Gary Lineker

ddraver

LeicesterLad wrote:

ddraver wrote:

Gonna say he got TTing bob on did nt he? Even the Olympic one was a snoozefest until the last 4/5 riders.

I don't think he's that bad tbh, I ve seen a lot worse. The chat with the Canoeists with McEnroe and Johnson was quite good last night I thought.

Oh and LL? Ian Thorpe isnt gay!

s'not what my gaydar says.

I confess i got a shock when I Wiki'd it...

ShavenLegs

Pross wrote:

ilovebigwig wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Claire Balding FTW.


And I'm not taking the p!ss. She's great.

She is extremely good - who would have thought that employing an experienced, intelligent, conscientious professional journalist/presenter ahead of a former sportsman who middle aged women like would have paid off so well!

Inverdale never disappoints either, and the 5Live crew in general.

Can't stand Inverdale!

+1

I have a total loathing for the man. Creepy and full of snide remarks.

The crisp salesman was a complete embarrassment yesterday, couldn't think of a single worthwhile question for either Gemma Gibbons or Peter Wilson on what was probably the biggest day of their careers. "How do you feel?" phrased about 5 different ways.

Balding has grown on me over the last few years. She seems genuinely interested in different sports and makes some effort to dig into the detail of what they're about. BBC really are lacking in people who can hold a decent interview, and I don't like having people from other "popular" sports involved in covering the "minority" sports, just because the punters will recognise them. For good TV coverage you need to have people who know what they're talking about.

Was it just me or was the camera work in the velodrome yesterday almost as bad as the RR coverage?

ddraver

I'm genuinely not sure who you'd put in their place....

Would you have understood a technical Judo/rowing/C2 Question? I sure as hell would nt have...

alan_a

lostboysaint wrote:

bartman100 wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

But for fark sake promote Colin Murray.

Oh please god, no!!!!! Anymore of the ubiquitous 'Cln Mrrry' and his cheesy local radio, 'Yoof' oriented verbal diarrhea and I'll be puuting my foot through the TV.

S'funny 'cos that's exactly what I used to think about him but having listened to a lot more of him as he's slowly taken over the airwaves you realise that he's a broadcasting chameleon and is able to morph very nicely between what's expected for each audience. As I said, go back and listen to the Graeme Obree interview and see if you think anyone else would have got anything like the quality of response, and that's not the only example. The series he did going round interviewing all the surviving British Olympic gold medallists was excellent. Have a listen to the Rebecca Romero interview from that and see how comfortable she is talking to him about stuff that is clearly uncomfortable for her. His summary comments afterwards are very good as well. He's really matured as a journalist/presenter from the dreadful R1 wannabe that he was.

+1 for Colin Murray. Most of my olympic coverage has been by listening to 5Live then flicking onto the relevant BBC internet feed for the pictures. His post event interviews with the athletes, volunteers & crowds have been good fun and he has asked all the correct questions in the correct manner (unlike Jill Douglas).

Radio is a much pacier medium and at the same time a more intimate one. Victoria Derbyshire is brilliant as always. The entire 5Live coverage has been much much better informed than their TV equivalent. Simon Brotherton rocks, it was great to listen to Aggers at the archery. He admitted he was a novice to the sport, but he made you feel as if you were learning all about its intricacies with him. Over the week he and the listeners have become experts in archery punditry.

Pross

Alan Green in the rowing has been excellent as well. He gets on my nerves in football commentary but seems genuinely enthusiastic in the rowing.

ddraver

Alan A wrote:

it was great to listen to Aggers at the archery. He admitted he was a novice to the sport, but he made you feel as if you were learning all about its intricacies with him. Over the week he and the listeners have become experts in archery punditry.

I'm not attacking you but to an archery fan that's no different from Phil and Paul going on about the basics of cycling is to us...

lostboysaint

ddraver wrote:

Alan A wrote:

it was great to listen to Aggers at the archery. He admitted he was a novice to the sport, but he made you feel as if you were learning all about its intricacies with him. Over the week he and the listeners have become experts in archery punditry.

I'm not attacking you but to an archery fan that's no different from Phil and Paul going on about the basics of cycling is to us...

But that's exactly the point, you've got to appeal to a MAJORITY audience, not a minority one. Whilst we may be frustrated by Phil and Paul they are doing a job for the hundreds of thousands who DON'T understand and watch it occasionally and that's exactly what the team here have to do. It's a very tricky balance and the element of detail for those that DO understand the sport is essential but it has to be tempered with an ability to engage the rest of the audience.

Cheshire_Cat

Although not a fan I do have some sympathy for Mr Lineker as he’s clearly out of his depth. More blame should be levelled at the BBC for playing the MOTD card to try and attract viewing figures (as if the Olympics needed it!). Heaven forbid that the British public show any interest in sport outside football.

Another +1 vote for Claire Balding and her team. The swimming coverage has even inspired my kids to hit the water. I’m struggling in the pool, but I should go faster once my “Michael Phelps” mirrored goggles arrive from Wiggle :-)

disgruntledgoat

Pross wrote:

Alan Green in the rowing has been excellent as well. He gets on my nerves in football commentary but seems genuinely enthusiastic in the rowing.

Just you wait until Liverpool start underperforming in Rowing.

Pross

Denise Lewis on the athletics now - I'd have her presenting everything, I don't care whether what she says is any good or not as I'm not listening just staring like a love sick adolescent!

ddraver

^^^Agreed- i think they re getting it about right really...

Maybe it's me being wierd wanting to enjoy stuff again..?

ilovebigwig

Pross wrote:

Alan Green in the rowing has been excellent as well. He gets on my nerves in football commentary but seems genuinely enthusiastic in the rowing.

Agreed - he actually sounds like he wants to be there, unlike when he and Lawrenson commentate on any football match.

thegibdog

I think Linekar stuggles as AFAIK he hasn't really done this kind if thing before. Reading an autocue and prompting football pundits is entirely different to interviewing various sports people whilst trying to listen to the director telling you who they are, what's coming up next etc.

lostboysaint

thegibdog wrote:

I think Linekar stuggles as AFAIK he hasn't really done this kind if thing before. Reading an autocue and prompting football pundits is entirely different to interviewing various sports people whilst trying to listen to the director telling you who they are, what's coming up next etc.

Perhaps they should have thought of that before giving him the role of anchoring (with a silent W) the most important sports broadcasts that they'll ever provide.

mrwaggy

Bring back Des Lynam for the anchor role

andyrac

mrwaggy wrote:

Bring back Des Lynam for the anchor role

Wouldn’t disagree with that.
The BBC used to be full of journalistic heavyweights, who had gravitas. They’ve all gone....and been replaced by ex-sportsmen/women.
There’s no shame in not knowing about certain sports – but you can at least appear to have done some prep and look enthusiastic. Clare Balding is probably the Beeb’s best presenter – loads of enthusiasm, does research and makes the guests look at ease. Yes, we know she’s steeped in horse racing, but is now a huge Rugby league fan, and takes interest whenever she presents other sports. Gabby Logan always seems enthusiastic as well.
Personally, it’s time for a lot of the old guard to be pensioned off: Lineker, Lawrenson, Barker, Hansen et al

skut

I'm not really getting the opportunity to watch anything other than the BBC nightly highlights programme at the moment, and it has been abysmal. There's hardly any footage of the events that aren't polluted with infuriating slow-mo montages and TV theme music. Watching the 'highlights' of the team pursuit I could barely tell what was hapening, and there was no sense of drama as they edited the race into tiny meaningless pieces. And all followed up by pitiful punditry....

jim453

skut wrote:

I'm not really getting the opportunity to watch anything other than the BBC nightly highlights programme at the moment, and it has been abysmal. There's hardly any footage of the events that aren't polluted with infuriating slow-mo montages and TV theme music. Watching the 'highlights' of the team pursuit I could barely tell what was hapening, and there was no sense of drama as they edited the race into tiny meaningless pieces. And all followed up by pitiful punditry....

I fairness to the beeb. They can hardly show extended highlights of all the sports you, in particular, want to see when the whole of their network has been virtually given over to Olmpics all day.

They can't please everyone. Anyway, I'm off work so I'm loving it.

ms_tree

There was an article in the Telegraph yesterday (I think - I can't find as the pile of papers will cascade to the floor if I touch it :oops: ) and they give Claire 10/10 and Hugh Porter 9/10!! Mind you he is better on the track than the road and he does have Boardman to help. Apparently his wife (Olympic swimming gold medalist Anita Lonsborough - I did know that!) sits beside him and does the research and hands him notes. It mentions his Black Country accent as well. I quite like his use of 'a brace of riders'.

disquieting_museeuws

As a cyclist from the 80's, I still can't hear Hugh Porter's voice without the words 'Team Haverhill' coming to mind!

http://youtu.be/oGGPAkAgujs

sunburntknees

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Anybody seen Maurice Greene on Eurosport? Any cop?

Awful. Had to turn it back to the Beeb after about 15 seconds.

biscuit959

Claire Balding - very good
Gaby Logan - very good
Gary Linekar - poor
John Inverdale - usual tosh - especially that interview with the rowers
Sue Barker - Legend as ever
Michael Johnson - I actually like him but they probably should have left him just for the athletics
Colin Jackson - annoyingly enthusiastic
Denise Lewis - very good
Ian Thorpe - very good
Johnny Mac - funny but you have to wonder why he's even there tbh
Chris Boardman - very good
Hugh Porter - awful on the road but not helped by the poor coverage I guess - slightly better on the track
Johnathan Edwards - Think he's done the competitor to commentator/presenter switch really well actually.

Thats about all I can think of at the moment haha. And all my opinion obviously

Pross

disquieting_museeuws wrote:

As a cyclist from the 80's, I still can't hear Hugh Porter's voice without the words 'Team Haverhill' coming to mind!

http://youtu.be/oGGPAkAgujs

I'm always waiting for him to say Swifty Ben Swift!

lostboysaint

biscuit959 wrote:

Claire Balding - very good
Gaby Logan - very good
Gary Linekar - poor
John Inverdale - usual tosh - especially that interview with the rowers
Sue Barker - Legend as ever
Michael Johnson - I actually like him but they probably should have left him just for the athletics
Colin Jackson - annoyingly enthusiastic
Denise Lewis - very good
Ian Thorpe - very good
Johnny Mac - funny but you have to wonder why he's even there tbh
Chris Boardman - very good
Hugh Porter - awful on the road but not helped by the poor coverage I guess - slightly better on the track
Johnathan Edwards - Think he's done the competitor to commentator/presenter switch really well actually.

Thats about all I can think of at the moment haha. And all my opinion obviously

Claire Balding needs upgrading to Excellent.

Sue Barker legend? FFS man she's dire.

Lineker plumbed new depths last night with his "interviews" with Greg Rutherford, John Mc and Michael Johnson when all the time he was doing the "looking at the director out of shot trying to get his attention" and raising eyebrows/facial twitches as he was getting instructions thing. He really needs to be packed off NOW!!!

graeme_s-2

I don't mind Lineker for the big football tournaments, but he's totally out of his depth at this.

I think Jake Humphrey has done a great job as usual. Interesting the comments above about Lineker looking at the director and making faces as people talk in his ear.

Not long after Humphrey started covering the F1 for the BBC he put up a video on the BBC website of their post race coverage, but it was overlaid with the sound track of what he could hear in his ear piece. In the blog post with it he explained that live TV presenters choose between just hearing the director when he pushes a button to speak to the presenter, or having the entire feed of the whole production staff talking in their ear the entire time. Humphrey goes with the latter as he claims he has a better feel for what's going on and what's coming up next, rather than being drip fed information from the director. It's amazing when you listen to it.

Just had a quick look and found the vid here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey ... ction.html

lucan

[rant]

The thing that really grinds my gears, and all of the commentators/interviewers are doing it more and more are saying things like, "the whole country are willing them on", or "everyone in the stadium wants to see this competitor take gold", or when interviewing the medal winners, "Congratulations from everyone in the country", etc. Stop talking tripe! The majority of the population (some of whom are actually not British!!!) aren't interested in the slightest in the Olympics and amongst those that are, we don't all want the same things.

[/rant]

disgruntledgoat

Did anyone see Denise Lewis shouting "1,2! We won 1,2!" after the 100m final last night?

If so, can we have our lottery money back please, see if Jamaica will reimburse you.

essexeagle

Has Sue Barker had some work done? She was looking like the last chicken in the shop but now she's a cougar.

mroli

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Did anyone see Denise Lewis shouting "1,2! We won 1,2!" after the 100m final last night?

If so, can we have our lottery money back please, see if Jamaica will reimburse you.

Denise Lewis - born and raised in the West Midlands. Competed for GB all her life winning bronze and gold at the Olympics. Perfectly acceptable for her to cheer for the Country of her heritage (Jamaica), especially when there is no GB runner in the line up.

Daily Mail that way

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carl_p

ilovebigwig wrote:

Pross wrote:

Alan Green in the rowing has been excellent as well. He gets on my nerves in football commentary but seems genuinely enthusiastic in the rowing.

Agreed - he actually sounds like he wants to be there, unlike when he and Lawrenson commentate on any football match.

I actually think Green hates footballers in general, not so much the sport they play but their attitude and lack of ability. He seems to have utmost respect for rowers though. His commentary from the Beijing olympics was superb.

Linekar on the other hand seems out of his depth, useless without an autocue. Balding is awesome, just brings everything to life. She should have the headline evening slot now. Jonathan Edwards is actually pretty good for a novice.

As a slight aside, have the Aussies boycotted the olympics? For an allgedly great sporting nation they have been no shows.