ted Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I have my PVR set to record new episodes of Soccer Central. I turned on the TV the other day and found a one-hour episode recorded and turned it on to find some bizarre new show with a couple of guys I never heard of and Kara Lang. 1) They called it "Soccer Central/Fox Soccer News" but it was on Sportsnet and no Gerry or Craig. Are they gone? What happened. 2) What a joke of a broadcast. The host was awful, the colour guy was boring and at times unintelligible (I love accents but his brogue was a little thick even for me) and, although it pains me to say this, Kara was so stilted she reminded me of Craig Forrest's "Plastic Man" early days as a commentator. And all she got to do were fluff pieces of her reading tweets! What made the show even worse was the first ten minutes were basically repeated in their entirety at the half-hour mark. I thought at first that somehow it was half-hour show that was being repeated at the bottom of the hour. Oh, and just to make it look really cheesy and pathetic, they cut away to a group of four Americans for analysis of the games that had already been covered twice by the Canadian version of the show. Apparently the show is on at least twice more this week at least so I will see if they improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg75 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Fox Soccer Report went off the air last Thursday so I assume this is something RSN has put together to capitalize on the void that was left behind(though GolTV still has something). On a side note, EWS is a walking corpse these days - they are showing some docu-highlights of old World Cups (98 and 2002 were the ones i saw flipping over to it this weekend) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 The host was awful, the colour guy was boring and at times unintelligible (I love accents but his brogue was a little thick even for me) and, although it pains me to say this, Kara was so stilted she reminded me of Craig Forrest's "Plastic Man" early days as a commentator. And all she got to do were fluff pieces of her reading tweets! The host is Brendan Dunlop of the Score's soccer shows. I have usually enjoyed Bobby McMahon's analyses from his time at FSWC so I'm happy to see him back on a more regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 The host is Brendan Dunlop of the Score's soccer shows. When he was on those shows did he always appear to be about to burst into a giggle fit and possibly intoxicated or is this a new thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 When he was on those shows did he always appear to be about to burst into a giggle fit and possibly intoxicated or is this a new thing? Perhaps the loyal, hardcore fans of the the Score's soccer programming on TV or internet will disagree, but this is a step up in exposure for Dunlop in terms of broader audience, so maybe it's first day jitters? (I didn't really watch this episode as I was in the process of leaving the house). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 ^ Too be fair both he and Kara seemed very nervous and uncomfortable with what appears to be a new format. I have not watched another episode yet but hopefully it will be better. By then the "Holy crap they gave us a TV show" vibe will have worn off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amacpher Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 ^ Too be fair both he and Kara seemed very nervous and uncomfortable with what appears to be a new format. I have not watched another episode yet but hopefully it will be better. By then the "Holy crap they gave us a TV show" vibe will have worn off. It is already better than the old FSR. As I mentioned in the other thread: 1) the show appears to be filmed live. Thus, they are able to show highlights of games played earlier that night (last night they showed highlights of FAS v Houston which ended only 5 minutes before the Fox Soccer News show began). 2) the first 10 minutes of the second half-hour isn't an exact repeat of the first 10 minutes of the show. 3) less filler-material, such as the "classic match" , "top saves/goals of the week", etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 It is already better than the old FSR. As I mentioned in the other thread: Other thread? Sorry missed that. I gave it another try last night and Dunlop was a little better, still coming across a bit like a snake-oil salesman and Kara and the Scot were nowhere to be seen. I never watched FSR and will probably not watch this new show after last night. I think mostly I cannot stand the American-style of the show which seems to try to be a soccer version of Monday Night Football coverage. I like watching highlights and some commentary. I have almost zero interest in watching a bunch of talking heads share their "insights" and have a debate over meaningless routine games while sitting in a set that looks like a trade show booth. I'm sure it appeals to the kids but I'm not impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob.notenboom Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Other thread? Sorry missed that. I gave it another try last night and Dunlop was a little better, still coming across a bit like a snake-oil salesman and Kara and the Scot were nowhere to be seen. I never watched FSR and will probably not watch this new show after last night. I think mostly I cannot stand the American-style of the show which seems to try to be a soccer version of Monday Night Football coverage. I like watching highlights and some commentary. I have almost zero interest in watching a bunch of talking heads share their "insights" and have a debate over meaningless routine games while sitting in a set that looks like a trade show booth. I'm sure it appeals to the kids but I'm not impressed. Considering the show is in its infancy, it might be worthwhile to give it another chance. Considering this is the first week that it has been on, I thought it went off pretty well. I agree that Kara Lang is a bit stiff but I suspect this will get better with time. Also, I have found Thomas Rongen's comments over the last couple of nights to be insightful and well put. He seems fairly natural in front of camera and enthusiastic. My one knock on him is that he seems to look slightly off camera (teleprompter?) ... it is a bit obvious and throws me off. On Bobby McMahon, I will admit I was an FSR junkie and so have been listening to and reading his stuff for many years. I think he gives great commentary actually. If you can get past the accent he rarely puts a foot wrong (IMHO). Finally, on the old FSR, on slow nights they used to reprise the entire first half hour in the show during the second half hour. That got to be a bit much, but that is now why I have a PVR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amacpher Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I never watched FSR and will probably not watch this new show after last night. I think mostly I cannot stand the American-style of the show which seems to try to be a soccer version of Monday Night Football coverage. I like watching highlights and some commentary. I have almost zero interest in watching a bunch of talking heads share their "insights" and have a debate over meaningless routine games while sitting in a set that looks like a trade show booth. I don't know how that gets classified as "American style". If anything, its "BBC/Match-of-the-Day style". American style I would say is described as lots of highlights, presenting tables of meaningless statistics, 1 or 2 athlete profiles and almost zero analysis of individual games. Personally I prefer a mix of highlights and analysis. If you missed a match you can't really get a good idea of how it went just by looking at highlights or listening to biased interviews with the players & managers. That's why I like Bobby McMahon's analysis. After he is done providing his insight, I feel like a have a good grasp of what took place during a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red card Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 It's not American a la Sportcentre where it's mostly about highlights of which many are picked for their visual attractiveness rather than having an meaning impact on the game in question. And analysis largely amounts to top 10 lists and "insider" panel talk. It might look more flashy than the old FSWR as it is now HD and the set actually is an improvement over the small studio in Winnipeg. Lang is a bit off since she is inexperienced and is probably the most American about the program - hire a woman for looks over broadcasting skills and knowledge base. Bobby is a good carryover from the old FSWR and Rongen was surprisingly witty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Lang is a bit off since she is inexperienced and is probably the most American about the program - hire a woman for looks over broadcasting skills and knowledge base. Makes you wonder if Kaylyn Kyle will be the next recruit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Tried watching it again. Still comes across like a college fraternity cable show. I couldn't even sit through the pomposity of Eric Wynalda et al going over the same game that already been covered twice on the same program (top and bottom of the hour). At least they didn't repeat the entire first ten minutes of the program I suppose. Shave 1/2 hour off the program, dump the yank panel and you could make something of this. I could see Brendan, Kara and Jock McGlasgow eventually being a watchable team for a half hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSoccerFan Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I'd prefer a show that is a more casual discussion with sofas because these tend to result in a more interesting conversation. The Score did the best job of this when they had the sunday morning EPL rights. They'd have TFC players and various coaches and guests on the sofa each week in a casual atmosphere. It was worth watching. The handcuffed environment of one guest and one host having to look at the right camera all the time just stifles everything. Obviously highlights are a big part of the show but for the discussion part it should be more casual. With Brendan Dunlop, I thought he was great at The Score because he was in his element. Now that he's gotta be the straightfaced guy in a suit it'll take him some time to adjust. As for Kara Lang? I get she's learning and all but it's impossible to take her seriously with the excessive mispronounciations and exposed tattoos. She just reaks of amateurism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtlfan Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 .................As for Kara Lang? I get she's learning and all but it's impossible to take her seriously with the excessive mispronounciations and exposed tattoos. She just reaks of amateurism. It's beyond me how women spend a fortune on hair and make-up and then disfigure themselves permanently. Clare Rustad is also a rookie and is way ahead of Kara. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob.notenboom Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Makes you wonder if Kaylyn Kyle will be the next recruit. She will go into the TSN 'stable of honies' I think they call it. Actually I shouldn't be so crass. Everyone of them can hold their own from a broadcasting perspective and aren't nervous or unnatural in front of the camera. Still, I wonder about the hiring practices that turn up that complement of female broadcasters. Great new Onion headline: TSN to Hire First 'Ugly Chick' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Great new Onion headline: TSN to Hire First 'Ugly Chick' LOL! Featuring Nick Kypreos in drag! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob.notenboom Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 LOL! Featuring Nick Kypreos in drag! Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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