TV pundits you love/hate?

[stavros]

My all time favourite 'pundit' was Todd Macklin who did channel 5 baseball for a bit. He was brilliant. Oozed enthusiasm and history and was funny, intelligent and obsessional.

I never saw him. When I watched it during my student days it was Josh Chetwin. He wasn't as good I take it?

Extending to other sports, I do like the team of Phil Ligget, Paul Sherwin and Gary Imlach on ITV and formerly C4's Tour de France coverage. It's just a shame we get so little of it so ITV can put on the other 99.9% of their output which is shite.

 

[lostexpectation]

I like adrian chiles as the presenter, he's quite cynical about it all compared to Lineker who is bland.

 

[Brockway]

The worst is Alan Green who in his zeal to "tell it like it is" - just focuses wholly on the negative. He does sometimes interrupt his commentary of the referee to talk about the football but not often enough. He also lets slip his loyalist tendencies a bit too often - why does he keep calling England "us" and "we" - surely he should be a Northern Ireland fan? His enthusiasm for the royal family is a bit grating as is his man-crush on ex-Rangers captain Terry Butcher. Why don't the BBC go the whole hog and invite Ian Paisley on too? Green thinks he's controversial but he's a bore. And his knowledge of lower division football is practically non-existant and a bit patronising.

John Murray is good.

 

[Flashman]

Roddy Forsyth is the worst for that, utter Hun bastard.

 

[William of Walworth]

The worst is Alan Green who in his zeal to "tell it like it is" - just focuses wholly on the negative. He does sometimes interrupt his commentary of the referee to talk about the football but not often enough. He also lets slip his loyalist tendencies a bit too often - why does he keep calling England "us" and "we" - surely he should be a Northern Ireland fan? His enthusiasm for the royal family is a bit grating as is his man-crush on ex-Rangers captain Terry Butcher. Why don't the BBC go the whole hog and invite Ian Paisley on too? Green thinks he's controversial but he's a bore. And his knowledge of lower division football is practically non-existant and a bit patronising.

Agree there ...

John Murray is good.

Help me out here .... is he Radio 5??

 

[William of Walworth]

other than that ITV is abysmal with patronising pleat and pretentious peter dreary, and they didn't even bother to analyse the last Ecuador match at half or full time despite some decent goals as they were too busy talking about the same old things about England

This was half time in the Germany v Ecuador match? (I'm presuming you mean the ITV studio summarisers not Pleat or Drury?)

I missed that match. I'm not unaware of constant irrelevant 'news and views from the England camp', or scarcely-relevant chat about how England would get on agsinst one or other of the two teams playing.

But at least with most games I've seen, there's SOME HT/FT analysis of the games in question ...

... often none too good though ...

 

[mhwfc]

This was half time in the Germany v Ecuador match? (I'm presuming you mean the ITV studio summarisers not Pleat or Drury?)

I missed that match. I'm not unaware of constant irrelevant 'news and views from the England camp', or scarcely-relevant chat about how England would get on agsinst one or other of the two teams playing.

But at least with most games I've seen, there's SOME HT/FT analysis of the games in question ...

... often none too good though ...

No, the Ecuador v Costa Rica match, there was some decent goals in that match but that match was literally not discussed at all during half time or after full time as it was all studio chat about England and the usual Gabriel Clarke at the England camp and Ned Boulting in the fan park.

To be fair to ITV, comparing the ITV live coverage with the BBC highlights of the Sweden match ITV's commentary was far better IMO, at least Tyldsley didn't stumble or make as many mistakes as Motson, and Southgate is improving as a pundit he's reasonably intelligent and insightful, bearing in mind Southgate hasn't done co-commentary before these championships he did a good job IMO.

Peter "EQUALISER!!" Drury and David "The sight is in end" Pleat are still the commentary team from hell though!

 

[stavros]

I can't believe I've forgotten to mention the best sports presenter ever;

"Shit, did you see that?"

 

[Deareg]

i watched the first 20 minutes of the opening game on itv, i think, and just could'nt listen to any more of the bullshit, so i turned over to rte, the irish channel, and have watched the rest of the tournament with them so far, they can talk some shite too mind, but thankfuuly not as much

 

[forked brain]

Mick McCarthy Absolute tosser

 

[tangerinedream]

I can't believe I've forgotten to mention the best sports presenter ever;

"Shit, did you see that?"

here's another pic.....

 

[Chorlton]

There is no-one, but no-one who can touch the great Jimmy Magee on RTE

"Ardiles strokes the ball like it was part of his anatomy."

 

[DRINK?]

not sure how good he is though Stuart Hall is class....just so different very entertaining, Champion and Chiles are good though the current crop on both sides for the world cup are irritating at best.

 

[Hollis]

Dare I say it.. Alan Shearer.. really not that bad.

 

[tangerinedream]

Dare I say it.. Alan Shearer.. really not that bad.

Shearer isn't too bad. I agree with you. He's better than the interviews in his career suggested he would be.

 

[fishfingerer]

There is no-one, but no-one who can touch the great Jimmy Magee on RTE

"Ardiles strokes the ball like it was part of his anatomy."

Not as great as Micheal O Muircheartaigh.

"I saw a few Sligo people at Mass in Gardiner Street this morning and the omens seem to be good for them, the priest was wearing the same colours as the Sligo jersey! 40 yards out on the Hogan stand side of the field Ciaran Whelan goes on a rampage, its a goal. So much for religion".

"Teddy looks at the ball, the ball looks at Teddy".

"Sean Og o Hailpin.... his father's from Fermanagh, his mother's from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold".

http://www.longislandgaels.com/gaa_humour2.htm

 

[stavros]

Shearer is OK, but is maybe boosted by having Ian Wright sat next to him for comparison.

 

[tangerinedream]

Shearer is OK, but is maybe boosted by having Ian Wright sat next to him for comparison.

I think it's the shock of the fact that a) he actually has an opinion from time to time and b) doesn't still refer to himself in the third person that makes him seem alright.

 

[Epico]

Shearer and Wright make a good punditry partnership. Shearer dull, but informed. Wright entertaining, but idiotic.

I've been pretty impressed by Leonardo on the BBCs coverage too.

Not pundits, but Alan Green is the worst commentator, he'd be alright if he could go 10 minutes without moaning but he can't. I reckon he's highly bitter about Jonathan Pierce (who I like) going over to MOTD and getting TV World Cup games. And he did Robot Wars.

 

[tangerinedream]

Shearer and Wright make a good punditry partnership. Shearer dull, but informed. Wright entertaining, but idiotic.

I've been pretty impressed by Leonardo on the BBCs coverage too.

Not pundits, but Alan Green is the worst commentator, he'd be alright if he could go 10 minutes without moaning but he can't. I reckon he's highly bitter about Jonathan Pierce (who I like) going over to MOTD and getting TV Would Cup games. And he did Robot Wars.

Pearce who I don't like as a comentator actually won my respect when he comentated on a few FA cup games and demonstrated a really decent knowledge of lower league football. Green deserve to die.

 

[stavros]

I quite like Green. He called Roberto Carlos a "waste of space" after he skyed another free kick and today told one of the players to "get up you big girl's blouse" quite aggresively.

 

[Brockway]

I quite like Green. He called Roberto Carlos a "waste of space" after he skyed another free kick and today told one of the players to "get up you big girl's blouse" quite aggresively.

"useless" "pathetic" "ludicrous" "awful" "idiot" - these are Green's favourite words. It becomes quite boring after a while. He knows nothing about football.

Jonathan Pierce is excellent (even though he's a worzel and an ex-public school boy). Great knowledge of lower division football and leaves you feeling upbeat about the game.

 

[tangerinedream]

I quite like Green. He called Roberto Carlos a "waste of space" after he skyed another free kick and today told one of the players to "get up you big girl's blouse" quite aggresively.

If Green wasn't allowed to say "disgrace" then he'd have nothing to say. Take yesterday, where a goal was disallowed for offside - Jon Murray described the action, his summariser said 'well the linesman's made a few mistakes' and that was that.
Green would have been decreeing that everyone in FIFA 'needs to take a long hard look at themselves,' describing the linesman as 'an idiot' and generally patronising the listener. Radio commentry is an art, do it right and the listener can form their own opinions, your job is to act as the conduit between the visual events you can see and the listeners imagination. Green isn't actually very good at this anymore (he was before he dissapeared up his own arse) I personally think the only disgrace is that he continues to commentate on every high profile match there is.
The commentators on Radio Lancashire are better, he should be given a column in the sun, next to Gary Bushell and told to stop inflicting his pious false 'moralising' on everyone else who chooses to listen to the national radio service.

 

[Genghis Cohen]

I quite like Green. He called Roberto Carlos a "waste of space" after he skyed another free kick and today told one of the players to "get up you big girl's blouse" quite aggresively.

You could go to any pub in the land during a match and there'd be an 'alan green' in there, the opinionated twat who wont keep fucking quiet.

He gets paid to watch football and does very little other than fucking complain about it, every other match is 'the worst he's ever seen,' this is a 'disgrace,' that is 'shocking,' blah blah blah.

Show dont tell, or in green's case, ram it down every fuckers throat.

 

[41132n]

Jim Rosenthal - thank fuck he's gone from F1 ITV.

Steve Rider does seem to be a bit out of his depth though...

 

[Barking_Mad]

On BBC 1 I just turn to digital and put only the crowd noise on. Bliss

 

[lostexpectation]

why does gary lineker presents like he's never played football

 

[stupid kid]

Going back a bit for non-Bravo receivers like me, my favourite presenter on a football show is James Richardson on Football Italia on Channel 4 who always seemed to understand all the history and culture as well as the game. His fluent Italian also helped get the best out of interviews too.

Yes, without a shadow of doubt. It's always a pleasure to listen to him.