topic Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ? in What's On

Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Pavel33 — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 20:25:42 GMT

Does anyone know why Alan Lambourn isn't reading the classified results on Soccer Saturday ?. I'm not aware of any announcement bring made on the show,which seems odd given he has read the results for many years.

I miss his voice and precise naming of the teams, he had a wonderful presence, on Saturday Pien Meulensteen (who read the results) literally just read what she saw on the screen, no club with a City, Town, United or such like was announced by its full name.

For me it's another reason to consider cancelling my subscription.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Daniel0210 — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 03:30:00 GMT

@Pavel33 wrote:

Does anyone know why Alan Lambourn isn't reading the classified results on Soccer Saturday ?. I'm not aware of any announcement bring made on the show,which seems odd given he has read the results for many years

@Pavel33

I would suggest emailing the Viewer Relations Team and asking them at viewerR@sky.uk

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Pavel33 — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 04:54:56 GMT

Thanks, yes I already tried that but got an unhelpful/evasive response stating all employee information is confidential and they had no information.

If he'd retired (or died) you'd think that after the many years service he gave Sky would have acknowledged his contribution, hence my suspicion they've simply decided to dispense with his services.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

oj01 — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:37:57 GMT

I can't find anything online to suggest either way whether or not he has left the programme. Did find this piece though from July this year.

https://leedsjournal.co.uk/alan-lambourn/

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

nolte — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 10:52:14 GMT

@Pavel33 wrote:
Thanks, yes I already tried that but got an unhelpful/evasive response stating all employee information is confidential and they had no information.

If he'd retired (or died) you'd think that after the many years service he gave Sky would have acknowledged his contribution, hence my suspicion they've simply decided to dispense with his services.

There may be personal reasons (health, family) if there has been no announcement or nothing in public domain.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Pavel33 — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:11:12 GMT

Thanks, yes there is no other information available online.

It all just seems odd,, usually if someone is ill or has died there would be some public acknowledgement of that. Even Simon Thomas has seemed 'awkward' in recent weeks when either reading the results himself or handing over to Pien last Saturday (who in my view is terrible at that role).

Of course he might have been up to no good hence why Sky can't/don't wish to acknowledge his absence, but my fear remains that he's been told his services are no longer required and Sky don't wish to disclose that.

Needless to say the programme has never been a patch on how it was when Stelling (and the previous pundits, be they Mullery, Best, McLintock or Le Tissier, Thompson and Nicholas) were in the studio, and for me Alan Lambourn was the only remaining quality.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

GTline — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 16:08:13 GMT

Yes completely agree, bring back Alan Lambourne, his stand in was just reading them very quickly and without any feeling !!

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Gerrylawlor — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 16:19:37 GMT

The current results reader is so bad that I turn down the volume when they start reading. Alan Lambourn or someone who can read the results with the same technique is a vital part of my Soccer Saturday.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Pavel33 — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 08:43:15 GMT

Nothing against Pien Meulensteen per se, I always considered her one of the better 'ground' reporters on Soccer Saturday, but she simply doesn't have the voice to read out the classified results - there's no 'connection between her tone/delivery and what's she reading out.

Most of the time she simply reads out, in banal tones, what she sees on the screen, yesterday she actually read out 'Inverness CT' as it's written.

For me it's pretty much the final nail in the coffin of Soccer Saturday, Simon Thomas makes so many mistakes every single week, and Alan Lambourn's reading of the classified results was the only part of the programme I paid close attention to.

I've tried to find out what has happened to Alan Lambourn but no-one seems to know/no-one is telling, I still think that 95% of the time if a long-time contributor to a programme had died, was ill or had retired they would acknowedge that contributor's absence, but Sky's total silence on that matter strongly suggests to me that they've got rid of Lambourn.

I'm amused by this post on X/Twitter (https://x.com/WomenWhoWow/status/1829926751339708701) which was posted by some organisation who describes itself as 'the PREMIER Mentoring and Coaching Platform for Seriously Driven Women Entrepreneurs!' - the irony of such an organisation posting a photo of Pien and saying "like what you see ?" when the classified reader isn't ever seen, as though her looks are what matters.

Which in truth I suspect is why she got the role, you only have to google her name and it's evident that she's one of these 'fame hungry individuals' who can't do enough to keep in the public eye.

And to people who say why does it matter that she doesn't call the clubs by the full names, it matters because it's representative of the wider dumbing down to appeal to the mass simpletons, rather like how I heard the other week that Kerry Katona doesn't think they should teach geography in schools anymore because they can find it out via the internet or rely on AI.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Gsnow1 — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 16:07:40 GMT

May be another woke sacking or another Sky cost-cutting measure at the detriment of quality. Reading of the results is now awful.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

ShippAhoy — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 17:37:58 GMT

We don't bother to listen to the football results on Sky Sports anymore as no-one is as capable of reading them as Alan Lambourn. We miss his dulcet tones!

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

KEJ15 — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 17:47:22 GMT

Today was the lowest of the low...Jess Creighton.....the most monosyllabic , monotone, depressing reading of football results I have ever heard...so where is Alan Lambourn?

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Pavel33 — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 17:56:41 GMT

I actually think Jess is a slight improvement on Pien (who read the results like she was reading a shopping list), even if last week she identified Newport as 'Town' instead of 'County', but I was laughing today at how she almost shouted the number of goals each team had scored, and neither delivers the results with any feeling.

The fact (to the best of my knowledge) Sky have never made any reference to Alan Lambourn's absence, e.g. because of retirement, illness, death etc. suggests they simply replaced him - for no good reason.

I must try to get hold of him (assuming he's still alive and willing to engage) to ascertain why he's no longer there - his loss is a great one.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

ShippAhoy — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 20:10:06 GMT

I can ASSURE you he is still alive and well, but sadly, Sky no longer require his services!

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Pavel33 — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 20:16:10 GMT

Thanks for letting us know now, I suspected that was the case - great to hear he's alive and well.

His reading of the classified results is greatly missed, shame on Sky😡

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Smbmetal — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:03:08 GMT

Alan is a huge miss I think for reading the classified results on a Saturday. One of the highlights for me.

Myself and my Dad count the number of mistakes the random results reader makes when reading the results and it's on average about 8 mistakes not being able to read the correct team names out.

Bring back Alan I say.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Pavel33 — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:11:31 GMT

Sky resorted to their third classified results reader on Saturday. Whoever it was was extremely monotonous.

They seem to be tacitly acknowledging that they've completely ballsed things up getting rid of Alan Lambourn, but I strongly suspect they'll never have the good grace to actually ask him to return.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

KEJ15 — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:16:11 GMT

It was actually Claire Tomlinson, who is a well established, well respected sports journalist of many years but, even she was very poor

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Smbmetal — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:31:15 GMT

I've stopped watching Soccer Saturday now Jeff and Alan are no longer part of the team.

Simon Thomas isn't a great replacement for me. I actually prefer Julian Warren who I think does a very good job and thought he would have been an automatic replacement for Jeff. I see Jeff is back on Amazon Prime tomorrow!

As for Alan Lambourn I'm not sure he can be replaced.

Re: Where is Alan Lambourn ?

Pavel33 — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:46:24 GMT

I didn't realise it was Claire Tomlinson who read the results on Saturday.

Why Sky decided to replace Alan Lambourn is beyond me, token box ticking exercise ?.

Totally agree re. Jules, he was the obvious successor to Jeff, he's always been very good when he does midweek Soccer Specials - Simon Thomas isn't a patch on him.