Monaco Diamond League, 20.7.12

[Laps]

My Mute button is wearing out.

To have those two twerps wittering on about nothing whilst field events and most of a Womens 3000m passed by completely ignored in the background was a crime against sport.

[ldnbloke]

Despite being patriotic bout team GB I may have to resort to Eurosport and Tim Hutchings or doing the usual ( Eurosport while they're reviewing a race or the nth time including a repetitive review of athletes' muscles in heats whist competition is happening , Tim Hutchings and Steve Cram commentated races with channel hopping).
Edwards is even worse as a field events commentator / hasn't got a clue bout any of the athletes as he doesn't follow athletics. Instead of being a legend he's turned into an unprecedented embarrassment .

[SteveK26]

Wonderful run from Willis. Proved that his world medal was no fluke.
Issi wont make the mistake of coming in at 4-70 in London.
Holly looks capable of going back into the 4-80's, but the event is so difficult to predict. Any one of 4 or five could win in London, depends on who finds their rhythm.
Rooney is disappointing at the moment, after such a promising start to the season. He'll need to find some form from somewhere if he wants to make the final...which looks unlikely.
Osagie is so very consistent at the moment, I feel he may go sub 1-44 this season.

[trickstat]

So it is possible for non Africans to run sub 8.10, but our steeplechasers are so way off even 8.15..

Yes I remember Mark Rowland. To be honest, if we want to see a Brit break 8.15, I think some of our better 1500 and/or 5000 runners will have to have a good go at the event.

[iain]

Plus Osagie gave up well before the line.

[AEW]

Have been driven to emailing the BBC sports editors about the level to which their athletics coverage has sunk. There is something far wrong when my heart sinks to hear that the coverage is on mainstream TV rather than the red button.

Suspect they won't care having lost athletics coverage to Channel 4 who showed huge improvements from one championship to the next.

[greenie1982]

My understanding is during the Olympics that you will just be able to stream it live - if I have got that right? Much prefer that then replays

[Kermit]

My Mute button is wearing out.

To have those two twerps wittering on about nothing whilst field events and most of a Womens 3000m passed by completely ignored in the background was a crime against sport.

To be fair to Mork and Mindy the IAAF feed didn't show the whole of the 3k as they were showing some of the field events!

Have been driven to emailing the BBC sports editors about the level to which their athletics coverage has sunk. There is something far wrong when my heart sinks to hear that the coverage is on mainstream TV rather than the red button.

Suspect they won't care having lost athletics coverage to Channel 4 who showed huge improvements from one championship to the next.

They (BBC) won't care what you or I or anybody else thinks. The next 3 Diamond League meets will be on mainstream tv, they have the DL for the next 5 years, they get the World Championships back in 2015 and they are the Olympic channel until 2020.

My understanding is during the Olympics that you will just be able to stream it live - if I have got that right? Much prefer that then replays

There is a thread (Olympics and the BBC) which will tell you most of how you can watch the games including the facebook ap

[2012girl]

Suspect they won't care having lost athletics coverage to Channel 4 who showed huge improvements from one championship to the next.

You're right about them taking no notice but C4 only have the right to next years world champs then then the BBC have them back again and they've also won the rights for the olympics until 2020.

Colin gets worse and worse, standing there grinning and nodding like a halfwit. He's never been off the TV since he retired so you'd think he'd be used to being in front of a camera but a more inept pundit I've yet to see. It's cringeworthy listening to him blithering on with all this 'indeed' and 'him/herself' nonsense.

[alex800]

So it is possible for non Africans to run sub 8.10, but our steeplechasers are so way off even 8.15..

Yes I remember Mark Rowland. To be honest, if we want to see a Brit break 8.15, I think some of our better 1500 and/or 5000 runners will have to have a good go at the event.

When you think about it, it`s a real opportunity gone begging. We have a bumper crop of second-tier 5000m runners who could probably have made the transition to steeplechasing - rangy, strong runners like Nick McCormick, Rory Fraser and Andy Vernon, to name three. All quicker over the five than Lemoncello, and, remember, he got down to 8:22. None of our best current chasers can crack 14 minutes and 8:29 is the ticket to a British vest these days. Methinks some runners ought to be kicking themselves or if not practising their hurdling technique.

[taffy]

Suspect they won't care having lost athletics coverage to Channel 4 who showed huge improvements from one championship to the next.

You're right about them taking no notice but C4 only have the right to next years world champs then then the BBC have them back again and they've also won the rights for the olympics until 2020.

Colin gets worse and worse, standing there grinning and nodding like a halfwit. He's never been off the TV since he retired so you'd think he'd be used to being in front of a camera but a more inept pundit I've yet to see. It's cringeworthy listening to him blithering on with all this 'indeed' and 'him/herself' nonsense.

"No two ways about it"

[SteveK26]

To be fair to Jackson and Edwards, they are not the producers. They have to talk and analyse on cue; someone else is making decisions about the pictures and coverage you are receiving.
Crams job is much easier, ie he can throw in astute observations as they come to him, (as opposed to someone whispering ''say something clever'' in his ear.

[Kermit]

To be fair to Jackson and Edwards, they are not the producers. They have to talk and analyse on cue; someone else is making decisions about the pictures and coverage you are receiving.
Crams job is much easier, ie he can throw in astute observations as they come to him, (as opposed to someone whispering ''say something clever'' in his ear.

There is no need whatsoever for the BBC to be spending money on sending Mork and Mindy or anyone else to these events as the IAAF feed is far superior. By doing so they actually miss events because they are too busy either chatting to each other or trying to get needless interviews or showing needless tapes of interviews.

We have all witnessed the IAAF feed in full effect and if you are like me it leaves you exhilarated and sometimes breathless as the action is non stop.

[Rapunzel1975]

To be fair to Jackson and Edwards, they are not the producers. They have to talk and analyse on cue; someone else is making decisions about the pictures and coverage you are receiving.
Crams job is much easier, ie he can throw in astute observations as they come to him, (as opposed to someone whispering ''say something clever'' in his ear.

There is no need whatsoever for the BBC to be spending money on sending Mork and Mindy or anyone else to these events as the IAAF feed is far superior. By doing so they actually miss events because they are too busy either chatting to each other or trying to get needless interviews or showing needless tapes of interviews.

We have all witnessed the IAAF feed in full effect and if you are like me it leaves you exhilarated and sometimes breathless as the action is non stop.

If they insist on the talking and showing video interviews, they should just start the programme earlier like football.

[jeremy1]

I can hardly recall more useless blather than we get from the two Beeb presenters JE and CJ, the latter being so awful that the Producers love him; but what does the producer know about track and field?? God knows whats in store for us in the OG with their pointless nothingness in two weeks time.

Hope Johnson brings a bit of sense to the presenting.

The argument at the Beeb is the man/woman in the street knows nothing about track so needs the endless repetition of facts and the utter banalities of Jackson, in particular. How sad ?

[boysen]

Would it not be correct to say that our "man in the street" is interested in action rather then chat. If he wants chat there ai chat there is plenty on the radio. Our MITS is casually keen on track, does NOT go to track meets but will watch top class athletes in action. He is not over concerned about what happened in New York or Zurich last week. He knows the names of the very best and his primary concern is to watch these guys NOW. His superficial interest can be covered by a brief bio on each of the leading aspirants and then Crammy on the action. Its obviously to simple for Auntie to comprehend.
Of course they can spend a couple of hundred thousand with a survey company...

[mump boy]

He man on the street isn't even watching BBC 3 on a friday evening. No one but big track fans are watching and this patronising crap has got to stop. Flump and i mentioned this on passing to Steve Cram in Daegu last year and got a 10 minute lecture about track being a dying sport and having to appeal to the masses etc. We obviously touched a nerve !!

Lord Rieth was turning in his grave

[Ursus]

Rooney is disappointing at the moment, after such a promising start to the season. He'll need to find some form from somewhere if he wants to make the final...which looks unlikely.
Osagie is so very consistent at the moment, I feel he may go sub 1-44 this season.

Agreed on Rooney. Last couple of years have generally been very disappointing. Hopefully he'll confound the form book in London.....may have some thinking to do if he doesn't.

Didn't see Osagie's race. Good time, but the 800 is one of the track events that's moved on. All ten finishers sub 1.45....surely a first?

[boysen]

Presumably the BBC have some sort of formula for calculating how many watch Friday night track. If it as as few as is suggested then it will come off if not then they surely are considering how to present it to attract more viewers?

[mump boy]

Presumably the BBC have some sort of formula for calculating how many watch Friday night track. If it as as few as is suggested then it will come off if not then they surely are considering how to present it to attract more viewers?

Just a thought but they might try advertising it !!