Phil Catchpole + no one?
Football commentary is a very subjective thing. One person can love a commentator or co-commentator and someone else hate the sound of their voices. Fair enough.
I wondered what the general opinion is on our commentary offering? I know he is well liked on here and I believe that we are really lucky to have Phil Catchpole - he delivers excellent informative and entertaining commentaries that are Wycombe biased in the way they should be but also balanced and fair.
My issues are with who he is paired with
1) Whenever Geoff Doyle from BBC3CR does a Wycombe game (albeit rarely) Phil is somehow relegated to a second commentator status. Geoff is cringeworthy and Phil actually does a great job of politely correcting his awful mistakes. I would give him 3/10 at best. Painful.
2) Matt Cecil. Is brilliant at what he does day to day juggling about 100 different things and for me, actually the best co-commentator. He offers insight and also analyses the game incredibly well pointing out things I wouldn’t have spotted - something ex-players often don’t do when you’d expect them to instead of just telling you what you are seeing, stating the obvious or just rattling out cliches 8/10
3) Alan Parry. I enjoyed listening to AP on Saturday, hilarious when the fan in him came out and he shouted at the ref. Maybe a bit tough for Phil having a top pro commentator next to him but it was a good listen. 8/10
4) This Brian bloke from Southend who is a journalist. Fairly harmless but why do we need someone who doesn’t know our players or really anything about us. Phil again is a perfect diplomat in handling him but he didn’t add anything and started to grate in the couple of games I’ve had to listen to him. 4/10
5) Bill Turnbull. Sorry, I know loads of you love him but he is the absolute worst. Infuriates me that he comes and takes over “commentating”, if you can call it that, so Phil has to take a back seat. He can’t remember names and just mumbles away like a Harry Enfield character, it’s so bad. Embarrassing when he was arguing with Phil during the Norwich game too, fair play to PC for standing his ground just before half-time. On what basis is he used? Because he once presented boring-Alan-Partridge-with-no-irony-breakfast time on the BBC? So what? Irrelevant to commentating on a football match. I know he has been through a very very tough time health wise and that is completely separate to this, I’m not judging him as a person or as a fan. I’m sure his work for charity is brilliant and it’s great he supports the club and uses his profile to help the club but I just don’t think being near the mic at a football match it for him. 1/10
Why do we actually need a co-commentator? I’d prefer or listen to Phil on his own if we can’t add anyone good like a decent ex-player or one of the injured first team players.
The ifollow audio package is a service I pay for every season (separate to the live streams we can watch this season) so it’s fair to ask for some quality control.
The end.
Comments
Not sure I agree....Bill is good
I love Bill on the commentary, genuinely makes me enjoy the match more. Also think Brian Jeeves does a good job and it’s really good to have the views of someone who doesn’t watch us every week but does watch a hell of a lot of football. Not a huge fan of Geoff Doyle, but again he does bring some things to the table.
We’re hugely spoiled, just switch to the oppo commentary from time to time to remind yourself how lucky we are.
I find I dont care that much who is with Phil...as when I am at AP I have to listen to a wide variety of 'commentators' of varying knowledge and skill anyway and with the best will in the world most of them are less entertaining than Ballroom Bill.
Brian’s summarising tonight was excellent. Love Bill and Alan’s partisan approach. Wouldn’t give the 3CR brigade (either Doyle or Ashmead) house room as they’re so painfully pro-Luton. Matt’s a qualified ref so his insight is very useful. Phil is the glue - like the team he just gets better each year.
I quite like the variety. As long as Phil’s there it’s all good. The only one I’d be keen to hear less of is Geoff Doyle - does nothing for me.
Commentary tonight was excellent. Kudos to @bluntphil and @BrianJeeves68 as I thought they were a great partnership. I also really enjoy the AP commentary, love those light dark blue glasses, keep it up. I agree on the other 3cr pro Luton folks but Phil and his co commentators do a great job, each co or full commentator offering a different experience. Nice work gents.
"but he didn’t add anything and started to grate in the couple of games I’ve had to listen to him. 4/10 - Sorry Noel... Erm... You're not actually my wife, are you? ;-)
Not heard Matt Cecil, but can imagine he's good - he tends to get the results he deserves for the huge effort he puts into all things Wycombe.
Otherwise agree with the opening poster apart from being harsh on Brian there. A quality response from @BrianJeeves68 above there. I dare say any media pro recognises that you can't please all of the people all of the time!
Bill T if he comes on again should strictly be used a co-commentator. The baffling thing was that the next game we had AP, an actual top professional commentator as co!
But it's worst when Phil will just be relegated to a 25-30min slot as Doyle takes over.
I thought last night was good, actually prefer it to the over biased partisan commentary.
For the record, I know Geoff Doyle personally, he's actually from Wycombe, I can promise you that he is certainly not a Luton fan
I quite often watch the games with no commentary at all. Much like when I watch a game live.
I think Phil is brilliant. Very lucky to have him.
Always a treat when Alan Parry is on. He's been one of the country's top commentators longer than most fans have been alive.
It's obviously subjective but I really enjoyed Brian's co-comms last night. He's clearly struck up a good rapport with Phil and it comes through well. He knows his football as well.
No problems personally with Geoff Doyle.
I don't personally like the fanzone style commentary of Bill Turnbull but I know plenty of people that love it, and much as all things should be tailored to my exact preferences it does seem to be giving a lot of people what they want. Plus he's a really nice bloke so you can't have too much of a go at him.
All in all, I really like the commentary and whilst Phil is absolutely superb I think it always works better in a two person team.
The next step for them in my opinion would be to get some female representation in the commentary booth. Phil seems like a progressive sort though and I wouldn't be surprised if they're already giving this some thought
Agree that Phil plus anyone is fine by me.
Phil mentioned on Twitter that Oily Sailor may be joining him at some point soon.
An Alan Parry/oily sailor commentary team is the one everyone is calling out for
Think all the co commentary this season has been good they all bring something different and in the case of brian Jeeves an outsiders perspective.
The variety is great for me. Brian Jeeves is a proper football person and we need insights from afar. Bill is classic and you feel his emotion, same with Alan Parry (who must find it strange to be more of a summariser!).
The Luton/Watford based commentators in 3CR have been a little condescending at times, but the insight from non supporters provides a more rounded view.
Darius Charles was the worst as he disappeared at half time one match! But we will forgive him for his wonderful performances for us
Heh, heh. Pillars of the establishment, both.
I said last night that Brian was excellent and think his less partisan perspective is good. It must be hard to do the whole match on your own, as well as potentially boring for the listeners.
I think Bill is great, but understand why others might not like his style.
He doesn't have the best understanding of the game, by his own admission, and will make some mistakes or misjudgments, and after decades on the BBC being impartial, is relishing the freedom to be one eyed and passionate.
Can it be arranged for against a team where we have a bit of 'history'. It would be unmissable
I'd love to know if Isa Guha is a Chairboys fan? If she is, having schooled in High Wycombe perhaps she could be tempted to come in and give us a different view?
I've enjoyed most of the commentators so far and having a change each game is really refreshing. I do 2nd the premise that we hear a bit too much of Geoff Doyle when he is on.
The Oily Sailor/Alan Parry commentating team should happen when we play Peterborough in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. Perhaps Adrian Durham can be brought into the fold as well for that game?
I know Tara Woodward is taking time out from football for her health but maybe someone to get in at some point in the future when, hopefully, she's up for it - obviously a Blues fan and always come as cross as erudite on Twitter.
On the subject of adding some gender diversity to the commentary, it would be great to have some of the chairgirls team on summarising duty from time to time.
I for one enjoyed @BrianJeeves68 's contributions yesterday and at Reading the other week. He clearly knows the game and while sympathetic to us, is able to give an outsider's perspective on how we're doing.
Saying that, having Bill Turnbull vocalise what we're all thinking about the ref is a good laugh, if not the most professional commentary style!
For me the best combination this season has been @bluntphil & @BrianJeeves68, with Phil & AP a close second, Ballroom Bill was fun but far too biased and I want balance on my commentary
I like Brian and have no issues with it being a matey chat at times. He knows football and it's good to have an opinion from someone with different reference points. We have a great set of media types and Phil does a good job keeping it light and entertaining.
The one thing I've noticed on regular TV/ Sky commentaries in the absence of fan noise to to fill time and provide something to react to is the tendancy to talk up minor things, go through a list of bullet point clichés and really be better off shutting up.
I realise I am quite shallow but I don't expect balance from my own club's commentary team at all.
Me too but I do think @BrianJeeves68 has been excellent with Phil, not just because it allows me to post this
@peterparrotface It would be lovely to think of him in the audience there, but his mention of this goal last night, and having seen the original on the Big Match with his dad, suggests that he might have been a bit too young:
This thread confirms that the mix of contributors is pretty much spot on. We’ll all have our favourites - I enjoyed Brian’s perspective on commentary last night as much as Bill’s myopic bias. And AP is one of the commentary greats, so we’re lucky to have him doing his stuff.
Always had to be remembered this is a radio commentary being attached to a TV event too. I love watching some of the old Big Match revisited shows on ITV4. Sometimes, Brian Moore simply states players’ surnames as they work the ball about - for TV, it’s a great style of commentary that was lost when radio practitioners like Jonathan ‘he has to score from there x 12 every match’ Pearce became the fashion on TV.
It’s all a long way from early iFollow where there was no commentary at all. Looking back at that era you realise how important they are.
Excellent @peterparrotface, I think Going Back Home is my favourite Feelgood song. Might be a good one to play for the teams to run out to.