Women and the offside rule - Andy Gray sacked

[damon loves JT]

Manimal Keys

ha ha, yes

[Nev]

I keep hearing that the comments were "allegedly" sexist and "supposedly derogatory". They must be hearing something different to the clip I keep hearing then, theres no question of sexism and I'd add that it was pretty snide as well.

Keys and Gray have been in the comfort zone for far too long, 20 years with their position never under threat and have become lazy and unprofessional. Time for a change and Sky have the perfect excuse.

[Brend'Watkins]

I think this is great - From the view point we might not have to see Manimal Keys and Gray on TV again....

Sky should replace them with a couple of women.

A hairy-palmed lady from Coventry and an incomprensible, arrogant, fat, baldy Scottish lass ( who dosent like shopping in Asda)

I fear they might be spoilt for choice.

[SteveD]

Sky should replace them with a couple of women.

A hairy-palmed lady from Coventry and an incomprensible, arrogant, fat, baldy Scottish lass ( who dosent like shopping in Asda)

Didn't Keys get laser'd - I mean in the hair removal way, rather than obliterated in a George Lucas-esque fashion, as would be preferable? Would be great if they had Claire Tomlinson given the gig for a few weeks. And her eyebrows don't join the middle.

[damon loves JT]

Jo Brand and Harriet Harman

[Chico Hamilton III]

Didn't Keys get laser'd - I mean in the hair removal way

Yep, he had to.

Imagine having to look at that hairy beast in "Crystal Clear High Definition"?

[lovejoy]

If I understand correctly this was off air. On that basis I am not sure what they have done wrong. it should have remained a private conversation.

What are the chnces this bird has been promoted through the system to meet some sort of diversity targets.

[Guy M]

I think this is great - From the view point we might not have to see Manimal Keys and Gray on TV again....

Agreed. Keys and Gray have been at the centre of Sky's continued undermining of the officials in the PL era and I'm royally bored of it. Hence me finally getting around to cancelling my sports subscription before Christmas. Unfortunately they've done it for so long that any and all tv "analysis" in this country consists of looking at the split-second decisions that referees and linesmen and women make with some impressive technology and berating them for making "clearly" incorrect decisions. I'm pretty sure The Big Match on ITV in the late 80s and early 90s, as basic as it was, spent more time looking at the game in general (much like modern BBC rugby union coverage) and what happened away from the actual goals and 'contentious decisions' as they do now.

How many Wolves fans behind Sian Massey were screaming blue murder convinced that she made the wrong decision? Plenty, I'm sure. We've all seen what we want to see with our own claret-and-blue tinted glasses, but with the aid of technology and hindsight, we're able to see that she did in fact make the correct decision. Thankfully as it makes Keys and Gray look even more stupid as a result.

The pundits claim they would like the referees to come on tv after the game and "explain their decisions" but that's a fallacy. They don't. What use is interviewing the referee and hearing that he called the decision as he saw it at the time, right or wrong? The pundits could do this for them and take the flak off them, but they don't, they just increase it.

Why don't they get the players on and ask them why they haven't yet learnt how to kick with their weaker foot? The managers and ask them why they didn't make changes when the game was clearly slipping away from them?

Because they are their friends and part of the protected inner circle, vital to Sky's coverage and publicity of the product. The officials are not.

I don't think they'll be off our screens for long and I doubt we'll see any great change in the way football is discussed on tv any time soon, but it will be a pleasant change while it lasts.

[damon loves JT]

What are the chnces this bird has been promoted through the system to meet some sort of diversity targets.

What are the chances that she is actually a qualified match official who did a decent job.

[SteveD]

If I understand correctly this was off air. On that basis I am not sure what they have done wrong. it should have remained a private conversation.

By that score Big Ron would have kept his ITV job - and he was "only" talking to himself.
It undermines their positions - revealing an outrageously sexist attitude towards an official, who has done nothing wrong. Apart from offending their women viewers, where does it leave Sky when we have the first female Premiership ref, with these two in charge of their coverage?

[damon loves JT]

If I understand correctly this was off air. On that basis I am not sure what they have done wrong. it should have remained a private conversation.

By that score Big Ron would have kept his ITV job - and he was "only" talking to himself.

Sky can't use that as a defence, after what they did to Gordon Brown in Rochdale.

Have some of that, arseholes

[Guy M]

What are the chnces this bird has been promoted through the system to meet some sort of diversity targets.

What are the chances that she is actually a qualified match official who did a decent job.

And if you were to replace 'bird' with an ethnicity of your choosing, it would be equally unacceptable. That's why Keys and Gray are in the poo.

[Guy M]

If I understand correctly this was off air. On that basis I am not sure what they have done wrong. it should have remained a private conversation.

By that score Big Ron would have kept his ITV job - and he was "only" talking to himself.

Sky can't use that as a defence, after what they did to Gordon Brown in Rochdale.

Have some of that, arseholes

Take it you're not likely to be handing in a transfer request any time soon then, Damon?

[WikiVilla]

Blown totally out of proportion

Sky wont sack them two, they are their crown jewels of football

[damon loves JT]

Blown totally out of proportion

No, not really. They are professional sports commentators, saying that a female match official is incompetent because she is a woman.

And listen to the way they say it. I hate to agree with Karren Brady about anything, but she's right: it's not just banter.

I agree with you about one thing, though: Sky will never get rid of them over this.