Sometimes Our Fans Let Us Down

[Cooger]

  Quote

Sky Sports under fire for "anti Liverpool FC bias"

 

Mar 16 2008

 

Sky Sports was under fire last night over claims the broadcaster was biased in its commentary of Liverpool's Champions League victory over Inter Milan.

 

A legion of angry fans have accused top pundit Andy Gray of favouring the Italian champions over the British club with his comments.

 

Now Reds supporters are threatening a boycott of the broadcasting giant unless ex Everton star Gray is removed from the commentary team for their club's televised games.

 

The #20,0000-a-week Scottish pundit incensed Kop fans by branding the sending off of Inter midfielder Nicolas Burdisso "shocking", claiming Liverpool star Lucas commited the foul.

 

And he got their backs up further by appearing to sound down when Fernando Torres bagged the goal that killed the tie and sent his team into the last 16. Gray said: "It's game over I guess."

 

Season ticket holder Carl Rittenburg stormed: "I pay £48 per month so I can watch Liverpool's matches on Sky but I'll stop my subscription if they continue to let Andy Gray commentate.

 

"The man knows his stuff but he is so anti-Liverpool it's shocking and that was clearly evident during the Inter Milan game when he slated us at every chance.

 

"Gray seemed really annoyed when the Inter guy was sent off - he did nothing but go on about it all game.

 

"Yet he was calling for Liverpool players to get booked at the end of the match.

 

"Even when Torres scored the winner - that saw another British side through to the quarter finals - he sounded disappointed. It was like he wanted the Italians to win.

 

"We're not asking for bias towards Liverpool - were just asking for a fair commentary.

 

"But in having Gray to cover our games we're not getting that from Sky.

 

Kop fan Peter Stenton said: "As viewers we pay Sky for a service and a fair commentary when we watch live football - and in most cases that's we get.

 

"But it seems every time Andy Gray covers Liverpool games out team is given a verbal demolition."

 

Rita Walsh, 40, said: "I was so disgusted with the one-sided commentary during the game I wrote a letter to Sky to complain.

 

"Sky Sports has an obligation to provide fair and accurate coverage but in allowing Andy Gray to commentate on liverpool games it is falling woefully short."

 

Liverpool fans' revolt against Glasgow-born Gray, 53, has been simmering since he was signed up by Sky in 1990.

 

One Kopite has even set up a facebook group calling for the former nand Aston Villa striker to be taken off Liverpool games.

 

Scouser Alex Parkin, 28, said: "I set up the group to get Gray off our games.

 

"If Sky don't take him off then I'll seriously be thinking about scrapping my subscription in protest."

 

It's not the first time Liverpool fans have revolted against a broadcaster.

 

In November last year angry supporters called for a boycott of Eastenders after the show linked the HIllsborough disaster to hooliganism.

 

Campaigners for the 96 dead fans received an apology from the BBC after a character appeared to blame fans for the tragedy.

 

Sky Sports refused to comment.

 

Link

 

Over-reaction, pathetic and disappointing.

Edited March 16, 2008 by Cooger

[Nate.]

  Cooger said:

Link

 

Over-reaction, pathetic and disappointing.

 

 

But factually 100% true.

[Guest Prongsy]

I'm not sure how they've let us down. They are expressing their opinion on an obviously very biased commentator.

 

I don't mind Andy Gray, but this season he has stooped to new levels of bitterness, bitterness which has spread to the very core of sky sports and the murdoch media.

 

Is it petty? maybe. Is it true, certainly. You can only listen to your team get verbally kicked in the face unfairly for so long before it starts to piss you off.

Edited March 16, 2008 by Prongsy

[Cooger]

They should either mute the programme, listen to the radio while the TV is on or lump it with Gray.

 

Merson, Nicholas, Le Tiss are just as bad should we protest about them as well?

 

Soon our fans will be having protests about protesting. Let's protest to keep Rafa, Let's protest to get rid of the owners, lets protest because Rafa is not doing well in the league to get rid of him, let's protest to get rid of Gray... zzzzzzzzzzzz

[SkippyjonJones]

crap article. lots of sweeping assumption that lead the reader to think that everyone is behind a boycott of sky or everyone wrote to the bbc. very defensive.

 

 

however Andy Gray is a c***. thats a fact.

[Guz]

Cringeworthy (Sky's commentary and the complaints about it)

[Guest Prongsy]

  Cooger said:

They should either mute the programme, listen to the radio while the TV is on or lump it with Gray.

 

Merson, Nicholas, Le Tiss are just as bad should we protest about them as well?

 

People are paying many hundreds of pounds per year for that, is it too much to expect them not to spout their f***ing hatred for us to our faces.

[Cooger]

  Prongsy said:

People are paying many hundreds of pounds per year for that, is it too much to expect them not to spout their f***ing hatred for us to our faces.

 

The fact is our fans don't like Gray because he's a blue.

 

Therefore they'll winge until he's removed, pathetic.

[Earl Hafler]

  Cooger said:

The fact is our fans don't like Gray because he's a blue.

 

Therefore they'll winge until he's removed, pathetic.

 

The complaints about the commentary, and Sky's inaccurate representation of Torres being dropped, deserve plenty of criticism.

 

Why not complain ?

 

" Just turn the sound down " is not exactly the best advice.

[Guest Prongsy]

  Cooger said:

The fact is our fans don't like Gray because he's a blue.

 

Therefore they'll winge until he's removed, pathetic.

 

That's not a fact at all.

 

I like Gray, I've stuck up for him many times in the past, but lately his contempt for us has become out of control.

 

This complaint might make him think to himself.

 

Asking nobody to complain when they get singled out for unfair criticism and factual inaccuracies (zonal marking and torres both come to mind without having to think much) is what's pathetic, not the complaining about a service you f***ing pay for.

 

He hates us because he's a blue, not the other way around.

[Frosty Jack]

  Cooger said:

The fact is our fans don't like Gray because he's a blue.

 

Therefore they'll winge until he's removed, pathetic.

 

they don't like him because of what he says, not because he played for Everton.

if that was the case why doesnt Gary Lineker get any stick?

[Cooger]

  Negativland said:

they don't like him because of what he says, not because he played for Everton.

if that was the case why doesnt Gary Lineker get any stick?

 

He rarely has an opinion and is not a commentator. Not exactly the best example.

 

Pat Nevin maybe?

[Guest Prongsy]

  Negativland said:

they don't like him because of what he says, not because he played for Everton.

if that was the case why doesnt Gary Lineker get any stick?

 

Lawro, Hansen, Macca and various other ex reds get massive amounts of stick, too.

[John am Rhein]

  Cooger said:

Over-reaction, pathetic and disappointing.

 

Not at all.

[Cooger]

  Prongsy said:

He hates us because he's a blue, not the other way around.

 

Funny I could have sworn he cheered when Gerrard scored against Olympiakos, must have been wrong.

[Guest Prongsy]

  Cooger said:

Funny I could have sworn he cheered when Gerrard scored against Olympiakos, must have been wrong.

 

I like Andy gray and his 'you beauty' (and various other snippets of superb commentary) are part of what makes rewatching the moment special. He's a superb analyst most of the time, too, so no need to say lines like that to me, I've stuck up for him many times. All this is ruined when he comes out with spiteful little comments and factual inaccuracies.

 

For 20k a week, it'd be nice if he did a bit of f***ing research on the teams he's commentating on. For 20k a week you should expect a bit of neutrality and for 20 f***ing grand a week you should expect to be able to pick him up on it when he gets it wrong.

 

If you think a 'you beauty' or a 'take a bow son' covers up his hatred for us, you're more pathetic than this little dig at our fans suggests.

 

He's got worse lately.

Edited March 16, 2008 by Prongsy

[surf]

  Cooger said:

Funny I could have sworn he cheered when Gerrard scored against Olympiakos, must have been wrong.

 

If you can't see that Andy Gray's commentary towards Liverpool is biased you're blind, deaf and dumb. End of.

[Cooger]

Haha from RAWK:

 

  Quote

[Winge]Andy Gray had an opinion and I disagreed with it. He must be removed from Sky as a result because it is clear he's biased. He's a blue, therefore he must hate us and I have nothing better to do so I might as well be a c***.[/Winge]

 

Replace [Winge] with [Cringe].

 

I love thick, irrational supporters adding to our soap opera off the field troubles this season. Hey if you can't beat Hicks and Gillett join them.

 

Now why don't we have a protest at Anfield aginst Gray?

 

We can have an agenda for the proests:

 

2pm - Protest against Hicks and Gillett

2.10pm - Protest against Parry

2.20pm - Protest for or against Benitez (depending on whether we are winning or not, obviously)

2.30pm - Protest against Gray

2.40pm - Any other Protests that we can winge or moan about.

3pm - Sigh, boo and drain the confidence out of Kuyt, Pennant and any other player who doesn't appear to be playing well.

 

[Jim D]

  Cooger said:

Funny I could have sworn he cheered when Gerrard scored against Olympiakos, must have been wrong.

 

Come on his commentary on Wednesday night was so biased towards the Italians its untrue. His job as a commentator is to give us an insightful view and perspective on the game we are watching. That means telling us who is on the ball at any given time and giving a fair and impartial view of any incident that happens on the pitch. That did not happen on Wednesday.

 

A commentators job is to be neutral, not to favour either team and not to rabble on about something that has no relevance to the game itself, Alan Green is the worst for that. Also we don't want their inflated opinions, to trot out the same old boring clichés time and time again, why can't they just stick to the facts and do some decent research before they commentate on a game.

 

Motson is a great example of a commentator who was decent but in recent years has just towed the line with the rest of them.

Edited March 16, 2008 by Jim D

[Cooger]

  surf said:

If you can't see that Andy Gray's commentary towards Liverpool is biased you're blind, deaf and dumb. End of.

 

Yes that's it, we disagree so why don't you insult me.

 

Well clearly you're right then.

[Guest Prongsy]

  Cooger said:

Yes that's it, we disagree so why don't you insult me.

 

That's a bit hypocritical, isn't it. Considering you started a thread insulting our own fans because you disagreed with what they had to say.

 

Clearly you must be right.

Edited March 16, 2008 by Prongsy

[Ronnie Whelan]

  Cooger said:

Funny I could have sworn he cheered when Gerrard scored against Olympiakos, must have been wrong.

 

 

Its seems he has been making up for that blunder ever since.

[Cooger]

  Prongsy said:

That's a bit hypocritical, isn't it. Considering you started a thread insulting our own fans because you disagreed with what they had to say.

 

Clearly you must be right.

 

I'm not being personal. Anyway I'm thick skinned.

 

Do you not cringe at some of our fans behaviour at times? Such as Athens, storming the gate to get in the stadium? The constant cringing slating of Gray, whether valid or not.

 

I think our fans do let us down at times. Not everyone a minority, but it still damages our reputation and club.

[surf]

  Cooger said:

Yes that's it, we disagree so why don't you insult me.

 

Well clearly you're right then.

 

Thas was easy, glad we got that sorted.

[Cooger]

  surf said:

Thas was easy, glad we got that sorted.