[JohnG]

I'm finding more and more that watching Match Of The Day seems very sterile these days. I think that's the right word to describe it, but I'll explain.
They seem to mute the crowd sound on a lot of games, this was most notable last night with the Arsenal v Spurs game and seems common for matches with that bloke commentating. It also sounds very obvious that the commentary has been dubbed on afterwards, with some of the commentators being far too clever about what's about to happen !

[Abbeygoo]

It also seems a touch strange that they don't offer MoTD on BBCHD either. The studio shots would be easy enough (just move the cameras over from Strictly Come Dancing!) and they could get the HD feed from Sky surely - yesterday, the Arsenal / Spurs and Middlesbrough / United games were both on Sky in HD. Just a thought.

[Steven]

Originally Posted by JohnG

It also sounds very obvious that the commentary has been dubbed on afterwards, with some of the commentators being far too clever about what's about to happen !

Blasphemous! I'll have you know Motty et al are the very best in the business...



Are you including MOTD2? I prefer that simply because I think Chiles is hilarious with what he comes out with and his whole demeanour

[JohnG]

I've not watched MOTD2 for ages, so will record it tonight and have a look.

[Hairy]

MOTD would be a whole lot better without Mark Lawrenson (is that how you spell it,I don't care anyway).He's a...add your own expletive!

And yes,I prefer MOTD2.

[overkill]

Originally Posted by Hairy

MOTD would be a whole lot better without Mark Lawrenson (is that how you spell it,I don't care anyway).He's a...add your own expletive!

And yes,I prefer MOTD2.

Ditto. At least Adrian isn't afraid to ask awkward questions. Hence the 'pundits' are a little wary of him.

Frankly MOTD2 is getting less and less support though, so one wonders if it's days are numbered.

Agree totally John, MOTD is getting more and more sterile with glib statements, weedy jokes and the banter has all but dried up. I never though I'd miss the likes of JH, but..............

I think though, and Hansen was hinting at this last night, that the prem has become so all powerful, and the FA so weedy, that any criticism, no matter how justified is being frowned upon by the Clubs. They are effectively censoring anything that the pundits, in particular Hansen, says these days.

I think we shouldn't be blaming the Beeb, but the greedy bunch of bullies that are masquerading as football clubs these days. Just look at Sky. Their commentators are the biggest load of sycophants on Earth. Is that the way it's going to go? It seems the clubs, managers and the 'superstars', can't take criticism anymore. As a result of their, totally out of proportion, clout pundits are getting weedier and weedier.

Ian Holloway was right with his latest comments. The game is being ruined by greedy clubs, over-paid players and an FA and FIFA too corrupt to do anything about it. Greed, as he says, is killing the game.

Trouble is, the pundits are being gagged from saying it.............

[Abbeygoo]

It also seems that any criticism of managers leads them not to do the post match interview - that is an absolute disgrace. Fergie and Big Sam have decided from their ivory towers that they will not do interviews with the BBC after two documentaries in which each manager came in for some scrutiny.

Don't these people realise that the ordinary football fan in the street wants to hear what they've got to say and that MoTD is one such opportunity. The likes of Fergie and Sam should remember who pays their wages and to rise above who the broadcaster is and acknowledge who the message is going to - that's the most important thing and it seems the big boys are forgetting that these days.

Saw Ian Holloway this morning and he is spot on. Greed is killing the game.

[CFC1]

Add Mourinho to that Abbey... remember when SKY highlighted Essiens tackle (against Liverpool, I think) and he was retrospectively banned... Mourinho blamed SKY for the ban and refused to give them interviews for ages.

Apart from the recent spat with Pardew, at least Wenger has always shown class even in adversity, in coming out and fronting up to the cameras.

[Steven]

Originally Posted by CFC1

at least Wenger has always shown class even in adversity, in coming out and fronting up to the cameras.

Is that Arsene "Stevie Wonder" Wenger you're referring to?

imho Hansen is probably one of the best, if not the best, pundits on television. Shame everytime he so much as offer his honest opinion and criticise a team/player/manager, they go into a hissy fit... I'm sure I remember Big Sam, Fergie and Mourinho doing that with Hansen

[CFC1]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Is that Arsene "Stevie Wonder" Wenger you're referring to?

Yes it is... he comes out and says that he didn't see the incident in question....

[overkill]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Is that Arsene "Stevie Wonder" Wenger you're referring to?

imho Hansen is probably one of the best, if not the best, pundits on television. Shame everytime he so much as offer his honest opinion and criticise a team/player/manager, they go into a hissy fit... I'm sure I remember Big Sam, Fergie and Mourinho doing that with Hansen

If he is then he's not alone. I remember a certain famous scot denying he'd seen Molby dive (three times) in one game for three penalties.

Agree totally on Hansen. When he's allowed to be honest he really lays it one the line, in particular with regards defending. It's almost a pleasure when your defence is crap just to hear Hansens tearing them to bits!

[CFC1]

Originally Posted by overkill

...almost a pleasure when your defence is crap just to hear Hansens tearing them to bits!

Huh! Of all the people on here, I always thought you were the soundest of mind....but......

[overkill]

Originally Posted by CFC1

Huh! Of all the people on here, I always thought you were the soundest of mind....but......

.............I did say almost.

[WelshBluebird]

Personally, I much prefer MOTD2, but I suppose anything is better than the rights going to ITV surely lol. Please not another "The Premiership".

[Boy Named Sue]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Blasphemous! I'll have you know Motty et al are the very best in the business...

Rubbish. Motson is not the great everyone makes him out to be. He goes off on tanegntial threads, fills his commentary with useless trivia and rarely gives any sort of decent insight into the game. And yet he always hogs the big matches for the BBC. No wonder poor Barry Davies quit commentating in disgust.

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by WelshBluebird

Personally, I much prefer MOTD2, but I suppose anything is better than the rights going to ITV surely lol. Please not another "The Premiership".

i completely agree. ITV sport sucks big time.
the bit at the end of MOTD2 is always funny. that 2good 2bad thing. some of the stuff the cameras pick up are great and chiles just twists them even further. much better than......(long pause).........(swallow)..............lineker

[RMCF]

Couldn't agree more with the posts about interviewers not being allowed to ask any serious/difficult questions in their post match interviews.

How many times have we listened to them and shouted at the TV, 'ask him about the diving cheat he has as a forward'!!! (well I do anyway).

Did any one see the interview that the ex-England rugby coach (sorry name escapes me as I type) was subjected to a few weeks ago after they lose to Argentina? It was great - the interviewer asked questions that you would hear fans ask in the stands - got ripped into him asking him over and over when he was going to resign and why his team was such a disgrace.

If only somene speaking to football managers could show the same balls.

My own personal most hated manager is Strachan at Celtic. More often than not he acts like a stupid teenager when asked a question - coming out with a really unfunny comment. At the end of the day the interviewer is only asking questions that the fans want to hear answered, but they cannot interview Strachan. He, and others, should show more respect and answer the question, no matter how hard it is.

[CFC1]

But the networks are afraid to upset the managers for fear of future no shows.... The precedent was set by Ferguson and several others have followed..including the "Special One"... It's not right, particularly as we are paying the license fee... they should indeed be asking the questions we would ask ourselves.

It makes me laugh when I hear the interviewer say.."Sir Alex, are you happy being 6 points clear at the top of the table tonight? ***!
That should actually be rephrased..."Alex, do you condone the cheating antics of some of your players that have robbed yet another honest team and put you clear at the top, and if not, why aren't they being publicly outed as cheats, reprimanded and fined?......just a casual thought.



I would tune into MOTD for the post match interviews alone... never mind the actual footie...

[Steven]

What they do is stick the assistants on. The contract should demand the manager alone take the interview - unless due to health and other such reasons

The BBC don't get public money to see Quieroz just because of some documentary nobody watched

[overkill]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

What they do is stick the assistants on. The contract should demand the manager alone take the interview - unless due to health and other such reasons

The BBC don't get public money to see Quieroz just because of some documentary nobody watched

Exactly.

They only agree to interviewed on sky if A) they win B) they get asked questions that are 'politicaly correct'. I.e. totally sycophantic.

As CFC says, I'd pay money to see Ferguson, Benitez, Wenger, and the 'special one' being asked 'why did so and so dive like a fish for 90 minutes'?

[CFC1]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

What they do is stick the assistants on. The contract should demand the manager alone take the interview - unless due to health and other such reasons

Absolutely..... but it does only seem to be Man utd and Chelsea that do it ... perhaps the two most pressurised jobs in the PL...Queiroz and Steve Clarke do seem to be fronting up too often.

I have to say, that of the other main contenders, Wenger and Benitez always come out themselves.... maybe the others don't have assistant managers.....maybe the real managers are telling their chairmen that they have an assistant (but they don't really) and are pocketing an extra salary for themselves.... yes that's it.....it must be...why don't we see them then?.... Did Lee Harvey Oswald really kill JFK by himself...What about RFK....and Martin Luther King?..... I've lost the plot, I know.....

[RMCF]

There was another great opportunity last night when the fella was interviewing Stuart Pearce after the City v Watford game.

He came out with the classic line that only in the EPL would you get a team at the bottom of the league coming away and battling like Watford did last night. He even insulted 2 other top leagues with the line, 'you wouldn't get that in Italy or Spain' !!

If I was the interviewer I would have followed with, 'yeah Stuart but if you had watched that game as a spectator and not a manager you would have seen just how dreadful it was. Shocking. Yet people perpetuate the myth that its the most exciting league in the world'.

And although I might be biased, I didn't see Athletic Bilbao come to the Bernabeu last weekend and lie down. In fact you usually see most teams in Spain give it a go every week, especially against the big boys.

[overkill]

Originally Posted by RMCF

There was another great opportunity last night when the fella was interviewing Stuart Pearce after the City v Watford game.

He came out with the classic line that only in the EPL would you get a team at the bottom of the league coming away and battling like Watford did last night. He even insulted 2 other top leagues with the line, 'you wouldn't get that in Italy or Spain' !!

If I was the interviewer I would have followed with, 'yeah Stuart but if you had watched that game as a spectator and not a manager you would have seen just how dreadful it was. Shocking. Yet people perpetuate the myth that its the most exciting league in the world'.

And although I might be biased, I didn't see Athletic Bilbao come to the Bernabeu last weekend and lie down. In fact you usually see most teams in Spain give it a go every week, especially against the big boys.

Perhaps if Stuart P actually watched the Spanish games (and I agree they do give a better fight in Spain) then he wouldn't make such a crass statement.

Once again Watford produced a pearler - for the wrong reasons. They gave me my worst top flight match ever, (vs Wednesday) and now another reason to question why I bother watching the prem. 90% crap teams, desperately predictable, full of greedy oafs masquerading as footballers, and clubs run by chairmen who only understand one law 'the loadsa money law'. No it isn't, by a long chalk, 'the best leauge in Europe'.

I am the only one (according to the Times I am) who thinks billionaires throwing millions at top football clubs is a negative thing that will only lead to the 'them and us' gap getting ever more ludicrous? Besides which it's already become obvious that the smaller clubs, while they can attract 'the money', they cannot attract the 'big money'. Nothing will change. Just more money will pour down the drain...........

[RMCF]

I think that the money in the EPL is scandalous.

I believe even teams who finish in the bottom 3 end the season with excess of £12million from TV rights. Mid table rubbish end up closer to £15million.

Compare that to the likes of Celtic - massive club, massive support, massive merchandising possibility - they get £2million per year or less.

Money will be the death of the EPL.