The BBC's decision to drop the 5pm reading of the classified football scores from Sports Report gets more baffling with every passing show.

With embarrassed bosses resolutely sticking to their foot-shooting guns, Saturday saw the scores remain absent for a second week, despite the outrage triggered when Sports Agenda revealed they had ditched a national institution.

The broadcaster claims that a reduced showtime of 30 minutes — thanks to them picking up the commentary rights to the 5.30pm kick-off — meant they did not have the time to designate the 'five-seven minutes' they claim it takes to read the scores.

The traditional reading of the classified football results has been scrapped by the BBC

So what did we get instead? Premier League scores followed by no fewer than four-and-a-half minutes of former England team-mates and Aston Villa and Everton managers Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, along with analysis from Sportsmail's Micah Richards on a match that had kicked off four-and-a-half hours previously. 

Host Mark Chapman made great play of the fact that all the results would be read out — as they were last week — at some point during the show.

Which begs the question, why on earth were they not just read out at the start, as they have been since the 1950s? For an organisation who love to chase their own tails, these were new levels.

At least it made for a decent gag when Chapman handed across to Brentford v Manchester United with the line: 'Proving that not everything that is 74 years old has to be removed from Sports Report, here's John Murray.' (Murray is 55).

Match of the Day tried to make light of the fiasco by opening with clips of last weekend's matches, along with the results read out with the inflections made famous by the late, great classified reader James Alexander Gordon.

At the end of the montage, host Gary Lineker quipped: 'Just in case you couldn't find the scores anywhere else last weekend.'

Not only was it not very funny, the mickey-taking segment entirely missed the point — the Premier League scores were read out first on Sports Report — it is the absence of the lower-league scores in the decades-long slot that is the issue.

Lineker may want to take a leaf out of BBC Radio 4's book, where their Broadcasting House programme on Sunday morning openly and humorously lambasted Auntie's blunder.

Opening to the famous tones of Sports Report, Mark Pougatch, who presented the programme for 16 years, read out spoof results, starting with 'Knutsford 0 Nuts Decision 2'.

Some others: 'Aldershot Town 1 Shot in the Foot 2, Silly Billies 1 Common Sense 0, Havant & Waterlooville 1 Haven't A Clueville 3, and Cockfosters 0 Cock Uppers 2. 'James Alexander Gordon, turning in his grave', concluded Pougatch — who followed the likes of Cornelius Lysaght and Garry Richardson out of the door in early 2020.

Meanwhile, the Premier League have been conspicuous by their absence from the row, with many smaller clubs noting that their top-flight rivals will gain from the controversial change.

The EFL, National League and numerous politicians and charities have all criticised the axing of the BBC's results service but there has been no comment from the Premier League, who will only say that it is a matter for the BBC.

But we are still none the wiser over who made the call, with officials stating it is 'best to frame it as a BBC decision'.

And the underhand manner in which the BBC tried to sneak out the dropping of the classified results — with no prior warning given or announcement on Sports Report — has not gone down well in both London and Salford.

Staff, often wary of voicing public opinions against the army of clipboard carrying, meeting-obsessed management, have privately expressed their disbelief at the move.  

talkSPORT and Sky don't miss a beat

TalkSPORT and Sky Sports have happily picked up the dropped ball. 

The rival radio station launched an advertising campaign with the slogan 'talkSPORT 1 BBC 0' (presumably the decisive strike was an own goal) with a van carrying the banner parked outside BBC HQ at Media City in Salford. 

Full names were used during Adrian Durham's reading of their classifieds, while a remix of the Sports Report tones was played beforehand. 

Additional leagues were also read out, while on Soccer Saturday, Jeff Stelling repeatedly told viewers that they could catch all the scores at 5pm. 

 Revie's family want an apology

The Leeds United Supporters Network have called on Liz Truss in their campaign for a posthumous apology from the Football Association to Don Revie's family for what they describe as a 'vendetta' following the Elland Road legend's controversial resignation as England manager. 

At a hustings in Leeds, where the Tory leadership hopeful spent her adolescence, she declared that she wished 'to channel the spirit of Don Revie'.

LUSN vice chair Clive Miers said: 'Ms Truss may not be aware of his less spectral but more tangible influences as the father of the modern game with its 3.5 billion fans worldwide. 

'Ms Truss, as Prime Minister, can influence a stubborn FA to consider the unacceptable and haranguing treatment of Don Revie and issue his family with a belated and deserved apology.' 

Blunt start for sketch artist

Spare a thought for the sketch artist at the Ryan Giggs trial. 

The woman in question had her bag searched at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court on the first day of the case and was stunned when an overzealous security guard pulled out her pencil sharpener. 

Without a hint of humour, he told the artist that the sharpener contained a blade and that she would not be allowed to take it into the building. 

Dennis the menace seals his exit  

It would be fair to say not too many tears were shed at Vicarage Road when Emmanuel Dennis' move to Nottingham Forest was confirmed.

There is a distinct feeling at Watford that the dressing room will be a far more harmonious place without Dennis, with several of the players openly celebrating his departure. 

Cheerleading is heading for the Olympics

Believe it or not, cheerleading is a recognised Olympic sport. However, before anyone rushes out to buy tickets for this event at Paris 2024, it has yet to find its way on to the Olympic Games programme — even for LA in 2028. 

The International Cheerleading Federation are deadly serious about their athletes showing off their prowess at a future Games but, in the meantime, one suspects cheerleading will very much be part of the Los Angeles Olympics in some shape or form. 

Contributors: Matt Hughes and Matt Barlow.