Soccer Saturday - LeTissier, Thompson, and Nicholas sacked by SKY

[owls maniac]

It’s not the first time they have re-cast. I remember the early 00’s when it was the likes of George Best and Alan Mullery.

 

That said, they’re not replacing like with like. Thompson, Le Tiss etc were top players in their day. Matt Murray and Clinton Morrison? 

[WalthamOwl]

9 minutes ago, owls maniac said:

It’s not the first time they have re-cast. I remember the early 00’s when it was the likes of George Best and Alan Mullery.

 

That said, they’re not replacing like with like. Thompson, Le Tiss etc were top players in their day. Matt Murray and Clinton Morrison? 

possibly Micah Richards as well? One of the ex women players? 

[Guest Bulgaria]

It's nailed on to be Alex Scott, she is very good so kudos if it is.

 

If either Micha Richards or Clinton Morrison get the gig I will be disappointed. If the average viewing age is 13 then I understand why.  Micha Richards seems like a good lad but his laugh becomes tiresome and it's obviously embellished somewhat.

 

Clinton, well. Just no. 

[WalthamOwl]

3 minutes ago, Bulgaria said:

It's nailed on to be Alex Scott, she is very good so kudos if it is.

 

If either Micha Richards or Clinton Morrison get the gig I will be disappointed. If the average viewing age is 13 then I understand why.  Micha Richards seems like a good lad but his laugh becomes tiresome and it's obviously embellished somewhat.

 

Clinton, well. Just no. 

Yeah I quite like Alex Scott, seems to know her stuff. 

[owls maniac]

Tbf it did start to feel like an old boys club. Think some fresh blood who are prepared to make a proper effort on the prep work will improve things. So many pundits on Sky and 5 Live quite clearly have done bugger all research. Which for how much they get paid is pretty shocking really. 

[A E Neuman NYowl]

5 minutes ago, owls maniac said:

Tbf it did start to feel like an old boys club. Think some fresh blood who are prepared to make a proper effort on the prep work will improve things. So many pundits on Sky and 5 Live quite clearly have done bugger all research. Which for how much they get paid is pretty shocking really. 

Agree they needed some fresh blood but then they go and keep Merson who is appalling.

 

The best pundit for me is Neil Mellor, none of the laddish joking about and gives very good analysis.

[TrickyTrev]

Very disappointing.

 

For me Soccer Saturday wasn’t about the quality of the pundits but more about the chemistry between them and the banter.

 

Watching was almost like watching a group of mates in a pub chatting football and bouncing off one another.

 

If (as others have suggested) this is a box ticking over exercise then it will make it all the more disappointing, just as nobody should lose their job because of their sex or the colour of their skin, nobody should be given a job for those same reasons either.

[owls maniac]

1 minute ago, TrickyTrev said:

Very disappointing.

 

For me Soccer Saturday wasn’t about the quality of the pundits but more about the chemistry between them and the banter.

 

Watching was almost like watching a group of mates in a pub chatting football and bouncing off one another.

 

If (as others have suggested) this is a box ticking over exercise then it will make it all the more disappointing, just as nobody should lose their job because of their sex or the colour of their skin, nobody should be given a job for those same reasons either.

Tricky one for Sky really. They must know that the existing team is popular for the reasons you’ve mentioned. But ultimately they are a business with a huge public profile, and in the current climate they are trying to get ahead of the curve by making their presenters more representative. 
 

I’m sure they are banking on the hope that the new team will be very good and no one will really notice the change. Much in the same way they replaced Keys and Grey. 

[SiJ]

I wonder why Merse kept his job over the others.

 

I dont mind Merse and he is quite entertaining, but he's not the brightest spark and was certainly the daftest out of that four. He's perhaps a few years younger than Le Tiss, but he's been on Gillette for as long, if not longer.

 

Wonder if given his issues with gambling, alcohol, depression etc (which flared up again quite recently) it was felt they should keep him on. I dont know, perhaps having that routine in his life is important for keeping him on the straight and narrow. 

 

Complete speculation on my part, but it might explain it.

 

Anyway, it is predictably sad that the likes of Micah Richards, Alex Scott have had abusive tweets sent in their direction/ referencing them, even though there is nothing to suggest they're taking up the positions.

 

 

[BIG D]

Would be a bit of a step down for Richards wouldn’t it? Seems to have become a regular fixture in the live games. 

[owls maniac]

7 minutes ago, SiJ said:

I wonder why Merse kept his job over the others.

 

I dont mind Merse and he is quite entertaining, but he's not the brightest spark and was certainly the daftest out of that four. He's perhaps a few years younger than Le Tiss, but he's been on Gillette for as long, if not longer.

 

Wonder if given his issues with gambling, alcohol, depression etc (which flared up again quite recently) it was felt they should keep him on. I dont know, perhaps having that routine in his life is important for keeping him on the straight and narrow. 

 

Complete speculation on my part, but it might explain it.

 

Anyway, it is predictably sad that the likes of Micah Richards, Alex Scott have had abusive tweets sent in their direction/ referencing them, even though there is nothing to suggest they're taking up the positions.

 

 

I think that’s a good shout. Or that they wanted to keep one of them on to aide the transition. 
 

As for the abuse, social media wants throwing in room 101. Utterly vile. 

[Fairy Tail Owl]

Gotta be honest I was pretty over listening to these guys not played for about 20 years, get some fresh blood in. Shame Kamara and Merson are sticking around tbh
 

[sMacLean]

They'd probably have dropped Le Tissier for daring to have a 'wrong' opinion anyway. Sue Smith, Matt Murray etc have been disastrous.

Richards is dreadful and did nothing in his career.

 

Be interested to see the viewing figures.

[PeteG_1984]

It does look pretty blatant from sky sports. Yes, organically look to recruit more diversely but the sudden approach they seem to be going for is incredibly divisive and has led to the abuse Alex Scott and Micah Richards have been getting.

 

The three that have been sacked aren’t the greatest pundits in the world and particularly Nicholas and Thompson are pretty much dinosaurs. However, that show isn’t about the quality punditry and getting the scores (you can get that elsewhere), it was about the interaction between them. That’s why although Alex Scott is a quality pundit, I don’t think she’d suit that show.

 

Clinton Morrison or maybe a Micah Richards would though (despite being not as good pundits as Scott).

[markg]

1 hour ago, PeteG_1984 said:

It does look pretty blatant from sky sports. Yes, organically look to recruit more diversely but the sudden approach they seem to be going for is incredibly divisive and has led to the abuse Alex Scott and Micah Richards have been getting.

 

The three that have been sacked aren’t the greatest pundits in the world and particularly Nicholas and Thompson are pretty much dinosaurs. However, that show isn’t about the quality punditry and getting the scores (you can get that elsewhere), it was about the interaction between them. That’s why although Alex Scott is a quality pundit, I don’t think she’d suit that show.

 

Clinton Morrison or maybe a Micah Richards would though (despite being not as good pundits as Scott).

People being racist and scared to death of a black person, and god forbid a black woman, getting a top job have led to Alex Scott getting abuse. 

[owls maniac]

Scott Minto been given the push too. Looks like they are clearing people out across the board. 

[punkskaphil]

11 hours ago, SiJ said:

 

I dont mind Merse and he is quite entertaining, but he's not the brightest spark and was certainly the daftest out of that four. He's perhaps a few years younger than Le Tiss, but he's been on Gillette for as long, if not longer.

 

Merson’s older than Le Tissier.

[sonofbert2]

11 hours ago, SiJ said:

 

 

Anyway, it is predictably sad that the likes of Micah Richards, Alex Scott have had abusive tweets sent in their direction/ referencing them, even though there is nothing to suggest they're taking up the positions.

 

 

 

 

[PeteG_1984]

1 hour ago, markg said:

People being racist and scared to death of a black person, and god forbid a black woman, getting a top job have led to Alex Scott getting abuse. 

Yes, they are the people directly involved but with a lot of knee jerk reactions by privileged white blokes in London panicking, there seems to be no thought of how this makes racism worse (or ignited underlying racism). 

[Eastern]

I do wonder whether this is about cutting costs. Not just with Sky Sports, but maybe across the board we will see changes.