MOTD short format 11.03.2023

[Golden Arrow]

Prefer to have commentary personally, but could well do without the punditry.

 

[Super Ted]

It does go to show just how much fill is built into the program.

I like the analysis to be fair. Cutting out the pre-match drivel was a bonus though.

 

[tamwolf]

I thought it was awful. Baffles me that some people preferred it to be honest.

 

[Norman Bell]

They could revamp the show and have different fans each week for the pundits probably be more interesting and in some cases insightful

Sky already do that with Liverpool fan Carragher / United fan Neville / City fan Richards / Spurs fan Redknapp ........................

 

[old wittonian]

Well I fully support GL's comments and like many, would have watched it to laugh at how awful it is but I'm not in the country at the moment. Slowing down to watch a car crash on the opposite carriage way springs to mind.

I haven’t watched it for many, many years. I don't like already knowing the result.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Do the pundits really have to be ex players

No, they don’t. I think Chapman does an excellent job of punditry and analysis, and there are others like him.

I think the fundamental point about last night’s MOTD is how poor a show it was, even allowing for the lack of freelancers. If that’s the best BBC Sport can manage without their freelancers, with a day or so notice, then frankly I don’t think they’re very good at their jobs. Secondly, are the BBC really suggesting that they don’t have any employee sports presenters available who were capable of hosting the programme, or providing commentary?

I think the answer is of course they could have put out a better programme without those suspended or unavailable through solidarity. What BBC Sport put out was the bare minimum to fulfil their rights obligations, because of course they wouldn’t want the PL pulling that and putting it back out to tender. But only the absolute bare minimum, because they also wanted to make a point of supporting Lineker and letting their staff do the same. So that’s why it was crap, not because the show can only function with Lineker, Wright and Shearer.

 

[Minimalist]

It clearly needs some commentary and analysis.
It certainly doesn’t necessarily need the vastly overpaid Lineker and Shearer though. Earlier I watched a bit of some football league show, think it was on itv4 , clearly following the same kind of format motd does. Dean Ashton and 2 others did a perfectly good job.

 

[Woody]

TBF that Vicky (her surname escapes me is) absolutely dreadful her screeching (and that's what it is) is off putting.

Another female commentator Pien Mulenstein is actually quite good so believe me from my POV it isn't sexism it's just the other lady is just dreadful.

Vicki Sparks is her name and her voice does really grate. When she is commentating the volume has to go down.
I usually watch MOTD on iPlayer so I can skip the discussion in between matches. I think if they stuck with last night's format but added commentary on the highlights and a host like Jimmy Hill did it all those years ago then it would be spot on.

 

[WickedWolfie]

I'm not sure MOTD has much longer left regardless of the Lineker situation. Its an expensive product in terms of license fees and highlights are available straight away on YouTube.

You couldn't be more wrong. Midweek MOTD showing Euro highlights are due next season.

 

[WickedWolfie]

TBF that Vicky (her surname escapes me is) absolutely dreadful her screeching (and that's what it is) is off putting.

Another female commentator Pien Mulenstein is actually quite good so believe me from my POV it isn't sexism it's just the other lady is just dreadful.

Vicky Sparks, and l can't stand her specifically either... All too often at Molineux....

 

[Bill McCai]

Given the massive success of the new MOTD format I would expect Sky to follow suit, drop commentators and Monday Night Football punditry.

 

[Macman]

When I started watching in the mid 70’s it was just Jimmy Hill presenting 2 matches and him commenting on any noteworthy incidents. Then Bob Wilson joined him to present a round up of news. Think programme was about 50 minutes long with about 20 minutes highlights of each game.

With Jimmy and Bob wearing Argyle jumpers, Tweed jackets and kipper ties, all in a glorious 1970s two-tone brown studio. As a kid I tried (and failed most weeks) to stay awake to watch it.

 

[Halesowen wwfc]

They could revamp the show and have different fans each week for the pundits probably be more interesting and in some cases ininsightful

We have the fan channels on youtube for this, of which most will moan about these as well.

 

[hollo]

No, they don’t. I think Chapman does an excellent job of punditry and analysis, and there are others like him.

I think the fundamental point about last night’s MOTD is how poor a show it was, even allowing for the lack of freelancers. If that’s the best BBC Sport can manage without their freelancers, with a day or so notice, then frankly I don’t think they’re very good at their jobs. Secondly, are the BBC really suggesting that they don’t have any employee sports presenters available who were capable of hosting the programme, or providing commentary?

I think the answer is of course they could have put out a better programme without those suspended or unavailable through solidarity. What BBC Sport put out was the bare minimum to fulfil their rights obligations, because of course they wouldn’t want the PL pulling that and putting it back out to tender. But only the absolute bare minimum, because they also wanted to make a point of supporting Lineker and letting their staff do the same. So that’s why it was crap, not because the show can only function with Lineker, Wright and Shearer.

If someone other than lineker hosted it they that person would receive abuse from some of the public so they probably thought it best to have no host.

 

[Macman]

Anyone else think Lineker could end up being Jeff Stelling’s long term replacement on Sky Soccer Saturday?

 

[Shergar]

A real shame you included the blatant sexism.

Its not blatant sexism, there are a couple of screaming female commentators for balance there are a couple of equally annoying pundits (male)

 

[Contrarian]

But maybe there's only so much dry soulessness people can take, before they need the reassuring sound of a human voice.

There are enough obnoxious people with irritating voices, that can be a very long time!

PS Your signature is excellent and very appropriate.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I thought it was awful. Baffles me that some people preferred it to be honest.

That’s how BBC Sport wanted you to feel. It was their choice to make the programme as empty as possible, even dropping the music or providing any introduction or commentary. It was simply BBC Sport doing their bit to show solidarity with Lineker without risking breaking their PL right’s obligations and losing access to content to make future MOTD shows.

 

[old wittonian]

No, they don’t. I think Chapman does an excellent job of punditry and analysis, and there are others like him.

I think the fundamental point about last night’s MOTD is how poor a show it was, even allowing for the lack of freelancers. If that’s the best BBC Sport can manage without their freelancers, with a day or so notice, then frankly I don’t think they’re very good at their jobs. Secondly, are the BBC really suggesting that they don’t have any employee sports presenters available who were capable of hosting the programme, or providing commentary?

I think the answer is of course they could have put out a better programme without those suspended or unavailable through solidarity. What BBC Sport put out was the bare minimum to fulfil their rights obligations, because of course they wouldn’t want the PL pulling that and putting it back out to tender. But only the absolute bare minimum, because they also wanted to make a point of supporting Lineker and letting their staff do the same. So that’s why it was crap, not because the show can only function with Lineker, Wright and Shearer.

Lineker, Wright and Shearer are not indispensable. They were all strikers. Why don't we have a defender and ex players from the modern era. The game has changed so much since they retired i.e. fitness, tactics, formations, VAR and officiating.

 

[tonto]

Being a pundit is a job, you'd have fans falling over their words, or freezing on camera, with the real pundits carrying them.. imo

Ever watched goggle box they do ok

 

[Sussex Wolf]

If someone other than lineker hosted it they that person would receive abuse from some of the public so they probably thought it best to have no host.

Then why no music, why no comms? It was deliberately empty to make a point. It was similar to what they did on Strictly for one of Rose’s dances, where the sound was muted. Here they were trying to show not what dancing is like for the deaf, but what MOTD is without the added content from BBC Sport and their freelancers.

 

[crocos]

Pretty much pants that format IMO - it needs people and a bit of chit-chat.

For those groaning about commentary / punditry, fair enough - just do what I do and what anyone sensible does and fast-forward it to the next bit you want. It really is very simple indeed.

I very usually watch the first game or two, often fast forward past the blah-blah in between, and then go to the Wolves game at the end of the show. And then I do listen to the blah-blah as I'm interested to hear what other folk think about us and about our specific game.

And although slight thread-drift, I usually really like to listen to Ian Wright in particular - he's got a lot of good thinking IMO, has emotion in everything he says, and is usually spot-on with what he says.

 

[crocos]

Then why no music, why no comms? It was deliberately empty to make a point. It was similar to what they did on Strictly for one of Rose’s dances, where the sound was muted. Here they were trying to show not what dancing is like for the deaf, but what MOTD is without the added content from BBC Sport and their freelancers.

Or alternatively, it's not MotD without the human involvement, so they're not trying to present it as MotD.

 

[Surrey Wolf]

**** poor effort

 

[Streathamwolf]

Its not blatant sexism, there are a couple of screaming female commentators for balance there are a couple of equally annoying pundits (male)

But you only moaned about the female ones and have added this to obscure the original sexism.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Or alternatively, it's not MotD without the human involvement, so they're not trying to present it as MotD.

Even that stripped back programme required people to edit and assemble it, to prepare and display the graphics, and to then insert it into the broadcast schedule. It was deliberate and designed to make a less than subtle point about what you’re missing, but while still just meeting their rights obligations.

 

[Wonder Boyo]

Even that stripped back programme required people to edit and assemble it, to prepare and display the graphics, and to then insert it into the broadcast schedule. It was deliberate and designed to make a less than subtle point about what you’re missing, but while still just meeting their rights obligations.

People were pulling out of the sports coverage on the BBC hour by hour. Not just pundits but commentators and other staff too. They had very little time to put that together, reorganise the schedule and put on a film afterwards that would fit the timings. Radio 5 just put on pre-recorded podcasts but BBC1 didn't have that choice. Normally when a programme is pulled for various reasons it's just replaced by something recorded. They had to make one without the regular staff available, in a short period of time, with the goal posts being moved all day long (no pun intended). To say they made it was "deliberate and designed to make a less than subtle point about what you’re missing, but while still just meeting their rights obligations" is just a conspiracy theory, or an uninformed opinion by you at best.

 

[Krispy Kreme]

Missed the commentary and the punditry, I'd reckon they ought to be able to adequately replace both for around £75k a year though and save millions in the process, auditions could take a Britain's got talent format and I'd imagine there would be thousands willing to apply.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

People were pulling out of the sports coverage on the BBC hour by hour. Not just pundits but commentators and other staff too. They had very little time to put that together, reorganise the schedule and put on a film afterwards that would fit the timings. Radio 5 just put on pre-recorded podcasts but BBC1 didn't have that choice. Normally when a programme is pulled for various reasons it's just replaced by something recorded. They had to make one without the regular staff available, in a short period of time, with the goal posts being moved all day long (no pun intended). To say they made it was "deliberate and designed to make a less than subtle point about what you’re missing, but while still just meeting their rights obligations" is just a conspiracy theory, or an uninformed opinion by you at best.

I get the programme was put together at short notice with uncertainty about the usual “staff”, but that doesn’t explain why they dropped the music, nor does it explain why they didn’t use the premier league production comms, which were available. I heard someone suggest they didn’t know if they could use them, but that’s a simple call to the Premier League to check, and I’m very confident the PL would have preferred use of their comms to silence. As I said, the programme we saw still required a production team to edit and assemble, and the BBC has a ton of trained presenters on their payroll, not freelancers, they could have used. If you don’t think that’s deliberate, then with respect, I think you’re being naive.

 

[SquaddieWolf]

Anyone else think Lineker could end up being Jeff Stelling’s long term replacement on Sky Soccer Saturday?

Said that to the misses last night

 

[chignalwolf]

I didn't miss the Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer "look at us show" one iota, and as Matt Le Tissier said, " you didn't get the solidarity support from Ian Wright and his sidekicks stick up for him, Thompson and Charlie Nicholas when they were kicked off a show,
wonder why ?
personally i enjoyed the MOTD without the so called expert.

 

[Dan G WWFC]

I haven't watched MOTD in years. Just watch the goals on YouTube, there on the sky sports channel after the games end.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Anyone else think Lineker could end up being Jeff Stelling’s long term replacement on Sky Soccer Saturday?

Perhaps. If you watched Jeff yesterday, he made a joke at the start of the programme along those lines!

I think it more likely that he would simply recreate a MOTD like programme for Sky or ITV when the highlights rights are put up for tender again. The analogy being Clarkson and his mates when they recreated Top Gear for Amazon and called it the Grand Tour. Essentially the same programme, and same presenters, but a new channel and name.

 

[chignalwolf]

Anyone else think Lineker could end up being Jeff Stelling’s long term replacement on Sky Soccer Saturday?

be better the other way round, Jeff Stelling doing MOTD, and Lineker making the tea, that's the nearest he will ever come to handling a Cup.lol

 

[Shergar]

But you only moaned about the female ones and have added this to obscure the original sexism.

I’m struggling to think of screaming high pitched male commentators. If the Bee Gee’s had made it up into the gantry I would feel the same.

 

[Jefe]

I like the idea in principle as there are vanishingly few hosts and pundits I can stand to listen to, and as I've said before, the way they minimise and patronise in their analysis of smaller clubs (if they bother to speak about them at all) is infuriating. That said, I thought the show was too brief and the absence of commentators was jarring. It almost felt like the editors did it deliberately to put people off the idea.

 

[Watfordfc]

Ratings were up yes but was it a novelty thing so people probably watched/ liked it out of curiosity and would never last.?

If people don’t like the pundits they don’t have to watch that part.

Commentary is very much needed I think within reason

 

[Watfordfc]

If someone other than lineker hosted it they that person would receive abuse from some of the public so they probably thought it best to have no host.

Yes I think they all pulled out and the BBC weren’t allowed to use commentary from the world feed .

 

[thetwistedsock]

Ratings were up yes but was it a novelty thing so people probably watched/ liked it out of curiosity and would never last.?

If people don’t like the pundits they don’t have to watch that part.

Commentary is very much needed I think within reason

As the saying goes there's no such thing as bad publicity.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Watching the programme last night, and reading a few comments on here about just watching the highlights on YouTube, I was weirdly reminded of an old Human League song. Might MOTD go the way of the old radio shows this song talks about.

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