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Some years ago I worked on a provincial Yorkshire newspaper. I had a Press badge for Doncaster Races. McCririck was then with the Sporting Life until they found out his writings were compromised by his "arrangements" with several bookmakers and he had to go. I was standing alongside him on the outdoor balcony of the Press room. The staff photographer for the Life had left the paddock after snapping the winner. As he made his way back through the punters and bookies McCririck was bawling at him all the way.."get up here...I want you here NOW...etc. The snapper made his way back to the balcony, strode up to Mac, and said.."If you ever speak to me like a F...... dog again I will drop you on the spot". This is no urban legend, I was inches away. As most bullies do Mac shrivelled up and backed away. Notwithstanding that he has passed away, he was a sexist an a boor.
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Don't think your testimony will be remembered,just a very small dent in the reputation of the man.
Most personalities have a few hiccups along the way ,and these are well-known, but it is the contribution he made in the wider sense that will prevail not this petty example of weakness that is designed to slur his character. |
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So you saw him....but never knew him?
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Nerium, I hope you didn't write for a paper as you don't seem to understand about paragraphs or spelling.
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Irrespective of McCririck’s talents and his love and enthusiastic support of horse racing, he did not come across as being a particularly pleasant human being.
In short he was an ill mannered, chauvinistic snob but that shouldn’t necessarily detract from his achievements because most of us are flawed in more ways than one. |
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Big aitch
Get a life |
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The 'Booby' would have decked him easily enough let alone a bloke. Didn't strike me as much of a fighter
 The guy was marmite for most but he swayed opinion especially when he was fighting a cause you agreed with. He came across as a very insecure man in his private life but when he donned his alter-ego garb he was a commanding figure in many ways.The guy was of his age and socialisation, divided opinion yet influenced many in a positive way. Hope they have 'The Greatest Jockey' on today to offer his thoughts on the passing of Big Mac. |
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Il try and speak to him later.
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Thanks for the tutorial, big aitch. I was there in a photographic capacity, so my poor grammar is possibly excused.
If that is all you got from my post, so be it. |
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Incidentally, big aitch, to help me along, I would be grateful if you could point out my spelling mistakes.
After checking my post I am struggling to find any. |
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it wasn't a serious dig nerium, I do understand about why a photographer would be annoyed to be spoken to like that and if it was me I probably wouldn't have given him a second chance.
He was a bighead but that was probably down to his public school upbringing. I have bet with Barry Dennis (who probably didn't have a public school upbringing) on course a few times and his behaviour used to be fairly outrageous at the times I have been in his vicinity, he does have a potty mouth but I am sure he is quite a likeable bloke when he is not "on". |
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Never speak ill of the dead, Nerium
Having said that, somebody told me he kicked up a huge fuss once coz someone had eaten all the cream cakes!  Larger than life character RIP Big Mc |
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nerium, boor
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Sorry, Delta, I assumed you knew the difference between a boorish person and a boring one. I think we can all agree he wasn't boring,
but the other...? Thanks for reply big aitch. |
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What have you got to gain by starting a thread on a public forum slating a man who has sadly passed away and unable to defend himself? Have you read what Tanya Stevenson wrote about him? Pure class and she worked with for 15 years all you did was stand next to him on a balcony and you claim it's the real him!
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Nerium show a bit of respect man.
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The Man has just died and you cant wait to stick the boot in.
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Each to his own Acey. I like Tanya, but he belittled her all the time, as he did to the snapper, and the "Booby".
I respect people who respect others. |
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Most of all that was an act nerium and speaking of respect have some for the dead.
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I got the impression Tanya never liked him and thought he was a very smelly human being . I always remember her body language in the jungle when she was alongside him .
I would honestly believe 5% of what folk say about people who have received recently passed and that will always be the case . |
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Most people did not like him .
I |
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people dont want to express there true feelings towards someone that has just died,,
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Zealot, thats 100% not true. They were very good friends, he was generous in helping her career, not many would have done that for a youngster stepping on his turf. Used to speak plenty on the phone when not working together.
I worked with him a bit. On screen and off screen totally different, generally quite and hard working |
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But I do agree that I'm sure he rubbed people up the wrong way. And over the years sure he made plenty of enemies
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"And over the years sure he made plenty of enemies" Haven't most of us in our time-to me the man was a legend and I have tried to use that term in it's true sense, not for hiding under a bushel or a yes/no man was John McCririck - R I P.
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Yes I agree Airman, we all make enemies. He was certainly a legend
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i have no enemies
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iv had a few anenamies though
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Mc has gone, done a lot for racing and took as much out. Hate when people die you hear the stories that cannot be proved come out.
RIP. Never does well to speak ill of the dead. |
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Alien Sex Fiend - There are two reasons why stories (true or otherwise) emerge after a celebrity dies: there's an audience and you can't libel the dead.
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"There are two reasons why stories (true or otherwise) emerge after a celebrity dies: there's an audience and you can't libel the dead."
Is this the reason Cliff Richard is on the front foot all the time? |
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Unfair to accuse someone who has passed on, so I'll put this up about Bruce Millington and hope the moderators leave it up on this platform. For years Betfair could never get a good word out of the Racing Post, even though they advertised every day. When they asked the editor why they never had a mention, Bruce Millington told them that they could, but it would cost Betfair a million pounds a year. Betfair declined.
In a smaller sense, the same was true about McCririck. Traditionally, bookmakers "accommodate" the press at long gone prices but McCririck's bread and butter, as was Thommo's, was opening betting shops - Tommo used to charge a monkey but McCririck a grand. In twenty + years on tv McCririck barely mentioned Betfair. Obv Jim McGrath didn't either. They were/are all ****s. Imo reporters relationship w/ bookmakers were already established when McCririck joined the scene. When he worked at the BBC at White City, McCririck went into the local bookies and did a slow count on the 11:00am at Hackney. Admittedly, not to filch the £400 but for a story, but he did the same w/ a cricket match on the coin toss. He was part of the C4 cartel that overstayed their welcome - add McGrath, Francome, Leslie Graham - it was awful to watch in the end. Francome only woke up for the monkey-puzzle because he was on a cut of the profits (until it was banned). Jim McGrath never abandoned his superior attitude. John McCririck died, effectively, when he lost his court case against C4. There again, he won one before, against being in bookmakers' pockets, so no sympathy here. After he lost his case, he was a much diminished figure on the racecourse, shaking uncontrollably. Sympathy was muted. |
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Unitedbiscuits.........you failed to mention his part in saving the Grand National,everybody else has it seems.He was instrumental in getting minds changed in terms of this as he was in many many respects.
Seems to me you fell into the trap of his persona on screen,shaking uncontrollably is what happens with his illness.......ask the German Chancellor? Everyone is entitled to an opinion but yours lacks any substance or knowledge,btw he took the ageist legal action on a no win no fee basis so losing was never an issue to him,he did it to try and secure a financial legacy for the "Booby"......that is fact,he knew had little time left on this planet.HTH |
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unitedbiscuits failed to mention any of his achievements as an investigative journalist but maybe he is too young to remember.
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If he did it was a crazy tact. What kind of world was he living in in his head if he thought that his "act" was a job for life?
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Boris johnson!!
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Other place
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He did better than most Unitedbiscuits in terms of a job for life 1.01 and no offers he beat you in that respect?
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If it looks like sh*t and smells like sh*t, it's most probably sh*t. And i'm not talking about the story
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