Alan Oliver: Wide of the Mark - No. 2 & No. 3
By James Collins On Wed 1 Aug 2007 |
It would seem that journalistic legend Alan Oliver has been on holiday recently. Thus in recent weeks, Newcastle-Online has been unable to obtain any real clues to bring it closer to solving the mysterious Chronicle Code. So just where has Oliver been?
It is unlikely that he was attending the Austrian training camp, given that he went unnoticed by roving reporters Stefan and Lucas. It would appear that he avoided France given the fact that Newcastle-Online has obtained evidence that he didn’t pick up an addiction in garlic, berets, bicycles and reading L’Equipe.
At lunchtime on Monday, Mr. Oliver wrote the following article linking PSG left back Boukary Drame with a move to St. James’ Park. However, if he had developed a love for all things French, he would have learned from the L’Equipe website that Drame had arrived at Sochaux on Sunday, and was undergoing a medical by the time the Monday’s Chronicle had gone into circulation.
With France and Austria ruled out, Newcastle-Online will strive to discover his recent whereabouts, for he may have left behind further clues towards solving the Chronicle Code. Looking closer to home, Tuesday’s Chronicle provided a further clue:
SAM ALLARDYCE is ready to sacrifice Obafemi Martins in a bid to try to sign a couple of top-class defenders.
The word is already out in football that United will listen to offers for their little Nigerian striker – and this will leave many supporters dismayed.
Martins has a £13m get-out clause in his contract, and while he has indicated he is willing to stay at St James’ Park, the situation could be out of his hands.
This story shared the same thoughts as a few of the national papers, but disagreed with Big Sam on Newcastle United’s official website, who stated prior to the sale of that day’s Chronicle that:
“This story is complete and utter fabrication. There’s nothing in it whatsoever.”
Thus it would seem that Mr. Oliver is wide of the mark. However, there have been many other newspapers whom have been wide of the mark recently, including the Daily Mail who have consistently been linking Newcastle with a move for Brede Hangeland, despite a denial from Sam Allardyce. Meanwhile Newcastle has recently been the subject of negative press regarding transfer funds. Whispers are abound that elements of the media want to cause problems for new owner Mike Ashley due to problems relating to the flotation of Sports Direct on the Stock Exchange.
Perhaps the Chronicle Code is just a small part of a massive journalist conspiracy. Newcastle-Online will keep you posted.
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“in my opinion”……….
“and i have to say”…….
“he told me today”……..
“I understand”…..
he writes for retards and children…..does he assume therefore that the geordie masses are more responsive to this form of shitehouse journalism? or is he really as thick as mince? i prefer the latter.
Sent in on: August 9th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Have you noticed how Oliver has started using the subjective “this” when he should use the objective “that”? It may not seem important to you but he’s supposed to be a journalist for goodness’ sake. Apart from which, it gets right on my nerves.
Sent in on: August 8th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Alan Oliver writs a load of tripe and he should write for a comic, there again it might but kids of reading
Sent in on: August 7th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
The organ grinder aka Fat Freddie has gone so surely it’s time to retire his monkey. Hopefully the idiotic page of drivel he writes in the programme will at least be scrapped by the new regime. There is a simple answer for everyone who gets wound up by the nonsense he writes - don’t buy the Chronicle. why not have a campaign to boycott the Chronicle until he goes? He is an embarrassment to NUFC.
Mike Ashley has made a lot of enemies over the Sports Direct floatation. Due to this there is going to be a lot of negative and misinformative reporting that has nothing to do with football and everything to do with investment. The analysts are already hammering the Sports Direct share price and Newcastle as an Ashley investment are going to get caught up in the back wash.
Sent in on: August 7th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
He is a wanker, someone should post a rumour on a respectable website and see if he gets the bait
Sent in on: August 6th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Apart from trying to fill the back page with nowt but over exaggerated dross all anal oliversion has ever done is sing the f.s party line for all and sundry. the toon is finally starting to look like its going to make a go of it and it will have players that won’t quit faster than you can lie on a physio table. so why does the even chronic not get behind the team and sing the praises,not much to sing about i admit, but sing none the less instead of sitting on the fence so when something does go wrong they can print,”we exclusively revealed”. support comes from everywhere not just the fans.
Sent in on: August 2nd, 2007 at 2:52 pm
The man is a cock, plain and simple!
Why Sky sports drag his sorry ass out every time there’s a story is beyond me. Face for radio? He hasn’t even got a face for paper!
Sent in on: August 2nd, 2007 at 10:30 am
Does anyone really believe or read anything that tit writes. I now do not even look at any article with anal’s scribe associated with it.
Sent in on: August 2nd, 2007 at 7:36 am
Bad publicity is good publicity, thats why he still has a job
Sent in on: August 2nd, 2007 at 5:06 am
In response too ’sagace` saying nobface would be better at guessing the weather, you could just imagine it… ‘in my opinion it wouldn’t surprise me if it rained sometime in the next fortnight, and a source close to me said it may even be a bit windy too’.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Olivier will struggle with stories under the new regime, he is slowly, but surely being pushed out of the door.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 6:12 pm
that was meant to read a bid of 10m for oba not 1m. oops
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 5:12 pm
I agree that alan oliver is a bit of a goon, but at the end of the day hes a journalist and all his bos cares about is how many papers get sold. big headlines (like it or not) sell papers. dyer to west ham thats obvious anyway, correct me if im wrong but dyers family ar in suffolk which isn anywhere near london, id let him go for a tenner. edmilson on the other hand, do we really need another over-paid injury prone foreigner who is past his best. what we needed were players like konchesky and luke young who are solid. if we got a bid of 1m for oba hed leave and i couldnt care, smith wud do a better job. if we head into the season without a solid left back and another CB wed be nothing more than mid table, which would result in owen,given,barton,duff,nzogbia among others considering there futures, although new signings wont guarantee a decent position it would increase our chances greatly. whats going on, anybody know, cos i dont and if ashley turns out to be a tight arse with his cash its simple, dont b mugs and buy the shirts and scarves etc, hit him back where it fucking hurts him most, in the pocket. and the end of the day hes innit to make money and will only invest certain percentages of profits which at the minute there are none, hence the lack of trasfer activity. but big sam is the man for the job. he needs 5 years.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Anal recently lifted some facts about Geremi straight the Wikipedia website - and even then misquoted. I commented on this to an individual on the ICNewcastle website who I (incorrectly ) assumed was Anals Editor.
He immediately wrote back telling me “he doesn’t work for me!!!!!!….we have good reporters”. He was almost embarrassed that I thought he was anal’s boss.
Maybe as I made such an incorrect assumption I should consider a career in journalism.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 4:10 pm
well he may as well retire now shepherd’s gone, i can’t see chris mort fancying having olivers head stuck up his arse in quite the same manner freddy enjoyed.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Its about time this name dropping Muppet is replaced. Come on you guys at the Chronicle replace this idiot whom no Newcastle fan trusts or wants to read, so do your circulation a favour and put him on guessing the weather and leave the sport to more creditable people
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 3:11 pm
and i was told privately in a private meeting with me where i was present and told to me was the fact (a fact that was share with me) which i was told and heard myself that i was informed of which i was there where me.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 3:06 pm
I couldnt agree more. what an @rse.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 2:48 pm
After Olivers big pal, Freddy Shepherd, was pushed out of the club, Alan has been writing a lot more negative reports. Seem like he’s lost all his inside contacts with the club and is at the moment just making up stuff to try to look to be in the know.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 2:45 pm
He is a scrotum faced liar.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 2:44 pm
I read a quote from Alan Oliver recently that went something along the lines of “…. Alan Shearer, who I have personally kept in contact with, told me personally….”
That name dropping pally-pally attitude makes me want to punch him.
WHAT A TW@
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 2:27 pm
In Todays Chronicle he is still trying to say that Allardyce will sell Martins to raise funds, if they get around 10 million for him.
Well seing as Sam totally denied it and Martins is negioating a contract to get rid of the 13 million release clause is seems he is once again writing a load of bull.
“Meanwhile, the Chronicle’s report that Oba Martins may have to be sacrificed to fund moves for a couple of defenders was described as “speculation†by United last night.
But despite that, the word in the game is that Martins could still be prised away from St James’ if anyone comes up with the £10m Glenn Roeder paid for the little Nigerian.”
Seems like he just can’t admit that he got it wrong.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 2:16 pm
He truly is the the worst sports reporter in Britain, and I reckon he is actually a Mackem parading as a Geordie! His extreme negativity and absent-minded reporting in recent weeks (months?) has been outrageous and, well, simply wrong!
Your quote from his Chronicle report today was rubbished was BSA came out and outright denied it, and then I read his latest article today, I quote:
“Meanwhile, the Chronicle’s report that Oba Martins may have to be sacrificed to fund moves for a couple of defenders was described as “speculation†by United last night.
But despite that, the word in the game is that Martins could still be prised away from St James’ if anyone comes up with the £10m Glenn Roeder paid for the little Nigerian.”
In other words “I made the story up and have just been caught out - but I will try and justify writing it by making up more lies”. His boss at The Chronicle must be blind and the paper must print in Braille, because if that man was working for me and was making such pathetic stories up just to try and unsettle the supporters of the club which he (apparantly) follows, I would sack him immediately!
I reckon since FFS left the club he has no further links to it as everyone else has realised what a weasel he really is! He has no “insiders” left so he resorts to telling tales! Get rid of the fat idiot…and QUICK!!
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Anal Oliver is a TW*T
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 2:02 pm
From today’s Oliver
Meanwhile, the Chronicle’s report that Oba Martins may have to be sacrificed to fund moves for a couple of defenders was described as “speculation†by United last night.
So “fabrication” has become “speculation”
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 2:01 pm
The blokes a cunt.
I actually wrote about that very episode on another site yesterday. What you didn’t pick up on was today’s latest corker:
Meanwhile, the “Chronicle’s” report that Oba Martins may have to be sacrificed to fund moves for a couple of defenders was described as “speculation†by United last night.
Usually that would be “I exclusively revealed yesterday”. What Newcastle official stated it was “mere speculation”, from all the reports I gather, and quotes from the website, it’s an emphatic NO to Martins being sold. In today’s piece he states “But despite that, the word in the game is that Martins could still be prised away from St James’ if anyone comes up with the £10m Glenn Roeder paid for the little Nigerian.”
So from all of his “source close to the club” quotes it appears now, because he’s been pushed so far out of the club, the nearest thing he gets to a source is equally clueless hacks from papers like The Mail and The People. He should go now, with dignity, his portly close to the club source has sold up and now been shown the door, for the sake of everyone on Tyneside and Trinity Newspapers based at Thomson House, Alan Oliver - time to go.
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 1:59 pm
God the man’s an idiot!!!
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 1:57 pm
I emailed the Chronicle editor about Oliver’s Abysmal journalism skills (in particular yesterdays oba article) and asked them if it didnt bother them that he was making their paper a laughing stock. This is what i got back:
We stand by our story about Martins despite Sam Allardyce insisting it was
speculation.
Alan Oliver has a vast network of contacts within football - managers,
former managers, players, former players, agents, scouts - in fact he
has the best network of contacts of any journalist I have worked with in
over 30 years in journalism.
We have not revealed - and will not reveal - the source of that story, but
if we were able to you, would realise that the story was accurate.
So I would totally refute any suggestion that any stories Alan writes are
without foundation.
It’s not that long ago Alan was getting stick for linking Newcastle with a
move for Edmilson - but those who thought this story was a fabrication were
made to eat their words when it was confirmed that United officials had
been out in Barcelona talking to the Brazilian.
Last week we were the first to reveal that West Ham wanted Kieron Dyer -
again people doubted that story, but days later Allardyce admitted that
Dyer may have to leave because of family problems. In tonight’s Chronicle
we reveal that talks are ongoing with West Ham over Dyer.
Of course fans are entitled to their own opinion on Alan Oliver.
But I can tell you that he is totally committed to trying to keep United
fans up to date with developments at St James’ Park - never an easy job as
access to players/officials is limited and even when you do speak to
people in football these days, more often than not they do not want to go
on the record.
So we are often left to give an insight into what is going on at NUFC
without those involved actually sticking their heads above the parapet and
being quoted.
Yesterday’s story about Martins underlined a general concern about the lack
of money so far made available to Allardyce to strengthen the United squad,
something which I know from the emails we have received is a worry for
many fans.
Regards
Paul New
Sports Editor
Evening Chronicle
Sent in on: August 1st, 2007 at 1:54 pm