From Chris Bascombe. . .

[JustTosh]

Bascombe is just being used by News International to buy marketshare in Liverpool hence offsetting the finanical implications of the boycott of the sun. Shame on him.

Previous post was an answer to the wrong user. I'm somehow not able to edit my own posts. So here I go again. Sorry..

 

I’m a bit surprised your post was most branded ”the most ludicrus post on here yet”, as you have a very valid point. People on here seem to only look at this from Bascombe’s angle. I’m sure he’s a top man, I’m not questioning that, but….

The boycott of the S*n has been going on for nearly 30 years, that’s a remarkable fact. It’s also a fact that news international/the S*n have tried to end that boycott. They’ve always failed because it’s been too easy to unveil that their motivation was not regret, purely a wish to earn more money.

Only naive people would believe they’ve given up. Put yourselves in the seat of the marketing director of news international. From that position Bascombe is a scoop. What better way to decrease the effect of the boycott than to hire the most respected Reds journalist, a man who’s integrity would not be questioned by those who’s actually boycotting the S*n. OK, it’s not possible to let him write for the S*n (yet), it wouldn’t be accepted neither by the readers in Merseyside, nor Bascombe himself. So, let us sneak him in through the back door, the NOTW.

If I were in charge of news international I’d say: “Give that Bascombe guy an offer he can’t turn down, get that man!”

I’m not saying Bascombe’s decision is bad or immoral, I’ll leave that to you local lads. But I would say you’ve got a point that deserves thinking not ridicule.

[Redexile]

He questioned it himself, otherwise why ask Dave what he thought the reaction would be?

 

Obviously he didn't have the courage of his own convictions, now he tries to justify his move by slagging off scousers. Did he look up the birthplace of all those who criticised his decision?

 

Maybe he's paving the way for when he has to sing to his new masters tune.

 

He's not slaggin off scousers though is he? He slags off some people who use being a scouser as an excuse for acting like a twat and embarrassing all of the good people of the city. We've all been on away trips and seen them, it was happening way back in the 70's. I have seen it out here and TBH it can be embarrassing to me as a scouser.

As regards to having a go at his critics, maybe he did have his doubts but maybe the sheer amount of vitriol posted in some forums made up his mind.I'm not referring to people like Bobhorse - he has a principle which he believes is right and sticks to it. Some of the holier than thou shite that has been spouted on forums over this has been just plain stupid.

[moxter]

Or perhaps, call me naive, there's no copnspiracy at all, the NotW decided to hire bascombe because he's a top-notch jounalist and he'd improve the standard fo their reporting? r is that too simplistic? Certainly for a messageboard anyhow.

[Guest PETEREVO]

Well I did invite Chris to reply to this, what I thought was a very considered view, that I wrote for the front page of the main site of my site http://www.onthekop.com but seeing as I'm not his mate like Dave (and that's not a dig Dave - honestly) he hasn't bothered. Personally I think Chris's "explanation" (although he didn't have to give one) is bollocks but that is a purely personal opinion. In particular I was not happy with the phrase, quote: "Their Scouse law." I know he's your mate Dave and fair play for sticking by one of your mates but that comment is out of order.

 

Anyway, here's the piece I wrote:

 

Bascombe's "defection". Discuss or mind our own business?

Written by Peter Evo

Monday, 03 September 2007

Chris has kicked up a storm by leaving the Echo for the News Of The World. Is it a point for discussion or nothing to do with us?

 

 

Chris Bascombe. Liverpool Echo journalist, local lad, self-proclaimed Liverpool supporter and self-expressed Sun hater has "defected" to the News Of The World provoking much discussion and bile on several independent LFC Forums. Most of us have met have met Chris Bascombe on our jaunts at home and abroad. Chris has always come across as a decent bloke and top Red so maybe some of the names he's being called might seem a bit out of order. The boycott of the Sun by Liverpool supporters should stay in place for ever, we all know that. We all know also that some twats, even aware of the history of the Sun and Liverpool FC supporters, do not observe it. The News Of The World, being the sister paper of the Sun, is effectively the Sunday Sun and as such, in my opinion, should also be boycotted. Yes, since Hillsborough, Mark Wright, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard have all written columns for or had books serialised in the News Of The World. If you want to call them twats for doing so that's fine by me. Apparently little Mikey sought the "permission" of the HFSG before going ahead and doing it. In my opinion he shouldn't have even given it a thought never mind discussed it with anyone. There is also however another train of thought being expressed on the Forums that if you fall out with somebody you needn't necessarily fall out with their sibling. Okay, valid point maybe but we are talking of a very emotive subject here.

 

 

 

Wright, Owen , Gerrard and now Bascombe are symptomatic of the hard nosed businesses that football and journalism have become in the early 21st Century. Values, principles and morals count for nothing now it seems and the aforementioned "traitors" are joined by the likes of Rooney, Campbell, Cole and a host of others. On the other side of the coin were we moaning when Evertonians were up in arms when Barmby joined us? If we are totally honest we were made up that it wound them up so much. Barmby left Everton to better himself and quite clearly did. The sadness rather than bile that greeted Peter Beardsley's move across the park was born of the knowledge that Quasi didn’t really want to leave as he still had loads of good years in him and was just a monumental cock up by a manager sadly deluded that he was actually good at the job.

 

 

 

Most of the aforementioned left to better themselves professionally. They couldn't have left for purely monetary reasons as I'm sure they were all wealthy enough to have far too much money to spend in the rest of their lives anyway. To my mind Owen and Gerrard at least did it for the money even though they fall comfortably into the category of not needing any more money for the rest of their lives. Some people are just plain greedy. Was Bascombe greedy? Was Bascombe doing it to better himself professionally? To attempt to answer the first - it's been said on the various Forums that Chris was on quite good money at the Echo and could have lived fairly comfortably without "selling his soul" to NOTW. I'm not sure whether that's true or not but I wouldn't have thought he was in the wage bracket where he could have thought about buying Briars Hall. As for bettering himself professionally - well we can all see that leaving a regional newspaper for a national is quite clearly bettering himself professionally. It's the choice of where Chris (seen as one of our own by many Reds) went that is causing so much angst.

 

 

 

Chris is a good journalist, most Reds are agreed on that, and has written many flattering pieces about Liverpool fans, but if he is that good a journalist, or at least if he BELIEVES he is, why not have waited for another newspaper to either come along or wilted under the pressure of him knocking down their door?

 

 

 

Chris’s view might be, and we won’t know unless (and he doesn’t have to) he comes out with a public statement, that if you were offered a much better, more highly paid job at Manchester United, Chelsea or Everton you would take it like a shot. Well, that’s as maybe Chris but for those of us who are lucky to have jobs at all they are mostly either low or averagely paid so the attraction would be there but not our soul. Yes Chris, overall, in my opinion, you have sold yours. Not calling you any names for it, just saying with the knowledge you have of the history, you have, most definitely sold your soul. If you were going to almost any other newspaper I and every other Red would wish you well but I make no apologies for not doing so.

 

 

 

http://www.onthekop.com/ welcomes Chris Bascombe to reply to this article.

 

 

 

Now Comment On This Piece In Our Forum

[Hermes]

In particular I was not happy with the phrase, quote: "Their Scouse law." I know he's your mate Dave and fair play for sticking by one of your mates but that comment is out of order.

 

 

Which is exactly the point I was making. What about the people outside of Liverpool who've criticised him for this? or why even throw all scousers under this umbrella of "scouse law" whatever the hell that means anyway.

 

A sweeping generalisation if ever there was one, he'll be right at home amongst his new work mates that's for sure.

[7dalglish]

"Chris is a good journalist, most Reds are agreed on that, and has written many flattering pieces about Liverpool fans, but if he is that good a journalist, or at least if he BELIEVES he is, why not have waited for another newspaper to either come along or wilted under the pressure of him knocking down their door?"

 

How would one know that another opportunity would come along? The other thing is why do people think they own a slice of Chris Bascombe and feel they should offer direction on his career moves? It really is up to him and what's best for him. I've never bought or read either newspaper and never will but it really isn't anybody's business but his.

 

As has been stated a million times, where do you draw the line? For me it's that rag of a daily newspaper.

[Moo]

Which is exactly the point I was making. What about the people outside of Liverpool who've criticised him for this? or why even throw all scousers under this umbrella of "scouse law" whatever the hell that means anyway.

 

A sweeping generalisation if ever there was one, he'll be right at home amongst his new work mates that's for sure.

 

Although written well, Bascombe has probably alienated a few people with his Scouse/Law observations.

 

It's as if having people from outside the city slagging us off and stereotyping us isn't bad enough...

 

I have never, ever, even for one fleeting moment been ashamed of being from Liverpool. Far from it, I don't think I could be more proud.

There's dickheads everywhere, and the ones from Liverpool do not represent me, my family, or the city.

 

Maybe I live a sheltered life or am living in cloud cuckoo land but I've never met one of these so called 'superscouse superiors'.

Are they yet another myth perpetrated, not this time by outsiders, but by one of our own?

[Paul]

Which is exactly the point I was making. What about the people outside of Liverpool who've criticised him for this? or why even throw all scousers under this umbrella of "scouse law" whatever the hell that means anyway.

 

A sweeping generalisation if ever there was one, he'll be right at home amongst his new work mates that's for sure.

 

He was quite clearly talking about a minority of people. Did you miss this bit?

 

"The overwhelming majority of people in Liverpool are intelligent; thoughtful; generous of heart and spirit, and of like mind. They just get out-shouted a lot by our mob or out-manoeuvred by the more incompetent of our politicians or civic leaders."

[Rashid]

Evo all you have done is articulated the views of a group of reds who have nothing better to do than attack someone who wants to better themselves. Bascombe will earn in a year what Gerrard earns in a day (literally) and yet you have put his name alongside theirs in this whole money making thing.

 

Lets also get one thing clear, who decides what is boycotted? Is the NOTW boycotted - a straight YES or NO will suffice.

[cestrianred]

I thought Chris Bascombe's piece was well written, as were 99% of his articles & reports in the Echo.

 

His observations were interesting & his view of the minority I agree with.

I'm from a Liverpool family, and defend the City & its people frequently against bigots from elsewhere (particuarly the South East) with a sterotypical view based on the Harry Enfield Sketch.

Mancs do likewise because of local jealousy & regional paranoia, but we're not blameless ourselves (if I see a Manc top at Cheshire Oaks on a Kid, let alone a bloke , it takes a lot to stop a snidy comment or more often a dig in the ribs from the wife to stop me!).

 

But there is a minority, as Bascombe says, who are blind to all things that don't fit their agenda.

The Scouse heart is 99.9% genuine, caring, compassionate & funny.

The 0.1% displays inverted snobbery & fails to recognise past issues and mistakes.

 

I wish Bascombe well.

[Guest PETEREVO]

Evo all you have done is articulated the views of a group of reds who have nothing better to do than attack someone who wants to better themselves. Bascombe will earn in a year what Gerrard earns in a day (literally) and yet you have put his name alongside theirs in this whole money making thing.

 

Lets also get one thing clear, who decides what is boycotted? Is the NOTW boycotted - a straight YES or NO will suffice.

 

 

Now look who's into sweeping generalisations. Rashid, you don't know me well enough to put me into any kind of pigeon hole much less "a group of Reds who have nothing better to do than attack someone who wants to better themselves." I assure you I have FAR better things to do such as writing books and running a website. It's just that I've got this thing I've had most of my life called an opinion. I expressed mine on a public Forum (mine) after seeing some (what I thought were) pretty harsh things written about Chris on other sites. I then invited members of http://www.onthekop.com to discuss or not if they thought it was none of our business. The weight of replies to my main site piece suggests that an awful lot of MATCH GOING reds consider that it was their business. I aslo welcomed Chris to reply to my front page piece which he didn't, his choice. Chris has obviously chose TLW to have his say on the matter as he has mates on here. No problem with that. That's the way anybody would go I suppose.

 

Reading all the stuff on various Forums about this it seems OTK falls somewhere in the middle of TLW (who are virtually suckin' Chris's dick - no offence intended Dave or any other member of TLW) and the likes of RAOTL and RAWK where on both sites there has been some pretty vile stuff wirtten in with the opinions. Nobody wants to see Chris harmed or anything but don't be shouting at people Rashid and stereotyping them just because their opinion is different to yours.

 

You wanted one word anwers to do I boycott the Sun and The News Of The World. The one word answer to both is yes. I don't have to tell you or anybody else why in the same way that I don't have to tell you or anybody else why over the years I have boycotted The Mirror, The Star, The Echo, Coronation Street, Eastenders, The Village Inn Skem, The Market Gate Skem, The Vic Skem, Sandy Lane chippy Skem and various other things. Most I've gone back to after making my point (except the Star cos it's such a shit paper anyway) but I'll never go back (not that I bought them ever in the first place cos they too were shite papers) to the Sun and the News Of The World. My choice. I have no explanations to make.

[Rashid]

Now look who's into sweeping generalisations. Rashid, you don't know me well enough to put me into any kind of pigeon hole much less "a group of Reds who have nothing better to do than attack someone who wants to better themselves." I assure you I have FAR better things to do such as writing books and running a website. It's just that I've got this thing I've had most of my life called an opinion. I expressed mine on a public Forum (mine) after seeing some (what I thought were) pretty harsh things written about Chris on other sites. I then invited members of http://www.onthekop.com to discuss or not if they thought it was none of our business. The weight of replies to my main site piece suggests that an awful lot of MATCH GOING reds consider that it was their business. I aslo welcomed Chris to reply to my front page piece which he didn't, his choice. Chris has obviously chose TLW to have his say on the matter as he has mates on here. No problem with that. That's the way anybody would go I suppose.

 

Reading all the stuff on various Forums about this it seems OTK falls somewhere in the middle of TLW (who are virtually suckin' Chris's dick - no offence intended Dave or any other member of TLW) and the likes of RAOTL and RAWK where on both sites there has been some pretty vile stuff wirtten in with the opinions. Nobody wants to see Chris harmed or anything but don't be shouting at people Rashid and stereotyping them just because their opinion is different to yours.

 

You wanted one word anwers to do I boycott the Sun and The News Of The World. The one word answer to both is yes. I don't have to tell you or anybody else why in the same way that I don't have to tell you or anybody else why over the years I have boycotted The Mirror, The Star, The Echo, Coronation Street, Eastenders, The Village Inn Skem, The Market Gate Skem, The Vic Skem, Sandy Lane chippy Skem and various other things. Most I've gone back to after making my point (except the Star cos it's such a shit paper anyway) but I'll never go back (not that I bought them ever in the first place cos they too were shite papers) to the Sun and the News Of The World. My choice. I have no explanations to make.

 

Thanks for the reply EVO - no problems at all with opinion - of course I respect yours as I have done over the past number of years. However, I am more concerned with the facts. i.e. Is the NOTW a suggested boycot newspaper by the HJC or HFSG? If not then before we all round on Chris shouldn't we be campaigning to have it listed as such by these support groups? Because if it isn't then surely all this is about people's opinions of Murdoch Empire newspapers in general at this stage?

[Magic_H]

The Sun is the boycott. Any other part of news international media outlets, including the NOTW is clearly not.

 

If people wish to boycott, NOTW, the times, fox tv, sky whatever, then sound, its their own personal choice.

 

Bascombe got the ok from the HFSG, as did gerrard and owen before them, so thats good enough for me.

[SCOUSE TAPAS]

The s*n was the only paper with the boycott.I have to admit i was surprised the boycott never inclded notw.My reason being it is and always has been the suns sister paper(this is fact ,even use to have that on front page of paper)For people who still argue that they are totally seperate then look at this:

 

In June 2006, England footballer Ashley Cole received damages from the publishers of The News of the World over articles falsely alleging the footballer had used a mobile phone as a gay sex toy. Together with its sister paper The Sun, The News of the World paid Cole £100,000 to settle the case.

 

also this:

 

In April 2006, England footballer Wayne Rooney received £100,000 in damages from the publishers of The News of the World and its sister paper The Sun over articles falsely reporting he had slapped his fiancée, Coleen McLoughlin. Both had always denied the reports.

 

If you goto the notw website at the top right of page it even has a button to click to take you to the s*n but no buttons to take you to any other of news internationals papers.

[Wig]

She needs slapping.

[Guest Devils Advocate]

I found myself reading that thinking how often ive thought the same about liverpool. However, I think its important that this conservative tag isn't misinterpreted for what others would call principle and loyalty. He touched on the munich chants and 'superscouse say so' but as with any cross section of people you're gonna get radicals whos opinions are diluted further down the spectrum.

 

I can never recall owen getting any stick for what he did although i know quite a few were angered by gerrard. Always remember the NOTW hoarding getting driven past hundreds of reds outside the millenium stadium and it got a tirade of cans of ale.

 

I can see where Chris is coming from and yes bucking the trend isn't easily done. He's a talented bloke who's articles I always looked out for. Its just a shame i won't be reading his work anymore because of principle, NOT conservatism.

 

Otherwise good luck to him. Hes deserved his chance way before now.

 

I think it's a very valid point, we've got a fair few wankers following us who think they can sing about munich but take umbrage when anyone sings about hillsborough, uneducated wankers who also sit in the boozer singing momo is white.

 

I was kid when me uncle got killed at hillsborough, but can remember singing the munich song from the kop, I didn't realise at the time that yer not just having a go at man u, but dishonouring someone's memory, I was 12 at the time, not much self awareness never mind awareness of other people, some of these wankers who sing about momo being white, or munich 58 are 17/18, and I think it's these that the article is pointing at.

 

But we need to educate them, yer need the older lads to give them a crack and tell them why it's wrong - problem is those same older lads probably sang the munich song pre 15/4/89.

[Guest Jimmy Corkhill]

No matter what anyone says the news of the world is the sunday sun.

 

Good luck Chris, hope the extra money was worth it, sleep well at night.

[philyhamann]

No matter what anyone says the news of the world is the sunday sun.

 

Good luck Chris, hope the extra money was worth it, sleep well at night.

 

In your world maybe, and I doubt anything is going to change that.

[hamstrung]

Carragher had a full page article in the NOTW today.

 

Lets boo him at the next game.

[Rashid]

No matter what anyone says the news of the world is the sunday sun.

 

Good luck Chris, hope the extra money was worth it, sleep well at night.

 

Why don't you spend some time gathering a petition to get the NOTW boycotted? Once you get the nod from the support groups maybe then people will support the Chris Bascombe lashings.

 

Until then.....

[Rashid]

Carragher had a full page article in the NOTW today.

 

Lets boo him at the next game.

 

Abusive banner on the KOP.

[bigbak]

All this arguing just proves the point.

 

There appears to be many levels to being a Liverpool supporter. You don't count to some if you're not born in Liverpool, support the Labour party, have a working class background going back generations and callouses from hard work.

 

I don't buy the NOTW because it's a terrible paper.

 

The Sun boycott while valid has turned into a caricature of a protest. The Sun and it's brethren can use it as a stick to beat scousers with, citing a thinly veiled apology after the Rooney debacle.

 

Most people involved in the paper aren't responsible for what happened and there should be a way back for them with a proper apology.

 

If anybody chooses to read the papers, it should be their choice and we should shake our heads disapprovingly. Spitting venom just adds fuel to fire.

 

Kelvin McKenzie should be left to appear on whatever TV program will have him or write for whatever newspaper has a page to waste. Leaving the man to voice his opinion gives fuel to our fire as the man is a complete idiot. The more people that read his articles or see how inarticulate he is, the better.

If one person changes their opinion, it's a moral victory.

 

Chris Bascombe doesn't require our approval to take a better paid job. He's gone to a paper that possibly has a low readership among Liverpool supporters. Beckham has got more chance of raising Soccers profile than Bascombe has of increasing the NOTW readership.

 

Let him have his moment and welcome him back if it fails.

[hamstrung]

You bought that paper? Boo. You'll be hamstrung up for that.

 

Must be all part of the conspiracy theory. Maybe Carra did it so he could get into the England squad again, by speaking to the people that pick the team.

 

To be fair it had Kerry Katona with her big floppy baps hanging out.

 

How is any red blooded male supposed to resist?

[Kopite]

To be fair it had Kerry Katona with her big floppy baps hanging out.

 

How is any red blooded male supposed to resist?

 

Hamstrung's gone to Iceland...

 

She's a mute mate, huge jellies but a face like a bulldog licking p*ss from a nettle.

[Kopite]

Are Kerry Katona's baps not completely knackered by now?

 

Not if she bought a new pack from Iceland. They're on offer - three for the price of two.