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Best/Worst Sports Commentators/Summarisers

I have a really embarrassing picture of Vernon at an NFL training camp in 2011 that I swore I would never release because he knows where I live! He does know his stuff about American Football and played two seasons in the British League so he can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
 
Some good shouts for McEnroe and Balding. The latter is seems able to adapt to a number of sports with aplomb and is brilliant at holding a live presentation together.

With regards Henni Zuel, I feel she's in an unfortunate position. Sky have decided they need to use female presenters (across a number of sports) and she's been shoe horned into the role, perhaps without too much in the way of training and without a huge playing career behind her. She's definitely there in my opinion as "eye candy" and doesn't really add anything. I do think where Sky golf is concerned they are over loaded with presenters and need to weed out the dead wood
 
HomerJSimpson said:
Some good shouts for McEnroe and Balding. The latter is seems able to adapt to a number of sports with aplomb and is brilliant at holding a live presentation together.

With regards Henni Zuel, I feel she's in an unfortunate position. Sky have decided they need to use female presenters (across a number of sports) and she's been shoe horned into the role, perhaps without too much in the way of training and without a huge playing career behind her. She's definitely there in my opinion as "eye candy" and doesn't really add anything. I do think where Sky golf is concerned they are over loaded with presenters and need to weed out the dead wood
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A very good choice imo 😉
 
I think Henni does a great job, have certainly heard worse on-course reporters. I'd rather listen to Radar or Rich Beem on the course, but Henni's a solid backup. Mark Roe is the main issue with the Sky golf broadcast, bloody dreadful to listen to.
 
Dan2501 said:
I think Henni does a great job, have certainly heard worse on-course reporters. I'd rather listen to Radar or Rich Beem on the course, but Henni's a solid backup. Mark Roe is the main issue with the Sky golf broadcast, bloody dreadful to listen to.
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I agree that on the course where she has a degree of time and freedom to describe what's going on she does seem much better but in a studio environment she comes across as very wooden. Perhaps outside is where here future lies. If Boxall and Radar could mentor her in the next few years she could be a decent on course reporter
 
HomerJSimpson said:
I agree that on the course where she has a degree of time and freedom to describe what's going on she does seem much better but in a studio environment she comes across as very wooden. Perhaps outside is where here future lies. If Boxall and Radar could mentor her in the next few years she could be a decent on course reporter
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Agreed. Don't particularly like her in-studio, although the only in-studio analyst I actually like is Butch for the big tournaments now that Dennis Pugh has given up his role, most people Sky pick to have in the studio are dreadful. The worst is that bloke who's a "mental coach" to a few tour pros, he's awful to listen to.
 
Dan2501 said:
Agreed. Don't particularly like her in-studio, although the only in-studio analyst I actually like is Butch for the big tournaments now that Dennis Pugh has given up his role, most people Sky pick to have in the studio are dreadful. The worst is that bloke who's a "mental coach" to a few tour pros, he's awful to listen to.
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I'd like to see a core group. Perhaps Stirk, Lee as the main presenters and a group of studio analysts including Howell and Dougherty. Get rid of Roe and McGinley
 
HomerJSimpson said:
Some good shouts for McEnroe and Balding. The latter is seems able to adapt to a number of sports with aplomb and is brilliant at holding a live presentation together.

With regards Henni Zuel, I feel she's in an unfortunate position. Sky have decided they need to use female presenters (across a number of sports) and she's been shoe horned into the role, perhaps without too much in the way of training and without a huge playing career behind her. She's definitely there in my opinion as "eye candy" and doesn't really add anything. I do think where Sky golf is concerned they are over loaded with presenters and need to weed out the dead wood
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She believes she is the real deal and doesn’t need to ‘work’ now she’s shacked up. Sadly another token woman who is given a chance as to what she is as opposed to what she can actually do.

That Alex Scott (whoever she is/whatever she did) is the worst on the football - all she does is repeat what the last person said and her names wrong.
 
Dan2501 said:
I think Henni does a great job, have certainly heard worse on-course reporters. I'd rather listen to Radar or Rich Beem on the course, but Henni's a solid backup. Mark Roe is the main issue with the Sky golf broadcast, bloody dreadful to listen to.
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Doing a great job at the moment - just said Kuchar is taking a 9 iron on a 225 yard par 3 when he has a hybrid in his hands ! She is shocking
 
I had the misfortune of watching ITV's coverage of the Ireland v England 6 Nations game yesterday and thought that Jonny Wilkinson & Clive Woodward had the collective personalities as pundits that wouldn't even challenge a slice of toast.

It was like watching a wake... and England won!! Good / Successful players and coaches do not = great presenters in front of a camera.
 
Rob Lee reminding me of how awful he is tonight, add him to the list. For all the criticism on here, Henni by far the best of the 3 tonight (Lee and Roe a horror show)
 
From cricket - Atherton. ZZZZZzzzzzzz.
Football - Jamie Carragher. Translator required.
Golf - Monty. Talks too much when players are playing their shots. Let the picture tell the story.

After that, no one really gripes me.

The good; where have all the really good ones gone. TMS has a decent team but no stand outs. Football likewise. Golf has McGinley when he does the odd stint. Dougherty isn't bad. Dare I say I like Roe. Rugby seem to have gone from 3 good ones to all of them being average.
 
Rugby, Bill McLaren and Cliff Morgan.
Cricket, Richie Benaud, Brian Johnstone, John Arlott and Nasser Hussain.
Football, Kenneth Wolstenholm, Brian Moore
Golf, Peter Alliss and Henry Longhurst
Horse Racing, Peter O’Sullivan and the Irish guy that used to commentate on the Grand National (Red Rum era)
Tennis, Dan Maskell and John McEnroe
Athletics, David Coleman
Motor Racing, Murray Walker in tandem with James Hunt.

Sadly so many of the greats are no longer with us.
 
jim8flog said:
Mark Lawrenson

probably one of the most negative of football pundits of all time.
Nobody ever does anything right accorcding to him.
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Utterly depressing and manages to suck the life out of any game. I wonder if sucide rates spike when he's on air 😩🔫
 
The majority of football ones are awful now. It shouldn't be so difficult to find an ex-player who speaks well and has a bit of knowledge, but the consistently pick morons and oxygen thieves. Savage, Keown, Sutton, McManaman, Alan Smith, all bloody woeful. Jamie Redknapp as well, so bland as to offer absolutely nothing to any discussion. Ince is getting a lot of air time lately as well and he's rubbish, seems unsure of what he's saying and has a ridiculous voice. Don't get me started on Souness, the world's angriest man - all of the world's problems are Pogba's fault.

The only regular ones that I like are Gary Neville and Jenas at the moment I think. It's gotten so bad that Ian Wright, who I used to dislike, has now become one of the better ones that I don't mind seeing! I remember at the World Cup I thought Lampard was really good, but he selfishly took a job in management instead. Rio Ferdinand actually takes sense and does a decent analysis, but he is just a bit irritating generally.

Alex Scott is decent, I feel she is getting slightly overrated though as people were keen for a female to come in and do well. She has the potential but seems to fluff her words a lot, might just be nerves and something she'll get over with more experience.
 
murphthemog said:
I might be odd, but I love a bit of Merson. He is a car crash, but hidden in the total incompetence is a touch of flawed genius.
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In the context of Soccer Saturday he works, because he's the village idiot of the gang. He says something stupid, Jeff raises an eyebrow and the other three all laugh at him. I think he's fine if you restrict him to that really, he's just the light relief. Hopefully we're not going to see him as an actual pundit or co-commentator any time soon.
 
Lord Tyrion said:
I'm a bit old school on this but to a large extent I blame the director, producer etc who set out out what they want. Blank air is no longer allowed, the pictures have to be described (we have eyes), the commentator now has to have an opinion. More programs mean the talent is spread thinner.

The great commentators are no longer with us, Benaud, Brian Johnston, Bill McLaren, Brian Moore, Peter Jones, Jim Laker. Some are still alive but retired or rarely heard, Iain Robertson, Barry Davies.

Jonathan Agnew is quality, Vaughan and Tufnell are painful. Sky cricket is largely good imo. Rugby generally has it right with the exception of Matt Dawson. Dallaglio and O'Connell were top class in play yesterday, O'Driscoll, Wilkinson and Woodward back in the studio high class as well. I enjoy the BBC rugby team as well.

Golf and football is a messier area. I prefer the sky b team to the A team for the golf. For football oh for the days of Sajnt and Greavsie, Martin o Neil or Clough as a pundit. Brilliant. K like Martin Tyler as a commentator and that's about it on TV. Souness is good but the rest are iffy. The BBC team are largely painful to me.

Michael Johnson is superb, absolute stand out.

Ongoing issue for me, the token female pundits show horned into a panel for PC purposes. When Alistair Cook, Boycott etc are describing what it's like to face a West Indian pace attack on a dodgy pitch with the ball flying at 90mph past your ears, cutting to the token lady who occasionally gets one at 60mph criticising the openers is a bit hollow. I'm losing the battle but it doesn't stop me from being irritated.
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And why they should be there
 
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