John Motson

Quoted from Doctor Sanchez

I agree, his commentary was pretty poor.  He'd often get things completely mixed up and it was like he was watching a different game sometimes.  However his voice was the defining sound of football commentary, like Murray Walker with Formula 1 and Brian Johnston with cricket.

Not in the same league as Walker or Johnston (or even Arlott or Henry Blofeld) and for football give me Brian Moore or David Coleman any day

I prefered Kenneth Wolstenholme or Brian Moore, perhaps the reason being my hearing was much better in those days.

In days of old when managers were bold
and opinions of amateurs not stated
listening was joy for a young boy
cause  commentators just commentated

I think Motson is the worst commentator of the lot. All that screeching and artificial excitement - often at the wrong moments. Not sure how he has become such an icon to be honest, but credit to him for doing it for 50 years.

It is funny how you either take to (or not) commentators. My all time worst commentator is Dave Gibbons of the local radio scene - he really is a shocker but he is so bad you have to listen to it in a perverse sort of way as it is entertainment in a fashion. To be fair to them all though I don't suppose it is as easy as it looks / sounds.

Cannot stand Jonathan Pearce, dreading the World Cup games he'll get, watch it be at least 2 England ones...

His level was, and always will be Robot Wars

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I think Motson is the worst commentator of the lot. All that screeching and artificial excitement - often at the wrong moments. Not sure how he has become such an icon to be honest, but credit to him for doing it for 50 years.

It is funny how you either take to (or not) commentators. My all time worst commentator is Dave Gibbons of the local radio scene - he really is a shocker but he is so bad you have to listen to it in a perverse sort of way as it is entertainment in a fashion. To be fair to them all though I don't suppose it is as easy as it looks / sounds.

I'm sure it's not as easy as it sounds but I'm with you on Gibbons. Horrible blast from the past when he was commentating for Humberside at FGR last week. Can he really never have watched Alan Partridge? The similarities are hard to ignore. He spent most of the game telling us how he was 'great friends' with this player or that, and then going off on dull reveries about Devon and Gloucestershire, punctuated with the odd high-pitched shriek when someone got near the penalty box. Hated to listen to him in the 80s/90s, whenever it was, he's just as bad now. Motson's rubbish too...!

Current Motson is past his sell by date....early Motson was decent....technology and times have caught up and overtook his style. While he had a head for stats and trivia in the pre "Google" age that was fine,  but now we all know that stuff from the pre match info and official stats so becomes tedious.

Makes alot of pretty obvious real time errors now which are compounded with the endless angles and slow mo replays but in his day was a good enough commentator.

Quoted from Mandy Dunnit vs Hettie

I'm sure it's not as easy as it sounds but I'm with you on Gibbons. Horrible blast from the past when he was commentating for Humberside at FGR last week. Can he really never have watched Alan Partridge? The similarities are hard to ignore. He spent most of the game telling us how he was 'great friends' with this player or that, and then going off on dull reveries about Devon and Gloucestershire, punctuated with the odd high-pitched shriek when someone got near the penalty box. Hated to listen to him in the 80s/90s, whenever it was, he's just as bad now. Motson's rubbish too...!

There was a cracker on the FGR game...as you say rattling on about nothing at all to do with the game ...then ..

." Oooohhh a header there just flashed past the post, that was a great chance, good cross in from the right, i think he could have done better with that don't you Martin ? Yes great ball in there, unlucky, just didnt quite get enough on it ,  Cardwell just ..."

Oh it was a chance for us was it ????  Useless commentator.

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Peter Drury yet. Makes me want to put my head through the telly just to shut him up. David Squires has him right:

https://www.theguardian.com/fo.....-if-not-for-dreaming

I remember Gibbons from the early 90s... used to get mega excited - his high-pitched squealing was both awful and (mildly) entertaining.

I really liked Brian Moore's commentary style. He was very minimalist. I always find TV commentators say too much when they're best adding to what we're seeing, not simply describing what's happening.

I remember doing commentary for Compass FM (those dark days) at Macclesfield on a freezing cold Tuesday night. The mic had a faulty connection and it would cut out if I moved even slightly. I had no co-commentator and had to find things to say during pauses for goal kicks and I remember thinking then that commentating on sport for radio was far, far more difficult than commentating for TV.

Mind you, interviewing Mike Newell live on air when he's in a foul mood trumps all that.