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Off The Ball - Is it good?


Off The Ball  

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14 hours ago, 7-2 said:

I gave up years ago as in addition to it talking about the Old Firm, it's supposed taking the piss out of the bigot brothers was still talking about the Old Firm so it was double  bigot content unsurprisingly.  Cowan was as funny as syphilis and appeared to have a Celtic soft spot while Cosgrove's put on Scottish fitba accent was as condescending as annoying. Listen to any of his C4 and more cultural programme appearances if you think he was/is talking normally. I can't believe the programme's still on the go.

It's pretty clear that you don't listen anymore, given Cowan never stops banging on about how he loves having Sevco play Motherwell and how delighted he is that they're back.

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I'm not going to be complimentary, so I should get this out of the way first. You have to congratulate Cosgrove and Cowan on managing to create a vehicle that has not only lasted 20+ years but also one that has been drilled into the psyche of Scottish football.

Surprised there is so much love for the show. When it started it was decent, and I think most would agree it was a better alternative to other things. That's still the case to an extent but with on demand and streaming services there is no such thing as a rigid schedule for media. It's no longer competing with other shows at the same time, it's competing with all available content.

For me, the show is very, very tired. Same jokes, same tropes, same patter. I find that the initial "petty and ill-informed" claim is used to cover ignorance and laziness now whereas before it was used as a term of irreverence. They've swallowed their own hype. The ignorance is particularly annoying, unless it's the minutia of the St Johnstone squad or one fucking cup game that Motherwell played. It's obviously a good thing they aren't OF fans, but they are showing the same level of ignorance on topics as your average blinkered OF fan so what is the difference? The accent?

The only thing that could change the impetus of the show is a change of presenters and with it hopefully structure. Both Cosgrove and Cowan have (figuratively) developed very deep ruts they seem unwilling to get out of. When Kat Harvie was on the show, while I found her a bit nippy, it was clear the difference a bit of life can do for it rather than the same dour patter from the current "male, pale and stale" presenters.

I only listen to OTB by accident; I'm listening to the radio and it comes on and I don't bother turning it off immediately, or I tune in early for Sportsound and I catch the end of the show. I would certainly not make a conscious choice ever to read/listen to Cowan's opinion on anything. I dislike his style and in general I disagree with most of his points. Cosgrove is like the sort of clever kid who hangs around with stupid ones so he looks cleverer. Catch his opinion pieces on more serious matters and you'll find he's not as clever or as insightful when surrounded by his peers. He's no idiot mind, not suggesting that.

 

 

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I liked the early version with Greg Hemphill and Sanjeev Kohli.

Cosgrove and Cowan are decent guys, but, where they once saw themselves as anti-establishment, they are very much part of the establishment, and are more likely to defend officials than criticise these days - I guess that's maybe inevitable.

One thing that we can surely all agree on is that Cowan's TV show was honking. 

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1 hour ago, Mark Connolly said:

It's pretty clear that you don't listen anymore, given Cowan never stops banging on about how he loves having Sevco play Motherwell and how delighted he is that they're back.

Standard BBC contract, Clause 1 - Corporate policy that must be followed.

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Guest Moomintroll
Motherwell won the cup in 91.
Tam was born in Hamilton.
Boring fact about Detroit soul music.
Nasal voiced, weedgie Celtic supporting guest.
Tommy Ring.
There's yer Off The Ball.
Aside from my opinion that no fact about Motown or Northern Soul can be boring, that is a pretty succinct synopsis.
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1 hour ago, Moomintroll said:
1 hour ago, Crawford Bridge said:
Motherwell won the cup in 91.
Tam was born in Hamilton.
Boring fact about Detroit soul music.
Nasal voiced, weedgie Celtic supporting guest.
Tommy Ring.
There's yer Off The Ball.

Aside from my opinion that no fact about Motown or Northern Soul can be boring, that is a pretty succinct synopsis.

You both forgot Stuart finishing everyone's sentences for them.

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Listen to the podcast most weeks. Its obviously not going to be as good as years ago as its on practically every week and willl have a fair bit of repetition with it being on the go for yonks but it still makes me chuckle. First came across it being a youngster in a barbers and can remember everyone laughing at it on the radio.

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I miss the wee sketches with the impressionists. Now it's just entirely dependent on the guests and fans who e-mail in. Tam and Stuart are just kinda... meh

I remember they used to do one as Mhairi Black with the voice of Louis Armstrong.
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Another thing I'd like to have is when one of Cosgrove and Cowan are away, they have better replacements.  I remember Graham Spiers filled in once and was very good, yet it's usually Chick Young (zzzzz), Jane Lewis (boring) or Annie McGuire (which brings Vietnam style flashbacks of Your Call).  Why not even give it to someone from a Scottish football podcast for a change, instead of one of the tired, cliquey BBC mob.

Edited by Highland Capital
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