Football Season 2010/2011

[Mal]

The thing is that they were on works time and I wouldn't be surprised if Sky didn't have some sort of policy in place to prevent this. I know my employer does.

Lesson learnt that if you're going to have prehistoric thoughts, keep them to yourself

[Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Another victory for the utterly stupid.

+1

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Russ

Rooney has been awful, his worst season yet. He's had poor form in the past and bounced back but never anything as bad as this.

Probably a good thing he's not been handed a new contract on double the money recently then. Oh...

The problem is that these are not back room staff or office workers. Their perceived public personality is of immense importance. If that perception is of a couple of sexist 80's throwbacks who think Football is a 'man's game' then that is not the image Sky want to convey in their coverage.

Football in this country has been trying to appeal to more people, it's shed an image of hooliganism, or racism and now it's tried to decrease the impression that it's a sport for men. In recent years more and more women have been following football, the lineswoman was a extension of that, and these comments risked positioning Sky on the wrong end of that trend.

It doesnt matter who they are. They were Private conversations and should have remained so. I'll bet the Sky Management who fired him have all made such jokes. Seems more like this was an excuse to get rid of him for whatever reason. I hope he sues them and wins.

Its a shame they cannot credit the viewers with a bit of common sense instead of getting "offended" on their behalf.

Its quite funny how so many people talk about tolerance, yet are totally intollerant of views that differ from their own.

[Pog66]

Originally Posted by Mal

The thing is that they were on works time and I wouldn't be surprised if Sky didn't have some sort of policy in place to prevent this. I know my employer does.

They might have thought it was a private conversation however it was witnessed (and not only witnessed but recorded).

If I made a sexist remark in a private conversation which was overhead with witnesses then I would be hauled infront of HR.

Originally Posted by Paul M

It doesnt matter who they are. They were Private conversations and should have remained so. I'll bet the Sky Management who fired him have all made such jokes. Seems more like this was an excuse to get rid of him for whatever reason. I hope he sues them and wins.

From Sky's point of view it does matter who they are. They are the front of their Football coverage which is one of their core products, if they feel that they have two hosts who alienate a large part of the population then they may take action. It's a industry in which impressions and perceptions matter and have knock on effects on viewers and advertising.

It was a private conversation but it was one within a work place with several other people around, one of whom was recording, and I am fairly sure that if any member of a workplace gestured towards their groin, pulled at the front of their jeans, and said 'Tuck it in love' towards a female co-worker they would also be on shaky ground.

Its a shame they cannot credit the viewers with a bit of common sense instead of getting "offended" on their behalf.

Never sure quite why only the immediate subjects of racism, sexism or any other from of discrimination are permitted to be offended. Should only Sian Massey be offended about the comments made about her and women in football? Or Women in General?

Its quite funny how so many people talk about tolerance, yet are totally intollerant of views that differ from their own.

The intolerance of intolerance argument? I don't think people should be banned from being sexist but I don't think they shouldn't be questioned on it when they exhibit sexism either. Should they be fired? I guess that depends on the situation. In this case I would say no, they should be disciplined, however as I mentioned before Sky have the public image aspect to worry about which contributed to Andy Gray's firing.

Originally Posted by Damien

From Sky's point of view it does matter who they are. They are the front of their Football coverage which is one of their core products, if they feel that they have two hosts who alienate a large part of the population then they may take action.

Who says its alientated a large part of the population ? I'll bet a large part couldnt give a toss.

Originally Posted by Damien

Never sure quite why only the immediate subjects of racism, sexism or any other from of discrimination are permitted to be offended. Should only Sian Massey be offended about the comments made about her and women in football? Or Women in General?

Since they were about Sian, only she has any reason to be offended, and do you seriously think she has got this far in her career without hearing it before and dismissing it and obviously proving them wrong.

What a nation of wimps we have become, everyone getting offended all the while by everone else.

[Peter_]

I think it was a setup as they wanted reasons to get rid of Andy Gray and deliberately recorded him in order to catch him out one way or an other, I rather doubt that the female official was overly bothered as she will have heard it all before and the simple fact that she officiates at such matches is proof enough of her skill.

Originally Posted by Paul M

Who says its alientated a large part of the population ? I'll bet a large part couldnt give a toss.

I was thinking women, who as I said are increasingly watching football which is something Sky would welcome. It might not make them switch off, but they won't like the presenters.

Since they were about Sian, only she has any reason to be offended, and do you seriously think she has got this far in her career without hearing it before and dismissing it and obviously proving them wrong.

I think it's irrelevant if she has heard it before, not sure how it changes anything. Again, I don't understand why only the subject of the sexism or racism can be offended by it. I am sure women, or even men, in general can be offended by 'women don't understand the offside rule' or questioning their ability to do a job because of their gender.

[Uncle Peter]

I read elsewhere that Gray is supposedly on £1.7M a year so if there's a semblance of truth in this I wouldn't be surprised if someone further up the food chain has found out and hit the roof. Most of the people I know are glad to see the back of him if not purely for the fact that the bloke just spouts utter drivel; if he was that clued up he'd have stayed in coaching/management and "conquered the bloody world" (copyright Billy Shankly)

Originally Posted by Uncle Peter

I read elsewhere that Gray is supposedly on £1.7M a year so if there's a semblance of truth in this I wouldn't be surprised if someone further up the food chain has found out and hit the roof. Most of the people I know are glad to see the back of him if not purely for the fact that the bloke just spouts utter drivel; if he was that clued up he'd have stayed in coaching/management and "conquered the bloody world" (copyright Billy Shankly)

Apparently they were unpopular amongst the staff anyway, obviously one of them decided to release these audio and video clips.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Who says its alientated a large part of the population ? I'll bet a large part couldnt give a toss.

Yep fuss over nothing, a severe telling of would have done imo, looks to me like they wanted him out and this was to good a chance to pass up. I was flicking through The Sun earlier at work and there was an article on Loose Women, now I don't ever remember watching it but if that report and this one from The Guardian are true why is nothing done about that or isn't sexism a two way street?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/orga...sewomenhateful

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Yep fuss over nothing, a severe telling of would have done imo, looks to me like they wanted him out and this was to good a chance to pass up. I was flicking through The Sun earlier at work and there was an article on Loose Women, now I don't ever remember watching it but if that report and this one from The Guardian are true why is nothing done about that or isn't sexism a two way street?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/orga...sewomenhateful

Ugh. I hate that show. It's defiantly sexist towards men, full of sneering, derogatory comments all the time. It wouldn't the tolerated if it were a men's show doing it towards women. As has been mentioned, it's also sexist against women for presuming they are that stupid.

Again with the Andy Gray thing. I think disciplinary would have been enough but people who think it was nothing puzzle me, you do that in a workplace and your probably going to get in trouble.

[Niles Crane]

Without even getting into the whole sexism issue...........

After the legendary 30-something midfielder Juninho scored one of his many patented free-kicks for Lyon in the Champions League, Andy Gray once remarked "Is he the new (Cristiano) Ronaldo?". He should have been sacked on the spot after that and countless other examples of his incompetency.

Keys is even worse and at times both of them make even the drunken moron in your local pub sound knowledgeable.