The Shill Effect

[Steveo]

Marketing agencies and PR firms 'do' engage in "reputation management" which can look exactly like the following.

A paid shill (or "astroturfer") does not enter a forum sounding like a press release. That is too obvious. To be effective, they must mimic the behaviour of a "Top Red" or "Legacy Fan" - someone who claims to be rational, experienced, and superior to the "hysterical" mob.

Here is the anatomy of how a club-incentivised shill operates during a crisis.

Phase 1: The Persona (The "Real Fan")

They will not join and immediately defend the owner. They will spend the first few weeks building "street cred."

The Backstory: They often claim to be an older fan. They will reference going to games in the 80s or 90s when the team was *truly* bad.


The Tone: Condescendingly calm. While everyone else is angry, they are the "voice of reason." They frame anger as immaturity.

The Setup: They will post in non-controversial threads (kit discussions, ticket news) to look normal before entering the war zone of the "Sack the Manager" threads.

Phase 2: Protecting the Manager (The "Careful What You Wish For" Strategy)

If the manager is under threat, the shill does not argue that the team is playing well (because they can't - everyone has eyes). Instead, they argue that 'change is dangerous'.

Their Talking Points:

1. The "Grass is Greener" Fallacy: They will aggressively list managers who failed elsewhere. "You want Potter? Look at Chelsea. You want Conte? He destroys clubs." They try to convince the forum that there are no good alternatives.

2. The "Transition" Narrative: They will insist that the bad results are actually part of a long-term plan that fans are too stupid to see. "He's clearing out the deadwood. It has to get worse before it gets better. Trust the process."

3. Blame the Players: A shill often deflects heat from the manager by scapegoating specific players (usually ones the club is planning to sell anyway). "Pep couldn't win with this defence. It's not the manager's fault Trent/Virgil/etc. aren't running."

4. Weaponised Nostalgia: "Do you remember the Roy Hodgson days? You don't know how good we have it. Stop crying."

Phase 3: Protecting the Owners/Club (The "Sustainability" Shield)

If the anger turns toward the boardroom (FSG/Glazers/Levy), the shill shifts to financial fear-mongering.

Their Talking Points:

1. The Bankruptcy Threat: The ultimate silencer. "Do you want us to end up like Everton or Portsmouth? Getting a 10-point deduction? Be thankful the owners are prudent."

2. Net Spend Accounting: They will obsess over spreadsheets. If the club didn't buy a striker, they will write 500-word posts explaining amortisation and PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) to "prove" the club literally couldn't spend a penny.

3. Whataboutism: "Look at City with their 115 charges. I'd rather win nothing and keep our soul than cheat." (This distracts from the fact the club might just be being stingy).

4. "FIFA Kid" Insults: Anyone who wants a transfer is labelled a child who plays too many video games. "This isn't FIFA, you can't just buy Mbappe. Grow up."

Phase 4: Disruption Tactics (How they kill a thread)

If a thread criticising the club gets too popular, the shill's job is to derail it so the conversation loses focus.

The Pivot. They will pick on one tiny factual error in a critic’s post and argue about that for 10 pages, ignoring the main point.

The Moral High Ground: They will accuse angry fans of not being "true supporters." "Support the team through thick and thin. If you abuse the manager, you're not a fan."

Gaslighting: "I was at the game and the atmosphere was actually great, the boos were just a minority on Twitter."

Summary: The "Shill" Bingo Card

If you see a user who checks these boxes, be suspicious:

* Never criticises the owners, ever.
* Uses the word "Sustainable" or "Prudent" constantly.
* Calls other fans "entitled," "plastic," or "bed-wetters."
* Constantly references how bad things were 15 years ago to justify mediocrity today.
* The Giveaway:Their opinion perfectly matches the "brief" given to friendly journalists in the newspapers the next day.

[JockStrap]

What's your excuse Gooner Steve?

[Steveo]

Burn baby burn..

[Nineteenx]

It’s a shill wind that blow nobody any good

[miller0863]

It’s like having an annoying fly that just won’t go away.

Has to respond to every post on the Forum to “enlighten” them as to what they actually should be saying.

It’s incredibly annoying. Zero point in engaging. As I’ve already said, he’s either a complete idiot with extreme narcissistic tendencies or he is in fact, a shill.

Either way, not letting it affect my involvement in the Forum.

[JockStrap]

Either way, not letting it affect my involvement in the Forum.

Go for it. Keep posting lies to discredit Slot and telling us Wirtz won't make it.

Where would the forum be without you.

[Steveo]

Precisely where it is... It's a forum last time I checked.


If people cannot post their honest views in here - then what it it's purpose..? To cheerlead the owners and the management?

[JockStrap]

Precisely where it is... It's a forum last time I checked.


If people cannot post their honest views in here - then what it it's purpose..? To cheerlead the owners and the management?

Double standards much

You post your views, I'll post mine. You're the one who seems to have an issue with other people posting their views. You've even started this cool thread about it.

[Steveo]

This thread is about a trickster shill.. One who isn't very bright and reveals his script with almost every post.

Don't go trying that jokesrtrap .. You are exposed.. and digging an even bigger hole.

[Kev0909]

Precisely where it is... It's a forum last time I checked.


If people cannot post their honest views in here - then what it it's purpose..? To cheerlead the owners and the management?

Is it? I thought it was a place for you to let all that anger inside you out with life and take your anger out on others and be a brave keyboard warrior when in reality you're a weak grumpy old fragile man watch them paths don't slip we wouldn't want that now mate, there's other ways to deal with it, ever smoked Weed?

I think you need it, and have a lie down pal.