Taking Sides: Gary Lineker vs Ian Thorpe

I admit I thought Lineker was just a guy with a bad tan and crisps contract these days. (Does he still have the latter?)

Ian Thorpe has been awesome this whole Olympics.

Trying to pinpoint the exact point at which the entire country knew this pairing was going to be a disaster. CF Thorpe's easy camaraderie with Mark Foster and Clare Balding vs looking visibly annoyed and answering every Lineker question with "Look, ..." (Subtext - "you know nothing about swimming wtf are you even doing talking to me you cretin?")

I like Lineker, but it shows he's outside his comfort zone.

Classic exchange with Ben Ainslie yesterday.

GL 'Will you sail in 2016?'
BA 'Will you present Match of the Day in 2016?'
GL'.......'

I am blaming Lineker on the first day of the swimming for cackhandedly attempting a bit of ageing athlete solidarity by asking Thorpe about the point in his career where "things stop working as well as they used to". Thorpe immediately got massively defensive and all "actually I think you'll find I still swim" etc etc. A subplot of the rest of the games has been Thorpe coming to terms with his own mortality.

aargh i hate Lineker, hes bad enough on MOTD

He's a presenter who can ask "why are we so good at rowing?" in exactly the same irritated manner as when he asks "why are we so bad at penalties?"

He's never really had to stretch himself because most of his MOTD panel members never bother to offer the most obvious and insight-free opinions on anything.

I am blaming Lineker on the first day of the swimming for cackhandedly attempting a bit of ageing athlete solidarity by asking Thorpe about the point in his career where "things stop working as well as they used to". Thorpe immediately got massively defensive and all "actually I think you'll find I still swim" etc etc

lol didnt he try to compete in these olympics??

i'd vote Mengele over Lineker so this isn't hard

I think I've seen maybe five seconds of Lineker this Olympics. It was him talking to Lizzie Armitstead the day after her silver medal, and he seemed to be using the exact tone of voice that he used when he got merked on Brass Eye.

The him/Humphrey/Walker-less feeds the BBC have run are bloody godsends.

Inverdale is the WORST, by a factor of infinity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGU095lcjaY

and Thorpe with the KO.

ha ha. love that ainslie line.

thorpe's been fantastic. love the guy.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Biggest mistake of the coverage was to allow Gary on the main programme and let Gabby only have the highlights.

She is very good, excellent on the enthusiasm, good balance of convo, no banter. Miles better than Hazel and Sue and only just behind Clare. In the highlights show there has been v little awkwardness from her interactions with a variety of guests and always handled their varyng temperaments: Johnson's expertise to Mcs clowning around and she's been good with Ian too. Gary and his awful banter can fuck off really, hateful reminder that the footie season is upon us.

Almost a shame she is so beautiful: cynical me says she was only in it to keep people awake.

i agree with all of that.

Look, Linekar is a good anchor in the scheme of things, but Thorpe, you see, is just a great guy.

I still haven't forgiven Logan for the beyond wretched England at Euro 2012 stuff she produced.

hanging upside down from a rope i can see how Lineker wd resemble an anchor

he's an anchor with a silent w

I haven't really been that bothered by Inverdale because Denise Lewis + Colin Jackson + Michael Johnson have been such a great panel, although not quite up there with Balding + Thorpe + Foster. Johnson's been the BBC's best pundit by quite some distance.

yes he is great. so level headed, no bullshit but still entertaining. does he live in the UK? i wonder why he works for the BBC.

Gary Lineker: "Michael, tell us how the rest of the world has viewed these games."
Michael Johnson: "Well, I've been here."

BURN.

I assume Johnson's with the BBC for the same reason you get people like Seedorf and Leonardo turning up for World Cups - ie they pay him a shitload of money.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Fascinating. ⬇️ https://t.co/nb2LmZWIGJ

— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 6, 2023