BBC set to axe Football League Show. MOTD future also on the line.

YouTookMyName

Due to financial reasons BBC are to axe the Football League Show at the end of the season. It was not shown on Boxing Day and will not be shown again until mid-January next year. The BBC are also considering axing Match Of The Day as well to save money.

Mirror Link


Does anybody watch this anymore? I prefer sundays MOTD2 because it shows all the goals and none of the crap that you have in saturday.

Fuhrer

YouTookMyName wrote: »

Does anybody watch this anymore? I prefer sundays MOTD2 because it shows all the goals and none of the crap that you have in saturday.

I hate MOTD2, Colin Murray is vile

Jax Teller

Never watch it anyway . 101 great goals Ftw

citytillidie

I think the deal with the football league runs out at the end of this season

Zebra3

With so many live games and highlights available on the internet, MOTD has become a dated concept, a bit like Top of the Pops.

Cantona's Collars

It seems Hansen is on 40k a week from BBC,that's crazy money for the small bit he does.They can afford inflated wages but are cutting back on sports coverage??

The host of The Football League show doesn't even know what's going to happen with the show according to his tweets.

Football on BBC is an institution but it seems they are more interested in producing reality tv such as that dancing crap because it means money is rolling in from text & phone voting and are more interested in competing with ITV in who can win ratings.

I tend to watch MOTD moreso than Soccer Saturday,but if it ever ends up on ITV it's the end of the road for me.

Peyton Manning

Zebra3 wrote: »

With so many live games and highlights available on the internet, MOTD has become a dated concept, a bit like Top of the Pops.

Or checking up the latest scores on Aertel.

Cantona's Collars

Peyton Manning wrote: »

Or checking up the latest scores on Aertel.

Half an hour after they are scored:pac:

ColeTrain

zerks wrote: »

It seems Hansen is on 40k a week from BBC

That's unreal if true..

Kingdom

I actually like the Football League show and would watch it over MOTD most weekends.

Cantona's Collars

ColeTrain wrote: »

That's unreal if true..

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/bbc-attacked-over-alan-hansen-s-15m-salary.15650046

Mr Hansen’s estimated annual £1.5 million pay packet from the corporation was revealed as the public broadcaster plans to axe 2000 jobs in a bid to save £670m.

donfers

football analysis in the uk is truly ****e - show 15 minutes of highlights, then have a few ex pros on the sofa "analyse" the game, usually just picking out random clips to demonstrate some obvious point - then rinse and repeat for all games, it's garbage, so tired and predictable - they've been doing the same thing for years, go to spain or germany and watch how their tv channels analyse their domestic game, light years ahead and much more insightful, imaginative and informative

Vicxas

The football league show is alot more fun i think. MOTD can be very boring.

Shane St.

donfers wrote: »

football analysis in the uk is truly ****e - show 15 minutes of highlights, then have a few ex pros on the sofa "analyse" the game, usually just picking out random clips to demonstrate some obvious point - then rinse and repeat for all games, it's garbage, so tired and predictable - they've been doing the same thing for years, go to spain or germany and watch how their tv channels analyse their domestic game, light years ahead and much more insightful, imaginative and informative

Can you explain further, I genuinely want to know what they do that is so radical. I like MOTD and yes hansen and co. are prone to throwing out the usual cliches but their analysis is decent. At the end of the day I just want to see the highlights and I know enough about football to make my own mind up

mike65

zerks wrote: »

I tend to watch MOTD moreso than Soccer Saturday,but if it ever ends up on ITV it's the end of the road for me.

Its already been on ITV, remember when Des Lynam jumped ship and they made a big deal of showing the programme at prime time? Failed very quickly in that timeslot and got shunted to after the 10 pm news and then the BBC got it back.

I think canning MOTD would be an error, there is nothing that can't be fixed. Clear out the old boys and use the likes of Lee Dixon, bring in someone who is comfortable with analysis to present and put it on for 90 mins on a Sunday
evening.

Cantona's Collars

mike65 wrote: »

Its already been on ITV, remember when Des Lynam jumped ship and they made a big deal of showing the programme at prime time? Failed very quickly in that timeslot and got shunted to after the 10 pm news and then the BBC got it back.

I think canning MOTD would be an error, there is nothing that can't be fixed. Clear out the old boys and use the likes of Lee Dixon, bring in someone who is comfortable with analysis to present and put it on for 90 mins on a Sunday
evening.

That's what I was alluding to,ITV's coverage was woeful.The only reason I watch football on ITV is because they have HD coverage when they do show football live and the game isn't on any other channel in HD.

There's a lot of tradition attached to MOTD, for years it was the only way to get highlights of games,the younger generation are used to instant highlights and online coverage but before it was MOTD or nothing.
Plus that music just has something about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiHpkR03HGM

Zebra3

Shane St. wrote: »

Can you explain further, I genuinely want to know what they do that is so radical. I like MOTD and yes hansen and co. are prone to throwing out the usual cliches but their analysis is decent. At the end of the day I just want to see the highlights and I know enough about football to make my own mind up

Most British tv pundits are ex-pros who are too "pally" with current players and/or managers and afraid to call it is as it is.

There is also an element of xenephobia in the coverage as only foreigners dive and cheat. :rolleyes:

tommyhaas

I sky plus MOTD and watch it the next day. Personally, I couldn't give a fook who's discussing it after, because bar the odd exception, they generally tend to be the same

I never understand this ****e of paying the likes of Hansen £40k/wk. There must be thousands of former footballers or journalists willing to do it for £40k/yr, people with more of a personality willing to take on a part time job for the extra cash. Its not like there's going to be to much competition to have Alan Hansen, so why pay that?

homerjay2005

there is just something special about MOTD. i love watching it, especially when at coming home after games and looking at seeing the replays for the first time.

its better than any other football program out there IMO. as mentioned already, its a tradition.

GLaDOS

I actually prefer the football league show to MOTD. All action, no bull****

Cantona's Collars

ScienceNerd wrote: »

I actually prefer the football league show to MOTD. All action, no bull****

The 'wham bam,thank you mam' approach to football highlights.May as well watch just the goals on SSN.

The Football League show is on at crazy times anyway,several times coverage wasn't starting until well after midnight,usually just to suit some kind of tripe that's broadcast for primetime viewing.All well and good for those with Sky+
RTE adopts a similar stance with it's scheduling,the half decent stuff gets a late night slot only.Public service broadcasting at it's finest.

A Dub in Glasgo

MotD is still something I will watch. I generally record it and watch it on Sunday mornings. They need to cut salaries to cut costs, not cut programmes

carlcon

Bring in Colin Murray for MotD, give him a small rise, then have a selection of the pundits he uses for BBC Radio 5 Live to replace Lineker, and all the other over-paid ex-footballers that sit on the couch.

That right there would cut costs significantly... I'd go as far to say it'd pay for the Football League Show.

Then get a new guy in for MotD2, and make it more about showing the games, with less chit-chat.

The 5Live guys are the best in the business anyway. I can't stand the Sky Sports muppetry, or half of the "usuals" on MotD.

On 5Live, they're either extremely fair, or very openly biased. Which is great, because some of the ex-footballers accept that they're biased, unlike others who try to hide it, fail miserably, and just look even more biased as a result. There's something to be said for the few honest guys.

PHB

MOTD do the best highlights out there imo. For the football matches themselves, they are top class. Where they fall down is in commentary and analysis, which I basically just skip through every time bar the odd game.

Their commentators add literally nothing to the show at all, while I like Linekaer as a host, compared to say Jeff, Le Tiss, Merson, Thompson and Nicholas, it's miles and miles behind.

I'd really like it if they looked towards making it earlier in the night, ala the Premiership on RTE. It's very late to watch, and if you're going out at all, it's impossible to watch.

theoneeyedman

tommyhaas wrote: »

I sky plus MOTD and watch it the next day. Personally, I couldn't give a fook who's discussing it after, because bar the odd exception, they generally tend to be the same

I never understand this ****e of paying the likes of Hansen £40k/wk. There must be thousands of former footballers or journalists willing to do it for £40k/yr, people with more of a personality willing to take on a part time job for the extra cash. Its not like there's going to be to much competition to have Alan Hansen, so why pay that?

the same logic that sees megastar wages paid to the likes of mirriam, the Plank, G Ryan et al in RTE as well as for gobsh1tes like Pat Spillane, George Hook etc for their expert sport coverage.

I'm sure there are a lot of knowledgable journalists/former players with an up to date insight into the game tha would be willing to appear on air for fcuk all in order to raise their profiles a bit, instead of the likes of these lads who are generally out of the game for 20 years and are way out of date. It's one thing wasting time during a live game but surely more imagination can be used for a highlights pakage!the basic format of MOTD etc hasn't changed a bit and can be improved, but I'm sure it still holds up in terms of viewership. Cut the megabucks salarys for the mouths

Deeper Blue

I think MOTD is great for highlights, but I always find myself skipping through the analysis as I find the likes of Hansen and Lawrenson extremely dull.

The pundits on MOTD2 are much better.

batistuta9

donfers wrote: »

football analysis in the uk is truly ****e - show 15 minutes of highlights, then have a few ex pros on the sofa "analyse" the game, usually just picking out random clips to demonstrate some obvious point - then rinse and repeat for all games, it's garbage, so tired and predictable - they've been doing the same thing for years, go to spain or germany and watch how their tv channels analyse their domestic game, light years ahead and much more insightful, imaginative and informative

Shane St. wrote: »

Can you explain further, I genuinely want to know what they do that is so radical. I like MOTD and yes hansen and co. are prone to throwing out the usual cliches but their analysis is decent. At the end of the day I just want to see the highlights and I know enough about football to make my own mind up

I'd imagine in spain their very biased to real & barca(like the papers) not sure though, no idea about germany except jens lehmann used to be a pundit.

but maybe their both like italy were there's good looking women with unbelievable bodies in revealing dresses in football shows.

Het-Field

Zebra3 wrote: »

With so many live games and highlights available on the internet, MOTD has become a dated concept, a bit like Top of the Pops.

A very fair point.

I think many people watch games via live stream at 3pm, and/or via Sky Sports (12.30 KO), Setanta Sports (3PM KO), or ESPN (5.30 KO). At that point most people have seen the game of their choice, along with the bigger matches shown on TV. As a result, they will have little interest in watching a repeat of these matches, along with the dregs at 10.30. I know very few people who would settle down and watch MOTD on a Saturday night if there is a viable alternative in a night out available to them.

I was most interested in MOTD during the 1990s and early noughties(on ITV),when Live Premier League Football was not available, save for the two games shown on Sky Sports on a Sunday and Monday night, and the Saturday fixture list would consist of seven or eight games. Nowadays, the 3PM Saturday list often consists of two fixtures (sandwiched between one 12.30 KO, and a 5.30 KO). Having seen the morning and evening fixtures, I am unlikely to be worried about seeing the highlights of the two fixtures between four clubs, who are not competing in European Competition (hence their Saturday availability).

Im sure there was a time when people would have considered it wrong to even speak of axing BBC's "Grandstand" programme/ However, it was axed when its purpose had been served. In the same manner, the Chiefs at BBC will have to consider whether MOTD serves any purpose in the modern era.

hadepsx

god i hope not, what else will i watch while poop like xfactor is on:D

Dozen Wicked Words

Disappointed the football league show is going. As a public service broadcaster they haven't really lived up to their remit. More people go to live football that isn't the premier league each week than those who go to top flight games.

If cost was the biggest issue, league highlights are much cheaper than the premier league.

Still, such is life.

Paparazzo

zerks wrote: »

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/bbc-attacked-over-alan-hansen-s-15m-salary.15650046

That's shocking! Any defender that has recently retired would be more up to date on the game and could easily do what Hansen does.
And as for Alan "no one knows much about Ben Arfa" Shearer, BBC could dump their entire panel and give it a revamp before cancelling it.

While I'm on a rant, why do TV stations seem to fight over who gets Mark Lawrenson when all he does is make bad jokes and terrible puns?

applehunter

donfers wrote: »

football analysis in the uk is truly ****e - show 15 minutes of highlights, then have a few ex pros on the sofa "analyse" the game, usually just picking out random clips to demonstrate some obvious point - then rinse and repeat for all games, it's garbage, so tired and predictable - they've been doing the same thing for years, go to spain or germany and watch how their tv channels analyse their domestic game, light years ahead and much more insightful, imaginative and informative

Yeah you were asked about this fella.

Talking through your hole I'm guessing.

doomed

Head to head RTE does the MOTD thing better than the BBC at a fraction of the cost.

Cantona's Collars

While MOTD is a decent highlights show,the problem is that the pundits are too close to the players and don't want to offend anybody,sure they'll give a critical view but won't speak their mind.
Graeme Souness said this before because he feels doing pundit work in Ireland allows him to say what he feels where he wouldn't be let in England.Imagine Dunphy & Giles on MOTD,there'd be uproar.We might'ned always agree with what they say but they don't sugarcoat their statements ala Redknapp & Co. on Sky or the MOTD panel.

donfers

applehunter wrote: »

Yeah you were asked about this fella.

Talking through your hole I'm guessing.

i lived in spain for three years and germany for two years and was glued to their football coverage most weekends so no I am not talking through my hole lad but if you take an attitude like that just because I don't answer the post at a time of your convenience then jesus something is seriously wrong

taking abuse from some randomer just because I don't answer a post within a couple of hours, what an effing joke this place has become

I won't be contributing to this discussion anymore - find out for yourself

homerjay2005

doomed wrote: »

Head to head RTE does the MOTD thing better than the BBC at a fraction of the cost.

no, no they dont. the rte version is horrific. the only advantage it has, is that it is on earlier for those who want to see the goals earlier.

gnfnrhead

homerjay2005 wrote: »

no, no they dont. the rte version is horrific. the only advantage it has, is that it is on earlier for those who want to see the goals earlier.

And the BBC version is even worse.

I doubt many people tune in to hear what the pundits have to say so why not scrap them altogether and just have one host to introduce the matches and give a bit of information about injuries and whatnot. Show the highlights, then have the host give any news or whatever that came out after the match before moving on to the next. The pundits aren't needed and in the case of MOTD, drag the whole show down as far as possible. Getting rid of them means they save money and the viewers get to see what they came to see.

homerjay2005

id rather watch linekar, shearer and dixon over peter collins, ronnie whelan and kenny cunningham every day of the week.

Mitch Connor

with people so easily able to see matches and highlights whenever they want, if MotD is to survive they need to cater for more than just highlights. They need to provide more information and insight than we saw at the time of the game. Use the few hours after the games to analyse the key patterns and moments in the game. Not just that the striker ran from here to there, or there is the space. Analyse the tactical decisions made before and during the game - don't just show us the goals, tell us more about the game.

They are supposed to have experts on the panel - we are supposed to be average Joe Soaps; try to teach us something about each game.

while they try to 'sell' us the same product in a changing market place, they will lose viewership and market demand. They need to change.

Legwinski

Hope MOTD doesn't get cancelled. Hate the RTE version and pretty much every pundit they ever have.

ArmaniJeanss

Original article is strange because the BBC will never ever cancel Match Of The Day.

They may be outbid for highlights by ITV again someday, but they'll never voluntarily cancel it.

Lucan Bohs

Have to agree with the other posters who prefer the Football League show to MOTD.

Love watching the 50 or so Burton Albion fans running down the steps of a terrace to celebrate a 96th minute equaliser away to Morecambe

Minstrel27

I fast forward past the pundits. RTÉ or BBC wouldn't be an issue.

A Dub in Glasgo

Mitch Connor wrote: »

with people so easily able to see matches and highlights whenever they want

Prefer to watch MotD in HD on a 42" TV than some crappy streamed link or highlights package 'found' on the internet

AgileMyth

zerks wrote: »

Half an hour after they are scored:pac:

Half an hour before for the Italian goals!:pac:

Mitch Connor

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

Prefer to watch MotD in HD on a 42" TV than some crappy streamed link or highlights package 'found' on the internet

fair enough - but surely you would not deny that the availability of games on the internet is a big competitor to the likes of MotD - as are the goal apps the likes of ESPN do. I reckon you will find a lot of people that just watch there team and could take or leave highlights of the others. I know I would prefer to watch United on football first than MotD and then catch up on the goals/key incidents in others games as needed.

Bodhisopha

How many D's in match of the day

























































?

amiable

Bodhisopha wrote: »

How many D's in match of the day

























































?

The theme tune?

daithijjj

I never watch RTE for Prem games, ever .

MOTD is fine by me, 60 seconds is all they get at most to 'analyse' a game, thats because its Saturday night on free to air channel. Sunday night is a bit different and is a bit lighter on MOTD 2.

And in all seriousness, i doubt very much Hansen is on 40k. Also, id rather get the opinion of someone who has won 8 league titles and 3 European cups than ermmm, Steve Claridge. Christ, alot of the options available are miserable bast**ds themselves. Id rather have no analysis at all and have a bit of craic with it like Strachan and Peter Reid have with the Europa on C5.

The only problem with MOTD is time restraints and the obvious coming across that those lads spend too much time together on the golf course.

Paparazzo

homerjay2005 wrote: »

id rather watch linekar, shearer and dixon over peter collins, ronnie whelan and kenny cunningham every day of the week.

Kenny Cunningham is good!

leggo

Hmm, see I don't watch in particular for analysis either (I'd much rather get it off good podcasts etc), but I think people who are saying do away with it don't understand how important it is. The average Joe, much as we'd like to think we do, doesn't understand football as well as someone who's actually sat down and strategised themselves in a professional environment. We all love our opinions and everything, but without someone experienced poking us in the right direction, football discussion would degenerate into a mish-mash of every piece of ****e theory going with no real official indicator if someone is talking bollix.

Plus, if there's a major talking point like a penalty incident or red card, you DO want to watch it again from multiple angles and have the experts give their thoughts with some full clarification on what the rules are. Even if it's so you can disagree with them and make your own mind up, but not sound like a complete mug when you do.

Having said that, I was having this chat with a mate the other day. When you look at how they present sports and highlights in the USA...they're light years ahead of English football! Official apps for the NFL and NBA, with highlights, push notifications, full squad/league/fixtures/results stats etc all at your finger tips (e.g. I caught up with all of last night's NBA action with a 3-minute package showing me all of the major plays, lightning quick analysis telling me what I needed to know, and on-screen stats to look intelligent around my friends with tomorrow, all for free). You can buy a season ticket to watch every game live for your team, buy a pass to see any game live or on-demand or buy a pass to see one game in particular.

Why don't the FA do something like this? Two simple reasons: they can make money off selling highlights and don't have to go to the effort of creating and monetizing it themselves (despite the fact that they'd likely make much more as they could still sell highlights and live games to TV stations at a slightly reduced rates). It's ridiculous that the biggest sport in the world is lagging behind and the likes of MOTD can continue to date without the public even having the option to force it to up its game.

I wouldn't like to see it scrapped, but it should be forced to get with the times.