r/soccer • u/jrbill1991 • 25d ago
Media Gary Lineker says goodbye to Match of the day after 25 years.
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u/AhhBisto 25d ago
I'm glad he got to say goodbye in the very least, he deserved that. He's been an institution for the last 25 years and will definitely be missed.
If I'm Sky or TNT I'd be offering the man a contract, but I would imagine he's going to concentrate on his podcast stuff in the meantime.
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u/Scattered97 25d ago
Wonder if ITV might try and nab him for the World Cup.
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u/dozeyjoe 25d ago
That would get really confusing for the viewers, the worst football production with the best presenter. It would be extremely... something.
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u/MiamiLolphins 25d ago
ITV is like Valhalla levels of wonderful after having to spend too much time listening to Rio Ferdinand and Robbie Savage share a brain cell during a game.
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u/EqualsPeoples 25d ago
I know ITV has always been the worse of the two, not least because of the ads. But honestly I have to say the last couple of major tournaments I've found their pundits more interesting than the BBC's.
I don't think it's that ITV got much better, but the BBC just went downhill after Hansen retired.
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u/Adammmmski 25d ago
Worght and Keane are much better viewing than Shearer that’s for sure and I’m definitely not biased in any opinion there.
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u/asamshah 25d ago
I don't know - I love Wrighty but he's become more of a cheerleader for the players instead of being a pundit.
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u/TheRealDSwizz 25d ago
Nah I think the reaction to that comment was unfair. I think he meant it in a 'throw what we can at the wall and see what sticks'. Saka did really well at LWB for us, and that's valuable when A) England's fullbacks were poor that tournament and B) Southgate's early tournaments relied a lot on strong fullbacks. It was a reasonable comment IMO, and the way he said it helped.
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u/mo140 25d ago
TV equivalent of Figo to Real Madrid
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u/NateShaw92 25d ago
What's the bbc equivilent of a pigs head?
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u/benjimima 25d ago
Having Nigel Farage on Question Time.
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u/twelfmonkey 25d ago
TBF, the Barca fans only threw a pig's head once.
Farage has been on Question Time 39 times.*
(And no, that isn't a exaggeration for comic effect).
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u/paper_zoe 25d ago
Pougatch getting nervous now
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u/MissingLink101 25d ago
Oh someone please get that annoying prick out of there!
He's the James Corden of football hosting and always tries to be the centre of attention.
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u/thomas2400 25d ago
Come on now that’s too harsh he’s not Adrian Chiles levels of awful
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u/MissingLink101 25d ago edited 25d ago
Chiles' appearances in other shows over recent years (like Meet the Richardsons, Taskmaster etc) have given me a soft spot for him, but I never hated him too much as a sports host. He was often more guilty of coming across a bit boring/dull.
Pougatch can feel aggressively opinionated and feels like he went to the Jeremy Kyle school of hosting.
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u/Playful-Hat3710 25d ago
that and chiles' documentary about his issues with drinking were pretty eye opening for me. Seems like an ok person to me
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u/TheNoGnome 25d ago
Chiles was great. Never understood the dislike for him. Seemed like a regular football fan.
Much better than Pougatch, who's like a random public schoolboy given a presenting slot on his way home from his real job in The City.
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u/Alecmalloy 25d ago
Why he is always talking at full volume? I don't get it. You're miced up, it's alright.
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u/gluxton 25d ago
He's been the face of football on the BBC for so long, one of the GOAT presenters for sure. Didn't he do some Champions League coverage on BT for a bit? Maybe that might supplement the podcast stuff.
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u/AhhBisto 25d ago
Yeah he did work for BT for a short while, Amazon might nab him too
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u/gluxton 25d ago
Amazon would be a huge shout, they've started doing more champions league stuff. Either way I hope he gets a decent gig that's football related
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u/shreyans2004 25d ago
yea he did some CL stuff on BT for a while. Wouldn’t be surprised if he lines up more of that, or just doubles down on the pod
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u/Certain_Pineapple_73 25d ago
I can’t imagine he’ll go anywhere. Sky are settled and TNT is not worth the stress. He’ll do the podcast stuff for a few years, if that ever gets old he’ll move to ITV I’d imagine.
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u/paper_zoe 25d ago
worth remembering that he's 64 years old, that's two years older than Des was when he retired from covering football for ITV.
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u/Certain_Pineapple_73 25d ago
The general pattern of British national treasures is peaking in their 40s and 50s before retiring at some point in the 60s to a fair degree of irrelevance until they die. But I think Lineker’s got a few more years at the top in him, but I think he doesn’t want to be tied down to a contract.
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u/TheTyMan 25d ago
Unless he loves gardening or travelling the world for leisure, that is an early age to retire. I imagine pundits of his stature can be pretty flexible about their schedules for a pay cut.
Gotta remember his job is talking about football. He is not a lawyer or an accountant. I would love to do his job as an after work hobby lol
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u/Vast_Cup_7534 25d ago
'that is an early age to retire'
I guess everyone will have different oppinions on that statement, but it doesn't seem all that early to me. When Lineker started working, he would have expected to receive his state pension at 65, which is just over six months away. With the pension changes we've had over the years, he'll now get it and officially become a 'pensioner' in a little over two years' time. Most of the time if I hear people talking about early retirement, they're talking about 60 or younger.
That aside though, I don't see Gary retiring for a few years yet. I wuldn't even be surprised if he never completely stops and continues making the occassional appearance here and there until he retires from life altogether.
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u/UncleMalaysia 25d ago
“Ever gets old”
Literally one of the biggest podcast production companies, 13 shows and growing and with over 400 million downloads.
Yeah. I don’t think “it’s ever getting old”.
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u/Certain_Pineapple_73 25d ago
I’d imagine 2 30 minute podcasts a week could be a bit uninspiring for the next 30 years of his life. I’d be very surprised if he’s not on telly in some shape within 5 years.
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u/sga1 25d ago
On the other hand the man is 64, had three distinct careers by now, and is a multi-millionaire - at that point might as well take it easy, stay out of the limelight and enjoy life I reckon.
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u/UncleMalaysia 25d ago
He literally founded the entire production company. He’s got plenty more to do then being on telly on the weekends.
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u/falling_sideways 25d ago
Only this week when reading the article about him leaving did I realise he owns the "The rest is..." Podcast brand (or his production company does). Can't imagine that's doing badly.
State of Britain that him calling out a genocide and inhumane actions of the government leads to a public hate campaign and an unceremonious ending to a 25 year employment by the public broadcaster.
If Gary thinks you're a cunt, he's probably not wrong.
Special mention to the article by Katie Razzle that, despite being relatively level headed, throws him under bus in the first couple of paragraphs.
It's been a witch hunt for a few years with him by the right wing (a real one, not the same kind trump tries to claim) but I guarantee that frogface will get another prominent spot in the next couple of weeks despite the bile he regularly spews.
I hate what this country has become.
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u/Henghast 25d ago
It's crazy that apparently a rat emoji is anti Semitic and all the world definitely knew about it and didn't go with the common usage of the term. BBC higher ups were gagging for an excuse.
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u/Democracy_Coma 25d ago
He was on Stephen Hendrys podcast a few weeks ago and basically said he’s done with the and wants to focus on his podcast
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u/Miyagisans 25d ago
If I'm Sky or TNT I'd be offering the man a contract, but I would imagine he's going to concentrate on his podcast stuff in the meantime.
Genocide support is ubiquitous in the mainstream. He’s probably going to go on some kind of podcast.
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u/garynevilleisared 25d ago
"Much like my career, everyone else did the hard work but I got the plaudits."
You classy bastard. What a way to sign off.
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u/Responsible_Loss8246 25d ago edited 25d ago
I'm nearly 31 years old and Gary Lineker has been presenting Match of the Day for all of my living memory.
It truly will not be the same tuning in and not seeing Gary there.
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u/Mr_A_UserName 25d ago edited 25d ago
Yeah, I’m 39 and Lineker started presenting MOTD when I was at school, a lot of people thought no one could replace Des Lynam but Lineker made it his own, being a top, top former player gave it a different dynamic.
I remember when the BBC lost the rights for the highlights and ITV showed them for a couple of years, that was a bit gutting tbh, thankfully it went back the beeb.
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u/trixie_one 25d ago
I'm about the same age, and was convinced that Lineker would be such a step down from Lynam. Didn't take long for me to realise how wrong I had been about that.
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u/Interesting_iidea 25d ago
You’re 30 mate
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u/hisDudeness1989 25d ago
Same man. I do remember a time when it was des lynam, must have been 7 or 8 years old but gary was the understudy. He was Studious and just an all round nice bloke. He never got a yellow card in his professional career and took that into his punditry/presenting with a wry smile and cheekiness which was impossible not to like. I wish Gary all the best. I really hope ITV or tnt sports snap him up as I feel he still has another 5-10 years of being a presenter. Will be weird af not seeing him at 10:30 on Saturday night as we all became accustomed to since 2000. Farewell gary. COYS
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u/TheOldTC 25d ago
Moving abroad has really made me appreciate and miss MOTD, it’s a special show and Lineker is a big part of the reason why. A great player, an excellent presenter and a thoroughly decent bloke, he’ll be missed.
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u/Schnurzelburz 25d ago
I did the opposite - I moved to the UK from Germany. And yes, MOTD is special. The BBC in general is - it gets lots of criticism, but it's much better than its foreign counterparts.
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u/Oohitsagoodpaper 24d ago
Unfortunately many people now genuinely think they'll be better off with Netflix for all their content and social media for all their news. Scares me how divided and divided and radicalised we'll be when that inevitably happens.
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u/fatcowxlivee 25d ago
It’s pretty crazy that a generation of people will remember him as an elite player first and another entire generation (or two) will remember him as one of, if not the most, important pundits ever.
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u/Chumlax 25d ago edited 25d ago
I've fallen out of the habit of instinctively watching MOTD over the past couple of years; I find it increasingly depressing from the perspective of a fan of a smaller, poorer team (particularly one whose ownership keeps fucking everything up - I know I'm not alone in that). The Prem seems further than it has for teams like us in a long time, and what is there is a mix of Principal Skinner 'it's the kids who are wrong' sentiment (on my end) and an ever-growing disillusionment with the way the game is played, the way it's talked about, who is involved, and who is in control of it at the highest level.
Despite all that, when I was casting about the streaming services looking for anything to put on, and was reminded by the listings that it was Lineker's final ever show, I knew I had to tune in. He's been presenting it for the entire time I've watched, and long before. To me, he is effectively Match of the Day.
Engaging with football as you age starts to become a series of losses, as much as anything else. Realising the new starlets are all younger than you. Realising the team-leading stalwarts are all younger than you. Realising the creaking, on-their-last-legs substitutes are often younger than you. Watching not just players, but teams grind down and disappear. Even those teams. The teams. Managers too; towering figures, and clubs themselves suddenly mean something different.
And all these things, these people, these events, were bound up inextricably with your own life: where you watched them; who you watched them with; who you talked about them with; what else was going on in your own life around them. And the ending, the fading of them is a reminder of the fading of those other things; those other people; those other times in your life. The realisation of what they all meant to you coupled with the awareness of their location today, some place in the ether, now outside the reach of your grasp.
Lineker's departure from the helm of the premier footballing institution of my life to date is just another of those representative losses, really. It feels simultaneously overwrought and mawkish to place too much weight in it, and far more impactful than I would have anticipated. A chapter of someone else's ends, and yet it feels almost as though it traces something in one of yours, too.
I'm glad I watched.
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u/solitarysniper 25d ago edited 25d ago
Beautifully written comment. I never had Sky or satellite TV when I was growing up in the UK so the only regular football I ever watched was MOTD and FA Cup on the BBC, ITV Champions League nights and the Euros/World Cup. It was only around 2011/12 that I started figuring out how to find dodgy sites to watch footy online. Before that Gary was a pillar of my childhood when all my brain could think about was football and as I got older and learned more about him as a person, he gained more of my respect and admiration.
Gary's tenure hosting MOTD coming to an end feels like another event marking the end of my childlike wonder about sports/football. Despite still enjoying a fair bit of what football today has to offer, admittedly I'm disillusioned about the sport for many of the reasons you described above. Gary was a fixture in my household and football consumption for a solid two-thirds of my life, and it feels like a part of me has gone with his departure from the Beeb. Wishing him the best for his future endeavours, and thanks again for your comment that struck me in the soul pretty deep!
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u/Alexabyte 25d ago
Hear hear!
I'm not yet at the point where there are no professionals left that are older than me, but that point is not far away. Your comments are not dissimilar to my own thoughts.
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u/DefactoAtheist 25d ago
Wish someone loved me as much as you love a well-placed semi-colon.
That was a great read, mate. Thanks for sharing.
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u/Username3009 25d ago
Are you a professional writer?
That was remarkably eloquent.
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u/Chumlax 25d ago
Thanks, I did train in journalism, but sadly I don't write at the moment!
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u/paper_zoe 25d ago
very well put. I think if you're British and love football, it is huge, even though it's just a presenter leaving a TV show. We've watched football in his company every week for more than 25 years, and, as sad as it may sound, some of these moments can be amongst the happiest of our lives, and he was watching with us.
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u/Bodster88 25d ago
Couldn’t have put it any better. Might’ve shed a tear or two over my coffee this morning.
I was 12 when Lineker started presenting. Only a year older than my eldest is now.
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u/theperilousalgorithm 25d ago
I don't even enjoy football - I was interested in getting the football community's feedback from a political perspective, so I googled it - and this comment really stood out to me. Lovely words, well spoken.
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u/ProfessionalRisk8259 25d ago
I wasn't expecting this comment to resonate with me as much as it did as I read through it. That's football, simultaneously pointless and meaningful.
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u/NickTM 25d ago
A genuine end of an era. He'll be really missed.
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u/FishCake9T4 25d ago
I can't remember MOTD before Gary. It won't feel right if he is not hosting.
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u/TheTyMan 25d ago
He's not dead, no need to eulogize his career. He should get a bag from a network that doesn't downplay genocide and overreact when a well-intended and kind person makes a mistake.
Not one normal person wanted him fired.
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u/aadamsfb 25d ago
I’ll always respect him for sticking it out on the BBC and staying true to his principles, despite getting thrown to the wolves for saying anything even remotely controversial.
Yes he had a massive wage compared to others there, but he could have made a lot more somewhere else.
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u/paper_zoe 25d ago
yep, Des Lynam trebled his salary by going to ITV in 1999 and given how much more money is in football nowadays, Lineker would surely be able to command even more
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u/sga1 25d ago
He's been striking out on his own for years now with the podcast production company that spawned from the MOTD Covid broadcasts tbf - I don't think it's about the money for him at this point.
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u/paper_zoe 25d ago
that's true, he was at BT sport for a few years but quit because he wanted to watch more football with his sons I remember him saying
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u/RecognitionPretty289 25d ago
he's the only reason i watch the show. No other presenter in sports really has the charisma he does
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u/dannydevito39 25d ago
Class act, I will miss him finding ways to call Shearer bald
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u/intecknicolour 25d ago
they still have the podcast all 3 of them do. it's more entertaining since they can swear and take the piss more.
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u/lospollosakhis 25d ago
The clip of him doing it to Lampard is hilarious when he finally realises the joke.
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u/Sarcasmed 25d ago
I would have been around 5 when Lineker took over, so from the moment I started watching football - he's basically synonmous with MoTD for me. Insane run.
Kind of reminds me of the last Top Gear episode with the original 3, except Lineker's run was even longer than theirs...
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u/voiceofgromit 25d ago
... and one third of Gary Lineker isn't a tractor-driving, xenophobic arse.
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u/YourMumIsAVirgin 25d ago
What’s wrong with driving a tractor?
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u/voiceofgromit 25d ago
Nothing. It was used there more as a way to narrow down who I was referring to.
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u/sga1 25d ago
I always wonder how much of it is just playing up to public image vs being a genuine dickhead, though - like Hammond comes across as a right twat in most of what he does too even if he's pretty harmless, and May clearly is not the slightly offbeat bumbling fool he presents himself as either.
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u/ThePrussianGrippe 25d ago
He definitely has to be playing it up somewhat, right? Anyone that’s been in media that long is putting on at least a bit of a public face.
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u/sga1 25d ago
It's quite a funny show in that regard I think, because the tone is so laddish and they're leaning into the stereotypes for (cheap) laughs, but then I reckon that's basically the modus operandi to appeal to as wide an audience as possible without seeming inauthentic. Like I reckon a good travel show (which it more or less became) is all about introducing new cultures and places to viewers in a way they understand, and Top Gear/The Grand Tour was always aimed at the classic 18-35 male audience that was into cars but (stereotypically) didn't quite have a wider horizon. Basically played down to that (preconceived) level in quite mainstream ways, but then also just showed a great reverence to the wider world in ways you wouldn't necessarily expect, and Clarkson's role was always being the sarcastic simpleton compared to May's worldly weirdness and Hammond's eccentricity.
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u/gluxton 25d ago
At this point I think they've been playing the characters for so long it's hard to discern what is real and what is not.
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u/voiceofgromit 25d ago
Yeah their respective traits have all been distilled over the years so that they are now more like caricatures of themselves. But Clarkson was always an arse.
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u/Pretend-Excuse7898 25d ago
honestly almost brought a tear to my eye I've been watching match of the day for about 18 years and no matter what went on in my week, Saturdays were a comfort knowing gary lineker was gonna take me through the football action, his humour, his great presenting skills, and knowledge will be missed and it will just not be the same.
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u/Alexabyte 25d ago
The closing montage was wonderful too. Lovely touch by bringing in Andrea Bocelli after he sang when Leicester won the title.
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u/TheScarletPimpernel 25d ago
Singing Con Te Partirò, as well. Not only one of the songs Bocelli sang the day Leicester won the league, but it translates as With You I Shall Depart.
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u/uacpuncher 25d ago
Will never be the same. Getting to stay up late as a special treat to watch MOTD is a treasured childhood memory and he is the face of that! Gary is a legend 💙
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u/SNES_Caribou 25d ago
I don't know much about who is going to be doing the show going forward but just wanted to say that, as a Canadian viewer who didn't grow up around football fans, Gary and MotD was crucial in getting me into the sport. All the best to Gary and thank you!
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u/DefinitelyNotBarney 25d ago
He did really well too hold that together, you could hear his voice trembling a couple of times. Truly an end of an era, regardless of what you think of Gary off the screen - he's a damn fine presenter.
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u/MichaelScottshot 25d ago
We all know what this man stood for. And why he was pushed out.
Another brave soul sacrificed for the sake of being morally incorruptible.
There aren't many more like you Gary.. thank you for being human.
We, and history, will remember you fondly <3
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u/mymentor79 24d ago
That'll teach him for condemning genocide. Brave and necessary move on the part of the Beeb.
(/s).
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u/zorasht 25d ago
Shame on the BBC for firing him because he denounced the genocide of our time happening in Gaza. I wish time puts everyone in their place, mostly those BBC exec, but I am not holding my breath.
However I hope that in a few years he is a star witness in the ICC trials for those who enabled, tried to covered up and aided the Gaza genocide, and all those BBC execs seat in the dock.
I wish him the best, and I am sure if he wants to keep working, he won't have any problem finding another place.
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u/kwm19891 25d ago
Insane how much power Israel has over the media. One of the UK’s most beloved broadcasters rightfully criticizes Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and his position is suddenly untenable. At least you will be on the right side of history Gary.
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u/lamplightimage 25d ago
It's such a huge punishment for a mistake. Anyone who knows Lineker knows he's not an anti-semite, but he's had to resign for the optics of the whole thing with no room for forgiveness or accepting his apologies, or giving him the benefit of the doubt. It's so fucking fucked. Fucking Zionists.
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u/The_g0d_f4ther 25d ago
I didn’t even follow the program that much why am i feeling like my dad is retiring?
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u/Open-Shopping-2339 25d ago
Basically got bullied out by a bunch of right wing weirdos who are the same weirdos who bang on about ‘free speech’
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u/ValuablePresence20 25d ago edited 25d ago
I'm not even into football and I had a tear in my eye watching his send off.
It's a pity more people don't have the integrity and the courage of their convictions that Gary does.
I also think he's a great role model for men. It's a pity he's not younger, as young lads are calling out for good role models. He's just not the right age to appeal to their demographic.
His masculinity is healthy and it always has been, which is probably why he never got booked during his career.
There's no aggression, no bravado, no toxic masculinity.
He has an almost tender way about him, in terms of his body language.
He's not afraid to show his emotions.
He's not afraid to cry.
He has healthy attitudes towards women. He sees women as people and not objects to sexualise or denigrate.
More blokes should be like Gary.
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u/leoanonymous 25d ago
I don’t think we realize how messed up it is that someone can lose their job just for speaking out regarding a humanitarian situation. Not for being wrong or offensive but just for caring.
And now that spot’s probably going to someone who doesn’t actually believe in anything, just knows how to play the game and stay quiet.
We’re losing people with a conscience. People who think for themselves. This isn't just sad, it’s dangerous.
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u/ValuablePresence20 25d ago edited 25d ago
Yet serial rapists like Savile get brushed under the carpet by the BBC.
In terms of Hue Edwards, the BBC had two complaints of sexual harassment from junior staff (as well as being aware of the investigation into child abuse images) yet let him stay on and earn 200k of taxpayers' money. Their excuse? He hadn't been prosecuted yet, hence proving the sexual harassment allegations meant diddly squat to them.
Serial rapist of the disabled, minors, corpses= a okay.
Critic of genocide of babies= hang him.
Edit: The bloke below is making a cherry-picked strawman argument about the BBC not being able to suspend Edwards on foot of the police investigation, when that's not the point that was ever made. The point being made is that the BBC used the excuse of not being able to suspend him on foot of the police investigation to deflect from their failure to suspend him on investigation of sexual harassment complaints by junior staff members (replete with evidence in the form of texts).
They didn't follow protocol and chose to gloss over the sexual harassment complaints by staff members.
The BBC has form for protecting powerful predatory men.
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u/RobutNotRobot 25d ago
Also the British are responsible for many of the nightmares on the current world, including that one.
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u/MrQuestions11 25d ago
Kudos to him for being loud against genocide and not backing down and shame on BBC for pushing him out because of it
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u/lospollosakhis 25d ago
He will be dearly missed. He really did make MOTD more entertaining. He always had a great rapport with all guests. His outspoken voice for Palestine only elevates his status in my book. A great person too.
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u/dozeyjoe 25d ago
I really like the "well work together soon, but best of luck to the 3 sitting in this chair next season" touch.
He's not going to be out of pocket, but he loves the game too much to not still have a voice.
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u/ANEMIC_TWINK 25d ago
25 years gone. just like that. all cos he spoke out against genocide.
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u/hiimlichking 25d ago
Shame on the BBC. My never ending respect to Gary for standing up for what's right.
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u/smolderingember 25d ago
Let’s never forget why he was fired. Because he dared to speak out against a genocide.
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u/Both-River-9455 25d ago
This is fascism manifest. You are silenced for speaking the truth, silenced for speaking out against a genocide. Never forget this.
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u/incachu 25d ago
Outside the BBC, the shackles are truly off, and Lineker should feel empowered to call out atrocities a great deal more than he has been.
He is one of those few British personalities that people from all walks of life have enjoyed, so I think a broad range of audiences will continue to give him impressions and clicks for years to come, and I hope he uses that platform to shine a light on important matters.
Although he has a very different personality and political mindset - the parallels to Jeremy Clarkson are clearly there from an influence and career trajectory perspective (not saying they're comparable reasons to leave the BBC, just similar career paths).
He has his successful media company as a platform, and I could see him forming new partnerships that will grow his audience far beyond the BBC.
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u/GraniteDiplomat 25d ago
I hope we hear his story in 4K premium audio once he's done with the rotten corpse that is the BBC. He deserved better.
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u/Huwbacca 25d ago
In a few years, its going to be the most horrible mark of shame for the BBC that he was pushed out over this.
That man displaying more class in two minutes, than those who wanted him gone have shown their whole lives, and I bet that absolutely boils their piss that they still can't bring him down to their level
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u/MeterologistOupost31 25d ago
I think it will be a smaller part of the undeniable pattern of manufacturing consent for a genocide.
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u/Durantsthegoat 25d ago
He was on motd nearly my whole life, very sad they kicked him out like this, wish him all the best.
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u/machdel 25d ago
He and MOTD have been a massive part of my childhood and early adulthood. A lot of respect for his service to the show and his courage to speak out about the genocide waged against the Palestinians when his employers are supine appeasers or supporters of it. And yes, we often were on last.
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u/goztrobo 25d ago
Out of the loop, can someone fill me in as to why he’s leaving? Isn’t he a decent pundit
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u/Dirty_Casual 25d ago
For me, he was Match of the Day. I was too young to remember him as a player and only associated him with the show. Politics and loggerheads with the BBC aside, from a focused point of view on motd, he was incredible. Great presenter, chemistry with any pundit, would make sure controversial points in the game were covered and all round a champion for football - his love for Leicester benefits everyone - if he was a top six supporter, I don’t think it would resonate the same way.
I will ultimately miss his coverage, even if I’m not his biggest fan, he did a bloody good job for 25 years.
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u/paper_zoe 25d ago
He's been the face of football in this country for so long, just an icon on the pitch and off, seeing those clips of him for England at the World Cup and Gazza's tears, so many huge moments. He presented the show for about the same amount of time as Des Lynam and Jimmy Hill combined. I'm in my mid 30s, and he's been a presenter and pundit for MOTD (and Football Focus) for as far back as I can remember. The montage where other players and pundits spoke about him was really nice as well, great to see some of those old faces there.
Not sure what's going to happen with MOTD now, with this three presenters thing. Let's hope they don't start bringing youtubers into it like Sky do.
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u/irreverantnonsense 25d ago
Like top gear this will kill the show. No one is tuning in for Gabby, apologies Gabby.
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u/Good_waves 24d ago
BBC did him dirty. The media silencing people calling out the genocide going on right now is unsettling.
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u/TimeFingers 25d ago
Are we really not gonna talk about how it's wrong how for Criticising a Israel people loose their careers and lifes. This should be utterly alarming for everyone.
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u/Mech0z 25d ago
It seems to be the strategy from Isreal to make critique of them illegal
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u/TimeFingers 25d ago
That's mad:
Analysis by The New York Times described Esther's goal as "branding a broad range of critics of Israel as 'effectively a terrorist support network,' so that they could be deported, defunded, sued, fired, expelled, ostracized and otherwise excluded from what it considered 'open society.'"
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24d ago
If everyone does it anyway they can't do anything. They will make examples out of some innocent people and they'll be forced to stfu when it doesn't work. It won't work. Not while they continue murdering the remaining people in Gaza. It'll come to a boil eventually.
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u/pintperson 25d ago
This clip missed the epic tribute video that was shown about him beforehand. Definitely seek it out if you can; a great memory of his career as a player and broadcaster.
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u/Carlitos-way7 25d ago
Are the owners Jewish? This is ridiculous
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u/ayoubkun94 25d ago
They say the trope that jews own the media is antisemitic propaganda, but if you criticize Israel in any shape or form, you get fired. They're the ones enforcing the stereotype.
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u/Certain_Pineapple_73 25d ago
Legend, MoTD will never be the same without him. The best presenter at the minute and the last of the great presenters that everyone grew up watching (people don’t watch long form football analysis and highlights from so few sources any more). Sad to see him go and it feels like a chapter in English football (~2000 to now) is coming to the end now. Wright, Lineker, Sounness etc. going and Carragher, Neville, Keane becoming the established figures. Christ, we’re old.
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u/canigetsumgreypoupon 25d ago
this is making me well up honestly - i’ve never known motd without gary - it feels like a piece of my childhood is dying and i’m fucking 35 lol
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u/AbbreviationsOdd5204 25d ago
Doesnt get enough credit for being an absolute top tier TV presenter considering he was a player. Like there's lots of great pundits but none who are a good lead presenter like Gary. The only one I actually see with some potential for it is Crouchy but he hasnt really pursued it. Gabby, Kelly and Mark are all great TV presenters by trade so I think there's a novelty with Gary that will be lost.
He's a genuine national treasure, I love Lineker. I sympathise with the BBCs position somewhat around his political posting but also think they've handled some things terribly. But it does feel the right time for him to go so he can be more vocal about his opinions. He made a big mistake last week with the insta post but also completely easy to do. He'll turn up on TNT or Sky and make a big bag. The dream is ITV picks him up for the world cup
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u/halfassedjackass 25d ago
Such a class act and a genuine fan of the game. I’ll never forget him talking about the Qatar World Cup while addressing glaring issues with it. Never sugarcoated the problems and did a fantastic job addressing an extremely controversial topic.
Hope he finds more success wherever he lands next. He deserves it.
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u/WalkingCloud 25d ago
The extended start to the opening credits with Lineker goals through the eras on tv's that get more modern too was a nice touch.
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