Today, the Daily Mail wrote a rumour article linking Aston Villa to West Ham midfielder Robert Snodgrass (which Tony Xia has since rubbished). It wasn’t much of an article in online terms, more a mention, as it ran for just 114 words in total.
At the end of those 114 words though, the last sentence of the story, rather randomly mentioned Sheffield Wednesday striker Jordan Rhodes.
‘Villa are also among the clubs to hold an interest in Sheffield Wednesday striker Jordan Rhodes.’
Just these 16 words on Jordan Rhodes, nothing else. 16 words that had no evidence backing them up or any credence to the link. 16 words with actually zero context and that were seemingly just thrown out there.
Steve Bruce was interested in the striker in the January window, but the striker went to the Owls on loan instead, an agreement that became a permanent reported £10m move once the new season started.
Unless Rhodes suddenly turns all David Unsworth, he’s going nowhere in the immediate future.
Wednesday’s aim is promotion, so they’re not going to offload a prime asset to a rival club, especially just one game after signing him permanently. Also, Villa doesn’t really have a spare £10m kicking around to buy another striker to add to the other three circa £10m strikers they’ve bought in the past year.
Yet, this happened…
Who?
Olly Dawes of HITC
Headline:
Report: Aston Villa plot another move for Sheffield Wednesday ace Jordan Rhodes after Bruce’s January attempt
Spiel:
318 words of blah, blah, blah BS
Including:
According to the Daily Mail, Aston Villa are back in the market for Sheffield Wednesday striker Jordan Rhodes after his inauspicious start to life at Hillsborough.
Now, some believe that Wednesday could already cash in on Rhodes having signed him permanently earlier this summer, and the Daily Mail now claim that Aston Villa are plotting a new move for the striker.
And…
Who?
Alex Dicken of the Birmingham Mail
Headline:
Aston Villa transfer rumour: Jordan Rhodes back on Steve Bruce’s radar
Spiel:
247 words of blah, blah, blah BS.
Including:
Aston Villa are contemplating another move for proven Championship goal-getter Jordan Rhodes, reports the Daily Mail.
And the Daily Mail are suggesting Wednesday could be about to offload the frontman with Villa are among the teams interested in his services.
A striker isn’t out of the realms of possibility for Villa but the claret and blues would look to offload Scottish flop Ross McCormack before a deal can be done.
Bruce is treading carefully with Financial Fair Play which makes expensive signings unlikely before he offloads some of his unwanted stars.
Evaluation
This is just sad.
First of all, it’s a bit weird that the Daily Mail mentioned Jordan Rhodes without any context. It’s almost like it was a sentence mistakenly cut and paste from an old article written in January.
Yet, this doesn’t stop an unaccountable 16 words, suddenly transforming and expanding into two full articles of hundreds of words each creating a false narrative (aka fake news), by two of the more notorious outlets of clickbait stories.
Yes, ‘according to the Daily Mail’ Villa are after Rhodes, because the Daily Mail claimed, reported, suggested…what exactly?
Nothing!
‘Now, some believe that Wednesday could already cash in on Rhodes’ – who are these ‘some’?
I think ‘some’ also believe that these writers must feel dead inside having to churn out this kind of schlop.
Media Muppets Score: 10/10
Editorial judgement is seemingly dead, beyond the concept of dressing up any old sh*t to go to the clickbait party.
UTV
If Jordan Rhodes does sign for Villa, you can hound me on Twitter at @oldmansaid
Check out the New MOMS Podcast episode for BS-free discussion
Tell you what! Why not do a straight stop?
More trash from the media, how many times last week did we read McCormack signing for Sunderland tomorrow, totaly sick of it, now it’s Snodgrass and Rhodes. If they can’t report the truth although that’s probably an impossibility for the media then why bother saying anything.
Reporting has become such a stupid nonsense that I have virtually given up reading it.