Quote Originally Posted by laddo View Post
If that's the case and you are indeed correct, then forget Tim 'Nice but dim' the man is a genius, he's been getting away with it for over 23 years seeing as he started on Match of the Day since 1999. And its not just the BBC he appears to have duped over the past two decades, BT Sport, NBCSN, Al Jazeera Sport, La Liga TV, Sunday Telegraph.

Maybe the BBC shouldn't feel so bad about paying all that money after all. Let's see when his actual commercial sell by date is reached in the world of media UTM

I think you're just deliberately skating around the central point that it's the name attached to his footballing credentials that broadcasters believe is the selling point that pulls in viewers, not because he's as versatile as say David Coleman who both commentated and presented (including MOTD and "Sportsnight With Coleman" as it was originally titled) on a variety of sports.

Pundit wise (as opposed to presenter), there is a lot to be said for taking their career into account, it'd be a bit weird if you had players who hadn't played above Division Four commenting on the short comings of PL players (though this doesn't stop them from employing women for some reason). As presenter though, this is obviously not a requirement, hence ex-journalists usually filling that particular role.

It's interesting that - unlike Jimmy Hill - Lineker barely ever did basic punditry, probably because his tone is basically that of one long resigned sigh at having watched your team as a kid lose an FA Cup final for the third time in 8 years in 1969.