs mentality that Chelsea have become synonymous with since Jose Mourinho rolled into Stamford Bridge in 2004. That steely determination was back on display when Chelsea, against all odds, triumphed in Munich on Saturday night. On the greatest night in the clubs history, Drogba once again stepped up when all others lost hope. Thomas Mullers 83rd minute header looked to have given Bayern their fifth European Cup, sending thousands of Bavarians ballistic. For a team whose nickname is FC Hollywood, this seemed like the perfect ending. But little did the army of red know that Chelsea's very own War Horse would come charging in to tear up their fariytale script. Leaping through the warm German summer air, Drogba crashed an unstoppable header passed a helpless Manuel Neuer. Petr Cech then out psyched former team mate Arjen Robben to save his tame extra time penalty, and after both Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger fluffed their lines in a usually routine German penalty shootout win, Drogba had to score with only one kick, to provide a mammoth twist to this absorbing tale which after 83 minutes seemed unthinkable. Sure enough, with one swipe of his dynamic right foot, Drogba finally delivered the trophy his team coveted most, and with that, the mercurial forward took his final bow in front of 17,000 adoring Chelsea fans. How those supporters will miss him. In the eight trophy laden years he spent with the blues, Drogba won ten trophies, and in the ten finals he played, only failed to find the net once. That being in his darkest hour in Moscow, when he was sent off with minutes remaining and had he stayed on the pitch that night, Drogba would have taken that infamous fifth penalty which John Terry missed in Chelsea's shootout loss to Manchester United. How the footballing gods move in mysterious ways. Drogba finally had his moment of redemption in Munich and no player deserves it more.

But as well as being a fabulous player, Didier Drogba is also a giant of a man. Much of his income goes towards the many hospitals he is building in his native Ivory Coast through his charity 'the Didier Drogba Foundation'. When Civil War was growing increasingly bloody in his homeland, Drogba used his god like status in the country to call for a cease fire from all parties. As if commanded from above, the violence stopped. Many lives owe a debt of gratitude to the proud Ivorian, for he almost single handedly prevented the deaths of thousands of innocent people. In an age when professional footballers use their status to soley enrich their own lives, Drogba goes against that grain. Maybe, in the future, we may even see a President Didier of the Cote De Voir popping into Downing Street for a spot of tea.

But back to professional matters, what next for Drogba? What next for Chelsea? Drogbas Likely destination seems to be up and coming Chinese club, Shanghai Shenua, where he would link up with former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka. The 34 year old stated that he owes 'too much allegiance' to Chelsea and would never play for another English club. That is a welcomed and understandable sentiment, but Drogba in many people's mind, including mine, is still way to good to be slumming  it in the Chinese premier league despite the financial wealth that would come with the move. The one thing that Drogba has always relished is the big occasions. Due to his infatuation with scoring at Wembley, some Chelsea fans claim the famous arch towering over the fabled pitch should be named after the man himself. Yes, the man affectionately known as the 'Drog' will not miss a wet, windy Wednesday night in Wigan all that much, but will his insatiable appetite for the big matches leave a void in his life? Considering the hunger and drive  he seems to exude when it comes to the big occasion, one suspects it might do. There is no question that Chelsea will miss him and they will now need to find a way to cope in Drogba's absence. For now, it seems the club are willing to persevere with Fernando Torres. Despite being one of the worlds most accomplished strikers a few years back, the Spaniard has suffered 'the worst moments of his career' at Stamford Bridge, partly because the three managers he played under trusted Drogba significantly more to deliver when it mattered most. Perhaps, now that Torres knows he will no longer have to play second fiddle to Drogba, he will be liberated and we will see him back to his best. But on the flip side, Torres will be expected by the fans and hierachy to deliver in the big moments just as Drogba has over the past eight years and that could prove as big a weight on his shoulders as that £50 million price tag. 

When Didier Drogba first arrived on these shores, not many were convinced about his ability to cut it in the big time and his amateur dramatics at times made him a figure  of hate for many. But the striker, over the years, redeemed himself and Frank Lampard said Drogba will leave a 'massive hole' at the club. He may not have been included in the best striker category in the'20 seasons of the Premier League' awards, but there is no doubt Drogba is one of the finest centre forwards to have graced the competition. Thank you and goodbye Didier Drogba, you will be sorely missed (not by any Premier League defenders though!)  

The Growing Importance of Social Media

As we enter 2012 it seems strange to think that only a few years ago; social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter were merely just a flickering idea in a budding entrepreneurs mind. Both of these mediums are now so vital to people’s everyday lives that they are the first thing people check when they wake up and the last thing they look at before they go to bed. Begrudgingly, I admit that I am one of these people. But as well as being useful for organising ones social life and checking out the latest dramas filling the enviable lives of many talent-less celebrities; social media has become vital in breaking and making news stories.

Facebook was first set up in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and three of his fellow students while they attended Harvard University. After initially limiting usage to only students attending Havard; Facebook was then made available to other Universities in America before moving onto high schools. From September 2006 it became available worldwide; and as of 2011 there are an estimated 800 million users and Facebook is reportedly worth over $15 billion.

In 2007; Barack Obama used the power of Facebook to help him to victory in the 2008 presidential election. A relatively unknown entity; Obama drummed up support and encouraged members of the public to help fund his successful campaign. This allowed him to reach out to millions of people across America and gave him the opportunity to deliver his policies before his fellow candidates had time to even think about theirs. A new superpower was born; and it wasn’t Obama.

Twitter was the brainchild of an American by the name of Jack Dorsey: and it went live to the public in March 2006. After becoming popular among celebrities such as Stephen Fry; the micro-blogging site was seen as a direct competitor to Facebook. But in truth; Twitter and Facebook are vastly different. Whereas Facebook is seen more as a tool for the wider public to communicate with each other on a social basis; Twitter is seen as a suitable medium from which celebrities, politicians, buisness’s and journalists can share their thoughts with us (the general public). This is one of the reasons Twitter has gained such a vast following. Facebook is technically more sophisticated and offers perhaps more entertaining applications which people can use; but Twitter offers something that the general public greatly desire; access to both interesting information and the lives of people that they inspire to live themselves.

Many moons ago (well, only about three years), television news networks such as Sky News and BBC News 24 were seen as the main gateways to breaking news. But thanks to the advent of social media that is no longer the case. People can now tweet breaking news stories as they unfold via smart phones or portable laptops. With the use of hash-tagging; the tweet can then be picked up by anyone across the world. A recent example of social media being solely responsible for the development of a story was after a video was posted on the internet called “My Tram Experience”. The video showed an intoxicated white woman racially abusing a tram carriage full of black people. This caused shock and outrage amongst the public; and soon enough the story and video spread all over Twitter. Public figures such as Piers Morgan even picked up on the story and there was a public outcry for something to be done. The following day the woman was arrested.

Twitter has become a prime avenue for journalists to break developing stories. More often than not, journalists such as Dan Roan (BBC’s Sports Correspondent) will tweet the ongoing developments of a story and then guide his “followers” to watch his full report on the BBC News channel. It is an extremely effective way for journalists and news outlets to direct traffic to their websites and news channels. People will now pick up the strands of a news story on Twitter and then go onto websites such as BBC News for further information.

However, the breaking of stories via Twitter has begun to cause murmurings of discontent in some news agencies. The Associated Press (AP) recently reprimanded a number of their journalists for breaking news stories via Twitter before putting it on the wire. News agencies such as the AP feel that Twitter can at times be inaccurate and is devaluing the traditional methods of delivering breaking news. The AP policy on the use of social media by their journalists reads as follows; "If you have a piece of information, a photo or a video that is compelling, exclusive and/or urgent enough to be considered breaking news, you should file it to the wire, and photo and video points before you consider putting it out on social media." There was also a strongly worded email sent to all AP journalists by Managing Editor Lou Ferrara saying employees “first duty was to the agency; and not Twitter.” It is evident that agencies such as AP feel they are increasingly being undermined by the rising importance of Twitter to breaking news.

Facebook and Twitter has been accused of becoming “dangerous”; in some circles. Recently, a man who was sentenced to death in America had his sentence overturned due to a member of the jury tweeting during court proceedings. The trial was declared invalid after Randy Franco posted a series of tweets including one which read; “Choices to be made. Hearts to be broken. We each define the great line.”

During the summer riots in the UK; Twitter and Facebook became a platform for people to plan the terrible events that saw towns and shops being destroyed. In some quarters, people called for Facebook and Twitter to be shut down temporarily in order to stop people from being able to plan which areas would be targeted. One man posted a picture of himself on Facebook holding a bag of Tesco’s value basmati rice that he had stolen; and the social media sites seemed to be taken over by opportunistic criminals laughing in the face of justice by bragging about their misdemeanours. This, by many, was seen as the dark side of social media.

Over the last five years, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have come to define the lives of many people. They are viewed by many as an opportunity to share their thoughts with the world and a chance to learn more about the world around them. They are now a source from which news stories can be broken and they have come to define modern day technology.

So at the end of this article I ask myself the question; what has come to define the beginning of the 21st century? Could it be the War on Terror? Could it be the continuing economic difficulties facing us? Or could it be the year long “Who shot Phil Mitchell” plot line from Eastender’s which gripped the nation in 2001; (a close second I think)? But despite the significance of all of these events; the birth of social media is what has defined and will continue to define us this century.