Newstalk's Off the ball show

humberklog

Ken's emotional ramblings on New Zealand radio regarding the upcoming rugby match (replayed clips last night on show) were very funny. Possibly high-lighting very well why some people do like him (people like me) and people don't (others).

It is odd though how/why people would sign up to Boards just to defend him. And I think it was righty by those to question the authenticity of such posting.

deadhead13

Well its not a dastardly conspiracy by "Off the ball" insiders.

Ol' Donie

Xavi6 wrote: »

You have to admit though that three new accounts defending the same guy in the same thread is a bit suss!

Yeah, fair enough, but it ain't the case all the same!

For the record I'm a big fan of Ken's. Wrecks my head that the football show is no longer on Friday.

And I totally agree with Lunar junkie, "American Murph" is worth listening to even though i don't have that much interest in US sports.

Bring him back to Friday too, dammit.

deadhead13

Does anyone know the reasoning behind reducing "Off the ball "to 4 nights and creating "off the ball extra " - just doesn't make sense.

mountain

regardless of how many people want to stand up for Ken,

the only sports show worth listening to is "this sporting life" on JJJ in australia,
down load a podcast from itunes and have a listen, while mostly about australian sports, with some references to "the world game", the humour is great

Dub13

mountain wrote: »

regardless of how many people want to stand up for Ken,

the only sports show worth listening to is "this sporting life" on JJJ in australia,
down load a podcast from itunes and have a listen, while mostly about australian sports, with some references to "the world game", the humour is great

Thats not much good if you are not into australian sports.

mountain

its for the humour, not always the sport, have a listen...

Dub13

I just got sent this...

Bring back the Friday Ken Early Football Show

charlesodowd

Ken Early is one of the most talented radio presenters around and we are very lucky to have him.

Im sure that due to his popularity he has had offers from other more mainstream radio stations and im just glad he sticks with newstalk.

On a completely different note would anyone agree that the dude that sometimes fills in for Eoin Mcdevitt, his name might be Gerry Thornley?, is the most annoying idiot that ever lived? Hs knowledge seems only to revolve around munster rugby and his accent is sooooooo annoying

brettmirl

Hi Ken :pac:

(sorry, couldn't resist!)

Ol' Donie

charlesodowd wrote: »

Ken Early is one of the most talented radio presenters around and we are very lucky to have him.

Im sure that due to his popularity he has had offers from other more mainstream radio stations and im just glad he sticks with newstalk.

On a completely different note would anyone agree that the dude that sometimes fills in for Eoin Mcdevitt, his name might be Gerry Thornley?, is the most annoying idiot that ever lived? Hs knowledge seems only to revolve around munster rugby and his accent is sooooooo annoying

Gerry Thornley is the Rugby expert they have on most weeks - works for The Irish Times i think.

I think you're talking about Gerry O'Sullivan - he normally does the Saturday and Sunday sports shows - thick Kerry accent. I think he's pretty good on the show.

Profiler

charlesodowd wrote: »

Ken Early is one of the most talented radio presenters around and we are very lucky to have him.

Im sure that due to his popularity he has had offers from other more mainstream radio stations and im just glad he sticks with newstalk.

I've listened to him now for a few years, I now listen a lot less frequently than I used to, however all I see is a guy who trawls fans forum sites for his stories, that is just lazy journalism in my view

What brings Ken Early and the whole O.T.B. show up is the guests they have on it.

That however to me is an indication of how much pull Denis O'Leary has rather than it being a reflection of how good Ken Early is

I happen to think Early is actually quite poor and someone like him having a job like that is a reflection of the general malaise there is in Irish Journalism.

Newstalk is the Sun/Mirror/Star of radio stations, and in that regard you will always get listeners if you appeal to thelowest common dominator

Early is not worthy of a promotion to anyother braodcaster, well not in my opinion anyway.

FlutterinBantam

That's a good point there..... Bioll.:D

connundrum

Profiler wrote: »

That however to me is an indication of how much pull Denis O'Leary has rather than it being a reflection of how good Ken Early is

Denis O'Brien maybe

And I hardly think that a guest will only come on the show in the hope that good aul Dinny might throw them a bob, or recognise them??

O'Brien is off having the laugh in the Carribean.

The guests on the show are a reflection on the PPI awards they've won, the general reputation that the show carries, the good work of the producers and most importantly the contacts book that someone on the team has in his/her pocket.

charlesodowd wrote: »

Im sure that due to his popularity he has had offers from other more mainstream radio stations and im just glad he sticks with newstalk.

More mainsteam stations? Maybe he could do a stint with Today FM for their live premiership games, but that'd provide him with 1 or 2 days work.

They'd hardly intoduce a football show into RTE's schedule, and unfortunately due to Ken's experience/expertise he would need to have a dedicated slot.

While I do think that he's good, I think Newstalk is the only place for him at the moment as its the only format which allows him 4 (used to be more) hours a week on air. I don't think that other stations will be clamouring to get him, unless the likes of Spin 103.8 want a late night love jock

spiderdan

OTB is the only show that saves Newstalk- the station really is a total load of **** at the moment.

As good a show it is I would have a few complaints,

Eoin McDevitt is a very very good presenter but, he does have the tendency to be way too nice and polite to his guests- I know its a very minor thing but tone down a little bit.

Re: Ken Eary- he fits the bill and he works very well within the team dynamic but as mentioned he's not the best pundit, his football knowledge isn't great and he's totally out of his depth in comparison to other pundits/ stations! Its as if his gets his storied 100% out of the tabloids- I often think McDevitt know just as much if not more about football!

Get that Murph ****er on the first train out of Dublin- muppet

deadhead13

Ken Early's newsround isn't meant to be taken seriously - it's a piss take. You either find it funny or you don't . The rest of the Football show has good contributors of which Eoin and Ken are good interviewers.

FlutterinBantam

Have to say in all seriousness I think they are all a bunch of jerks.

deadhead13

Fair enough. But for a show with relatively small listemersip ,around 30,000, its consistently high in the ipod download charts - higher than shows with 10 times as many listeners - it has a loyal following. And given how few people post on this forum - its hardly a fair reflection of the great unwashed.

Dub13

Off the ball is great but I feel its gone downhill big time since it went to 4 days a week,I used to love Fridays but they seem to be rushing it all in on a Thursday and it just does not feel the same.I have found myself not tuning in as much these days.

deadhead13

"off the ball" according to the latest JNLR fiquires is the no.1 national programme in the 7-10 timeslot.

Dub13

deadhead13 wrote: »

"off the ball" according to the latest JNLR fiquires is the no.1 national programme in the 7-10 timeslot.

Thats good news,now if they would just bring back the Friday show.

raven136

Ken Early cant be that bad,he has been picked as James Richardson's standin on football weekly next week while Jimbo takes a break.

Early knows his stuff but not as much as he thinks.Did anyone hear Gabriel Marcotti and Graham Hunter tear him apart a while back.All Mcdevitt could do when it was over was laugh.

john77

Dub13 wrote: »

Thats good news,now if they would just bring back the Friday show.

Yeah, can't understand why they went to four days a week, it's the best thing on that station and they give us less of it?

lostexpectation

but they like sarcastic man from the marywhithouse experience, you never know when they are being serious.

nice use of the phrase '****** in a woodpile' by one of their gaa pundits tonight

Utopia Parkway

raven136 wrote: »

Ken Early cant be that bad,he has been picked as James Richardson's standin on football weekly next week while Jimbo takes a break.

Early knows his stuff but not as much as he thinks.Did anyone hear Gabriel Marcotti and Graham Hunter tear him apart a while back.All Mcdevitt could do when it was over was laugh.

What was that over?

raven136

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

What was that over?

one of them was over zlatan ibramovich and Early ridiculing him,doesnt do it at the top level etc

Quint

raven136 wrote: »

Ken Early cant be that bad,he has been picked as James Richardson's standin on football weekly next week while Jimbo takes a break.

Early knows his stuff but not as much as he thinks.Did anyone hear Gabriel Marcotti and Graham Hunter tear him apart a while back.All Mcdevitt could do when it was over was laugh.

Any idea when that was? Wouldn't mind downloading that one!
HE also used to take the piss out of Totti, was funny when he won the golden boot! Also he ridiculed Berbatov, when spurs signed him he said "he's like peter crouch but slower"! He gets it wrong a lot alright! But still funny

Deedsie

Im a big fan, Its a good alterntive to watching crap tv shows in the evening.

Diabhal Beag

OTB > Fair City :pac:

deadhead13

Quint wrote: »

Any idea when that was? Wouldn't mind downloading that one!
HE also used to take the piss out of Totti, was funny when he won the golden boot! Also he ridiculed Berbatov, when spurs signed him he said "he's like peter crouch but slower"! He gets it wrong a lot alright! But still funny

Ken was having a go at Reberto Mancini the week liverpool knocked inter out of the CL - but unbeknow to Ken, Marcotti is an inter milan fan.

And last tuesday after Brazil beat Italy, another touchy subject for Marcotti, they had a slight disagreement about Dossena.

raven136

Marcotti is class,takes no ****e from anyone. With his big gruff american/Italian accent you would think he knows very little but is one of the best around on european football.
He owns Early thats for sure

tommyboy2222

Deedsie wrote: »

Im a big fan, Its a good alterntive to watching crap tv shows in the evening.

True. Apart from maybe the Simpsons the tv shows between 7 and 9 on the terrestial channels are for fat middle aged women. And their bitch slapped husbands.

Firetrap

They have some good pundits on it. McDevitt is a good presenter. Early I can take in small doses. I change channels when Murph comes on. The man's lisp wrecks my head.

aierlan1000

Can't be easy to keep a three hour show, five nights a week fresh and appealing but I think they are doing a great job overall. They've reinvented sports broadcasting on Irish radio at least. They are streets ahead of rte which is way too conservative. Ken's reasoning is often flawed which can be annoying if you're listening to him but overall there is a good tempo to the show and brilliant contributors.

<snip: blog pimp removed>

Dub13

There decision to go 4 days a week is a disgrace IMO,Friday is the biggest build up night in sport with most of the action happening over the weekend.They should have cut Monday night instead.

Off the ball extra is not the same I just don't tune in.

This Friday night they will be missing out on...

The Champions League draw,they will not get to talk about this ontill Monday when it will be old news.

The rugby,the build up to one of the biggest days in Irish Rugby history and the lads will be at home.Its just not the same doing it on Thursday night.

The Build up to the Dunne world title fight,again a huge day in Irish sporting history and the lads will be at home.

Berti Vogts

Dub13 wrote: »

There decision to go 4 days a week is a disgrace IMO,Friday is the biggest build up night in sport with most of the action happening over the weekend.They should have cut Monday night instead.

Off the ball extra is not the same I just don't tune in.

This Friday night they will be missing out on...

The Champions League draw,they will not get to talk about this ontill Monday when it will be old news.

The rugby,the build up to one of the biggest days in Irish Rugby history and the lads will be at home.Its just not the same doing it on Thursday night.

The Build up to the Dunne world title fight,again a huge day in Irish sporting history and the lads will be at home.

Agree with you to an extent but surely cutting Monday would be as bad an idea as cutting Friday? Although a lot of people travel on Friday evenings, equally a lot of people go drinking after work and their listenership figures on Friday presumably didn't justify the show.