Sky Sport Add Murray's Mum To Their Commentary Team (Barry Cowan Keeps His Job)

The Sky commentary team have a great new addition. Murray's Mum. Following recent complaints about Barry Cowan, Virginia Wade and Greg Rusedski this is likely to be a very popular move  Not only will Sky benefit from her objective views but her stern look will keep everyone on track.

Good grief you are relentless!  

Don't you get bored?

This is a good move from Sky, given her background, she cant be any less knowledgeable than Cowan, and being Andy's mum, she should give the ratings a push. I do wonder how the commentators will critique Murray matches in her presence.

Danny_1982 wrote:Good grief you are relentless!  

Don't you get bored?

Instead of talking about me why not say what you think about Murray's Mum joining the Sky commentary team if you are interested enough to comment? If you think its good say why. Take it as an opportunity to express what you think. I promise I won't  if I disagree.

hawkeye wrote:Not only will Sky benefit from her objective views but her stern look will keep everyone on track.

More great ty comments from our ace writer of articles

I think her technical input is superb. I've been really impressed by her. Certainly a hell of a lot better than Cowan.

She's someone who shaped the games of 2 Wimbledon champions, so I shouldn't really have been surprised... Yet I was. Brilliant addition.

As for whether or not you disagree or respond, it doesn't really bother me. Everyone on here knows what you're like...

Perhaps write an article on his brother next, I'm sure he's done something to upset you?

I hadn't realised Barry Cowan had been dropped by Sky Sports

JuliusHMarx wrote:I hadn't realised Barry Cowan had been dropped by Sky Sports

Now that you mention it, I swear I heard Barry and Judy commentating on a match together the other day.

Irrespective of her tennis pedigree, and Murray's own prowess, there's enough of this Murray bias going on within the British media already without having it added to by having his own mother as part of the Sky punditry.

It's totally turning me off.

Is that the Barry Cowan currently commentating on the Williams-Stephens match ? Looks like the thread title may be incorrect.

Maybe she's there as Britain's Fed Cup captain?

Calder106 wrote:Is that the Barry Cowan currently commentating on the Williams-Stephens match ? Looks like the thread title may be incorrect.

No, that's a different Barry Cowan. hawkeye's Murray threads are never wrong.

Are you telling me Judy Murray is bias towards British players, one of which is her son?

Anyone would think she worked for BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting).

I find it slightly offensive that the article doesn't describe Judy Murray by name. It suggests that she doesn't have her own personality but is just defined by her son's achievements. That seems incredibly disrespectful to a woman who has had a successful career as a tennis coach and is the current Fed Cup captain. Pfft.

She seems a decent addition to the Sky team. Clearly highly intelligent and knowledgeable about tennis. A nice contrast with Greg.

She's Andy Murray's mother, and that's why she's got this gig.

You can talk about her tennis achievements up the ying yang, but that is the over-riding reason why she is there.

It works both ways Cav, a lot of Andy's pedigree and success is down to his mother...not necessarily the other way round. His approach to the game, tactical nous, fighting spirit...a lot of that is partly genetic, partly instilled through childhood, party his own...but a lot has been coached by her, drilled into him. So dont under-estimate her, nor forget his dreams have been fuelled, supported and aided by her too. Without her dedication Murray wouldnt have made it - the apple never falls far from the tree and she will have made huge sacrifices down the years for both her son's tennis careers. People don't understand the dedication required from the parents as well as the players long before they ever become pro.

She is a welcome addition to the Sky team because she knows what she's talking about - after all as a pro coach she knew what it took to create a player who doesn't budge an inch, who susses opponents out using many aspects of the mental framework his mother embued, and likely shares her work rate to turn potential into success.

First up the title of this thread is factually incorrect as Barry Cowan has not been replaced by Judy Murray.

Sorry Cav but are you a tennis fan? I only ask as you seem to be more against Judy because she is Andy's mum. Fine ignore the facts that she is Fed Cup captain, coaches youngsters and has brought up two Wimbledon champions. Her knowledge of tennis is extensive and it was fascinating listening to her piece yesterday about players with 'soft' and 'hard' wrists and hands and how it means different players play certain shots differently. Fascinating and enlightening so for that alone I'd sooner listen to her than Grinning Greg for example.

Cav wrote:She's Andy Murray's mother, and that's why she's got this gig.

You can talk about her tennis achievements up the ying yang, but that is the over-riding reason why she is there.

Or perhaps the overriding reason for Andy Murray's rise to tennis stardom is that he's Judy Murray's son. Pretty sure Judy's involvement in elite tennis stretches back further than Andy's and I'd venture to add that Andy's chosen career is probably not just a startling coincidence.

By the way, who did Barry father to get his gig?

lydian wrote:It works both ways Cav, a lot of Andy's pedigree and success is down to his mother...not necessarily the other way round. His approach to the game, tactical nous, fighting spirit...a lot of that is partly genetic, partly instilled through childhood, party his own...but a lot has been coached by her, drilled into him. So dont under-estimate her, nor forget his dreams have been fuelled, supported and aided by her too. Without her dedication Murray wouldnt have made it - the apple never falls far from the tree and she will have made huge sacrifices down the years for both her son's tennis careers. People don't understand the dedication required from the parents as well as the players long before they ever become pro.

She is a welcome addition to the Sky team because she knows what she's talking about - after all as a pro coach she knew what it took to create a player who doesn't budge an inch, who susses opponents out using many aspects of the mental framework his mother embued, and likely shares her work rate to turn potential into success.

This is all very well but what does she reckon Istomin has to do to beat her son?

Who cares about Istomin...

lydian wrote:Who cares about Istomin...

Istomin's Mum

^ Istomin's Mum has put in a late application to be considered as a commentator on his next match. She is well qualified to talk about her son as she has known him since he was a baby and tries to watch all his matches. But the application may not get processed in time as Djokovic's Dad's application is in the latter stages of consideration.

Has Judy been a commentator on any of Andy's matches as yet ? She wasn't last night or for his second round match as far as I am aware. I missed round 1 so don't know if she was a commentator on that one.

Well nigh certain that at the start of the tournament it was said Judy would be with them for the first week only in any case.

I've only heard her on ladies matches. Not surprisingly she was very good when commentating on Robson.

A few things here.

1) The title of the article is extremely disrespectful to Judy Murray. It suggests that she only got this job because she's Andy Murray's son (or maybe Jamie's?), which is of course a load of rubbish. Judy Murray is a highly qualified tennis coach, has done a huge amount of work for grass roots tennis in the UK, and is of course captain of the Fed Cup team (which has made the world group play-offs for the last two years). That in itself is more than enough credentials.

2) I like it. Great appointment. She really knows what she's talking about, and importantly, because of her close proximity to today's game, is more up to date with modern tennis than the ones who retired at least ten days ago. I've enjoyed listening to her, certainly get more than the bland platitudes of others.

3) She shouldn't commentate on Andy Murray's matches really, too much conflict of interest. I would hope that Sky will be sensible enough to see that. Having said that, she'd probably be more objective than most of the rest of the Sky team .

Mad for Chelsea wrote:A few things here.

1) The title of the article is extremely disrespectful to Judy Murray. It suggests that she only got this job because she's Andy Murray's son (or maybe Jamie's?), which is of course a load of rubbish. Judy Murray is a highly qualified tennis coach, has done a huge amount of work for grass roots tennis in the UK, and is of course captain of the Fed Cup team (which has made the world group play-offs for the last two years). That in itself is more than enough credentials.

2) I like it. Great appointment. She really knows what she's talking about, and importantly, because of her close proximity to today's game, is more up to date with modern tennis than the ones who retired at least ten days ago. I've enjoyed listening to her, certainly get more than the bland platitudes of others.

3) She shouldn't commentate on Andy Murray's matches really, too much conflict of interest. I would hope that Sky will be sensible enough to see that. Having said that, she'd probably be more objective than most of the rest of the Sky team .

MfC

Bit of a typo here me thinks, lol

Otherwise, agree with all of this

whoops

Barry Cowan's mum must be mightily relieved he's kept his job after all

We have not actually heard what hawkeye thinks of the appointment have we? So hawkeye do you think she is worth her place or do you think she is only there because she is Andy's mother?

I really don't know why CC, but I somehow sense that there might be more than a hint of obfuscation in any response you receive to your (very simple) question.

Let's see ..... I could well be mistaken .........

^ she usually doesn't answer when her views are asked. Just stirring the hornets nest is enough for her.

Maybe I'm wrong on this occasion, maybe we'll get an objective balanced answer. Lets see.....

Hold the front page !

Calder106 wrote:Is that the Barry Cowan currently commentating on the Williams-Stephens match ? Looks like the thread title may be incorrect.

That's extremely disrespectful. How could HE, ever be wrong?  

hawkeye wrote:^ Istomin's Mum has put in a late application to be considered as a commentator on his next match. She is well qualified to talk about her son as she has known him since he was a baby and tries to watch all his matches. But the application may not get processed in time as Djokovic's Dad's application is in the latter stages of consideration.

I would like to know if Denis's Mum has actually made it as a pro? Because in fairness Denis is a great of the game and how his Mum has been overlooked is a great travesty!

Murray's Mum looks to be a senior member of the commentary team and as such gets prime position on the high stools in front of the practice courts. These seats are reserved for those giving their thoughts on matches and players prior to and after the matches take place. She does this for both the WTA and the ATP as she has inside information on both (being both Fed Cup Captain and Murray's mum). Those sitting on the high stools also get a chance to interview players when they drop by for a chat. When Rafa dropped by recently though Murray's Mum was strangely reticent and couldn't even look him in the eye let alone share her theory about how a double handed backhand could negate his forehand. Maybe she was just a bit shy? I doubt she will be as shy when she gets to interview Del Potro as I believe they know each other quite well. What a shame it won't be at this years US Open.

For anyone interested the Rafa interview was great. Maybe it's posted on you tube?

I have just found it  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQppk7StGeU

When Rafa dropped by recently though Murray's Mum was strangely reticent and couldn't even look him in the eye

Strange if you pause on 0:00 you can see Judy looking him in the eye.

Quite ironic given you have eye in your name that you could miss that.

^ they've always said that Hawkeye isn't always 100% accurate, I guess this proves it!

legendkillarV2. You could be Columbo! Did you watch the whole video? Admit it Judy Murray looked very uncomfortable. She was sitting with her stool facing away from Rafa studiously looking away from him. She did laugh when they talked about how Isner is a tricky opponant for him though. I will take your word that at 0.00 their eyes met but it must have been briefly. Barry Cowan was probably desperate to join in but I'm not sure if he's allowed to sit on those high stools anymore. Maybe you've seen him?

Danny_1982 wrote:^ they've always said that Hawkeye isn't always 100% accurate, I guess this proves it!

Who says these things? I can only suppose it was a poster who is always 100% themselves. Anyway have you watched the video? It's great.

Good video.

Interesting that when discussing Federer, Rafa speaks of "our rivalry that was there for a few years". I note that he is speaking in the past tense!

I'm not a huge fan of Rafa the player (although his play over the last couple of months has impressed and entertained me very much) but as a person he seems like a lovely guy.

hawkeye wrote:legendkillarV2. You could be Columbo! Did you watch the whole video? Admit it Judy Murray looked very uncomfortable. She was sitting with her stool facing away from Rafa studiously looking away from him. She did laugh when they talked about how Isner is a tricky opponant for him though. I will take your word that at 0.00 their eyes met but it must have been briefly. Barry Cowan was probably desperate to join in but I'm not sure if he's allowed to sit on those high stools anymore. Maybe you've seen him?

I did watch the video. It isn't so much that she is uncomfortable, take into account this is her first stint on Sky in a commentary capacity. As she is more involved with the ladies game than she is the mens, it is difficult for her to actually technically to offer Rafa anything. A guy that has 12 Slams to his name, does he really need input from Judy? You might find she will speak more freely in the company of female players then she would with the male players.

The less said about Cowan the better. I won't take an interest until his picture features on a Milk Carton.

hawkeye wrote:legendkillarV2. You could be Columbo! Did you watch the whole video? Admit it Judy Murray looked very uncomfortable. She was sitting with her stool facing away from Rafa studiously looking away from him. She did laugh when they talked about how Isner is a tricky opponant for him though. I will take your word that at 0.00 their eyes met but it must have been briefly. Barry Cowan was probably desperate to join in but I'm not sure if he's allowed to sit on those high stools anymore. Maybe you've seen him?

I watched the whole video - and saw it when it aired. Judy didn't look uncomfortable at all and was looking at the interviewer when he was speaking (as anyone would) and then was not shown when they cut to Rafa.

Barry Cowan would have been there but was busy working on his CV, having read on the internet that he'd been sacked.

HM Murdoch wrote:Good video.

Interesting that when discussing Federer, Rafa speaks of "our rivalry that was there for a few years". I note that he is speaking in the past tense!

I'm not a huge fan of Rafa the player (although his play over the last couple of months has impressed and entertained me very much) but as a person he seems like a lovely guy.

My thoughts on him too. He strikes me as a gentleman off of the court but once he steps onto the court he turns into a very dislikeable monster.

It was an interesting interview with Nadal. I think he remembers those two points at the US Open too...  Liked the way he described how he could only play aggressive when he was playing well and played defensive when not playing well. There is a bit missing from the you tube version where he is asked if he thinks the transfer price of Garith Bale might be a bit high. He has obviously given much thought to the matter.

legendkillarv2. Judy Murray was talking quite expressively about how a two handed back hand can negate Rafa's skills just a few minutes before the interview. I'm not sure she's just been employed to discuss the women's game because if that was the case she would have given up her seat before Rafa arrived.

Julius. If Barry Cowan reads twitter he will have been working on his CV for some time...

The Special Juan wrote:
My thoughts on him too.  He strikes me as a gentleman off of the court but once he steps onto the court he turns into a very dislikeable monster.

I would say he appears just like an ordinary person off the court but he transforms into a tennis superman on the court. But I agree there is a big difference.

Judy said that a double handed backhand is the best way to negate Rafa's forehand. Which us correct as we've seen all the problems single handers have had. Of course, if you had an agenda, you could interpret that as her saying that Andy negates Rafa... But I doubt most sound minded people would do that.

As for Rafa's interview, he came across great as he always does. Polite and friendly. I also love that he turns into a competetive monster on court. Exactly how it should be.

Judy has only commentated on women's matches so far. She has been in the 'studio' for chats about everything of course.

I thought it was funny how Rafa more or less said he hoped that Fed would get knocked out before the quarter-final, so he didn't have to play him.

Glad I got rid of sky sports. Was bad enough with rusedski bias towards Murray at all times, judy would do my head in!! The only commentators I like on TV are Peter Fleming, John McEnroe and frew mcmillan (most of the time) and Becker. I find Petchy okay too. Rusedski drives me mad and annabel croft is a bit of a pain.

Sky Sports being biased towards someone British isn't new and it certainly isn't limited to Murray. Watch any coverage of a British athlete/team on Sky and you'll pick it up immediately. Still, it's not like it'll be different in any other country.