LAST week two things of note occurred surrounding Swindon Town Football Club. Firstly, football’s worst kept secret was outed as former player Martin Ling was unveiled as new full-time manager. Secondly, and perhaps much more so under the radar, Martin Ling’s Twitter account was deactivated from the social media platform.
It is no secret that in the world of sport social media can be the devil in digital form. Many personalities have fell foul to its perils, metaphorically tripping themselves up online for all the world to see.
Just ask Sir Ian Botham who, in August 2014, tweeted a image of male genitalia. Botham later attributed this to a ‘hacker’, but not before the hashtag #middlestump had taken off online. Or perhaps ask Wayne Rooney who, in his more naive days, chose to rise to the provocation of one tweeter and tell him he would ‘put u asleep within 10 seconds u little girl’… only to mistakenly address the tweet to himself.
Sporting stars, celebrities, the media – anyone who presses the ‘tweet’ button do so knowing their content is being published into the public domain, to be instantly immortalised. In the digital age there is nowhere to hide. The deleting of a tweet, Facebook or Instagram post is redundant when already seen by thousands. They are saved, redistributed, and heavily scrutinised within seconds.
When mishandled, social media can be PR nightmare, a one-way ticket to humiliationsville or a table for one to dine on freshly served humble pie.
But, when managed correctly, social media can be the perfect mechanism through which high profile personnel can interact with their fans and supporters, giving an added interpersonal element of what is otherwise an very insular world – particularly in the case of sport.
On the day of his announcement as Swindon Town manager, the Twitter handle of Martin Ling was hot property, akin to an endlessly ringing telephone swamped with voicemail messages of congratulations.
The football world took their turns on congratulating Ling on his return to management. Stan Collymore, Michael Calvin, Manish Bhasin and Fraser Digby to name but a few, all sent tweets direct to the new Robins chief.
Search for that same ‘@MartinLingy’ handle now however, and all you shall find is a default page abruptly informing you that ‘this user does not exist’.
It is unknown whether the removal of the Twitter account was a personal decision taken by Ling, or rather one instructed by the club itself. Although, with a large portion of the Swindon Town squad regular users of the social media platform, the latter seems unlikely.
It may have been a collaborative suggestion of the club along with Ling’s personal decision to put an end to his Twitter days, and if so this is an action which must be respected. But is it necessarily a bad thing for football managers to conduct themselves openly on a social media platform?
Prior to his appointment at the Swindon Town helm, Ling’s Twitter profile was a semi-regular feed of personal, and very genuine, contributions – ranging from pictures of young family members helping out with the decorating at home, to short and sweet anecdotes about a relaxing holiday.
Content of which gave a real feel for the personality of Ling and how he conducts himself on a daily basis – a fine example of how social media can be used to allow others a glimpse into a very customary and conventional life, which is perhaps otherwise envisaged in a much more glamorised way.
After overcoming a turbulent period in a battle with mental health, Ling’s Twitter exit may be the signal of a ‘all hands on deck approach’ mentality. No time for social media when the task at hand with Swindon Town is so sizeable. Again, this would be a very reasonable decision.
But there are however countless examples of football managers who regularly take to Twitter to post their thoughts and interact with the fan base. Ronald Koeman, Garry Monk, Marc Wilmots, Paul Clement and even three times Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti are all owners of personal Twitter accounts.
Admittedly, it is glaringly obvious in some cases when generic content is pumped out with a robotic whirr, spouting sponsorship information while constantly being updated by a small team of PR minions. But, in some cases, very genuine material prevails, with managers responding to the queries of fans, interacting with the pages of supporters’ clubs, or offering entertaining musings about their days off work.
https://web.archive.org/web/20160417192856/https://twitter.com/MrAncelotti/status/632091850401271808
Former AC Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is keen to share with the world a little snippet of his fishing explorations
https://web.archive.org/web/20160417192856/https://twitter.com/GarryMonk16/status/633696363751022592
Swansea boss Garry Monk chose to share a family day out with fans and the world of social media
Southampton boss Ronald Koeman took to Twitter to share his true feelings regarding his team’s performance on the day.
Perhaps some traditionalists may say social media is no place for a football manager, though the previous examples highlight clearly how a little uncensored and unrestricted access breath a refreshing air into an industry which is otherwise as accessible as Fort Knox.
When considered that some football clubs choose to cooperate with local media only when absolutely necessary, perhaps contact from the inside can be no bad thing at all.
Fans are the lifeblood of any footballing institution. They want access because they care, passionately. It is good to see some football managers and their respective clubs grasping this concept, and here’s hoping it may long continue.