Alan Green
Encyclopedia
Alan Green has been a BBC Radio
sports broadcaster/commentator since 1981 on Radio 2, Radio 5 and now Radio 5 Live. He commentates mainly on football, but also covers golf
, rowing
and the Olympic Games
. He was present at the Hillsborough disaster
whilst working as the junior commentary partner to Peter Jones
.
Green describes Macclesfield Town F.C.
as his adopted home team, although Ian Herbert, Football Correspondent for The Independent
, suggests an allegiance to Liverpool F.C.
.
, the manager of Manchester United
, and the pair have not spoken for years. Green said in an interview that the feud dates back to an incident in which he said on air that he was "learning not to believe the propaganda that comes out of the Manchester United manager's office" after he claims he had been given inaccurate team news by Ferguson before a game. In the same interview Green defends his professional impartiality:
"I'm supposed to hate Man United, but listen to my commentary on the 1999 European Cup final in Barcelona and try telling me I hate Man United. It's garbage."
In February 2006, Green was banned from the Reebok Stadium
(home of Bolton Wanderers
) after accusing the team and its manager Sam Allardyce
of playing "ugly" football which he wouldn't pay to watch. Following Allardyce's departure to Newcastle United
, the club and replacement manager Sammy Lee
invited Green back.
In 2005, Green had a dispute with Everton
fans, with an article he wrote for the Irish Examiner
entitled Wake up and smell the coffee, David! The article, suggesting the club manager David Moyes
should be 'dampening expectations, not feeding them', after finishing in 4th place - ahead of Liverpool- in the previous season. Green even received death threats over the article.
Green is reported to have had an ongoing rift with former fellow BBC broadcaster Mark Saggers
, that surfaced in on-air exchanges. The Guardian
cites an occasion in which Green refused to share a flight with Saggers on the way to cover England's World Cup 2010 qualifier against Belarus in Minsk, 2008. Saggers left the BBC to join rival Talksport
at the end of the 2008/9 English Football Season.
in October 2004 after he made a comment deemed in breach of the regulator's Code on Standards live on-air about Manchester United's Cameroon
ian midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba
, implying he may be speaking pidgin
English with the referee.
He had previously described Manchester City
's Chinese
defender Sun Jihai
as wearing shirt "Number 17 -- that'll be the Chicken Chow Mein, then" during a live radio broadcast.
In January 2007, Green was again in hot water on Merseyside
over comments made on Five Live during the Everton v Reading match at Goodison Park
. Film star Sylvester Stallone
was paraded on the pitch, and Green quipped as to whether Stallone's limousine would still have wheels when he returned to it. This prompted an official complaint to the BBC by Liverpool City Council
, upset at his stereotypical views about the city being a hotbed of car crime.
football games Olympic Soccer, Soccer '97, and most recently, PlayStation 2
's Let's Make a Soccer Team.(2006) by SEGA
.
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
sports broadcaster/commentator since 1981 on Radio 2, Radio 5 and now Radio 5 Live. He commentates mainly on football, but also covers golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. He was present at the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
whilst working as the junior commentary partner to Peter Jones
Peter Jones (broadcaster)
Peter Jones was a Welsh-born broadcaster, best known as a sports commentator on BBC radio in the United Kingdom, although many of his commentaries were also broadcast internationally on the BBC World Service...
.
Green describes Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
as his adopted home team, although Ian Herbert, Football Correspondent for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, suggests an allegiance to Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
.
Disputes
Green is known for his outspoken views which occasionally places him in dispute with football clubs, figures and authorities. He has an ongoing "feud" with Sir Alex FergusonAlex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, the manager of Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, and the pair have not spoken for years. Green said in an interview that the feud dates back to an incident in which he said on air that he was "learning not to believe the propaganda that comes out of the Manchester United manager's office" after he claims he had been given inaccurate team news by Ferguson before a game. In the same interview Green defends his professional impartiality:
"I'm supposed to hate Man United, but listen to my commentary on the 1999 European Cup final in Barcelona and try telling me I hate Man United. It's garbage."
In February 2006, Green was banned from the Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium
The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...
(home of Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
) after accusing the team and its manager Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce
Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....
of playing "ugly" football which he wouldn't pay to watch. Following Allardyce's departure to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, the club and replacement manager Sammy Lee
Sammy Lee (footballer)
Samuel "Sammy" Lee is an English football coach and former player. He played most of his career for hometown club Liverpool during the 1970s and 1980s as a midfielder, and also represented England fourteen times....
invited Green back.
In 2005, Green had a dispute with Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
fans, with an article he wrote for the Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner
The Irish Examiner, formerly The Cork Examiner and then The Examiner, is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country...
entitled Wake up and smell the coffee, David! The article, suggesting the club manager David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...
should be 'dampening expectations, not feeding them', after finishing in 4th place - ahead of Liverpool- in the previous season. Green even received death threats over the article.
Green is reported to have had an ongoing rift with former fellow BBC broadcaster Mark Saggers
Mark Saggers
-Early life:He attended the Perse School, Cambridge, 1970–77 and was a keen sportsman representing the school at rugby, hockey, and cricket. As a schoolboy, he was a regular on the Newmarket Road End terrace at Cambridge United Football Club.-Sporting career:...
, that surfaced in on-air exchanges. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
cites an occasion in which Green refused to share a flight with Saggers on the way to cover England's World Cup 2010 qualifier against Belarus in Minsk, 2008. Saggers left the BBC to join rival Talksport
TalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
at the end of the 2008/9 English Football Season.
Complaints
Green was censured by OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
in October 2004 after he made a comment deemed in breach of the regulator's Code on Standards live on-air about Manchester United's Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba
Eric Djemba-Djemba
Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba is a Cameroonian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Danish side Odense BK and the Cameroon national football team. He has previously played club football in France, England and Qatar.-Nantes:...
, implying he may be speaking pidgin
Pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
English with the referee.
He had previously described Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
's Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
defender Sun Jihai
Sun Jihai
Jihai Sun is a Chinese association football player. He is currently playing for Chinese side Inter Xi'an and for the China national football team as a defender or a midfielder....
as wearing shirt "Number 17 -- that'll be the Chicken Chow Mein, then" during a live radio broadcast.
In January 2007, Green was again in hot water on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
over comments made on Five Live during the Everton v Reading match at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
. Film star Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
was paraded on the pitch, and Green quipped as to whether Stallone's limousine would still have wheels when he returned to it. This prompted an official complaint to the BBC by Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Joe Anderson.-Domain:...
, upset at his stereotypical views about the city being a hotbed of car crime.
Appearances in other media
Green provided the commentary for the PlayStationPlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
football games Olympic Soccer, Soccer '97, and most recently, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
's Let's Make a Soccer Team.(2006) by SEGA
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
.