Dan Walker to leave Football Focus / Alex Scott appointed

Probably because she’s very good at speaking to camera, well spoken and has good knowledge of the game.

The first two of those are debatable.

Nobody can question her football credentials, just think she's a rotten presenter. Many years ago I said the same of Gary Lineker when he started to become a fixture - still can't stand him now, but at least he's more competent and less forced than he was at the start. Maybe Scott will go the same way.

The BBC has obviously decided Scott is a future headliner and quite probably Lineker's replacement - so good luck to her, I just can't bear the way they force a small number of celebrities into lots of jobs, when competent, professional presenters are available.
 
I'm only at the bottom of page one and so far I've made out he's a 'little' 6 foot 6 Mr Steph McGovern, God-bothering Rangers-hating Crawley Town Sheffield Wednesday wage thief.

Never change FF. :))
 
The first two of those are debatable.

Nobody can question her football credentials, just think she's a rotten presenter. Many years ago I said the same of Gary Lineker when he started to become a fixture - still can't stand him now, but at least he's more competent and less forced than he was at the start. Maybe Scott will go the same way.

The BBC has obviously decided Scott is a future headliner and quite probably Lineker's replacement - so good luck to her, I just can't bear the way they force a small number of celebrities into lots of jobs, when competent, professional presenters are available.

I’d respectfully disagree, I think she’s pretty good on camera and will likely be a competent presenter.

Overall, the BBC (rightly or wrongly) often now stick to presenters who have some background in the sport. Lineker for football, Sue Barker for tennis, Clare Balding for horse racing etc. Alex Scott fits that bill.

Of course, you could argue that there are better professional journalists and presenters than Alex Scott and Danny Murphy. I love the Champions League Goals Show that BT Sport do with proper football journalists. The BBC just don’t go down that more niche route.

Overall, I just feel that many people (I’m not referring to you personally here) are desperate for Alex Scott’s appointment to just be down to her being a mixed race female as opposed to her actually being quite an obvious candidate for the job.
 
Anyone who says it isn't box ticking is at it no matter how much they say otherwise.

Women talking about football on sky etc is absolutely cringe pretending they know the game and can relate to it but football is a man's game and women should not be presenting or commentating on any serious football show.

Alex Scott, two boxes ticked in the one go, white men are now becoming the minority in terms of appearing on these shows, what with soccer Saturday being ruined in order to tick a few more boxes
 
He's a qualified journalist. I want a qualified journalist (Laura Woods or Natalie Sawyer would be fine for me) or someone who has played to the level on which they are commenting.

I don't live in the UK and don't think I have ever seen Alex Scott but she is neither of the above.
I don't recall Gary Lineker ever getting a journalism and broadcasting degree
Anyone who says it isn't box ticking is at it no matter how much they say otherwise.

Women talking about football on sky etc is absolutely cringe pretending they know the game and can relate to it but football is a man's game and women should not be presenting or commentating on any serious football show.

Alex Scott, two boxes ticked in the one go, white men are now becoming the minority in terms of appearing on these shows, what with soccer Saturday being ruined in order to tick a few more boxes
Dear oh dear. Drag yourself into 2021 pal. White men have absolutely no trouble getting any job anywhere.
 
Anyone who says it isn't box ticking is at it no matter how much they say otherwise.

Women talking about football on sky etc is absolutely cringe pretending they know the game and can relate to it but football is a man's game and women should not be presenting or commentating on any serious football show.

Alex Scott, two boxes ticked in the one go, white men are now becoming the minority in terms of appearing on these shows, what with soccer Saturday being ruined in order to tick a few more boxes

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The BBC are pushing her up the ladder as hard and quick as they can. She may or not be a good presenter but that's not why the BBC picked her as the golden girl from day one.

Part of the culture war. they want football to be reflective of a young urban liberal vibe as opposed to a conservative ladish macho vibe. White men are conservative by default in the identity showdown so their numbers need to be lessened.

In the long term, The game just becomes a tool of the woke and a hollow shell of what it is as normal punters empty out.
 
Boxes ticked job done. In fairness SSN became the screen saver for my TV & I stopped watching Football Focus a long time ago. That’s starting to do my head in now the with hyping up the race issue - Lewis Hamilton’s struggle is real FFS.

If you are Going to jump on a bandwagon just make sure you know where it’s heading.
 
I’d respectfully disagree, I think she’s pretty good on camera and will likely be a competent presenter.

Overall, the BBC (rightly or wrongly) often now stick to presenters who have some background in the sport. Lineker for football, Sue Barker for tennis, Clare Balding for horse racing etc. Alex Scott fits that bill.

Of course, you could argue that there are better professional journalists and presenters than Alex Scott and Danny Murphy. I love the Champions League Goals Show that BT Sport do with proper football journalists. The BBC just don’t go down that more niche route.

Overall, I just feel that many people (I’m not referring to you personally here) are desperate for Alex Scott’s appointment to just be down to her being a mixed race female as opposed to her actually being quite an obvious candidate for the job.
They did the same with master mind . The point is we knew the race/ sex of these appointments before they were announced . You can guarantee no one else was considered, even if they had a better portfolio. You can't level the playing field by dialling it fully the other way.
I speak from experience in the arts . Most of the jobs I could go for are restricted to minority communities or identifying as set parameters. I understand we need to address previous problems but in Scotland 97 percent of the population are white . Yet we have dialled it to 3 percent for nothing more than identity politics , Diverse communities have been over represented for a long time and we are widening that gap continually.
This positive discrimination is not a fair way to assess who is best for the job . It's just repeating the mistakes of the past in a different direction.
 
Football Focus is about as relevant as John Craven's Newsround these days. Good luck to her anyway. She's not the best or worst by any means.
 
He's a qualified journalist. I want a qualified journalist (Laura Woods or Natalie Sawyer would be fine for me) or someone who has played to the level on which they are commenting.

I don't live in the UK and don't think I have ever seen Alex Scott but she is neither of the above.
She is both.

Ex England international, CL winner, League winner and has a BA (Hons) in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting at Staffordshire University.
 
Plenty of other footballing countries have female presenters on football shows ( Brazil for example), so I don’t see the problem here
 
Anyone who says it isn't box ticking is at it no matter how much they say otherwise.

Women talking about football on sky etc is absolutely cringe pretending they know the game and can relate to it but football is a man's game and women should not be presenting or commentating on any serious football show.

Alex Scott, two boxes ticked in the one go, white men are now becoming the minority in terms of appearing on these shows, what with soccer Saturday being ruined in order to tick a few more boxes
This place is fucking embarrassing at times.
 
Anyone who says it isn't box ticking is at it no matter how much they say otherwise.

Women talking about football on sky etc is absolutely cringe pretending they know the game and can relate to it but football is a man's game and women should not be presenting or commentating on any serious football show.

Alex Scott, two boxes ticked in the one go, white men are now becoming the minority in terms of appearing on these shows, what with soccer Saturday being ruined in order to tick a few more boxes
Aye that's true the addition of non-white, females like Ally McCoist and Kris Boyd to Soccer Saturday has been a real exercise in box ticking.
 
Don't really see the big deal, BBC have a got a long history of appointing "safe" presenters who bring absolutely nothing to a show. She'll just be another.

And let's be honest, who actually watches Football Focus in 2021? Should've been put out to pasture years ago.
 
The BBC are pushing her up the ladder as hard and quick as they can. She may or not be a good presenter but that's not why the BBC picked her as the golden girl from day one.

Part of the culture war. they want football to be reflective of a young urban liberal vibe as opposed to a conservative ladish macho vibe. White men are conservative by default in the identity showdown so their numbers need to be lessened.

In the long term, The game just becomes a tool of the woke and a hollow shell of what it is as normal punters empty out.
White conservative man claims most white men are conservative by default. Nae worries, bud.
 
I quite like her take on the game and should be an excellent anchor person.

Good luck to her... What with the fact its 2021 and that, Id imagine we're past the stage of "Box Ticking" in football.
 
Wait do so many of you hate him because he said we broke covid celebrations partying outside Ibrox? I've got news for you...
It’s the consistency and the context.

Liverpool and Leeds fans did similar last season, don’t recall Walker making any comment on it then.

Secondly, FF is a football programme (clues in the name), there’s hardly a shortage of other shows to debate COVID/lockdown breaches.

Last night Liverpool fans attacked the Real bus on its way to Anfield. No doubt social distances measures were ignored, you think Walker will be mentioning that on Saturday?
 
The amount of outrage on this thread. Because "a wummin" got the job. I would have went into how , it shouldn't matter especially in this day and age.
But I'll just enjoy the rage instead :) :)
 
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The amount of outrage on this thread. Because "a wummin" got the job. I would have went into how , it shouldn't matter especially in this day and age.
But I'll just enjoy the rage instead :) :)
A brown wummin as well don't forget. 2 boxes ticked :rolleyes:
 
I'm not particularly "woke" but in my opinion women in football broadcasting (and in most male dominated industries) need to be twice as good as their male counterparts to succeed. It might not be fair but it remains how it is.

This is good news for fans as we are spared much of the "banter" in favour of better analysis.

Shelley Kerr is a great example.

However the "anchor" role isn't always better, see Barbour on Sky for example.

Positive discrimination does not work but that doesn't mean Alex Scott isn't a good broadcaster.
 
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To make a comment on how effective young Alex might be, you have to be in possession of a telly licence.

So dont be breaking the law now in not having one.
 
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