How awful are RTE's panellists?

[Charlie Darwin]

Not their style of play, but the areas of the pitch in which they're playing. Holland's fouls didn't really disrupt many attacking moves - they were niggly but that was all they were. Heitinga's second yellow and Ramos' yellow were fully deserved because they stopped attacking moves in progress, but there weren't very many more of those incidents.

I need to stop editing this, but to relate it to RTE/BBC etc. I just disagree on a basic level with the "Holland are a bunch of destroyers" analysis that Giles and Brady in particular have been going on about since the Brazil match. The implication seems to be that had the Dutch been less willing to put the boot in that Spain would have unleashed all of their attacking potential when the evidence of the tournament as a whole is that Spain will play the same cautious, probing game regardless of the opposition.

[seand]

Nice to see RTE have let the Apres Match team run the studio for the 3rd Place Playoff again. Of course, when they allowed Dermot Morgan to do this in 1986 he annoyed Dunphy so much that he refused to appear on the panel for a couple of years afterwards. I'm sure Eamon has matured a little bit since then though..... maybe.


Am I the only person in Ireland who doesn't 'get' Apres Match? I admit the impersonations are spot on, but there's nothing funny, nothing satirical, nothing original in it.

[geysir]

Apres Match is as tired a formula as the panel, flogging a dead horse of originality in most of the skits, so much so that they do have to do takes on adverts and British /Sky TV and recycle them every other day.
There was an ace skit somewhere around the 3rd or 4th one and the last one raised a hearty laugh.

[OwlsFan]

Am I the only person in Ireland who doesn't 'get' Apres Match? I admit the impersonations are spot on, but there's nothing funny, nothing satirical, nothing original in it.

I went to see the show last night in the Mill Theatre in Dundrum. They do a great Martin O'Neill. Good entertainment. Not side splitting stuff but enjoyable nonetheless. Impersonators just mimic their targets and exaggerate their idiosyncrasies. There isn't supposed to be anything original in it.

[irishultra]

terrible. i never watch analysis anyway its just a waste of time. i know more about football than any of them.

[Charlie Darwin]

Clearly.

[Stuttgart88]

I watched the final in Ireland and thought Dunphy was OTT in his criticism of Webb, calling him a clown. I thought he could have handled things better, but was ultimtely put in an impossible situation by some of the players.

Anyway, regardless of all that, I thought Dunphy's comment, elegantly put, that football is facing a "crisis of authority" was bang on. Both on (lack of respect for referees, cheating) and off the pitch (Blatter, FIFA, technology, obstinacy regarding even considering rule reviews, poor refereeing, poor national and international regulation).

[Charlie Darwin]

Well it's as much a cup final for Dunphy as it is for anyone on the pitch. It only happens once every four years and you can be guaranteed he's going to go over the top to make sure people talk about him.