New signing, club gets all excited and then decides to use social media to ‘engage’ with the fan base through a ‘#ask’ conversation on Twitter. What started as a good idea, usually doesn’t end that way. It’s not as if it is anything new either, EVERY celebrity that it has been tried with has suffered a similar ‘hijack’ of what were ideas done with good intentions.
Want proof, #AskAidyWhite.
It all started out so innocently, it really did, with eager Rotherham United fans wanting to know their new left-sided players thoughts, ideas and motivations. It started something like this…
@OfficialRUFC who were your footballing heroes growing up #AskAdyWhite
— tom hendley (@hendley_tom) July 22, 2015
…it is safe to say that it didn’t quite end up the way that Rotherham expected it to; a legion of Leeds United fans saw to that. Their #AskAidyWhite questions went along the following vein.
Whether footballers can learn from the wise words of comedic duos…
#askaidywhite Do you think listening to Chuckle Brothers famous catchphrase on a Sony Walkman at training will help improve your passing ?
— David Harvey (@BrianDurdock) July 24, 2015
…to questions about keeping up appearances.
Which meerkat do you think you look most like Alexander or Sergei #askaidywhite
— Bielsabub 💙💛 (@whites1992_2020) July 23, 2015
From tongue-in-cheek questions about the size of the club…
If you could sign for a bigger club than @OfficialRUFC would you rather go to York, Yeovil, Wycombe or Stevenage? #askaidywhite
— Richard South (@southy_swfc) July 23, 2015
…to pointed jabs at the size of the manager.
https://twitter.com/VileAndProud/status/624257954913591297
From ‘left-field’ questions for a left field player…
https://twitter.com/tppru/status/624161876830720000
…to straightforward sarcasm.
Is it true Rotherhams new kit is made of bubble wrap? #askaidywhite
— CJLUFC (@LUFCJL) July 23, 2015
With Rotheram’s Twitter account tweeting the following,
Don't forget, we need you to #AskAidyWhite for the Millers matchday programme next season. Keep sending them in using the above hashtag.
— Rotherham United (@OfficialRUFC) July 23, 2015
then you can bet that not a single one of the Leeds United fan’s efforts will reach print – well not in Rotherham’s match-day programme anyway. For Rotherham, it may be a lesson learned – you’d hope so anyway.
