O/T:-Gary Lineker

[Bushwacka]

He's presenting MOTD because of what he did on the pitch and was semi-articulate and initially inoffensive enough to be fast-tracked into a role that should have been reserved for a professional.

Jimmy Hill presented it for most of my childhood.

[upthemaggies]

Jimmy Hill presented it for most of my childhood.

Jimmy Hill was a quite exceptional character though, a successful manager not just a player, who had cut his teeth as a director and Head of Sport at London Weekend Television as well transforming football coverage with his ground-breaking and innovative analysis having literally changed the game itself forever - for better or worse - being a key figure in abolishing the maximum wage.

Many will only remember him as a bow-tied doddering old fool arguing with Terry Venables for the sake of it, but in his day a comparison with Lineker as a broadcaster begins and ends with them being ex-pro footballers. In a different league entirely.

[laddo]

Unlike Des Lynam, Brian Moore, Jim Rosenthal etc. He isn't where he is now because he worked his way up studying and gaining the qualifications necessary to land a job on a local newspaper as a journalist, expressing the talent to progress to a job as a reporter for local news, or local radio and so on. He's presenting MOTD because of what he did on the pitch and was semi-articulate and initially inoffensive enough to be fast-tracked into a role that should have been reserved for a professional.

Pop stars are no different wealth-wise, they become richer long after peaking as artists, living off the royalties of past glories whilst convincing themselves that they are still relevant - fuelled by anorak must-have-everything collector types still sending their well below sub-par mid-life crisis junk into the top ten for one week before it disappears and is forgotten for ever, until they return and give yet another interview reflecting on their heyday hoping for the brief opportunity to plug their latest abomination attempting to sound like what was contemporary 18 months agio. When that fails, then it's time for another greatest hits package.

But has Gary Lineker reached his used by date, in your opinion? If so, I would strongly suggest he's current working presenting roles tell a different story.

[upthemaggies]

But has Gary Lineker reached his used by date, in your opinion? If so, I would strongly suggest he's current working presenting roles tell a different story.

As a footballer obviously, as a broadcaster, he should never have got his foot in the door in the first place. If I was Garth Crooks - who 20 years ago was a rare breed of intelligent well-spoken and very competent ex-pro media personalities - I probably would question whether my race was holding me back whilst Lineker gets the prime gig, first as host of FF and then MOTD, though it's obvious his impressive England career is the real reason for that* and which still props his position up today.

*Goes without saying he had the desire to present as well, not having what it took as co-commentator (which he did try briefly on ITV) or to debate as a serious panellist in the Souness, Neville, Keane mould.

[Ex_Southwell_Magpie]

But has Gary Lineker reached his used by date, in your opinion? If so, I would strongly suggest he's current working presenting roles tell a different story.

I don't think he has reached his used by date. I don't think he has ever been any good as a presenter as it showed when he tried to present the golf or when on Sports Personality of the Year Award. He's in his 60's now so won't be too long before the Beeb move him on anyway.

[laddo]

Ok you clearly don't want to answer the simple question.

I didn't ask about whether he should have had the opportunity in the first place. I questioned whether he had actual reached his "used by date" as you said earlier.

As for Garth Crooks hahahaha, with that slow delivery, he would be a disaster as the MOTD presenter. That's certainly made my Tuesday at work instantly better.

[upthemaggies]

Ok you clearly don't want to answer the simple question.

I didn't ask about whether he should have had the opportunity in the first place. I questioned whether he had actual reached his "used by date" as you said earlier.
.

I answered it, he was not fit for purpose in the first place, he'd reached his use by date as soon as he'd made his first few attempts in broadcasting - see "Football in the 70s" (or a similar title) which he presented in 1990 for ITV and his early co-comms. Like Shearer, he's never been up to the job, he won't flush because he's an England capped turd.

[drillerpie]

Obviously it's all subjective but to me Lineker is an above average sports presenter. With the number of presenting gigs he books and the amount of media companies he has and does currently work for suggests that the industry agree with my amateur assessment or hold him in higher regard.

As for the main BBC pundits, now that's where I agree and I firmly believe 'average at best' comes into play. Alan Shearer for example is stealing a living, he's robbing a bank every week with his performance as an expert pundit.

Yeah that wasn't really the main thrust of my post, but apart from the golden oldies whom we grew up with, and whom I would take back in a heartbeat, I don't even think he compares favourably to Mark Pougatch, or Manish (mentioned on this thread and who still crops up on my TV presenting for a South African channel with Hargreaves and Owen).

Not sure who else you could compare him to. Jeff Stelling has retired hasn't he? Still would take him over Lineker personally.

I might take him over Keyesy and Graysie doing their best David Brent tribute on BEIN Sports, but to be fair they are sometimes legitimately entertaining.

[laddo]

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

[upthemaggies]

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.