BBC’s Wilson in jibe at returning Green
BROADCASteR Alan Green was slammed on social media and criticised by Match of the Day colleagues during a blundering return to the BBC on Wednesday evening.
Green, who has been working as the in-house tV commentator for Atlanta United in the USA’s Major League Soccer, was given the showcase tottenham v Real Madrid Champions League match for his comeback on Radio 5 Live.
But Green caused immediate upset by wrongly pronouncing the name of Real Madrid’s Marcelo, arguably the world’s best-known left back, calling him ‘Mar-chelo’ rather than ‘Mar-selo’. Among those to be hugely unimpressed were
Match of the Day mainstay Steve Wilson, who tweeted — obviously referring to Green — ‘You’d have thought after more than 10 years playing for Brazil and Real Madrid everyone would know how to say Marcelo’s name.’
the BBC made no comment. lIT
IS looking like Amanda Staveley’s PCP Partners are in pole position to buy Newcastle United — possibly before Christmas — with no rival bidder having emerged. The mooted Chinese interest is more likely to be connected with the Staveley bid and involves interests in eGaming, which is a massive business in the Far East. Staveley (above) is still to agree terms with Mike Ashley, who wants £400million — around £100m more than PCP’s valuation. the official Lions DVD of the drawn rugby series in new Zealand is a sadly sanitised and corporate look at the tour. there is little off-field footage in
Lions Uncovered and no mention of the new Zealand media’s hounding of head coach Warren Gatland, of which he writes in his book about the campaign. Certainly it doesn’t compare with the film of the 1997 tour of South Africa, Living With
Lions, which is acknowledged as one of the great sporting documentaries. lGARETH SOUTHGATE has followed the example of former England manager Roy Hodgson in agreeing a personal watch deal with Hublot. He was sporting a £10,000 Big Bang design at his press conference yesterday. At least Hublot know Southgate can’t do worse than Hodgson at tournaments. Meanwhile, Southgate revealed he’d had a half-hour chat with former England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster about the disappointment for bosses when losing their jobs means they don’t have the opportunity to try things differently — which Lancaster said he would have done. But surely he doesn’t believe he should have been kept on after his England side failed to get out of their group at a home World Cup.