Matty owes Fatty a bit of respect over Footy Show
By Gazbo, 28 Jan 2012 Gazbo is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Fatty Vautin, NRL, Rugby League, The Footy Show
The recent verbal attack on Paul Vautin by both Matty Johns and John Singleton showed a lack of respect, and leaves us in no doubt at all that there is no love lost between them.
Yet when Matty Johns struggled to make a statement on The Footy Show back in 2009, after news broke of a past indiscretion, who was it who put a hand on his shoulder and offered him support? It was Fatty Vautin.
Love him or loathe him, Paul Vautin must have done something right over the years for the NRL Footy Show to have won six Logies – or is it more that there was no real competition?
The problem with the current format is that there is far too much time wasted on meaningless segments, and not enough spent on the controversial issues in the game.
I’m sure that most rugby league fans would prefer to see respected commentators such as Phil Gould, Ray Warren and Peter Sterling discuss rugby league topics, preview the weekend’s matches in detail, conduct player profiles, and dissect the areas of the game that require attention.
As important as it is to keep some of the humour, they need the right balance, or the show will continue to lose viewers. The lack of direction and unity on the panel has been evident for a while now.
I for one can’t wait for the show to come back on air, to see how it performs after all of the negative publicity that it has received recently.
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- Explore:
- Fatty Vautin, NRL, Rugby League, The Footy Show

January 28th 2012 @ 2:16am
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 2:16am | Report comment
Mat johns did, he acknowledged his opinion on fatty and the footy show, were professional not personal, and he said he likes fatty as a person, they may not be good mates anymore, after his comments but they are not mortal enemies, and Matt likes fatty , he doesn’t consider him a personal enemy possibly a professional 1 but not a personal one.
And Matt did acknowledge he had good times on the footy show, but he rightly in my opinion at least also thinks the footy show is outdated and lasted it’s time cycle, a but like the hay hay it’s saturday faileld remake , which from memory was being screened on a wensday at least i think, “what the”, i know.
Ray Hadley said getting sacked from the footy show was the best thing for his career.
Chief left at the same time, and pretty much had the same view as matt that it is time do do other things, which is a hint that the show was becoming stale to work on when panellists Matt and chief, start rejecting big money offers to stay part of the rugby league footy show.
Mario is still there, i don’t know if robbo still helps out. I loved how Mario would always go on about Nowra, with Robbo, and erg regain and street talk, when robbo or erg or trent would do it was funny, at the time.
Beau riant can be funny too sometimes with street talk Beau knows best, he did funny promo of the rugby world cup for street talk.
Eddie in Melbourne left too at the right time.
Fatty Vautin is born in 1959 he will be 53 this year, is he really in touch with modern day NRL , as he never played in the NRL, only the QRL and ARL leagues, has never coached in the NRL, Matt at least helped out with the storm and newcastle knights in a coaching consulting capacity.
Sterlo is born in 1960 retired in 92, Vautin in 91.
So we are talking 20 plus years for both panelists since they been out of pro rugby league, a long time if you ask me.
ANd neither has been head coach for an NRL club, sterol is doing a little bit of help at parra in some way with coaching advice but not what you would call a major assistant.
I see fatty as the problem not sterol who i would keep on the panel. As sterol is not the lead man in the show rather one of the panelists, who balances everything out and floats well on multiple areas of the show, brings the serious side, but can be up for a good time too. Used to love 60 seconds with sterol when sterlo was a bit younger in the 90′s , he would of been in his 30′s.
he interviewed a few super models they were funny, as was our house with ryan girdler.
They need fresh panelists a revamped show and people, like matt johns, laurie daley, week, woolford, ben kennedy,Fitler, sailor,tallis, types people who have not been out of the game as long and can relate to the current players better having played with some of them, there more up to date without he game.
And revamp the show up make it more , maybe like the league lounge which was a good show i am surpassed fox has got rid of it.
Footy show is to boganish for my liking, can modern mainstream Australia in 2012 really relate too the attitudes of the show, i don’t think they can anyway.
They have been a bit tough on some of there jokes impacting on different demographics out there in society.
Ian Roberts for example who was born in 1965, will be 47this year used to go on the show a lot, but has been scathing in the media at times on issues regarding gay humor.
And other ethnic and religious groups have not always looked favourably on the rugby league footy show at times over the years since it has been on with some of there attitudes, and jokes, and skits, and stereotype jokes and humor, some minority groups have found the show offensive to there groups and backgrounds, and i do agree to be honest.
I used to watch it all the time in the 90′s, on and off from 2000-5, but lost real interest from 2006 onwards, where it never enters my head to make time on thursday to watch it in the footy season.
Falling ratings too, it needs to restyle the show or it will be axed by end of 2012 in my opinion.
January 28th 2012 @ 4:41am
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 4:41am | Report comment
What I do find laughable and defiantly think he should show more respect to fatty is Singo.
Matt Johns actually played for Australia, NSW origin, Knights ARL title.
Paul Vautin played 13 tests for Australia, 22 QLD origin matches, captained and ARL title for Manly at the final SCG grand final in 1987.
And Singo has the nerve to hack into Fatty about being an average rugby league player.
Well turn it up Singo , what did you do in your rugby league career mate.
Forget 1st grade, and dream on about origin or playing for Australia, I don’t even as far as I am aware see any NSW cup, or metro cup, or QLD cup, or country rugby league 1st grade for one of the country clubs.
So for John SIngleton to rip into Paul Vautin about him being an average footy player, in the manner in which he did, was way over the top for a man who has not even remotely as far as I am aware played the sport of rugby league at an elite level or any elite sport for that matter, was below the belt, and hypocritical, . Successful bussinesman but, SIngo was not an elite athlete in any sport , where as fatty was.
January 29th 2012 @ 10:36pm
ScottWoodward.me said | January 29th 2012 @ 10:36pm | Report comment
Johno
Why do you need to be an elite sportsman to be able to form an opinion?
January 29th 2012 @ 10:59pm
Johnno said | January 29th 2012 @ 10:59pm | Report comment
Scott
You don’t 100% agreed mate. My point I added it in my post, was in my opinion at least it was the manner in which John Singleton made his opinion. It seemed over the top energy type feel and kinda personal. I have no problem with John Singleton having an opinion despite never playing elite sport to my knowledge.
But the manner in which he he did it was I think in manner was harsh, misleading, nasty and personal, putting fatty down and undermining his rugby league player as if he was so average that he barely belonged in 1st grade and should be playing country mature footy, or amateur sydney/brisbane rugby league, or worse simply not good enough for even those standards I just commented on
It just seemed way to degrading and deluded and misleading propaganda on Paul Vautin’s rugby league ability, i am a bulldogs fan not even a manly fan, but simply thought for the reasons above and the manner it which it was promoted was misleading propaganda by Singleton in my opinion.
January 29th 2012 @ 11:36pm
Bearfax said | January 29th 2012 @ 11:36pm | Report comment
Ah Johmo you old dog you…no insult intended. Your points are good ones but I personally wouldnt give Singleton the time of day as they say. The man has had questionable standards ever since the Paul Hayward days….and read into that what you will. And given his radio station and his two cohorts Hadley and Jones, its no surprise that he uses his own propaganda machine to undermine often falsely certain people’s and organisation’s characters and give a false spin on his own favourites….he’s been doing it for decades.
January 30th 2012 @ 1:54pm
Johnno said | January 30th 2012 @ 1:54pm | Report comment
I agree, Bearfax I also didn’t like gerry harvey’s stance on on line shopping,, really annoyed me. Yes I read about the Paul Hayward days and Singo, seems to only be in the game for himself, a very dog eat dog attitude. And Jones and Hadley they are laughable, I can not believe these 2 radio presenters rate so highly, with there agenda based opinions.
January 30th 2012 @ 2:22pm
Bearfax said | January 30th 2012 @ 2:22pm | Report comment
I could go a step further regarding the relationship between Singleton and Harvey as well as a few other high fliers formerly from the Packer nest, before Packer gave them the heave ho, but I wont.
January 29th 2012 @ 12:58pm
Al said | January 29th 2012 @ 12:58pm | Report comment
Don’t get me started on offensive jokes johnno…! But in all seriousness, I believe the footy show used to be good solely because those boundaries were pushed, however nowdays you do the same thing and your criticized for breathing in the wrong direction. As I’ve sed before, real humor is dead… Now we just get dull sterile humor, just unease it offends. One good example in my opinion was merrick and rosso… On triple j they were a riot…. Come forward to nova, dull, sterile and lifeless…. Matty johns pushes those boundaries on triple m in the mornings and majority of the time he is halarious! However I doubt you could get away with the same on FTA tv these days..
January 30th 2012 @ 4:31pm
soapit said | January 30th 2012 @ 4:31pm | Report comment
nah real humour exists, it just takes a bit more brain power to create when you can’t just resort to making fun of stereotypes. the footy show just dont have the talent to write something funny without using the old faithfuls.
January 28th 2012 @ 9:50am
Matt F said | January 28th 2012 @ 9:50am | Report comment
The whole issue has been a massive beat up from the media really. Matty didn’t hold a gun to David Gyngells head and force him to sack Fatty, he simply said that he didn’t want to return and do the same show that he did 5 years ago. It seemed more or less like a standarnd contract negotiation, until the media got involved. SIngleton’s comments were stupid and disrespectful but I can’t say the same about Matty’s.
As for the Footy Show, I’m sure it will rate well first up (apparently the first episode is scheduled after the opening NRL match so will get a flow on from that) but by the end of the season the ratings will be back to their usual mediocre/poor numbers. Most fans have simply moved on from the show and changing one or two guest hosts, or one or two segments, every year is not a big enough change to bring them back.
January 28th 2012 @ 10:23am
Stu said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Remember when Fatty spat the dummy when the producers wanted to put a female on the panel? He’s a talentless Diva wannabe.
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January 28th 2012 @ 11:51am
Paul said | January 28th 2012 @ 11:51am | Report comment
All SIngleton wants to do is get the CC into the NRL and he will use any platform to get publicity. He may not make a direct remark, hes to smart for that but that is his agenda. Johns is getting a big head and needs to understand all he is good for are his comic skits, If they are basing thier opinion about the footy show based on what they put together at seven, well then that just shows they have NFI, The footy show needs to get rid of Fitler and the bigman, they offer nothing becuase they are allways tring to be funny and be everybodys mate. Rabits is painful as a panelist. They need explayers who know the game who dont want to be everybodys best pal and/or a comedian. Vautins strength is thats what he can supply and that is basically enough. Its no wonder the NRL is not taken seriously when the main show on free to air tv portrays they game as being full of twits.
January 28th 2012 @ 10:55pm
turbodewd said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:55pm | Report comment
I agree with everything you said. How on earth Daryl Brohman got a job on the Footy Show Ill never know. He was never a high profile player and all they do is jokes about how fat he is. Pathetic.
January 28th 2012 @ 1:52pm
Bearfax said | January 28th 2012 @ 1:52pm | Report comment
Personally I wouldnt trust anything about Singleton, from what I know of him going back forty years. Nor do I have any time for his puppets Hadley and Alan Jones. They are self serving in my mind, prone to manipulate their positions and opinions supposedly for the good of the public at large but in reality to serve their own ends of power, influence and money.
Having said that though I have not watched The Footy Show for many years and find it at best, juvenile. I like Fatty and Sterlo as presenters and thought they made a great team. Perhaps though they have reached their used by dates.
However it is a shame that Matt Johns made his ‘professional’ comments and didnt just allow normal attrition to take its course because he was the obvious next cab off the rank and would have taken over the role with respect and grace. Whether he has been listening to the self serving words of Singleton, Hadley and Jones or not, I think it would be in his interests to separate himself from their influence and do his own thing. He is a very amusing and talented young man and the last thing he wants is to have the stain of blood and dog eat dog behaviour on his resume.
January 28th 2012 @ 5:43pm
yewonk said | January 28th 2012 @ 5:43pm | Report comment
both matty and fatty have no interest in doing a show for the betterment of the game.
January 28th 2012 @ 10:52pm
turbodewd said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:52pm | Report comment
The Footy Show has little to do with footy and lots to do with juvenile behaviour and slapstick entertainment. I saw a graphic of their ratings in the Daily Tele and their ratings have been steadily waning, year after year.
The format is tired and boring. I find the presenters boring. I want to hear about football from players, coaches, ex players, etc I dont want to see people dressed as women or players doing lame things.
This is why I record the Sunday Roast on my Media Center – the thinking man’s footy show where they actually talk about football and football-related stuff. They speak their minds freely which is refreshing.
January 29th 2012 @ 12:01am
Fly on the Wall said | January 29th 2012 @ 12:01am | Report comment
The best rugby league discussion is always on ABC radio. Footy Show reflects the worst aspects of Australian society – homophobic, sexist, crass, bogan attitudes, and never ever both trying to tax the brains of the public. Lowest common denominator stuff right out of Abbott’s filing cabinet of ideas.
January 29th 2012 @ 1:11pm
Bearfax said | January 29th 2012 @ 1:11pm | Report comment
Ooooo. Them’s fightin words ‘Fly on the Wall’. Love it. Keep it up.
January 30th 2012 @ 2:12pm
steve b said | January 30th 2012 @ 2:12pm | Report comment
fly on the wall they one six gold logies, your a minority, does it all have to be so serious smile youll live longer . Steve b
January 30th 2012 @ 7:46pm
Maximus said | January 30th 2012 @ 7:46pm | Report comment
News Ltd have been talking down the Footy show for years hoping it fails or migrates to Pay-TV to trap viewers on Thursday night. fatty rates poorly in Sydney but OK in regional areas and Brisbane. Unlike the AFL footy show the teams have been announced on Tuesday so theres not a lot to talk about…