Yes, Final Score has been poor this afternoon and gone off air before the trophy is presented - about the closest thing they have to any live Premier League action. I'm sure they could have hung around another five minutes.
Did SS2 switch to the City game after Utd finished, and did Sky offer any kind of split screen option on the red button?
Elsewhere, a good demonstration today of how Gillette Soccer Saturday/Special really does blow Final Score out of the water, at least for drama and entertainment value. I was watching Sky Sports News when Man City scored their 3rd goal, and Stelling and the pundits were almost jumping on the desk. I quickly flicked over to BBC One, where Gabby Logan and guests looked like they were watching an exciting game of indoor bowls.
Did SS2 switch to the City game after Utd finished, and did Sky offer any kind of split screen option on the red button?
I recorded both games to watch when I got home, the United game stuck with pictures from the Stadium of Light as Rob Hawthorne described them as being champions as things stood and then brought the news of the City goal as you could see the mood in the United end change. It then went to split screen just as SS1 were showing the celebrations after the goal. The coverage ended shortly after the final whistle at the City game, with Hawthorne saying to switch to SS1 for all the reaction.
Soccer Saturday appeals to a totally different sort of audience, given the choice, I would stick to Final Score. SS with it's excess tabloid style of presentation grates now. With the conservative presentation introduced on matchdays since Keys and Gray's departure it stands out and needs a rethink.
Soccer Saturday appeals to a totally different sort of audience, given the choice, I would stick to Final Score. SS with it's excess tabloid style of presentation grates now. With the conservative presentation introduced on matchdays since Keys and Gray's departure it stands out and needs a rethink.
I think to say it needs a rethink ridiculous. To make Soccer Saturday more like Final Score would be commercial suicide, Soccer Saturday is always going to be choice of the mass audience who can access both programmes.
I totally respect you may not enjoy the tabloid style of presentation you feel Sky Sports gives, but how would changing that programme bring any more viewers or subscribers to Sky. Those who like more conservative approach would have no reason to leave Final Score and those who watch Sky would lose the reasons they watch Soccer Saturday for.
By different type of audience did you mean the average football fan?
All I am suggestting is that the new excellent de-ladded SS Match coverage is somewhat let down by the exuberance shown on Soccer Saturday, some toning down wouldn't be amiss.
Surprised to see no mention of the F1 pit lane fire on here, considering both Sky and BBC teams were broadcasting live in the vicinity at the time, with Sky even in the middle of recording an interview at the entrance to the garage when it happened.
Having seen both Sky's and the BBC coverage, Sky were a million times better. The BBC, and Jake in particular, seemed to react as if it was something relatively normal, saying on air that there are loads of emergency teams around, and it will be sorted out quickly, while over on Sky, there's shots of people running around in shorts and t-shirts desperately trying to fight the fire and then running away so they can breathe, while talking about how bad it was and showing real concern that the people in the garage when it happened, and those fighting the fire were ok.
That said, the Sky cameramen who decided to a) walk right up to the entrance of the garage while it was clearly ablaze, while people were trying to get past with fire extinguishers, and b) decided to get a shot of the injured team members being taken out of the medical centre to the helicopter by standing out on landing pad while the helicopter was still running both need to be reminded not to do stupid things for the sake of a shot.
Surprised to see no mention of the F1 pit lane fire on here, considering both Sky and BBC teams were broadcasting live in the vicinity at the time, with Sky even in the middle of recording an interview at the entrance to the garage when it happened.
Having seen both Sky's and the BBC coverage, Sky were a million times better. The BBC, and Jake in particular, seemed to react as if it was something relatively normal, saying on air that there are loads of emergency teams around, and it will be sorted out quickly, while over on Sky, there's shots of people running around in shorts and t-shirts desperately trying to fight the fire and then running away so they can breathe, while talking about how bad it was and showing real concern that the people in the garage when it happened, and those fighting the fire were ok.
That said, the Sky cameramen who decided to a) walk right up to the entrance of the garage while it was clearly ablaze, while people were trying to get past with fire extinguishers, and b) decided to get a shot of the injured team members being taken out of the medical centre to the helicopter by standing out on landing pad while the helicopter was still running both need to be reminded not to do stupid things for the sake of a shot.
The big clear difference between Sky and BBC at the time was Sky were in the pit lane whilst BBC were in the paddock. The blaze looked very different between the two.
Sky were in the middle of an interview in the paddock, but cut to Ted's camera which was in the middle of pulling back as soon as the fire erupted, while still carrying on the interview for several more seconds. Quick thinking from whoever was directing / vision mixing.
I'm surprised that BBC don't have a feed of Sky in their gallery, then they would have known immediately it wasn't "an old diesel engine starting up", "a catering fire", or "Williams were letting off a flare as a celebration" [src].
And the fire being put out by team members in shorts rather than trained fire fighters was clear from both sides, so where Jake's comments about how good the emergency responses were and how well trained the emergency teams was nonsense. Sky seemed to be treating it as a serious incident, afraid to confirm / deny anything until it was clear, while the BBC were putting on the "it's not that bad, I'm sure everyone's fine" hat, and threw to a pre-recorded interview asap.
Soccer Saturday appeals to a totally different sort of audience, given the choice, I would stick to Final Score. SS with it's excess tabloid style of presentation grates now. With the conservative presentation introduced on matchdays since Keys and Gray's departure it stands out and needs a rethink.
I think to say it needs a rethink ridiculous. To make Soccer Saturday more like Final Score would be commercial suicide, Soccer Saturday is always going to be choice of the mass audience who can access both programmes.
Indeed it is not an understatement to say that Soccer Saturday is the Jeff Stelling Show, it is his energy and enthusiasm that makes a six hour live show about football that doesn't show a single second of live football work brilliantly. Obviously Mssrs. Merson, le Tissier, Thompson, and Nicholas also play their part and have great chemistry, but it is Stelling's show, out and out. The only person on the Sky staff that could even come near replacing him would be Jim White.
Just watch Soccer Special - on paper its the exact same show with the exact same format, and uses the exact same graphics, music, presentation etc. But when you swap Stelling for Julian Warren, the show just doesn't have the same feel or entertainment value to it. Swapping the regular panelists for the "B" team (usually Tony Cottie, Ian Dowie, etc) makes it even worse. Still performs its core duty of letting you know whats happening round the grounds, but it just isn't as good.
There was a fantastic parody of Soccer Saturday on MOTD Kickabout (the Saturday morning kids show) at the weekend -- sadly not available on the iPlayer, it would seem. I think the Beeb are well aware that, given the choice, people will always turn to Soccer Saturday.