Indo story on new league

**JW.** · 12/12/2006, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

What more do you want?

It not to be presented as a news story.

**pineapple stu** · 12/12/2006, 12:56 PM

That's also been covered elsewhere. If you can't tell the difference between news and opinion - or don't expect both in a newspaper - you shouldn't be reading the paper.

In addition, it's fact that it's sad this couldn't be done without acrimony, it's fact that Dundalk and Waterford were very angry, it's fact that a Golden Ticket went west, it's fact that there's suspicion.

**Jaime** · 12/12/2006, 1:04 PM

Good thread this.

Originally Posted by Emmet Malone

Casey and Delaney refused repeated requests at apr�s conference yesterday to elaborate on how the various scores had been arrived at, insisting the detail would be communicated to the individual clubs who could then to decide whether they wished to make the explanation public.

Interesting. If the clubs who didn't make it (or even those that did) want to prove their case, they can make the precise criteria and scoring public when they receive them, and then we can all decide who's right and who's wrong.

Assuming of course that Dundalk / Waterford are capable following up on their dissatisfaction in a coherent way, and also assuming that Galway are so proud of their cracking five year plan that they'll share it with the rest of us. What odds?

**JW.** · 12/12/2006, 1:41 PM

If you think it's grand to pass off opinion as news and vice-versa, you've very low standards of what journalism should be, Stu.

**Dodge** · 12/12/2006, 1:55 PM

Originally Posted by JW.

If you think it's grand to pass off opinion as news and vice-versa, you've very low standards of what journalism should be, Stu.

How did he/they try and pass it off as anything other than an opinion piece?

**BohsFans** · 12/12/2006, 2:12 PM

Originally Posted by bohs til i die

Dundalk won the promotion/relegation playoff but arent promoted. It is a farce.

It was never called that

They the eircom League Play-off. No one ever said they you gain promotion for winning it.

**JW.** · 12/12/2006, 2:14 PM

There is no reference whatever to "Opinion", "Bootroom" or anything like that. Show me their news story on the actual event.

**jebus** · 12/12/2006, 2:17 PM

Couldn't all this have been put in the main thread?

**Dodge** · 12/12/2006, 2:24 PM

So you want them to put a big shiny tneon sign on it saying its an opinion. FFS JW... You read it and knew it was an opinion, what makes you think any other reader thought differently.

Oh and BTW in now way am I defending the Indo or their editors, just pointing out how completely OTT you're going on this.

Jebus - maybe, but not big a deal its not, is it?

**JW.** · 12/12/2006, 2:30 PM

So Dodge, you deem it acceptable for there to be no news story at all on a matter of such importance?
It doesn't matter what I think: thousands of people will form a view on this matter without knowing much about it because of reading this Indo piece and seeing the rather biased RTE reports yesterday.

**jebus** · 12/12/2006, 2:40 PM

Originally Posted by JW.

So Dodge, you deem it acceptable for there to be no news story at all on a matter of such importance?
It doesn't matter what I think: thousands of people will form a view on this matter without knowing much about it because of reading this Indo piece and seeing the rather biased RTE reports yesterday.

Rather biased? JW I'll ask you this. If you were a Liverpool fan living in Dublin who has no interest in League of Ireland football at all (you know the type of fan this new league is supposed to attract), and you heard that the team who finished 2nd in the 1st Division and won a playoff against the club that finished 2nd last in the Premier was replaced by a team finishing below them in the 1st Division because the other club 'have more potential', than wouldn't you think it was a crock of ****? How else do you expect the media to dress this up to make Galway look like they got to the Premier fair and square?

**JW.** · 12/12/2006, 2:43 PM

jebus,
There's obviously no point debating this matter with you any further.

**Dodge** · 12/12/2006, 2:46 PM

Originally Posted by JW.

So Dodge, you deem it acceptable for there to be no news story at all on a matter of such importance?
It doesn't matter what I think: thousands of people will form a view on this matter without knowing much about it because of reading this Indo piece and seeing the rather biased RTE reports yesterday.

And you're not at all biased in only complaining now? The indo is a rag and couldn't care less about this league. That doesn't mean that McDonnell's piece was incorrect or unjust. You disagree and IMO the only reason for that is that Galway got promoted through the system he attacked.

**JW.** · 12/12/2006, 2:50 PM

I don't read the paper very often and can't say I've seen anything as blatant as this in it recently. You're wrong to suggest that I am making a big deal about it as a Galway fan. Given that I work in this field, I find it pretty alarming that a paper would get two pieces off a journalist (one opinion and one news) and ditch the news one in favour of passing off an opinion piece as news.
To be fair, you're not defending the paper altogether.

**jebus** · 12/12/2006, 2:50 PM

Originally Posted by JW.

jebus,
There's obviously no point debating this matter with you any further.

Why not? Because you can't answer that question? jesus christ why do you post this stuff if you're unwilling to take questions on it JW. Seriously what would you have had RTE and the media do about this? It sounds like nonsense in the paper because this whole process was nonsense. I'm 100% sure if you go out on to the street now and pull 10 non-LoI fans and tell them what has happened in an unbiased manner at least 9 of them will laugh in your face for supporting LoI in the first place. This whole thing has made a farce out of our league and you lot are clapping each other on the back about it

**JW.** · 12/12/2006, 2:55 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

I'm 100% sure if you go out on to the street now and pull 10 non-LoI fans and tell them what has happened in an unbiased manner at least 9 of them will laugh in your face for supporting LoI in the first place.

Well if they'd laugh at you in the first place, chances are they'd laugh at you in the last place regardless.
I'm much less skeptical about the new league than other people seem to be, for all that I'm no defender of the FAI. The Dublin City debacle and the points deductions, non-deductions and low-fat deductions were of much more damage than this. The barstoolers and so on who think what happened yesterday was a joke don't know the facts of the matter. I doubt they knew the first thing about the assessment until yesterday. Were they barking about it 18 months ago?

**jebus** · 12/12/2006, 3:02 PM

Originally Posted by JW.

Well if they'd laugh at you in the first place, chances are they'd laugh at you in the last place regardless.

But they'll be laughing harder at you now. Seriously I've had quite a few texts from people I've tried to persuade to get into watching Limerick FC laughing at the thought of watching this league. And again I'll state that this new set up was put in place to attract these 'barstoolers' and it has failed to do so, and will fail to do so in future, hence the whole process is a failure.

Originally Posted by JW.

Were they barking about it 18 months ago?

Does that matter? They are barking about it now, and now is when we are meant to be launching this new league to win them over

**Terry** · 12/12/2006, 3:05 PM

Personally I dont think that many people would be that intersted in the article. I mean, when was there ever a good article about our league in that rag, they never cared about the league and a massive percentage of there reader dont either. My ould fella read it this morning and all he said was "that writer is from louth anyway" and laughed!! Dont worry about it, JW. Those readers would have then read something about Man Utd and forgotten about it straight away!

**JW.** · 12/12/2006, 4:23 PM

Originally Posted by sduffy

Oh right Johnny. You're after Journalistic excellence.

I'm glad you clarified that because I was making the mistake of putting your post down as a bitchy and jealous rant against a former mate that landed a big gig.

Stephen
I'm still well in contact with Dan, met him recently. I honestly thought you were better than garbage like this.

**Student Mullet** · 12/12/2006, 5:58 PM

It often happens in the sports pages that there's only one article on a particular subject and opinion and news have to get mixed together.

A match report will nearly always contain the news of scorers and players along with the journo's opinion of who played well and what a fair result would be. Add this to the fact that the indo often mixes news and opinion in the rest of the paper and we can't be too surprised at this.