Debate: Should Manchester United turn to Twitter following media snub?
Following Manchester United's blanket media snub, should manager Sir Alex Ferguson turn to Twitter to let the club's fans know his thoughts. The Drum asks some media experts for their opinion.
Ferguson hasn't spoken to the BBC since 2004 and even refused to speak to the clubs own MUTV channel after last weekends game against Liverpool.
With media rights holders up in arms over the clubs silence, The Drum called on some expert views to ask whether Ferguson should use Twitter to channel his media responsibilities.
YES
“Fergie is a man of few words so 140 characters would suit him well. The worst thing about his media blackout is that the fans feel shunned and he needs them onside. If he had taken to Twitter on Sunday to acknowledge ‘Bad game. No excuses,’ the club/fan relationship would have been strengthened. He should #followferdy for some tips.”
Lee Beattie, director at Wire Media
“Yes. I'm sure @hairdryer is available? No BBC reporters casting aspersions on his sons' activities. They can 'follow' but they can also shut the f**k up. Be one of those Twitter accounts with 50,000 Followers but Fergie only follows the Glazers. Oh, and one or two racecourses and trainers. He will need a few specialist hashtags: #crapreferee, #nopenalties4visitors, #dontmentionroykeane.”
Jeremy Dent, digital marketing specialist and blogger
“Yes. It would bring clarity to his words and he wouldn’t be able to waffle on past 140 characters.”
Al Mackin, MD at The E-Word
“Haven’t we seen this all before? Like Lord Lucan before him, Alex Ferguson uses his ‘blunt instrument’ to ‘off’, in this case, officials. And like that mysterious Earl, has faded into the abyss. But now Alex is off to Twitter to get his well-deserved ‘freedom of speech’. I can see it now: ‘That’s absolute bollocks, that. Absolute nonsense #refereesagainstunited’”
Patrick Kavanagh, head of sponsorship and experiential marketing at Banana Kick
Yes, if he can and will give something unique to the fans
Sir Alex is an incredible manager, (disclosure: I’m an Arsenal fan).
It strikes me that he looks on the media in general as a necessary evil. However, if he did tweet, he could get his exact message out there for the record and in record time. I’d welcome it, although doubt he’d interact much with his true fans or answer/show his sense of humour/clarify much further (love to be proven wrong though). I’m sure his fans would be really proud to have that more personal connection with him.
I think the media image he creates for himself is deliberate, in order for him to get across what he wants at key times (ref/linesman rants, injury subterfuges, statements to needle rival managers), and he’d realise that anything tweeted to fans will be interpreted and reinterpreted by the media to form their next story in any case. I’m unsure of what he’d want to/be able to add to this via Twitter.
Does he like typing or have the inclination? Perhaps he’d be more of an Audioboo man in any case?
Simon Alexander, associate director of MediaVest Manchester
NO
“Alex Ferguson is already facing a charge for improper conduct, so Twitter isn’t the best forum for him now. There is a precedence for people to get sued for angry libellous Tweets and there are 100s of active journalists on the network. Just look at the trouble Kevin Pietersen has got himself into on Twitter.”
Matt Anderson, commercial director at Montage Communications
“No. Charlie Sheen proved turning to Twitter can be very lucrative, but I don't know if this approach would work for Sir Alex. He has a responsibility to respond to media companies that work with United, and after all - if he makes a faux pas on his own Twitter account, he only has himself to blame.”
Tom Cleeland, founder of The Cool Commentator
What do you think? Comment below