**** The official AND ONLY 'Albion players arrested' thread ****

[severnside gull]

The sun got done for naming the landlord in the paper who it was't, I'm guessing the club have told the argus which players have got arrest. At the end of the day it would not be hard to work out which players it were as we knew the ages of them & all you have to do is go on wiki and match them up.

plenty got it wrong and have published other names so in that respect it is as well that the actual names are now known. Source is probably the police rather than the club - it was after all the pokice who publicised where the arrests were made and when and thereby laid a very clear trail for the press to follow. From their perspective it is a way of developing their PR profile.

 

[Giraffe]

I would seriously give the Argus short thrift if I was Gus and the club.

 

[Acker79]

The Sun got into trouble naming the bloke in the Joanna Yeates case, what is the difference with what the Argus have done? I can't remember what the Sun headline was, but the way the Argus front page looks, it does imply they are guilty by association.

No, they didn't get in trouble for naming him. I believe lots of articles named him as being arrested. The Sun (and the mirror) got into trouble for "extreme articles" written about him that could have prejudiced he case and pervert the course of justice. They didn't just report he was arrested, they (wrongly) painted him as guilty and as a generally unpleasant person, with articles effectively of the "they got him!" tone.

 

[Superseagull69]

I would seriously give the Argus short thrift if I was Gus and the club.

Ban them from all press conferences & ground. Who needs Naylor anyway.

 

[Acker79]

Ban them from all press conferences & ground. Who needs Naylor anyway.

And then have the argus as "an enemy" of the club in a PR 'war'?

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

It has nothing to do with guilt. Why put them in a position where they are going to be exposed to abuse? The club must look after these young lads but putting them on the pitch is only going to aggrovate the situation for them and the club.

Imagine the next Dev Squad game when a ton of paps and TV turn up to get their "stock pics" - just in case.

Yes, to a point, but its two whole months until the police will interview them again. That's a long time to put people's career on hold. But I agree that if Dunk was to run out at London Road on Saturday he would be jeered and abused every time he touched the ball. That's what football fans are like. Its a difficult one, and it has to be allowed to die down a bit first. I doubt we'll see him until February.

Thankfully Grant Hall is not involved, as was initially rumoured on Twitter yesterday. So we do have some defensive cover that is not involved in this story.

 

[chucky1973]

wrong way to look at it, but at least it only involves 1 regular 1st teamer.

 

[Arthur]

This.

And IF they are found guilty, get rid.

Well if they guilty one would assume they will go to prison which I'm pretty sure can be treated as gross misconduct so therefore we would be in our rights to sack them.

However given that £4m is a figure being batted around for Dunk alone I can't see the club wanting to pass up that sort of dosh.

It's a very big if though, I'd be very surprised if this even made it to court let alone a conviction was secured.

 

[middletoenail]

Ban them from all press conferences & ground. Who needs Naylor anyway.

It's actually Naylor I feel sorry for - This is going to make his job a nightmare, and there is no way he would have advocated the sensationalist headline.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

First up the way NSC has avoided going sordid on this is to be applauded.

As an Albion fan I've been euphoric, drunkenly delirious, nervous beyond belief, frustrated and angry - but I've never felt like this. Worse still my 6 year old lad who lives and breathes the Albion and lights up like a beam when he's at Falmer will see the Argus headline at some stage and will ask the difficult question. That said, could be worse as I could be the father of a Chelsea fan and have to spend my days explaining what John Terry has been up to this week.

There is also a certain irony in the gusto with which the Argus have splashed the story on the front page. They take glee in labelling Brighton fans as whingers and moaners, with the finger often pointing towards here. Well, there may be a bit of well intentioned griping about the little things in life like pies and queues, but when push comes to shove and on the things that really matter the fans stand square behind the club in a responsible and supportive way.

Yes the Argus had a responsibility to report the story, however they have sensationalised it beyond the responsible and the liberal use of our badge and brand on the front page is not welcome.

The players who will be wearing the stripes tomorrow will want our support and they will get it in spades - it's not about having a siege mentality or burrying our heads in the sand - it's about trusting the club to handle it in the right way.

Good post, especially re: the Argus.

 

[Sheebo]

I was disturbed to see someone on twitter saying that "loads" of Albion fans are accusing the reported victim as being an attention seeker. I haven't seen this said anywhere and hope that I never do and I responded to the tweet on that basis. I am sure everyone on here would join me in offering the same sympathies to the potential victim as to those who have been branded by the media without, at this point, having had any charges made against them. There seem to be two distinct styles of reportage - one speaks of their being interviewed in connection with an alleged sexual assault while the other talks of their being accused (presumably collectively) of assault. There is of course a world of difference between the two and it will be some time, if ever, before we learn the truth of it. There are of course rumours and versions of the supposed "truth" circulating and these will doubtless fuel the chants of opposing fans for a long while to come. I hope that Albion fans can respond with vigour but with humour and not get drawn into any form of verbal or physical aggression at matches or via internet or other media which might further harm our club's reputation.

Still proud to be a Seagull

Certainly not seen or heard any name calling of attention seeker and untill we know the truth nobody should call ALLEGED victims names like that.

As for the highlighted bit f*** NO! Untill I hear the truth and some facts I will not be harsh nor sympathetic towards anyone of the 6 accused OR the ALLEGED victim...

 

[fozzie's paper boy]

I'd just like to say a mighty well done to Bozza, On The Left Wing and the moderators for the sensitive and sensible way that this has been handled on NSC. Some mighty tough calls correctly made IMHO.

Take a bow all concerned

This.

 

[Superseagull69]

And then have the argus as "an enemy" of the club in a PR 'war'?

Hardly call them a "friend" of the club judging by todays headline.

 

[fly high]

Yes, to a point, but its two whole months until the police will interview them again. That's a long time to put people's career on hold. But I agree that if Dunk was to run out at London Road on Saturday he would be jeered and abused every time he touched the ball. That's what football fans are like. Its a difficult one, and it has to be allowed to die down a bit first. I doubt we'll see him until February.

Thankfully Grant Hall is not involved, as was initially rumoured on Twitter yesterday. So we do have some defensive cover that is not involved in this story.

I remember when Peter Shilton got caught in the back of a mini with a woman who was not his wife (I know, how did he fit in it?) was still getting stick from the North Stand long after it happened.

 

[Philzo-93]

wrong way to look at it, but at least it only involves 1 regular 1st teamer.

He won't be sold now subject to speculation...guessing his predecessor may come back for Posh?!

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

But they are no more than that at this stage ... allegations!

They could be made against anyone at any time, without there being a shred of truth in them, and the problem is how that will inevitably lead to a strain on someones charater regardless of what happens now.

At the moment I feel VERY sorry for those players, BUT, if guilt is proved, my feelings will change rather dramatically. For now though, they are absolutely INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY. We do get that right in this country at least, even if we don't protect those who are accused on that basis.

Back on your A game Gritty!

 

[symyjym]

It’s good that the players were named quickly because we couldn’t go out and play if all the team were under suspicion.

Whether innocent or guilty, not one of the players involved will be mentally focused enough to perform and should not be selected for the team until further notice.
At least we can now concentrate with the job in hand and put this PR disaster behind us.

I do wonder if the club had advance warning of the arrests and therefore affected our ability to play at Wrexham. The bobbly pitch didn’t seem a good excuse for an awful performance but advance notice of this event would have certainly affected our game.

 

[Nathan]

It's actually Naylor I feel sorry for - This is going to make his job a nightmare, and there is no way he would have advocated the sensationalist headline.

Unless it was approved by the club. The club yesterday must have been aware of the names going around on twitter, and might have thought to get the 'facts' out in the open to stop the speculation.

 

[Sonic]

The fact of the matter is that these 6 men have been arrested on suspicion of the offence. If the Police are unable to determine which (if any) of them are responsible, they have to arrest all of them if they have been identified as possible suspects. Crimes often have a list of suspects, many or all of which are later eliminated following enquiries. This is one possible outcome on this occasion, which is why the sensationalism by the Argus is so wrong. I only hope that if any or all of them are found to be innocent (as I hope is the case), that the Argus print their names in the same size lettering on the front page as they have today, with INNOCENT as the headline, and a full apology for any distress which has been caused as a result of the paper's irresponsible actions.

 

[Superseagull69]

The fact of the matter is that these 6 men have been arrested on suspicion of the offence. If the Police are unable to determine which (if any) of them are responsible, they have to arrest all of them if they have been identified as possible suspects. Crimes often have a list of suspects, many or all of which are later eliminated following enquiries. This is one possible outcome on this occasion, which is why the sensationalism by the Argus is so wrong. I only hope that if any or all of them are found to be innocent (as I hope is the case), that the Argus print their names in the same size lettering on the front page as they have today, with INNOCENT as the headline, and a full apology for any distress which has been caused as a result of the paper's irresponsible actions.

That would be the Honest & correct thing to do. So dont expect to see that happening in the Argus