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Post by hhsussex on Oct 2, 2014 18:15:23 GMT
It can be tough trying to cover cricket in the close season, when the majority of newspapers abandon it even in the high summer except for Tests and juicy who-stabbed-whom-in the back type scandals. So spare a thought for poor old George Dobell, doyen of the cricinfo pack, having failed to gain interest in his doomy (but still full of Momn'n'apple pie) prognostications about the future of Test cricket, his hysterical obeisance before the god that is Edgbaston, and his attempts to scoop the rest of the rabid pack of (not-)Fleet Street's finest to the signing of another over-hyped young English fast bowler. George has decided that two other failures should meet in a mariage blanc: Leicestershire and Ashley Giles. This Leicestershire could turn to Giles "story" is as tendentious as its title: Cricinfo "understands" that Giles "could emerge as leading candidate to coach Leicestershire". A sentence, and new par later, the story shifts: "The current power vacuum at the club could see Giles go elsewhere, though". So less than 100 words in, its already about possibilities within a world of shifting possibilities. Having discussed the further chances of the club's existing coaches taking over responsibility, reference is made to a player who made a minimal impact on the club's fortunes a few years ago - only to dismess that idea as well with the wualifying statement "it seems unlikely any progress can be made." The non-story, non-exclusive concludes with the further giant floater that another former player might be of interest to another county...but by then all hope of life has been extinguished. Oh my Arlott and my Kilburn long ago! Even the great, booming bittern that was E.W.Swanton was closer to the hope and spirit of the game than this. For those who ask why some cricket journalists are regularly mentioned here, this is the reason: that rubbishy, unfounded speculative stories like this drive a further nail into the coffin of proper, timely and insightful reportage into cricket being published in accessible media. There are lots of great stories about the game, from the inspirational work of local cricket societies, often sponsored or supported by the counties, to the great, compelling social histories of ex-players championed by the likes of Stephen Chalke. Not all of them are great literature, but they are truthful and immediate in their relevance. |
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Post by leedsgull on Oct 2, 2014 18:49:45 GMT
I think Dobell just craves publicity. He answers to the name "gorgeous George" on the Cricinfo switch hit podcast and I genuinely think is in love with himself. He dreams up these stories and Cricinfo put them out as if they were fact. Dobell is creating a form of cricket journalism akin to football with it's constant transfer stories very few of which actually transpire.
It is good that you highlight the inconsistencies of his utterings. My fear is that some will actually believe his drivel.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2014 18:58:34 GMT
I'm so glad that you have said that, hh. I am accused of being "obssessed" by my detestation of this journalist. But it's not Dobell personally I dislike but the utter drivel that he writes, and which illustrates everything that is wrong with modern journalism. I'd rather the out-and-out tabloid sensationalists, who run fliers and buff up non-stories and spin everything out of sight and don't pretend it's anything other than gossip and unsubstantiated tittle-tattle, than this guy who uses all the worst devices of tabloid journalism but dishonestly dresses them up in the pretence that he is a serious reporter. He wouldn't have lasted five minutes in the era of Woodcock and Martin-Jenkins, let alone the age of "my Arlott and my Kilburn long ago" to which you refer. I am told that he is loathed and abhored at the ECB and in the England dressing room for his antics and is persona non grata at a number of counties (he is particularly unwelcome at Chelmsford, for some reason). But there are several in the Sussex hierarchy - they know who they are - who keep him well fed with gossipy titbits about Sussex, such as the character assasination he was encouraged to launch against Monty Panesar last year. If we want gossip and unsubtantiated tittle-tattle, we've got the Unoffical Sussex Messageboard for that!  . But Cricinfo really should be several levels about a gossip-driven messageboard and the sober reporting of people like Hopps and McGlashan on the site is admirable. But Dobell has set himself up as the noisy, brattish bete noir of the operation and everything he writes seems to be a job application for a post on The Daily Mail, from his squirmingly embarrassing kiss-and-tell Trott interview to the kind of unsubstantiated flim-flammery you highlight above. Ugh. By contrast, here's a really classy and insightful piece from circinfo - my former fellow opening bowler in The Times XI, Simon Wilde, interviewed on his forthcoming biography of KP : www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/785093.html |
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Post by flashblade on Oct 2, 2014 19:17:41 GMT
I find it difficult to take seriously the relentless criticism of George Dobell on this board. Of course you can criticise what he says, or the way that he says it, but the vehement dislike of the man that shines through in many posts on this and the old MB seems to me unnaturally harsh. I am further saddened by my belief that the onslaughts against GD have their origins in a personal falling out between him and one of our number. This constant character assassination has made this MB less attractive to me in recent weeks.  PS I promise not to vent my spleen on this board against anyone I might have fallen out with - whoever was the 'guilty' party.  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2014 19:26:53 GMT
I find it difficult to take seriously the relentless criticism of George Dobell on this board. Of course you can criticise what he says, or the way that he says it, but the vehement dislike of the man that shines through in many posts on this and the old MB seems to me unnaturally harsh. I am further saddened by my belief that the onslaughts against GD have their origins in a personal falling out between him and one of our number. This constant character assassination has made this MB less attractive to me in recent weeks. PS I promise not to vent my spleen on this board against anyone I might have fallen out with - whoever was the 'guilty' party. Read the thread again , fb, and note comments such as "it's not Dobell personally I dislike but the utter drivel that he writes, and which illustrates everything that is wrong with modern journalism." I'd say hh's forensic analysis of this latest piece of nonsense and his rigorous deconstruction of the preposterous 'future of county cricket' tripe Dobell came out with a couple of days ago (in which he seriously suggested we might move early season county cricket to Spain and the Caribbean), is beyond reproach. |
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Post by flashblade on Oct 2, 2014 19:34:41 GMT
I find it difficult to take seriously the relentless criticism of George Dobell on this board. Of course you can criticise what he says, or the way that he says it, but the vehement dislike of the man that shines through in many posts on this and the old MB seems to me unnaturally harsh. I am further saddened by my belief that the onslaughts against GD have their origins in a personal falling out between him and one of our number. This constant character assassination has made this MB less attractive to me in recent weeks. PS I promise not to vent my spleen on this board against anyone I might have fallen out with - whoever was the 'guilty' party. but the utter drivel that he writes, and which illustrates everything that is wrong with modern journalism." I'd say hh's forensic analysis of this latest piece of nonsense and his rigorous deconstruction of the preposterous 'furture of county cricket' tripe Dobell came out with a couple of days ago (in which he seriously suggested we might play early season county cricket in Spain or the Caribbean, ferchrisakes), is beyond reproach. I wasn't referring specifically to this thread, but to the anti GD comments that have littered this board in recent months. It's the cumulative effect of these that I find faintly depressing. |
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Post by fraudster on Oct 2, 2014 19:46:26 GMT
It is ain't it Flash, it's an unrelenting vendetta. It's crept into all sorts of threads across this MB. Why don't you buy him a drink BM and let bygones be bygones. Personally I've found most of your musings about his work to be either something in nothing or nothing in something for a long time and only lately felt prompted to speak up. GD's work is ok, he's right more than he's wrong.
It is close season you know HH.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2014 20:47:27 GMT
On his own terms, Dobell has succeeded, of course. For as leedsgull says, he's one of life's great narcissists and all he craves is people to notice him and talk about him. Whether they're critical or not doesn't matter.
If you write sensible, considered, balanced and well-informed articles, as do most of the cricinfo crowd such as Hopps and McGlashan, everyone reads it, nods wisely and says 'just so' - but it ends there. To get talked about you have to spout trash, float outlandish notions, twist the truth and be ultra-controversial - Richard Littlejohn, Gary Bushell, Melanie Phillips... George Dobell.
Dobell is the on-line equivalent of TV's Jeremy Kyle or Jerry Springer and in that respect, he does an important job for cricinfo in raising its visibility. But it is depressing when otherwise intelligent people like fraudster take him seriously and fall for this kind of crude P.T.Barnum hucksterism.
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Post by fraudster on Oct 3, 2014 17:31:40 GMT
Otherwise intelligent? How dare you. To me BM, he's one of many cricket writers - some are better than others, I guess, I don't examine, but I'm glad they're about.
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wally
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Post by wally on Oct 4, 2014 10:32:31 GMT
Seems he was right when speculating about wells future ?
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Post by deepfineleg on Oct 4, 2014 12:37:56 GMT
I mainly know what GD has written by reading the criticisms on the board. Not sure I would continue reading articles if I had that opinion about a writer. Life's too short!
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Post by fraudster on Oct 4, 2014 18:06:49 GMT
I love to hate you.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2014 16:20:01 GMT
This Leicestershire could turn to Giles "story" is as tendentious as its title: Cricinfo "understands" that Giles "could emerge as leading candidate to coach Leicestershire". A sentence, and new par later, the story shifts: "The current power vacuum at the club could see Giles go elsewhere, though". So less than 100 words in, its already about possibilities within a world of shifting possibilities. And only four days later cricinfo today tells us that Giles is favourite for the Lancashire job, and was interviewed at Old Trafford last week, even as they were telling us that Leics could turn to him. The other leading contender for the Lancs job is reportedly Chris Adams, but he seems set to miss out. So let's start our own Sussex Unofficial Message Board scraping the barrel rumour: Leicestershire could turn to Adams "This message board understands that Adams could emerge as a leading candidate to coach Leicestershire. Other circumstances could see Adams go elsewhere, though". It's easy this journalism lark. You just make it up as you go along! The difference is this is a gossip-driven message board, the equivalent of chatting over the garden fence or in the bar of the Spen Cama, and cricinfo is supposed to be a reputable news gathering organisation - the brand leader among cricket sites on the internet, in fact. Just because it is an on-line operation should not mean it can apply lower standards of corroboration than those that apply in broadsheet print journalism or at the BBC. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2014 16:55:43 GMT
I'm beginning to know what a dead horse feels like! Do you have any corroboration for that, lm? Or is your assertion based purely on hearsay as to how a dead horse might feel in such circumstances?  |
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. But Cricinfo really should be several levels about a gossip-driven messageboard and the sober reporting of people like Hopps and McGlashan on the site is admirable. But Dobell has set himself up as the noisy, brattish bete noir of the operation and everything he writes seems to be a job application for a post on The Daily Mail, from his squirmingly embarrassing kiss-and-tell Trott interview to the kind of unsubstantiated flim-flammery you highlight above. Ugh. 
