It’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Saturday night is MOTD. Even when the results don’t really warrant watching it!
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The 2022-2023 Football Thread
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Meanwhile, Chelsea advance in the UCL at the expense of a toothless Dortmund. Happy days at the Bridge, for once.
Ruud Gullit! One of my all time favorites. It was harder to watch him play from the US back in those days, but his quality left a strong impression.
Ruud Gullit! One of my all time favorites. It was harder to watch him play from the US back in those days, but his quality left a strong impression.
I remember bumping into him, Beckham, Donovan and others in the lift at a hotel in Wellington. Incredibly nice man, back then (or at least he was to me).
LA Galaxy were playing in Wellington in a couple of exhibition matches (or maybe just one - I can't recall now).
So...PSG knocked out of Big Cup.
All the talent and money in the world couldn't save them from Ze Germans.
Also Spurs were knocked out after a 0-0 draw with Milan.
Celtic and Rangers continue to dominate in the Scottish Premier League (as expected)
Scott Parker finally got sacked by Bruges after a thumping and Watford have appointed Chris Wilder in place of Slaven Bilic as their 576th manager in 10 years.
All the talent and money in the world couldn't save them from Ze Germans.
Also Spurs were knocked out after a 0-0 draw with Milan.
Celtic and Rangers continue to dominate in the Scottish Premier League (as expected)
Scott Parker finally got sacked by Bruges after a thumping and Watford have appointed Chris Wilder in place of Slaven Bilic as their 576th manager in 10 years.
Ah, PSG fail in Europe again. 
Of course, you could argue that Qatar are still getting what they want out of the project. But I still enjoy watching them fail. They have everything money can buy, and nothing that it can’t.
Of course, you could argue that Qatar are still getting what they want out of the project. But I still enjoy watching them fail. They have everything money can buy, and nothing that it can’t.
Just had a weird phone call. The BBC just called and asked if I was free tomorrow night and wanted to host Match of the Day.
I said I was busy…..
I said I was busy…..
Curious, isn't it?
Strange times at the BBC, with two legends - both of whom are absolute gentlemen - both somehow falling foul of the organisation (in rather different ways) today.
MOTD could simply consist of an hour's worth of own goals scored by the BBC itself. What absolute jokes.
Good response by Utd at a snowy OT yesterday. Should be more than enough cushion to see them through the return leg at Betis. Imagine if all their fans are as scummy as the ones who travelled to Manchester, though — yeeeesh.
Good response by Utd at a snowy OT yesterday. Should be more than enough cushion to see them through the return leg at Betis. Imagine if all their fans are as scummy as the ones who travelled to Manchester, though — yeeeesh.
And it is not as though the recently appointed Chairman of the BBC (who was busily facilitating rather large loans to a disgraced if supposedly impecunious former PM prior to his appointment to the position of chair of the BBC) is entirely free of controversy, or considered to be completely impartial, or somebody whose opinions and political preferences are utterly unknown, himself.
@Lord Blackadder - Are you as put off, or salty, as I am about the MLS Apple TV deal?
www.thesun.co.uk
I think I agree with Gary Lineker... He's trying to protect the downtrodden... right?
![xLFpUkS.png]()
What did Gary Lineker tweet?
GARY LINEKER was absent from presenting Match of the Day on Saturday night, along with pundits and commentators. The BBC has suspended Lineker from his Match of the Day presenting duties, following…
www.thesun.co.uk
I think I agree with Gary Lineker... He's trying to protect the downtrodden... right?
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That seems to be the general position. Perhaps he could have worded it a little differently, but it will be interesting to see what happens from here.@Lord Blackadder - Are you as put off, or salty, as I am about the MLS Apple TV deal?
What did Gary Lineker tweet?
GARY LINEKER was absent from presenting Match of the Day on Saturday night, along with pundits and commentators. The BBC has suspended Lineker from his Match of the Day presenting duties, following…
I think I agree with Gary Lineker... He's trying to protect the downtrodden... right?
![xLFpUkS.png]()
Firstly, he (Gary Lineker) tweeted his thoughts on his own platform - his own personal account on Twitter, - and not on the airwaves courtesy of his position on the BBC.
This, remember, is a man who captained England, who actually won the Golden Boot as an international footballer, and who never - in a long and distinguished footballing career - never, not once, was booked.
Secondly, there has always been an understanding - perhaps unspoken, or undefined - that sports stars and entertainers weren't quite as bound by BBC regulations on the matter of offering their private views as were presenters and reporters on news and current affairs programmes, for example.
Besides, bear in mind that when he presents MOTD, Gary Lineker is a free lance, contracted, employee, not a BBC staffer.
Thirdly, the unkind thought crosses my mind that had Gary Linker tweeted in support of Government policy, this row, let alone his suspension, wouldn't have occurred.
Fourthly, the calls for objectivity and impartialty (from the BBC) would be a little more credible had the current chairman (an appointment not without controversy) of the BBC not himself previously donated £400,000 to the Conservative Party and had not also facilitated a personal loan (of around £800,000) to the disgraced former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
Fifthly, the BBC have also decided - on the very same day - to suspend the broadcasting of the final episode of Sir David Attenborough's current (flagship) six part wildlife series, because of the potential for controversy in the argument that humanity may be having an unfortunate effect, or impact, on the rest of life in these islands.
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Yes, I don’t like it and I didn’t buy it.
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As for the Lineker affair, first off it’s just so odd to be talking about this as I walk past the National Football Museum in Manchester (flying back to the states early tomorrow)…
Anyway, it just shows how polarized the world is today. People who shout that this or that should be apolitical are being unrealistic. Virtually nothing is apolitical anymore because the West is deeply divided on fundamental issues.
One of the first things I saw after arriving in Carlisle was a ragged little protest in front of a hotel that apparently housed a few asylum seekers. So you can’t hide from this anywhere. Lineker should have chosen his words differently (references to the Nazis, however oblique, should just always be avoided) but I agree with him in the broad sense. Now they’re talking of banning Attenborough for pointing out scientifically-established facts about global ecosystems?
The BBC is a real political football but if anyone thinks it can be de-politicized they are delusional.
I have no answers but this affair should put paid to the notion that we can realistically segregate politics and football. When I teach anthropology I use football as a tool for understanding the culture (including politics) of different places. They are indelibly intertwined.
And full time. Football is a funny old game. Just when you think one club or other is zeroing in on that 4th place slot, they stumble.
Bournemouth also jump up from last place and out of the relegation zone with those 3 points.
I can watch EPL as my only source of team sports and be happy!
but I was weaned on and played baseball.
Forest and the Spurs should be fun!
Hopefully Conte can get some of his "pitch lunatic antics" on TV today!
Funny that you should say that, for I have just been studying the table, peering particularly closely at those clubs currently found at the bottom of the table.
The bottom clubs are clustered so tightly together that three points were sufficient to spring Bournemouth from the foot of the table to 16th place, with a small cushion of protection.
Liverpool, of course, are extraordinarily erratic this season.
However, they failed to take their chances; above all, missing a penalty - not least after sending the goalie the wrong way - means that one can have little sympathy for them.
As much as I love to see one of the greedy six lose, I really could have done without Bournemouth picking up three points today.
Salah must have decided to join the BBC staff in not turning up today!
Salah must have decided to join the BBC staff in not turning up today!
Well, MOTD should be, er, interesting this evening.
Salah's penalty bordered on the absurdly awful.
However, he hasn't been his usually gifted and formidable self for quite some time.
Nevertheless, Bournemouth's win today - by which they leapt free of immediate threat or danger - drops West Ham right back into the relegation zone.
And I read that Gary Lineker, who, as we all know, has the day free, as he shall not be working tonight, has decided to travel today to Leicester, to watch Leicester play Chelsea.
Leicester were the team he supported as a boy, (and still supports, if his evident joy at Leicester winning the Premier League in 2016 was anything to go by), and is where he grew up; his father, who was a greengrocer, had a fruit and vegetable stall in Leicester Market, if I recall rightly.
Leicester were also the team for whom he played before he was (subsequently) transferred to Spurs, (there had been an earlier short spell at Everton, which I had forgotten about - and an impressive period of a few years at Barcelona, where Lineker studied and learned the language - prior to the move to Spurs).
Leicester were the team he supported as a boy, (and still supports, if his evident joy at Leicester winning the Premier League in 2016 was anything to go by), and is where he grew up; his father, who was a greengrocer, had a fruit and vegetable stall in Leicester Market, if I recall rightly.
Leicester were also the team for whom he played before he was (subsequently) transferred to Spurs, (there had been an earlier short spell at Everton, which I had forgotten about - and an impressive period of a few years at Barcelona, where Lineker studied and learned the language - prior to the move to Spurs).
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Then he went to Japan from memory?
We need to beat Villa tomorrow. Next week after another Europa conference league game we face City. Going to be a tough run until the end of the season.
Gosh.
I had forgotten - entirely - about Japan.
However, he was an excellent, and gifted (and intelligent) footballer, and also - something which I find impressive - never once received a booking, let alone a red card. A superb role model.
England captain, Golden Boot winner.
And I loved the (irreverence of) his Walker's Crisps ads.
And yes, I follow him (and have, for years) on Twitter.
So, today, with victories, both Everton and Bournemouth climb out of the bottom three, while Leeds (who drew), and West Ham (who play tomorrow) replace them, there, each still separated by two points from Southampton, who are now bottom on 21 points.