Marcus Rashford rubbished ‘complete nonsense’ hours before headlines landed

Editor F365

Marcus Rashford probably thought 5.30pm was early enough to hold the back pages but he was wrong…

 

Rash cash flash mash stash bash
Marcus Rashford took to Twitter on Wednesday just before 5.30pm to rubbish claims that he had made £500,000-a-week wage demands of Manchester United. He literally wrote these words:

‘Just before this one starts to do the rounds! It’s complete nonsense. The club and myself have been respectful to one another, and that’s how it will remain. My focus is purely on finishing as well as possible in the league and winning trophies.’

‘Before this starts to do the rounds!’ Oh my sweet summer child.

It not only ‘did the rounds’ but several hours after the claims were absolutely, irrevocably denied by Rashford, not one, not two, but three national newspapers went to print and splashed it on their back page.

There was the Daily Star:

But there was also the Daily Mirror and Daily Express, all in the same stable of newspapers and all giddy at the realisation that Rash and cash rhyme. None of those newspapers mentioned on their back pages that Rashford had already – hours before – denied the veracity of the story.

The Express now want to have their cake and eat it, po-facedly writing on their website: ‘Marcus Rashford has reacted furiously to dismiss claims he is reportedly asking for up to £500,000-a-week in wages to extend his Manchester United contract as the Red Devils seek to strike an agreement with their red-hot attacker over fresh terms at Old Trafford.’

Yes and he ‘reacted furiously’ to ‘claims’ that your own newspaper were making on their back page hours later. At least sodding own it.

 

How much is that ticket in the window?
We’re obviously right in the arse of international fortnight because the top story in football, according to The Sun website, is this:

‘Tickets for Arsenal’s final game of season vs Wolves in race for Prem title selling for £53k EACH.. and fans LOVE it’

First, tickets for Arsenal’s final game of the season vs Wolves are not ‘selling’ for £53k each; they are ‘on sale’ for that ludicrous amount. Mediawatch could put its toe nails on Ebay and price them at £427m but that would not mean that Mediawatch toenails are selling for £427m EACH.

And second, this really is absolute bollocks, isn’t it? ‘Fans’ do not LOVE it; some non-Arsenal fans have replied to this tweet:

…and somebody at The Sun has gone on a mission to find even more expensive seats. Because that’s football journalism in 2023. They have indeed found some really very expensive seats and now can claim that fans LOVE it, even though that is plainly utter, utter nonsense.

And then where one goes, others follow…

‘How much?! Arsenal tickets for final day clash against Wolves going for as much as £53,000 online with supporters desperate to be in attendance if Gunners end their 19-year Premier League title drought’ – MailOnline.

First, no CAPITALS?! What the actual f***?

And second, come back to us when somebody actually pays that amount before you chime about ‘desperate’ Arsenal supporters.

 

For f***’s Saka
Bukayo Saka might sign a new contract soon. Which is excellent news for Arsenal. But he has not signed a new contract yet, as the cheeky scamps from football.london absolutely know.

‘The next two Arsenal players to pen new deals after Bukayo Saka signs contract extension’

Couple of things.

1) He’s not signed yet.

2) ‘according to Ray Parlour’ are the words you accidentally left out of that headline.

 

A little less conversation, a little more action please
Mediawatch has a lot of time for Andrew Beasley, the Liverpool writer who tweets under the moniker @basstunedtored. He knows his sh*t.

And as we have a lot of time for him, we assume that the headline that accompanies his considered, stats-based piece on the Liverpool Echo website about Thiago’s place in Liverpool’s midfield, is absolutely none of his work. Because it is frankly clickbait sh*te.

The trend for selling all content – whether news, feature, opinion – as news is not lost on Mediawatch (indeed, we have been guilty of exactly that) but this is contemptible.

‘Thiago situation may be about to change at Liverpool after ‘difficult conversation”

Has there been a ‘difficult conversation’? Has there f***.

Is a ‘difficult conversation’ planned? Not that we or anybody else outside of Melwood knows.

What Beasley wrote is the following:

‘Is it time for the coaching staff at Liverpool to have a difficult conversation about Thiago Alcantara?’

A valid question to ask. But not a valid or very respectful headline to put on an otherwise considered piece.

Mediawatch Marcus Rashford