Retro Football: Big Match Pundit Malcolm Allison Criticises England’s Alan Mullery To His Face, 1970 (Video)

Chris Wright

10th, January 2014

1 Comment

By Chris Wright

England Football Malcolm Allison

It may only be a minute long, but what we have here is an interesting little window into what football punditry used to be like (occasionally) back when t’were a man’s game and, instead of today’s crop of cosy, golf-clubby, leg-squeezin’, shirt-banterin’ “experts” mutually circle-frotting each other to frothy climaxes – you got pundits openly criticising players to their faces.

With the great Brian Moore on introductory duties having managed to get the two men into the same studio, we join a frank and slightly caustic snippet of the ‘discussion’ between Big Match guests Malcolm Allison and Alan Mullery shortly after the former had made a couple of scathing remarks about the latter’s footballing ability at the 1970 World Cup.

Safe to say, Mullery went on to lose his rag (sadly it’s not included on the clip) a wee bit, ribbing Allison for not winning as many England caps as he had…

While we’re on the subject, we may as well throw this little gem in to the ring too: buttoned-down Brian Clough surprisingly eulogising over flamboyant fellow gobshite Allison, once again on The Big Match, back in 1973…

And here’s The Big Match theme music, just because it’s bloody awesome…

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1 Comment

  1. Geraldo says:

    Yep, that was a golden age which I remember well, being in my primary school years as I was. And that Big Match music was indeed awesome – big sound and big production like all London Weekend feem toons back in the day.

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