OK here's the man's vigorous reply to his critics - not seen this before - it rings true
stuart brennan wrote:Right
1. So now you think it’s me that is setting an anti-City agenda, because you deem me to be a United fan! I thought you were implying it was some kind of bizarre MEN policy to do City down. I’d have to be pretty dumb to pursue an anti-City agenda which would be damaging to my company – I suggest they would sack me if that was the case. The only alternative is that the MEN, is deliberately trying to damage its own commercial interests by alienating a substantial number of its customers. It really is idiotic stuff, leo.
The City press office is staffed by very good professionals, people who know the media inside out, and none of them have every suggested to me, or the sports editor, or the editor, that we have an agenda against City.
If they thought we did, they would be after us very quickly. On the contrary, we have a good relationship – they accept that sometimes the MEN will give the club stick, as we are not a mouthpiece for them, and they also appreciate the good, positive coverage which we also give, but which you choose to ignore.
So, are you suggesting City’s press office are abandoning their duty, or maybe they are all Rags, all part of this subliminal plot to destroy City?
2. The Munich chant thing will always draw criticism from the MEN, and from all right-minded people – I know plenty of Blues who are disgusted by it. The stuff about it “not being about Munich but United’s exploitation of the disaster” just doesn’t wash. You should put your energy into stopping it happening rather than whingeing about the MEN reporting on it. I had no input into the two stories you mention, other than confirming to the sports editor that I heard it.
But at that time, the Munich docu-drama was on TV, leading to a lot of debate, and we carried Colin Bell’s plea – not mine, not the MEN’s, but that closet Rag and anti-City agenda merchant Colin Bell.
I honestly don’t recall if it was back page or not, and at the moment have no way of checking, as I have no archive at home.
3. The “lad” who works at the MEN is talking shit, whoever he is. Unless he is the editor, the sports editor, news editor, or sports news reporter Mike Keegan, he wouldn’t be in this made-up loop. I would suggest he is telling you stuff about which he has no clue, to make it sound like he inows what’s going on. At no point in my three-plus years as City reporter have I been told to harden or soften my stance on City – and you would think they would tell me, wouldn‘t you? If you think I’m lying, there is little point in me continuing, as you have got it into your head that there is some kind of weird conspiracy going on, and nothing will convince you otherwise. If you want to call me a liar to my face, I’m in the press box every home game, and would be more than happy to discuss it.
4. WE tried to “throw a spanner in the works”, did we? Again, commercially, City being successful, and Utd being successful, is commercial gold for us. Sales go up, advertising goes up, our profile goes up. We win when City win, and when United win. I wanted City to win the title last year, on a professional level, because it was a great thing to write about, and because there are a lot of people at City, including several players, for whom I have the utmost respect and who I like as people. City doing well over the last two years has been great for the MEN, and for me personally, and we will always support them as a paper – but that doesn’tmean we won’t have a pop when we think things are wrong, and it doesn’t mean we will always get it right. We have made mistakes, but we make them with both clubs – United, and Fergie in particular, think we are pro-City, which is equally laughable.
I’m not going to keep coming back on here, because I suspect I am wasting my breath, but it just takes a bit of sober judgment and perspective to see that we have no agenda.
Oh, those people like Dougie who think “once a United fan, always a United fan” don’t understand the nature of this job.
As a football fan, you only see red and blue, and make your choice. In this job, other factors come into play. I have been up close to United and didn’t like what I saw – I was No. 2 on United a few years ago, and was eventually blackballed by the club for covering the Glazer takeover, and met a lot of people at the club, some who used to be my heroes, who I simply didn’t like.
I have no affection for United now, at all, other than for my memories of years ago, when they were a football club, not a brand. Again, everyone who knows me, red or blue, will tell you that to be the case, and it happened years before I was given the City job, so it isn’t just convenient. I last went to Old Trafford as a supporter in 1989, and I will never go back there other than in a professional capacity.