Alan Green (broadcaster)

For other people named Alan Green, see Alan Green (disambiguation).

Alan Green (born 25 June 1952 in Belfast, Northern Ireland), has been a BBC Radio sports broadcaster/commentator since 1981 on Radio 2, Radio 5 and now Radio 5 Live. He commentates mainly on football, but also covers golf, rowing and the Olympic Games. He was present at the Hillsborough disaster whilst working with commentator Peter Jones.

Disputes

Green is known for his outspoken views which occasionally places him in dispute with football clubs, figures and authorities. He has an ongoing "feud" with Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United, and the pair have not spoken for years. Green said in an interview that the feud dates back to an incident in which he said on air that he was "learning not to believe the propaganda that comes out of the Manchester United manager's office" after he claims he had been given inaccurate team news by Ferguson before a game. In the same interview Green defends his professional impartiality: "I'm supposed to hate Man United, but listen to my commentary on the 1999 European Cup final in Barcelona and try telling me I hate Man United. It's garbage." Most football fans dislike Green's style of commentary as he rarely describes the action on the pitch, but only what is going through his mind at the time. Manchester United fans, however, particularly dislike him for his constant barrage of criticism directed at their club and the obvious love of Liverpool FC. The problem is not that he has a bias but that he refuses to honestly acknowledge it and does nothing to try to be neutral. For a good sample of the feelings that are shared by United fans and the reasons for them, check the following link:

In February 2006, Green was banned from the Reebok Stadium (home of Bolton Wanderers) after accusing the team and its manager Sam Allardyce of playing "ugly" football which he wouldn't pay to watch. Following Allardyce's departure to Newcastle United, the club and replacement manager Sammy Lee invited Green back.

In 2005, Green had a dispute with Everton fans, with an article he wrote for the Irish Examiner entitled Wake up and smell the coffee, David! The article, suggesting the club manager David Moyes should be 'dampening expectations, not feeding them', after finishing in 4th place - ahead of Liverpool- in the previous season. Green even received death threats over the article.

Complaints

Green was censured by Ofcom in October 2004 after he made a comment deemed in breach of the regulator's Code on Standards live on-air about Manchester United's Cameroonian midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba, implying he may be speaking pidgin English with the referee.

He had previously described Manchester City's Chinese defender Sun Jihai as wearing shirt "Number 17 -- that'll be the Chicken Chow Mein, then" during a live radio broadcast.

In January 2007, Green was again in hot water on Merseyside over comments made on Five Live during the Everton v Reading match at Goodison Park. Film star Sylvester Stallone was paraded on the pitch, and Green quipped as to whether Stallone's limousine would still have wheels when he returned to it. This prompted an official complaint to the BBC by Liverpool City Council, upset at his stereotypical views about the city being a hotbed of car crime.

Appearances in other media

Green provided the commentary for the PlayStation football games Olympic Soccer, Soccer '97, and most recently, PlayStation 2's Let's Make a Soccer Team.(2006) by SEGA.