A magazine about English football culture and its media narratives. The issue explores how the press turns matches, players and clubs into stories. It covers topics like the media game behind football, the hype around young talents, blame narratives directed at individual players, and the recurring 'coming home' expectation. The text references specific media outlets, headlines and players…
This is issue 4 of Remontada, an English football culture magazine. It is for readers interested in how the media shapes the stories around football matches, players and clubs. The issue examines the narrative machinery that operates beyond the pitch.
The upfront section introduces the concept of the media game. It argues that a match becomes a story with characters, heroes and villains once the final whistle blows. The 1998 World Cup match between England and Argentina is used as an example of how one moment, David Beckham's red card, came to define the entire event.
The feature 'The Game Behind the Game' explores how clubs acquire media identities such as giant, underdog or money club. It traces Manchester City's shift from a local club to a sleeping giant to a money club. The same section shows how players are cast into roles like star, prodigy, flop or saviour, with Raheem Sterling as a case study of media criticism extending beyond football.
'The Next Big Thing' examines how outlets like The Daily Mail and BBC Sport frame young players as successors to past stars. It discusses the labelling of teenagers as wonderkids or generational talents, and follows Jude Bellingham's trajectory from national saviour to scapegoat during Euro 2024. A study from Applied Economics on the overvaluation of English players is also referenced.
'The Man They Blamed' focuses on David Beckham's transformation from culprit to hero. It details how The Mirror's '10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy' headline blamed Beckham for England's 1998 loss, despite multiple contributing factors. The Guardian's 2001 headline 'the saving grace amid the mess' shows how the same player was later recast as a heroic saviour after his free-kick against Greece.