Originally Posted by TheSubaru2012:
“I don't see the point of extending to an hour and having it clash with the first game for 30 minutes. At the start of the 2013/14 season, they moved the start time of FF to 12pm-12:45pm to avoid clashing with the 12:45pm game. In the 2014/15-2015/16 seasons it started at 12:10pm-12:50pm, yes it clashed with the 12:45pm game but only for 5 minutes.
It just feels cheeky for the BBC to avoid directly clashing with the 12:45pm game, yet this year they are directly clashing with the 12:30pm game for a whole 30 minutes just for what I think is a ratings move. Surely if it wanted to avoid the 12:30pm yet keep it for an hour they would start it after Saturday Kitchen, like they used to do sometimes when there was F1 on, and start at 11:30am until 12:30pm. From 12:30pm I'm more interested in the live game.”
“I don't see the point of extending to an hour and having it clash with the first game for 30 minutes. At the start of the 2013/14 season, they moved the start time of FF to 12pm-12:45pm to avoid clashing with the 12:45pm game. In the 2014/15-2015/16 seasons it started at 12:10pm-12:50pm, yes it clashed with the 12:45pm game but only for 5 minutes.
It just feels cheeky for the BBC to avoid directly clashing with the 12:45pm game, yet this year they are directly clashing with the 12:30pm game for a whole 30 minutes just for what I think is a ratings move. Surely if it wanted to avoid the 12:30pm yet keep it for an hour they would start it after Saturday Kitchen, like they used to do sometimes when there was F1 on, and start at 11:30am until 12:30pm. From 12:30pm I'm more interested in the live game.”
I don't think it's much of a problem, they appeal to different audiences. Half of the Football Focus won't have Sky anyway so they're not going to mind. From my perspective, I'm happy enough to watch Football Focus and then join the live match in progress, unless it's Liverpool*, because I'm more interested in hearing about all the matches this weekend than just the live game. They do different things. And as we know, hardly anyone watches all the live games of a weekend.
* This is a bit self-indulgent but Liverpool are my telly team because living two hundred miles away I only get to see Wrexham a couple of times a season, so obviously I'm torn on Saturday with both teams live on telly at the same time. The first time the Conference has gone up against the Premier League, I think, but there'll be many more this season.
Originally Posted by BFGArmy:
“He's appeared once or twice before I think - I'm sure too he appeared once on a international week Soccer Saturday.
He fits in very well - and it's always nice to see a new face pop up on Soccer Saturday where it often can be the same 6 or 7 people. He's certainly not doing his post-football chances any harm.
David Prutton also on - he's always struck me as a solid pundit.”
“He's appeared once or twice before I think - I'm sure too he appeared once on a international week Soccer Saturday.
He fits in very well - and it's always nice to see a new face pop up on Soccer Saturday where it often can be the same 6 or 7 people. He's certainly not doing his post-football chances any harm.
David Prutton also on - he's always struck me as a solid pundit.”
Actually when I was talking at great length up there about getting new people on football programmes I started thinking about current footballers who are interesting and have proper lives outside the game - the modern day equivalents of Pat Nevin who liked art and music and so on. Who are the intelligent and amusing footballers who could become the next generation of pundits?
Someone suggested Robert Green who is actually quite an interesting figure - I know he's doing a degree and he's said his plan when he retires is to work in football as a CEO or Director, plus he's very well read as welll. Are there any more like that? I think Curtis Davies might be quite a good pundit when he retires, he seems a very articulate and likeable figure.




(An old school reference for fans of early MNF or indeed, Premier League Years)