MOTV : Interview with Neil Smythe
MOTV Interview
MOTV Interviews Neil Smythe
MOTV’s Mark O’Meara had to contact an individual freelance television producer or an independent production company to set up an interview which will form the basis of a case study report into the working practises of a television producer. This task was part of Mark’s Commissioning and Freelancing course at Staffordshire University.
Mark contacted no fewer than 16 different production companies through the email address listed on their website. To this day not ONE of them replied to me. Not even one. The list of these companies will be in a separate blog so they can be named and shamed.
This led to Mark scouring social networking sites to try and establish a contact. This is where Neil Smythe comes in. Thanks to Twitter, Mark was able to send Neil a tweet asking if he’d be up for answering a few questions. To his credit, Neil answered straight away saying yes but would Mark not prefer someone with a job! Of course not. Neil would be absolutely perfect for Mark’s case study, as very little research would be required into Neil’s career because Mark has followed his career closely already! From Soccer AM to Soccer USA and to ChannelBee, Mark was a loyal viewer of them all. Now would be the perfect chance to ask Neil about his personal experiences, and why not pick up a few points towards my university course at the same time. It worked out perfectly.
Here are the responses Neil Smythe gave to my 23 questions! I would just like to thank Neil once again for his absolutely sterling efforts on my behalf, and for his superb responses. I sent him the questions at 5pm and all 23 were answered and sent back to me by 10am the following morning. Neil Smythe is a top bloke, an absolute star and I sincerely wish him all the best in whatever career path he now chooses to follow. Here’s the interview, hope you enjoy!
Mark O’Meara interviews Neil Smythe
TV Producer Neil Smythe
Neil Smythe, 38, from Carshalton in Surrey is a freelance television producer. His first big break came working as part of the hugely successful Soccer AM team on Sky Sports for several years. In 2007, along with host Tim Lovejoy and several other key members of the team, Neil left Soccer AM to start up internet television channel ChannelBee. Before launch the boys worked on David Beckham’s Soccer USA for Channel 5, following Beckham’s first season playing for the LA Galaxy in the MLS. ChannelBee launched in July 2008 and ran new video content on its website every day until Friday 20th November 2009 when it closed down. Neil is currently unemployed and looking for work. If I could, I would sign him up as part of my production team straight away. Mark O’Meara reports.
Mark O’Meara: Was Soccer AM your first big break into television producing? How did that position come about?
Neil Smythe: Yup. I did a few things after graduating but got into TV as a duty officer at Channel 5 answering complaints and queries, then got a job scheduling promos at Sky and wrote to the producers of the show offering to work for nothing. It coincided with positions becoming available so I got a job then and there. Very lucky as many juniors in TV do years of unpaid or poorly paid work.
MO: Had you actively been seeking to get into TV or did you have a different career in mind?
NS: I’d had several careers in mind and the last thing I did before C5 was a holiday rep. I think if I’d have got a promotion that summer or have got on their graduate scheme I’d never have gone into TV.
MO: What were the deciding factors when agreeing to join the Soccer AM team?
NS: Wasn’t a tough decision; I wanted into TV and I loved the show. Perfect.
MO: Soccer AM as I understand it has an army of producers and assistant producers, many more than other television programmes, so what did your role consist of?
NS: I disagree that there are more than on other shows; actually the team used to be (in my day) quite small considering what we had to do. The team was always very fluid but I joined as an editorial assistant, then made assistant producer then associate producer. We all did pretty much everything and I ended up producing the show from the gallery but essentially in TV a researcher/ed.asst does the legwork for research items, an A.P. may be in charge of filming a particular item and a producer puts it all together and runs the team. In my final years I wrote the script, devised the running order, helped book guests, checked every VT and then on a Saturday was the one in the gallery down Tim and Helen’s ear, with a responsibility for keeping the show going and ending to the second.
MO: Could you describe a typical working week for you in the Soccer AM offices, or was there no such thing as a typical week on that show!?
NS: We got into a good routine but it was tough. Ideas meeting Tuesday morning, then the team did a lot of editing Weds to Fri. I’d write the script on Weds, have Thurs to write tougher bits and book OB’s, would run through the script with Tim and Helen and the director on Fri, check every bit of VT on Fri and then run it through with the tech team. Saturday was show day when you had to be on your game if things went wrong. But invariably I’d had 4 hours sleep and some of the guys would have worked through the night on edits. Tough. We’d be dead on our feet by lunchtime. Sat and Sun off but we had to come up with ideas and we had a rota so someone logged every live match.
MO: As well as producing the show you were also a performer on it, getting involved in character sketches and voiceovers. Did this make your job more enjoyable, or was it tougher and more demanding on you? Did producing distract you from performing at all, or vice versa?
NS: I’d rather have done more but I was needed in the gallery. So when I did appear in the lockers, I’d be in the gallery, sometimes 8 minutes over by the time the lockers started, worrying more about the time than the sketch, so it was tough but I coped.
MO: As well as Soccer AM, you were I believe involved in the weekly All Sports Show and the Best Bits programme, so some weeks you were making up to 5 hours of television. How tough was that? Were there times you wanted to pack it in for an easier job or did the benefits usually outweigh the negatives?
NS: There were two separate teams actually. The Allsports show had its own team and we shared an office but the shows were quite separate especially when Andy took over from Tim. The Best Bits were put together by an external editor who saw me after the Sat show and we agreed roughly what to put in but he did the work over the weekend. We couldn’t have done it all.
MO: The show ran for around 40 weeks each year to tie in with the football season, so you only got a few weeks off in the summer. What was that like for you? Would you have rather produced, for example, a sitcom which aired for 6 episodes a year, or a reality show which airs for 3 months straight in a year, or did you enjoy the regular work for 9 months solid?
NS: As a student you get used to the big break so we knew what it was like but the season was very tough. Christmas was usually more hectic than the rest of the year so we had no break at all. Not a day off bar weekends. So morale was the biggest problem. When you were 10 shows in, it would seem like a dark tunnel, but come March time you were so close to the break and it was a great feeling. I’d still rather have a normal life and holidays but we coped at the time.
MO: How important is working with a team of people who all get along, as the Soccer AM team I’m sure did? Over the years crew members came and went, how easy was it for them to settle in?
NS: We were occasionally accused of being cliquey but that was by people who didn’t understand us. We had to work closely hence were tight but i think we always made newcomers feel welcome. I was a newcomer, so were Sheephead, Robbie and Dyson, so we all survived. You just had to have our work ethic; it wasn’t a case of is someone funny or not.
MO: Soccer AM was considered a bit of a cult show. The regular viewers were fanatical about the show. Their participation was always encouraged, from Fans of the Week and the Soccerette, through to the postbag, phone-ins and MMS clips. How conscious are you of what the viewers will think when trying out new ideas and approaches?
NS: You have to be conscious but ultimately it’s your show, the viewers don’t make it and it’s not their career. Sometimes we went out on a limb but the show’s appeal was in its formulaic structure so we kept to that. One big occasion when popular opinion swayed us was we started a new series with Tim behind a desk and the feedback was so bad we agreed that we’d made a bad decision and got the mouldy sofas back. But in terms of ‘bring back soccer locker’, I believe we pushed that show forward a long way without others realising it. That’s a skill.
MO: Soccer AM was a major success and is still going strong today. It was a sad day then in 2007 when you and several key people involved in the show decided to leave for a different venture. How difficult a decision was it for you to leave a hugely successful show which you had been involved with intensely for so many years?
NS: Very difficult, we knew we had the best jobs in tv, but the idea of Channelbee was to create something groundbreaking and we believed it would work. I also knew that it would be tough to continue without Tim and some of the guys so I didn’t really want to be the one working on a show which wasn’t what it was.
[Below is an example of Neil's performance work on Soccer AM, as legendary character The Colonel. Enjoy!]
MO: The new venture you signed up for was quite a groundbreaking one, in internet television channel ChannelBee. Internet TV is incredibly new and wasn’t really an established thing in 2007. What were your feelings about the project when the idea was put to you?
NS: Groundbreaking, as you say. Simon Fuller has a track record and is a big player so I believed it would be a success and we wanted to take control over our own ideas and be able to create them more quickly than in tv.
MO: After months of preparation, ChannelBee launched in July 2008. You were producing in uncharted territory. How confident were you that it would be a success? And how nervous about it were you in the build-up to launch?
NS: We were confident, we had a good archive built up, a big backer and Tim was launching it on Vernon Kay’s radio show. On the morning we did have a panic as one of the videos was just leaving a black hole in the page so I had to race into town on the Saturday morning to get it fixed before Tim knew about it and was on air!
MO: There could be a future in internet television, particularly as TV viewing is increasingly shifting towards online i-Players and video-on-demand websites. As someone who has already been involved in this, would you agree it has a positive future?
NS: I think it’s a mistake to think of ‘internet tv’ as a separate entity. The whole world of media in the wider sense is simply converging and the quicker everyone realises this the better. Being on the internet is just a different way of delivering the content. Media will have to be readily accessible, whether in a sense of time-shifting or mobility. So you should be able to watch what you want where you want when you want, and should expect to interact with it.
MO: Do you think ChannelBee got there too early and was ahead of its time?
NS: Perhaps, in terms of brands being aware of the value of the content. I do believe that the site should have been more interactive and mobile from day one but am not sure that would have changed things.
MO: ChannelBee wasn’t confined to strict public schedules (I’m sure there were deadlines privately, but they weren’t in the public domain) like TV channels are. As a producer how did that affect you? Did it make producing content slightly easier knowing viewers weren’t expecting a show to be there at 7.45pm on a Thursday evening for example?
NS: We always said we had to treat it like tv so for the most part, we stuck to our own schedule and when the daily shows were being done it was a nightmare. On more than one occasion I spent all night in the office waiting for a show to be published due to a problem. In latter days we realised it wasn’t that vital so stupidity like that was stopped!
MO: How did producing programmes and content for ChannelBee differ from producing programmes and content for television, if it did differ?
NS: We aimed to have the same technical standards as on tv with the proviso that we shot and edited ourselves and some of the guys were junior so we gave a bit of leeway with that, but our aim was to provide tv-quality content. The main difference was that in tv, when you finish an item or a show, you hand the tape in and you’re done. With digital content, you finish editing then you have to encode and upload. A lot can go wrong with that data and sometimes you’re up all night due to a technical issue. In the early days we encoded, then uploaded footage to America, then waited for it to be encoded again at their end. So much went wrong.
MO: What difficulties are there for a producer of an internet TV channel compared with the difficulties for a producer of a television programme, in your experience?
NS: Technical difficulties as above, but with digital I think there should be more onus on interactivity, you shouldn’t necessarily see your content as linear as with tv. I didn’t have the final say on CB so this wasn’t necessarily everyone’s point of view. I think the role of the tv or digital producer in future will be a lot tougher because of this angle and because there are millions of amateur producers out there coming up with great ideas. Tv used to be a closed shop; no more.
MO: Jeremy Tunstall, a former TV producer, describes television as a producer-led medium traditionally. Would you tend to agree with this?
NS: Not entirely sure what he means but I guess so. In entertainment tv, especially, the producer is the most important role. In drama, it’s probably the writer or the director. In a doc, probably the director and the editor. Roles change. But in what I was doing, essentially what the producer said went.
MO: Right now, incredibly for a man of your talents, you find yourself out of work. Have you got an idea of where you want to go from here? Would you consider going back to previous work employers; had you ever considered going back, or are you someone who looks forward rather than going back?
NS: I’m keeping my options open. I’m sending my cv to all manner of companies but even at my level it’s tough. People want to use tried and tested teams and I’ve worked in very insular teams so don’t have many contacts in tv. But I do have contacts with brands and PR so a few of us are exploring setting up a production company to produce digital video and virals etc. Ideally I’d like to get freelance producing work with a production company and do the virals on the side. But on the whole I’m looking forwards. Would I go back to Soccer AM? They probably wouldn’t want me as it would be a step back for them. But I’d go back to Sky, especially if I had my own show to produce. I’ve got some format ideas which I have to write up and then pitch to broadcasters so it’s an exciting time.
MO: Having experienced good and, now unfortunately, bad times as a producer, how enjoyable for you personally is it?
NS: I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a 9 to 5 job but I know I wouldn’t be fulfilled creatively. It’s not an easy career and I would recommend anyone who’s thinking of entering the profession to think very carefully and to get all ideas of glamour out of their heads, and rather to think of hours of work for little pay, but I’m here now and I think I’ll stay. Ask me in 6 months and I may answer differently.
MO: Have you got any advice for people interested in producing programmes in the future?
NS: Yes, as above, think very carefully about it. I got lucky, I got the job I wanted right away. But imagine doing 2 years as a runner on a show you don’t like with a presenter who treats you as a nothing, with not enough money to live on. That’s a reality for many. It’s a tough profession to get into but the rewards can be high. So for every night out I’ve had backstage with Oasis, I’ve had 10 sat with my head in my hands.
MO: Have things changed much since you first started producing in the industry?
NS: I’ve done 10 years now (got into it late) and the biggest shift has been towards the digital side of things. That’s why I’m confident I’ll be ok as I’ve got experience of both old and new attitudes. So future producers will need a handle on digital attitudes. There’s also a sea change with regards to skills. Old skool tv had very defined roles; we didn’t really subscribe to this on Soccer AM as we all mucked in but in normal tv it’s still very much the case. This is changing though and I think those who are multi-skilled will be in demand as budgets will get lower and lower. Here’s an example: take a live, acoustic performance by a band in the Channelbee studio…we did that with two people, from booking the band to getting it up on the site. In real tv you’d probably have:
- Producer to have the idea
- Band booker to book them
- Runner to fetch them when they arrived and to get them a drink
- A.P. to look after them
- Studio team – cameras, lighting, vision mixing, sound, gfx, directing etc
- Editor to edit the piece
That’s an extreme example and obviously the standards are different but you get the idea! I can now have an idea, book a guest, film them, edit them, add graphics, encode and upload it within a day if I had a site to do it on.
MO: Neil, thankyou very much for your time!
[Here's an example of Neil's on-screen work for ChannelBee, as he reads Jordan's latest book!]
So there was my interview with Neil Smythe. He provided me with some excellent answers for my case study, plus some great answers for me personally as a huge fan of the shows he’s worked on! Can’t stress how nice a bloke he is, and I reiterate what I said earlier; I wish him all the best in future. Hope you enjoyed my interview with Neil, we’ll be back very soon here on MOTV, do keep checking back. Until the next time, from us all, bye for now!
MOTV : One and Other; The Lowdown
If anyone hasn’t caught this interesting new art project in London yet then I advise you to head over to www.oneandother.co.uk as soon as possible for a live glimpse. Before doing so, here’s my rundown on what exactly is going on there.
Antony Gormley's Living Monument Project
ONE & OTHER
WHAT :- An innovative live art project giving selected members of the public an hour to showcase whatever they want whilst standing on a plinth. In essence creating a living monument.
WHEN :- The project runs for 100 days, 24 hours a day. Beginning on Monday 6th July and ending on Wednesday 14th October 2009.
WHO :- 2400 randomly selected members of the public will take part in the project. Each one gets an hour on the plinth on their own. The idea belongs to English sculptor Antony Gormley.
HOW :- The plinther has one hour to do whatever the heck they want, within legal boundaries of course. They can bring any props with them providing they can carry them up there. Applications to be on the plinth are open until the end of August. To apply go the Application page on the website.
WHY :- The empty 4th plinth is being used as a place to show different aspects of the United Kingdom and the people within. Plinths generally are spaces for kings, generals and famous people. This time it reverts back to the public to become “an image of themselves, and a representation of the whole of humanity.”
WHERE :- The empty 4th plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. People are invited to come along and watch, help out and even heckle the plinthers. Viewers can watch every minute of the project live on the website. An hour long highlights show is broadcast on the Sky Arts channel (available on satellite and cable) every week, at various transmission times.
Antony Gormley explains the project further in this video.
So tune in to the website and the highlights show, I promise you that if nothing else it’ll be unpredictable. From my experience of watching various plinthers on the website, the later it gets the more fascinating it is. Late night, drunken and often bored people turn up to have a bit of banter with the plinther. Some good natured, some not. Heckling can be hilarious, but it can also be cruel. Keep watching folks! During the day, particularly if the weather is good, Trafalgar Square is full of onlookers, not all of whom are aware of what is going on. Best of luck to all 2400 people taking part from across the land. I have also applied and I’m keeping my fingers crossed to get chosen to go up in September or October.
I’ll keep you posted, but for the time being thankyou for reading. Keep it with MOTV, bye for now!
MOTV LIVE : Michael Jackson Memorial Blog
MOTV LIVE BLOG
MOTV mourned the death of Michael Jackson at the age of 50 on Thursday 25th June 2009. Twelve days later, on Tuesday 7th July, the King of Pop was laid to rest with a memorial service and funeral. Mark O’Meara watched it unfold on Sky Arts 1 and compiled a live blog. Here is the result of the very first MOTV Live blog!
Michael Jackson 1958-2009
17:30 UK time, 09:30 L.A. time: Sky Arts / Sky News live coverage begins. Kay Burley hosts Michael Jackson : The Farewell live from Los Angeles. She’s joined by Andrew Blankstein (LA Times,) Tanya Acker (Huffington Post) and Erik Pederson (Hollywood Reporter). Glorious weather in La La land, shame we’re in the middle of a huge thunderstorm here in Brighton.
17:33: First glimpses of the coffin on its way in the back of the car. It’s gonna be emotional this one! “It’s a celebration of his life, not a TV show”, apparently. Nothing in Michael Jackson’s life was normal so today ain’t gonna be an exception.
17:34: No Elizabeth Taylor today. I’m sure you wanted to know.
17:35: Greg Milam, Sky Correspondent, is in Hollywood standing in front of a mortuary. Making use of that split-screen technology so we can see the coffin driving the 8 mile journey to the ceremony at the Staples Center.
17:37: Image of a heart outline in the sky. Nice touch.
17:38: Expected to start the ceremony at 6pm UK time. Sky’s Matt Smith is on the ground below Kay and co. As we see ‘guests’ arriving it’s almost like it’s an awards ceremony and they’re walking down the red carpet.
17:39: Numerous celebs expected including the Clintons. Everyone will be coming out of the woodwork for this, the biggest showbiz event of the year. Not one which anyone actually wanted I must stress as we’d prefer him alive!
17:40: Maybe due to the bad weather here but the picture has had a couple of technical glitches so far. Not great!
17:41: If you’ve watched any of the various tribute programmes aired over the past couple of weeks since his death you’ll be some kind of expert on the life and times of Michael Jackson! Kay Burley now just giving us a brief overview of his life, many of us could do this without thinking. Quite an extraordinary life.
17:43: Sky’s Robert Nisbet, remember him from the Liquid News days, is in Hollywood above Michael Jackson’s Walk of Fame star. Quite a few fans surrounding him too. Incredible to think that most people in the WORLD would have heard of Jackson.
17:45: As ever when talking about Michael Jackson, it starts off with talking about his music and quickly moves onto his personal problems. I heard Paul Gambaccini say there are three stages to Jackson’s life; the Jacksons, his solo career, and ‘Wacko Jacko’. Very true.
17:47: Uh-oh, technical problem. Only lasted for a few seconds though thankfully! Carry on Mr Nisbet, you were saying…
17:48: First batch of celeb spotting. Larry King, Dionne Warwick and Jesse Jackson all seen arriving.
17:49: “Difficult to love him, difficult not to.” Does some him up quite well. As much as we’d all love to remember Jacko for his phenomenal musical achievements, his personal weirdness and accusations of child molestation will always stick in my mind just as much. I’m only 19 so I’ve only lived through his Wacko Jacko phase. I still appreciate his outstanding music, much of which is on my i-Pod!
17:51: Kay’s guests are about to leave to go down to see the ceremony first hand. I guess that means the whole world will be watching one feed of the memorial, and then we’re back to Kay Burley when it’s finished. Let’s hope America puts on a great show. And of course best of luck to Britain’s Got Talent finalist Shaheen Jafargholi, a surprise choice to perform at the tribute. All very exciting stuff.
17:53: The obligatory mention of social networking site Twitter, this time about what Elizabeth Taylor had to say. What is it with news networks and Twitter!? Although I am on it of course; twitter.com/m_omeara if you’re really interested.
17:55: Quick behind the scenes shot reveals the world’s media, understandably, is in attendance. What an event this would be to cover. Lucky old Burley, Smith and Nisbet, eh?
17:56: Did Matt Smith just say MJ’s music is a bit dated?! How dare he, this is the King of Pop!
17:57: There’s gonna be a circus at Staples tomorrow. Are they sure it’s tomorrow and not imminent? I suppose it is quite appropriate, there was always a circus type following with MJ.
17:58: The Incredible Hulk was Jackson’s personal trainer! I suppose they both did suffer from skin colour changes during their lives so it makes sense. Lou Ferrigno is his real name by the way and he joins Kay now. Still got the muscles.
18:00: Just discussing MJ’s drug-taking during his last few days. Not very pleasant Lou, change the subject!
18:03: Seems like Lou knew him quite well, giving a nice tribute there. How many celebrity friends did Jackson have? And how many now will milk even the smallest detail about him? COUGH* David Gest *COUGH* Uri Geller * COUGH
18:05: Most of the fans are inside the Staples Center, home of the LA Lakers apparently. Don’t understand the name, probably sponsored by Staples? Are there any other buildings named after office equipment I wonder? Maybe the Hole-Punch Arena? The Laminater Stadium?
18:08: Kay’s seemingly reading the performers list from her phone now. And a mystery voice is talking over her!
18:09: Amongst the “good” performers now according to Kay are Lionel Richie, Usher and Stevie Wonder. Thanks for turning up everyone else but she doesn’t really want to hear you!
18:10: Nokia Center just to Kay’s left. Apparently Jackson’s body will get a great reception from those in there! Boom boom!
18:11: The 17,500 fans are nearly all packed in. Oh, quick it’s starting. First up Smokey Robinson. Shh Kay!
18:12: Smokey delivering a nice eulogy. It appears he is also reading out a tribute from Diana Ross. Supreme entertainment.
18:13: Oh and he’s reading a message from Nelson Mandela. He didn’t charge for his thoughts you know, that’s why they call him Free Nelson Mandela!
18:14: Minute’s silence? Not quite sure. We need Graham Poll to blow the whistle to tell us. Maybe Martin Bashir would be a more appropriate choice, well he was a sort of whisteblower!
18:16: “In Loving Memory of Michael Jackson King of Pop 1958 – 2009″ appears on the big screen.
18:19: Nothing has happened for about 4 minutes. Silence. Nobody on stage. No noise from the crowd. Back to Kay Burley then. Jackson’s casket is inside the Center though.
18:20: Thriller album sold 170 million copies worldwide. I still preferred Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough. And even now the Thriller video is quite scary!
18:21: Coming up Kobe Bryant, Mariah Carey and the Andre Crouch Cryer, backing singers on ‘Man in the Mirror’.
18:22: Breaking news to me; Magic Johnson is HIV positive. He’ll be there later. If he came anywhere near me I’d tell him to ‘Beat it’!
18:23: Applause from the crowd, surely not for my ‘gag’. The memorial must be starting up again…
18:25: Obviously not, Kay speak to us. John Mayer is doing his bit tonight, as is Reverend Al Sharpson, Brooke Shields (former partner of Jackson) and Pastor Luscious Smith. Nice name.
18:26: “I believe Usher is very popular with the youth” says Kay. Only if you’re refrerring to the singer and not the people at funerals.
18:27: Kay and Matt filling time now, discussing the children and whether they’ll be in attendance.
18:31: The 90 minute tribute is going to start any time soon we’re being promised. Hmm… Fingers crossed. Let’s not hope “This is it”!
18:32: Policing of the event costing around $2.5million! Wow! In death, as in life, Michael Jackson deals only with huge sums of cash. “Let’s go back inside…”
18:33: I think we are now officially underway, with a gospel choir. Jackson’s coffin is being carried onto the stage by the family, accompanied by cheering and applause.
18:37: Nice opener. Pastor Luscious Smith is giving his reading now. Good orator and nice choice of words.
18:39: No, no, God bless you Pastor! Up next, Mariah Carey.
18:40: She’s singing “I’ll be there”, a song which has been murdered many times on the X Factor and American Idol. In truth she’s not doing it justice either, sounding a little off-key? A mystery (to me) man is now helping her out.
18:42: The Jackson family are all sporting the iconic sparkly one white glove. They are all looking very smart today.
18:44: Carey picked up towards the end, very nice song really.
18:45: “Representing millions of fans around the world” is Queen Latifah. An actress it says. Sharing her recollections and anecdotes of how MJ influenced her. “The biggest star on Earth.”
18:48: Maya Angelou wrote a poem especially for today, read out by Latifah. Very good Maya, but it didn’t rhyme!
18:49: “In Birmingham, Alabama and Birmingham, England, we miss him.” Hundreds of Brummies cheering at the TV now, “Alllllright Queen Latifah, skip!”
18:50: Big hello to Lionel Richie. I do like him. Hardly changed in appearance since the 70′s! Great voice too. They’ve wheeled out the singing big guns first (and no, I don’t just mean Mariah and her chest!). He’s singing about Jesus, not sure of the actual song name sorry.
18:54: And now a speech by Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. Nice speech although ” to constantly top himself” probably wasn’t the best choice of words.
18:56: Nice recollections about Michael and the rest of the Jackson 5 by Gordy. He also said he preferred Michael’s version of “Who’s loving you?” to Smokey Robinson’s, present tonight of course. He took it in the good spirit it was intended.
18:58: “The Gordy’s cried a lot” during softball matches against the Jackson’s. Maybe singing was the wrong career for some of them. Berry just burst into an impromptu line of “I want you back”, and I can tell you he’s still got it!
18:59: Berry gets his stats out; “the first to have their first 4 songs in at number 1.” The iconic moonwalk was “magic.”
19:00: “Though it ended way too soon, Michael’s life was beautiful.” “The undisputed King of Pop, the world over.”
19:02: “Simply the greatest entertainer that has ever lived.” Great soundbite, one which we’ll be hearing a lot over the coming days, weeks, even years when talking about Michael Jackson. Great tribute from Berry Gordy.
19:03: A video insert now, a compilation of footage and music of Michael Jackson’s life. I’ve seen and heard his music a lot recently but it is still brilliant stuff. The most amazing back-catalogue any musician has ever had. Footage like that really brings home the fact he won’t be giving us any more stuff, which is a great shame.
19:07: Stevie Wonder on stage to perform next. I bet he didn’t see Michael’s death coming. (Low blow I know, Stevie’s a ledge.)
19:15: Sports stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson deliver their speeches. Even the AIDS won’t stop some people mourning the legend. Johnson has had dinner with Jackson. By the looks of him now, he’s had too many dinners over the years. He also revealed that MJ eats Kentucky Fried Chicken! Hope the Colonel’s watching.
19:19: Incredible to think about the impact Jackson had helping the black community to be a huge part of society. We take it for granted now, but 30 years ago we wouldn’t have had black artists appearing on mainstream media. Martin Luther Who you say!?
19:21: Singing next, Jennifer Hudson. Despite what Kay Burley said numerous times earlier, she didn’t win American Idol. It was where she was discovered though. She has a great voice, and has suffered her own personal family tragedy last year. Good to see her today.
19:24: Weird to hear Michael’s voice speaking over the top of the music now during Jennifer’s song.
19:26: Reverend Al Sharpton now delivering his monologue. He was a family friend and a civil rights campaigner. I remember him from the live coverage of Michael’s death, he was outside the hospital delivering a passionate speech to the world’s media. He is delivering a very passionate, and somewhat shouty, speech again today.
19:28: The Reverend again reminding us of the good Jackson did for black people around the globe. Oprah, Tiger Woods and Obama all owe a debt of gratitude to Michael. “Michael never stopped, Michael never stopped, Michael never stopped.”
19:31: To Jackson’s children; “There was nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what he had to deal with.” Cue standing ovation. The Rev knows how to work a crowd. “Thank-yer Michael, thank-yer Michael, thank-yer Michael!”
19:33: “There’s nothing that can’t be done if we raise our voice as one” is the message on the big screen.
19:34: A guitar solo played by John Mayer I think. Need confirmation though! No on-screen graphical help this time! I’m sure he’s a big star in America, but to me..I’ve not a clue.
19:39: A very emotional Brooke Shields delivers her monologue. The actress used to date Jackson in the early 1990′s and was a long-term friend. She has a whole host of stories.
19:43: “What’s up with the (one) glove!” Indeed Brooke.
19:45: Respect Brooke Shields for standing up and reading her speech and sharing her memories despite being clearly very emotional. She’s obviously gonna miss him dearly, I had no idea about their relationship.
19:46: Michael Jackson’s favourite song apparently is “Smile” composed by Charlie Chaplin. Learn something new every day. Nice song too. Well done Brooke!
19:47: This is going to overrun big time! Not to worry, we’re here for the duration at MOTV!
19:47: And here’s Jermaine Jackson performing the aforementioned “Smile.” I only really know Jermaine from Celebrity Big Brother (you know, the infamous series with Jade Goody) and respected his calm, warm and loving personality. It was hard to watch him deliver that statement the night Michael died, he was so emotional but somehow kept it all together. I imagine the same feelings are going through his mind today. Lovely voice though. Something I did notice from watching the Jackson 5 videos, particularly “Want You Back”, is that Jermaine has not changed one bit since then! Incredible.
19:51: Standing ovation for JJ, truly great performance. Great man. Emotions nearly got the better of him but he kept it together. Best voice of the night.
19:52: Civil rights activist Martin Luther King III gives his two-penneth worth. Not a patch on “I have a dream..”!
19:54: Bernice King joins MLK3, presumably she’s a relative. In fact she’s MLK’s daughter.
19:58: “Rest in Peace, our brother Michael”. Wise words Bernice.
20:00: We are officially overrunning now! Anyway, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from Houston, Texas speaks to us now. Or more appropriately, shouts at us. “Innocent until proven otherwise”, perhaps a key phrase people need to remember when reviewing Michael Jackson’s personal problems. He was acquitted, but we’ll leave that alone on here. Back to Ms Lee, she’s employed a gag writer! She used a few of Jackson’s song titles in that sentence; “He told us to Beat It…man or woman in the mirror…etc.” Nice one Sheila.
20:05: The men and women in congress stopped and paused for a moment on June 25th to think about Michael Jackson’s death. Nice little moment there. She’s also just revealed a plaque that says Michael will be remembered “forever, and forever and forever.”
20:06: “Michael Jackson, I salute you.”
20:07: It’s the turn of Usher to sing his tribute. “We love you Michael”, were his opening words. “Gone too soon” is the theme of his song.
20:11: An emotional Usher there.
20:12: A clip now of Michael and the Jacksons on the Ed Sullivan show in 1969! Unbelievable. Singing “Who’s loving you?”
20:14: Smokey Robinson returns after the clip, opening words – “I wrote that song!” Never seen Smokey before but I like him, he seems very good humoured. Michael “is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever.”
20:18: Ah here we go, it’s our very own Britain’s Got Talent superstar Shaheen Jafargohli. Singing, as he did on the show, “Who’s loving you?” and doing very well. Surprise choice for the showbiz event of the year but he’s doing us proud. And only 12 years old. Very good.
20:22: Kenny Ortega, producer of Michael’s “This is It” tour in London which will sadly never take place, thanks Shaheen and revealed the Welsh boy was invited by Michael to take part in the supposed tour. What an opportunity that would have been. Kenny also gives a speech about the tour.
20:25: A special performance of “We are the World” from what would have been on the London tour now. The message is of love and standing together as one. A lot of those who’ve performed and spoken today come together on stage to sing out the show. It has been a great spectacle and a decent send-off for the greatest entertainer the world has ever seen.
20:30: Joined by a whole host of children, the group sing “Heal the World” to finish off with. It seems everyone who took part today is now on stage. Everyone is on their feet, arms swaying, voices singing, emotions running high.
20:34: Jermaine Jackson gives a word of thanks and tribute. “I’m lost for words”. “We thankyou very much”.
20:37: His brother Marlon Jackson also speaks to us. “Michael a part of me went with you.” “I will treasure the good times, the fun we had, singing, dancing, laughing.” He recalls a funny story when Michael was trying to go into a record store unrecognised, but Marlon realised it was him by the shoes and the walk!
“How much pain can one man take? Maybe now Michael they will leave you alone.”
20:40: “You have finished your work here on earth and the Lord has called for you to come.” He asks for Michael to give his deceased twin brother Brandon a hug from him before bursting into tears and hugging the nearest person. Emotional.
20:41: Michael’s daughter Paris speaks, through her tears, and says she loves him so much.
20:43: “Thankyou and goodnight” are the spoken words which close the show. The coffin is carried away, accompanied by music and applause.
20:44: Back to Kay Burley for a moment or so, but then the ceremony isn’t quite finished yet! Pastor Luscious Smith re-appears to give a final eulogy. He says Jackson was “often imitated, but never duplicated.”
20:46: He finishes the service with a prayer. Thanking God for the memory of Michael, his music, his messages, his love. He calls for us to stop judging because of skin or accent, and look at the love MJ showed us in his music and his ways.
“We are here for a moment, then we are gone.”
“Bless us and keep us by the love that you kept Michael.”
The end of the memorial service is upon us. What a moving tribute it has been. A fantastic celebration of a fantastic man. A celebration of life, a celebration in death.
20:49: We’re back outside in LA now with Kay Burley. She’s joined again by Tanya Acker of the Huffington Post.
20:52: Outside the Staples Center is a huge flowery banner saying “Thank you for the memories, Michael. We love you”
20:53: The programme ends with Sky’s short video “tribute to Michael Jackson.” Jolly good show folks, well done to Kay, Matt, Robert and Greg for Sky News, plus Tanya, Erik and Andrew for joining them. The coverage was very enjoyable, hope you enjoyed it too.
My final thoughts: I thought it was a very good tribute. It did him justice. Every message delivered, every song sang, every video played, was positive, inspiring and emotional. The stars turned out and the show was solely about Michael Jackson. Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Lionel Richie, Jermaine Jackson, Usher and countless others all performed for Michael, and gave a great performance. Reverend Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, Marlon Jackson, Kenny Ortega, Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy, Pastor Luscious Smith and countless others all spoke for Michael, and gave a great speech. The show was slick and professional. Tonight didn’t drag on, it didn’t seem like it was more than two and a half hours long. Nobody was there to jump on the bandwagon, like we’ve seen at Princess Diana’s memorial and Live 8 before, people were in attendance today because they wanted to pay tribute to a pop legend and an icon. Every emotion was genuine, every tribute heartfelt, every song sang with passion. We mourn the loss of Michael Joe Jackson and hope he is happy and at peace now, wherever he may be. His impact was phonomenol, his legacy will always live on.
Thankyou very much for joining me on an historic day. Michael Jackson was laid to rest. MOTV Live was there every step of the way. I hope you have enjoyed (or enjoured) my first live blog, hopefully the first of many. Do leave your thoughts and comments with us, love to hear from you. From all of us here, thanks to Sky News and Sky Arts for providing television coverage, and thankyou for reading. We’ll be back soon, from everyone though, bye for now!
MOTV : on Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
With Setanta now on the brink of administration, Mark O’Meara presents this tribute poem. At the time of writing the broadcaster’s still on the air, for how much longer we wait to find out.
Setanta Sports, the rival to Sky
They’ve overspent their budget and now might just die
It all started in a pub, 19 years ago
We’ve seen their highest highs, and now their all time low
Such a shame it would be to see this broadcaster fold
When their major flaw was just being too bold
They had the SPL, foreign leagues, minor sports too
They had a niche following but this simply wouldn’t do
The urge to crack England, too big to ignore
Live Premier League rights, would they open this door?
Viewers resisted, not many signed up
Now the last roll of the dice, on the FA Cup
It didn’t pay off, again no success
Not even ad’s with Des Lynam can get ‘em out this mess
Once, hopes were high, there was nothing they couldn’t do
Now just the ITV Sport Channel mark 2
If we lose Setanta we lose a great team
Excellent production, magnificent on-screen.
Hosting the coverage, Steve Bower and Angus Scott
The pair of them did just about the lot.
Tim Sherwood, Macca, Les Ferdinand
To offer insight, they were always on hand.
Burley and Champion, or ‘Craig and Jon’
Commentating and Twittering as the game went on.
Offside, onside, was it a goal?
They asked the views of ex-ref Graham Poll.
In the dressing room, in the tunnel, on the bench or in the stand
Messrs Roan and Currie, reporting up and down the land.
We had James Richardson, Serie A God
Delivering one-liners with a wink and a nod.
The glamour of Setanta, Miss Rebecca Lowe
Much more than just a pretty face, I’ll have you know.
Viewers in Scotland saw MacLean and Delahunt
One’s a big anchor, the other a
COUNTRY’s main division is a 2 horse race
Crocker and Booth, they always kept pace.
Jim Proudfoot, Paul Parker, special mentions for you
As for every moment of brilliance, you followed it with “err, I haven’t a clue!”
So many goals we have seen, countless games broadcast live
But it won’t be the same if you lot don’t survive
Cos be it Arsenal or Altrincham, it didn’t matter one jot
Setanta gave its coverage everything they’ve got
90 minute build-ups, 4 hour shows
Bringing us top flight glory, and non-league woes
The agony, the ecstacy, the joy, the despair
Of the Premier League, the FA Cup plus the Blue Square
We saw the rise and rise of Fabio’s England team
With the raw of the lions and God Save the Queen
Lampard, Terry, Rooney and co
Banging in the goals, putting on a show
They’re now on the verge of the World Cup next year.
They should be there, but will Setanta still be here?
Here’s hoping somehow Setanta can get themselves out of this huge mess and continue to deliver us top quality sporting action. Leave your views of Setanta with us here, we’re always delighted to hear from the readers. Thanks for viewing, bye for now!
MOTV Blog : Britain’s Got Talent Final 2009
Britain's Got Talent logo
After seven weeks of auditions and five live semi finals, the end of Britain’s Got Talent 2009 is nigh. Tonight one of the ten finalists will scoop the £100,000 prize money and a place on this year’s Royal Variety Performance, with Her Majesty the Queen in attendance. During the process we’ve seen some outstanding acts and some, well, not. We’ve welcomed and waved goodbye to judge Kelly Brook. Simon Cowell has appeared to read his comments off a piece of paper during the auditions. Amanda Holden has produced more liquid than at the Coca Cola factory. Piers Morgan has pretended to be ‘down with the kids’. But all along thankfully, hosts Ant and Dec have been magnificent. Holding the circus together, being the shoulder to cry on for the acts and leading the laughing from us spectators. They are the kings of British television and long may their reign continue.
By the end of tonight one act will be triumphant, whilst the other nine will leave empty handed (for the time being at least). Vying for your vote are Susan Boyle, Diversity, Flawless, Shaun Smith, Stavros Flatley, Shaheen Jafargholi, Julian Smith, 2 Grand, Aidan Davis and Hollie Steel. Who wins, as they say on Big Brother, you decide!
SUSAN BOYLE (48, Singer)
Bookie's Favourite
STORY SO FAR: Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle has made a huge impact across the world, nowhere more so than in America. Dubbed the ‘Hairy Angel’ by the British press for her unstyled appearance, her audition video was an instant online success, largely thanks to celebrity backing from Demi Moore. Singing ‘I dreamed a dream’ from Les Miserables, Boyle wowed judges and audiences alike with her incredible voice. Nobody gave her a chance before she sang; her unconventional looks, mad personality and claims that she’s “never been kissed” gave us all the expectations for a terrible performance. I’m sure we are all now aware that is not the case.
In the semi final she won her heat (at a canter most presume) and was the first confirmed finalist. She sang a song from Cats, the name of which I don’t recall. Ah yes, it was ‘Memory’! The vocals weren’t quite as memorable as her audition, particularly at the start where she appeared rather nervous, but SuBo still gave a great performance, especially hitting the big notes, and noone can deny she deserved a place in the final. Critics say that she is only there because of the huge amount of press attention she’s received, but behind the media storm there is a genuinely talented lady with a great voice. It would be nice if she goes back to her original song for the final, but whatever she chooses I’m sure she will do it justice.
CHANCE OF WINNING: If she doesn’t win it will be one of the greatest upsets in television history. She has been the dead cert to win this since the very first show back in April. Only a disastrous performance will stop her tonight.
DIVERSITY (12-25, Street Dance Act)
Will they be dancing on the streets tonight?
STORY SO FAR: Street dancers Diversity comprise ten members aged between 12 and 25. There are 3 sets of brothers amongst the group formed in 2007. This year the dance acts have been super strong, with Diversity amongst the very best. The group wowed everyone in their audition with their extremely fast, and then slow motion, dancing over snippets of songs and tracks mixed in with other soundbites. Notable moments included a man appearing out of a holdall and the inventive use of the two children in the group.
In their semi final they were the first act to perform, setting a high standard for the rest of the night. An impressive performance started with the use of the Mission Impossible theme playing, and included throwing one small boy across the stage and lowering another down from the ceiling. Their act is very clever and inventive, but more importantly they have fun with it and the audience really appreciates that element. The use of a Michael Jackson classic amongst the madness also would have gone down well view the viewing public. My favourite moments were to do with voting for them; during the performance itself when the main choreographer stopped to register his vote, and then when their number was being read out and they did a humourous phone gesture! Nice touch.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Diversity may be hampered by the appearance of Flawless in the final as well. With both acts similar in style the voters may be split between the pair. If only one of them was in the final I think they would have a greater chance of success. They have a chance of being in the top three, but it’s a slim one unfortunately.
FLAWLESS (20-30, Street Dance Act)
The performance has to live up to their name if they are to win
STORY SO FAR: Similar to Diversity, Flawless are a street dance troupe from London. I would argue they are the greater of the two. Their routine seems to link and flow better, as opposed to the more stop start nature of Diversity. The lack of children is a slight plus too. Receiving standing ovations from the judges both at the audition and the semi final, they are a very popular group.
Winning the second semi on Monday, Flawless triumphed over ventriloquist Gareth Oliver, the hilarious DJ Talent, and the Hot Honeyz amongst others. The performance included snippets of the A-Team theme, Madcon’s Beggin, army style trench coats and extremely fast paced moves. No wonder then that they got through. The ten strong team are all technically exceptional and in my opinion are the best dance act ever seen on the show. They also included a soundbite of Simon Cowell from their audition, and their slogan of “Chase the dream, not the competition”. The routine was excellent.
CHANCE OF WINNING: I’d love for this A-Team for their plan to come together and they have a genuine chance of doing so. As I said earlier though, the fact Diversity are so similar may split the vote. Genuine top 3 contenders.
SHAUN SMITH (17, Singer)
Rugby fan Shaun must try harder
STORY SO FAR: Shaun Smith is a very good singer. But that’s as far as it goes for me. He has a good voice and can hit all the right notes, but there are hundreds of better singers out there as yet undiscovered. He wouldn’t make it very far on the X Factor in my opinion. Singing “Ain’t no sunshine” in the auditions and “With or without you” at the semi final stage, he did the songs justice, but unspectacularly. Paul Potts gave a spectacular performance of “Nessum Dorma”. George Sampson gave a spectacular performance dancing to “Singing in the rain”. Shaun Smith doesn’t do spectacular.
CHANCE OF WINNING: I’m sure he’s popular with the teenage girls and the mums, who make up the majority of the voting public, but it would be a real travesty if he won. He is one of the weakest finalists. The judges do like him though.
STAVROS FLATLEY (41 & 13, Comedy Dance Act)
Smashing stuff from the Greeks
STORY SO FAR: Comedy dance act Stavros Flatley are a father and son duo from North London. Mixing Greek and Irish dancing, hence the name, the act sounds a disaster. The sheer enthusiasm, likeability and of course talent of the pair makes for excellent viewing. I absolutely love them and so do the judges! Everything says they should be rubbish but they are brilliantly entertaining. They are original, hilarious and extremely watchable. In their audition you could see Simon Cowell was not expecting much, until Demitrios came out with his shirt off and wig on and started running about the stage! Then when Lagi joined him the judges, and the audience, cracked up! It was a genuine surprise.
Could they better it at the semi final stage? You bet. They came back bigger and better with a completely new costume, new music and a few new moves. They also drafted in some of Demitrios’ work colleagues to be backing dancers! They won the third semi final and could even afford Lagi forgetting a couple of seconds of the routine! They are very popular and very entertaining.
CHANCE OF WINNING: I would absolutely love them to win this. I do think they are very popular with the public and the judges so that should stand them in good stead. I can only see them finishing in 2nd place though, simply because of the media furore surrounding Susan Boyle. This act gets my vote tonight.
SHAHEEN JAFARGHOLI (12, Singer)
Big name. Literally, it has 17 letters.
STORY SO FAR: Shaheen had an interesting audition to say the least. Originally singing Amy Winehouse’s version of “Valerie”, Simon put a halt to the performance stating Shaheen had this “very, very wrong”. Going with his second choice song, Michael Jackson’s “Who’s loving you?”, proved a great success and the audience and judges loved it. He has a great voice considering he is only 12 years old, but for me he is in the same boat as Shaun Smith. He has the voice but it is nothing spectacular. Given his age he is only going to get better in time but as yet he is nowhere near becoming the winner of this. He will have to give an amazing performance if he is to get anywhere near the top three tonight.
CHANCE OF WINNING: I personally would not have even chosen him to be in the final. However he has the cutesy ‘aww’ factor that many voters go for. He shouldn’t be anywhere near the top five tonight but I suspect he may well be.
JULIAN SMITH (39, Saxophonist)
He loves great sax
STORY SO FAR: Julian Smith is a really likeable guy and very humble considering his great musical talent. He genuinely wants this prize and would probably do anything for it. He moved Amanda, and I’m sure many people, to tears due to his song choices in the audition and semi final. Somehow his act works! It is purely a man standing in the middle of a stage playing an instrument. No words, no frills, just pure talent. He is a genuine contender for tonight’s prize. His audition was loved, with a beautiful song choice of ‘Somewhere’.
It came as no surprise to me that he won the 4th semi final on Thursday. He performed “All by myself”, and that is quite simply what the act consisted of. Again, no frills or gimmicks, it was just Julian and his saxophone on the stage. He let the music do the talking, something which I thought was a great decision. It adds to the emotion of it. He is a wonderful performer, great guy and very popular. He could go far.
CHANCE OF WINNING: The dark horse of the competition. He has a genuine outside chance of winning tonight. People may be more inclined to vote for him because he isn’t a singer or a dancer like all the other acts, he is a musician. His likeability stands him in good stead.
2 GRAND (76 & 12, Singers)
Will 2 Grand scoop the 100 grand?
STORY SO FAR: Grandfather and grandaughter act 2 Grand tug on the heart strings of the viewer. Twelve year old Sally has a fantastic voice. Her grandad John has a good voice. The thing that makes the act stand out is the relationship between the two. When they sing there is genuine emotion and sincerity in their performance and you just can’t help being swept up in it all. They are likeable characters too which always helps.
Singing “A whole new world” during the audition was always a bit of a risk for me, it’s quite a cheesy song and was famously murdered by Katie Price and Peter Andre. What ever happened to them? However the judges seemed to like it, as did the audience, and they sailed through to the semi final. During Thursday night’s show they surprisingly got the judges vote ahead of West End wannabe Callum Francis. One of the reasons given was due to John’s age, this will be the last chance for 2 Grand to get their big break. I really loved their semi final performance, in which they sang “Somewhere out there”. They may not always have outstanding vocals, but they are very watchable. The combination is perfect.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Slim. I don’t think they are as popular as a lot of the other finalists. If they give a fantastic final performance they might be in with a shout of making the top five.
AIDAN DAVIS (11, Bodypopping Dance Act)
Better than George Sampson?
STORY SO FAR: Aidan is a brilliant dancer and he knows it! He has a cockiness on stage that somehow, probably due to his immense talent, works in his favour and adds to his act. He is technically outstanding, especially impressive considering he taught himself and choreographs all his own routines. I would say he is better than last year’s winner George Sampson, although they do have different styles. The routines are packed with intricate moves and spectacular visuals. He wasn’t the favourite to win the last semi final on Friday but he ran away with it.
His impressive bodypopping saw him sail through the audition and went one step further in the live show. The added affect of two travelators was one thing, but the clever use of the big screen behind him was a stroke of genius. It gave the illusion that there were around ten Aidan’s dancing in a diagonal line on stage and it worked a treat.
CHANCE OF WINNING: His confidence is impressive, his moves are fantastic and his popularity is ever-growing. He has a genuine chance of winning tonight, but obviously has huge competition from Susan Boyle. If he doesn’t triumph he will still have a great future ahead of him if he wishes.
HOLLIE STEEL (10, Singer)
Will need nerves of Steel if she's not gonna mess up again
- Mystic Mark Predicts
MOTV : Survival Sunday
The much hyped final day of the Premier League, billed as ‘Survival Sunday’, is over and we end the day as we started it. Middlesbrough and Newcastle United will join West Bromwich Albion in the Championship next season, as Hull City and Sunderland narrowly escape. All four teams lost today.
Newcastle were perhaps the most disappointing, as they have been all season, and couldn’t have departed with less of a fight than if Ricky Hatton had retired after losing to Manny Pacquiao. They got what they deserved. The final few minutes were typical of the toon’s disastrous season; when they needed someone to stand up and be counted, to put the ball in the back of the net, they didn’t even trouble the goalkeeper, and to cap it all off they go and get someone sent off. If I was ever in danger and I needed someone to help me out, the Newcastle United team would be the very last people I’d want. Good luck to them in the Football League, they could be there for some time.
In truth if Hull had joined the three relegated teams the Premier League would not be at a loss. Arguably Hull have only survived because incredibly there were three teams worse than them. Phil Brown, hailed by many at Christmas as potentially the manager of the season, will have to really work hard over the summer and indeed next season if he is to stay there beyond November. Perhaps he should spend more time in the office and less time appearing on every football programme going? He clearly loves the cameras, as typified by his Delia Smith-esque cringey sing-song on the pitch after today’s match.
Ricky Sbragia certainly wasn’t singing and dancing after his side survived. Sunderland, the best placed team of the four at the start of the day, will ply their trade in the Premier League once again next season. Sbragia won’t be. After the match he announced he wouldn’t manage the club next season. It was hardly a surprise. He’s had a go at being the number one and, whilst it started nicely, it was never going to work out at Sunderland. The club can now start searching for their next Peter Reid and Sbragia can go back firmly behind the scenes. The Stadium of Light needs a few new bulbs I think or they will go the same way as their North East neighbours.
One of whom are Middlesbrough. Depressing name, depressing place, depressing team. Since their last Football League outing in 1998 they have consistently plodded through season after season in the top flight not really going anywhere. A rare piece of silverware and an exciting (but extremely fortunate) season in Europe aside, Middlesbrough haven’t made many headlines along the way on the pitch. A succession of dull managers; Bryan Robson, Steve McClaren and Gareth Southgate, have combined to keep Boro in the league just about, but that ends today. Will the Premier League miss them? Perhaps a little; the Riverside is a nice stadium and they have beaten the big four on a number of occasions, but there was always an air of dullness around the team and a lack of excitement. It’s time for some of their overpaid prima donas (Mido and Afonso Alves I’m looking at you) to stink up a different Premier League struggler. It might be a tough couple of years for this team in the Championship. They’re more likely to follow Southampton and Charlton’s guide to life outside the top flight rather than Wolves and Birmingham’s.
There’s no doubting though that Newcastle’s relegation is the major talking point of Survival Sunday. Sixteen seasons in the Premier League and almost as many managers (10 permanent bosses during that time if you’re wondering). They are a big club that has failed miserably. For all the support and infrastructure in place at St James’ they have not delivered for a long, long time. Now there’s a chance to start again. Shearer won’t be there next season, nor I suspect will Kinnear. Give the job to Iain Dowie and quick. Their joke of an owner Mike Ashley wants out. I think there are 50,000 Geordies who might be willing to open that door for him. Following him should be most of the playing squad, nobody more so than Joey Barton. Even his prison team wouldn’t pick him anymore. The likes of Owen, Viduka, Martins, Coloccini, Enrique (the list goes on) will all fight to be first to sign for another club. Even Del Boy would struggle to wheel and deal as much as is needed at this club this summer. He wouldn’t give up on it though, and neither will the Newcastle supporters. They deserve better.
Championship football it is then for Newcastle, Middlesbrough and West Brom. Invitations to the Premier League will again be sent out to Sunderland and Hull for another year. Everyone starts level on 15th August 2009 and I really can’t wait. I’ll be there. Hope you are too.
Bye for now!
MOTV : Blogs
The very first MOTV Blog will be up and running for all to see from Sunday 24th May 2009. Mark O’Meara TeleVision aim to post a new blog every so often. We are also open to reader suggestions, so get involved! Hope you enjoy.
Bye for now!
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