After the media witchhunt of the last week it’s time for a reassessment of our attitude towards the media and for some positive action.

The stance taken by the media over in the wake of the assault on Eduardo has stunned and sickened me. The sight of so many ex-players lining up to defend an agricultural challenge from a lumpen journeyman on a world class player defies all reason as does the press and TV decision to focus their attention on Wenger’s hasty (and equally hastily retracted) conclusion that Taylor should be given a more extreme form of punishment. I’ve lost count of the number of articles seeking to portray Taylor as the victim. It can’t be long before a shrine is dedicated to the Blessed St Martin, patron saint of talentless oafs.

I am not going to waste time on hypothesizing on the reasons for the institutional bias against us shown by the media. Given that we are top scorers in the league, concede fewest fouls, have most fouls given against us (Ed’s note – Ok, not at the moment, but it’s close) and manage to have a disproportionate number of cards against us, their attitude is clearly beyond all logic. However, I think it is time to show them that the days of power without responsibility are over. We don’t ask for bias in our favour, just fair reporting.

The newspapers are struggling to find a place in the modern age where their role as providers of information has been usurped. We live in an age where information is free. Newspapers are businesses which need to run at a profit and whose revenues are increasingly being attacked by freesheets. Sports writers in particular have lurched like drunken sailors (a not inappropriate comparison) towards lowest common denominator behaviour. “If I can’t bring the football public news, I’ll write a sensationalist piece, irrespective of its accuracy or fairness” seems to be the bottom line.

So what can we do? Well we can stop being quite so supine in our attitude towards them. We can let them know what we think of them. Let’s make a start at matches by not just singing our traditional anti-Sp*rs and opposition chants. Lets add some anti-press songs to the cannon. Let’s see how these people like the full force of 60 000 people focusing on them. Equally importantly, let’s get their editors hearing it. The next time some media pundit writes a piece of rubbish, pen a quick email to his editor letting him know that you’ll no longer be buying the paper. It’s amazing how the idea of loss of revenue can focus the mind. And clearly, these people need to reconsider their focus.

Let’s make sure that Sky and the BBC know what we think about them too. Andy Gray, Alan Hansen, Garth Crooks. All these names lend themselves quite nicely to the rhythms of some standard songs. Let’s make sure their names are song long and loud. It won’t change their attitudes. They’re too far gone for that. However, their editors and bosses will hear it. Lack of popularity reflects when it comes to contract renegotiation time.

It’s time for us to fight back.