A letter to the BBC Match of the Day team

Dear Match of the Day team,

The BBC's Match of the Day was a staple of any football crazy person growing up. In the days before wall to wall coverage of live games, it was the only way to see any action from a game if you were unable to be there yourself. It was also a show where the presenters and commentators gave very little away of their allegiances for a specific team.

That all changed with the arrival of Gary Lineker. For once we had a presenter who had played the beautiful game at the very highest level. He knew the game better than anyone who'd been in the gig before. Gary's arrival also saw a line of pundits who'd also played the game at a high level. For the football fan this was a great idea on the face of it, but unfortunately it presented an unforeseen problem: bias.

A succession of pundits over the years have given their views, some better than others, but most have come from long careers at one particular club. Some have more or less succeeded in being impartial, but increasingly others don't even pretend to be impartial.

Showing your support for your team is OK, but it must not colour your judgement when it comes to your analysis. You must remember that not everyone watching has the same level of attachment or club affiliation as you. If it comes across as being too sycophantic, it's not a good watch. 

What's also clear is that most pundits have associations with the "big six" clubs. Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City players feature heavily, as do other big clubs like Newcastle. Do former players from Bournemouth and Brighton not also know their stuff?

Things have got a little better recently with the likes of former goalkeepers Shay Given and Joe Hart. They provide a interesting perspective from the golden boot club of Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, and Gary Lineker himself. Throw in Alex Scott, Dion Dublin, and the excellent Kelly Somers, and you've a DEI policy to make Donald Trump smart. That's a good thing by the way!

Going back to our Gary, there's a lot I like about his presenting style. Yes his love of Leicester can get a bit tiresome, but he can laugh at himself. That was evident when he followed up his promise to present in his underwear if Leicester won the Premier League. He's not afraid to speak his mind on matters he believes are important to draw attention to, and been treated very harshly by BBC management at times as a result.

That brings me back to the issue of bias and impartiality. The controversy over the government's immigration policy was a storm in a teacup. Should he have said what he said? That depends largely on whether you agreed with what he said. Personally I think he had every right to speak out. After all it was on a public platform that had nothing to do with his BBC job. I just wish the cringing bias we regularly see for the big clubs from the programme's presenters and pundits was toned down a few notches.

So over to you team. The arrival of Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman, and Gabby Logan next season is an excellent team to change a few things. Kelly and Mark in particular are great presenters, and Gabby, although a tough watch at times, stands her ground. Let's have the likes of some non-Premier League pundits occasionally. It's time for the old order to make way for some new ideas.

Surprise: Gaelic isn't the Irish language

What do you call the Irish language? Here's a clue. It's not Gaelic or Irish. 

Whilst folk in the UK may realise there is an Irish language, they may not realise there's also a Scotish one. In fact there are more than one. Gaelic is the collective term for languages and dialects spoken by the Gaels and Celtic highlanders in Scotland, but also by Celts in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Scottish highlands.

The Irish form of Gaelic, or Gaeilge as it's referred to in the Irish language, is closely aligned to the Celt language spoken in the western highlands of Scotland. What is more commonly known as Scots Gaelic is the spoken elsewhere in Scotland. The languages are similar, but have diverged and diversified over the centuries into their own distinct dialect. 

To confuse matters even further, Welsh isn't considered a Celtic language despite the Welsh being Celts. Welsh is closely related to Breton. In fact most Welsh speakers wouldn't be able to understand a native Gaeilge speaker, and vice-versa.

These two forms of Gaelic are distinct and different, belonging to different sub-groups of the Gaelic tongue. Today there are six distinct Gaelic languages:

• Breton: Spoken mainly is parts of north western France (Normandy & Brittany).
• Irish: This is still the first language of islanders on some of the remotest parts of the country, and is compulsorily taught in all government funder schools.
• Manx: Spoken in the Isle of Man.
• Scots Gaelic: Not to be confused with Glasgow slang at closing time, this is still spoken in some communities.
• Cornish: Closely related to Breton, you can still find it spoken among locals.
• Welsh: Although similar in some ways to Cornish, it is quite different in others. Their closeness geographically belies their differences.

So don't make the mistake and think Gaelic is all the same. Just like how the UK can call a bread roll a roll, cob, pan, or bap, language and dialects change depending on where you are. Don't take a language for granted. Just remember it is a living thing that changes with the seasons.