The Match of the Day Thread

[VILLA MOLE]

I felt for Carragher. No doubting his analytical knowledge and his passion for the game - he made some very astute points about the way our midfield coped with Arsenal attacks and how lame their defenders were against Gabby in particular. But his misfortune is that he has this squeaky little voice even when he speaks normally, so when he cranks up the passion his voice goes in the same direction, till there's nowhere left to go; it's wearing to listen to. A bit of speech therapy methinks would not go amiss.

His voice is so high-pitched, to translate it into sign language you have to stand on a step ladder

my Labradors swear by him

[Boz]

Generally it seems MOTD have upped their game. Linekar sounded and acted more professional, Shearer seems to actually have put in thought nowadays rather than trot out the very tired old cliches, they have binned Lawro which was important as he is lazy and drags everyone down to his own level with his totally unfunny infantile quips, replaced him with Murphy who seems half decent and Hansen was shoved to MOTD2.

They are rotating their panel and the likes of savage, Dublin, Hansen and lawro are still very much part of the furniture - fortunately they werent on this week.

I thought Lawro was dropped from the panel entirely, I'm sure there's a post in the other football section about it.

Vastly reduced role according to this but still one of the panel-

A friend of the veteran pundit branded the corporation’s handling of his demotion as “absolutely pathetic”, claiming the 56-year-old was the “fall guy” in its attempts to breathe new life into a show that boasts four million viewers.
With Alan Hansen having already decided to quit after next summer’s World Cup, Thursday’s announcement that Lawrenson would have a “reduced role” on Match of the Day marked the beginning of the end for a double act that has been a key feature of British coverage for 16 years.
It became a trio more recently when Alan Shearer took turns with them to sit on the sofa opposite presenter Gary Lineker and dissect Saturday’s matches in a traditional manner that increasingly began to divide opinion.
Speculation was rife all three could be cast aside as the BBC looked to the success Sky Sports enjoyed in nurturing younger analysts, particularly Gary Neville.
But the corporation ultimately decided to retain Hansen and Shearer as lead pundits, while severely rationing the appearances of Lawrenson, who will now be part of a pool of mainly younger names including Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Les Ferdinand, Gus Poyet and Gianluca Vialli.

Fowler? Can't stand that fucking wanker, even Owen is more likeable.

Owen might be more acceptable than Fowler, but he's lacking in personality. He was awful on the first game on the BT Football channel, and generated loads of adverse comments.

[PeterWithesShin]

What a vomit inducing intro on MOTD2.

What was it?

To the locals it's not a football ground but a stage. The match the world wants to watch. The usual guff.

[Concrete John]

What a vomit inducing intro on MOTD2.

What was it?

To the locals it's not a football ground but a stage. The match the world wants to watch. The usual guff.

And then they showed a 0-0 game.

[Damo70]

What a vomit inducing intro on MOTD2.

What was it?

To the locals it's not a football ground but a stage. The match the world wants to watch. The usual guff.

And then they showed a 0-0 game.

I've only read this page and didn't watch MOTD2. I'm guessing they were talking about United v Chelsea. Or was someone slightly over hyping Newcastle v West Ham?

[claretandbeer]

What a vomit inducing intro on MOTD2.

My thoughts as well. What's the point of a pompous advert for a game that we are just about to watch the highlights ? We must hype this up or those football fans will switch over to 'Newsnight'. British film directors used to cut their teeth on adverts,they probably start now at MOTD.
The  result of the weekend was Cardiff putting 3 past Citeh but the footage of the game was a mere 6 minute filler before the main event ,Moyes v Mourinho,or the non-event Man U v Chelsea  which seemed less important than close-ups of the afore mentioned managers.
More time is now being spent on music and montage,banter between the presenters,analysis and interviews and less and less time on actual footage of the matches.

[Brend'Watkins]

The worst thing about the beeb at the moment is the amount of air time they give to that pratt Peter Schmeichel. 

[Chris87]

What a vomit inducing intro on MOTD2.

What was it?

To the locals it's not a football ground but a stage. The match the world wants to watch. The usual guff.

And then they showed a 0-0 game.

The only reason that they didn't show it first was because they weren't allowed to. In spite of the fact that both of Sunday's games were superior entertainment.

[freethinker]

The worst thing about the beeb at the moment is the amount of air time they give to that pratt Peter Schmeichel. 

He really was talking an enormous pile of shite last night. Even Shearer looked embarrassed and had to cut in a couple of times to stop him rabbiting on.

[Nev]

The worst thing about the beeb at the moment is the amount of air time they give to that pratt Peter Schmeichel. 

He really was talking an enormous pile of shite last night. Even Shearer looked embarrassed and had to cut in a couple of times to stop him rabbiting on.

They have short memories at the Beeb, both Schmeichel and Ian Wright were binned off for being crap a while back.

[PeterWithesShin]

To be fair, in the first couple of weeks I think She-Ra has stepped up to the plate. I have been surprisingly impressed by him.

[LeeS]

To be fair, in the first couple of weeks I think She-Ra has stepped up to the plate. I have been surprisingly impressed by him.

Yeah, I remember Gary Lineker was ropey at first. But he worked hard at his craft and is now perfectly acceptable as an anchor. Shearer comes across as a similar character - not prepared to just sit on his laurels and bumble on for 20 years about nothing (see Lawro).

[Damo70]

The worst thing about the beeb at the moment is the amount of air time they give to that pratt Peter Schmeichel. 

He really was talking an enormous pile of shite last night. Even Shearer looked embarrassed and had to cut in a couple of times to stop him rabbiting on.

They have short memories at the Beeb, both Schmeichel and Ian Wright were binned off for being crap a while back.

These days at the Beeb, when it comes to former employees, being crap is way down the list of things that would stop you getting a second chance.

[MoetVillan]

Shearer is guff.  lazy lazy punditry from a witless and charisma lacking thug.

Still, he is better than Carragher.  At half time on MNF it was like he had a loose wire and kept shutting down

[Somniloquism]

Shearer seems to have improved. Whether that is because he has stepped up as main pundit with Hansen and Lawro being sidelined or because the BBC has decided to change their own style is another matter.