Football: Lineker shows he cans till walk tall; Sport onTV.

Byline: ALAN McKINLAY

NOT many people have been accused of being "banal" in the same week they are labelled so acerbic that a near-pounds 400million contract bid is rendered unacceptable.

This, to me, suggests that Gary Lineker must be doing something right in upsetting two different camps for such opposite reasons.

The FA are upset that Lineker does not admire the way England play, but that is surely a view held by anyone who has seen any of their matches in the last two years.

The accusation that he is "banal" came from Eamonn Dunphy, former Millwall midfielder and Roy Keane autobiographer, whose always-entertaining views are most often aired by Irish broadcaster RTE.

Lineker is not a pundit, he is a presenter. As such he still manages to be far more scathing than other smooth operators such as Steve Rider or Matt Smith.

He's even prepared to have a pop at some of his colleagues.

Earlier this season, during the Newcastle v Birmingham FA Cup replay, Lineker noted that the master of the rambling question, Garth Crooks, was standing close to Steve Bruce on the sideline.

"Perhaps Garth is giving Bruce the benefit of his tactical nous," pondered Lineker, "or maybe just starting his post-match question."

Lineker started this year's coverage of the Masters (BBC1, BBC2) doing something he never does on Match Of The Day - talking while walking.

He pulled this off quite nicely, even managing to go from grass to kerb to pavement without a hitch.

Call him banal or acerbic if you wish, but never accuse him of being anything other than agile.

CAPTION(S):

ACCUSED: Lineker