'Judas' Bascombe

I've still been catching up on last weeks news after returning from holiday, and found this piece of shocking news that appears to have gone unnoticed on here.

Chris Bascombe, chief sports writer for the Liverpool Echo, is off to join the News Of The World. That's right, News Of The World, The Sun on Sunday.

I cannot comprehend how anyone who is a fan of this club could do such a thing. In his shoes it wouldn't matter how much money I was offered I could not work for that rag.

This is what he has to say for himself:

LIVERPOOL likes to describe itself as a radical city, but it isn't.

Conservativism thrives here.

Not the party political right wing stereotype of Thatcherism. This is more an entrenched belief in the permanent righteousness of the past. Preferences and dislikes have been set in an imaginary stone by our unofficial ministers of truth. Their scouse law dictates which city, football clubs, comedians, musicians, politicians and writers are to be loved and hated. It's a mentality which - taken to the extreme - effectively ensures future generations have no free will on a whole range of issues. They must accept what the superscouse superiors say or be damned.

Those who try to challenge this lack of logic or find virtue in change are ridiculed, accused of betrayal or, in some cases, threatened.

I've always thought of myself as of a more liberal mind, and I'd say I belong to a generation of scousers proud of this city's past, aching to see it advance, but more often than not frustrated.

Some of us are fortunate enough to be in a position to try to demand such change, often with very limited success. This brings responsibility, certainly in a job such as the one I'm giving up, but you hope the people who inspired you along the way mean you get more right than wrong.

You get influenced by your heroes and, until a certain age, believe everything they say is right. Mine were Brian Reade, Mrs Fay (my sociology teacher at SFX), Roddy Frame and my parents. They still are.

As you get older, more aware of yourself and the city around you, you finally settle on a set of beliefs which you're comfortable with. The heroic voices become guides from memory rather than the absolute reference points for all knowledge. That's where I am now and have been for many years. Aware enough to hear and understand different points of view, but experienced and intelligent enough to recognise in life, nothing is ever black or white.

Eighteen years ago, my absolute faith in everything 'scouse' was probably embarrassing. To call it parochialism would be generous, but it bordered on regional prejudice. The years have sorted me out, and I can now put much of what I said, did or wrote down to immaturity. Having the good fortune to go to University in Liverpool and later Cornwall College for my post-grad journalism course - where none of my best friends were scousers and some were, shock horror, cockneys and Mancs - brought more wisdom than any books or lectures.

That said, put me in bar down south with a load of cockneys wearing Harry Enfield wigs today (even worse when they wearing Liverpool shirts), and my temperature still makes my face beetroot red. I'm consistently appalled by how our city and its people are misrepresented across the country. Nothing angers me more. That's one of the reasons I became a journalist and it remains the case.

But the rose-tinted spectacles also went a long time ago. The more I've travelled, the more examples I've seen of people who claim to be 'our own' degrading our reputation, and making me want to avoid places where I know the wrong type will be. The 'conservatives' never like to dwell on this, of course.

There are those who insist to magnify our blemishes is an act of treason. Dare to mention the Munich chants at Old Trafford as I did last season, and you're hit with 'what about their Heysel songs?' as if responding to toe-rags by acting like one is a justification. My response to that argument was always the same. It's not my job to investigate the Mancunian psyche. It doesn't embarrass me, my friends or family.

There are times I've lost faith with being a Liverpool lad, but only for a millisecond. I'm swiftly pulled back in by the honesty, generosity and humanity of my friends, family, and hundreds of others I may have only met briefly but whose company is a permanent reminder of where I'm from and why I'll never forget it.

It's those people and the thousands I've never met but I know are out there who I've always considered my audience during my time at the Liverpool ECHO.

The overwhelming majority of people in Liverpool are intelligent; thoughtful; generous of heart and spirit, and of like mind. They just get out-shouted a lot by our mob or out-manoeuvred by the more incompetent of our politicians or civic leaders.

The biggest compliments I've ever enjoyed as an ECHO writer have come from strangers who've said 'you write how I think'.

Now I'm leaving the ECHO, I don't see why such people will feel any differently. I guess it's those people, if they're concerned about where I'm heading next, I'm addressing now.

I've spoken to other sports editors from national newspapers in the past, all of whom asked me how I'd change my approach to the job. The blank, or perhaps it was hostile look, I gave them may explain why offers never materialised.

When the News of the World asked me to write for them, it was made clear they wanted to me to do the same job I've been doing for ten years but even better. That's what I intend to do.

I don't need to justify my decision, but for those peddling falsehoods since the shock news a tabloid football reporter has decided to join another tabloid newspaper, I'll say this. It's not a question of conscience. The News of the World is not The Sun, never has been and never will be. There's never been a Merseyside boycott of the News of the World. Liverpool Football Club has never changed its policy of co-operation with the News of the World.

At Anfield, it's treated the same as every other national newspaper, except one.

I won't be working in an office in London alongside Sun journalists. I'll be working on Merseyside doing my damned hardest to beating them to stories, the same way I've always done.

Will they use my best interviews and exclusives a day after they've appeared in the News of the World? I hope so. They've done so with every ECHO interview and exclusive story in the last ten years, so why should anyone care if that changes now? It will mean my articles are worth stealing. Every paper and website does it, not just The Sun.

The fact The Sun has no Sunday paper does not mean it's The Sun on Sunday, in the same way the The Sunday People has no equivalent daily paper. It's a different paper run by the same organisation, just like The Times, SKY TV and hundreds of other media outlets.

I've been working for the Liverpool ECHO, and no-one's ever said I'm effectively a Daily Post reporter too. These papers are far more connected in terms of commercial crossover and advertising, but I never heard anyone claim the Post is the Morning ECHO, or the ECHO is the Evening Post.

I'm joining a newspaper which is read by around 3 million people a week, which I thought might please those who think there's an anti-Merseyside agenda in the national Press.

Instead of sitting on the sidelines spitting venom at how unjust the treatment of Merseyside is, there's an opportunity to focus on the positives.

The editor is a scouser, the new chief football writer is a scouser, and contrary to ten years of internet lies, so am I.

Of course, the conservatives won't like this. Far better to have something to despise and hate for the next 100 years rather than embrace the possibility of making a newspaper they don't like better in the short-term, even if it's just a miniscule percentage because an unknown local sports reporter has signed up.

To those people (on other sites) who've condemned my decision, issued threats and written lies about my situation, I say thank you. In attempting to damage a reputation without having the decency to check your facts, or approach me for an explanation of my decision, you've behaved like the gutter journalists you claim to be on a moral crusade against.

The difference is, journalists have to put their names and a point of contact behind their allegations rather than hide behind alter-egos or pseudonyms.

You've reinforced the belief I've had from day one that this was the right move because if I'd ever thought I'd worked for you for the last ten years, and owed some weird debt to do so for the next 30, I'd give up on the spot.

For different reasons, I also thank those who've responded on my behalf or jumped to my defence. I hope you'll continue to read my work, but if you don't want to, that's up to you.

Will I look at myself in the mirror with comfort when I start my new job? You can count on it.

Most importantly, the people who are closest to me - friends, family and work colleagues past and future - have all looked me in the eye and told me I'm absolutely doing the right thing. Three of my heroes were the first to congratulate me and tell me I'd earned my opportunity.

The fundamental decency which runs through their core means no-one will convince me otherwise.

My response? F**k off Bascombe, NOTW IS the Sunday Sun, and no matter how you dress it up you are a traitorous b***ard who has pissed all over the memory of 96 dead Liverpool fans just as Kelvin McKenzie did 18 years ago. How many promotions do you see where you have to collect tokens from The Sun AND News Of The World? How many celebrity's biography's are serialised in the NOTW followed by the passage 'continued in tomorrows Sun'? The two papers are undeniably linked and there is no talking your way out of it. I used to love reading your articles, I used to think 'here's a rarity, a journo who's on the same level as us fans'. It was all a fallacy, you're just a sell out like the rest, and you should be ashamed to call yourself a Liverpool supporter.

Enjoy your 20 pieces of silver.

Noticed this had slipped by and didn't get round to posting a thread.

Not an ideal situation but then he isn't a representative or employee of the club is he?

There is no boycott of the NOTW either despite its close links to The Scum.  It depends how wide you want to throw the net - most people on here watch Sky TV, or have listened to Talk Sport for instance?

Not overly bothered about Bascombe - he's just a hack after all - what concerns me more was the suggestion that Jamie Carragher was going to get a column in the paper. 

Now that - if true - is a step too far.

I haven't even bothered to read his excuse.  He is nothing less than a disgrace.  Surely being a reporter he was fully aware of the Sun.

Anyone that reads the Sun CANNOT call themselves a Liverpool fan.  Nevermind being on the payroll for the dirty F***ing rags.

Let him count his silver at the end of his career.  I haven't got time for sell outs.

I know there is no official boycott of the NOTW, but the majority of Liverpool fans do choose to boycott it. As I said before, however anyone tries to dress it up there is an undeniable link between the two papers, all the promotions & stories they run jointly, and all the advertising they do for each other. It would be absolutely ridiculous to start boycotting Sky, Talksport and the rest of Murdoch's companies, but how many of them actively advertise & collaberate with The Sun?

Bascombe may not have been an employee of the club, but I would argue that for many he did represent the club on some level. I myself subscribed to the theory 'you want the truth about Liverpool FC, read Bascombe's column' and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Most of all he is supposed to be a fan. As previously stated in his shoes I can guarantee I would not take the job, I would feel like a traitor if I did.

 

I used to really enjoy his articles. There's been many times I've found myself nodding in agreement whilst reading his views. That's all in the past now, because I'll never go near that paper.
I haven't read all of the above article Eddie, because there's nothing he can say to justify or cover up his reasons for working for that rag.
It's a big let down but at the end of the day, he worked for The Echo and not LFC.

Absolutely disgusted, how can any fan do such a thing?

I have to admit I wasn't aware of the boycott before joining another forum two years ago, but then I'm not from Liverpool. From what I have been told everyone in Liverpool knows about the boycott, and I'm sure Chris Bascombe definately knows. This is down to pure & simple greed

Personally I choose not to buy the NOTW.  Bascombe was close to the club, but don't be fooled this was because of his unique personality.  He is the journalist most closely allied to the club with the local paper.  That's all.

He will be replaced and the new guy/gal will gain the same level of a relationship.

I would strongly suggest that all current players distance themselves from Chris Bascombe who had no doubt been given the job to attempt to undermine the Liverpool supporters anti-Sun campaign.

I would strongly suggest that all current players distance themselves from Chris Bascombe who had no doubt been given the job to attempt to undermine the Liverpool supporters anti-S*n campaign.

Well, this is it. He's obviously the most well known journalists to the players and the club. And they must distance themselves from him for sure. There's bound to be some mixed views from a lot of our fans on this subject. Some will be more upset than others. But the best option for the players and staff is cut their ties from Bascombe now. It will only end in tears if not....

Let's hope his replacement is even better than he was! Bascombe who?

can not believe it.used to love reading him in the echo he always talked sense and was on the same level as the fans but now he's sold out.how can he say that rag isn't the same as the notw, the pr**k.he's sh*t on the club and those 96 fans. JFT96     

There's another thing I can't understand about Bascombe here. After reading the first paragraph of his article:

LIVERPOOL likes to describe itself as a radical city, but it isn't.

Conservativism thrives here.

Not the party political right wing stereotype of Thatcherism. This is more an entrenched belief in the permanent righteousness of the past. Preferences and dislikes have been set in an imaginary stone by our unofficial ministers of truth. Their scouse law dictates which city, football clubs, comedians, musicians, politicians and writers are to be loved and hated. It's a mentality which - taken to the extreme - effectively ensures future generations have no free will on a whole range of issues. They must accept what the superscouse superiors say or be damned.


Seems to me like he's trying to soften the blow to some and trying to make an excuse to others by starting off with that.

Soften the blow to those who grasped on his every word and seen him as a leader for their own opinions. Those that will agree with first paragraph.

Making an excuse to those that have understood what he's said in the past but have an opinion of their own. Those that don't necessarily agree with that first paragraph.

I for one think that first paragraph is a harsh view on Liverpool as a city. It's stereotype in a desperate way. True there's a lot of family core and ways of Liverpool people. But everyone is an individual and that's how we get our character as scousers. There isn't some scouse law of what dictates which city, comedians, musicians, politicians, writers and certainly football clubs that are to be loved or hated for me, and I'm sure for many other scousers!!!!

To quote "They must accept what the superscouse superiors say or be damned". Are you talking about us all, or just yourself Chris....?

Looks like to me he must think of this as a move to the London press as a step nearer to TV work maybe and appearing on the likes of Chinny Hills Sunday whatever its called.

Must admit, I never read match reports on Liverpool and I never buy the Echo nor watch any football programmes with journo's sounding off their opinions. So it's no great loss for me personally. I see paying 30 odd quid to get in I prefer to trust what my own eyes saw rather than read someone else's. But that's just me.

Could have made better career choices for himself though.

I'm really disappointed with this, I use to love reading his articles on the web, he wrote what he thought and spoke for many fans, but he's decided that he would take the money rather than speak for the fans, no doubt that NOTW will try to make the anti-S*n boycott sound like a load of trash by hiring a scouser whose a LFC fan.
But I sincerely hope for all the players an staff at LFC sakes they cut off all ties with Bascombe now, he will undoubtedly try to get interviews with any of them.
But at the end of the day he has taken the money and allowed that to overrule his principles.

The prospect of more money had appealed to bascombe. Although there is no official boycott of the NOTW, I choose to not reading it because of the clear link at least in commercial terms with the other one, but that is a question of personal choice.

I find it strange that if he thinks that he is making the right decision, he has to wrote a whole article on the subject, if he thinks that fans opinions have a no say in the matter, why does he have the needs to try to convince the fans that he is right, sounds to me that he is trying more to convince himself and look for reassurance everywhere he can, the last paragraph says it all.

His description of the city and scousers on his first paragraph is inaccurate and sounds again like someone who needs to convince himself he has done the right thing, his greed also reveal when he stated that he missed opportunities because of what he called "conservationism". He said that he dosent need to justify himself but still wrote a whole article doing exactly that.

The fact that the editor and that the chief football writer are both scousers is irrelevant here, he is missing the point.

It is disappointing that someone like bascombe who is a great writer choose to change his belief and go for the money, because that is what is all about isn't Chris? not for the news, not for the fans but for the money.

Let me first clarify my position in the 'Don't buy the S*n' debate.

Before Hillsborough I didn't buy the S*n anyway.  I always thought it was a crap paper.  When I challenged people who did read it they nearly always said it was for the Sports Write-ups.  The half naked girl on page 3 never had anything to do with it.

After Hillsborough my distaste for this 'newspaper' turned to loathing - no, let me rephrase that, out and out hatred.  They had libelled the 96 dead, their families, the Liverpool fans and in fact all the people of Merseyside.  Initially I would have nothing to do with all things Murdoch, but particularly the S*n and the scumbag Kelvin MacKenzie, the arch perpetrator of the lies and contempt showered on the people of our city.  To this day I obviously will not knowingly have anything to do with the S*n or any enterprise in which the rat MacKenzie is involved.  His recent admission that he only apologized because Murdoch told him to confirmed my opinion that he has a deep seated hatred of Liverpool and all thing related thereto.  The fact that Murdoch made him apologize moved Murdoch up in my estimation.

The problem is where do you draw the line.  All Murdoch enterprises?  Don't watch Liverpool on Sky?  Sky afterall often quotes articles from the S*n.  Don't watch Liverpool because they take Sky money via the Premier league?  Don't read other papers in the Murdoch stable such as the News of the World or the Times?  Are Fox and the Simpsons off limit? Would it have been OK if Bascombe was writing for the Times or reporting on Sky Sports/News?

I've drawn my line at MacKenzie and the S*n.  I won't, however, be buying the News of the World, not because of its relationship with the S*n but because it is also a crap newspaper.  I do like Bascombe's articles and do agree with a lot of what he says.  This isn't going to change just because he's writing for the News of the World.  It's just a shame I won't get to read them anymore.  Now he is going to bring decent reports on Liverpool to a bigger audience and maybe counterbalance the London/Man U bias I read in most national newspapers.  In this I wish him well.     

Oldred, I completely echo your comments in their entirety.

Exactly my feelings. 

For me I draw the line at the sun and NOTW. I understand that the list could go on & on to the point we ended up boycotting anything involving Murdoch, but to me the two papers are inexplicably linked. The concern I have is that more impressionable fans will follow Bascombe to the NOTW, see a story they like that is 'to be continued in tomorrow's Sun' or start collecting vouchers for a promotion & then end up buying The Sun to get the rest of the vouchers. I really do feel that this move by Bascombe could end up seriously undermining the boycott of The Sun, and as Cy said  he obviously has the same concerns himself or he wouldn't feel the need to justify himself.

For me I draw the line at the S*n and NOTW. I understand that the list could go on & on to the point we ended up boycotting anything involving Murdoch, but to me the two papers are inexplicably linked. The concern I have is that more impressionable fans will follow Bascombe to the NOTW, see a story they like that is 'to be continued in tomorrow's S*n' or start collecting vouchers for a promotion & then end up buying The S*n to get the rest of the vouchers. I really do feel that this move by Bascombe could end up seriously undermining the boycott of The S*n, and as Cy said  he obviously has the same concerns himself or he wouldn't feel the need to justify himself.

Eddie, I don't think any true Liverpool fan would lower themselves to have anything to do with the S*n or the NOTW no matter what.  I'm a fan of the Reds not Chris Bascombe, no matter how good a report he's written.  I for one will continue my boycott 

I'm sure the majority of fans have enough sense not to, but as I said some of us are more impressionable than others, and in my eyes if Bascombes move results in just one person reading that rag then it has been a bad move.

For me I draw the line at the S*n and NOTW. I understand that the list could go on & on to the point we ended up boycotting anything involving Murdoch, but to me the two papers are inexplicably linked. The concern I have is that more impressionable fans will follow Bascombe to the NOTW, see a story they like that is 'to be continued in tomorrow's S*n' or start collecting vouchers for a promotion & then end up buying The S*n to get the rest of the vouchers. I really do feel that this move by Bascombe could end up seriously undermining the boycott of The S*n, and as Cy said  he obviously has the same concerns himself or he wouldn't feel the need to justify himself.

Eddie I totally respect your position.  I don't think our feelings differ much and it's just a personal judgement as to where to draw the line.  I understand your concern in the links between the S*n and the News of the World and the threat this could pose to the boycott of the S*n.  I have greater concerns in the link up between Sky and the S*n.  Sky is probably accessed more by younger people than the News of the World.  With their frequent references to articles in the S*n I think this is a greater danger of spreading the appeal of this stinking rag.  The problem is they are all part of the same media empire so this cross pollination is inevitable.   

All I think we can do is continue to spread the word which you and others have done admirably to date and which has eanabled me to print out articles for people to read and understand my passion in this matter. 

I also think would be a great step forward is if we could get one of ours into the Sky reporting team to counteract the misconceptions pedalled by Andy Gray and his mates.  But that, as they say, is another subject.   

I also think would be a great step forward is if we could get one of ours into the Sky reporting team to counteract the misconceptions pedalled by Andy Gray and his mates.  But that, as they say, is another subject.  

We've got Jamie Redknapp, but he still seems to be in awe of Gray & co, and doesn't dare to disagree with them. Maybe in the future he might get some balls & start sticking up for the club a bit more, who knows?

I understand that Sky features reports from The Sun a lot, but the NOTW actively encourages readers to buy The Sun, something which Sky doesn't do. Sky will never report half a story then tell you to buy The Sun to get the rest of the story, NOTW does. Similarly Sky doesn't start promotions then tell you to collect the tokens required from The Sun, again NOTW does. It is this active encouragement to buy The Sun that is my problem, which is why for me NOTW falls under the boycott too.

I sort of disagree with this...but then nothing new for me, I suppose.

I'm from the oldskool of thinking...you use who you can to get to the top...Bascombe is doing just that. 

I never read the NOTW anyway.

I also quite like Andy Gray and Co on Skysports, they all seem to be against the Pool, which just makes it more passionate for me...to stick one up them !

Have to say, I was driving past Knowsley Industrial Estate this morning, along Knowsley Rd. And what did I see? A great big factory with the massive words The Scum on one side and on the other side? News Of The World. Anyone else been past there? First time I've seen it.

See he was doing the 'analysing' with Radio Merseyside on today's game.

Anybody ring in and ask him any tricky questions?