Ian Maxwell had some uncomfortable questions to answer yesterday, especially when Chris McLaughlin of BBC Scotland was asking about the kick-off time for the Scottish Cup Final.
The interview could have been short and sweet since both men knew the exact reasoning for the decision- to suit the scheduling of BBC Scotland.
A 3pm kick-off would have delivered a wholly Scottish audience while the 5.30pm kick off might attract a few stragglers from elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
It seems not to have dawned on Maxwell or McLaughlin that most licence payers can access BBC Scotland from elsewhere just as viewers in Scotland can access the local English editions of the BBC.
Despite the enormous pull and reach of football for the third season running Maxwell has been unable to find a sponsor for the Scottish Cup, the best ties from each round are shown by subscription service Viaplay, massively reducing the potential audience.
Ian Maxwell told government the Scottish Cup final kick-off time was moved to guarantee BBC One shows it UK-wide, and ensure the “visibility of Scottish football’s showpiece occasion.”
But…
In 2022, BBC One outside of Scotland showed Athletics, not our final.
— Grant Russell (@grantrussell_) May 23, 2023
Grant Russell previously worked at STV and Motherwell, he now has a media job with West Ham.
Yesterday McLaughlin went through the motions of presenting an interview of hard hitting questions while completely body swerving the one and only question that answers the whole issue. BBC Scotland dictated the kick-off time to try and get some viewers from south of Gretna.
Steven Thompson will be the face of the BBC’s Scottish Cup Final coverage with a panel of experts selected from Neil McCann, Kenny Miller and Richard Foster with Simon Donnelly expected to bring some balance and sensible analysis.
Watch the @ScottishFA response to the fall out over the #ScottishCupFinal kick off time pic.twitter.com/rH2yW0yuSJ
— Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug) May 22, 2023
What an absolute farce. Classic SFA. Amateur hour. If they just be honest for once? Perfect storm; a Manchester FAC final and up here it’s celtic against a championship side that won’t kick a ball in anger for 3 wks. £70 a pop for the train from Inverness. What a joke. Shameless
— Kevin Stirling??????????? (@KevinStirling83) May 22, 2023
Please tell me you asked him to explain in detail exactly what the external factors were with regards to this specific game!?
— Andrew Brunton (@andrewbru2002) May 22, 2023
Not that the SFA are held in particularly high esteem by your average football supporter, but that’s a particularly unimpressive explanation by Mr Maxwell.
— Aldo Boot (@bikey99) May 22, 2023
Chris, you just said “football with fans is nothing”. WITH. WITH. Bloody hell man.
— Al (@Caley67) May 22, 2023
Why would BBC Scotland shunt the Scottish Cup Final to the BBC Scotland channel rather than BBC 1 Scotland? This reeks of London calling the BBC shots!
— James (@jamesh220279) May 22, 2023
Chris, is it fair to say that BBC was one of the broadcast partners pushing for a change in KO time? Especially given it would clash with the FA Cup final?
— Darren Wood (@darrenjwood) May 22, 2023
What’s the editorial decision behind switching to the groin shot during the interview? pic.twitter.com/GWAU3B0PZZ
— Terry Sheddingham (@sheddingham) May 22, 2023
What was crotch cam all about there ???
— MIKEY (@Celtic1312) May 23, 2023
Ask the broadcaster exactly how the 5:30 KO decision was decided and who influenced this. This will open a can of worms never seen maxwell looking so anxious being questioned.
— The Quadruple ???????????? (@ryanp1967) May 23, 2023
Maxwell needs to go. He’s an utter tube and a terrible leader. Every single thing he’s involved in is awful.
— Cormack Monitoring Board (@stewartfisher) May 22, 2023
To think that these chancers are in charge of multi millions every season. It’s time the clubs sacked the sfa and spfl. Get professionals in who are not promoted according to what lodge they attended. No wonder we cannot grow our game within this amateur bowling club set up.
— Cannot be blank so it’s (@Frank336069811) May 23, 2023
Politics in sport is thriving , isn’t it ? Do you ever feel like a second class citizen ? There’s the perfect example !
The underwhelming Maxwell is not the main problem: he’s just the over-promoted,
grossly over-paid, useful dafty to put in front of the cameras for the SFA.
The SFA continues to re-affirm that it is a wholly dysfunctional, incompetent and
[allegedly] corrupt organisation. Can’t even organise its own Cup Final!
That such an organisation continues to receive millions of our taxpayers’ money is also
indefensible.
The SFA has been a blight on Scottish football for decades, with zero accountability.
A 12.00 – 13.00 hrs final would have been far more productive as far as broadcasting and publicity go. I dare say more convenient for ICT fans too.
Remember again this is the DOUGHBALL that got the job so just exactly how stupid are the people that got chased or failed at the interview stage.
But have I missed something here ? (Being based in Portugal for over 20 years it wouldn’t be unsurprising if I have) The problem is that they don’t want both matches on the same day at the same time correct ? SO is there any legal or otherwise objection to play one on SATURDAY and the other on SUNDAY ?That way BOTH finals get the monopoly of their given day … the hours suit everybody… ???
Editor: No appetite here for a Sunday final, transport even more dodgy than usual. Maxwell has no minerals, par for the course in that job, if you can’t get a sponsor for the Scottish Cup you must be grim at your job.