@TheDancingYak said:
As long as no one mentions Clive “I’ll shoehorn Manchester United into this commentary at every opportunity” Tyldesley as a good commentator I’m happy ish
I remember reading an interview with Tyldesley in Four Four Two in which he claimed to be a Wycombe fan.
Pretty sure he’s a Manchester United fan, like most of Radcliffe/Bury
I am trying to recall but with no success, the name of a northern reporter that used to give match reports for both TV and Radio in the 70's and early 80's.. He would report on games in the north of England, he was in his 60's and I have a mental image of someone with a similar appearance to Stan Ogden.
May I add, other fantastic commentators in other sports, Dan Maskell from the world of tennis and Peter Alliss also his co commentator Alex Hay. All three respected the beauty of silence and knew when to comment!
I met Tony Butler when I worked in birmingham for a short period in the mid 80s @OldEchoMan. He was certainly a character. I knew he was big in local radio did not know he did the footy I must admit. Was he not also an early local radio 'shock jock' (probably very tame now) who also had to go for some (not sex related) transgression?
I must admit (sorry @glasshalffull ) that commentators/co-commentators tend to pass me by. If I'm interested in the game on the telly I only notice the ones who get things glaringly wrong and am never really surprised footballers arent that inspiring to listen to. Not a great radio listener but I do agree Jimmy Armfield is class. I also dont mind Jonathan Pearce. But if you're not keen on cliche football commentary is always a bit of a lottery.
I used to like Hugh Johns on ITV in the 70s. He covered the North West and had a favourite phrase "stunning drive", often it was "Franny Lee with a stunning drive". I used to wonder if he had a stunning drive at home.
People forget that he was the ITV commentator for the 1966 World Cup Final. When Hurst scored the fourth, he said:
"Here's Hurst, he might make it three. He has! He has ... so that's it. That is IT!"
John Arlott was a wonderful cricket commentator. He might have had difficulty keeping up as a football commentator and would probably have been poetically describing something totally unrelated to the match in progress just as the ball hit the back of the net. But I think I remember him doing post match reports in that wonderful, now virtually extinct, mid Hampshire accent. >
@MBS said:
I think I’d most like John Arlott commentating on football...could you imagine that!
You will probably disagree with me but I always think that listening to @bluntphil has strong similarities to a good cricket commentary. It's the banter and humor that does it for me. I seriously enjoy listening to Phil.
Agreed regarding Jimmy Armfield. Had the pleasure of meeting with Jimmy and his good lady wife at Stoke Park Golf & Country club. A true gent and lady, added to which they invited me to finish their afternoon tea and sarnies, an offer that couldn't be refused, well not by me anyway.
Jimmy Armfield was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in football and it was an honour and a privilege to have known him. We once shared a room on an overseas trip and he would always introduce me to someone by saying ‘Have you met Alan, we once slept together!’
Also a top class pundit and so often the perfect antidote to the excesses of Alan Green. In my opinion John Murray is the best of the modern radio commentators.
I've slagged off Jermaine Jenas on here before but he has improved massively. When he first started it was hard to make sense of anything he said as every sentence was bookended and punctuated with "to be honest with you".
He seems to have moved on by starting every response with "Look..." or "Listen..." - I get this vision of the anchorman shutting their eyes or putting their fingers in their ears as soon as they ask him for his opinion.
@Wisdom_Of_Harry do you think presenters are actually listening to what the pundits say when they've probably discussed it beforehand so they have the right clips and they have a director shouting '30 seconds left, get out of this and make your weak joke into the next game!' 'Thanks Jermaine/Danny/Dion/Alex...now off to Molyneaux to find out if Brendan Rodgers could outfox the Wolves...'
@Steve_Peart said:
I used to like Hugh Johns on ITV in the 70s. He covered the North West and had a favourite phrase "stunning drive", often it was "Franny Lee with a stunning drive". I used to wonder if he had a stunning drive at home.
He was also on a lot on ATV (Midland as it became). Seemed to have a real soft spot for Wolves ‘and Terry Hibbert said thank you very much from a Mike Bailey cross. 1-0 Wolves’.
@OldEchoMan said:
Sorry to butt in but I'm fascinated by this thread.
I consider myself fortunate to have known and still know many of these wonderful people. Went on many an assignment with Bryon Butler, Mike Ingham, Alan Green, Ron Jones, Jimmy Armfield [who wrote for the Daily Express when I was on the Mail in the north in the 1980s so we were friendly rivals], worked with Clive Tyldesley and Richard Keys when they were on local radio in Manchester and Liverpool; Tom Ross and the great Tony Butler in the Midlands; Tom Tyrell, Brian Clarke and Ian Frame in Manchester. Radio has been blessed with great voices, who captured the game with such authority and resonance. I have to say that Phil Catchpole is right up there and should get a wider audience.
I'm afraid today's TV commentators don't hold a candle to David Coleman, John Motson, Brian Moore or Barry Davies.
And as for 'summarisers', no one has touched Jimmy Hill.
I tried to watch Marine v Tottenham yesterday and it was like being in lockdown in a nursery. Dion Dublin's constant, inane dribble took away from the enjoyment; there was too much patronising of Marine's players. Simply horrible. I'm afraid Martin Tyler has gone backwards, talks in cliches and soundbites. The minute he went on about 'pen-demics' they should have put him out to grass.
IMHO JP [my good friend Jonathan Pearce] has found the transition from radio - where he was brilliant on Capital Gold - to TV quite tricky. I think even he would admit that.
@Steve_Peart said:
I used to like Hugh Johns on ITV in the 70s. He covered the North West and had a favourite phrase "stunning drive", often it was "Franny Lee with a stunning drive". I used to wonder if he had a stunning drive at home.
He was also on a lot on ATV (Midland as it became). Seemed to have a real soft spot for Wolves ‘and Terry Hibbert said thank you very much from a Mike Bailey cross. 1-0 Wolves’.
You are right @perfidious_albion, I think the Granada commentator and "stunning drive" man was actually Gerald Sinstadt.
Should have added that Hugh Johns (great voice) was Central TV and I replaced him for a few years working with Gary Newbon, John Sillett and Jimmy Greaves.
Great team of broadcasters.
Gary Newbon's interviews with Cloughie were always a treat. Wasnt Trevor East around then as well @glasshalffull . I recall watching him.on tiswas and then him having to be serious about sport in the week!
@Wendoverman said:
Gary Newbon's interviews with Cloughie were always a treat. Wasnt Trevor East around then as well @glasshalffull . I recall watching him.on tiswas and then him having to be serious about sport in the week!
You are spot on. I used to love watching Tiswas, it became a Saturday pre-match tradition. Trevor went on to hold senior management roles at ITV and Sky. He was/is a big Derby County fan who is now a director of our old ‘friends’ Plymouth Argyle.
Comments
Pretty sure he’s a Manchester United fan, like most of Radcliffe/Bury
I used to love Stuart Hall's match report summaries on the radio, but I guess were not supposed to mention him anymore !!
I am trying to recall but with no success, the name of a northern reporter that used to give match reports for both TV and Radio in the 70's and early 80's.. He would report on games in the north of England, he was in his 60's and I have a mental image of someone with a similar appearance to Stan Ogden.
May I add, other fantastic commentators in other sports, Dan Maskell from the world of tennis and Peter Alliss also his co commentator Alex Hay. All three respected the beauty of silence and knew when to comment!
In terms of the co-commentator/summariser role in don't think anyone can come close to Jimmy Armfield.
I also really used to like Graham Taylor in that role. Andy Gray was very good, and of the current crop I would agree that Gary Neville is the best.
I actually don't mind Jonathan Pearce as it happens although I would agree that he was better on the radio back in his capital gold days
I met Tony Butler when I worked in birmingham for a short period in the mid 80s @OldEchoMan. He was certainly a character. I knew he was big in local radio did not know he did the footy I must admit. Was he not also an early local radio 'shock jock' (probably very tame now) who also had to go for some (not sex related) transgression?
I must admit (sorry @glasshalffull ) that commentators/co-commentators tend to pass me by. If I'm interested in the game on the telly I only notice the ones who get things glaringly wrong and am never really surprised footballers arent that inspiring to listen to. Not a great radio listener but I do agree Jimmy Armfield is class. I also dont mind Jonathan Pearce. But if you're not keen on cliche football commentary is always a bit of a lottery.
And who can blame them.
I used to like Hugh Johns on ITV in the 70s. He covered the North West and had a favourite phrase "stunning drive", often it was "Franny Lee with a stunning drive". I used to wonder if he had a stunning drive at home.
People forget that he was the ITV commentator for the 1966 World Cup Final. When Hurst scored the fourth, he said:
"Here's Hurst, he might make it three. He has! He has ... so that's it. That is IT!"
John Arlott was a wonderful cricket commentator. He might have had difficulty keeping up as a football commentator and would probably have been poetically describing something totally unrelated to the match in progress just as the ball hit the back of the net. But I think I remember him doing post match reports in that wonderful, now virtually extinct, mid Hampshire accent. >
@ValleyWanderer said:
Totally agree, in fact @ValleyWanderer.
Agreed regarding Jimmy Armfield. Had the pleasure of meeting with Jimmy and his good lady wife at Stoke Park Golf & Country club. A true gent and lady, added to which they invited me to finish their afternoon tea and sarnies, an offer that couldn't be refused, well not by me anyway.
Jimmy Armfield was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in football and it was an honour and a privilege to have known him. We once shared a room on an overseas trip and he would always introduce me to someone by saying ‘Have you met Alan, we once slept together!’
Also a top class pundit and so often the perfect antidote to the excesses of Alan Green. In my opinion John Murray is the best of the modern radio commentators.
He seems to have moved on by starting every response with "Look..." or "Listen..." - I get this vision of the anchorman shutting their eyes or putting their fingers in their ears as soon as they ask him for his opinion.
@Wisdom_Of_Harry do you think presenters are actually listening to what the pundits say when they've probably discussed it beforehand so they have the right clips and they have a director shouting '30 seconds left, get out of this and make your weak joke into the next game!'
'Thanks Jermaine/Danny/Dion/Alex...now off to Molyneaux to find out if Brendan Rodgers could outfox the Wolves...'
He was also on a lot on ATV (Midland as it became). Seemed to have a real soft spot for Wolves ‘and Terry Hibbert said thank you very much from a Mike Bailey cross. 1-0 Wolves’.
Very insightful...thank you.
Peter Jones for me, European midweek football on the radio...brilliant in the days when there was a lot less live football on TV.
You are right @perfidious_albion, I think the Granada commentator and "stunning drive" man was actually Gerald Sinstadt.
Gerald Sinstadt was indeed Granada.
Should have added that Hugh Johns (great voice) was Central TV and I replaced him for a few years working with Gary Newbon, John Sillett and Jimmy Greaves.
Great team of broadcasters.
Gary Newbon's interviews with Cloughie were always a treat. Wasnt Trevor East around then as well @glasshalffull . I recall watching him.on tiswas and then him having to be serious about sport in the week!
Hugh Johns can be heard commentating on the Swansea v Wycombe game at 21'55'' of the 1995/6 end of season video (link below)...
https://youtu.be/HhortgTiKYU
You are spot on. I used to love watching Tiswas, it became a Saturday pre-match tradition. Trevor went on to hold senior management roles at ITV and Sky. He was/is a big Derby County fan who is now a director of our old ‘friends’ Plymouth Argyle.
You lost me at 'Derby fan' and then kicked me in the Pilgrims when I was down. Childhood innocence over.
I can only think of Way and Progress @Wendoverman. Neither seem to rhyme with any part of the body that I can think of.
You’ll get over it when we beat Derby to guarantee Championship survival then beat Plymouth in the FA Cup semi final.
Very true.
Eat my goal.
'and another!' always makes me chuckle.
It’s a brilliant line. In two words it shows Partridge’s ignorance and his lack of awareness thereof.