Gave games a real sense of occasion and rarely missed what was going on out there. Critical too, "I'm sorry son, you're paid 50k a week - you don't miss those..." Who are we left with - Alan Smith?

Fired by Sky. Of course he is currently suing News International re phone hacking - I wonder if these two incidents are related?

Well done for ignoring that Andy was suing News International as part of the phone tapping that took place at the News of the World. How handy is this that they can get rid of him without any legal recourse on his part.

I did enjoy Kenny Dalgish's daughter's tweet "Phew, am exhausted. Just read about something called 'the offside rule'. Too much for my tiny brain. Must be damaged from nail polish fumes."

the original comments were private off air remarks to a friend and colleague.
As for the 'Video' incident - if the female co-presenter was understandably offended then a final warning should have been given.
The 'colleague' who leaked the whole business to the press should be given honary membership of the thought police.
And as for the double standards of the tabloid press...

but he's been rubbish for ages, just like the rest of the main footie pundits. They should boot the lot out and make an effort to identify some who can find something useful to say, which probably means not relying on old pros so much.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for him but there does seem to be a strong element of stitch up here.

taking Loose Women off air then?

Not because it's relentlessly sexist - men cant work out how a washing machine works, cant multitask, are lazy, arent romantic, smell funny - but because it's absolute crap.

Doesn't really make it alright

Getting people to question their prejudices and hopefully conclude that some long held ones they have inherited from generations before them takes time and it has to start somewhere so why not the media upholding standards for their employees to maintain, at the risk of losing your position.

Their was a time, not so long back when racial jokes and jokes about gay people were acceptable in the pub, I'm not suggesting this never happens now but I bet far less than it used to and their will be some in the crowd who feel uncomfortable when it does.

As for others getting comedy mileage out of andy grey well that would seem to be a different matter and I would suggest fair game.

was wrong, as was his behaviour a month or so back and which has only now come to light.

Assuming he had a clean disciplinary record, however, sacking someone without a warning and without attempting remedial action seems draconian. I'm not sure it constituted Gross Misconduct (i.e. instant dismissal) and the incident suggests to me that Sky might need to have a look at it's own culture (what's going on? why did it take so long for the 2nd incident to emerge?) and what part that had to play.

How many of us, even if we dropped a major clanger, would be happy with the heave-ho and no attempt at a disciplinary warning the first time we were pulled up?

(And don't give me the "public figure" or "large salary" arguments: the former can apply to a shop assistant and the latter doesn't put you somewhere there are different laws.)

Cannot stand him, if only the BBC would do likewise with Alan Green. Richard Keys' comments were actually worse and he is also meant to be a right tosser.

Surely it's a simple case of being bad for business? The Murdoch empire, and Sky in particular is about maximising revenue. It wouldn't take a lot of mobilising in reaction to the perceived sexist stance for women to take their subscritions elsewhere. I would have thought a campaign on mumsnet would have done the trick

The point is, this stuff sticks. The only way they can get out of the current mess is to rid themselves of the immediate problem, which sends out a message saying "look, we dealt with it"

I assume they will now remove the soccerette feature from soccer am which looked out of date years ago and has always let the show down

"This is not the week to say that I am torn between end of Arsenal v Ipswich and a 14 stone Gypsy Wedding dress that LIGHTS UP! *finds ch4+1*"

and

"*correction* Blackpool v Man Utd now. Three things! It's a good job we women can multi task ;)"

Her dad was never this funny.

ps

It's Gray not Grey.

..once referred to former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai as "number 19, chicken Chow Mein" during a Manchester Derby match (how many listeners to that one. On air.) and nothing happened. Nothing at all. Funny, that.

I think they ought to get a woman in to do it. One with really big knockers. Phwoar!

I didn't bother taking my coat off, I'll be off.

If you heard him 'down the pub' saying this to your daughter I'm sure you would laughed along....

and usually find him funny, but the three recent incidents we've seen on the news were disgraceful, not to mention downright ugly and nasty. Sacking those two was the only right thing to do I think.

The man clearly has no respect at all for women.

And there's more than a grain of truth to this

various articles in the Guardian today, it's fairly clear that Andy Gray and Richard Keys were not much loved by their colleagues at Sky and clearly someone took the opportunity to stitch the pair up. Having said that, I can only have limited sympathy for a man who was being paid a small fortune a year for a job he obviously loved. People get unfairly sacked all the time, and most are not on the colossal earnings enjoyed by Andy Gray.

i'd sack keys, too.

also lineker, shearer, hansen, lawrenson, dixon, townsend, redknapp, claridge etc etc.

"let's analyse the opening goal"

[footage begins]

"see, what the lad's done here is pick the ball up in his own half and sprayed it out wide. he then makes the run into the box to meet the ball with his head and it's in the back of the net."

yes, mr pundit, i know. i saw it happen.

less punditry, more footy footage.