Gary Lineker

[Jambomo]

17 minutes ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

Maybe I'm alone in this but I quite like having pundits on highlights shows. Even more so of I've been at a game - I can see something live and wonder if it'll get mentioned on the show, or see if their analysis is the same as mine etc. The little bits highlighting defensive deficiencies or highlighting tactical changes (as they did with Lopetegui recently in the Wolves v Spurs game) adds to proceedings I think. Having a toddler at home I don't often get to see MotD and the wee 3 minute clips Sky put up on YouTube aren't great imo; there's no context, they shown some incidents several times and don't show others at all, they don't show much build up to free-kicks or penalties that lead to goals etc. They're fine if you just want to see the goals and red cards, but that's about it. Perhaps I'm too much of a football geek but I want more than that, but at the same time can't/won't watch every single game live/as-live. MotD having 3 or 4 featured games of 10-15 mins of highlights plus analysis then another 2 or 3 with 8-10 mins of highlights is right in the sweet spot and there's a reason the format has endured for so long and is seen elsewhere.

 

I agree, like you I enjoy watching games I’ve seen live to see what they make of it. 

I think their analysis helps focus in on plus points of a game and I do find they talk about things I didn’t  notice or appreciate in the game.

 I may very well be alone in this but I actually like Ian Wright and don’t even mind Alan Shearer. 

[Derry Alli]

1 minute ago, Jambomo said:

 I may very well be alone in this but I actually like Ian Wright and don’t even mind Alan Shearer. 

I like Ian Wright. He seems like a thoroughly nice bloke. I feel he's one of an abundance of pundits nowadays who are just that though - they don't really add anything to the show and just agree with previous pundits 99% of the time.

[welshbairn]

John Barnes giving an impressive account of the BBC's hypocrisy to Sophie Ridge on Sky. 

[Binos]

2 hours ago, throbber said:

I didn’t realise how many people still stayed up to watch MOTD on a Saturday night, feels like we are back in the 90s.

If only 

[Derry Alli]

Just now, welshbairn said:

John Barnes 

Yikes. It's here that all differences must stop. Put Gary back in the chair and we move on.

John Barnes cannot be getting screen time 

[alta-pete]

14 minutes ago, Derry Alli said:

I like Ian Wright. He seems like a thoroughly nice bloke. I feel he's one of an abundance of pundits nowadays who are just that though - they don't really add anything to the show and just agree with previous pundits 99% of the time.

Hmmm. Be careful what you wish for I’d say. One Michael Stewart in the world is quite enough for me thank you. 

[Derry Alli]

Just now, alta-pete said:

Hmmm. Be careful what you wish for I’d say. One Michael Stewart in the world is quite enough for me thank you. 

It's one too many for me, personally. What redeems Mr Wright in my eyes is I think I could have a civilised conversation with him in a pub, in a queue at the bank or anywhere really. 

[Michael W]

49 minutes ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

Maybe I'm alone in this but I quite like having pundits on highlights shows. Even more so of I've been at a game - I can see something live and wonder if it'll get mentioned on the show, or see if their analysis is the same as mine etc. The little bits highlighting defensive deficiencies or highlighting tactical changes (as they did with Lopetegui recently in the Wolves v Spurs game) adds to proceedings I think. Having a toddler at home I don't often get to see MotD and the wee 3 minute clips Sky put up on YouTube aren't great imo; there's no context, they shown some incidents several times and don't show others at all, they don't show much build up to free-kicks or penalties that lead to goals etc. They're fine if you just want to see the goals and red cards, but that's about it. Perhaps I'm too much of a football geek but I want more than that, but at the same time can't/won't watch every single game live/as-live. MotD having 3 or 4 featured games of 10-15 mins of highlights plus analysis then another 2 or 3 with 8-10 mins of highlights is right in the sweet spot and there's a reason the format has endured for so long and is seen elsewhere.

 

I think it depends on whether the analysis is actually any good or not. One of the reasons I generally don’t watch MOTD is that it just takes too long, in part due to the amount of often poor analysis dragging it out. Alan Shearer is particularly bad for just pointing out the obvious - "he needs to do better there", 'goalkeeper should be saving that" type stuff we can all see. Or if we see another re-run of incredibly average saves when a goalkeeper at a bottom half team gets a clean sheet. I am sure they'd have spent 5mins yesterday talking about Mo Salah's penalty miss, which was dreadful but doesn't need analysed to death. 

Not to say it's all bad, though, as they do put out some good stuff in there. In fairness to them they have a pretty difficult job when they have 90mins to fill and quite often barely half a fixture card being played on a Saturday. I'd just prefer a little bit less of the more obvious stuff being said and cutting the timing down a bit. 

I didn't watch it last night. I think I would've quite liked the short nature of it, but watching the highlights with no commentary would've been too weird. I like the commentary and no analysis at all seems too bland. 

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by Michael W

[bennett]

39 minutes ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

It's the Jesus Fucking Christ when he goes on about the Tofu-eating Wokerati that makes it art.

 

Nice to see Partick Thistle fans getting some coverage tbf.

 

 

[Salvo Montalbano]

11 minutes ago, Michael W said:

I think it depends on whether the analysis is actually any good or not. One of the reasons I generally don’t watch MOTD is that it just takes too long, in part due to the amount of often poor analysis dragging it out. Alan Shearer is particularly bad for just pointing out the obvious - "he needs to do better there", 'goalkeeper should be saving that" type stuff we can all see. Or if we see another re-run of incredibly average saves when a goalkeeper at a bottom half team gets a clean sheet. I am sure they'd have spent 5mins yesterday talking about Mo Salah's penalty miss, which was dreadful but doesn't need analysed to death. 

Not to say it's all bad, though, as they do put out some good stuff in there. In fairness to them they have a pretty difficult job when they have 90mins to fill and quite often barely half a fixture card being played on a Saturday. I'd just prefer a little bit less of the more obvious stuff being said and cutting the timing down a bit. 

I didn't watch it last night. I think I would've quite liked the short nature of it, but watching the highlights with no commentary would've been too weird. I like the commentary and no analysis at all seems too bland. 

 

I agree that Shearer doesn't necessarily add much but the producers who put together the wee clips and add the graphics and heat maps etc add enough that even his anodyne comments add something IMO.

Also didn't watch it last night - I thought they were going to use the World Feed commentary?

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

 

 

[carpetmonster]

10 minutes ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

I agree that Shearer doesn't necessarily add much but the producers who put together the wee clips and add the graphics and heat maps etc add enough that even his anodyne comments add s

Also didn't watch it last night - I thought they were going to use the World Feed commentary?

Steve Wilson just suggested that was an option the BBC could turn to if they wish when he said the commentators wouldn’t be turning up 

 

[Dev]

I haven't read through this thread so apologies in advance if this aspect hasn already been done to death!

An Online report showing on MSN from the Telegraph indicates this opinion:

"In Gary Lineker’s case the ambiguity over this is because he is a freelance. The lesson here is obvious. Those in high-profile presenting roles should be on the staff, so the rules governing their behaviour on social media and such like can be clear and firm."

As far as I am concerned I would describe Lineker as a former great English footballer who will know lots about the game and, presumably, he is very popular as a TV presenter (I don't know for sure because I gave up on "top" level football years ago and never, now, watch Match of the Day).

Of course, one thing which is surely correct is that he would have been extremely well paid during his playing days so, presumably again, he became a millionaire. He seems to have benefitted from his popularity to become a freelance TV presenter rather than a paid BBC employee (assuming, again, that there was that option). Allegedly being freelance may have significant (lawful) benefits when dealing with the Taxman. Do we have yet another freeloader millionaire in the UK Tax system?

Just a thought! I know that I don't like tax freeloading maybe others think he's worth it?

Edited March 12, 2023 by Dev
.

[welshbairn]

39 minutes ago, Derry Alli said:

Yikes. It's here that all differences must stop. Put Gary back in the chair and we move on.

John Barnes cannot be getting screen time 

No need to worry according to John..

 

[The Master]

4 minutes ago, carpetmonster said:

Steve Wilson just suggested that was an option the BBC could turn to if they wish when he said the commentators wouldn’t be turning up 

 

It emerged yesterday that the BBC don’t have the rights to use the world feed commentary. 

[welshbairn]

1 minute ago, Dev said:

He seems to have benefitted from his popularity to become a freelance TV presenter rather than a paid BBC employee (assuming, again, that there was that possible alternative method of employment by the BBC). Allegedly being freelance may have significant (lawful) benefits when dealing with the Taxman. Do we have yet another freeloader millionaire in the UK Tax system?

Of course we do.

[Moomintroll]

1 hour ago, strichener said:

You'll have to work on your delivery.  Not as catchy as Linekers but you have all week to practice.

I have to work all week, I assume Lineacre has no crisp related nonsense lined up so he is going to win, I ain't saying nuffink about nuffink but good on the lot of them.

[carpetmonster]

1 minute ago, The Master said:

It emerged yesterday that the BBC don’t have the rights to use the world feed commentary. 

Probably for the best as it’d give the same ones purposely misquoting him another talking point about ‘waste of taxpayers money when they have commentators’ (even tho likely those guys will be freelance too) 

[Moomintroll]

55 minutes ago, Derry Alli said:

I like Ian Wright. He seems like a thoroughly nice bloke. I feel he's one of an abundance of pundits nowadays who are just that though - they don't really add anything to the show and just agree with previous pundits 99% of the time.

Wright is a xenophobic, little englander, arsehole who should have been sent off 5 seconds into his ra cellick debut. He sees nuffink about nuffink & dont wanna talk abaht nuffink if it effects Ingerlund. Yet I am still on his side here.

[19QOS19]

9 hours ago, Busta Nut said:

Too many tories on here talking about how good MOTD was without any chat.

 

Tbh I think I've watched MotD about 2 or 3 times since getting rid of Sky Plus about 5 years ago. I used to tape it and fast forward through all the guff. The fact those guys are getting paid a fortune used to piss me off as well and was another reason why I stopped paying my license fee. Fair play to them all yesterday though, get it right up the BBC but all the show would need from now on would be one guy presenting the games. 

I don't think MotD are guilty of this(?) but the worst kind of commentary is this "and Team X didn't have to wait long before going 2 ahead..." -Spoilers ffs! 

And I fucking despise the Tories. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

Maybe I'm alone in this but I quite like having pundits on highlights shows. Even more so of I've been at a game - I can see something live and wonder if it'll get mentioned on the show, or see if their analysis is the same as mine etc. The little bits highlighting defensive deficiencies or highlighting tactical changes (as they did with Lopetegui recently in the Wolves v Spurs game) adds to proceedings I think. Having a toddler at home I don't often get to see MotD and the wee 3 minute clips Sky put up on YouTube aren't great imo; there's no context, they shown some incidents several times and don't show others at all, they don't show much build up to free-kicks or penalties that lead to goals etc. They're fine if you just want to see the goals and red cards, but that's about it. Perhaps I'm too much of a football geek but I want more than that, but at the same time can't/won't watch every single game live/as-live. MotD having 3 or 4 featured games of 10-15 mins of highlights plus analysis then another 2 or 3 with 8-10 mins of highlights is right in the sweet spot and there's a reason the format has endured for so long and is seen elsewhere.

 

It's the length of time and complete shite they talk though. I couldn't give a f**k about how close the strikers are to each other or how the midfield is keeping a poor or solid diamond shape. Talk about the goals, discuss any controversial incidents and heap praise on a side if they've caused an upset. That's all I want from a punditry team. 

The football highlights should be the main focus but sadly they're secondary. And it's even worse on the shite Sportscene produces.