[Archived] Big Ron Forced To Resign

[Jordan]

Look at that vizzog - how can anyone not find that boat race funny?

After the Totti incident he's an idiot if he's been caught like that again. Sheer unprofessionalism while he is working. It may have been off-camera but he was still representing the company at that moment and should have acted accordingly.

What Totti incident?

[thenodrog]

I don't think anyone here's sticking up for Desailly, Gordon. But Ron was out of order, simple as that. He could have easily have said what he said* without using the word "nigger" and still got his point across. But he didn't and he's got his comeupance. Personally I'll miss his 'Ron-isms' but at least its one Scum fan off the telly.

*(is "said what he said" something akin to a double negative I wonder? )

>Post-Edit

And here begineth brfcs.com Racial Debate No. 549

I dont think that I am sticking up for Ron either Rad, but imo the worse indiscretion of the two incidents last night was Desailly's.

Maybe I have the wrong handle on this but in the eyes of a true professional the most hurtful and damning of the three words considering the importance of the game should rightly be 'lazy'!

Lets not forget that at the start of this season Desailly claimed that he had never given 100% of his effort for Chelsea! I pointed out in here at the time that if I was Ranieri I would immedietely adjust his salary accordingly in the light of his shameful admission. Daft sod he may be but like me I think Big Ron would have struggled to come to terms with that attitude in a player.

[FourLaneBlue]

Jordan - During half time in a Champions League game Ron thought (not for the last time) that his voice was no longer being broadcast. It was though to quite a few countries. Ron then went on to say, among other things, "He actually looks a little t**t, that Totti" and some other things.

It would have been much funnier if Ron had been caught with some actual totty, maybe in a hotel room while explaining to them what a 'lollipop' is but alas it never happened. Ronisms could have been used in the saucy headlines as well. "Big Ron had more tricks in bed than an Amusement Arcade". "Big Ron gave me an, if you like, double stepover, before using good penetration in the box."

Stay away from his footwear though if it is white. Ron once said "His white boots were on fire against Arsenal, and he'll be looking for them to reproduce tonight". I mean... I've heard some people have a foot fetish but that's ridiculous.

Edited April 21, 2004 by FourLaneBlue

[Paul]

Atkinson was on a re-run of Room 101 last night. Some of his remarks went to underline his real personality as do the Desailly remarks. The man is a fool, knows nothing and lives off a nothing reputation. Good riddance. You can only hide so much for so long.

[Manchester Blue]

I see that you obviously missed the match MB. I suggest you watch a re-run of Desailly elbowing Morientes. All this other stuff is just a case of sticks and stones mate, words no matter how offensive they are viewed are not as dangerous as that assault with his elbow.

I don't need to see a re-run as I watched the game on Tueasday. I honestly can't see how anything that Desailly did can have any bearing whatsoever on what 'Big Ron' said. If he had kicked the fella square in the knackers I still wouldn't condone calling him a 'nigger' and never will. It is not acceptable and it is not in any way being politically correct to suggest that it is unacceptable.

[Nayef]

Well no surprises there. He admit he said those words and now he's off to knock on Old Trafford's door to see what sort of employment they can rustle up for him (after his services to the club all these past years)

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[northernrover]

What a complete tit!!!

As if he had any chance of getting away with saying things like that.

Is the joke of a man brain dead?

I can't imagine for one minute that there isn't 1 single member of the ITV production team, or someone with maybe only minimal involvement in the show, that isn't of African origin.

It would be bad enough having his colleague hear his "unsavoury" comments, let alone half the world.

Good Riddance

You were a ###### and biased pundit anyway.

[Rovermatt]

There's a good story emerging over Ron Atkinson, who has had to resign from ITV Sport after making an off-air racist comment following last night’s game between Chelsea and Monaco.

Apparently, the words "Desailly", "nigger", "useless" and "f*****" were used, though not necessarily in that order.

What a tit.

He's useless anyway.

[Rovermatt]

I wonder what Desailly most think

I doubt Desailly cares. The man's a multi-millionaire and a French international legend. He's won the European Cup, World Cup and European Championships. A United-supporting buffon like Atkinson shouldn't even feature on his radar.

[Rovermatt]

I see that you obviously missed the match MB.  I suggest you watch a re-run of Desailly elbowing Morientes.  All this other stuff is just a case of sticks and stones mate,  words no matter how offensive they are viewed are not as dangerous as that assault with his elbow.

Theno, there's no doubt Desailly's elbowing incident was serious and he should be reprimanded by UEFA accordingly (I'm sure he won't be though ) but Atkinson's slur is both slanderous and highly distasteful. There is no way ITV could or should have allowed him to continue as an employee.

Edited April 22, 2004 by Rovermatt

[broadsword]

I always liked Big Ron, always thought he was a top bloke.

He's made a very silly error of judgement. I'm certainly shocked that he said it, didn't think he had it in him.

I'm sure there's a few more in football capable of that language, they're just more guarded with what they say.

What a sad end to a commentating career. He always livened things up for me with his little aphorisms, but there was no way he could stay on.

How predictable that the anti-Man Yoo brigade are out in force.

[Dan Furness]

Good Riddens

Always has, and will, talk ****

The ex-girlfriend's dad used to watch itv with sound off and i asked why

'cos atkinson is a ****** tool and talks ******* rubbish'

[northernrover]

AN APOLOGY

I think maybe we were all a little too quick to judge Big Ron.

Maybe we shoud start a reinstatement petition.

This just released from Chelsea Press Office.

Desailly Quits In Big Ron Row

French legend Marcel Desailly's football career is over after an amazing six letter outburst directed at TV pundit Big 'Ron' Atkinson.

The Chelsea centre back stunned ITV viewers with a tirade against Atkinson during Tuesday night's live coverage of his side's Champions

league semi-final defeat in Monaco.

With the game slipping away from Chelsea in the second half, Desailly was clearly seen to mouth a derogatory statement about Atkinson.

Desailly called Atkinson 'Cheap Orange Trash' and a 'Fake Tan Chunky Boy' before laying out Fernando Morientes with a casually misplaced elbow to the head.

Pressure groups were last night up in arms over Desailly's comments.

The South Florida Orange Growers' Association called the outburst 'A blatant attempt to demonise all things orangey' and a spokesperson

for Outspan added that 'This was fruitism of the very worst kind which leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, unlike our consistently juicy and delicious products.'

Atkinson himself was unavailable for comment as he was holed up in a tanning booth with six kilos of jewellery and a karaoke machine.

But a contrite Desailly issued the following statement: "I made a stupid statement which I regret.

"It left me no option but to resign. At the moment I can't believe I did it. It was just a moment of stupidity.

"I was very frustrated during the game because I thought Cheslea could have won. I regret making the comments and I apologise to anyone I may have offended.

"If you look at my track record as a player, I was one of the first in the game to give oranges a chance, especially at half time."

Desailly's manager, Claudio Ranieri, confirmed that he had received a letter of resignation from Marcel.

It is understood that he then turned it into a plane and then a hat and then a paper chain.

[T4E]

"If you look at my track record as a player, I was one of the first in the game to give oranges a chance, especially at half time."

Brilliant

[AlanK]

Well, I for one used to enjoy his bizarre phrases. It certainly bought a different edge to commentary. I can`t condone what he said but can we all stop from going overboard. Get the cotton wool again I think...

[The Producer]

Good riddance I say. Racism has no place in football, plus his so called apologies seem to consist of a quick sorry and then lots of attempts to say it wasn't really a big deal and also that the phrase just popped out of nowhere and he'd never said it ever before. What rubbish.

Big Ron had a good turn of phrase - that's ok for Xmas cards, but unfortunately he's the worst analyst ever to be given a regular job spouting nonsense for an entire 90 mins (rather than being in the studio - he has plenty of competion at ITV for that one).

[tucker]

I just hope for Atkinsons sake the masses don't take the moral high ground-holier than tou attitude, and start slating him.

The guys made a big mistake, I'm sure he knows that more than anyone and obviously regrets it big time, but some of the stuff I have read, admittedly in the tabloids, regarding Atkinson is ridiculous.

One outburst dosen't make him a racist, and I just hope that this incident dosn't give redundant scribes the chance to tarnish football with the racist brush again, lets face it slagging football has been flavour of the year for many 'journalists'.

[The Producer]

One outburst dosen't make him a racist, and I just hope that this incident dosn't give redundant scribes the chance to tarnish football with the racist brush again, lets face it slagging football has been flavour of the year for many 'journalists'.

Hopefully journalists will view this as a Ron Atkinson thing rather than a football thing.

I don't think we can really criticise journalists for slagging off footballers this year though as there's been a lot of dodgy incidents. Footballers earn incredible amounts of money and endorsements based on their celebrity, which they take full advantage of - it's a double edged sword really, and those who've been exposed in the press have probably earned a million this year (a decent amount of it from the fans' pockets) so I'm sure they'll survive. Also, the tabloids tend to focus on those footballers who don't exactly hide from the public eye, rather than those who keep themselves to themselves.

[American]

I don't think we can really criticise journalists for slagging off footballers this year though as there's been a lot of dodgy incidents.

I missed the d for a while and thought you were talking about Stan...

[The Producer]

I don't think we can really criticise journalists for slagging off footballers this year though as there's been a lot of dodgy incidents.

I missed the d for a while and thought you were talking about Stan...

[blue phil]

but Atkinson's slur is both slanderous and highly distasteful. There is no way ITV could or should have allowed him to continue as an employee.

Hardly slanderous , Matt - he was talking to himself (or so he thought) .

I wonder how many times I'd have been sacked at work if my every comment had been broadcast to all and sundry........Let he without sin.....

[broadsword]

Like that scene in The Naked Gun where the bloke goes for a jimmy, and his mike's still on!

[FourLaneBlue]

I wonder how many times I'd have been sacked at work if my every comment had been broadcast to all and sundry........Let he without sin.....

Ron resigned, there was no sacking. Today he has been quoted as saying that he realised that what he said was unacceptable and realised himself his position would be untenable.

I'd maybe have sympathy with your thought "if my every comment had been broadcast to all and sundry" regarding Ron if his job wasn't, in actual fact, broadcasting to all and sundry.

[The1mattjansen]

The guy has always been a crap pundit and useless manc. But i think theres got to be a place for freedom of speach nowadays. Racism is a very one-way subject, and the morale high ground appears so easy to take against any slanderous white person. People are entitled to their opinion, but granted, Big ron may not have gone about it in the right manner.

THE ROVERS

[adopted scouser]

Over reaction if you ask me. If Ron says nigger it's regarded as racist, if Sam Jackson calls Ving Rhames nigger it's a term of endearment.

I'm no big fan of Ron's, but he's apologised and that should be the end of it.

Nanny state.