I know what he said thanks! and so do the players involved, I always played rugby league outside of school, in fact the team I was involved with/ran had players such as Andy Platt who would have only otherwise played Union at West Park as many other good players, Ray and myself had many heated discussions!

The sad thing is there are more kids playing rugby league now in London than such as in our home town and many famous league towns!

I said I respect Ray, but please don't try to tell me his work was just a labour of love for BBC TV and those who think his commentaries are still good, well that shocks me as it is the BBC as always treating our game so badly, perhaps the hnour is a great time for Mr French himself to stand down himself and let more new blood come though, such as rugby league fanatic on BBC Radio Five Live George Riley, now I would respect Ray is he does that as the Rugby Leaguer used to say "All For The Good of The Game"

I don't honestly think anyone would praise his commentaries in recent years and hasn't he already in effect stood down?
Interesting to hear it wasn't all flowers and puppies.

I am a Royalist, but some mates are not, but I accept and respect their opinions, it would be a boring world if we all thought the same. Regards the Honours System I do feel it is totally outdated now, the outcry from such as the sun about Bruce Forsyth to be made a Sir, the man received an honour some years back.

Gotta agree with your view of him stepping down.
Can't comment properly on the quality of his services to rugby league from a while ago but recently his commentaries are boring and sound ill-informed. He doesn't know the players on a team and can't recognise the ones he does know when they are playing.

Additionally he is out of date with the game. Last year's semi final highlights it perfectly. IT was like watching Ian Botham arguing on the cricket. He was discussing with J. Davis the system of licenses and was well off in what he said. Everyone around him were making excellent points and added to the discussion; he just seemed confused and was making a great deal of sense.

He has been a voice for the sport but i think he should step down now.

Congratulations, though, on the recognition./

Ray French was involved in rugby league as a labour of love, period. His commentary for the BBC was just a part of that and in some ways a small part of it. That he was a commentator, and still is at local level, means that people know of him nationally and he was referred to on the national BBC news when news of his award first broke. Had he not had that involvement, he would not have been mentioned, given league's low media profile nationally.

So you know then, does Mr French not accept any payment from BBC TV? I admit he may not get much payment from BBC Radio Merseyside, but again I don't think he will do it for no payment at all! Of course BBC TV are going to mention the award when it is their own salary staff! they need to bang the drum as anyone, shame they do not rate Rugby League so Highly when it is time for Sports Personality of the Year Award, once more they treat the game as it is in the gutter!

Ray sadly is now totally out of touch with the current game, he can't keep up with the pace of the game any longer, well if that is the image we want to portray on a national basis then we are in a mess as a sport!

I said period. I didn't say 'on TV'. Whether he was paid or not, and whether you are talking about his coaching, his promotion of the game, his writing about the game or his commentating upon the game, it was all a labour of love to him. He has a passion for rugby, especially rugby league. That was a complaint against him when he was teaching. Some teachers at Cowley did not think he was passionate enough about English because he cared so much about rugby. Being paid for something you are good at and love does not in any way negate your commitment to what it is that you love. As I said, his TV work was only part of it and historically a relatively small part of it.

Ray taught me at Cowley Grammar from 1971 to 1976 both in the classroom and on the Rugby pitch. This was the time of "never the two codes will meet". He never once showed bias to either code and even had RL Pros (Ian MacCorquadale for one) helping him coach there. He brought a lot of lads into the school from League to play Union (Ian Potter and Mick Burke for eg) and then helped with their entry into the Pro Game. He arranged Half time RU 7 a sides at Saints v Wigan Games.

He deserves his MBE for his Services to School Sport in the St Helens area alone, never mind anything he has done on TV. A lot of lads owe an awful lot to "Uncle Earie" especially those that were fortunate enough to go on the many Globe Trotting Tours he arranged. The guy is a star and anybody who says different doesn't know him.

That is your opinion! I can name many Great Guys who did much more for school sport and in particular Rugby League and not union.

Still do not agree with the honours system!

Good point....plenty of Ex pros' devote much more of their own personal time to coach or help out at Amateur clubs.

commentating on Rugby League in a shockingly bad way for so long doesnt warrant an award in my opinion. He's not a visionary. he's not knowledgable (unless you class knowing every former Thatto heath/blackbrook amatuer turned pro as knowledgeable), and he's not very good at his job.

apparantly a decent after dinner speaker though

Well, if commentating was the only reason he won the award then I'd agree with you. However, you show amazing ignorance of what Ray French actually did for the game so I'm not even going to bother debating it with you. Suffice it to say, he did an incredible amount more than commentating on the game and if you read any of his books you will also discover that he knows one hell of a lot about the sport.

But it is a totally outdated view of the game, rugby league has moved on! would you bring back Alex Murphy as coach? the answer is NO!

French is now more an embarrassment to the game then Eddie Waring was close to the end, but the BBC are not bothered because they treat our game as joke, there would be much more respect for Ray is he had retired around two years back and even more, yes carry on his weekly newspaper column, yes BBC Radio Merseyside, the research shows what demographic listen to that! but to want to carry on and on and on is sad!

Judging from your posts, French has forgotten more about RL in the last 5 minutes than you've ever known.

Whilst I would like to respond I would first be interested to learn of which of Ray's books you have actually read and what specific view in which particular book is "totally outdated" ?

go on then dont accuse me of ignorance without putting me right...Ive been watching the game since 1979 and I couldnt tell you of one thing Ray French has done for the game other than reinforce the fact that Northern People cant speak properly. at least Eddie Waring another criticised for his poor commentary actually was a driving force behind Getting rugby League televised.

If French has done similar things you should let us ignorant people know...