Talk:Gary Lineker

(No subject)
I like the original entry:


 * Greatest striker in front of goal, never been booked. Mmm, isn't it! Not 'alf


 * Aye, and had a big nose. Des Lynam's replacement on the BBC's Match of the Day program. Also an unfunny panelist on They Think Its All Over.

--The Cunctator

One less than Moore's record in what? Caps or goals?

Also, I think the claim that he has never been booked needs further investigation. Players tend to say things like that, though it's not unusual for a striker to go uncautioned for a long time, everyone will earn a card eventually :)

The record of never having been booked is well known. AFAIK he was actually booked once but succesfully appealled against it. The record part refers to goals.GordyB 13:31, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

Error
He was actually replaced by Alan Smith, not Alan Shearer, in his final appearance for England. Alan Shearer has never played for Arsenal.

Having being a year ahead of Gary Lineker at the City of Leicester Boys School, what evidence is there for the part about him being a medical student? In 1976, at the time he would have been at Kings, he would have been 15, and wouldn't have taken his O or A levels. We'd have heard about that at school! GGA6 (talk) 17:49, 26 June 2008 (UTC)
 * He got 4 O levels BBC. Hakluyt bean (talk) 23:40, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

The tale about him being a medical student is not borne out by the only biography of him, which I consulted in Leicester Central Reference Library. I will change it later, and cite the source - why does it keep being added back? GGA6 (talk) 17:49, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

There's a MySpace page http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=100823535 that repeats the medical school story, but it doesn't look particularly legit. Incidentally, if he was born in November 1960, he would almost certainly have taken his A-levels in 1979, by which time he was playing for the Leicester first team, so they look a bit iffy too. I'm ditching the King's College reference, and would query the A-levels. AuntFlo (talk) 11:58, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

Here's the information from the printed biography Gary Lineker: Strikingly Different by Colin Malam, which is in the Leicester Central Reference Library Local Studies Collection. He got 4 O levels, and his school reports are quoted, saying he needed to work harder. He left school at 16, and to no-one's surprise, there is no mention of Kings College Medical School. Perhaps the other sites copying Wikipedia will take note. GGA6 (talk) 17:49, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

eh?
At the moment he's currentley living with his wife and two sons? Where are the other two? Petsco 12:14, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Tamsin: Question? How is it possible for Lineker to have been born in November 1960 and have been a medical student BEFORE joining Leicester City in 1976? He would have been only 15 at the start of the 1976-7 academic year!!!

Everton Stats
Can somebody check the Everton stats. I'm fairly sure he didn't play 138 games in two seasons and I know for a fact he scored more than 25 goals. 82.42.208.252 18:09, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

Nevermind, I found the info! It was 38 goals in 52 appearances. Someone just made the old stat up! 82.42.208.252 18:13, 19 June 2006 (UTC)


 * This may be over 5 years since those edits but to all statisticians Lineker scored 40 goals for Everton, clearly stat's (on this page atleast) do not show the Screen Sport Super Cup competition, which was a substitue for those clubs banned from European competitions. Although nowadays very meaningless, just like the latter Full Members Cup etc, but, nonetheless, part of the campaign that season. Babydoll9799 (talk) 18:49, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

Japanese
Unfortunately it has to be corrected that Gary Lineker speaks Japanese. He might be able to speak a few words, but he is definitely not fluent.

It would be frankly amazing if he had in just two years achieved a level of proficiency in Japanese that could sensibly be called "fluent". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.85.192.125 (talk) 08:52, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Only booked once?
I am sure I remember Lineker recieving a yellow card in one his last club games for a badly timed tackle and the regret in which it was recieved as it was his only booking. I might be wrong - can anyone confirm or deny this?
 * I think that was another player and also, happened relatively recently?.

I can confirm that the above incident happened to Alan Smith of Arsenal. He had never been booked in his whole career and then in the 92/93 cup final against Sheff Wed he picked up a booking.

Brasseye
Anyone think it's worth mentioning his appearance on the Paedogeddon special of Brasseye in 2001?
 * Not really - if that should be mentioned anywhere, it's in the article or section which describes that programme/episode. I don't think it's really necessary to mention every single trivial little tv appearance here (imdb currently lists 53 appearances for Lineker has himself).  Guinness (talk) 14:33, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

International career
The games listed are not Lineker's. They appear to be Bobby Charlton's, though why it counts 48 when he scored 49 is a bit confusing

Paul Derbyshire


 * Either weird vandalism or a copy-and-paste where they forgot to actually edit. I've removed it. --Jameboy 00:10, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

Your both wrong. Links scored 48 in 80 games. I have corrected the table, that read 31! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.232.132.42 (talk) 17:31, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

Picture
First impression of looking at this article is how stupid the picture looks, could someone find an actual picture of lineker or just not have one at all. Simplyirresistiblepalmer (talk) 19:09, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

What is his DOB?
Is it 1960 or 1970? the opening paragraph says 1960, the infobar at the side says 1970.

It's not 1970, because he wasn't 16 in the 1986 world cup. 81.98.240.135 (talk) 10:32, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

"England's all-time second highest scorer"
How about adding the name of the top scorer? Thanks Kvsh5 (talk) 06:52, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

missing info box
The Sporting Positions infobox is missing (previous England Captains link to Lineker from Bryan Robson for instance.) - 84.92.169.252 (talk) 20:59, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Lineker Sharts His Pants Playing For England
The latest attempt to insert the "poo on the pitch" incident included a RS: a blog at The Guardian. I don't think wording such as "He shit himself" [shouldn't that be "shat"?] is encyclopedic, and I don't think it should be given undue weight, but the sources are there and clearly the topic is coming up - it's getting inserted again and again. So I propose a single sentence be added using the wording "lost control of his bowels because of illness". Putting it here first so consensus can be reached either way. Yngvadottir (talk) 20:13, 3 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Personally I think a single sentence about it isn't a big deal and Lineker has joked about it so it's not like it would violate any BLP issues. But here's what I don't understand--a couple months ago ESPN the magazine wrote an article about a triathlete named Julie Moss who's only claim to fame is that she collapsed near the end of a triathalon she was leading and shit herself a bunch of times.  This was in 1982 and nationally televised in the US.  People were vandalizing the page so I added a sourced statement that she collapsed and defecated herself.  The sourced info was repeatedly removed as "not encyclopedic."  So, if someone like her who's pretty much only known for shitting herself can't have that included in the article, I'd guess the Wikipedia police wouldn't approve of it being in Lineker's article either since he's known for a bunch of other things.  76.99.122.143 (talk) 18:12, 5 December 2010 (UTC)

“Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win."

How about adding this quotation made by him ?--91.89.127.108 (talk) 00:16, 3 April 2011 (UTC)

Title changed, by definition Lineker's 'incident' was a shart and not a formal poo. --79.66.246.169 (talk) 14:51, 25 June 2016 (UTC)

Arguing over whether Lineker's actions constituted a 'formal poo' or not misses the point. An encyclopaedic treatment of him needs to cover the notable event of him defecating in his shorts while representing his country. BillyJones1000 (talk) 19:09, 23 June 2022 (UTC)

"Get to Philosophy" Game
Have randomly discovered that Gary is second in the list of Top Ten chains for the game Get_to_Philosophy IdleEdit (talk) 10:36, 16 July 2011 (UTC)

Everton goals
See earlier note on Everton stats, i've corrected that Lineker scored 40 goals for Everton not 38 due to goals scored in the Screen Sport Super Cup (for teams that did not play in Europe following the European ban in 1985). Babydoll9799 (talk) 18:55, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

OBE
Lineker's been honoured with an OBE, but the only mention of it is with the postnominal in the lead. Can someone add at least a sentence about when he got it and what for? — OwenBlacker (Talk) 21:56, 8 December 2012 (UTC)

twit
Edit suggestion. Replace this:


 * In May 2012, Lineker stepped into an argument between Joey Barton and Alan Shearer via Twitter, as reported in the Daily Mirror.[27]

With this:


 * ((nothing))

There was a player who was removed from some game. Later, the player complained on twitter. At some point, Gary Lineker said something about the person complaining, also on twitter. The complainer then went on to threaten to insult Gary, still via twitter. This chat was reported in the fine upstanding Daily Mirror. Now, technically, that counts as WP:NOTEWORTHY, and as an inclusionist, I'm a bit leery of taking it out of wikipedia entirely... but can we not move it over to the article about the complainer, at least? All the piece contains is a single quote from Gary Lineker's twitter-feed:

"Still raging then? Still kicking out? And still, presumably, misunderstood? But only by yourself I suspect."

The rest of the article is quoting the poorly-spelled insults and vague insinuations from the complainer. There is no analysis, or similar. I'd also be happy with just marking this one down as WP:IAR, and yoinking the stuff. If the only thing that happened between Gary Lineker and Joey Barton (as reported in WP:RS that is) was this one exchange, of exactly one twit from Gary Lineker... that hardly seems worth mentioning, methinks. Is that the ONLY thing WP:NOTEWORTHY in 2012, folks?

See also WP:WELLKNOWN and WP:BLPGOSSIP, which suggest that unless there are multiple sources covering a long-running dispute, this sentence can go. Thanks for reading, and thanks for improving the 'pedia. 74.192.84.101 (talk) 05:20, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

Emphasis in lede
has twice rewritten the lede, today more extensively than the first time, to emphasise Lineker's broadcasting career over his football career. It seems to me that he is better known for his achievements as a player, and in any event the article is more about his playing career and presents his broadcasting career as a later stage in his life. But I'd like input from others with more familiarity with his current reputation before reverting again. Yngvadottir (talk) 06:05, 29 April 2014 (UTC)


 * here. Gary Lineker has been the presenter for the most famous British football show (Match of the Day), watched by millions in the UK and around the world every week, for 15 years now. He is very well known for this in addition to his illustrious playing career. I don't see how that doesn't at least merit mentioning the fact that he is a current sportsbroadcaster in the opening sentence - i.e., Lineker is a former footballer and current sports broadcaster. Just because his "current reputation" rests more on something that happened years ago does not mean that he should forever be known only for what he did in the past. Raudys (talk) 16:31, 29 April 2014 (UTC)


 * Our article continues to emphasise his playing career at greater length - rightly, I think. To me it seems both recentism and a bit of a cheapening of his playing career to depict him as a broadcaster who was once a footballer. But the point about Match of the Day is a valid one. So I moved that up into the first para of the lede, which now says more than that he has worked for a bunch of broadcasters. And I updated the list with the NBC arm. But I still believe we have to list playing first. He's not in any broadcasting halls of fame, has not barely missed breaking records as a broadcaster, and some of his authority as a presenter comes from his very distinguished career. So how does it look now? And I'd still like to hear others' take on the issue. Yngvadottir (talk) 03:44, 21 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Responding here to the edit summary suggesting I have removed his broadcasting career from the lede ... umm, no, I just don't think it should be presented as his main achievement. "former footballer and current broadcaster" strikes me as clunky, but it works. Yngvadottir (talk) 04:29, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

John Lineker
It should be mentioned that top-ranked UFC (MMA) fighter John Lineker was named after Gary Lineker. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.46.34.183 (talk) 22:07, 2 February 2015 (UTC)

This is mentioned on John Lineker's page, John Lineker is named after English football striker Gary Lineker. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.66.246.169 (talk) 20:22, 26 June 2016 (UTC)

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Tax avoidance?
Right, test-case here for the new Daily Mail ruling. They've got an article (which, from my liberal filter bubble, I have heard about but not actually read) in which Gary Lineker has been accused of dodging his taxes. Clearly unless this is corroborated elsewhere we can't put that Gary Lineker is a tax avoider - but could we maybe put in something like "The Daily Mail has accused him of avoiding paying tax" and reference this with a third-party source? eg https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/feb/09/gary-lineker-hits-back-at-daily-mail-over-tax-accusation — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.97.175.41 (talk) 07:33, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

about the Walkers advertising section that was removed.
That's quite iconic in a way as TV advertising goes, surely there should be a mention in prose, maybe find a better source? Govvy (talk) 18:36, 28 June 2018 (UTC)
 * I've added something back with different sources. Nzd   (talk)  12:24, 29 June 2018 (UTC)
 * thanks for that, cheers, Govvy (talk) 16:06, 30 June 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 10 May 2019
"He holds England's record for goals in FIFA World Cup finals, with 10 scored": replace FIFA World Cup finals with the FIFA World Cup. "Cup" already shows it is a competition, making "finals" redundant as it is referring to the whole tournament, and confusing because he has not scored in the final round of a FIFA World Cup tournament (refer to Gary_Lineker). TheBetrayedOne (talk) 07:02, 10 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done NiciVampireHeart 07:19, 10 May 2019 (UTC)


 * Whilst I understand, in some cases the FIFA World Cup also refers to the qualifying. The term finals does not only mean the final.

International goals
Can we put the information back in the article, this content fork seems completely unnecessary. Govvy (talk) 19:16, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 29 March 2021
Total league goals for Tottenham Hotspur needs to be amended to 67 (i/o 57) in the career stats section. 2A02:C7F:7016:1000:807E:49AB:665B:8356 (talk) 19:18, 29 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. RandomCanadian (talk / contribs) 04:25, 30 March 2021 (UTC)

Semi protected edit request
Third paragraph - Introduction

Gary Lineker is now the fourth highest England goalscorer, as Harry Kane has now scored more goals. Source — Preceding unsigned comment added by TheAlfman (talk • contribs) 11:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC)


 * The "source" and 11v11.com websites agree with each other so I have updated that part of the introduction in line with what the websites say. Iggy (Swan) (Contribs) 21:27, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

Career stats are wrong
His goals at Everton have not been counted in the total. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A04:4A43:4B3F:C6CF:0:0:CA5:5418 (talk) 19:22, 27 May 2022 (UTC)


 * Looks fine to me regarding your query. Iggy (Swan) (Contribs) 21:20, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

Still MOTD host?
Currently in the opening it says "where he presented the flagship football programme Match of the Day from the late 1990s until March 2023," As far as I am aware Lineker is still the host rather is stepping back from an indeterminate amount of time. Is it worth changing that back to say he is still the host. C. 22468 Talk to me  21:58, 10 March 2023 (UTC)


 * Yes, I agree. He's not been dismissed or left as far as we know. Rodericksilly (talk) 01:33, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 11 March 2023
Request to add his appearance in the BAFTA winning drama Marvellous under "Media career" section. I realise it's not the biggest thing happening media-wise right now, but other cameo appearances get a mention & I'd like to see this added too. 95.145.86.26 (talk) 17:44, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. M.Bitton (talk) 17:53, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Hello, in the "Media career" section - text to be added:
 * "In 2015, Lineker had a cameo appearance as himself in the BBC television film Marvellous"
 * Source https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jmx7l
 * as used at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvellous#cite_note-BBCTwo-18
 * Thank you 95.145.86.26 (talk) 18:05, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
 * I've ✅ it, but taken the opportunity to compile his 'cameo appearences' into one line.  It's a bit of a WP:Proseline mess and hopefully this is a start at cleaning it up. Jeff UK  11:42, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Jeff. You're right about that section being a bit of a mess - I think it's a good start that you've put the 'cameo appearences' together. 95.145.86.26 (talk) 21:39, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

What does "auto-suspension" mean?
Match of the Day commentators Steve Wilson, Conor McNamara, Robyn Cowen and Steven Wyeth, in a joint statement online, also announced their auto-suspension It's not at all clear to me what this means, and there's no wikilink available for "auto-suspension." Could this be clarified? Pawnkingthree (talk) 21:20, 11 March 2023 (UTC)


 * I agree isn't very clear and certainly not common English. I assume the author of this phrase means self-imposed suspension (using "auto" as in autobiography for example), but it's a very strange term to use. 95.145.86.26 (talk) 21:35, 11 March 2023 (UTC)


 * I also agree that it wasn't clear. I've trimmed it tonight for concision and to keep things simpler with the following content – Match of the Day commentators Steve Wilson, Conor McNamara, Robyn Cowen and Steven Wyeth also announced, in a joint statement online, that they "do not feel it would be appropriate to take part in the programme". Kind Tennis Fan (talk) 21:48, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
 * @Pawnkingthree @Kind Tennis Fan Sorry, I've seen this discussion just now...
 * I made that edit: as you've probably guessed at this point, English is not my native tongue (I'm Italian), so I did fear about making some silly grammar mistakes. Thank you for reporting it!
 * What I intended to say is that the aforementioned commentators had decided to pull out from the programme, in solidarity with Lineker. However, I agree that "self-imposed suspension" would have been a much better term in this case... Oltrepier (talk) 17:04, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

MOTD suspension
The piece on this is way too long. Wikipedia is suppossed to be an encylopedia not a blog. Coachtripfan (talk) 19:06, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
 * It's been the top story in the UK news (not the sports news, the mainstream news) for 3 days now. As such, it could certainly be trimmed, but it needs a reasonably long section. Black Kite (talk) 19:11, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Has also received coverage from outside the UK. If there is enough coverage to warrant a WP:SPINOFF article on the subject, then we can do that and have a brief summary here. But I'm not sure we're (quite) at that stage. 82.23.242.26 (talk) 19:54, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
 * The info on the list of people who pulled out in solidarity with Lineker can be trimmed. I'll have a go at that now. Rodericksilly (talk) 18:22, 13 March 2023 (UTC)

Contract with BBC
"Lineker was the highest-paid BBC employee... " Was he an employee, or a freelance working under contract for services? S C Cheese (talk) 16:54, 14 March 2023 (UTC)
 * You're right, most sources lead with 'Highest paid star' and then refer to him as a 'presenter', I've changed employee to presenter as it's more NPOV. However he is paid more than any 'executive' so he may well be the highest paid person outright.  Jeff UK  08:30, 15 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Thankyou S C Cheese (talk) 13:00, 15 March 2023 (UTC)