Second Captains

kilns · 03-12-2019 03:03PM

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

There must have been too much Gavin praise yesterday so they need someone to lay into him for half an hour. Didn’t he delete a load of Tweets calling Gavin a lowlife before?

Its why second captains shouldnt touch him with a bargepole, the guy is a nasty piece of work going down the clickbait route which is a pity as when he wrote without bias he can be a decent writer buts its like saying Bill Cosby was funny back in the 80s

elefant · 03-12-2019 03:04PM

kilns wrote: »

I hope the guys are smart enough to pull him up on some of the stupid stuff he says. He gets away with saying some crazy stuff on twitter and pundit arena dont seem to care what he writes too but maybe that says more about pundit arena

Yes, agreed. My interest would be predicated on the presumption they wouldn't just let him go off ranting.

McKenna usually has the basis of an interesting, valid point to start from, and then goes so two-footed into the topic that he ruins his own credibility altogether. I'd like to hear him being moderated and engaged with in a mature way.

kilns · 03-12-2019 03:07PM

elefant wrote: »

Yes, agreed. My interest would be predicated on the presumption they wouldn't just let him go off ranting.

McKenna usually has the basis of an interesting, valid point to start from, and then goes so two-footed into the topic that he ruins his own credibility altogether. I'd like to hear him being moderated and engaged with in a mature way.

From what I see from his twitter feed when confronted with logical arguments he disappears or guys complain he blocks them. Surely he cant blank out Eoin in studio Ö= Ö=

Arghus · 03-12-2019 03:59PM

They've had in him on a few times before. He always struck me as a negative guy who wants to make everyone feel as miserable as he is.

I read a few of his articles there on Pundit Arena - someone had mentioned it further up the page - and honestly I don't think he's even that good a writer.

The headlines scream some attention grabbing contrarian words, but then when you read down through the nitty-gritty of what he actually writes his conclusions feel weak and unjustified: cherry picking certain facts to support one side of an argument, carefully ignoring other facts, repeating certain interpretations to make them appear more plausibly self-evident and a lot of jumping to conclusions: a lot.

I don't mind reading contrarian opinions, especially on sport. But the best contrarians are the type who broaden your understanding, even enrich the experience of watching or appreciating - not just dry-shites, getting a buzz off kicking something because other people enjoy it. It's real easy to pick holes in things and to try to take everyone down a peg. It's easy to take away and diminish, much harder to add something of value. Also, I have my doubts about how genuine he is; a lot of his articles seem written in bad-faith.

To finish off my rant: What surprised me most was how badly written his pieces are - they are all over the place. I know he's got a reputation for being that guy in Irish Sports Journalism, so I naively assumed he must be able to back that up with some hot purple-prose, the kind that you read for enjoyment, even if you don't agree with it. Nope. It is pretty turgid stuff. Many of the paragraphs are a chore to read: distended sentences in search of a point.

D.Q · 03-12-2019 04:36PM

Ewan really has it in for 2 different sections of sports fans, Rugby fans, and MMA fans, of which I am both.

kilns · 03-12-2019 04:43PM

D.Q wrote: »

Ewan really has it in for 2 different sections of sports fans, Rugby fans, and MMA fans, of which I am both.

and Dublin fans too, if its popular and you like it Ewan will hate you for it

tomwaits48 · 03-12-2019 05:00PM

McKenna called Jim Gavin an odious character.

Cienciano · 03-12-2019 05:49PM

tomwaits48 wrote: »

McKenna called Jim Gavin an odious character.

I know absolutely nothing about Jim Gavin

kilns · 03-12-2019 05:54PM

Cienciano wrote: »

I know absolutely nothing about Jim Gavin

neither does Ewan

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000 · 03-12-2019 06:05PM

Only just got around to hearing the Monday soccer pod. The John malcovic thing almost made me spit coffee everywhere. It’s the most ridiculous voice over I’ve ever heard.

Then the last few seconds of the pod killed me again.

dulux99 · 03-12-2019 06:43PM

They're certainly back on form in the last few weeks. Stuff like the Jon Malkovich piece is what sets SC apart from the rest.

lawred2 · 03-12-2019 06:54PM

Actually enjoyed McKenna. Decent interview.

D.Q · 03-12-2019 07:08PM

lawred2 wrote: »

Actually enjoyed McKenna. Decent interview.

Nah just his usual broad talk and flimsy comparisons.

He has this idea that MMA fans are sitting down to watch fights and be angry.

corwill · 03-12-2019 07:43PM

dulux99 wrote: »

They're certainly back on form in the last few weeks. Stuff like the Jon Malkovich piece is what sets SC apart from the rest.

I nearly crashed the car driving through Sutton Cross earlier laughing at it.

lawred2 · 03-12-2019 07:59PM

D.Q wrote: »

Nah just his usual broad talk and flimsy comparisons.

He has this idea that MMA fans are sitting down to watch fights and be angry.

Ok yeah. He's got those cultured erudite MMA fans all wrong.

03-12-2019 09:21PM

corwill wrote: »

I nearly crashed the car driving through Sutton Cross earlier laughing at it.

It was class. Dodgy for driving indeed.

dulux99 · 03-12-2019 09:27PM

lawred2 wrote: »

Ok yeah. He's got those cultured erudite MMA fans all wrong.

If you knew anything at all about the fanbase, you'd know it's as diverse a fanbase as any other sport out there. Go down to a local BJJ class for yourself, it'll be an eye opener. Everything from "Anto from the flats" to big 4 accountants.

MMA wasn't invented when McGregor came on the scene. The general Irish public don't really seem to grasp that.

humberklog · 03-12-2019 09:58PM

I thought Ewan was having a pop at McGregor's devotees rather than MMA fans.

Eire-Dearg · 04-12-2019 09:46AM

I like Ewan because I feel morally he's in the right place, when it comes to doping, financial problems and the dark arts of sport, and calling things for what they are.

But he's taken that schtick way too far now to the point where you can't really enjoy any facet of sport anymore. He sucks the enjoyment out of everything. He's a headline grabber and is probably getting good coin doing so. He's a clickbait King dressed up in a longform voice of reason, and his credibility has taken a hit for that.

He's a good writer, and would achieve a lot if he stuck to the issues that matter, rather than trolling on Twitter with Migs.

LineOfBeauty · 04-12-2019 09:50AM

Robo-voice Malkovich had me in tears on the commute home. Absolute gold.

kilns · 04-12-2019 10:12AM

The problem with Ewan is always goes too far, he reminds of you the guy in the pub who likes to think he is the fountain of all knowledge and knows more than anyone else and always has to have the last word in an argument.

He is now a clickbait merchant by picking up on these things which are popular and looking for reactions which is pretty sad

deisedude · 04-12-2019 11:50AM

The book sounds terrible. A ham fisted attempt to talk about all of societys ills interwoven with McGregors fall from grace

kilns · 04-12-2019 11:58AM

deisedude wrote: »

The book sounds terrible. A ham fisted attempt to talk about all of societys ills interwoven with McGregors fall from grace

To be honest its a cash in on the McGregor name and if he can make a few Euros over Christmas fair play to him but despite what his journalist buddies say I am sure its a pretty boring book listening to Ewans opinions.

I wonder does he mention Irish Rugby and Dublin GAA in the book I bet he wedges it in

CiaranW · 04-12-2019 03:56PM

Anyone else unable to download latest pod?
I use Podcast Addict.

Loafing Oaf · 04-12-2019 04:06PM

kilns wrote: »

To be honest its a cash in on the McGregor name

and of course Ewan-McGregor is the perfect pairing of author and subject:P

cmac2009 · 04-12-2019 04:09PM

CiaranW wrote: »

Anyone else unable to download latest pod?
I use Podcast Addict.

Yes, same issue here. As a workaround, if you click on the three dots to the right, and select 'visit Web page', you can listen through your browser.

tomwaits48 · 04-12-2019 04:12PM

deisedude wrote: »

The book sounds terrible. A ham fisted attempt to talk about all of societys ills interwoven with McGregors fall from grace

yeah he didn't sell it well at all. Ken a bit too chummy with him also.

CiaranW · 04-12-2019 04:13PM

cmac2009 wrote:

Yes, same issue here. As a workaround, if you click on the three dots to the right, and select 'visit Web page', you can listen through your browser.

Seems to be fixed now, cheers for the alternative.

robbe · 04-12-2019 05:04PM

Bit bleeding sick of hearing about Premier sports......

Say Your Number · 04-12-2019 07:57PM

I remember Ewan basically stopped short of calling Shane Lowry a fascist during the Summer, drudging up some quote from a few years ago where he dead batted a question about playing golf with Trump, the same week he had an article saying Megan Rapinhoe was only attacking Trump to further her brand, the fella must have a bad back with all the time he spends moving goalposts.

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