What does their age or skin colour have to do with anything? They were/ are shite pundits, there’s plenty of them to go around. Please don’t make out it’s simply down to age or ethnicity, that’s just wrong.
Soccer Saturday sack Thompson, Nicholas and Le Tissier
- Thread starter Nico87
- Start date
They lost 214,000 through covid.
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...-revenue-as-sport-is-hit-by-covid-19-lockdown
There should be a more diverse panel to better reflect society, Sky Sports has correctly identified this and has made steps to rectify it. A bit overdue but better late than never.
The 3 from Soccer Saturday who have gone were pretty boring though. Their whole personality got really tedious years ago (Thompson in particular.) They'd say the same thing week in week out. Merson isn't good either but he's pretty clearly there to be the butt of the joke, in all honesty he seems a decent enough guy when not on the show as well. People seem to take him way to seriously, I can't remember him ever being on their flagship shows much (Super sunday, MNF etc) if at all?
I think they've got a decentr line up on the main shows, Keane is good to watch, Neville and Carragher are obviously lauded as 2 of the best, Richards is improving, Souness is ok (people proper run the Pogba hate thing in to the ground now) but soccer Saturday has been generic for years. No wonder they want to freshen it up.
You can't be seriously suggesting that Le Tissier, Nicholas, Thompson, and Minto had personality?
The three who are gone are no loss to anyone well apart from Le Tissier who will be missed by UKIP supporters .
I preferred watching BT Sports version the past season as Sky had gone stale and BT had a better more informed line up
I preferred watching BT Sports version the past season as Sky had gone stale and BT had a better more informed line up
Old Boys Club innit.
I am 100% with you on this excellent post.
Glen Johnson featured a lot recently and was okay in fairness. I reckon he is likely to be one of the replacements, he ticks all the boxes including being a former Liverpool player.
So old white people arent a part of diverse society? Or are you offended that they have obtained and held a job they’re not very good at?
I‘d rather watch a show where the people employed on their ability to do the job, I care not what their age nor ethnic group they belong to. I find it bizarre that there’s a need to fit in quotas to show diversity, or that people are slated for their age and/ or ethnicity as being why they’re not good at a job!
I hope sky go out and get the best people available to them, if they’re black, white, Asian or whatever, as long as they’re better than the people they’ve chosen not to renew. I really hope they don’t get token people to fit into the ‘diversity’ quotas.
The bar hasn't been set very high by the departing trio. Especially Charlie Nicholas.
It's a great response and he's right.
Also you have no idea if it's driven by BLM. Could be that due to Covid they've lost a lot of money and had average pundits stealing a living from them.
He was probably given the nod for the job by some Gooner in a position of power. Yeah he was dire and it shouldn’t be hard to upgrade on him.
I'm a woman and I have to agree with you on that.
I understand the point that you're making and I agree that people should be in roles on merit and for being the right person for the job.
But, I completely understand why diversity quotas need to exist. They need to exist in many areas for the simple reason that people from diverse backgrounds, different gender, of different races, sexuality, colour, country (etc) were not being given opportunities in the first place, either due to systemic racism/sexism/prejudice or from the fact that people in higher positions were overlooking them for jobs due to these factors. If these groups of people were being given opportunities and chances on merit, then the quotas wouldn't need to exist. They're there to address a very real problem. The problems exist in society and they will also exist in business, sport, entertainment, and so on, so there do need to be procedures and systems in places to at least ensure a level of fairness.
If one woman gets added to that panel, there will no doubt be many who will cry foul due to the pundit being a lady. That's exactly part of the issue and why quotas or some form of equal opportunity system need to exist in the first place. The attention is being diverted onto one specific area, rather than looking at what that person can bring to the role. They're already starting from a negative-playing field.
It's interesting how Sky Sports and Match of the Day can have people of colour appear as pundits during half time or end of game segments, and that is accepted, yet it's seen as more "touchy" with Soccer Saturday.
I watch the BT version it is enjoyable. Some of us don't want to stare at the phone all afternoon.
Fair enough. I can’t stand any of them, Sky or BT. Something about UK football coverage does my head in, in live games I mute the TV at half time.
I am bemused people are talking about none of them offering a tactical masterclass, like it was ever a key aspect to the programme.....who actually watched it expecting groundbreaking insight?
The show has been built around basically watching your random pub goer discussing football and their reaction.
That's what the essence of the show is and drove it to become so popular, people tuned in to watch George Best talk ffs. It's essentially a upper end version of a YouTube channel with random guys talking about football.
But maybe detailed tactical discussions with people much more knowledgeable is what they are trying to move towards...
Granted, it needs a shake up but if that is with someone like Micah Richards, it is going to get tiring quickly with his constant "laugh at anything" routine. And he has not shown to be anymore knowledgeable than those that got sacked.
He will be much better as a reporter among the crowd, imo.
Also I am not sure they are actually replacing people, they are just trimming people off their books probably on yearly salaries and will end up using freelance pundits.
The show has been built around basically watching your random pub goer discussing football and their reaction.
That's what the essence of the show is and drove it to become so popular, people tuned in to watch George Best talk ffs. It's essentially a upper end version of a YouTube channel with random guys talking about football.
But maybe detailed tactical discussions with people much more knowledgeable is what they are trying to move towards...
Granted, it needs a shake up but if that is with someone like Micah Richards, it is going to get tiring quickly with his constant "laugh at anything" routine. And he has not shown to be anymore knowledgeable than those that got sacked.
He will be much better as a reporter among the crowd, imo.
Also I am not sure they are actually replacing people, they are just trimming people off their books probably on yearly salaries and will end up using freelance pundits.
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Certainly more that what we're going to be replaced with. You can be pretty sure their Unknown, playerd 300 games for minor clubs and won pretty much sweet FA. Being good pundit / commentator shouldnt be based on you colour but more on your ability.
You're deluded if you think this is personality or insight. The three of them were very boring, cliched in their approach, and offered zero insight into the modern day footballer. I'm still perplexed why you've put this move down to diversity, it's all down to the fact that they're washed up pundits for their contracts not being renewed.
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I don't get this, most the people on here talking about diversity etc, why do we have to make everything about that?
To me this is simple, these guys were there when this show was a success, times have moved on, they haven't. Sky did not change it up and got left behind, a chance was due for fresh faces and a bit more energy. It should not be based on age, race, sex.
If you are a good pundit, I couldn't care less what age, colour, sex that person is.
The accusation is that Sky does care about these things. I guess we'll see with who the replacements are.
Wouldn't be surprised if some of these guys were on huge contracts relative to what they do, might be a cost cutting measure.
Old white men losing their job has to be about PC/diversity culture apparently, part of the victim mentality.
I've seen loads when challenged claim they don't care what gender or colour the new pundits are as long as they're good. Now if that was the case "I hope the new pundits are good" would be the argument and not "the new diversity hire better be good or I'm going to bang on about their race/gender".
It should be fairly obvious to everyone that a new hire who turns out to be rubbish whether white, black, man, woman, gay should be judged only on their lack of abilities. Instead they'll be treated differently and used part of an agenda, that's not equal is it?
Le Tiss is such a wanker. Typical gammon.
Exactly. Let's face it if it their issue was truly about their ability, then they would have been calling for these three washed up characters to have gone a long time ago.
IMO the diversity angle is nonsense and it's more likely that these guys (inc. Minto) have been getting more and more $$$ over the years, which Sky simply can't justify paying in the current climate.
Whoever they bring in will no doubt be more diverse than 4 white guys, but they'll also be better and, crucially, cheaper.
Also, as much as I dislike Richards in the Monday night/super Sunday role, I think focusing on a game while he talks will bring out his more insightful side and less of the acting up.
Whoever they bring in will no doubt be more diverse than 4 white guys, but they'll also be better and, crucially, cheaper.
Also, as much as I dislike Richards in the Monday night/super Sunday role, I think focusing on a game while he talks will bring out his more insightful side and less of the acting up.
Making diversity hires for the sake of it isn't good for a business.
I don't want women talking about men's sport's. Keep women for womens sports please because I have no interest in women's sport's no matter how much Sky want to shove it down my throat.
I don't want women talking about men's sport's. Keep women for womens sports please because I have no interest in women's sport's no matter how much Sky want to shove it down my throat.
Times are reporting it’s highly likely all premier league games will be shown live. As this will then include the 3pm games, would sky even bother with soccer Saturday for the foreseeable future?
It’s not really about having token people, could be a panel of Alexa, Cortana, and Siri, giving AI responses, and I’d be just as interested. Ian Wright can moan all he wants but anyone thinking these guys are losing their jobs because they’re bad at them and not because Sky Sports wants to diversify the line-up in light of the current social climate, well I’ve got a bridge to sell you. It’s just hilarious to me that you have a movement like BLM, which is about bringing about racial equality, and when they achieve success like this, people say “oh no, it’s nothing to do with BLM, it’s just because those guys are rubbish.” Come on now. Anyone with more than two brain cells is not fooled by this. Every company is talking about this internally, especially those with a public face. They have no choice. It’s not a bad thing for the movement to have wins like this, I would call this progress.
I’m impressed a t-rex can type with those teeny tiny arms.
that show is tired and outdated. It once served a purpose but not anymore, we can stream games, we have access to immediate scores at our fingers. I think sky know that and think maybe bringing in a more younger panel might rejuvinate the show temporarily, but long term that show is done for most people.I watched it back in the day, but not anymore and haven't for quite a few yrs.
Alex Scott, Evra and Keane would be my ideal replacements. Alex Scott is just a genuinely good pundit and fits the diversity box if you wear a tinfoil hat. Evra is entertaining. Keanes brutal honestly. Unlikely but I can hope.
Time will tell us plenty. The changes are nothing to do with contracts running out. You'll work that out when we see the replacements.
Why don't you want women talking about men's sports?
What are the changes down to then? Please enlighten us.
This thread is great for identifying who is and who isn’t a total wassock.