Off The Ball Official Thread <Mod Note - Post #1, #533, #6651>

Tell me how

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

I have stopped listening full stop, just bored of it.

Lot of your comments are starting to make sense now.

dxhound2005

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

I think he/she means putting it on as background noise. but not not listening attentively?
Not feeling engaged in the show.

But they were paying enough attention to do this critique.

It's wall to wall 'lads banter' tinged with social justice, white knight nonsense.
It is very low brow pretending to be something else.
The gambling stuff just proves the point. Hypocrisy of the highest order.

anthonyjmaher

I'm a big Eubank Jr fan, but I think its ridiculous to say he's up there with GGG or Canelo. He lost to Saunders, and Groves made him look fairly amateurish. Be interesting to see how Saunders would do against either GGG or Canelo, but with his drug issue this week it's not even certain that his upcoming fight against Andrade will go ahead.

Blanco100

YFlyer wrote: »

I'm laughing that they are saying Eubank Jr. is at the same level as Canelo and GGG.

Who said this specifically?

Tell me how

Blanco100 wrote: »

Who said this specifically?

The didn't. They said that Eubank junior will be looking towards Canelo/GGG to see if he might get a fight there given he won recently.

Maybe I missed them making a more flat out comparison

Ol' Donie

Haven't listened to the football show in ages.

Keith Andrews interview, some ads, interview with a guy from Boylespo - *radio off* -

Raoul

I used to listen daily. Just can't now with all the boylesports ads. Their hypocrisy is ridiculous.

BPKS

How did OTB cover the Ronaldo rape accusation?

YFlyer

Blanco100 wrote: »

Who said this specifically?

I don't remember who.

YFlyer

BPKS wrote: »

How did OTB cover the Ronaldo rape accusation?

it was only mentioned on the sports news that he is looking for time out of the Portuguese squad.

NIMAN

Listened to Giles again on my way home.

He's getting worse. Say a line, then repeat it about 5 or 6 times. Does this for every point he makes. Zero control by the host, just let him ramble on and on. All the hosts are the same, seem reluctant to intervene.

And for such a football man, you'd think he would know the surname of one of Irelands main players.

3 times he called Harry Arter Harry Arthur.

Getting embarrassing at this stage.

Tell me how

NIMAN wrote: »

3 times he called Harry Arter Harry Arthur.

Wow. That's such a disgrace.

Ol' Donie

I'm gone the opposite way on him.

I got tired of him on OTB a few years ago, but I've started listening to Eamo's podcast when he's on it and I'm really enjoying it.

NIMAN

Tell me how wrote: »

Wow. That's such a disgrace.

You could say that its a minor thing, but the guy doesn't even know the name of an Irish international.

And its meant to be his trade and what he gets paid for.

But then he has form, I have heard him on CL nights on RTE say "I don't know anything about this team/player"......well go and find out about them, you're being paid to analyse them or give your opinion on them.

mcgucc22

NIMAN wrote:

You could say that its a minor thing, but the guy doesn't even know the name of an Irish international.

He's not the only person who does that to be fair, I've heard Roy Keane call Jeff Hendrick 'Hendricks'

sightband

mcgucc22 wrote: »

He's not the only person who does that to be fair, I've heard Roy Keane call Jeff Hendrick 'Hendricks'

He should just call him shįte.

Californeeway

NIMAN wrote: »

But then he has form, I have heard him on CL nights on RTE say "I don't know anything about this team/player"......well go and find out about them, you're being paid to analyse them or give your opinion on them.

John Giles and the paper review are the only podcasts from OTB I enjoy now. I don't think he's being paid for his encyclopedic knowledge on the modern game, probably just to give his old school and trusted take on the modern game. Bad and good points in that order...

Bad
Repeating sentences endlessly – ‘Pogba is not the complete midfield player’, ‘He’s only 19’ ‘Midfielders job is to take the ball’
The old Days nobody under 50 remembers – featuring Don Revie and Brian Clough
Forgetting things I remember – teams, players and presenters names

Good
Remembering things I’ve forgotten – The result in a fixture last season, irish player names
Makes good points – doesn’t go with the consensus opinion, doesn’t talk in cliches
Doesn’t change opinion – mourinho’s a good football man, has always been in love with luka modric

Altogether a humble and nice man with the experience to back his thoughts on football up, the exact opposite to graham hunter.

JoeA3

Giles is far better on Dunphy’s podcast imo. Way less (almost none) rambling about the good old Leeds days. Dunphy directs the flow of the conversation much better than the OTB lads.

Giles is a treasure and I for one will be very sad when his voice is no longer heard.

Say Your Number

Giles talked pure and simple common sense about the Rice situation, I'd take that over someone who pronounces every name perfectly but talks nothing but sh1te.

Tell me how

Off the Ball got first, second and third place in sports broadcaster of the year on the Irish radio awards tonight.

Joe, Nathan, Ger.

Ol' Donie

Category: E10 Newcomer

Gold Tommy Walsh Newstalk

Ol' Donie

Industry awards, the guarantee of quality.

Category: B2 News Bulletin

Gold 98FM News
Silver Downtown Radio/Cool FM
Bronze Red FM News

CatFromHue

There was an article in The Sunday Times pointing out how much gambling advertising and promotion OTB have on their shows.

Tell me how

CatFromHue wrote: »

There was an article in The Sunday Times pointing out how much gambling advertising and promotion OTB have on their shows.

Article (behind paywall)

A gambling-addiction support group has criticised Off the Ball on Newstalk for allowing a representative from Boylesports bookmakers, its main sponsor, to provide commentary and discuss odds on sporting events.

Leon Blanche of Boylesports is regularly on the Off the Ball studio panel, which includes presenter Keith Andrews, and contributes to talks about the Premier League and the GAA.

On some occasions, the Boylesports representative has referred to value-for-money bets, and the best odds on certain sporting propositions. The former Ireland football international Kevin Kilbane, an Off the Ball co-presenter, is also a football ambassador for Boylesports.

Problem Gambling Ireland, a group that works with gambling addicts, said some discussions could be “thinly veiled sponsorship presented as analysis” and has warned the station that the constant references to odds and betting can be harmful to recovering addicts.

Barry Grant, chief executive of Problem Gambling Ireland, said: “Off the Ball stitches gambling into everything; it permeates their content. For some people in recovery this causes a problem. They advertise free bets, they have a tipster from Boylesports and constantly talk about the best odds.

“Most problem gamblers are big sports fans so they’re trying to not gamble and just want to enjoy the show.”

Grant added: “We have concerns about the normalisation of gambling as an intrinsic part of sport that this level of advertising and sponsorship creates. ”

Grant said he understands that Newstalk, which is part of the Communicorp group, is a commercial radio station and is entitled to have sponsorship, but he would prefer that station executives separate the betting segments from the normal sports coverage.

“They should make it clearer that this is sponsored content and announce that they will be discuss betting now,” Grant said. “That way, recovering addicts could just turn off the channel, and wouldn’t have to listen to that segment.”

A spokesperson for the nightly sports show, which has an average listenership of 55,000 people, was not available for comment on Friday. Boylesports did not respond to requests for comment.

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) said it had not received any complaints regarding the programme. People who are unhappy with content are requested to make their complaint with the station first, and only then with the BAI if the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction, the regulator pointed out.

Boylesports began a partnership with Off the Ball last March for a 12-month period. The agreement involves Boylesports “partnering” with the show on all video, digital, radio and events content for football and GAA.

At the time the deal was announced Ger Gilroy, managing director and also a presenter of Off the Ball, said: “We are delighted to be working with Boylesports on this partnership, which is the biggest sponsorship to date across the Communicorp Group.”

I suspect that their position will be that while the understand that some gamblers are "problem gamblers" (word from article) that the majority aren't and sponsorship by gambling companies is already prevalent in sport. Look at number of English football teams with gambling sponsorship. Probably still the biggest sports TV platform, Sky, actually run their own gambling platform.

Interesting that no complaints have been made to the BAI on this issue. I wonder did Barry Grant already ask OTB for their position on this before he contributed to the article.

OldMrBrennan83

Rightly so really. Only a few have problems with gambling and it's not everyone's problem. Many can put a bet on without issue.

It's annoying in the show more than anything else.

sightband

Off topic...but what ever happened to Roddy Collins, he was quite entertaining as a contributor. Did he somehow offend the team or Uncle Dinny?

Tell me how

sightband wrote: »

Off topic...but what ever happened to Roddy Collins, he was quite entertaining as a contributor. Did he somehow offend the team or Uncle Dinny?

Think he moved away from the show when he got latest managerial job with Athlone town. Stuart Byrne who used to be on with him each Tuesday night is no longer on regularly either as far as I know. I found him very good to listen to.

CatFromHue

Patww79 wrote: »

Rightly so really. Only a few have problems with gambling and it's not everyone's problem. Many can put a bet on without issue.

It's annoying in the show more than anything else.

I'm the same. I don't really gamble as I just don't enjoy it but if others do more power to them.

The big issue here is that OTB went in hard on gambling and now seem to have gone in hard on promoting gambling.

sightband

Tell me how wrote: »

Think he moved away from the show when he got latest managerial job with Athlone town. Stuart Byrne who used to be on with him each Tuesday night is no longer on regularly either as far as I know. I found him very good to listen to.

He’s been managing LOI all through it though so a club move shouldn’t have any implications and if Stuart Byrne is no longer on with him it sounds a bit like the usual overnight newstalk chop action for getting sand up the wrong vagina.

Tell me how

sightband wrote: »

He’s been managing LOI all through it though so a club move shouldn’t have any implications and if Stuart Byrne is no longer on with him it sounds a bit like the usual overnight newstalk chop action for getting sand up the wrong vagina.

Donn't think he was a pundit on the show while he was an active manager.
Someone else might be able to confirm otherwise.

Bit in bold.............???

Ol' Donie

Patww79 wrote: »

Rightly so really. Only a few have problems with gambling and it's not everyone's problem. Many can put a bet on without issue.

It's annoying in the show more than anything else.

It's very annoying. Also the interviews with the Boylesports fella where they pretend they are talking about football really damage the shows credibilty.

sightband

Tell me how wrote: »

Donn't think he was a pundit on the show while he was an active manager.
Someone else might be able to confirm otherwise.

Bit in bold.............???

He’s been so active in coaching here for last ten years in so many clubs that I seriously doubt that had any issues on whatever minuscule contract he was on.

Bold bit...they are well known for getting rid of staff overnight who offend king Dennis or his minions. Sand in the vagina bit, South Park reference, essentially means rubbing someone up the wrong way.

sightband

As in, you get sand in your vagina a good bit on this forum when someone criticises your panel of hero pundits

Tell me how

sightband wrote: »

As in, you get sand in your vagina a good bit on this forum when someone criticises your panel of hero pundits

Oh, I'm so offended. I mean, I thought everyone here liked me.....;)

Sorry for engaging with you to give you some info.

sightband

Tell me how wrote: »

Oh, I'm so offended. I mean, I thought everyone here liked me.....;)

Sorry for engaging with you to give you some info.

It was just a second thought joke with the smiley face hoping to get me off the hook, not intended to insult. You’ve very valid points about the show as do others. Apologies.

mr_edge_to_you

Ol' Donie wrote: »

It's very annoying. Also the interviews with the Boylesports fella where they pretend they are talking about football really damage the shows credibilty.

On television, you’re made aware when there is paid product placement in a program. Similarly, in newspapers you see the phrase “advertisement feature” when there’s these dodgy looking articles. I’m not sure if it’s a legal obligation but I would expect if it is that the same should apply to the likes of the Boylesports “interviews”.

chinguetti

I follow their twitter feed but rarely listen to the various versions of OTB and their shows but I found it very amusing that their Twitter feed spent ages today attacking the UFC and the nonsense at the weekend. If they were that shocked, say you won't talk about it as it has no place in sport and carry on with real sport.

UFC knows that the violence sells and use that to promote itself. If sports programmes stopped talking about how terrible it is and showing 'the awful senses' non stop, it would clean up its act very quickly as the promotion would have to change.

mean gene

Used like this but the in studio banter that no one else knows what their on abt killed it

trixiebust

mean gene wrote: »

Used like this but the in studio banter that no one else knows what their on abt killed it

Yeah, the in studio banter killed it for me. They were good for a while, but it was losing its appeal a while back for me.

The betting sponsorship now means I don't watch or listen anymore.

Raoul

trixiebust wrote: »

Yeah, the in studio banter killed it for me. They were good for a while, but it was losing its appeal a while back for me.

The betting sponsorship now means I don't watch or listen anymore.

Same here. Haven't listened since the World Cup.

ballsymchugh

is the rugby outside broadcast live this evening? i'm sure the old story of beating up austin healy will be brought up again.

ghostdancer

thanks for reminding me, will put on something else. there's only so many times I can listen to Keith Wood and BOD going through the same stuff. the rugby OBs are mostly awful.

dominatinMC

ghostdancer wrote: »

thanks for reminding me, will put on something else. there's only so many times I can listen to Keith Wood and BOD going through the same stuff. the rugby OBs are mostly awful.

I'm particularly sick of Keith Wood, there's something about him I just can't warm to.

Loafing Oaf

Joe annoyed me last night when he was talking to Alan Smith about the incident where George Graham called him a See you next Tuesday. He kept quoting the line but inserting 'c' for the offensive term. Bit like Ronan Keating's "you're cheap and you're haggard" version of Fairytale of New York.

DEFTLEFTHAND

ghostdancer wrote: »

thanks for reminding me, will put on something else. there's only so many times I can listen to Keith Wood and BOD going through the same stuff. the rugby OBs are mostly awful.

Same old 'war stories' over and over again.

I don't particularly want to hear about how they assaulted an opposition player.

When it happens to an Irish player they're up in arms in self righteous indignation.

Tell me how

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Same old 'war stories' over and over again.

I'm not a fan of the outside broadcasts for all the reasons mentioned above, forced laughter, rehashing of old often heard tales and so on.

But, they seem to be well attended so it seems there are some who they appeal to. They don't make good radio though.

MD1990

I watch off the ball AM mostly when they have discussions I am interested in.

One thing they need to do is get a more charismatic presenter.

Gilroy & Sheahan are a bit boring imo.

Icemancometh

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Joe annoyed me last night when he was talking to Alan Smith about the incident where George Graham called him a See you next Tuesday. He kept quoting the line but inserting 'c' for the offensive term. Bit like Ronan Keating's "you're cheap and you're haggard" version of Fairytale of New York.

Yeah it was a bit weird, particularly given the hour it was on.

Ol' Donie

Tell me how wrote: »

I'm not a fan of the outside broadcasts for all the reasons mentioned above, forced laughter, rehashing of old often heard tales and so on.

But, they seem to be well attended so it seems there are some who they appeal to. They don't make good radio though.

Category: B8 Sports Programme – Full Service

Gold Sunday Sport – Remembering Jimmy RTÉ Radio 1
Silver OTB Live Newstalk
Bronze Off the Ball Newstalk


I don't know if this award is for the outside shows or not. It's from the well deserved radio awards the other week.

Ciara Kelly (or her show) and Henry McKean also won awards.

And 98fm got "Best Music Station"

Full (and, jesus, comprehensive) list here

https://radiotoday.ie/2018/10/imro-radio-awards-2018-full-winners-list/

Loafing Oaf

Icemancometh wrote: »

Yeah it was a bit weird, particularly given the hour it was on.

Maybe he was channeling his inner Mrs Doyle: