BBC sport - anyone else think they are a joke?

Blatter

Just reading there, the BBC African footballer of the year shortlist was announced. I decided to look up the past winners and was astounded to learn that Samuel Eto'o never won the award. Seriously, that must be some sort of joke.

Also their main journalist is an clown. Phil McNulty that is. He is so biased it's unreal. You can feel his anti Man Utd bias in almost all of his articles. I remember when the Rooney saga was going on, he was saying how Rooney wanted to win trophies and there was no way he would ever play for Man Utd again given the comments he made. He repeatedly said there 'was no way back for Rooney at Utd'. You could sence how gleefull he was about the whole situation, with him being a Liverpool fan and wanting things at Utd to go belly up. The Rooney example is just one of many btw.

The pro- Liverpool bias is shamefull. Notice how they rarely spculate about the future of Liverpool players and very rarely write articles that might damage the integrity of Liverpool football club.

I think it's unbelievable that so many Liverpool icons/fans are employed by the BBC. You've got Mark Lawerenson, Alan Hansen, Alan Green and Phil Mcnulty who are the nucleus of BBC football. I think it's outrageous.

This thread may not mean a hell of alot to most people but I'd just like to see what other regular users of the BBC sports website think of it.

Pepe LeFrits

Isn't Phil McNulty an Everton fan?

Xavi6

I have more of an issue with the likes of Lawrenson and Crooks than McNulty. Ex pros shout from their high horse that you can't know the game properly unless you've played it at the highest level.

Well exhibit A and B mentioned above contradict that notion quite nicely.

OPENROAD

Xavi6 wrote: »

I have more of an issue with the likes of Lawrenson and Crooks than McNulty. Ex pros shout from their high horse that you can't know the game properly unless you've played it at the highest level.

Well exhibit A and B mentioned above contradict that notion quite nicely.

Lawrenson and Hansen really drive me :mad:

jenno86

Its all in your head. When I read rumours/storys I don't believe them until they are on the BBC website.

Fizman

I genuinely cringe when Garth Crooks is given airtime. Jesus the guy hasn't a notion, but even the way he talks and expresses himself is frustrating, let alone the feces coming out of his mouth.

OPENROAD

Fizman wrote: »

I genuinely cringe when Garth Crooks is given airtime. Jesus the guy hasn't a notion, but even the way he talks and expresses himself is frustrating, let alone the feces coming out of his mouth.

I kind of don't mine him too much when he is on BBC score

copacetic

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

Just reading there, the BBC African footballer of the year shortlist was announced. I decided to look up the past winners and was astounded to learn that Samuel Eto'o never won the award. Seriously, that must be some sort of joke.

Also their main journalist is an clown. Phil McNulty that is. He is so biased it's unreal. You can feel his anti Man Utd bias in almost all of his articles. I remember when the Rooney saga was going on, he was saying how Rooney wanted to win trophies and there was no way he would ever play for Man Utd again given the comments he made. He repeatedly said there 'was no way back for Rooney at Utd'. You could sence how gleefull he was about the whole situation, with him being a Liverpool fan and wanting things at Utd to go belly up. The Rooney example is just one of many btw.

The pro- Liverpool bias is shamefull. Notice how they rarely spculate about the future of Liverpool players and very rarely write articles that might damage the integrity of Liverpool football club.

I think it's unbelievable that so many Liverpool icons/fans are employed by the BBC. You've got Mark Lawerenson, Alan Hansen, Alan Green and Phil Mcnulty who are the nucleus of BBC football. I think it's outrageous.

This thread may not mean a hell of alot to most people but I'd just like to see what other regular users of the BBC sports website think of it.

Epic Fail.

Blatter

Garth Crooks is another one. How could I forget.

Anyone ever look at his teams of the week?
Picks all the players who scored - simple. Absolute bullsh!t. Can't believe people he gets paid for it:mad:

c montgomery

Their F1 coverage is good and what’s better is that there's no ad breaks.

Match of the day is a boring show. The analysis is poor, uninspired and tame.

My main issue with their sport coverage is that they never really have a built up to a game. Coverage usually starts 15 min before kickoff.

Blatter

copacetic wrote: »

Epic Fail.

I always assumed he was a Liverpool fan for good reason..

~ Suggested Gerrard was the man to lead England
~ Suggested Aston Villa give in to Liverpool and sell them Barry

He also predicted Liverpool to become champions least year:pac:
There's much more where that came from too.


I'm gonna refuse to believe he's not a Liverpool fan until I'm shown evidence suggesting otherwise:P

Even if he wasn't a Liverpool fan, it's clear he's been strongly influenced by the likes of Hansen, Lawernson and Green. Wouldn't want to tarnish Liverpool's good name with them around would he?

MR NINE

Personally I think bbcsport and the guardian are the only two credible sources when it comes to football related news.

Blatter

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Isn't Phil McNulty an Everton fan?

I've actually done a bit of research on this one...

Here is an Everton forum where they discuss him.

One of the posters claimed to have gone to school with him and said he was a really strange guy. Said he was 60% Liverpool fan and 40% everton fan.

The general consensus of the Everton fans was that he ''is definetely a red nose now''.

Blatter

copacetic wrote: »

Epic Fail.

Super Epic Fail.

eagle eye

Xavi6 wrote: »

I have more of an issue with the likes of Lawrenson and Crooks than McNulty. Ex pros shout from their high horse that you can't know the game properly unless you've played it at the highest level.

Well exhibit A and B mentioned above contradict that notion quite nicely.

I think if you played the game at the highest level you will know a lot more about the game. It doesn't mean that every ex-pro that played at the highest level is going to be a good analyst.

homerjay2005

no i dont. i think you are sadly mistaken here.

their coverage of football, is IMO top class, considering their broadcasting rights.

the bbc website is the first football site i go to every day, as its normally the most accurate. their live match commentating is also quite good.

MOTD is one of the best, if not the best footballing programs in the world, its an institution of english football that goes back many many years. i suppose the OP here, is a huge soccer AM fan.....

Dolph Starbeam

c montgomery wrote: »

Their F1 coverage is good and what’s better is that there's no ad breaks.

Take Eddie Jordan off it and it would be x1000000000000 times better.

eagle eye

I have to say I like the BBC. I like Lee Dixon and Martin Keown as analysts. Not really gone on Shearer or Hansen. I like Lawro but not doing match commentaries.

shano_88

I like the BBC too. I nearly always have their updates on the scores up on a saturday or for champions league. There much better at that than anyone else. Although i do have a dislikening for Alan Hansen and Lawro.

Le King

eagle eye wrote: »

I have to say I like the BBC. I like Lee Dixon and Martin Keown as analysts. Not really gone on Shearer or Hansen. I like Lawro but not doing match commentaries.

Meh I don't like any of the so called pro analysts the BBC have. But they still trump the likes of John Barnes any day.

larchielads

Garth Crooks should stick to the country n western as he knows sweet fanny adams about football........the dance, whatta choon!!!!!!:pac:

bonerm

Xavi6 wrote: »

I have more of an issue with the likes of Lawrenson and Crooks than McNulty. Ex pros shout from their high horse that you can't know the game properly unless you've played it at the highest level.

They're right tho. Which is why the aforementioned should get off the tv for good and leave the slot for someone who knows what they're talking about.

It may be a simplistic viewpoint but I feel the game has changed almost beyond recognition in the last 15-20 years. Factor in the money, increased competition for places and improved tactics, fitness, preparation, strategy and the game the likes of Lawrenson and Hansen played and talk about doesn't really exist anymore. Having these fellas pontificating to a global audience is akin to getting pre-professional era rugby players to talk about what goes on in the modern pro-game. I feel they just can't know what it's about.

I've always felt that pundits shouldn't be allowed to hold a slot on a show like MOTD unless they've been recently involved in the game (either as player or manger) say in the past 5 years. For instance you'd swear listening to Hansen that the development of football tactics reached its zenith with the concept of the 2nd centre-back dropping back to cover. :rolleyes:

Vokes

Tim Vickery's blogs on South American football are excellent. Any other fans?

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

Just reading there, the BBC African footballer of the year shortlist was announced. I decided to look up the past winners and was astounded to learn that Samuel Eto'o never won the award. Seriously, that must be some sort of joke.

Which of the previous winners do you think were undeserving of the award?

pickarooney

The MOTD team are dreadful. The website is pretty good though.

Fr Tod Umptious

No OP I do not think they are a joke.

As others have said they are always best for reliable sports news.

They are not over the top in any of their coverage.

They do not open their sports news programs with stories like
'<Analyast A> and <Analyst B> disagreed live on <BBC program name> over the incident in <match x>'
as Sky often do.

They give decent coverage to competitions that they do not even have the rights for, e.g,. FA Cup 2009/2010
Unlike SSN who lead with a county cricket story at the top of the hour instead of the Russia v Holland Euro Q\F back in 2008

I think we are very luck to have an outlet like the BBC for sports coverage in this day and age

greendom

Radio 5 live is excellent for sports too. Does some great podcasts too. Agree though that MOTD really needs a complete makeover. They should get some of the RTE lads over, Giles, Brady and Dunphy - that would really sock it to the Brits

AnCapaillMor

Besides MOTD the rest of their sports stuff is top notch. MOTD reminds me of Paul Whitehouses "Jumpers for goalposts" commentary team from the fast show.

28064212

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

Just reading there, the BBC African footballer of the year shortlist was announced. I decided to look up the past winners and was astounded to learn that Samuel Eto'o never won the award. Seriously, that must be some sort of joke.

Did you manage to read the part of the article which states how the prize is decided?

The winner will be decided by African football fans, who have until 10 December to vote for their choice.

Voting for the award will take place via text and online.

Eto'o was on the shortlist for 2008 and 2009 anyway, and is on it again for 2010. I can't find the shortlist details for earlier years, but I would assume he featured heavily. What do you want the BBC to do about it?

OhNoYouDidn't

The BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation is biased towords BRITISH clubs?

I'm shocked and stunned.

But I can see why that might confuse people considering our own media tends to ignore Irish football.

ironbluedun

i only watch a match on bbc if its not on anywhere else. Words like pompous condescending and arrogant spring to mind.

CiaranC

TV forum is that way lads -->

Dempsey

Vokes wrote: »

Tim Vickery's blogs on South American football are excellent. Any other fans?

Yep, always read his blogs too.

The BBC website would be my preferred source of British football news, their gossip section gives me quickly what the other media outlets are reporting and if I want to read those, there is links to the article or the newspaper there on the page.

To call them a joke because Eto'o hasnt won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award makes you look stupid because its not their employees that decide the award. And they didnt say anything on the Rooney saga that wasnt said by alot of other journalists or ex Pros. You're just paranoid because Phil McNulty is an Everton fan that writes positive articles about Liverpool

Columbia

They could certainly improve it by getting at least one manager in for analysis (Shearer does not count). I think they're too focussed on getting in the people who will boost ratings, rather than improve the show. However even as an Everton fan I've never had a huge problem with their range of panelists. Lawrenson and Hansen are fair and usually have a lot of good things to say about the club. To be honest each one of them says more positive stuff about Everton than Gary Lineker and Andy Gray combined.

They need better hosts though, I have no idea who that skinny fecker is on Sundays but he has no business hosting MOTD. Might be better suited to some sort of morning slot on MTV2.

flahavaj

Their match analysis is so lazy. At one stage during the world cup the other analysts were actually laughing at one of the pundits (I think it was Dixon) because he was bigging up Hamsik of Slovakia and had obviously a small bit of homework. Unbelieveable. The likes of Lawrenson and Hansen have had a cushty number there for years and plainly make little or no effort anymore. MOTD 2 has gotten incredibly cringe-worthy as well this season. They had a segment with David Ginola tasting wine a few week back, it was horrendous.

BBC 5 Live on the other hand is a superb service, aside from the intensely irritating Alan Greene.

Blatter

Alot of people have me wrong.

I myself use the BBC website for daily information about everything and it is excellent the majority of the time. My only issues regarding the website are - Phil Mcnulty's biased blogs, Garth Crooks team of the week and Mark Lawerson's predictions. IMO, those things tarnish what is otherwise a very good website.

My problem with the BBC African footballer of the year is the fact it has no credibility (due to the way the voting takes place) but yet they still harp on about it and put it as one of the top stories on their website - as if the BBC African footballer of the year is one of the main African awards to win. And it clearly dosen't have any credibility seeing as the likes of Jay Jay Okocha, Barakat, Aboutrika won it over the last few years. How can anyone argue that Samuel Eto'o should not have won this award AT LEAST once?

My other point about the BBC is the clear bias shown towards Liverpool. If you read the articles about Liverpool carefully, you'll notice Phil McNulty is rarely over crictical. And if you have been reading his articles about United over the last few years you would definetely notice he is anti United, I know I have.

But I'm not suprised about this bias, how can I be? You've got Alan Hansen, Mark Lawerson - two former Liverpool players. Alan green and Phil McNulty have a clear passion towards Liverpool and hatred against Man Utd. Add to this they have Alan Shearer working there who clearly hates United. It's unbelievable.

AnCapaillMor

flahavaj wrote: »

Their match analysis is so lazy. At one stage during the world cup the other analysts were actually laughing at one of the pundits (I think it was Dixon) because he was bigging up Hamsik of Slovakia and had obviously a small bit of homework. Unbelieveable. The likes of Lawrenson and Hansen have had a cushty number there for years and plainly make little or no effort anymore. MOTD 2 has gotten incredibly cringe-worthy as well this season.

Shearer going off about who the hell Ben Arfa was very cringe worthy.

Smegball

Only really use the BBC website for the live matchday scores tbh.

Phil McNulty is quite annoying, although his Facebook/Twitter updates are handy to have.

Warper

Well BBC Sport is the first sports site I check every day so no, I dont think they are a joke. Their sports stories are credible and if you want to read a bit of fiction they have their transfer gossip page which Thank God is all on the same page rather than taking up 10 links like the other footie sites.

OhNoYouDidn't

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

My other point about the BBC is the clear bias shown towards Liverpool. If you read the articles about Liverpool carefully, you'll notice Phil McNulty is rarely over crictical. And if you have been reading his articles about United over the last few years you would definetely notice he is anti United, I know I have.

But I'm not suprised about this bias, how can I be? You've got Alan Hansen, Mark Lawerson - two former Liverpool players. Alan green and Phil McNulty have a clear passion towards Liverpool and hatred against Man Utd. Add to this they have Alan Shearer working there who clearly hates United. It's unbelievable.

So to sum up, you dislike a foreign broadcaster who in your mind shows preference to foreign club a over foreign club b.

Where is the 'so fcuking what' option?

28064212

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

Alot of people have me wrong.

Hardly surprising when your thread title is: "BBC sport - anyone else think they are a joke?". Doesn't really sit well with "it is excellent the majority of the time"

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

My problem with the BBC African footballer of the year is the fact it has no credibility (due to the way the voting takes place) but yet they still harp on about it and put it as one of the top stories on their website - as if the BBC African footballer of the year is one of the main African awards to win. And it clearly dosen't have any credibility seeing as the likes of Jay Jay Okocha, Barakat, Aboutrika won it over the last few years. How can anyone argue that Samuel Eto'o should not have won this award AT LEAST once?

They harp on about it? The shortlist piece isn't even above the fold on the "BBC Sport" home page, and it's way down on the right-hand side of the football page, between a piece on Sheffield Wednesday and the Gossip Column. I've never even heard of it before you brought it up. They don't claim it to be some intensely scrutinised objective decision. It's a poll run by their World Service radio to reach out to African football fans, that the main BBC Football website gives a modicum of publicity to. So what?

Blatter

28064212 wrote: »

Hardly surprising when your thread title is: "BBC sport - anyone else think they are a joke?". Doesn't really sit well with "it is excellent the majority of the time"


They harp on about it? The shortlist piece isn't even above the fold on the "BBC Sport" home page, and it's way down on the right-hand side of the football page, between a piece on Sheffield Wednesday and the Gossip Column. I've never even heard of it before you brought it up. They don't claim it to be some intensely scrutinised objective decision. It's a poll run by their World Service radio to reach out to African football fans, that the main BBC Football website gives a modicum of publicity to. So what?

Well if people had taken the time to read what was said they might actually understand what was meant referring to them as a joke.

That's where the article is now, it was up on the top right of the website last night, which is where all of the top stories go.