Interviews given abroad, always a by-product of an international break, no longer take time to filter back - they're now a couple of instant clicks away in football's global village.
But that old problem of translation - so often the get-out clause of the red-faced player whose harsh words in Norway or Nigeria come back to haunt him on the back pages - is still out there.
Take the quotes currently running on EatSleepSport.com from City boss Roberto Mancini, back in his native Italy and speaking to Lady Radio, which we're betting is also listened to by men.
They start along the usual lines for this season: "Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini believes it will take time to win trophies at Eastlands while admitting he misses Italy."
Here's the Roberto quotes: "City can win in future, but it will take time. Things are different here from Inter, as our club has not won in a very long time, while the Nerazzurri had some victories in the past.
"There is certainly no shortage of finances here, but there's no prestige at City. I am still proud that I was able to bring some very important players to Manchester.
"When you are abroad, you appreciate your own country more. I definitely miss Italian food. In the Premier League, like the FA Cup, every game is very tight, even against the amateur sides."
You'd have thought somebody would have opened an Italian restuarant in Manchester by now, wouldn't you? There must be one somewhere. As for the Premier's "amateur sides", make your own mind up.
So translation's not improved terribly, but there is a disarming honesty about the Web. People will own up to nicking their story from another site or source, which is not a newspaper trait.
Here's Luka Modric testifying on yahoo.com that Tottenham are better than City. If there's a sense of deja vu, it's because goal.com ran the tale first, having lifted it from Sky Sports News.
They happily give the game away: "Speaking to Sky Sports News on international duty, Modric said: 'It is going to be tougher than last year but I think we have a lot of quality in the team and can do it again.
"'It is going to be hard but I think we are better than them and we still have one game against them. I think that game will again be decisive for who finishes fourth and fifth.'"
We don't know where tribalfootball.com found this one - maybe the Argentine edition of NME? Ah, no, it's actually The Sun. Anyway, they report: "Carlos Tevez has been caught singing at a pop concert.
"The Sun says the City striker was seen belting out a tune with 60-year-old Argentine crooner 'La Mona' Jimenez in a Buenos Aires nightclub on Wednesday night.
"The footage aired on Argentinian television and shows Tevez, 27, clearly enjoying himself as hundreds of fans cheer him on. City ace Tevez joined a rendition of 'The Neighbourhood Kid'."
Not a number we're familiar with, but then maybe 'La Mona' doesn't do Blue Moona ...
Wales v England:
Craig Bellamy can provide spiky response after Gareth Bale's injury blow, says Alan SmithGareth Bale’s absence on Saturday has necessitated a rethink for Gary Speed. How does the Wales manager adjust his team to still present a threat to England?
That’s going to be crucial. Bottom of the table with no points from their first three qualifying games, Wales demands a spiky response. Even if they don’t win, they must show enough spirit to keep the crowds coming back, in the same way that his predecessor Mark Hughes had them involved.
So it would make sense if Speed puts his best remaining attacker against England’s weakest defender. In other words, move Craig Bellamy across to the left side where he can have a proper go at Glen Johnson.
Johnson, as we know, offers a useful threat going forward on that right flank. That’s his main strength, supporting his winger, probably Aaron Lennon here, with his overlaps, crosses and ability to cut inside and have a pop at goal.
The Liverpool full-back, however, can be 'got at’ defensively. His positional play sometimes leaves gaps in behind and in one-on-one situations Johnson is not nearly as secure as Ashley Cole on the other side.
Speed, therefore, may decide to move his main threat away from Cole and on to Johnson, if not straight away, then at some point during Saturday afternoon. But on whichever side he lines up for Wales in their likely 4-2-3-1 system, Bellamy won’t stay on the wing during general play. His favourite move, in fact, is to drift inside towards his central midfielders before making a darting, diagonal run beyond the full-back.
His team-mates will be looking for this and, in Joe Ledley and Aaron Ramsey, they have players who can find Bellamy with a clever pass. Johnson will need to stay alert.
As for England’s attacking shape, it seems that manager Fabio Capello will pick Darren Bent as Wayne Rooney’s strike partner because of Andy Carroll’s lack of match practice. Perhaps he would have gone for Bent anyway, feeling that his running qualities, his extra legs, will prove more of a test for Wales’s centre-halves.
Not only that, Bent’s preference for hanging on shoulders and confining his movement to within the width of the penalty box tends to push defences back, so freeing up more room for Rooney to work.
That principle certainly seems to have borne fruit at Manchester United where the rapier movement of Javier Hernández appears to have helped Rooney in recent weeks.
On the international scene, Bent did his bit in Denmark last month, scoring a goal and playing fairly well. Rooney was quieter. But with his form for United now showing more consistency, this might be the time for the striker to produce.
Should Scott Parker get the nod today, perhaps at the expense of Frank Lampard, it would represent an amazing turnaround for Capello. This is the manager, remember, who couldn’t find space for Parker in his 23-man World Cup squad, privately citing what he thought was the midfielder’s inability to move the ball on quickly enough.
Yet Capello’s trusted lieutenant, Franco Baldini, constantly argued Parker’s case. Only now, it seems, has Baldini got his way. As someone happy to do the dirty work at the base of midfield, West Ham’s inspirational talisman has suddenly become an important member of the England squad as the only genuine anchorman available to Capello. Parker’s services
could prove indispensable at international level. When the world’s best playmakers start scheming away 25 yards out, a disciplined spoiler becomes crucial. Parker can do that. He could have done it in South Africa too, rather than England depending on an unfit Gareth Barry. At 30, Parker is not finished yet. But you do get the feeling that, as far as this player is concerned, Capello has rather missed the boat. It has been a terrible few weeks for Arsène Wenger. Yet the Frenchman can sit back today and feel proud of his contribution to British football.
Because after years of being accused of discriminating against home-grown footballers by preferring foreign players in his Arsenal teams, Wenger has now provided England and Wales with two extraordinary talents. Jack Wilshere and Ramsey aren’t just the future, they are the present as well.
At 19 and 20 respectively, England’s latest star and Wales’s new captain represent Wenger’s Arsenal with tremendous class.
Modric: Spurs better than City
LUKA MODRIC insists Tottenham will prove they are better than Manchester City by finishing above them once again.
The two clubs slugged it out for the final Champions League qualification spot last season, with a 1-0 win at Eastlands seeing Harry Redknapp's men come out on top.
This time around it is City in fourth place, sitting four points above Spurs but having played a game more.
Who prevails could come down to another blockbuster showdown in Manchester on May 10 — and for Modric, there is only one winner.
He said: "It is going to be tougher than last year but I think we have a lot of quality in the team and can do it again.
"It is going to be hard but I think we are better than them and we still have one game against them.
"I think that game will again be decisive for who finishes fourth and fifth."
WAG OF THE DAY
OTHER BOLLOX
Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United target Eden Hazard will be allowed to leave Lille if they receive a "super offer" for the midfielder this summer. talkSPORT
Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra has dashed Manchester United's and Tottenham's hopes of signing him by saying his is happy with life at the Bernabeu. talkSPORT
Liverpool will look to sign French defender Philippe Mexes from Roma if they fail in their attempts to sign Bolton's Gary Cahill. The Sun
West Ham are locked in a battle with Werder Bremen and Lazio to sign Swedish midfielder Rasmus Elm from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. talkSPORT
West Brom are in talks to sign Japan's World Cup goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima from Belgian club Lierse. Daily Mail
Spanish club Villarreal are chasing Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva and Blackpool's David Vaughan in a double swoop this summer. Daily Mirror
Ivory Coast striker Gervinho has welcomed being monitored by Newcastle. The Lille striker is being watched by Alan Pardew as the Magpies seek a replacement for Andy Carroll. Daily Mirror
Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is being lined up for a shock Premier League return to replace underfire Gerard Houllier at Aston Villa. The Sun
And eight Aston Villa players are to walk out on the club this summer as a protest against manager Houllier's tough new regime, it has been claimed. Daily Mirror
England forward Ashley Young, meanwhile, fears he is becoming a scapegoat for Villa's slide down the Premier League. Daily Mirror
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has revealed that being made Wales captain is the best moment of his young career and the 20-year-old backed his team to shock England in Cardiff. talkSPORT
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has not ruled out replacing Spaniard Manuel Almunia with 41-year-old goalkeeper Jens Lehmann when Blackburn visit the Emirates stadium on 2 April. Daily Mirror
Portuguese forward Nani has said he is restricted by Manchester United in the type of football he wants to play. The Guardian
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves' hopes of playing again this season have suffered a blow after he suffered a shoulder injury in training. Daily Mail
Former Wales defender Chris Coleman believes they need "a miracle" to beat Fabio Capello's side in Saturday's Euro 2012 qualifier. talkSPORT
