Rodney Marsh

[hopalong]

How stupid is this man?  Just weeks after over 100 thousand lost thier lives in the tsunami disaster he had to make a sick joke. Referring to Newcastle as the Toon army in asia.   Sky did right to sack him and I hope he never works in television or radio again

[Mowbray]

I didn't hear anything about this. What is the story?

[jills]

I must admit, as a long time fan of Soccer Saturday, Rodneys constant need to be controversial or stir things up has began to grate.  He used to be quite funny, but often theese days he just contradicts himself and is argumentative for the sake of it.  Stupid, stupid thing to do, and I'm sure he regrets it, but such is life................

[jills]

Mowbray...check out any of todays tabloids or Sky News for a bit more on this....but the gist of it is as hopalong says....he apparently referred to Newcastle as the Toon Army of Asia.....and despite his colleague clearly cringing, Rodney chuckled at his own 'humour'.

[Mowbray]

I think that comment is disgusting. He should have more consideration and tact when he speaks.  I am only please that the idiot got sacked!

[jills]

check out the question on People and Places........

[cardboard]

Im going to take the opposite side to most people here. Personally, I think Sky over-reacted by sacking him. It was a light hearted joke, thats all. OK, some people might not have found it funny (I did, but I first heard it weeks ago), but that doesnt mean you have to be offended by it.

[luckyboy]

I can see what you are saying, and i hate the over reaction in the media like the next man, but on this occasion i agree with the critics, like billy connollys crass and shocking so called joke about ken bigley i find no humour in peoples suffering especially when like on this occasion 220, 000 people lost their lives, marsh has always been a smug sod, and its about time he is taken down a peg or two.i like my comedy dark and controversial, but that does not include making fun out of human suffering. 

[cardboard]

Dont get me wrong, I cant stand Rodney Marsh and look forward to never having to listen to the drivelling eejit on Soccer Saturday again. But I dont think he was making fun of the people who died, it was simply a joke based around a play on words. If the tsunami had destroyed an uninhabited island, would you have found it funny?

[greenday]

I think what he said was along the lines of ...David Beckham will not be joining Newcastle because he heard about the terrible Toon Army in Asia... It was on the bbc news website earlier, but they appear to have removed the exact quote.

He was stupid to say it, but I'm not convinced it warranted a sacking. If Sky did this everytime one of their pundits said something stupid or offensive, then Jeff Stelling would probably be on his own every Saturday. There is no comparison with Ron Atkinson or Prince Harry in my opinion, though it's a pity we couldn't sack him too!

[jills]

I'd agree it probably didn't warrant a sacking, but Rodney has said he understands Skys position on this matter. Like others, I heard the joke some days ago and the play on words was mildly humourous (and the only thing it makes fun of is Vapid Beckham), but there is a difference in what we can smile about in private, and what we can say/laugh at on telly.  That's just common sense.  Since no one will apparently miss him from our screens...maybe we should just be thankful that he's gone!

[Weaza_cfc]

I think his comment is more offensive to Beckham than anything else; and no one really cares about that! Howvever, he should have though before he spoke; he would have known he would get a mixed reaction.

[luckyboy]

'' If the tsunami had destroyed an uninhabited island, would you have found it funny?''

But thats the point it didnt and we are talking about a disaster that happened just a few weeks ago so to make a football joke based on that tsunami is crude and insensitive to say the least, which marsh has always been, i never saw the programme but am told that the presenter knew instantly the blunder and apologised straight away .

I'm not saying that i want him banned from tv for life or anything that would be unfair, maybe a suspension would be right, but i can understand fully skys reaction, it maybe did not cause offence to a lot of us but think what the many british friends and relatives of the dead and injured would have thought

 

[hopalong]

So Cardboard you thinks it's ok to have a light hearted joke at over 100k being killed buy a disaser?

[El D]

but its ok to have one about 1 person being killed? Or one person suffering? Or any kind of racial/ethnic stereotyping? Humour is a coping mechanism, and tbh if we start over reacting at poor taste its a sad time.  People really need to develop some emotional maturity if they find this joke offensive because they are coming across as very childlike. Bad things happen and we need to smile . . .

[Dark Angel]

I disagree. If it was your mother, father, wife/husband brother, sister son, daughter - you wouldn't feel like smiling. Also its not childish to react to humour directed at human suffering. Its not like someone made fun of your car or clothes or shoes, these are human beings we are talking about. Some people have lost their whole family, and their homes, and are left destitute. Is that something to smile about? I don't think so. 

[El D]

So you've never laughed at how stupid blondes are, or how bad women drivers are, or how fat people eat to much, or how thin Ethiopians are, or jokes involving road accidents or emotional trauma or dead people? The point is most humour is based on human suffering - it allows us to cope. To me, the singling out of one particular disaster merely because of the scale involved and its massive news coverage is slightly hypocritical. If you look at most topical jokes they will offend or ridicule, why is this in particular unacceptable? It smacks of moral 'high-groundism' to me whilst revealing the fact that they are hypocrites. It may have been inappropriate but an apology would have sufficed.

[cardboard]

Yes hopalong, I do think its OK to have a light-hearted joke about it. the key is in the phrase 'light-hearted'. Like El D says, most of our humour is based on suffering or prejudice

[Mr.Ix]

I think Rodney has a case for unfair dismissal, based on the fact that his colleague Frank McClintock said something equally in poor taste only months before and he is still in Skys employ.  That said, I'm glad he's gone. I can't stand him on Soccer Saturday

[FP]

Once again, I agree with El D.  It is becoming a habit!  I can't say any more than El D or cardboard have said. 

[OBonio]

Whilst not a fan of football I do think that this is just another extension of the 'nanny state'.  Sky obviously think they'll get a flood of complaints from liberal do gooders without a thought for the intelligent people who didn't take offence at a stupid throw away comment.  Yes, Marsh should apologise, but he shouldn't lose his job over it.