What's Happening On The Pitch

[Lineker's Lugs]

I’m pretty sure Foulger had previously covered Coventry’s games which led to the infuriating and confusing situation of him referring to both sides as ‘City’ whenever we played them. 

[l444ry]

1 hour ago, Vacamion said:

 

For the first time in ages, I listened to a BBC 5 Live commentary whilst driving the other week.

 

John Murray, I think.

 

He does this thing where his tone of voice rises as the likelihood of a goal increases.

 

Whilst it can be annoying if you concentrate on it, it's actually a decent clue about where the ball is and what the play might be leading to, if he is saying players' names and describing their actions.

 

 

 

A bit like James Alexander Gordon when he used to read to 5pm football results. You knew if it was win, lose or draw before he gave the away teams score.

[davieG]

Not wanting to derail the radio discussion but the TV is no better with inconsequential replays, prolonged tracking of individual players, managers, ex-pro and uninteresting celebs in the stand etc all whilst the game is going on,

 

Close up of play so you can't see the full build up of an attack.

 

I wont mention the commentary because we don't have it on.

[deep blue]

9 hours ago, [email protected] said:

Ex-City players and other commentators spend too much time on 'Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda' instead of describing what is actually happening .That's OK on TV , but Radio listeners need to be able to visualise what is happening . Just because we're not there for one reason or another , we don't deserve to be treated to incidental moments during a discussion between so-called experts . 

I emailed the club last season to point out the poor quality of their commentating but, disappointingly, got no reply.

 

A week or so ago I was forced to listen to it again and it started in the usual vein, the commentator only using action on the pitch as a springboard for spouting some irrelevant statistics ( now x is on the ball, he scored against us 5 years, 3 months and 15 days ago ..., oh, Vardy so close -  I exaggerate, but you get my drift).  After about 20 mins the action on the pitch must have hotted up because the commentator suddenly forgot himself and started describing moves, with accurate naming and even identifying areas of the pitch etc, so you could really get a picture of what was going on.

 

This continued, but with occasional relapses, and was far better.  I will be forced to listen again this Wednesday - no other option - and will hope this improvement is maintained.  Can't say I'm very optimistic. 

[deep blue]

1 hour ago, l444ry said:

A bit like James Alexander Gordon when he used to read to 5pm football results. You knew if it was win, lose or draw before he gave the away teams score.

Do people remember the skit on this - was it "Not the Nine O'clock News" - where J.A.G. was mimicked but with scores totally  mismatching the tone?  Hilarious.   Oops, giving my age away there 

[whitlock]

16 minutes ago, davieG said:

Not wanting to derail the radio discussion but the TV is no better with inconsequential replays, prolonged tracking of individual players, managers, ex-pro and uninteresting celebs in the stand etc all whilst the game is going on,

 

Close up of play so you can't see the full build up of an attack.

 

I wont mention the commentary because we don't have it on.

You’re not missing out.

 

Savage midweek on the United Atalanta game was unbearable.

 

When Ronaldo scored the header… 😳 it was embarrassing to listen to.

[coolhandfox]

9 hours ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

I always felt Neville Foulger was an excellent radio commentator. He’d even describe which foot the player was kicking with. “Walsh, aims long, left footed.” - was said very often. 

God I miss his voice! The only window I had into away games as a young kid.

 

8 hours ago, Lesta2014 said:

Those 5 words take me back to my childhood listening on the radio 

It does, doesn't it, 

 

How the world has changed, now we have streams. 

[lcfc278]

2 hours ago, Bert said:

He’s trying to hard to be Stringer 

Completely agree. Stringer could be annoying sometimes but his style was completely natural and completely his own style at that.

 

It feels like listening to OPA that he's trying to emulate Stringer's style, however it doesn't come naturally at all and often feels like he's trying to think of new words and ways of describing passages of play or places we're visiting in ways that it wouldn't normally be described just to sound intelligent or naturally different.

 

He'd be better off going back to basics, explore the game as it goes by and go from there. Got potential but he needs to go back to basics and describe what's going on as and when its happening.

[bmt]

90% of the time I have radio or TV commentary on I wonder how long it would take me to get sacked from my job if I was as bad at it as they are!

[evil jack]

10 hours ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

I always felt Neville Foulger was an excellent radio commentator. He’d even describe which foot the player was kicking with. “Walsh, aims long, left footed.” - was said very often. 

Ian Stringer also does this, and yet…

[evil jack]

9 hours ago, 5waller5 said:

It’s definitely improved since Stringer got sacked

Well it hasn’t.

[Strokes]

2 minutes ago, evil jack said:

Ian Stringer also does this, and yet…

 

1 minute ago, evil jack said:

Well it hasn’t.

Hi Ian 

[evil jack]

1 minute ago, Strokes said:

 

Hi Ian 

[fox_up_north]

One of the things that needs to happen for radio commentary is for the full pitch to be considered. EG - 

City have won the ball with Ndidi and are looking to break on the counter, working through the middle but there's support from the full backs racing up field. 

 

 

A local station shouldn't need to name all the players, as you know who's there. It's when someone shifts or is out of position.

 

Maddison comes deep to pick up the ball and looks for options. He's going out wide to his right with two Norwich players coming at him. Limited options. He passes to Ricardo overlapping, who takes it down the flank. 

[Guest Danny Clender]

4 minutes ago, evil jack said:

Hi Ian,

I once saw you walking out of the JD Sports shop in the Belvoir Shopping Centre, Coalville aka "Co'ville Precinct".

I thought to myself, Ian Stringer off of the radio is much taller than he sounds on the radio. 

I then headed straight to the Monkey Puzzle Pub aka "Weatherspoons" to discuss this with the people smoking in the smoking section outside of the pub. 

We all agreed it is not an exact science guessing peoples height from listening to the radio. 

[ozleicester]

13 minutes ago, Danny Clender said:

Hi Ian,

I once saw you walking out of the JD Sports shop in the Belvoir Shopping Centre, Coalville aka "Co'ville Precinct".

I thought to myself, Ian Stringer off of the radio is much taller than he sounds on the radio. 

I then headed straight to the Monkey Puzzle Pub aka "Weatherspoons" to discuss this with the people smoking in the smoking section outside of the pub. 

We all agreed it is not an exact science guessing peoples height from listening to the radio. 

Same applies for intellect on internet forums

[Guest Danny Clender]

3 minutes ago, ozleicester said:

Same applies for intellect on internet forums

These days, it's very easy to get caught out on Internet forums as possessing intellect, people have such forensic methods. 

Once it's out, you might as well cancel the internet. 

[sacreblueits442]

29 minutes ago, fox_up_north said:

One of the things that needs to happen for radio commentary is for the full pitch to be considered. EG - 

City have won the ball with Ndidi and are looking to break on the counter, working through the middle but there's support from the full backs racing up field. 

 

 

A local station shouldn't need to name all the players, as you know who's there. It's when someone shifts or is out of position.

 

Maddison comes deep to pick up the ball and looks for options. He's going out wide to his right with two Norwich players coming at him. Limited options. He passes to Ricardo overlapping, who takes it down the flank. 

...is this an audition...!!!

[fox_up_north]

14 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...is this an audition...!!!

Haha no. I just went to uni with sports journalists and am friends with a couple. 

[UpTheLeagueFox]

3 hours ago, Lineker's Lugs said:

I’m pretty sure Foulger had previously covered Coventry’s games which led to the infuriating and confusing situation of him referring to both sides as ‘City’ whenever we played them. 

Not sure we played Cov that much when Nev was doing commentary or reports for RL.

I don't think he would've called Coventry "City" when on RL.

 

BTW Back in the early 90s when we didn't do regular commentaries, we very occasionally shared comms with the other local BBC station.

One game against Bristol City was especially confusing as their guy kept saying "City" and nobody had much idea what was going on.

 

 

[gerblod]

11 hours ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

I always felt Neville Foulger was an excellent radio commentator. He’d even describe which foot the player was kicking with. “Walsh, aims long, left footed.” - was said very often. 

And there you have the difference between Foulger and the current commentating crew.

Radio requires a different standard of commentary - the descriptive skills of a legion of pre-TV commentators had to suffice for all those who couldn't get to the match. So they had to be excellent at conveying the ebb-and-flow of the game - that meant a deep understanding of tactical play.

I don't often listen to BBC commentaries on 5 Live, but they are at that level where ones visualisation of what is happening isn't far behind the run of play.

A sudden crescendo accompanying a chance on goal, followed by the usual drop in volume and excitement doesn't do the job and since last season, when every City game was televised RL commentary just leaves me cold. LCFC radio commentary isn't any better.

People like Barry Davies had a deep perception of the game and could paint a sound picture whether commentating on radio or TV.

[Arriba Los Zorros]

3 hours ago, l444ry said:

A bit like James Alexander Gordon when he used to read to 5pm football results. You knew if it was win, lose or draw before he gave the away teams score.

Leicester City Three, Wolverhampton Wanderers nil.

 

as opposed to

 

Leicester Cityyyy THHHREEEE..... Wolverhampton Wanderers FOOOUR!!

 

My favourite:

 

Manchester United NIIIIILL..... Liverpool..... FFFIIIIVVEE!!!! (spoken in an incredulous voice)

Edited 26 October 2021 by Arriba Los Zorros

[AjcW]

Of course the ultimate question in this thread should be....

 

KEITH

 

or

 

KEVIN

 

 

I reckon Keith.... 

[Mickyblueeyes]

2 hours ago, evil jack said:

Ian Stringer also does this, and yet…

I've got nothing against Stringer - I grew up listening to Neville Foulger which is probably why I am so biased towards his style. The man was my insight into City matches up until I became a regular at the ground. He had an excellent tone of voice for radio, good descriptions and was unquestionably bias but was still willing to ask the difficult questions. 

 

The issue with Radio Leicester (I dont know the ins and outs) is that Neville Foulger left at the end of one season and then we had someone else takeover. It was very quickly done. I dont think that the replacement (I cant remember the name) was someone usual listeners felt the same attachment as they did to Neville. I think in hindsight, the station should've eased a replacement in so that it was a sort of passing of the baton - if you notice, each commentator since Neville Foulger left has had their fair share of critics - because they all have their own style which is different to a familiar voice. That's not a bad thing its just sometimes people do not like change. 

 

Personally, commentary is commentary for me and if we are winning, I dont care who is calling it!

 

 

[UpTheLeagueFox]

23 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

The issue with Radio Leicester (I dont know the ins and outs) is that Neville Foulger left at the end of one season and then we had someone else takeover. It was very quickly done. I dont think that the replacement (I cant remember the name) was someone usual listeners felt the same attachment as they did to Neville. I think in hindsight, the station should've eased a replacement in so that it was a sort of passing of the baton - if you notice, each commentator since Neville Foulger left has had their fair share of critics - because they all have their own style which is different to a familiar voice. That's not a bad thing its just sometimes people do not like change. 

Nev was struggling to keep up with the pace of the action towards the end (by his own admission too) so replacing him as commentator wasn't the major problem.

What they should've done was keep him on as the analyst, which he was superb at.

Shabbily treated, sadly, after many years of working for them.