a split second to call it

[teeboo100]

hello people just had the chance to read the forum over the last few days and seen my name on a few posts as to the way I called the free kick on sat and other comments regarding my efforts with the radio on sat. Firstly myself and chris fleet had a split second to call the free kick from my angle it did appear to go straight through his hands and my 1st reaction was to say I think he should have done better with that. A post on here from forever gull sais with all due respect has he ever taking a fa coaching badge or player pro football so his opinion is in laymens terms no better than anyone else.. Fair point forever apart from playing in goal myself and I have got an fa coaching badge however I do not get the benefit of action replays and I did not spend the rest of the game hammering martin rice in fact in my final report on the game which is still on radio devon I changed it to a brilliant free kick .. I did not mention at anytime rice made a gaff..

When I did the barnet game I did make reference to the fact that I think out of our 2 goalies rice is clearly the better option however the goal keeper situation in my opinion has cost us 10 points and if not addressed soon will stop us gaining a play off position that is just a fans eye view not a commentators. Perhaps people should remember that weather I am on the radio or not I will be at the game as I go to every one so I think I am entitled to my view as is the next man..

People like bay gull who just come on to the forum to slag me off before I even start commentating well perhaps try this don't tune in fella ime sure plenty of people could pull apart your comedy shows mr parsons in fact why don't the members of the forum buy tickets to one of your shows and heckle you for the duration see how you like it.. If not do me a favour and cut out the comments unless of course you could give me some tips on how to improve and perhaps I could give you some tips on comedy by handing you some dvds on genuine funny people just to see where you go wrong..

Sorry brucie about saying coughed up position 1050 times on sat ile try something else like here we go again 1050 times will that do look people all in all ime doing my best ok if its not good enough then ring radio devon and tell them or post some tips and I will do my best to correct myself as ive been told about my apparent hi tone at the end of sentences however that the way I talk so unless I find a way to change the habit of a lifetime ime pretty screwed there..

Gloucester gull I have read chunky gulls comments re barnet I really think he was having a laugh there thank you for your support. chunky gull if I am right in thinking who he is is a very decent fella that I know and is very unlikely to be having a pop at me.. I will be honest my com on Tuesday at barnet I though was very good on sat I will admit it wasn't the best calling our 3rd goal to berry before quickly changing it .. Tomorrow you have brent pilnick and ross reid brent being a pro radio devon com rather than me a terrace fan I will then take back the duties for Tuesdays game at Macclesfield so bay gull you don't have to even turn the radio on ime giving you advanced warning ok.. Enjoy the game tomorrow everyone as I will from the warmth of bristows bench unlike my old mate bay gull who no doubt will be enjoying it away from plainmoor........ P.s chris fleet was superb last sat as is paul mulhern they may not ever have played pro footy but these 2 totally know there stuff top lads the pair of them

[Gullscorer]

Well said Steve. When I first heard your commos I was critical of your intonation where the pitch of your voice was raised at the end of many of your sentences, and, for me, detracted from the effectiveness of the commentary. However, this is far less noticeable now, and I can listen with my eyes closed and in my mind's eye can visualise the game being played out in front of me as if I was there in the stadium, which is the mark of a good commentary.

But it's easy to engage in nitpicking. Radio commentating is a difficult job, far more so than TV commos, and you have improved enormously since your early stuff. Gordon Sparkes been coaching you..?? :~D

Keep up the good work.

[Dave]

hello people just had the chance to read the forum over the last few days and seen my name on a few posts as to the way I called the free kick on sat and other comments regarding my efforts with the radio on sat. Firstly myself and chris fleet had a split second to call the free kick from my angle it did appear to go straight through his hands and my 1st reaction was to say I think he should have done better with that. A post on here from forever gull sais with all due respect has he ever taking a fa coaching badge or player pro football so his opinion is in laymens terms no better than anyone else.. Fair point forever apart from playing in goal myself and I have got an fa coaching badge however I do not get the benefit of action replays and I did not spend the rest of the game hammering martin rice in fact in my final report on the game which is still on radio devon I changed it to a brilliant free kick .. I did not mention at anytime rice made a gaff..

Hi Steve, please do not take my comments on here personally, certainly not meant that way. Any one who's followed my posts on here will have seen me write on a numbers of occasions that I love every minute of your commentaries, you bring passion and commitment that only a real fan can to the commentary, and you've put your head above the parapet, many wouldn't, so fair play and respect for to you for doing that.

I was trying to make a point to Brucie, I fully admit that sometimes I go about things the wrong way, and have a habit of perhaps using the wrong wording, I really wasn't have a dig at you , and I know Chris personally. Like most fans I come back from the game and read through the match threads to see what peoples view points were as the game unfolds, there were a number of posts questioning Martin Rice's involvement in the goals, I was at the game and had a different view point.

I expressed my opinion as did others who agreed with me, this isn't a dig at Brucie, he could have excepted the views of those at the game but didn't in my view, continually referring back to the commentary. Commentators have to have an opinion and must express it, other wise what's the point of having a commentator, all I was trying to do is get Brucie to understand that the opinion of a commentator may not always be right.

Oh and B-T-W, keep up the good work.

[njgull]

Hey Steve just want to say I think you're doing an excellent job. Improving all the time (and I think you were perfectly fine to begin with mind you). If people think over-exuberance is your biggest problem you really have no problem at all. I for one appreciate the excitement. And since the games are on in the morning here the enthusiasm provides a nice wake-up jolt. Not going to go back to sleep with you yelling at me!

Not sure the cat appreciates your enthusiasm as much as I do though. You sent him scurrying under the table on more than one occasion last time out.

Anyhow let me say again that I (if not my cat) really appreciate the effort. And having done it myself many years ago I definitely appreciate how hard it is. I had no training whatsoever, was just handed a microphone and told to start talking. You live, you learn, you grow as you go.

[DevonYellow]

hello people just had the chance to read the forum over the last few days and seen my name on a few posts as to the way I called the free kick on sat and other comments regarding my efforts with the radio on sat. Firstly myself and chris fleet had a split second to call the free kick from my angle it did appear to go straight through his hands and my 1st reaction was to say I think he should have done better with that. A post on here from forever gull sais with all due respect has he ever taking a fa coaching badge or player pro football so his opinion is in laymens terms no better than anyone else.. Fair point forever apart from playing in goal myself and I have got an fa coaching badge however I do not get the benefit of action replays and I did not spend the rest of the game hammering martin rice in fact in my final report on the game which is still on radio devon I changed it to a brilliant free kick .. I did not mention at anytime rice made a gaff..

When I did the barnet game I did make reference to the fact that I think out of our 2 goalies rice is clearly the better option however the goal keeper situation in my opinion has cost us 10 points and if not addressed soon will stop us gaining a play off position that is just a fans eye view not a commentators. Perhaps people should remember that weather I am on the radio or not I will be at the game as I go to every one so I think I am entitled to my view as is the next man..

People like bay gull who just come on to the forum to slag me off before I even start commentating well perhaps try this don't tune in fella ime sure plenty of people could pull apart your comedy shows mr parsons in fact why don't the members of the forum buy tickets to one of your shows and heckle you for the duration see how you like it.. If not do me a favour and cut out the comments unless of course you could give me some tips on how to improve and perhaps I could give you some tips on comedy by handing you some dvds on genuine funny people just to see where you go wrong..

Sorry brucie about saying coughed up position 1050 times on sat ile try something else like here we go again 1050 times will that do look people all in all ime doing my best ok if its not good enough then ring radio devon and tell them or post some tips and I will do my best to correct myself as ive been told about my apparent hi tone at the end of sentences however that the way I talk so unless I find a way to change the habit of a lifetime ime pretty screwed there..

Gloucester gull I have read chunky gulls comments re barnet I really think he was having a laugh there thank you for your support. chunky gull if I am right in thinking who he is is a very decent fella that I know and is very unlikely to be having a pop at me.. I will be honest my com on Tuesday at barnet I though was very good on sat I will admit it wasn't the best calling our 3rd goal to berry before quickly changing it .. Tomorrow you have brent pilnick and ross reid brent being a pro radio devon com rather than me a terrace fan I will then take back the duties for Tuesdays game at Macclesfield so bay gull you don't have to even turn the radio on ime giving you advanced warning ok.. Enjoy the game tomorrow everyone as I will from the warmth of bristows bench unlike my old mate bay gull who no doubt will be enjoying it away from plainmoor........ P.s chris fleet was superb last sat as is paul mulhern they may not ever have played pro footy but these 2 totally know there stuff top lads the pair of them

I hate it when ex pros and coaches say "you never played the game". Well guess what, you never paid to watch it, so feck you.

[Dave_Pougher]

That round thing they chase and kick,,,,,,,, what's that then?

[SuperNickyWroe]

hi steve, really enjoy your commo mate , great for us exiles...

i enjoy your enthusiasm, honesty and spontaneous comments! they improve the game no end.

keep up the great work mate and hope to see you again soon!

[royalgull]

Breedy whenever i've heard you on the radio you sound pretty good to me, better than most of them on there who have no feeling towards the club and do it as a chore rather than something they look forward to. Is it Ross Reid? No offence Ross but you bore me to suicidal depths.

As such you are there to give opinions in the same way everyone gives opinions in the bar, on forums or whatever it doesn't make them right or wrong it's just your view. The free kick took a deflection off Briscoe's arm on the way through making the save virtually impossible but depending on your vantage point it wasn't obvious to see. i heard it on the highlights video and having spoken to Ricey that's what he said happened, deflected off Briscoe's arm and went up over his hands.

To an extent we have to be realistic about what we can afford and give some of our players a bit of leeway and room to make mistakes, if they didn't make any or were the finished article they wouldn't be playing for us, I also don't agree Ricey/Seabright have cost us 10 points, I'd say playing Tonge, Downes and Cruise have cost us our football league status and more points this year but that's all just opinion as well.

[taxilady]

was hoping to go to Macclesfield; now I've got to drive to Kent on Wednesday morning .But, I should be able to listen to Steve Breed on Radio Devon instead....

[BayGull]

People like bay gull who just come on to the forum to slag me off before I even start commentating well perhaps try this don't tune in fella ime sure plenty of people could pull apart your comedy shows mr parsons in fact why don't the members of the forum buy tickets to one of your shows and heckle you for the duration see how you like it.. If not do me a favour and cut out the comments unless of course you could give me some tips on how to improve and perhaps I could give you some tips on comedy by handing you some dvds on genuine funny people just to see where you go wrong..

Ah, so I am assuming that pen-name belongs to our 'world' famous radio commentator Mr Steven Breed!

People heckle all the time - that is part and parcel of being in front of the public. If you don't like it, then let someone else into the commentary box! (no, that is not me volunteering as I would probably swear too much, try Frankie!) You cannot expect 100% of the people to love you, whoever you are and whoever you support!

I can certainly give you a tip Mr Breed - before screeching down the microphone like a demented cat with its tail shut in a car door every time TUFC get near the penalty area - take a deep breath and then breathe out normally!
One of these 'close shaves' you will have a heart attack on air, 'just like that' as the late great Tommy Cooper will vouch.

I would, however, be interested to hear who you regard as being genuinely funny - I cannot think of any children's entertainers of the top of my head.

by-the-by = Don't forget to watch Mock The Week tonight

[madgull]

When I did the barnet game I did make reference to the fact that I think out of our 2 goalies rice is clearly the better option however the goal keeper situation in my opinion has cost us 10 points and if not addressed soon will stop us gaining a play off position that is just a fans eye view not a commentators. Perhaps people should remember that weather I am on the radio or not I will be at the game as I go to every one so I think I am entitled to my view as is the next man..

Of course you are, however as a commentator you are in the position of expert analysis, so expect your opinions to be challenged at every turn. Everyone is entitled to their own view, after all.

People like bay gull who just come on to the forum to slag me off before I even start commentating well perhaps try this don't tune in fella ime sure plenty of people could pull apart your comedy shows mr parsons in fact why don't the members of the forum buy tickets to one of your shows and heckle you for the duration see how you like it.. If not do me a favour and cut out the comments unless of course you could give me some tips on how to improve and perhaps I could give you some tips on comedy by handing you some dvds on genuine funny people just to see where you go wrong..

Hmmm, he could try not tuning in but unfortunately there may not be another way for him to listen to the game. In fact, there probably isn't; if he wants to listen then he's stuck with you. Your parallel between heckling at a show and criticising on an internet forum is fallacious, if you were to have a bunch of fans in the studio with you shouting abuse THEN we could associate the two. Also, Radio Devon is a public service. He hasn't 'bought a ticket' (loving the petty tit for tat response here, by the way) to your show, if you were to go to his show (which, as it happens, you would have far more choice about than a football fan desperate to follow their club) and not enjoy it, you could get a refund. He, however, can not get a refund if he does not enjoy your commentary. With regards only coming on to slag you off, even if this WERE true, he happens to not enjoy your commentary, this is a public forum, the whole POINT of them is for people to express their views.

Sorry brucie about saying coughed up position 1050 times on sat ile try something else like here we go again 1050 times will that do look people all in all ime doing my best ok if its not good enough then ring radio devon and tell them or post some tips and I will do my best to correct myself as ive been told about my apparent hi tone at the end of sentences however that the way I talk so unless I find a way to change the habit of a lifetime ime pretty screwed there..

Are you really saying that you would rather people complain to your employer (possibly resulting in you no longer doing the job) than whine about you on an inconsequential forum, possibly resulting in...nothing? Also, I doubt he's advocating you simply replacing one phrase with another, more wanting you to diversify somewhat. You're in a very public role, you will get criticism, often incredibly unfair and not well worded, but this comes with the territory, surely? I wouldn't become a football manager and not expect to be slagged off by every know-it-all in town, similarly I wouldn't do commentary and not expect criticism. As I said, much better for it to be on an internet forum than official complaints.

To put this whole thing in context, I haven't really had a problem with your (or anyone else's commentary) when I've tuned in, to be honest I had more beef with the ITV commentators during the World Cup - their assertion that 'Chile's game plan has worked perfectly, they've pulled Holland apart and done everything but score' when the Dutch had kept them at arm's length and denied them a single shot on target had me apoplectic - than I have had with local commentaries. It's just, well, you need to expect this and grow a thicker skin; wading in with a sanctimonious lecture is probably even less likely to improve any shortcomings in your commentary than Brucie's moaning is. People aren't particularly pleasant when presenting their opinions, and I'd say a forum on the net is the very place where they should be least expected to censor themselves in case somebody's feelings get hurt. You have the fantastic privilege to commentate on the matches, the negative results of this need to be accepted alongside.

[cambgull]

So BayGull is Andy Parsons of Mock The Week fame? Great, now I'm going to read all of your posts with your incredibly annoying voice in my head. Thanks for that!

[A Realist]

Hmmm, he could try not tuning in but unfortunately there may not be another way for him to listen to the game. In fact, there probably isn't; if he wants to listen then he's stuck with you.

You've (probably inadvertently) touched on an important point here. It may come as a surprise to some but not every local radio station (BBC) cover the "lesser" teams games all the time. Even the likes of Rochdale who were challenging for the league last season and gained promotion dont have all their games broadcast. To that extent, Radio Devon deserve credit as they always put on the games for all 3 local sides.

If they went down the route of hiring "professional" commentators then they would have to , I reckon, find the money from their already set budget. This could mean that other things have to give and in reality, that could be the covering of some matches. Although I fully accept that not everyone will like whoever is doing the commentary, I also think that those that cant attend the matches should be a bit more grateful that they have the opportunity to listen to it live. Especially as they try their best to get a commentary team who have the club they are covering best interests at heart.

[Phipsy]

Steve. In my opinion you have improved 100% since you started commentating.
As you know I have done the co commentators job quite a few times.
Well for a start you get no training, just given the mike and talk.
Another thing listeners may not realise is that the studio in Plymouth are constantly shouting in your ear regarding announcements that they want made, even if it is annoying
Of course Breedy we do it for the money NOT.
If you are very lucky you may get a cup of tea at half time and of course free entry to the game unless of course you have a season ticket which I have.
Finally keep up,the good work.

[Kit_robin]

For what it's worth my thoughts...

Steve, I must admit that when you first started commo I used to dread it! I often didn't have a clue what was going on and often got annoyed...however I was more annoyed at radio devon for playing on the good will of yourself as you're not a professional. I suppose they would argue they couldn't afford to cover all three clubs otherwise.

However you definitely have improved massively over the last year so credit to you. I know it's not easy and it's no surprise that the more you do it the better you get. I really enjoyed the Chester commentary you gave earlier in the year - especially how you managed to stick all the abuse!

Bay gull is also right though - you have to expect a bit of criticism sometimes, just use it to get better. As long as it's not personal abuse, that is.