posted Jan 26, 2008

I thought today's commentary was biassed very strongly in favour of MTFC. As we were very much undredogs, this was fair enough. After all, the BBC swung the other way when the Stags played Harrogate Railway in Round 2 of the FA cup, for similar reasons.

The one fly in the ointment, however, was Carlton Palmer, who insulted all Stags fans without any justification (see comments above). Anyone with an ounce of football knowledge, though, will immediately recognise more than a hint of sour grapes on Palmer's part. Everyone knows his legacy at Stockport and Mansfield. They realise that the heavy criticism he endured at both clubs was justified by his appalling managerial record - and the fact that no club has shown any interest in him since. His pre-match comments were no more than childish back-stabbing and unworthy of serious consideration.

Palmer's crude attempt to make amends at half time by predicting a 2-1 win was equally ridiculous. I think he even called Simon Brown Mick at one point, but I couldn't be sure. Whatever, his comments don't hold any credibility, nor deserve any serious debate.

Why on earth couldn't the BBC employ a more impartial commentator? They may have niaively thought that his inside information might be insightful, but the slightest local research would have proved that idea seriously flawed. I'm disappointed by the BBC's lack of sophistication on this point, which detracts from the positive light it threw on the town in the first five minutes of the introduction.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 26, 2008

Could I request that the Stags fans posting here also take the time to copy and paste their post into the BBC's official complaints form here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/make_complaint_step1.shtml

I am informed that 10 complaints will see the BBC having to investigate this issue, and I also feel it very worthy of that and that right-of-reply from a supporters representative (using FACTS...) is a fully justified redress to this afternoon's biased political viewpoints from Mr Palmer.


Thanks.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 26, 2008

Totally agree. I live 4 miles from Stockport and the fans there are still incensed at what Palmer did. He took them down and left them in a parlous state that they're just recovering from. He did the same at Field Mill, so how the BBC consider him to be a pundit I don't know. He wasn't even a great player but as a manager - the pits!!

that he was allowed to make his positive comments about Haslam was a disgrace, the only saving grace were the TV shots of the "HASLAM OUT" shirts at the match, and the comment about a protest when the extra balls came from Bishop Street onto the pitch.

the slot on Radio 5 Friday night only partially told the true tale as well.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 26, 2008

A quote from ex-Soccer AM host Tim Lovejoy.

"Carlton Palmer.......................Why?"

Says it all I think

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 26, 2008

The BBC Agreement states the following:

44. Accuracy and impartiality
(1) The BBC must do all it can to ensure that controversial subjects are treated with due accuracy and impartiality in all relevant output.

I would ask that match pundit Carlton Palmer's remarks regarding his personal friend and owner of Mansfield Town, Keith Haslam, are reviewed and parties with an alternative viewpoint should be allowed to respond to his inaccuracies. The subject of Mr Haslam is an exceedingly controversial and sensitive issue locally (and also touches on local politics), and it is vital that in the interests of fairness, that those who strongly disagree with Mr Palmer's comments and may also be in a position to expose them as misleading, are allowed to do so.

A Notts fan (see we're not all bad!)

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 26, 2008

Dear BBC

I wish to complain about the biased comments made by Carlton Palmer on Match of the Day Live today regarding the fact that he considered that Mansfield Town owner, Keith Haslam, had done a fantastic job running the football club over the last 15 years.

Mr Palmer failed to disclose that he is a close personal friend of Keith Haslam and is therefore not in a position to give an independent view on this matter. Furthermore, in the interests of balance, no Mansfield supporters were interviewed to present the opposite view that the football club are only in the position they are in (23rd in Division 2 and facing relegation to the Conference) due to the large amounts of money that have been taken out of the football club by Keith Haslam.

Keith Haslam has been the sole director of the football club and has made large loans to himself and his company, Stags Limited, from the football club. These loans have exceeded £1,000,000 at times. If you need further information then you can read the David Conn article on The Guardian website from 7th December 2005 titled "The man who owes Mansfield over a million".



The football club's accounts for the year ended 30th June 2003 showed that £239,297 of loans to Keith Haslam had been "written off" meaning that these loans would never be repaid.

The accounts for the year ended 30th June 2006 showed that Mansfield Town is owed £585,728 by Keith Haslam's company, Stags Limited.

How can the BBC not have done thei home work here, Calton Palmer and Keith Haslam are best mates and have been for a long time, yet another event where our owner can sit back and laugh at how the lemmings of our club keep comming back for more of the same lies.
i would have expected better from the BBC !!
SHAME ON YOU

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 26, 2008

Erm, well done BBC for employing Palmer. We tried for months to rid ourselves of this footballing irrelevant; only to carry on employing him via the license fee. Cheers. Talk about rubbing salt in an open wound. Then you have the audacity to produce him at Mansfield Town, where he's as welcome as the plague - defending his good pal Keith Haslam (club chairman) and his antics at Field Mill. The BBC could not have scored a more decisive own goal. If your researchers weren't so idle, they would have realised that this baffoon,(Palmer) is so integrated in the demise of Mansfield Town that to have him there, defending the scrurge of our football club, spouting his nonsense regarding the club (which is factual clap trap) is akin to a massive insult to Mansfield and Ashfield people and its 160,000 BBC viewers.
Thanks for your publicity, but please stick your £150,000 (straight in to Haslam's pocket), and your utterly discredited choice of employee.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 28, 2008

As an exiled Mansfield fan I was really looking forward to your coverage of the Mansfield v Middlesbrough match last Saturday.

Then, when making my pre match cuppa in the kitchen, I heard the unmistakable nasal whinings of Mr Carlton Palmer. What this friend of Mr Keith Haslam said was obviously pre meditated, pre arranged,untrue and infuriating.

I was so upset that I couldn't drink my cuppa and it spoilt the rest of the programme for me.

You really should have done your homework on Mr Palmer and your choice of him as a pundit was, to be charitable, very questionable.

You've let me and thousands of others down, BBC, by allowing Carlton Palmer television time to speak about his illegal loan taking friend. Mr Palmer is not liked by the Mansfield fans and his friend Mr Haslam is despised.

A right of reply on behalf of the Mansfield fans at a similar peak viewing time is now the very least you should do to redress the balance.

In closing I would like to remind everyone on 606 that Carlton Palmer played for England. He perhaps forgot to mention this because he was concentrating on remembering his scripted words in defence of his friend Mr Haslam

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 28, 2008

Carlton Palmer also stated at least twice that he questioned Boulding's committment to the Stags, and to football in general, purely because his dad is a wealthy businessman!

Boulding's fantastic performance showed exactly how committed he is, and also that Palmer's opinions aren't worth a toss.

It's annoying that his comments were allowed to go unchallenged.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 29, 2008

I am grateful that here in Norway we actually had a commentator who knew about Mansfield and the situation, in Jon Hjelde. Having watched the BBC coverage of the Harrogate game and being subjected to CP's 'knowledge', I was in no way interested in hearing him again.
I would be interested as to know why the BBC seems to think CP is a 'good' pundit to have for Mansfield games? And why, when they had the chance, they refused to have contact with any supporters' groups re: the situation at the club.

add comment | complain about this comment