radio devon commentaries

[teeboo100]

morning people no bad news today i hope apart from some rotten person smacked my wing mirror this morning. ime just wandering what people genuinly think of torquay united game commentaries and if people think they could be improved or do people just cant stand listening. I am genuinly interested in what people think

[gullintwoplaces]

The standard is reasonable. Generally OK, but sometimes the commentators wander off talking about stuff other than the game, when the listeners want to know what is happening on the pitch! I wish they wouldn't cut to Plymouth Argyle, as listening to Gordon Sparks makes me unwell and want to hit a wall.

[usagullmichigan]

Gordon Sparks just reminds me of Mr Crabs from Spongebob Square pants

[KentGull]

I wish they wouldn't cut to Plymouth Argyle, as listening to Gordon Sparks makes me unwell and want to hit a wall.

Exactly, if I wanted to know how Argyle were doing I'd listen to their bloody game! I bet they don't cut in on Radio Argyle* and let all the ginster-munchers know that we'd just let in another goal...

On the whole, it's not too bad, and with being an exile it's one of the only ways I can actually listen to a game.


*I made that up

[Eirik]

For me here in Norway, this offer is brilliant

-Eirik-

[ferrarilover]

I love that Steve Breed fellow, he's my favourite (and so bloody sexy). Dave Thomas is good too, so a Breed/Thomas combo would be my preferred starting line up. The other idiot would be more use fixing Teeboo's wing mirror than commentating. Useless berk keeps nattering on about the infernal Premier League scores rather than commenting on our game.

Matt.

[coley in stripes]

Can anyone let me know the radio frequency for tomorrows match, will be driving through London - Can't odds it, promised the misses months ago and can't get out of it...Cheers

[ferrarilover]

But we're crap, going to lose, already relegated and an embarrassment to the area, why would you want to listen to that?

Matt.

[Scott Brehaut]

I guess 94.9 which is BBC London, unless a Barnet fan can tell you otherwise.

I'm guessing it won't be full commentary though.

[coley in stripes]

Thanks Scott for a straightforward non pratish answer (as above).

[teeboo100]

and there was me hoping for sense replies mathew lol

[ferrarilover]

Thanks Scott for a straightforward non pratish answer (as above).

Sorry, that bang you heard was my irony meter exploding.

Charmless nerk.

Matt.

[ferrarilover]

and there was me hoping for sense replies mathew lol

It was delivered with my usual charm and elegance, but the sentiment remains the same. A combo of Steve and Dave Thomas would be ideal.

Matt.

[Gullscorer]

The BBC Radio Devon football commentaries are atrocious. Here are a few obvious tips to improve them:

It would be helpful to listeners who, for whatever reason, have tuned in late during the game, to tell people the score every few minutes, to tell us in which direction the players are playing (L-R or R-L), and to remind us more often how far the game is advanced timewise.

It would be helpful to tell listeners precisely where on the pitch a player is situated when he receives or runs with the ball (and in which direction). It would be helpful to indicate something of the atmosphere at the game, and, by the tone of the commentator's voice , the level of opportunity or danger arising during a particular move, the degree of excitement at any particular moment, and so on.

It would be helpful not simply to state a player's name during a game, but to remind listeners which team he is playing for. And last but not least, to choose carefully and wisely those brief moments in a game where he can, with his co-commentator, insert a few words of related discussion.

In short, for the commentator to relate, accurately and precisely, what he sees in front of him, together with appropriate additional information, so that we the listeners, simply by listening to the commentary, can be reasonably well-informed about the game, and can visualise the game being played in front of us in our mind's eye.

For commentators with, ostensibly, a little training, practice and experience, that's not too much to ask, is it...??

[ferrarilover]

I think it might be a bit much to ask, as it happens Scorer, yeah. That's a lot of information to get out every time the ball moves.
"Rice, of Torquay United has the ball in his hands twelve yards out and 6 yards from the far side of the penalty area if you're sitting, as we are, on the side of the ground with the big clock and the larger of the two long stands, with the Gulls playing right to left as we look. He bowls the ball out to Tom Cruise, also of Torquay United in the 7th minute with the score at 0-0. Tom Cruise, who received the ball three yards in from the touchline nearest us and twenty five yards out sets off on an 8 yard run which leaves him 33 yards from the goal nearest the home supporters end but still three yards from the touchline immediately in front of the long stand with the big clock. He passes the ball 22 yards inside and 3 yards forward to Brian Saah who plays for Torquay United. He receives the ball, as a consequence, in the 8th minute with the score at 0-0 still, 25 yards from the touchline and 36 yards from the goal to the right hand side as you look from the side with the big clock..." Far, far too much effort when, "Rice, out to left back Cruise, passed square inside to Saah" conveys exactly the same message. I'm listening to my team, I know who plays for whom, I know where they all play, I can tell the time and am aware that matches kick off at 1500, so I know how far in we are and I presume it's 0-0 until I'm told otherwise. I don't care which way we are kicking in reality, I just make it up in my head, if I'm wrong come Football League Show highlights time, then it doesn't matter.

That said, your point about emotion in the voice is my main gripe with the bloke who isn't Breedy or Dave Thomas. He sounds exactly the same whether the ball is in the stands or in the penalty area. I can never tell whether a shot from either side has gone in, or been saved, or been missed completely. It's VERY annoying and precisely why I do like SB. His constant yelling and crying (vocally) is one of the funniest things I have ever heard on the radio but it serves useful purpose in detailing the nature of the game or the location of a shot.
Your other decent point is the idea that the co-commo needs to pick and choose his moments. It's no good the main man hollering about something exciting then the co-com popping up and telling us how nice the burgers are in the Northampton tea bar.

I think atrocious is far too strong a word for it, but then, I don't listen to them very often, so maybe it's worse for those who can't get to so many games and rely on the wireless.

Matt.