By Blacksheep
I watched the FA Cup tie against Brighton & Falmer Albion in rather dreary modern pub close to where Tony and I usually meet to travel down to the Emirates. They had the game on their (biggish) screen and it was convenient for hooking up with the twins. There was no sound so we had no idea what the commentators were saying; we just enjoyed (mostly at least) Arsenal’s dominance.
Later that evening I watched some of the BBC’s Match of the Day programme (I was flitting between that and an excellent documentary about Winston Churchill’s mental health). Anyway I saw the highlights from the AMEX stadium and marvelled at Rosicky’s skill – something the experts were quick to enthuse about.
All except Philip Neville.
He stated that he thought Tomas was taking the piss and that he would have given him a ‘two footer’ meaning he would have risked injuring him in a lunging tackle, just to teach him a lesson. He went on to add, when challenged by the other presenters, to say that yes, he’d have done the same to his OWN players in training (for example Ronaldo or Ross Barkley).
Let’s just revisit this for a moment. What Neville was saying was that it is ok to deliberately foul someone in training or on the pitch if they display a level of skill that exceeds your own. It is ok to risk breaking a player’s leg simply because they have the skill to make you look like a fool. He was, in effect, justifying violence because his pride had been hurt.
What message does this send out to the journeymen footballers of England? What message does it send to young players and their coaches? Would we be surprised if on the next occasion kids are playing football in the park, on the school playing field (if any of these still exist…) or at the local football club, to see a reducer challenge on the first youngster that tries a step over, Cruyff turn or gives the defender ‘the eyes’?
Result? Well perhaps next time the little ‘show off’ will stick to something simpler, less flashy, and altogether less skilful. That’s going to help the national game eh Mr Neville? Bet your brother Gary is going to be very happy about that.
Neville played for Manchester United and they once had a player called George Best. Best was a trickster, a consummate footballer who could tie defenders in knots with his dribbling and close possession skills. He did this on some of the muddiest pitches I’ve ever seen outside of non-league. Players like Best inspire people to play football, they excite the crowds, they win matches on their own; in short, they are artists. If people like Philip Neville have their way the likes of George Best would have spent as much time on the treatment table as on the pitch.
We’ve seen it with Diaby, with Ramsey, with Jack Wilshere, with Eduardo and a whole litany of others; skilful footballers whose careers have been truncated or cut short by injury, often as the result of awful tackles by less skilful fellow professionals. Ok, sometimes it’s accidental, the players were too slow or mistimed their interventions, but as we saw with Ryan ‘not-that-sort-of –player’ Shawcross, all too often it is deliberate.
And comments like those made by Neville justify these sorts of tackles to other professionals. I’m pleased Lawrenson and the other presenters challenged his comments but they didn’t condemn them. In the end it was rather laughed off.
But it isn’t funny. It’s indicative of attitudes out there, the same attitude that allows premiership referees license to ignore the routine rotational fouling of Arsenal players.
I complained to the BBC, I downloaded a form and sent it off. You can do the same if you feel like it, just follow the link here. I don’t want people like Neville sanctioning violence towards gifted players like Rosicky (or Ronaldo, Hazard, Bale or anyone) and I certainly don’t want my license fee being used to pay him to.
We don’t have to suffer in silence, much of what passes for ‘expert opinion’ on MOTD, ITV, Sky and BTSport is little more than PPP (piss poor punditry). We can’t do much about most of it but I urge you all to complain about Neville.
Neville has said it was all a joke , which is the last refuge for the person that realises (too late) that they have been found out (see Ron Atkinson and Andy Gray as recent examples) and who try to deflect the criticism by pretending it was all ‘tongue in cheek’ rather than ‘foot in mouth’.
But it won’t wash, it isn’t a joke Phil, you are.
Blacksheep
Anniversary note…
21 January 2006: Abou Diaby debut in a 1-0 defeat to Everton. A brilliant player whose career was wrecked by injury following a lunatic assault on him by Dan Smith in May the same year.
Other anniversaries for today are shown on the home page
How do I make a complaint from Malaysia? He was serious when he said it….if he meant it as a joke, Phil Neville must be the greatest straight face liar in footbal punditland.
Well said!
Someone should lunge in when he is sitting in his MOTD punditry chair with a two footed tackle to his mouth that excreted thid dirt.
Haven’t we suffered enough broken legs from such two footed tackles over the past seasons Mr. Neville???? And that knowing Taylor is going to do our next match. I fear for a terrible injury somehow.
FASM
You can complain online here…..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/
Sent in my complaint to the BBC yesterday morning as soon as I had seen the footage commenting in exactly the same lines you set out. I await a further response from the BBC. I expect such moronic comments from the antediluvian bottom feeders employed on TalkShite. I have the choice not to listen and more importantly pay. However I expect the BBC to uphold certain standards. In employing Neville and giving a platform for his stilted, poorly formed and downright poor analysis they are signally failing to do so.
A note from history: Phil Neville was one of only two players booked by Riley, the ‘referee’ when Man U kicked their way through Arsenal to end the Invincibles run in 2004 – the most glaring example ever of violence triumphing over skill when officials allow it.
In Neville’s apology (thanks for the link) he jokes that he lacked skill himself. I struggle to see why the BBC hires him.
Philip is a great fool
In the October 2004 travesty at Old Toilet, abetted by Don Fergus and stitch-up king Mike Riley that derailed us, said Phil Neville [number 3] went on a crime spree against us along with drive-by bang-bangers brother Gary Neville [number 5], CRUDE Van Nestelrooy [number 10], Rio Ferdinand [number 5] and Dive-Master Shrek [number 8]. This was and REMAINS a clinic in victory-by-injury. The two-footer uber alles.
“A Rolls-Royce of getting stuck-in,” bellowed the TV presenter, whilst celebrating “how it’s done in the Premiere League” when not in possession. Is it not high time to re-view that crime scene as a master class in how bent it gets! Let those who doubt there is willful and conscious malfeasance afoot against us behold and explain the following, lest we forget: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM747L9Wf8M
All this while Fergie celebrates on the sideline and the Nuremburg Rally of Sharks slurps the blood tide. Overly dramatic? Watch it again and dare to say that this was anything other than an intentional stitch-up. And Phil [number 3] Neville continues to show the color red in his invocation of his beloved two-footer as proper treatment for the brilliant, OUR brilliant Little Mozart. That man, Phil Neville, ought never to sit in judgment on anyone. Neville OUT! COYG!
Anyone complaining to the BBC over this needs to honestly get a life. It was a ridiculous thing to say, yes…but the righteous indignation on display across social media is ridiculous.
Joke or not, it’s not a sacking offence and I guarantee each and every one of you has said something worse.
He’s sooo bad you just have to be patient anyway…the BBC have so many options they don’t have to keep the rubbish ones.
Tram,
Perhaps now you’ll see why BBC – which surely has a celebrated sense of history – hires the frothing orc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM747L9Wf8M
ClockEndRider,
Perhaps the Beeb ought to get twittered with the above link as a wee reminder of what a hiring blunder they’ve willfully or accidentally made in signing on the tongue-in-cheeker Mr. P. Neville. One shudders to think about the cheeky locations of said tongue over at PGMO.
@bob,
Anyone who has doubts about the GBH dished out by the Nevilles and other thugs at OT, the biased refereeing of Riley, the cheating of the grotesque Rooney and the smirking arrogance of Ferguson, should follow the link you print in your valuable comment.
One of the most barbaric attacks by one team against another….far removed from a sporting contest.
I’ve said many times that some of these deliberate attacks by the Keanes and Shawcrosses of football should have been the subject of prosecution in the courts. After all, if they had occurred in the street, a charge of GBH would almost certainly follow.
‘Your complaint has been submitted’
nicky…you can’t prosecute footballers in court over a tackle. One – it’s pointless, you’ll never prove intent without a reasonable doubt (unless they scream “I’LL KILL YOU” loud enough for a mic to pick up beforehand).
Two…it’ll be the end of football if you actually managed it. No one will want to tackle.
Very good article ….
Well said I agree he should be binned off.
Actually he should been binned after the his co commentary of the England Italy game in the World Cup .
Obviously it wasn’t just football that display Phil Neville mediocrity.
Even more cynical than Neville’s comment (he has half the brain of his brother who was no angel either) is the appointment of that little arse-wipe Taylor for the Villa game. Sure sign that even paranoids have enemies
PS I always thought that PPP stood for Pointing Percy @ Porcelain. But piss poor punditry also works for me.
Complaint just submitted to the BBC: “During the review of the Brighton vs Arsenal match, Phil Neville (a pundit) stated that he would commit an act of violent thuggery – viz a ‘two-footed’ challenge – on the Arsenal player Tomas Rossicky. Although, presumably having had the mistake pointed out to him, he subsequently sought to retract his odious comment on Twitter, the damage had already been done. However, no matter what he claimed after the event, the comment was NOT made tongue in cheek but was a thuggish condoning of – or even incitement to other players of any age to commit – such behaviour. If the man had an unblemished record of unbiased, tactically astute, value-adding punditry then such a slip could be perhaps ignored. Unfortunately, Mr Neville offers extremely little of such. Hence, his brainless comment is unforgivable and he should be sacked immediately.”
Hear, hear. Sent mine yesterday. Received autoreply overnight. Live in France, so maybe not a problem commenting from Malaysia as well. Notwithstanding my Arsenal allegiances, I’d have done the same if he’d been talking about Hazard or Sterling. Appalling – but then, in the school playground, those without skill or wit, always resorted to thuggery.
In fact Phil Nevilles, slightly more intelligent, brother Gary did actually say earlier this season that Manure used violent tactics regularly against Arsenal in order to upset their rythym and stop them playing.
Should not the FA/EPL step in and charge them both with bringing the game into disrepute – together with the refs who allowed them to do it?
Inside right,
You mean the FA/EPL who were complicit in allowing the thuggery? Good luck with that and getting turkeys to vote for Christmas……
an this Phile and Gary confuse me…..
Doesnt matter though. Anti-football maniacs.
I copied your complaint Tim:
During the review of the Brighton vs Arsenal match, Phil Neville commentry stated that if you can’t beat them with skill restort to violence via a ‘two-footed’ challenge – on the Arsenal player Tomas Rossicky. apparently slip of tongue. However, no matter what he claimed after the event, the comment was NOT made tongue in cheek but was a thuggish behavior trying to break another players legs. Unfortunately, Mr Neville spoke of how he too stopped skilled players as he was not top pedigree. These simpleton comments should lead to his dismissal as it is no where in football for such idiocy.
Submitted!
Walter,
Perhaps it’s time to dust off your classic (though recent) ref review of the Old Toilet crime scene of Oct 2004, and <> your evaluation of Phil Neville’s yellow-card as well as any uncarded behaviors by mikie riley in his audition that day for most-deserving heir to the top of the PGMOB.
sorry, meant to highlight the word “EXCERPT your evaluation of….”
I have submitted my complaint.
Thanks for the link – it couldn’t have been easier. I would have felt guilty if I’d just left it to everybody else. I believe that if only a few people bother then they’ll sneer it off. They need (and deserve) a shitstorm.
I wrote this in the comments box:
Philip Neville has now apparently apologised in other media about his comments. It seems they are being treated as an intentional joke by him. First: it was clearly not said as a joke – that is a retrospective repair by him. He clearly meant it. Moreover, there is evidence from his playing career that this is exactly how he performed (for instance see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM747L9Wf8M ) Secondly, this comes a week after the Savage critique of Man City v Arsenal, where his suggestion to deal with stylish play was to use aggression. Neville and Savage are two peas from the same pod, but it is the MoTD producers who select them. On Sunday you followed Neville’s bile with some shots of Brighton players using aggression to inhibit Arsenal’s style, so that you validated his promotion of the idea of meeting creativity with aggression. I believe MoTD ought to make clear where it stands on these comments and the culture they promote. How can we ask our referees to protect creative players if the country’s main football program endorses the view that creativity should be stamped on?
Just watched it again , the sense of outrage is still there . At the time I remember the rage at Old Trafford ,I remember the paedo chants , Always cheating , the general bile in the stadium. It was not a nice place to be. The journey home reflected not that we had lost our unbeaten run , not that we had lost 3 points but that we had been cheated . I feel the same now . I said at the time that I thought money had changed hands .Now the recipient is the head honcho of our referees , if United’s power base was not so all encompassing in the media an investigation should have been held then and even now it might help expose the invertebrates living under the PGMO’s stone.
Just submitted mine. f**king twat.
I have submitted my complaint. Very easy to do and have had an acknowledgement. I have asked for his sacking,if not an apology to be said on M.O.D.I am still seething about this.This is not a Arsenal thing,it is about all FOOTBALL been played in the UK.
Just one thing I would like to point out about M.O.D..All there pundits are generally based in the North as it comes from Salford, so I do not believe we will get any plaudits from this biased programme.
Zee Gooner I think you have failed to grasp much of what is going on here. Telling people to “get a life” isn’t exactly helpful to a debate, and your statement that ” every one of you has said something worse.” shows that you have no concept of context.
While down the pub with friends I have called a footballer a “wanker”. But when an employee of mine working in an open plan office slammed down the phone after speaking to a customer and shouted to the room at large “wanker” I dismissed her on the grounds it was inappropriate behaviour within this work situation.
The context of the TV programme is important, as is the context of the job, which is why Sky were right to dismiss its two commentators for their sexist remarks a few years back. It is the context of whether the person is presented as being an expert to be held in high regard, and the context of how many people hear this.
I am sorry you don’t get that.
I’m also sorry that you chose to hide behind a non-existent email address. I’m afraid we can’t accept any more posts from you.
insideright
January 27, 2015 at 10:33 am
Write to the FA & ask for these comments to be reviewed. It is quite entertaining to hear what they say.
Tram
January 27, 2015 at 12:12 pm
You are absolutely right about MoTD & what it is doing. I think the BBC is involved with the cheating that is going on in English football. They are unaware of the group within that publicly ignore the PGMO officiating & the use of this national icon to pervert the beautiful game.
The BBC have lost their standards & are actively involved with programmes that ‘bend’ thinking toward agendas outside of the UK. If geography can be bent & mutilated from the truth, why can’t everything else?
Honesty has no borders & needs honest governance.
Excellent article, Blacksheep.
It’s necessary to highlight all of this crap, even when we’ve won a match.
bob, thanks for posting the video and for the accompanying comments. It goes to show that there are many who haven’t seen this historical footage.
Although I’ve viewed this video many times I still find it unbearable to watch and I urge folk to listen carefully to the commentary, as you’ll be able to detect the not so subtle differences in the description of the play, fouls, big decisions and other subtext.
Thanks to all those writing to the BBC. I particularly liked your letter, Tram.
Those writing in may like to mention the fact that MOTD generally leave out fouls committed on Arsenal players, and when they do show them, they PPP’s (great, accurate term) mouthing a voiceover praising the assaults committed by Arsenal’s opponents, as was the case towards the end of the video below.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yxuwADl3bIA
Bob, that game was the biggest legal assault since the D day landings.
Nice one Blacksheep. I too have put in a complaint over Nevilles comments, Know a few others who have done so as well,including a Spurs fan or two!
There is no place for such idiotic comments on our screens, except perhaps to prove the likes of Untold correct on so many issues.
Know there has been a big reaction on twitter. Think P Nevilles days on there are numbered, despite clear sympathy for his views in Planet England
Looks like its Real Madrid’s turn to be investigated by FIFA for their youth policy.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30997809
bob
Thanks, I think, for posting that.
I knew it was bad but it seems the memory often protects you from reality because it was even worse than I recall. I suppose compressing it all into one relatively short montage does that.
From The Neville brothers, and the rest, who where the perpetrators of this debacle, to Fergie, who implemented it, to Riley who was complicit it it’s application, to the SKY team who really had enormous trouble criticising it with any real conviction, THAT was a day of shame for English football.
Shocking, truly shocking !!
And to rub salt into the wounds, on SKY just 2 Months ago we have Gary Neville actually BOASTING about it.
And now this from his Brother.
The fact it happened was bad enough. The fact that United where, and still are, hailed for that performance, and Arsenal where, and still are, criticised is simply beyond belief.
I wonder if SKY show all those incidents when they replay that particular match in there ‘Premier years’ section, or is it all just airbrushed out of history as far as they are concerned?
I wonder !!!
Hi guys (and gals),
I was watching the FA cup highlights and couldn’t believe what Neville said. It incensed me so much..to think this man is probably a father. I mean, is that what he says to youngsters who come up against a more skilful player? What a total bell-end and then to see his throwaway “just a joke!” response. Nah mate, FUCK YOU. I was waiting to see if anyone else on here brought it up. Good to see that it didn’t take long. I only really had the idea complain after I saw this page, which I feel bad about but thanks to the poster: I’ll remember this the next time an motd pundit suggests trying to cripple someone for being skilful. Here’s what I sent them, it’s a bit all over the place but I was both seething with rage writing it on my camera phone…
“I was shocked to hear Philip Neville suggest that if faced with a player showing the same level of skill as Tomas Rosicky, that he would use violent thuggery in the form of a deliberate dangerous tackle(he said two-footed), to stop him. He has since stated that this was said in jest, but this was clearly not a joke.
It is worth remembering that the BBC levies a license fee from all people who live in the UK and that includes Arsenal supporters. Why is one of your publicly paid pundits advocating any violent behaviour in football, let alone against a team that has a truly disturbing record of injuries, caused by deliberate illegal fouls from opposition players, resulting in broken legs and serious contact injuries? And this is not the only example.
Regularly, BBC pundits advocate dangerous (and illegal) tactics, as a method of dealing with skill on the football pitch. The promotion of violence in sport by the BBC is totally unacceptable! Children watch BBC football programming and hang off every word uttered by these pundits.
It is time the BBC did its job and took action to stop encouraging bullies and justifying physical assault. This starts with the sacking of Phil Neville for his ridiculous and incredibly dangerous comments, and then continues with an improvement in the general quality of punditry, starting with the stated, unequivocal fact that violent and reckless play on a football pitch is not a tactic and should be sanctioned heavily and ruthlessly”
It’s easy.
Phil Neville should either lose his job or at least be suspended.
I believe that there must be a standard code in UK media which prohibits media personnel from inciting, calling for or promoting violence. In any event, Neville, in addition to being a total idiot, also took part in a very dangerous behavior.
To say – “it was a joke” doesn’t cut it. To humursouly shoult “FIRE” in a crowded cinema, is not funny.
He has to be held accountable for his words.
thanks for the all the positive comments above, I do think we should act when we feel something is wrong and I’m encouraged that so many of you are prepared to do so.
Phil Neville: wasn’t it a mistake by this lesser son of Neville Neville (not convicted btw) who made a high profile error in an England International game which contributed to an early exit from a tournament, much mocking nationwide and the eventual end of his ManUre career. So this braveheart moved from playing for Slurgus to the Son of Slurgus.
No wonder a player who was crap at football would attempt to advise others to hack* his way through a game. *outlawed from Assoc. Football C1850 – those who were to crap to play football were told to piss off and formed their new sport: Rugger/Soggy Biscuit.
Taylor for Villa? The House of Riley exposes itself in all it’s glory yet again. No wonder Hackett and others are getting itchy feet. A pelanty from Dean no less against the non favoured petro club (for this season at least). He must have seen the stats 😉
These obvious shenanigans are stretching thin. Transparent.
Savage by name savage by etc. The self admitted numbskull was almost beside himself advocating time and again that Brighton should “Get stuck in” . Leaving no doubt about what he would be doing in Brightons situation. He and Neville are about as elequent as they were elegant in their playing days. Unfortunate neanderthals who can’t even claim that their brains were in their boots.
I think that instead of registering a complaint with the BBC , I ‘ll just start a humour movement at his expense by retelling old jokes ,where he IS the punchline !
Joke number one ( hopefully we get a million !)
One morning a blind bunny was hopping down the bunny trail and tripped over a large snake and fell, kerplop right on his twitchy nose.
‘Oh please excuse me,’ said the bunny. ‘I didn’t mean to trip over you, but I’m blind and can’t see.’
‘That’s perfectly all right,'( but thinks – ” Arsehole !”) replied the snake. ‘To be sure, it was my fault. I didn’t mean to trip you, but I’m blind too, and I didn’t see you coming.(Thinks : “I’d two footed you if I had TWO FEET !” )
By the way, what kind of animal are you?’
‘Well, I really don’t know,’ said the bunny.. ‘I’m blind, and I’ve never seen myself. Maybe you could examine me and find out.’
So the snake felt the bunny all over, and he said, ‘Well, you’re soft, and cuddly, and you have long silky ears, and a little fluffy tail , an awesome ,sweet and hot arse ( licks it !) and a dear twitchy little nose. You must be a bunny rabbit!’
The bunny said, ‘I can’t thank you enough. But by the way, what kind of animal are you?’
The snake replied that he didn’t know either, and the bunny agreed to examine him, and when the bunny was finished, the snake asked, ‘Well, what kind of an animal am I?’
The bunny had felt the snake all over, and he replied, ‘ Well, you’re cold, you’re slippery, you’re not too bright , very insensitive and you have no balls…You must be …..
“PHIL NEVILLE !
Come on guys , do your worst ! LIKE and SHARE it too !
WOO HOO, HOO !
I have just received the following entirely predictable from the BBC in reply to my complaint….
Dear Mr Shelley
Thanks for getting in touch with us about FA Cup Match of the Day broadcast on the 25 January.
When analysing the playing style of Tomas Rosicky, Phil attempted a tongue-in-cheek comment. This comment wasn’t meant to cause offence, but on reflection, Phil does acknowledge that the language he used was unfortunate.
That said, Mark Chapman did challenge him straight away and we felt that the tone of the discussion was light-hearted enough to suggest that we weren’t condoning any kind of violence or setting an example to a younger audience.
BBC Sport will, however, remind the team to take extra care in the future.
Thanks again for contacting us.
Kind Regards
BBC Complaints
mick
What a fucking cop out.
Mick,
My response, also just received from the BBC:
“Thanks for getting in touch with us about FA Cup Match of the Day broadcast on the 25 January.
When analysing the playing style of Tomas Rosicky, Phil attempted a tongue-in-cheek comment. This comment wasn’t meant to cause offence, but on reflection, Phil does acknowledge that the language he used was unfortunate.
That said, Mark Chapman did challenge him straight away and we felt that the tone of the discussion was light-hearted enough to suggest that we weren’t condoning any kind of violence or setting an example to a younger audience.
BBC Sport will, however, remind the team to take extra care in the future.
Thanks again for contacting us.
Are you feeling a sense of déjà vu? Good to see that our employees at the BBC are conducting a thorough, rigorous investigation and not just a whitewash…,,,
So the language this idiot used was “unfortunate”. Can someone see what was unfortunate about it?
Ill-advised, thoughtless, reckless, unbecoming, entirely in keeping with the utter lack of appropriateness of this person for his publicly funded role, yes.
Pitiful.
yep, mine exactly the same as you guys got. So much mouth wash. I guess we can all stop watching it…
Well Mick…..at least you got a reply….I got a form letter with the usual BS. IF the BBc actually start to keep an eye on Neville and their other pundits they’ll quickly realize what wankers they’ve hires! Mission accomplished in my opinion…..
A story I’m seeing in Google News, is out of Florida. A bunch of clergy want police to quit using pictures of the heads of young black men for target practice, so they started putting up pictures of themselves under #UseMeInstead. And it looks like the hashtag activism is not doing what it is supposed to.
I don’t do twitter, so I won’t start it. But perhaps put up pictures of these ex-football players up on twitter under something like #ShootHimInstead?
PHIL NEVILLE JOKE NO: 2
A cannibal entered the meat market to buy something nice for dinner. The owner greeted him and told him to look around. The cannibal began to inspect the meat case and noticed the market specialized in brain. Upon further inspection he noticed a marked disparity between the costs of brain meats.
A carpenter’s brain sells for $1.50 per pound. A plumber’s brain sells for $2.25 per pound. He noticed with alarm that a BBC pundit’s brain sells for $375.00 a pound. With not a little curiosity he asked the owner why the huge difference in price between the similar meats.
The owner responded with a deadpan look on his face, “Do you realize how many Nevilles’ it takes to get a pound of brains?”
How long do you think Neville would be in a job if he’d said something like this on National TV:
‘If that Philip Bernie ever upset me like that I’ll break his legs.’
(Apparently Philip Bernie is BBC head of sport.)
I would suggest his feet wouldn’t touch the ground.
How is it acceptable in any way shape or form to openly advocate violence on another person on National TV.
The BBC is an utter disgrace.
@ Gord – This joke is for you !
Roman Football Game-
Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Brutus decided to go to a football match one Saturday. Roma was playing local rival Sparta for the All Holy Roman Empire Cup. So Caesar organized the tickets and they all agreed to meet at the stadium at 3 p.m., just in time for the kick off.
Saturday arrived and Caesar and Mark Anthony took their seats just as Roma kicked off. Brutus, however, was missing. Then, just before half time, in came Brutus looking a little flustered.
“My chariot lost a wheel on the way here,” explained Brutus.
“It took nearly an hour to fix it.” So he sat down with the others as the teams came out for the second half.
“How’s Roma doing?” asked Brutus.
“Great!” replied Mark Anthony, “they have never played better.”
“So, what’s the score then?”” Brutus inquired.
“8-2 Brutus,” replied Caesar.
( No wonder then that Mark Anthony decided to bury Caesar!)
Goodnight, guys !
my response from bbc
Dear Mr Pham
Thanks for getting in touch with us about FA Cup Match of the Day broadcast on the 25 January.
When analysing the playing style of Tomas Rosicky, Phil attempted a tongue-in-cheek comment. This comment wasn’t meant to cause offence, but on reflection, Phil does acknowledge that the language he used was unfortunate.
That said, Mark Chapman did challenge him straight away and we felt that the tone of the discussion was light-hearted enough to suggest that we weren’t condoning any kind of violence or setting an example to a younger audience.
BBC Sport will, however, remind the team to take extra care in the future.
Thanks again for contacting us.
Kind Regards
BBC Complaints
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
NB This is sent from an outgoing account only which is not monitored. You cannot reply to this email address but if necessary please contact us via our webform quoting any case number we provided.
hmm I think they copied pasted?!
The BBC response is just what I was expecting if I am being honest, to expect anything more would have been wishful thinking. I do not think for one minute they actually believed the ‘tongue in cheek nonsense’. I am clinging to the hope that Neville has, behind closed doors, at least received a king size bollocking and warned as to his future conduct.
I am not going to let the matter rest however and will now be taking the matter up with Ofcom, the regulatory body for broadcasting standards. Link below.
http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/complain/tv-and-radio-complaints/a-programme-I-saw-or-heard/
ooh mick
mick
keep it going sir.
Thanks Mick, I’ve followed that link and registered my complaint with offcom. I believe it now goes to Mike Riley to adjudicate…
The BBC’s written response was only to be expected, and we need not be too unhappy. They are driven by performance indicators, so the volume of complaints is their indicator – that is why it is so important for the complaints to flood in. Nobody would have remembered (or heard of) the Brand & Ross / Sachs nonsense if the Daily Mail hadn’t created a shitstorm so that all their readers wrote in. All of us who complained can be content that MoTD now know that there are more than just Orcs watching them. And if (when) Neville or Savage or one of the other tuppenny tossers promotes violence over creativity again I shall write in again, and so should we all. Complain – its the only language they understand.
Transfer deadline day (a few days away) will be different than at the beginning of the season. From the Telegraph:
> Interactions between fans and reporters had become a key feature of Sky’s coverage of deadline day but senior executives ordered an overhaul following a raft of unsavoury incidents in September which prompted 16 complaints to media watchdog Ofcom.
That’s it, 16 complaints.
Phil Neville Muppet
squeeky, that Carragher,
To the selfie in the Savage.
apologies to Issa
—
I Pundit an Muppet
and dived my Lineker Phil Neville
have been dived.
apologies to Kato Shuson
—
Phil Neville the Muppet
Muppet, Savage Scholes in dived
with no selfie to Owen.
apologies to Soseki
I wish you all success with your complaints but…
I complained to the BBC many years ago (shortly after the start of the Wenger years) about Mark Bright when he said much the same when commenting on the BBC about an Arsenal game. I argued that his ‘kick them if you can’t beat them’ type of comments were a disgrace and would be a bad example – much as Blacksheep’s post.
The response?
Pah!
I cannot remember the exact wording but it was a brush-off.
Rantetta,
Cheers! It was you what’s first sent me the historical link. Someone should download it somehow before it’s taken down – it is precious as a reminder of everything football and life should not be – and I do mean everything. Really, if someone knows how, do please download it so it can stay afload in memory, before Neville and his protectors at the Beeb succeed in binning the evidence of their mendacity.
@bob
http://rg3.github.io/youtube-dl/
That utility is available for Linux, Mac and Windows. It is freely available (it costs nothing, and the licensing is “free”, it is OpenSource). I think much of it is written in Python, and the Windows package does install Python.
That said, just because the tool is free, doesn’t mean everything it is possible to use the tool on, should be downloaded. Copyright on that needs to be investigated in its own right.
Having received the same bland reply from MoTD as others, I responded as follows:
Thank you for the prompt response to my original compliant (reference CAS-3123672-W6PFRF). However, whilst I understand the reasons behind the tone of your response – viz “come-on, it was an unfortunate comment, but we’re all football pals together” – it fails, fundamentally, to address the root cause of my complaint.
As Mr Neville will have been aware, over the last few seasons, Arsenal players have been the recipients of a number of grotesque “two footed” challenges – Diaby (at Sunderland), Eduardo (at Birmingham) and Ramsey (at Stoke) – all of which resulted in extremely serious, career threatening injuries for the players concerned. This is important because, during this period, no other Premier League club suffered any similar levels of violence, a fact of which he cannot he been unaware.
As such, Mr Neville’s comment – in flagrant disregard/disrespect of these events, whilst being in full knowledge of them – speaks to his fundamental inability to curtail his inherently partisan and aggressive instincts, despite being paid to act as a neutral public service broadcaster. On this basis, I require that my complaint be advanced to the next stage – stage one (b) – of the BBC complaints procedure. Please confirm that this has been done.
Hey Tim, do you think more of us should send emails like yours? As the BBC are trying to brush this aside?
I got the same insipid response form the BBC. I followed the link Mick provided and lodged another complaint with ofcom.
Email sent to the beeb. Neville’s career was made out of standing on the shoulders of giants. Now we can actually hear him hopefully someone shuts him up again!
I have also received the same standard reply to my complaint. I am going to follow it up with the BBC. They must review their standards and take some responsibility for condoning violence and the acceptance of the distorted view of rough play which is widespread through the professional game. How on earth can British football crawl out of the last century while these views are being aired. A case in point, the views of most of the Stoke fans that commented on this site about an article asking whether Arsenal should sign Ryan Shawcross (that name was difficult to type).
My opinion is to write to the broadcast authority in UK. Is there one? I would like to do my part. However, Kam not sure if they would take a foreigner view seriously
Great article, Blacksheep. I’ve submitted my complaint. They now try to deter you from writing the complaint by directing you to the answer before you write the complaint. The answer was as indicated by several contributors above. However, I was not deterred, and I still wrote my complaint.
Far east gooner, the broadcast authority is mentioned above. Offcom. There is a link in the message I believe.
I am a Canadian. Our idiots in politics land are called the CRTC. Well, they probably have a different acronym in French, and the actual website will have both English and French acronyms in it.
The BBC responds!!!
Thanks for getting in touch with us about FA Cup Match of the Day broadcast on the 25 January.
When analysing the playing style of Tomas Rosicky, Phil attempted a tongue-in-cheek comment. This comment wasn’t meant to cause offence, but on reflection, Phil does acknowledge that the language he used was unfortunate.
That said, Mark Chapman did challenge him straight away and we felt that the tone of the discussion was light-hearted enough to suggest that we weren’t condoning any kind of violence or setting an example to a younger audience.
BBC Sport will, however, remind the team to take extra care in the future.
Thanks again for contacting us.
Is this not the core of UK football in the last century? That is, beside the few UK footballers that played with skill.
Only lately has UK football changed or is changing to reflect skill, and it shows the thoughtlessness of the BBC. I mean if one person is sacked for a “feminist” joke, why does a “skill-ist” joke not get any punishment? Come on skillful players of the world, unite in your skill-ism worldwide.
Ok, OK.
Gord,
Thank you so much for the help – I greatly appreciate it for preservation sake!
Tim Nash,
Bravo! Great letter!
I think I will stop my BBC license fee & ask for extra care in the future. Time for the courts as my fee is not being respected.
The BBC. Once the voice of the free world, now the voice of Phil Neville
Don’t forget the exemplary plunditry from Barton the other week:
“Swarm the Arsenal players”, he said. Swarm? Fortunately they producer showed a sequence of fouls starting with the Cahill stamp on Alexis at the. Fulham bus stop in order to help explain what the paid plundit was trying to say.
When you think about it, it is very odd! Strange behaviour.
Those replies from the Bleeb can be observed by the record to be completely disingenious and dishonest. Unfortunately therefore that is not an opinion.
I don’t think it’s hard to comprehend why England’s greatest ever football manager, Brian Clough, was ignored by the sweet FA:
They don’t like Association Football?
There is some culmalitive evidence. It’s hard to ignore.
We know they don’t believe that silly things like football pitches (or coaches) are important, for children or indeed for players*, so it’s a reasonable conclusion that they don’t care about what happens on the pitch either (one tournament final since the founding of such tournaments).
*please refer to the Wembley fiasco, and compare it with, I don’t know, how about the new Arsenal Stadium project? An interesting exercise, a second look at the New Empire or Emperor’s Stadium in North-West London can be very revealing.
According to Google News, Phil Neville has been cautioned by the BBC for his conduct. This is showing up in other news sources, but I see nothing at the BBC itself, and in particular nothing at MOTD.
Maybe he won’t be warned.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/28/phil-neville-bbc-warns-pundits
> .@guardian_sport What bunkum! He was clearly joking. Absolutely no chance that anyone at the BBC will warn him.
> — Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 28, 2015
From Gary Neville:
How did we beat Wenger’s Arsenal? By bullying them!
Updated: 00:09, 28 August 2011
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2030841/Gary-Neville-How-did-Manchester-United-beat-Arsene-Wengers-Arsenal-We-bullied-them.html
Then compare those words with these actions and all you can conclude is, what a crock of shit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM747L9Wf8M
Neville can say what he wants but the evidence is there for all to see.
At least we now have irrefutable proof of what “getting close” and “Bullying” really means.
The Neville brothers:
A PAIR OF DIRTY LIENG BASTARDS.
And that mug Lineker thinks Phil Neville was ‘only Joking’
I suggest we have evidence to the contrary wouldn’t you Gary ???
Only joking?
Can I suggest, all anyone who believes such bullshit needs to do is link to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM747L9Wf8M and go straight to 2.55.
We have this comment from the commentator a second prior to that ‘tackle’,
“…….Manchester united are trying to rattle Arsenal within the laws of the game”
FFS
Closely followed by Cole getting the first booking of the match.
Then this comment,
“…….Arsenals perceived sense of injustice”
PERCEIVED !!!!
Sorry to go on but I really cant get over how bad that day actually was.
And now this, the Neville brothers, 2 of the main protagonists, 10 years down the line, still proclaiming innocents, and still encouraging similar tactics to be enacted upon us.
Honestly, it makes me sick to the stomach.
Today the BBC sent me the same reply as everybody else.