Gary Lineker

[Drogba1]

Not massively Chelsea related but what do you guys think of his removal from Match of the Day? I find it crazy he's been removed over 'impartiality' when Andrew Neil literally owns a Tory supporting newspaper and the Chairman of the BBC is someone that donated £400,000 to the Tory party.

 

The UK is starting to look like a banana republic at this point.

[guddy69]

You should have asked what we think without telling us what you think...🙂 

[guddy69]

I would like them all sacked and a nice fresh lot... maybe voted for by the fans.

And no one on 2 million a year, maybe £80,000 max..it's only one days work 🙂

[axman2526]

Allowed (rightly) to criticize the human rights record of Qatar, not allowed to speak freely about his own country.

Even more like 1930s Germany...

[Blue2Core]

It's a joke tbf.

[Bebe1980]

6 hours ago, Drogba1 said:

Not massively Chelsea related but what do you guys think of his removal from Match of the Day? I find it crazy he's been removed over 'impartiality' when Andrew Neil literally owns a Tory supporting newspaper and the Chairman of the BBC is someone that donated £400,000 to the Tory party.

 

The UK is starting to look like a banana republic at this point.

Think David Attenborough is a Chelsea fan and he had a pop at the Government about their record on climate change without having to visit the headmaster.

Also related to our rival Spurs if you want to include Alan Sugar being allowed to tell everyone to vote Tory ...

All got a bit out of hand now...

But issues like:

1) should he be allowed to say what he thinks?

2) or should the BBC only employ Tory supporters?

3) is Gary Lineker out of touch with what the vast majority of the country want ?

4) haven't we got more important things to worry about - getting a win over Leicester 😁 ?

 

 

[nonotnowjim]

A snapshot of what is wrong with this country.

1) Every man and their dog wants to have their voice heard - people taking to the streets causing havoc (extinction rebellionx train strikers etc) or social media to get a cheap like.  People should shut up and get on with life and their own problems. 

2) The reaction is then equally over the top. Extinction Rebellion and the like bring the country to its knees without significant consequences. Someone posting on social media loses a job.

The world is broken.

Btw - this isn't an endorsement or criticism of the sentiment and message itself - merely the act itself

 

[Scott Harris]

I don't disagree with everything he said. He can call the tories whatever he likes from my point of view, they're scum, but I think he is very blinkered when it comes to immigration issues in this country and other issues. It is a serious issue whether he can see it or not. He's not the one who will ever see the negative side to any of it, he's not living in the same world as the average person.

I don't feel sorry for him, not a single bit. He signed the contract with the BBC, so he knows what he can and cannot say, and it's not like he hasn't been pushing it for years now. Lineker is a man stealing a living in my opinion and one of the many reasons why I don't watch MOTD these days and why I cannot stand the tv licence and wish for it to be abolished. In no situation should anybody at the BBC be on £1.5m a year, especially when for most of the year he makes 1 single appearance a week. He's an absolute waste of tax payer money and they could easily put Mark Chapman in the same position who is on a fifth of his salary.

As far as MOTD goes, he and the BBC have done the audience a huge favour. They will get an episode without his smugness, his annoying arm waving and awkward pauses between conversations. But the best of the lot is that he's got the support of all of the pundits. We get a week off from the monotone voices of Shearer and Murphy, the idiots like Keown, Richards and Jenas and those that have never played anywhere near the level of football they are commenting on like Alex Scott.

I'm hearing the commentators won't be appearing either, even better. We may get a few episodes entirely dedicated to football highlights without all of the other useless filler that comes with it. They should use this as an opportunity to make it permanent, maybe I will become a regular watcher again if they do.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Scott Harris

[PloKoon13]

This government are an utter f**king [redacted by moderators]

[bisright1]

33 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

I don't disagree with everything he said. He can call the tories whatever he likes from my point of view, they're scum, but I think he is very blinkered when it comes to immigration issues in this country and other issues. It is a serious issue whether he can see it or not. He's not the one who will ever see the negative side to any of it, he's not living in the same world as the average person.

I don't feel sorry for him, not a single bit. He signed the contract with the BBC, so he knows what he can and cannot say, and it's not like he hasn't been pushing it for years now. Lineker is a man stealing a living in my opinion and one of the many reasons why I don't watch MOTD these days and why I cannot stand the tv licence and wish for it to be abolished. In no situation should anybody at the BBC be on £1.5m a year, especially when for most of the year he makes 1 single appearance a week. He's an absolute waste of tax payer money and they could easily put Mark Chapman in the same position who is on a fifth of his salary.

As far as MOTD goes, he and the BBC have done the audience a huge favour. They will get an episode without his smugness, his annoying arm waving and awkward pauses between conversations. But the best of the lot is that he's got the support of all of the pundits. We get a week off from the monotone voices of Shearer and Murphy, the idiots like Keown, Richards and Jenas and those that have never played anywhere near the level of football they are commenting on like Alex Scott.

I'm hearing the commentators won't be appearing either, even better. We may get a few episodes entirely dedicated to football highlights without all of the other useless filler that comes with it. They should use this as an opportunity to make it permanent, maybe I will become a regular watcher again if they do.

I think the BBC needs a big rethink about what impartiality means. 

For me, impartiality starts and ends at the BBC door. What Lineker does outside of there is his business. An example is Shearer is a Newcastle fan, that's helpful to know when he's presenting. He should aim to be impartial as a pundit, but as a viewer, it's handy to have the info that he may be swayed. 

It shouldn't bother anyone whether he thinks starmer or sunak is a c**t. 

And the same should go for all BBC presenters. I want to know whether Laura K is a raging Tory, and I'd respect her more if I did. I liked Andrew Neil because everyone knew his politics and because I felt he left a lot of that at the BBC front door. 

but the BBC sports team needs a massive shake up. The pundits are tired, the format is stale. MOTD is better than most, but how people like Keown get work is beyond me. 

[Blueboys]

I think the BBC typically do a good job of being impartial. When both sides of the political coin swear bias you know it’s reporting on the right lines.

I also think it’s important to have a national non-partisan news station, social media is already taking us in the direction of American style “partisan entertainment news” which I feel Just creates a huge tribal divide and encourages people to not consider both sides of an argument. 
 

So with Lineker. I think this is the BBC going too far and they need to concede some ground here and I agree they might need to revisit their policy. I don’t think everyone working there needs to fall under the complete impartiality and should at least be able to agree / disagree publicly with political policies and agendas.

[bluehaze]

The BBC is a mouthpiece for the Tories when you have the likes of Fiona Bruce who's husband is a massive Tory donor, Klunsberg who like Nadine Dorries is infatuated by Boris Johnson and their Tory bias seeps through in every interview or QT panel. The chairman is under investigation for bunging Boris Johnson,. On the radio Nick Robinson is a former chairman of the Young Conservatives. they had Andrew Neil who's a massive Thatcheritte, Chris Mason chief political correspondent is another massive Tory as is the woman who does that politics show in the afternoon can't remember her or it's name.

Yet the narrative there's a BBC bias against the Tories is laughable when there's a big story of any kind who do they wheel out the likes of Edwina Currie, Anne Widdicombe, David Mellor etc you never have a former Labour MP asked for their comment the nearest is Alistair Campbell. Alan Sugar tweets endlessly about Mick Lynch nothing done by the BBC same as when Clarkson worked there.

One thing a lot of the media seem to forget is Lineker is an England legend 4th highest every goalscorer our highest goalscorer in the WC and golden boot winner. If he said well done to Suella Braverman I agree with your policy would he be in this position now of course not. The Tories through Nadine Dorries tried to destroy Channel 4 because they questioned the Tories and their policies and they didn't like it they've massively cut the BBC'S funding and of course less we forget tried and failed to destroy Chelsea F.C .

[bluehaze]

2 hours ago, Bebe1980 said:

Think David Attenborough is a Chelsea fan

Richard was not David.

[bluehaze]

1 hour ago, Scott Harris said:

I don't feel sorry for him, not a single bit. He signed the contract with the BBC, so he knows what he can and cannot say, and it's not like he hasn't been pushing it for years now.

He's freelance he can say what he likes he's not a BBC employee. 

[andy]

Classic Tory tactic in recent years 

get the media to blow something out of all proportion to detract from the most disgusting policy in recent years 

[The Rising Sun]

9 hours ago, Drogba1 said:

Not massively Chelsea related but what do you guys think of his removal from Match of the Day? I find it crazy he's been removed over 'impartiality' when Andrew Neil literally owns a Tory supporting newspaper and the Chairman of the BBC is someone that donated £400,000 to the Tory party.

 

The UK is starting to look like a banana republic at this point.

And a Tory peer, Lord Sugar is the star of The Apprentice .

 

[The Rising Sun]

I wouldn't have a clue about his comments if  the BBC and the media hadn't thought it was more important than the real news about stuff that is affecting everyone's life's at  home and abroad.

[The Rising Sun]

56 minutes ago, bluehaze said:

Richard was not David.

Dickey and David sound similar though 😄😄😄

[The Rising Sun]

1 hour ago, bluehaze said:

The BBC is a mouthpiece for the Tories when you have the likes of Fiona Bruce who's husband is a massive Tory donor, Klunsberg who like Nadine Dorries is infatuated by Boris Johnson and their Tory bias seeps through in every interview or QT panel. The chairman is under investigation for bunging Boris Johnson,. On the radio Nick Robinson is a former chairman of the Young Conservatives. they had Andrew Neil who's a massive Thatcheritte, Chris Mason chief political correspondent is another massive Tory as is the woman who does that politics show in the afternoon can't remember her or it's name.

Yet the narrative there's a BBC bias against the Tories is laughable when there's a big story of any kind who do they wheel out the likes of Edwina Currie, Anne Widdicombe, David Mellor etc you never have a former Labour MP asked for their comment the nearest is Alistair Campbell. Alan Sugar tweets endlessly about Mick Lynch nothing done by the BBC same as when Clarkson worked there.

One thing a lot of the media seem to forget is Lineker is an England legend 4th highest every goalscorer our highest goalscorer in the WC and golden boot winner. If he said well done to Suella Braverman I agree with your policy would he be in this position now of course not. The Tories through Nadine Dorries tried to destroy Channel 4 because they questioned the Tories and their policies and they didn't like it they've massively cut the BBC'S funding and of course less we forget tried and failed to destroy Chelsea F.C .

And yet the press have convinced everyone that the BBC is a nest of Trotskyite left wing hippies 

[timetowaste]

The BBC's inconsistencies on this has been their downfall. How can you tell Lineker not to make political statements on twitter but encourage him to make statements on Qatar's human rights record on air? And as people on here have already said, Alan Sugar is a Tory peer, David Attenborough has criticised the Tory government before etc so there are numerous examples of where their supposed impartiality rule goes out the window.

From a personal point of view I think he had the right to say what he likes on his own twitter page. But that being said, he works for a government (aka taxpayer) funded tv channel and compared the government to nazis, surely he must have known this would get him in trouble with his employers.

56 minutes ago, bluehaze said:

He's freelance he can say what he likes he's not a BBC employee. 

I'm a freelancer and I've had to sign a contract with my employer wherever I've been so this isn't necessarily true. 

 

[andy]

7 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

And yet the press have convinced everyone that the BBC is a nest of Trotskyite left wing hippies 

The thing about the BBC is I hate BBC bashers,  the right hate them because they are too left and visa verse - meaning they got it right as far as I am concerned 

this is different,  this is political coercion clearly, and they have said that, it’s because of the election next year 

[Mod]

3 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I don't disagree with everything he said. He can call the tories whatever he likes from my point of view, they're scum, but I think he is very blinkered when it comes to immigration issues in this country and other issues. It is a serious issue whether he can see it or not. He's not the one who will ever see the negative side to any of it, he's not living in the same world as the average person.

I don't feel sorry for him, not a single bit….

Sometimes a like button just isn’t enough, top post Scott!

[Mod]

3 minutes ago, timetowaste said:

From a personal point of view I think he had the right to say what he likes on his own twitter page.

Would you also agree that someone like Katie Hopkins should’ve also had the same right?

[timetowaste]

2 minutes ago, Mod said:

Would you also agree that someone like Katie Hopkins should’ve also had the same right?

Yes I think so, whether I disagree with what Lineker or Hopkins has to say or not it shouldn't take away their right to say it. 

[Mod]

Just now, timetowaste said:

Yes I think so, whether I disagree with what Lineker or Hopkins has to say or not it shouldn't take away their right to say it. 

Completely agree mate!