Worst Commentators/Pundits

[Slick]

cough (Scott Hastings), cough (Guscott)

Harsh on Scott, he's a great guy.

I haven't spoken to him in 30 years and he will have no recollection of me, but back then he was,..... a confident young man.

Oh yeah, fair enough, he could be an arsehole when he was younger - I've a few stories about that side of him from the '93 Lions tour. But we've had him come over for a beer and chat several times at weekends away when he is commentating

[Tichtheid]

Harsh on Scott, he's a great guy.

I haven't spoken to him in 30 years and he will have no recollection of me, but back then he was,..... a confident young man.

Oh yeah, fair enough, he could be an arsehole when he was younger - I've a few stories about that side of him from the '93 Lions tour. But we've had him come over for a beer and chat several times at weekends away when he is commentating

Well that's good to hear, in fact.

He does suffer from that ex-Embra or ex-Scotland player thing who has a need to be so neutral that he is hyper critical of Edinburgh or the young Scotland teams he comments on. Southwell is like that too, Mossy to a degree as well but slightly less so.

Having said that I much prefer that approach to a full blown Stephen Ferris who might as well be bellowing AHLLSTAAAR, AHLLSTAAAR all game long.

[Uncle fester]

cough (Scott Hastings), cough (Guscott)

Harsh on Scott, he's a great guy.

I haven't spoken to him in 30 years and he will have no recollection of me, but back then he was,..... a confident young man.

Is it not Gav who is the knob end?

[Uncle fester]

Luke Fitz is a terrible pundit and he might even be able to get worse.

[Tichtheid]

Luke Fitz is a terrible pundit and he might even be able to get worse.

There was a co-commentator who was hilarious on the Munster games, he was the agent for a good few of the players and you would put your house on one of those getting MOTM and being big upped all through the game.

This was probably five or six years ago, but I forget his name

[Jimmy Smallsteps]

I'll volunteer the two guys commentating the Hawke's Bay v Bay of Plenty Ranfurly Shield match last weekend in NZ.

As it is a challenge shield the visitor has to beat the home team to win it. It was complicated by the fact there is a (needless) new rule in NZ provincial rugby that if the game is drawn at fulltime, the game goes to extra time.

As luck would have it, the game is tied at the end of 80 minutes. The commentators know that this means extra time needs to be played, but have absolutely no idea what it means for the Shield. They convince themselves that the Shield definitely stays with Hawke's Bay, and extra time will only determine who gets the league points.

After settling on that after five excruciating minutes, a producer evidently intervenes to confirm that actually, extra time determines the match and with it, who wins the Shield.



Just put the fucking thing on mute and listen to music, I reckon.

[JM2K6]

He's not bad bad, but the guy who did the Lions commentary successfully managed to make one of the biggest things in the rugby schedule sound like a Challenge Cup game between Connacht and a team of plumbers from Krakow.

[Grandpa]

He's not bad bad, but the guy who did the Lions commentary successfully managed to make one of the biggest things in the rugby schedule sound like a Challenge Cup game between Connacht and a team of plumbers from Krakow.

Maybe he had it about right then...

It was Conor McNamara for the first two tests.

[ScarfaceClaw]

Different sport but Micah Richards winds me up no end. Clearly knows what he’s talking and and has enough of a studio presence to get his point across. Why does he then instead spend 75% of his time guffawing like a donkey that’s been hit with a stick.

[sockwithaticket]

I'll volunteer the two guys commentating the Hawke's Bay v Bay of Plenty Ranfurly Shield match last weekend in NZ.

As it is a challenge shield the visitor has to beat the home team to win it. It was complicated by the fact there is a (needless) new rule in NZ provincial rugby that if the game is drawn at fulltime, the game goes to extra time.

As luck would have it, the game is tied at the end of 80 minutes. The commentators know that this means extra time needs to be played, but have absolutely no idea what it means for the Shield. They convince themselves that the Shield definitely stays with Hawke's Bay, and extra time will only determine who gets the league points.

After settling on that after five excruciating minutes, a producer evidently intervenes to confirm that actually, extra time determines the match and with it, who wins the Shield.



Just put the fucking thing on mute and listen to music, I reckon.

A draw is a result. The only reason to force something different is the game occurring in a knock out competition where a clear winner and loser are required in order to see who progresses.

[Slick]

These Irish commentators in the Ulster v Glasgow game are hilarious. Whatever is happening they manage to find an Ulster player to praise to high heaven.

“Turnover from Glasgow, but look at Paddy Heehaw lying on the floor not moving, that is word class doing absolutely nothing, you can tell he’s had a good preseason tuning up his statue work”

Also now managed to talk about Scottish players that weren’t born in Scotland 3 times in the first half. The pricks

[ScarfaceClaw]

Wayne Riley in the golf. Shut up. You absolute melt.

[Uncle fester]

Luke Fitz is a terrible pundit and he might even be able to get worse.

There was a co-commentator who was hilarious on the Munster games, he was the agent for a good few of the players and you would put your house on one of those getting MOTM and being big upped all through the game.

This was probably five or six years ago, but I forget his name

Frankie Sheehan?
He wasn't bad in games that didn't feature Munster and ended his career on RTE for having the temerity to tell George Hook he was talking pony live on air.

When ROG got on the panel, he made sure to knife Hook regularly for what was done to Sheehan.

[Grandpa]

Wayne Riley in the golf. Shut up. You absolute melt.

Wayne Riley is brilliant.. he's one of my favourites! Constantly makes me chuckle...

[Tichtheid]

Luke Fitz is a terrible pundit and he might even be able to get worse.

There was a co-commentator who was hilarious on the Munster games, he was the agent for a good few of the players and you would put your house on one of those getting MOTM and being big upped all through the game.

This was probably five or six years ago, but I forget his name

Frankie Sheehan?
He wasn't bad in games that didn't feature Munster and ended his career on RTE for having the temerity to tell George Hook he was talking pony live on air.

When ROG got on the panel, he made sure to knife Hook regularly for what was done to Sheehan.

That's the chap. Frankie Sheehan.

[Uncle fester]

General point but recently retired players commentating on their own team is a terrible idea. Applies to Quinlan and D'Arcy as well. Oh and Ferris too. At least the other two bring some level of insight.

[Biffer]

Harsh on Scott, he's a great guy.

I haven't spoken to him in 30 years and he will have no recollection of me, but back then he was,..... a confident young man.

Is it not Gav who is the knob end?

Very little experience of either of them, but when we were down in London, sitting outside a pub in Richmond on our way to Scottish, Gav saw the Edinburgh shirts and stopped for a chat (of his own volition, not us stopping him) and was bang on.

[Slick]

I haven't spoken to him in 30 years and he will have no recollection of me, but back then he was,..... a confident young man.

Is it not Gav who is the knob end?

Very little experience of either of them, but when we were down in London, sitting outside a pub in Richmond on our way to Scottish, Gav saw the Edinburgh shirts and stopped for a chat (of his own volition, not us stopping him) and was bang on.

Yup, similar experiences in Paris and Rome - in fact in Paris he came back to the restaurant after the game to catch up.

These guys just need one off day and the rumours start. Obviously a few are just cocks but the majority are decent rugby guys

[Chrysoprase]

Is it not Gav who is the knob end?

Very little experience of either of them, but when we were down in London, sitting outside a pub in Richmond on our way to Scottish, Gav saw the Edinburgh shirts and stopped for a chat (of his own volition, not us stopping him) and was bang on.

Yup, similar experiences in Paris and Rome - in fact in Paris he came back to the restaurant after the game to catch up.

These guys just need one off day and the rumours start. Obviously a few are just cocks but the majority are decent rugby guys

Spoke to Gav a few times back in the olden days when Glasgow still played at Hughenden and he came across as a good guy, very approachable and easy to talk to.

[Ajrl]

Saw a comment or two in praise of Alex Scott - couldn’t disagree more. Thought she was bad enough on MOTD but that she was excruciatingly bad during the Olympics. What made it worse was that she was paired with Clare Balding - it was like pairing the Toffbridge bound head girl with the vacuous high school cheer leader with the head girl having to dumb down. I’m sure she is a pleasant enough person but that [forced]? jollity grates and her intellectual limitations means that her questioning never gets beyond the trite ‘ and how you did you feel in that moment’ - not all of her audience are primary school kids.

Don’t share the dislike many have for Gary Lineker but think that Gaby Logan and Clare Balding are by some distance the best anchors in UK tv sport - both highly intelligent, articulate and thorough in their research. True professionals. They both put many of the football pundits to shame who think they can just show up and wing it - the likes of Savage, Dublin and Richards are awful. Ian Wright just about gets away with it since it is a bit like watching a game down the pub with a friend who is just a tiny bit more knowledgeable than you but even more passionate than you.

BBC athletics coverage is consistently excellent- Paula Radcliffe needs to work on her breathing but so knowledgeable about her subject you can forgive her for that. Jess Ennis shyness means she is not a natural but she is both engaging and knowledgeable and getting better year on year - her observations are often interesting and illuminating