Football commentary on ITV...

[reverendmedia]

...makes me sick.

It compounds a miserable evening of TV watching where, yet again, Liverpool get an absurd piece of luck (in the form of an unbelievably bad decision) to get something from a game where realistically, they deserved nothing. I'm actually really, really angry.

Drury, Champion and Tyldesley should all be strung up for their utter lack of objectivity, their inability to speak in anything other than sensationalist, sound bite-esque non-sequiturs and their complete refusal to give any deference to anyone watching who might not support an English team that wears red. stnuc.

[sinc_vision]

Drury, Champion and Tyldesley should all be strung up for their utter lack of objectivity, their inability to speak in anything other than sensationalist, sound bite-esque non-sequiturs and their complete refusal to give any deference to anyone watching who might not support an English team that wears red. stnuc.

Couldn't agree more. I've felt this way for years. I even feel nauseous when they're spouting all the patriotic drivel in favour of my own club.

[sarnian]

They are no worse than Tyler and Gray wanking over arsenal and steven gerrard all the time.

[spaniard]

Or jaime redknapp on sky sucking his harrys knob. In all fairness but panelists are useless and talk out of their asses. Hansen is by far the worst though.

All about John Motson.

Haha was jokes when Andy Gray got well excited when Gerrard scored in the last minute against Olympiakos a few years back in the CL.

[manray]

What do you expect..... Football is a sport of opinions.

[reverendmedia]

The thing (for me) with hansen is that despite being a self-proclaimed liverpool supporter, he'd be the first to criticize them when they play badly. further, his acclamation of them is delivered tongue firmly in cheek: that's one of the good things about bbc punditry - there's a level of banter that works and somehow governs a commendable impartiality that is sorely and oh so obviously lacking from ITV (having said that, I don't really rate shearer as a good pundit).

the only bbc commentator that i think could be guilty of bias is Johnathon Pearce against Chelsea. Guy Mowbray seems to be slipping into that cringeworthy ITV soundbite style, but apart from that, BBC deliver statistics, insightful tactical analysis and the right amount of 'tension building' (call it what you will) to merge with the game itself, making the commentary work seamlessly with the picture.

tyldesley has been dubbed 'the trafford commentator' (how many times did he mentioned 'that night in barcelona'....dear oh dear), such is his level of bias. other countries are just as partisan to their home teams in their TV commentary (south america, italy), but that's no excuse.

I've got a feeling that ITV commentators get royalties on their commentary. So that if and when their words get used in a commercial advertising a final or whatever they get an extra cheque. Since only sound bite style quotes are appropriate for adverts, what we get throughout every game is embarrassing (and, to my mind, largely uninformative and essentially non-relevant) non-sequiturs, uttered not for the benefit of the viewers at home, but for an extra cut later on down the line.

Also, I remember seeing something ages ago about ITV staff given a remit to ape a more 'american' style of presentation. (i certainly know that auntie had this - one needs only to look at how george alagiah switched from sombre, old auntie style to a grinning idiot. and don't get me started on breakfast news ).

If so, then this might explain the style, which i feel comes off as trite and embarrassing in this country (perfect though for the states - which, I hasten to add, is not a cuss. american sports commentary has been in my experience informed, relevant and replete with stats, but delivered in a style that suits the american accent not a british one).

ultimately, commentators are always going to get excited watching a live match. who doesn't? but, a bit of professionalism that included at least some semblance of impartiality wouldn't go amiss (at the very least to give my knuckles a break from where i've been bashing the TV screen imagining it to be peter drury's face).

[bagelator]

yeah blatant amateurs on itv. they wax lyrical a lot, but sound like they're trying to get shoed into whichever team's next dogging session starring as the cumsponge.

bbc ftw!

[pdomino]

Pleat is the fuckin wind up merchant, and he's the only one too !!
"GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY !"

[jonnyrebel]

oh man itv football commentry has done my head in for years. David pleat has to be the worst,

classic moments from pleat

When he didnt know who zeiger was in world cup 02 despite the fact he signed him for spurs

ruining the carling cup final against chelsea last year because he would shut up about the fact that he "got the ball rolling" for spurs

Constantly pronouncing players names in ridiculous " im right your wrong" fashion

[alfie]

always quick to slag off ronaldo/drogba et al for diving, but they won't have a bad word to say about our good old english boy gerrard, who's one of the worst culprits.

[pdomino]

Constantly pronouncing players names in ridiculous " im right your wrong" fashion

Nail on head, Mascherano and Kuyt being 2 he random chooses different pronunciation of.

[reverendmedia]

succinct summation of tyldesley:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10732481161

"piss riddled existence"

[frodo]

always quick to slag off ronaldo/drogba et al for diving, but they won't have a bad word to say about our good old english boy gerrard, who's one of the worst culprits.

Gerrard was a disgrace last night.

[50mileview]

ChimBOMba is another good one of pleats. man needs to be ended

[sarnian]

david pleat is the king of mispronunciations..i remember all the way through one world cup he was pronouncing Kanu's name as 'Canoe-ay'.

[mr_vega]

same thing that happened against arsenal last year in the champions league. ryan babel dives in the box, THEY get the descision. champions league ref's love to suck on liverpools balls.

i dont blame gerrard for last night, i blame these shitty fucking refs.

[diss04]

always quick to slag off ronaldo/drogba et al for diving, but they won't have a bad word to say about our good old english boy gerrard, who's one of the worst culprits.

Gerrard was a disgrace last night.

by the letter of the law, that was a foul, man.

[diss04]

david pleat is a nobhead

[sarnian]

always quick to slag off ronaldo/drogba et al for diving, but they won't have a bad word to say about our good old english boy gerrard, who's one of the worst culprits.

Gerrard was a disgrace last night.

by the letter of the law, that was a foul, man.

I have never read the rule that says 'you must award a penalty if saint stevie g dives in the penalty area', man.

[diss04]

always quick to slag off ronaldo/drogba et al for diving, but they won't have a bad word to say about our good old english boy gerrard, who's one of the worst culprits.

Gerrard was a disgrace last night.

by the letter of the law, that was a foul, man.

I have never read the rule that says 'you must award a penalty if saint stevie g dives in the penalty area', man.

contact made on the player without playing the ball = foul. don't give a fuck if you're gerrard or frank sinclair; just how it goes. sounds like you haven't player the game, man.

oh but gerrard does dive sometimes though...