Are there any good sports commentators left?

[The Large One]

Following on from the Harry Carpenter thread, it appears we're not only mourning the passing of a great commentator, but the passing of great commentary itself.

It does seem to be that there is a dewey-eyed fondness for commentators of yesteryear and that the current crop are bending over backwards to scream for the most absurd superlatives, while chasing another yet mangled metaphor down a blind alley.

Surely there are some of the 'current' crop of commentators who, when they shuffle off to the great gantry in the sky, it's considered that their passing will be mourned too. And I'm not talking about pundits here - I mean commentators.

Of the old school that's left (though not necessarily commentating) who I always liked for one reason or another...
Murray Walker
Richie Benaud
Stuart Hall - yikes!
Barry Davies


Of the 'current' crop, those whom I genuinely appreciate listening to...
John Inverdale
Jonathan Agnew
Christopher Martin-Jenkins


Please retire now, your sports commentary passing will not be mourned...
Jonathan Pearce
Bob Willis
Henry Blofeld - enough, already

What about you chaps and chapesses?

 

[Pavilionaire]

Lanning and Waddell have been doing the darts for donkeys years and are great in tandem.

 

[The Large One]

Lanning and Waddell have been doing the darts for donkeys years and are great in tandem.

You see, much as I admire the verbal dexterity of Sid Waddell, he is not really adding anything to the spectacle. For me, Waddell IS the spectacle, and for that, I don't really call it 'commentating'.

 

[brakespear]

Jimmy Armfield - quality football co-commentator.

And, of course, Peter Alliss.

 

[Horsham Gull]

Motty

 

[The Large One]

Motty

Lost it.

Him, not you.

 

[BHAFC4EVER]

Andy Gray, Martin Tyler and John Motson are the best out there in my opinion.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

Not a commentator as such, but I really like Cornelius Lysaght. A man with clear knowledge and passion for his sport, who manages to retain a bit of gravitas in an increasingly lightweight, soundbite-cultured medium.

 

[ali jenkins]

I always like listening to the TMS team

 

[Austrian Gull]

Andy Gray, Martin Tyler and John Motson are the best out there in my opinion.

I guess that's the thing about commentators - people have completely different tastes. I can't stand Andy Gray, I will always turn the sound off when he's on. His endless criticism of referees does my head in. TLO got it right with Motty - he lost it (whatever it was in the first place) years ago.

A few that I enjoy:

Richie Benaud - as good as a commentator could possibly be.

Peter Alliss - he is unintentionally hilarious whether he's mentioning some doddery old member at Ferndown or advocating bringing back capital punishment for the person who broke into Bruce Forsyth's house.

Mike Ingham - wonder why he has never made the switch to TV.

Martin Tyler - he must have the patience of a saint to put up with Gray's witterings.

The worst of all, though, is Clive Tyldesley.

 

[Jam The Man]

Andy Gray was good for a while, but has become increasingly irritating with his OTT love of the top four and the top four only....and Arsenal in particular.
Evidently he wields the power of choosing what games Sky show too.

...and the aynahl passarhge kissing by his co-commentator Mr Tyler is tedious.

Motson not as good as he used to be, but still better than the above.

All ITV commentators have a sickly sugary match by match agenda... particularly when focusing on star players like Rooney / Ronaldo

 

[Johnny Crumplin Football]

I liked Jim Proudfoot. Don't know if he is still around though (I live a long way away)

Hawsey is also top drawer IMHO

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

I guess that's the thing about commentators - people have completely different tastes. I can't stand Andy Gray, I will always turn the sound off when he's on. His endless criticism of referees does my head in. TLO got it right with Motty - he lost it (whatever it was in the first place) years ago.

A few that I enjoy:

Richie Benaud - as good as a commentator could possibly be.

Peter Alliss - he is unintentionally hilarious whether he's mentioning some doddery old member at Ferndown or advocating bringing back capital punishment for the person who broke into Bruce Forsyth's house.

Mike Ingham - wonder why he has never made the switch to TV.

Martin Tyler - he must have the patience of a saint to put up with Gray's witterings.

The worst of all, though, is Clive Tyldesley.

Clive Tyldesley is the bloody worse.How annoying is that ironic voice?

 

[Kumquat]

Andy Gray? When anyone scores a good goal, he says "Take a bow son". It's becoming increasingly annoying. He is also responsible for arguably the worst piece of commentary ever when Ian Wright scored a goal for Arsenal he said "Give that boy the ball in that position and there's only one thing he's gonna do. Hit it." Added value he does not do.

Richie Benaud is the best for me and pundit wise Jamie Redknapp because he actually knows what he's talking about. Tyldesley and Beglin on ITV has to be the worst. the way they crawled up Messi's arse in the Barca Hamburg game last week was particularly galling. He could have had the worst game of his life and they would have been wetting themselves.

 

[seagullsoverlincoln]

martin Tyler is half decent(anyone remember him on southern T/V when he was crap),
let down by the increasingly annoying Andy Gray.

Steve Cram is pretty good

 

[Smith DID score]

I think Toby Moody and Julian Ryder who do Sky's coverage of MotoGP are superb.

 

[Austrian Gull]

Andy Gray? When anyone scores a good goal, he says "Take a bow son". It's becoming increasingly annoying. He is also responsible for arguably the worst piece of commentary ever when Ian Wright scored a goal for Arsenal he said "Give that boy the ball in that position and there's only one thing he's gonna do. Hit it." Added value he does not do.

Good point about "Take a bow son".

What also really irritates me is how Andy Gray laughs at his own frequently appalling jokes.

Can't stand the bloke.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Mike Atherton is brilliant but Bob Willis looks and sounds like an old lady. I love listening to Bumble too.

Worst commentator in football - Alan Smith. I CANNOT stand his strangled way of speaking. He has a bloody speech impediment so shouldn't be a commentator.

 

[dingobruce]

Andy Townsend