Swans spin a bland story

[Danzar]

I've been meaning to post this for ages.

The Club (particularly Roos personally) is in serious need of a new media adviser. Every press release issued is filled with a whole bunch of words that don't really say anthing.

It's frustrating and a DANGEROUS tactic, particularly when the AFL's trying to attract new fans in a city dominated by league, and starved of AFL news.

If the AFL and Swans really want to get people's attention they MUST get their media right FIRST. To do that they need to:

1. Differentiate what they say from what other codes say. Every Swans release is exactly the same as how the league talks.
2. Tell the full story, good or bad, thereby attracting attention.
3. Maximise what little words they have in a media release by eliminating this constant repetition you see in quotes (such as Roos saying in his latest press release that Davis needs to keep playing three times in three different ways). It's a waste of words and makes Roos look like he doesn't know what he's talking about.
4. Talk tactics!!!! That's what makes AFL so much more special over league. I never see this in Swans press releases.

If you get the PR right first, you'll attract attention, thereby softening up the public. Do this and I guarantee that given time, the non-AFL types in Sydney will eventually want to 'see what all the fuss is about'.

[Piobaireachd]

Do u listen to what other clubs have to say? I mean, apart from scandals involving police investigations, it's all the same waffle. Get over it.

[dendol]

maybe if Roos made up words like nuff nuffs he'd be a lot more acceptable to us supporters.

[Legs Akimbo]

Originally posted by Piobaireachd
Do u listen to what other clubs have to say? I mean, apart from scandals involving police investigations, it's all the same waffle. Get over it.

Actually, I think Terry Wallace makes some amazingly open and astute observations in the media. Many times I've heard Malthouse, Sheedy, Pagan make interesting remarks. They are old heads who don't really care what people think and therefore feel free to express an opinion.

By contrast, Roos is definitely a control freak. Great coach, but a control freak nonetheless. Tries his best to be uncontroversial and unemotional. Therefore comes across as bland and cliched. I've also noted that Roos highly sensitive to and intolerent of criticism (e.g. Robert Walls, Demetriou saga, Nick Davis - can you see the theme appearing...).

I agree with Danzar - whoever is running out media dept. doesn't have much of an imagination, but I suspect they are not given much to work with because of the desire of the club administration to control and manage public opinion. Unfortuantely, all they have managed to do is to bore the @@@@ out of a lot of people.

[ugg]

1. Not sure what you mean here. When you say league do you mean the AFL or rugby league? Neither makes much sense in relation to the first sentence.
2. Its pretty naive to think that the club would release information that pust itself in a bad light. With a lot of money coming from sponsorship, to sully the public image from within would be really silly.
3. Yes I agree that most of Roosy's comments are repetitive and cliched but how does that make him look like he doesn't know what he's talking about.
4. Press releases aren't the place to talk tactics. Do any of the other 15 clubs release statements regarding their game plans?

It would be nice if the media didn't emulate the same Swans stories, and perhaps had more critical pieces.

[Damien]

Originally posted by ugg


It would be nice if the media didn't emulate the same Swans stories, and perhaps had more critical pieces.

Yes, it is scary how sucky the Sydney AFL writers are towards the Swans....I think some more critical articles on the swans (when warranted) are required for sure.

Most protected species in the normally tough Sydney media.

[adnar]

Originally posted by Piobaireachd
Do u listen to what other clubs have to say? I mean, apart from scandals involving police investigations, it's all the same waffle. Get over it.

Exactly, but AFL can not get by like that in Sydney. Look at Terry Butcher, the new coach of SydneyFC, he has been so forthcoming with stories and saying the right things to the media because he knows that although his job is to coach the side, anything he can do to promote the game will only be benificial.

[NMWBloods]

Many of the other experienced coaches (Malthouse, Sheedy, Wallace, Eade) make interesting observations on the game. I like to hear some of their views.

[ROK Lobster]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
Many of the other experienced coaches (Malthouse, Sheedy, Wallace, Eade) make interesting observations on the game. I like to hear some of their views.

But none of them are the hunted. I love this gem from the Swans rag:

It was an immediate realisation that this season would be like no other, there would be no easy games and there would be no easy four-points, not that there ever is!

I understand that to mean that the author (and to be fair I expect Roos wrote very little of it) realised that the season would be different because there would be none of the easy games that there never have been before - which does not make an awful lot of sense.

[NMWBloods]

It's just beautiful doublespeak, meaningless, cliched waffle.

[motorace_182]

The PR department is going to keep churning out feel good stories, because it creates a positive environment for the club t be seen in.
If you want to question anyone, make it the Journo's. Its there job to get these stories of the club and players. TOugh questions are never asked, interviews are never conducted, probes are never made. The only time we ahve come under real scrutiny in a scandal, it took the Australian Story to do it. The Sydney sport writers are lazy. They are happy to print this dribble to prevent exposure of lack of footy knowledge. Hinds produces the odd decent analysis, but there are some morons like Morrisey and McSmith that are in the dark and just incompetent.