Gray & Keys In Sexist Row

[Cormack74]

McCaffrey's a good shout actually. I liked him.

Mate of mine is a dead ringer for him. Everywhere he went people would come up and say "you're on sky sports".

Drove him bonkers (predictably) and he was pleased as punch when Mccaffrey cleared off overseas.

[Redspin]

Itll be nice to see someone who knows what there doing presenting the show. Sky Sports do Cricket really well. Its such good coverage. Football needs more ex-pros with some degree of intelligence. Id like to see more of Alan Smith there. Or even someone like Greame "Turnip" Taylor

Please God no, not Alan Smith. Can't stand his whining, adenoidal Midlands accent

[Redspin]

I don't think there'll be replacements as such. They have a big pool of co-commentators and presenters. It did look like they were grooming Ben Shepherd for Keysy's role...maybe bringing Shepherd in was the first attempt to marginalise Keysy? Although I don't think he's been very good and I'll bet they're not impressed with him. They look reluctant to promote that David Jones fella, and Stelling's not the man for live football.

If they did end up bringing in a permanent replacement for Gray I bet it'd be someone like Ray Wilkins - already in the gang, done it before.

I think Stelling would be a good shout. He's excellent on the weekly, live, six-hour long Soccer Saturday. If he can cope with that he can cope with a bit of chat for half an hour before a game, a few minutes at half-time and a quick summary afterwards. In fact he'd be the perfect candidate.

He's also a well-known Hartlepool fan so doesn't come with any baggage associated with being a supporter of another Premier League club or from being an ex-player with an axe to grind

[Shaggy]

I think Stelling would be a good shout. He's excellent on the weekly, live, six-hour long Soccer Saturday. If he can cope with that he can cope with a bit of chat for half an hour before a game, a few minutes at half-time and a quick summary afterwards. In fact he'd be the perfect candidate.

He's also a well-known Hartlepool fan so doesn't come with any baggage associated with being a supporter of another Premier League club or from being an ex-player with an axe to grind

The 2nd paragraph is a good point but otherwise I don't think he's very good at it. He excels at the Saturday show but that's a totally different gig to stepping into Keys' shoes. He does a fair bit of League Cup action and he's pretty wooden. Also with his Countdown commitments I don't think it's feasible.

Also he's shown himself up as having some pretty glib views on us/Hodgson/Rafa/Hicks & Gillett lately. I didn't realise he was that way inclined but my God he's talked some rubbish about us this season. He had the temerity to say that LFC fans were wasting their time protesting about H&G and that in reality they weren't that bad. Also H&G had nothing to do with sub-par performances in Rafa's last season and Rafa used them as an excuse to cover up his own failings. Taxi for Stelling.

[Reece]

What is Des Lynam doing these days?

[Alex]

What is Des Lynam doing these days?

I belive he is sitting at home with his thumb up his arse

[Dim Tim]

News just in that Motty's in a spot of bother now...

Apprently he snorted a line of charlie off Gabby Logan's left tit, backstage at the Sports Personality of the Year award!

[Redspin]

This year's turning out to be quite a good one so far.

I wonder if falling revenue from advertising and subscriptions had anything to do with these 'dark forces' at work?

Where do you make these assumptions from?

They've just announced a 26% increase in operating profit to £520m year-on-year having "...sailed past its long-term goal of 10m subscribers...". and in the last quarter "...enjoyed its fastest broadband growth for two and a half years...". "Buoyed by its strong financial performance..." Sky is expanding its network of contact centres "...which will result in 1,500 new jobs in the UK".

So they're not exactly struggling are they? They seem to be performing in complete contrast to the way you describe it

[Redspin]

The 2nd paragraph is a good point but otherwise I don't think he's very good at it. He excels at the Saturday show but that's a totally different gig to stepping into Keys' shoes. He does a fair bit of League Cup action and he's pretty wooden. Also with his Countdown commitments I don't think it's feasible.

Also he's shown himself up as having some pretty glib views on us/Hodgson/Rafa/Hicks & Gillett lately. I didn't realise he was that way inclined but my God he's talked some rubbish about us this season. He had the temerity to say that LFC fans were wasting their time protesting about H&G and that in reality they weren't that bad. Also H&G had nothing to do with sub-par performances in Rafa's last season and Rafa used them as an excuse to cover up his own failings. Taxi for Stelling.

Yes I'd forgotten about his anti-Liverpool stance.

He'd be mad to leave Countdown and the lovely Rachel anyway

[dave edwards]

And we would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you pesky women

[Helios Creed]

News just in that Motty's in a spot of bother now...

Apprently he snorted a line of charlie off Gabby Logan's left tit, backstage at the Sports Personality of the Year award!

He's our man!

[Shaggy]

Shock as Jeremy Clarkson speaks out against Sky for sacking Gray


'Heresy by thought': Jeremy Clarkson attacks Sky for sacking Andy Gray
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 2:08 PM on 27th January 2011

• Jeremy Clarkson weighs in, fearing punishment of 'heresy by thought'
• Sky Sports host resigns day after Andy Gray is sacked after sexism row
• Keys: 'There has been a weight of support for me and Andy, I've got 500 messages on my phone.'

Jeremy Clarkson said television stars were at risk of being sacked for ‘heresy by thought’ after Andy Gray was axed following the Sky Sports sexism row.

The Top Gear presenter said he would have been sacked '100 times' if his off the air conversations had been recorded.

And television veteran Bruce Forsyth, 83, said that Gray, 55, and Richard Keys were engaging in ordinary studio 'banter'.

The pair spoke out at the British Television Awards after Keys, 53, resigned from his £500,000-a-year job having admitted he had behaved in a 'prehistoric' way towards women.

Pundit Andy Gray was axed by the broadcaster after a third sexist video of him emerged asking Sky presenter Charlotte Jackson to tuck his microphone into his trousers.

Clarkson, who sparked fury this week for insulting Scousers with a hubcap gag, said: 'If that's the new benchmark, the three of us would have been sacked probably 100 times for the things we've said. So would everyone,' he said.

'It's baffling. It's a very baffling, worrying time if I'm not allowed to say to Richard or James something.'

He added that it seemed presenters could now be sacked simply for voicing their private thoughts off air - and compared the scandal to a Monty Python sketch.

The 50-year-old added: 'In the Spanish Inquisition sketch, the joke was that someone could be charged with heresy by word, heresy by deed and heresy by thought.

'And you think, how funny - you could be done for heresy by thought. But I think we've arrived at the stage now where you actually can be busted for heresy by thought, which is terrifying. You could think a thought and someone could sack you for it.

'While we try very hard on Top Gear not to be sexist, if a man wants to think that, then that's fine. You should be allowed to think what you want to.'

Co-presenter James May repeated the comment that cost Andy Gray his job when he went on stage at the awards last night, saying he 'wanted to thank the young lady who stuffed the microphone down my trousers'.

Clarkson replied: 'You're now sacked.' The BBC show picked up the Best Factual Program prize.

He said the three presenters would all have been sacked if the same rules were applied to their antics.

'We would have been sacked not for sexism, not for that, but the three of us would have been sacked if that's the new guideline - probably 100 times for things that we have said and so would you,' he added.

Bruce Forsyth said that Keys and Gray were simply having 'a laugh' in the studio and should not have lost their jobs over it.

'We all say things. We're all cursing and swearing and saying sexist things and that kind of thing. But when you're criticised that way it's wrong,' he said.

'When you're off camera we do say these things for a bit of a laugh, but it's just to relax not only yourself but the whole crew. So it isn't right to have all that going on. It should be stopped.

'But of course there are moles in every studio, every hotel, every restaurant. And while we've got moles, we've got trouble.'

Richard Keys fell on his sword yesterday after 20 years with Sky after making a public apology to female match official Sian Massey and West Ham United executive Karren Brady in a rambling radio interview.

He admitted what he said was 'Out of order. Wrong. Old fashioned' as he spoke for 65 minutes about the scandal.

Andy Gray has instructed lawyers and is reportedly planning to sue the broadcaster for £3million.

The furore erupted after Keys and Gray – who had fronted Sky Sports’ coverage of football for 20 years – questioned the ability of female assistant referee Sian Massey off air in advance of a Premier League match on Saturday.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who owns 39 per cent of Sky, has apparently said there were 'other reasons' for sacking the 55-year-old.

The 79-year-old told The Times' news conference, according to The Guardian, that 'this country had lost its sense of humour' and what Gray said was 'not worse than what women say about other women.'

Speaking about the pundit's inappropriate joke to Charlotte Jackson, when he suggested she should tuck his microphone down his trousers, Mr Murdoch reportedly said 'There are other reasons for sacking Andy Gray'.

They did not discuss the News of the World phone hacking allegations at the meeting, according to the reports.

In a statement last night, Sky Sports confirmed that 53-year-old presenter Keys had stood down.

It said: ‘Richard Keys today resigned from his position as a presenter with Sky Sports. His resignation is effective immediately.'

Announcing his decision last night, Keys said: ‘I am deeply sorry for my remarks and for the offence they’ve caused.

'It was wrong and should not have happened. I have thought long and hard and have reached the decision that it is time to move on.

‘Going forward without Andy would have been almost impossible. I am and will remain proud of our work with football at Sky Sports and grateful to the many people who have worked with me, and wish Sky Sports continued success.’

But as Keys resigned, a senior source at Sky Sports told how they had witnessed the pair indulging in ‘relentless bullying’ and crude behaviour towards women at the satellite broadcaster.

The source said their behaviour was ‘infamous’ and told how women presenters were seen as ‘fruit from the barrow’ for the men to try their luck with.

The source added that one female presenter had been ‘terribly picked on’ by Keys.

Describing a trip to an away broadcast, the source said: ‘On one occasion, Richard told one of the presenters that their coach was going at 8am and it went at 7am.

'Her life was made hell.’

The insider added they would joke in meetings and ‘ask a pretty girl to bend over to pick up a pen so they could leer at her bottom’.

Another Sky source claimed: ‘Gray and Keys haven’t been liked at Sky Sports for a long time and they just play a bully-boy game – and they have done for years.

‘Not many people like Keys because he’s very aloof.

‘Gray and him have just been cock of the office for years and years.

'And if you don’t put up with it and smile sweetly when they make misogynistic comments, you go.’

In a bizarre and rambling interview on TalkSport radio yesterday – hours before he confirmed his resignation – Keys revealed that he was ‘seriously considering’ his future and accused Sky chiefs of having banned him from apologising earlier, insisting: ‘There are some dark forces at work here.’

Keys said yesterday he phoned the assistant referee to apologise.

‘I rang Sian on Sunday and apologised. I realised how deeply wrong we were,' he said.

‘Having done that I asked, Could we make people aware that of that fact we had a conversation and that both parties felt it was right to move on'. I was told “no”.

‘Then 24 hours had past by which time the world had gone mad.

‘I don't know why I was told "no" and stopped from telling people what I had done.’

He added: ‘I've never had a problem in life saying sorry when I am wrong. We were wrong. It was wrong. I apologised on the Sunday.

Talking of Gray’s sacking he said: ‘With someone who I have grown enormously fond of down the years, I've got to ask myself, do I want to carry on without him? And that is something I have been doing.

'I've loved doing my job for 20 years. I'm enormously proud of what we have done across 20 years and whatever happens next they will never take those 20 years off us.

'Our 'prehistoric banter' is not acceptable in a modern world. We failed to change when everything else was changing about us.

He said that Sky Sports had grown into a fantastic product while him and former Scotland international Gray were leading the coverage.

'We started up with no one liking us - a bit like Wimbledon,' Keys added.

'We have had to upset people along the way and get noticed. All those colourful jackets I used to wear. I always described it that I was driving a Mini, so we had to make a fuss.

'Now Sky Sports is like driving a Rolls-Royce. We have done an awful lot to make Sky Sports a success, there's many people drinking from the well that we dug and enjoying that success.

'Good, that is why we did it. I'm not out there on red carpets, my ego doesn't need that.'

Keys said that many people have sympathy with his position - despite the angry backlash.

'There has been a weight of support for me and Andy. I've got up to 500 messages on my phone,' he added.

'If I turn it on it will ring from now until midnight.

'I'm taking a kicking and I deserve it.'

The presenter had also been caught out dismissing Karren Brady’s views on sexism in football, saying contemptuously: ‘Do me a favour, love.’

Yesterday Keys insisted he had tried to apologise to Miss Brady, saying: ‘I tried to ring Karren twice on Sunday night – she didn’t answer the phone.’

Miss Brady said last night: ‘Perhaps Richard thought I was too busy making the tea and washing up to take his call but a cursory glance at the weekend newspapers or television would have made him well aware that I was heavily occupied with the West Ham ... Olympic Stadium bid.’

Gray, 55, who was sacked on Tuesday, said yesterday he was ‘devastated by losing the job that I love’ and apologised for the scandal.

A Sky Sports spokesman said last night in response to the allegations of a culture of sexism: ‘At Sky Sports we will not tolerate sexism or other unacceptable behaviour.

‘As we have shown very clearly this week, if someone behaves in an inappropriate way, whatever their level or role, we will take action.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1351025/Jeremy-Clarkson-attacks-Sky-Sports-sacking-Andy-Gray-following-Richard-Keys-resignation.html#ixzz1CFFIajNE

[PTP]

difference is most people like clarkson and forsyth - the major factor for me in all this is that it was keys and gray and it's blatantly obvious they're not liked and someone has done them and a **** storm has been made out of it.....worse things happen than this but it's taken over the national news

[Shaggy]

Got into a debate on FB with a female friend who supports Keys & Gray, and thinks "If we're going to make an issue of a blokey comment that Richard Keys made we should also make an issue of men who look at porn which is completely disrespectful to women, completely male dominated and taps in to the primitive instincts of men whether you like it or not"

[PTP]

tell the lesbian to **** off and burn some bra's