Normally I don't listen to the BBC anymore. Its far too woke for me but for some strange reason I started to listen to it after the game finished. I was pleased to hear that Gavin Foxall was to be a guest on the Call Rob Phillips show so I stuck around

On the show both Phillips and Nathan Blake started on about the players not taking the knee before kick off. It was if some serious crime had been committed at Rodney Parade. Apparantly the BBC think that taking the knee is now mandatory pre game protocol. It isnt. We live in a free country and players are free to choose what they do before kick off.

When Gavin did come on the show Blake then proceeded to chew him out over the issue.

If I was Gavin I would tell BBC Wales where to go the next time they ask him to appear on the show

Amberarmy wrote:Not sure how to post a link but this is what I saw on the BBC Sport Twitter page:

"A row has erupted after players did not take a knee ahead of Newport County's 1-0 League Two win against Tranmere Rovers."

On the Call Rob show today, Gavin Foxhall said he would investigate why the players didn't take the knee...Nathan Blake challenged him about it on the show too.

Don't recall the knee being taken before any home league game?

I thought that Nathan Blake made some excellent points on the programme.
Gavin said that the protocol was for the captains to decide beforehand - not sure if this is correct - but he would review it.
I dislike the phrase "woke" - I first heard it used by the complete tool Laurence Fox - later outed as a right wing loon.

UTC
Tony

So this story has blown up, well handled Foxall.

by Marky » Sat Oct 17, 2020 10:56 pm
So this story has blown up, well handled Foxall.

The BBC blew up this story not Gavin Foxall.

I heard the radio interview. Gavin Foxall was invited on the show to talk about the transfer windows and Big Picture and then he was ambushed by Nathen Blake and Rob Phillips on why the players didnt take a knee

Why would he know that? I would be disappointed if the Chairman was involved in team affairs on match days. He should be well out of the way.

If you listen to the interview you will hear Gavin state that the the club is doing a lot for diversity and anti racism. Unfortunately that wasn't enough for Nathan Blake.

I don't think the BBC hold much say over the opinions of either Rob Phillips or Nathan Blake. I just heard a conversation on a topic that's dominated the media over the past few months. As you say, we're a 'free country', differing opinions are allowed.

I haven't listened yet, but I'm sure Rob Phillips and Nathan Blake know which side their bread is buttered.

I think taking a knee was a good thing, but it has run its course and BBC Wales concocting a row about it will only harm that cause.

[Edit: You can tell from the breathless way the presenter handing over to Rob says "I think this is going to be interesting" that they plan to manufacture a row.]

[Edit 2: Listening to the preceding discussion on Swansea transfers, Blake sounds generally irritable. Foxall gives a very comprehensive answer and Blake piles in like whether or not players took the knee is central to the day. It's the worthiest of causes, but it falls short of that.

"One thing you have to do, Gav, is lead by example." Yes, and County do.]

I do wonder why this has been brought up now, afterall this time. Unless I remember incorrectly none of the County's home League matches have involved teams 'taking the knee' although I do recall it happening before the Newcastle game, and I believe the Watford game also. No reason to disbelieve that this is not agreed between captains and referee before the game.
IMO anyone who is pushing for players to do so, or criticising those that don't are now losing credibility.

I haven’t listened to the interview yet. However, I see that it is now reported on the BBC news site. Reading between the lines and from the comments placed on here, it looks to me as though he was ambushed and ‘set up’.

By the very nature of what they do, the media will look for an extreme angle. Get a contrasting view, grab the headlines, push the boundaries, that is what they are about.

I have no idea if Gavin knew the content of the interview beforehand, I don’t know the rules there. I suppose the underlying issue is that however you feel you are doing as a club, badly or quite well, the media will look for an edge, they are not your friend. I wouldn’t have liked to be in that position.

If Blake had given this a bit of thought he should have realised a decision on this would surely have arisen from not just the captains but both teams. I would imagine there would need to be agreement so as to avoid any bad feeling between teams prior to kick off. That's fine by me, and also should be for Nathan Blake.

Very much an ambush but Gavin handled it very well. Phillips was scrupulous in not offering an opinion and merely lighting the blue touch paper. I'm not sure Blake is well placed to preach about setting examples.

As far as the absence of banners is concerned, are all the volunteers who help set up the ground even able to travel into Newport?

Not a big fan of his buy i thought Gavin handled it as well as he could.

It wasn’t an ambush, and I don’t see how anyone who listened to the interview could think it was. Mr Foxall was asked about yesterday’s result, about Mike Flynn, and asked extensively about the Project Big Picture stuff (which, IMHO, he answered very disappointingly). He was then, quite reasonably, asked why the players didn’t take a knee and he gave a cautious answer (basically “I don’t know, we’ll try to find out, but we are committed to initiatives around racial equality”). Nathan Blake pushed the point further, arguing that Mr Foxall should have made it his business to find out.

Now, you can argue the rights and wrongs editorially of that happening (although personally it seems entirely proper to allow the one black member of the phone in team to speak on the issue), but it wasn’t a setup or a trap. Mr Foxall was asked the question and then pushed further on it. I think he was ill-prepared for it, but that aside gave the best answer to the question he could have done.

The bigger issue - obviously - is what happened and why, and how we communicate it. I highly doubt that the squad have unilaterally decided to stop supporting the stance, so I’d imagine it’s a ****-up somewhere. That happens, and we just need to handle it sensitively.

In what way ill-prepared?

It really has run its course now.
Truly dreadful racist America, but the tragic point has been made now.
not impressed with Flynny firmly shaking hands with the opposition manager yesterday.
Not a great example and it looks like total lockdown will be back tomorrow.
watching the boys just not going to happen this season