I had a really interesting conversation tonight with Ronaldo from the 101greatgoals.com web site. I interviewed him for the next EPL Talk Podcast
, which you will hear this Sunday as part of a special holiday edition. Other interview guests on the show will include Graham Bell from The 2 G’s, Phil McThomas from Soccer Shout, and John Nicholson from Football365.

The conversation with Ronaldo touched on the general feeling that the Premier League, clubs and even the press are out of touch with football fans — and that the best way to hear the voice of supporters is via independent sites on the web, where fans can more easily share their honest feedback and debate key issues.

There are many stories about football that aren’t given the weight they deserve. Why, for example, did we have to read countless stories about Ashley Cole and his clash against Arsenal when there are stories that could have mammoth consequences on the game of football such as this one (that Ronaldo brought to my attention) about a court case involving the recent World Cup Final? To me, the fascinating article reminds me of a investigative report similar to what happened at Dealey Plaza when JFK was shot and killed.

When I searched Google to see what other news organizations wrote about the court case, I found that only one other media group covered the story and that was News24 from South Africa.

During the interview with Ronaldo I brought up the story about the British press succumbing to pressure to interview Jose Mourinho only if, per Chelsea, the press would publish a sidebar article about Chelsea’s charity work. The Daily Mirror, quite rightly so, refused to interview Mourinho on those terms.

Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest through the trees, but what for you have been massive stories that have been surprisingly glossed over by the press about what’s really happening in football? And what do independent blogs and podcasts, in general, bring to your attention about football that the mainstream press is ignoring? And do you feel that the British press is “in bed” with the Premier League?