The BBC Commentary team needs to be gagged

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...and then preferably led out of the room, never to be heard from in television again. They add absolutely nothing to the match, & just detract from the experience with a constant stream of sycophantic Murray comments & inane, pointless statements. You can barely understand what Boris Becker is saying 50% of the time! I think overall these guys increase the annoyance factor by about 50% when Murray plays, which for me lifts it unbearable levels.

Sky did well to get Fleming on board. Normally i dont like the panels on SKY but i do find their tennis coverage very good. The presenter Marcus is pretty good and Fleming always does a great job. Also depsite what others say i dont have too many issues with Mark Petchey and Barry Cowan. Greg Rusedski is ridiculous though, another one to rival Mr. Castle.

Whenever i see Cowan and Rusedski sitting in the studio, I see a penguin and a clown beside each other.

Fleming was commentating on Queen's and a few matches at Wimbledon. I think he can work for the BBC but they choose not to use him or under use him. Maybe one thing that contributed towards him not commentating so much was because he was playing in the legends event?

Sue Barker is indeed pretty hopeless. I respect what she achieved in the sport but as an anchor/host she is way below standard and I'd say the Beeb should restrict her to Question of Sport where she has a nice friendly script and sycophantic guests to work with.

Castle is tiresome as so many others have said. However, he is primarily there to paint a picture for those who watch tennis just once (or maybe twice) a year and I reckon if you took a poll of such fair-weather 'fans', that most would see him in a rather better light than we more committed aficionados do.

I agree with the comments re Fleming, in that he provides real quality and insight - and with no sign of the customary irrational bias shown so often by some.

I'm aware that Jonathan Overend has come in for heavy criticism here from time to time but I happen to think he is good when doing live radio match commentary. In fact radio commentary as a whole can be far better than TV where the Beeb is concerned. Overend has actually ended his stint of several years as the Beeb's travelling tennis correspondent, and this Wimbledon just gone was his very last tournament. (I heard him only yesterday reporting from Mexico on Taekwondo, so seems like he still gets to jetset around the world AND no doubt handsomely rewarded in the process !)    

Overend came out with a few memorable lines on radio (well IMHO anyway....!!)  in the very last stages of the Final, which I was minded to jot down.  I had the radio commentary on whilst watching TV broadcast. These comments came when Djokovic was giving every hint of staging another famous Houdini act, pulling back from 0-40 to deuce (IIRC ...?) just as Murray was looking to serve out for the title ......

"And here is Djokovic, just look at him.... he's prowling around right here in front of us. He looks like a Bond villain. He's got that knowing smile. He's nodding his head. If he had a cat, he'd be stroking it."  

 

"And here is Djokovic, just look at him.... he's prowling around right here in front of us. He looks like a Bond villain. He's got that knowing smile. He's nodding his head. If he had a cat, he'd be stroking it."

Haha, that's very good from Overend.

Overend's last contribution was indeed, memorable. I listened to the match on radio again and it was good

Radio works because we need them to talk. On TV we see how superfluous it all is.

On US TV I was watching on a red button & the commentators were unknown. They were going three or four points without talking, and only saying what was really needed. It was brilliant.

Ultimate commentary team:
Petchey
Fleming
McEnroe (either!)
Goodall
Bollettieri
Courier

Nightmare commentary team:
Castle
Rusedski
Cash
Lloyd
Wilander
Croft

Danny_1982 wrote:

banbrotam wrote:Watched a repeat of the final on ESPN with the Mac brothers commentating.

Infinitely better than the Beeb. Patrick actually bothered to explain why he made Murray slight favourite, i.e. because of the grass / conditions

It was a good watch and I might have to join up!!

Where did you watch it banbro, on youtube?

I'd love a link if its watchable from the UK. The ESPN commentary was miles better for the US open final last year.

Danny - Can't find my original download - but it was via a torrent

Ahh shame!

Hopefully it'll appear on youtube soon enough.  

It's maybe a good job Fed lost early this year. I mean I couldn't stand Sue Barker drooling over him like she always has done. I liken her idolisation to that of a teenage fan of OneDirection.  

She's nothing. Annabel Croft got to do a feature in his dressing room a while back and tried to hide in there.

She needed to shower afterwards.

Nauseating really but never saw a whole thread dedicated to that adulation.

I've never had a problem with adulation for sporting stars. Federer, Nadal, Beckham, Ronaldo... Murray in recent months. The sports thrive by marketing it's stars.

Some of it is over the top, but so what? People can always turn the volume down if it really bothers them.

By the way, if i was asked to do a feature in Kirilenko or Lisicki's dressing room (now that would be nice) I'd want to stay in there. So I don't blame Croft.

lags72 wrote:Overend came out with a few memorable lines on radio (well IMHO anyway....!!) in the very last stages of the Final, which I was minded to jot down. I had the radio commentary on whilst watching TV broadcast. These comments came when Djokovic was giving every hint of staging another famous Houdini act, pulling back from 0-40 to deuce (IIRC ...?) just as Murray was looking to serve out for the title ......

"And here is Djokovic, just look at him.... he's prowling around right here in front of us. He looks like a Bond villain. He's got that knowing smile. He's nodding his head. If he had a cat, he'd be stroking it."

I like listening to Overend on the radio - but the commentary above as elevated him to will go out of my way to tune into in future.

Great off the cuff.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Nauseating really but never saw a whole thread dedicated to that adulation.

Probably because she didn't make two weeks of it or spoil matches by jabbering on about it.

Oh but she did. Sue was forever drooling over Roger for many years - it is just that some of us can turn a blind eye and not get upset by a bit of obsessive doting.

In fact I now know why Greg Rusedski doesn't work for the BBC. It would be a bit dangerous if Sue Barker passed out drooling over Roger as Grinning Greg couldn't be allowed to give her the kiss of life as with those teeth of his he'd bite her tonsils out.

time please wrote:

lags72 wrote:Overend came out with a few memorable lines on radio (well IMHO anyway....!!)  in the very last stages of the Final, which I was minded to jot down.  I had the radio commentary on whilst watching TV broadcast. These comments came when Djokovic was giving every hint of staging another famous Houdini act, pulling back from 0-40 to deuce (IIRC ...?) just as Murray was looking to serve out for the title ......

"And here is Djokovic, just look at him.... he's prowling around right here in front of us. He looks like a Bond villain. He's got that knowing smile. He's nodding his head. If he had a cat, he'd be stroking it."  

I like listening to Overend on the radio - but the commentary above as elevated him to will go out of my way to tune into in future.

Great off the cuff.

Ah yes, but like I said tp, Wimbledon 2013 was his very last tennis event for BBC and although he is apparently still with Radio Five Live he is now involved with other sports ; hence my reference to Taekwondo from Mexico City !

Meanwhile, may I please propose a total embargo on any further discussion of Sue Barker. She encapsulates all that is bad about BBC TV tennis coverage.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Oh but she did. Sue was forever drooling over Roger for many years - it is just that some of us can turn a blind eye and not get upset by a bit of obsessive doting.

No, I meant Annabel Croft.

Barker drools endlessly over Federer and fawns over Murray. It's tedious.

Annabel is pleasant about it.

lags72 wrote:

time please wrote:

lags72 wrote:Overend came out with a few memorable lines on radio (well IMHO anyway....!!)  in the very last stages of the Final, which I was minded to jot down.  I had the radio commentary on whilst watching TV broadcast. These comments came when Djokovic was giving every hint of staging another famous Houdini act, pulling back from 0-40 to deuce (IIRC ...?) just as Murray was looking to serve out for the title ......

"And here is Djokovic, just look at him.... he's prowling around right here in front of us. He looks like a Bond villain. He's got that knowing smile. He's nodding his head. If he had a cat, he'd be stroking it."  

I like listening to Overend on the radio - but the commentary above as elevated him to will go out of my way to tune into in future.

Great off the cuff.

Ah yes, but like I said tp, Wimbledon 2013 was his very last tennis event for BBC and although he is apparently still with Radio Five Live he is now involved with other sports ; hence my reference to Taekwondo from Mexico City !

Meanwhile, may I please propose a total embargo on any further discussion of Sue Barker. She encapsulates all that is bad about BBC TV tennis coverage.

Oh shame - I am always behind the curve!!  

Sue Barker suffers from the same thing as many BBC presenters - she is overused and consequently over here (on our screens) far too often!  The Beeb seem to like to get their money's worth at the expense of testing their viewers' boredom thresholds to the limit!

job involves a lot of driving so I listened to most of it on the radio and I would like to say that Jana nowotna should commentate on everything. Age has the sexiest voice in the world.