Talksport issued a statement today criticising an on-air comment from Xfm breakfast show presenter Christian O'Connell, after TalkSport anounced a rival song to Xfm's Euro 2004 single.
The alternative music station has formed a band, called Twisted X, which includes Danny from Supergrass, Carl from The Libertines, Bernard Butler, The Delays, actor James Nesbitt, Christian O'Connell and Xfm listeners.
Twisted X's Euro 2004 song, 'Born in England', was written by The Wheatleys and chosen by a public vote after O'Connell launched an on-air competition asking listeners to write a credible football anthem for Euro 2004. The profits from the single go the Help A Local Child charity.
The track also features 500 Xfm listeners who won the chance to chant the chorus at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park and star in the video.
Talksport announced that it was also releasing a single on the same day, June 7. 'Come on England' features the station's presenters with a group of England fans who call themselves 4-4-2. The single is a version of Dexy's Midnight Runners' classic 'Come on Eileen'.
O'Connell had, in his usual jesting manner, claimed that Talksport was "a vastly inferior medium wave cabbie moron FM basically... it's an awful station. They have obviously knee-jerked ... It's even got the obligatory clichéd football commentary just like the rubbish FA one."
Mike Parry, Talksport's programme director and breakfast presenter said today: "Oh dear, Christian's not sounding very Christian at all -- not to us, not to the FA and certainly not to London cabbies. Never mind, we're happy to let England fans make up their own minds."
Christian O'Connell has since hit back and told Brand Republic today that Talksport had deliberately misquoted him.
"I have nothing against London's cabbies. We had loads of cabbies turn up to Regent's Park this week and sing on our song and we supported their recent strike action."
He continued: "Talksport are just running scared already and trying to turn people off our song. I love Dexy's but there is simply no need for that song. Ours was only made as a result of bad ones like this. 'Born in England' is an original with some very talented people playing on it, the song speaks for itself."
Christian O'Connell and breakfast show sidekick Chris Smith amusingly lobbied the FA on air to take on 'Born in England' as their official song, but the FA has since decided that The Farm will perform a new version of their 1990 classic, 'All Together Now' as the official song. It is to be released on May 31. It has been mixed by DJ Spoony and features additional vocals by the St Francis Xavier Boys Choir.
Previous hit football songs include New Order's 'World in Motion', which featured the infamous John Barnes rap, and The Lightning Seeds' 'Three Lions' which was performed with comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner. Both songs went to Number One.
In the latest Rajar's, both stations posted their best results to date. Xfm's Christian O'Connell breakfast show finally made it into the top 10, coming in as the 10th biggest breakfast show in London, while Talksport saw the largest growth in share, up from 1.7% a year ago to 1.9 %.
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