In reply the main rugby writer of this paper, Terry Morris, clearly stated the source of these grumblings as the clubs official (that’s ‘official’) website, a statement that was repeated in this paper on Saturday. In his original article on the matter Terry went as far as to call those comments by the family member ‘mystifying’, ‘remarkable’ and ‘an astonishing attack’
How very strange then that the very same writer chose to reprise the subject again last week turn it on its head and besmirch the contributors of the Saints unofficial (that’s ‘unofficial’) website comeonyousaints.com and by inference suggest that three named writers were responsible for written attacks on players when it only takes a little bit of research to find this is totally untrue.
As one of those people named by Terry to say I was extremely angry at his ‘scurrilous accusations’ would be putting it lightly. Fair play, Terry can call me a socially challenged cyber saddo, in fact he can call me what he wants I’m past caring, though just like he suggests with the players, I’d like to see him say it to my face. But mostly his insults are water off a ducks back, however what is not on is Terry suggesting in print that I, and the others named, are guilty of attacking players online. Untrue, totally untrue.
My views online pretty much reflect what I say on here. I may say collectively the lads had an off day and things did not work out but I never ever single out a player for individual criticism either in the Chron or on comeonyousaints.com.
To be honest I do not feel it’s my place, I’m not paid to be controversial, I write this column as a follower of the club, nothing more nothing less. I may have criticised the club in the past for some of the off field activities the closing of bars etc but I’m not about to mud sling against people who put their bodies on the line each week for my entertainment, heck I was even the guy that pleaded through these pages for supporters to cut Robbie Kempson a bit of slack when all and sundry were on his case.
Of course Terry would tell you that that is sycophancy but I’m not here to be objective I’d prefer to think it’s that word support in supporter. To slate is just not my style.
In fact I feel so strongly on the matter that I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. If Terry can find one instance of me, either online or in this paper, giving a member of the Saints playing staff individual unwarranted stick I’ll pay £1000 to a rugby charity of his choice. If he cannot find that evidence, and don’t bother Terry I know its not there, I expect an apology.
As for the comeonyousaints.com site itself I also think Terry is doing it a great disservice. I’ve picked out several of his missives and replied by way of explanation.
TM: “posters ceaselessly trawl the internet for stories created by news agencies and other media they don't pay for”
I am not sure if this is a basic misunderstanding of how the internet actually works or the writer is suggesting something darker. If there is news about the Saints that is of interest to the readers of the site someone links to it. The work is not copied and produced elsewhere it is merely directed too, that’s how the internet works. The ironic thing is we link to the Chron site which contains Terry’s work, and I’m willing to bet we are one of their highest traffic suppliers, which in turn sells their advertising. And guess who the Chron links too in return, yes comeonyousaints.com. Are we complaining, no not in the least. It is pretty fair to say if there is Saints related news out there, it will be linked to via the site before you read it in print, but that’s the power and speed of the medium. You might read it first online but that’s the nature of the beast.
Of course if this statement is instead a hint of plagiarism or breach of copyright again it’s not correct. We have always been red hot on this subject since some of our own work was taken lock stock and barrel and reproduced elsewhere and we had to get legal advice on the matter. What does appear on the site is either totally original work or on very odd occasions accredited press releases with the total permission of the agency concerned.
TM:“a certain poster has sent in more than 10,000 messages”
Yep hands up, that’s me. Though suggesting this was over a twelve month period was again factually incorrect. The sites now in its tenth year, and at its current location shows that I’m guilty of posting an average of a whole eight, yes eight messages a day. Given that for many of the years I was the moderator of the message board, stopping some of the crimes we have been accused of carrying out, then it does not seem that over the top even to a cyber saddo like me.
TM: “they communicate in short, slangy half-sentences.”
Incorrect, responses may be a single word or twenty sentences long. We are not writing novels we are conversing and we do insist on the Queens English, no text speak.
TM: “they hide behind the anonymous cloak of often ludicrous nicknames”
Open your ears Terry, people call each other by nicknames in all walks of life.
Ask the players what they call each other sometime.
Suggesting its some kind of sinister cloak is ludicrous in itself. Certainly as one of those you named I have nothing to hide (if in doubt that’s my name in big letters at the top of the page), Everyone that reads the site knows my identity as they do the others you named, Simon Robinson and Phil Hollis. A little research from anyone could have told you that.
TM: “they appear to be small, tightly knit groups of friends”
Again not true.
Here are some figures for you. In March the site had over 30,000 individuals visiting it, around 400 individuals posting messages and it has a yearly hit count approaching 5.5 million. Small tight knit group? Not quite. Granted some readers are friends, two Mark and Lorraine even met via the site, got spliced and have just had their first child Mathew, but that’s not the case across the board. We have readers and contributors from all round the world, from Moscow to Taranaki from Bahrain to Ecton Brook. It’s a broad church.
TM: “a refuge for the socially challenged”
Well again lets look at the facts.
In the past comeonyousaints.com has organised the meeting places for supporters on trips to Agen, Biarritz, Narbonne and Toulouse. They have organised several quiz nights one of which, for Jon Phillips testimonial, attracted over 120 people to the club. The sites charity walk that’s getting near triple figure participation and it is supported by all 12 Guinness premiership teams and their fans. Apart from the other various other nights out, events etc there’s the case of a little get together organized by the site on the other side of the planet during the recent Lions tour when over one hundred people turned up on a cold night in Auckland. It might also interest Terry to know the site also has one or two tables at the various club dinners. What an unsocialable bunch eh?
But at the end of the day what annoyed me most about Terry’s rant was the muddying of a good name that has done some good work since its inception and mud tends to stick.
Perhaps people will now overlook the fact that in the last ten years the comeonyousaints.com community has raised over £70,000 for charity. Only this week, Simon Robinson, another of those named by Terry, raised over a thousand pounds for St Johns Ambulance equipment to be used at the Gardens. What is also overlooked is a community support structure that has helped members of the online community in times of trouble or ill health.
Concerns have also been raised this week about how these allegations affect our relationship with the club itself. As a group at comeonyousaints.com we club together each year to raise a couple of thousand pounds to sponsor a player. In the past we has sponsored Gary Pagel and Chris Budgen, this year its Luke Myring. The great and the good at the club have also supported our charity efforts some even taking a very active part. Terry by his inference has somewhat damaged that relationship.
I wrote this article, not as an attack on Terry, he has a job to do as he see’s fit but the record did need putting straight, however, apology forthcoming, when this becomes tomorrows chip paper, lets hope it can be put behind everyone concerned.
How very strange then that the very same writer chose to reprise the subject again last week turn it on its head and besmirch the contributors of the Saints unofficial (that’s ‘unofficial’) website comeonyousaints.com and by inference suggest that three named writers were responsible for written attacks on players when it only takes a little bit of research to find this is totally untrue.
As one of those people named by Terry to say I was extremely angry at his ‘scurrilous accusations’ would be putting it lightly. Fair play, Terry can call me a socially challenged cyber saddo, in fact he can call me what he wants I’m past caring, though just like he suggests with the players, I’d like to see him say it to my face. But mostly his insults are water off a ducks back, however what is not on is Terry suggesting in print that I, and the others named, are guilty of attacking players online. Untrue, totally untrue.
My views online pretty much reflect what I say on here. I may say collectively the lads had an off day and things did not work out but I never ever single out a player for individual criticism either in the Chron or on comeonyousaints.com.
To be honest I do not feel it’s my place, I’m not paid to be controversial, I write this column as a follower of the club, nothing more nothing less. I may have criticised the club in the past for some of the off field activities the closing of bars etc but I’m not about to mud sling against people who put their bodies on the line each week for my entertainment, heck I was even the guy that pleaded through these pages for supporters to cut Robbie Kempson a bit of slack when all and sundry were on his case.
Of course Terry would tell you that that is sycophancy but I’m not here to be objective I’d prefer to think it’s that word support in supporter. To slate is just not my style.
In fact I feel so strongly on the matter that I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. If Terry can find one instance of me, either online or in this paper, giving a member of the Saints playing staff individual unwarranted stick I’ll pay £1000 to a rugby charity of his choice. If he cannot find that evidence, and don’t bother Terry I know its not there, I expect an apology.
As for the comeonyousaints.com site itself I also think Terry is doing it a great disservice. I’ve picked out several of his missives and replied by way of explanation.
TM: “posters ceaselessly trawl the internet for stories created by news agencies and other media they don't pay for”
I am not sure if this is a basic misunderstanding of how the internet actually works or the writer is suggesting something darker. If there is news about the Saints that is of interest to the readers of the site someone links to it. The work is not copied and produced elsewhere it is merely directed too, that’s how the internet works. The ironic thing is we link to the Chron site which contains Terry’s work, and I’m willing to bet we are one of their highest traffic suppliers, which in turn sells their advertising. And guess who the Chron links too in return, yes comeonyousaints.com. Are we complaining, no not in the least. It is pretty fair to say if there is Saints related news out there, it will be linked to via the site before you read it in print, but that’s the power and speed of the medium. You might read it first online but that’s the nature of the beast.
Of course if this statement is instead a hint of plagiarism or breach of copyright again it’s not correct. We have always been red hot on this subject since some of our own work was taken lock stock and barrel and reproduced elsewhere and we had to get legal advice on the matter. What does appear on the site is either totally original work or on very odd occasions accredited press releases with the total permission of the agency concerned.
TM:“a certain poster has sent in more than 10,000 messages”
Yep hands up, that’s me. Though suggesting this was over a twelve month period was again factually incorrect. The sites now in its tenth year, and at its current location shows that I’m guilty of posting an average of a whole eight, yes eight messages a day. Given that for many of the years I was the moderator of the message board, stopping some of the crimes we have been accused of carrying out, then it does not seem that over the top even to a cyber saddo like me.
TM: “they communicate in short, slangy half-sentences.”
Incorrect, responses may be a single word or twenty sentences long. We are not writing novels we are conversing and we do insist on the Queens English, no text speak.
TM: “they hide behind the anonymous cloak of often ludicrous nicknames”
Open your ears Terry, people call each other by nicknames in all walks of life.
Ask the players what they call each other sometime.
Suggesting its some kind of sinister cloak is ludicrous in itself. Certainly as one of those you named I have nothing to hide (if in doubt that’s my name in big letters at the top of the page), Everyone that reads the site knows my identity as they do the others you named, Simon Robinson and Phil Hollis. A little research from anyone could have told you that.
TM: “they appear to be small, tightly knit groups of friends”
Again not true.
Here are some figures for you. In March the site had over 30,000 individuals visiting it, around 400 individuals posting messages and it has a yearly hit count approaching 5.5 million. Small tight knit group? Not quite. Granted some readers are friends, two Mark and Lorraine even met via the site, got spliced and have just had their first child Mathew, but that’s not the case across the board. We have readers and contributors from all round the world, from Moscow to Taranaki from Bahrain to Ecton Brook. It’s a broad church.
TM: “a refuge for the socially challenged”
Well again lets look at the facts.
In the past comeonyousaints.com has organised the meeting places for supporters on trips to Agen, Biarritz, Narbonne and Toulouse. They have organised several quiz nights one of which, for Jon Phillips testimonial, attracted over 120 people to the club. The sites charity walk that’s getting near triple figure participation and it is supported by all 12 Guinness premiership teams and their fans. Apart from the other various other nights out, events etc there’s the case of a little get together organized by the site on the other side of the planet during the recent Lions tour when over one hundred people turned up on a cold night in Auckland. It might also interest Terry to know the site also has one or two tables at the various club dinners. What an unsocialable bunch eh?
But at the end of the day what annoyed me most about Terry’s rant was the muddying of a good name that has done some good work since its inception and mud tends to stick.
Perhaps people will now overlook the fact that in the last ten years the comeonyousaints.com community has raised over £70,000 for charity. Only this week, Simon Robinson, another of those named by Terry, raised over a thousand pounds for St Johns Ambulance equipment to be used at the Gardens. What is also overlooked is a community support structure that has helped members of the online community in times of trouble or ill health.
Concerns have also been raised this week about how these allegations affect our relationship with the club itself. As a group at comeonyousaints.com we club together each year to raise a couple of thousand pounds to sponsor a player. In the past we has sponsored Gary Pagel and Chris Budgen, this year its Luke Myring. The great and the good at the club have also supported our charity efforts some even taking a very active part. Terry by his inference has somewhat damaged that relationship.
I wrote this article, not as an attack on Terry, he has a job to do as he see’s fit but the record did need putting straight, however, apology forthcoming, when this becomes tomorrows chip paper, lets hope it can be put behind everyone concerned.
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