Sad, Sad day

[Pokster]

"blowers" announces his retirement from TMS

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

"blowers" announces his retirement from TMS

Shame. He'll miss plucky England scraping a draw with test newcomers Ireland and Afghanistan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40364481

[Burney]

"blowers" announces his retirement from TMS

Not really. Ghastly old fraud has been utterly useless as a commentator for years. Too busy playing up to his character to actually tell listeners what's actually happening on the field.

[Pokster]

Not really. Ghastly old fraud has been utterly useless as a commentator for years. Too busy playing up to his character to actually tell listeners what's actually happening on the field.

I win... i had a bet with myself that the first person on here with a negative comment would be b... i claim my £5 from myself

[Ash]

Shame. He'll miss plucky England scraping a draw with test newcomers Ireland and Afghanistan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40364481

I'm sure everyone from the other teams will be looking forward to touring the perpetually wartorn Afghanistan. Presumably they'll play their home games in Dubai, or wherever it is that Pakistan play.

Also, the state of these bhoys :-|

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/17FE7/production/_96597289_obrien.jpg

[Burney]

I win... i had a bet with myself that the first person on here with a negative comment would be b... i claim my £5 from myself

I've said it for years on here. It would be pretty absurd of me to change my tune just because he's retiring. :shrug:

[Luis Anaconda]

Not really. Ghastly old fraud has been utterly useless as a commentator for years. Too busy playing up to his character to actually tell listeners what's actually happening on the field.

Just said more or less the same thing to someone on Facebook. Particularly as I have to rely on TMS more, after years of having access to Sky, it's just annoying when he was on

[Luis Anaconda]

I'm sure everyone from the other teams will be looking forward to touring the perpetually wartorn Afghanistan. Presumably they'll play their home games in Dubai, or wherever it is that Pakistan play.

Also, the state of these bhoys :-|

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/17FE7/production/_96597289_obrien.jpg

Play mostly in Northern India. Series against Ireland was in the wonderfully named Greater Noida

[Burney]

Just said more or less the same thing to someone on Facebook. Particularly as I have to rely on TMS more, after years of having access to Sky, it's just annoying when he was on

If anything notable happened when he was on commentary, you'd suddenly hear him interrupting his tedious burbling with an expostulation like 'Oh my goodness!'. He would then leave you hanging for several seconds to find out whether a wicket had fallen, a four had been scored or a streaker had run on the field. Fùcking irritating.

[Herbette Chapman - aged 15]

I win... i had a bet with myself that the first person on here with a negative comment would be b... i claim my £5 from myself

would have odds'd it at a 100-1 on :-)

[Herbette Chapman - aged 15]

You miserable old soak ... he was just right for those of us who don't really have a clue what's going on in cricket.

[redgunamo]

Not really. Ghastly old fraud has been utterly useless as a commentator for years. Too busy playing up to his character to actually tell listeners what's actually happening on the field.

That's his role though. Everyone listening that cares what's going on already knows what's going on, because they are familiar with what tends to go on in a cricket match.

In essence, Test Match Special is all about eavesdropping on a group of old friends spending the day at the game.

[Burney]

You miserable old soak ... he was just right for those of us who don't really have a clue what's going on in cricket.

Exactly. He appealed to the ignorant masses as a parody of what cricket is supposedly all about. To people who actually understand the game and wanted to know what was happening, he was simply an irritant. Also, the fact is that he was simply doing a pïsspoor ripoff of Brian Johnston's on air persona - only without the charm, wit or seriousness about cricket.

[Pokster]

Exactly. He appealed to the ignorant masses as a parody of what cricket is supposedly all about. To people who actually understand the game and wanted to know what was happening, he was simply an irritant. Also, the fact is that he was simply doing a pïsspoor ripoff of Brian Johnston's on air persona - only without the charm, wit or seriousness about cricket.

It's a game that lasts 5 days, waiting a few seconds is hardly a problem... 8 hrs of only talking about cricket would be mind numbingly boring

[Burney]

It's a game that lasts 5 days, waiting a few seconds is hardly a problem... 8 hrs of only talking about cricket would be mind numbingly boring

Well, no. People listen to TMS because they want to know what's happening in the cricket. By all means fill in the gaps between overs by talking around the cricket, but that should never distract from telling people what's actually happening in the game. Blofeld failed as a commentator in that respect.

[Peter]

Well, no. People listen to TMS because they want to know what's happening in the cricket. By all means fill in the gaps between overs by talking around the cricket, but that should never distract from telling people what's actually happening in the game. Blofeld failed as a commentator in that respect.

I would go further here. I want the talk between overs to focus on the match situation. I want to know how the wicket is behaving, which bowlers are performing, why a run rate has dropped, how an individual is struggling. I hate to drop his name in but this is where Boycott is great. He constantly comments on what the fielding captain is doing and what he should try, why a batsman is struggling, how the game could change in the current session.

This is what I want to hear.

[Ash]

I would go further here. I want the talk between overs to focus on the match situation. I want to know how the wicket is behaving, which bowlers are performing, why a run rate has dropped, how an individual is struggling. I hate to drop his name in but this is where Boycott is great. He constantly comments on what the fielding captain is doing and what he should try, why a batsman is struggling, how the game could change in the current session.

This is what I want to hear.

Not to mention how his mother could have made a better job of that shot.

[Burney]

I would go further here. I want the talk between overs to focus on the match situation. I want to know how the wicket is behaving, which bowlers are performing, why a run rate has dropped, how an individual is struggling. I hate to drop his name in but this is where Boycott is great. He constantly comments on what the fielding captain is doing and what he should try, why a batsman is struggling, how the game could change in the current session.

This is what I want to hear.

Correct. Boycott is the best analyst in world cricket. This is why he is paid fortunes for this in India. It's only the fact that he has major beefs with various other ex-players that mean he doesn't get the same respect in England.

Notably, his fraught relationship with that pig-ignorant, bullying oaf Botham means he'll never get anywhere near Sky. Mind you, Botham's level of 'analysis' is hilariously bad. Anyone who wants to know why he made such a pig's ear of captaining England just needs to listen to the utter shîte he talks on Sky.

[Peter]

Correct. Boycott is the best analyst in world cricket. This is why he is paid fortunes for this in India. It's only the fact that he has major beefs with various other ex-players that mean he doesn't get the same respect in England.

Notably, his fraught relationship with that pig-ignorant, bullying oaf Botham means he'll never get anywhere near Sky. Mind you, Botham's level of 'analysis' is hilariously bad. Anyone who wants to know why he made such a pig's ear of captaining England just needs to listen to the utter shîte he talks on Sky.

I like listening to Atherton although he tends to stray from cricket too often. Alec Stewart isn't great, Tufnell is what you expect. Michael Vaughan and Nasser are perfectly acceptable. These mostly operate on TV coverage though, which is different.

Overall, I would happily listen to Boycott all day.

[Luis Anaconda]

Correct. Boycott is the best analyst in world cricket. This is why he is paid fortunes for this in India. It's only the fact that he has major beefs with various other ex-players that mean he doesn't get the same respect in England.

Notably, his fraught relationship with that pig-ignorant, bullying oaf Botham means he'll never get anywhere near Sky. Mind you, Botham's level of 'analysis' is hilariously bad. Anyone who wants to know why he made such a pig's ear of captaining England just needs to listen to the utter shîte he talks on Sky.

Stick another slip in is the pretty much the extent of his analysis. Botham's that is. I don't think any of the Sky team take him seriously anyway

[redgunamo]

I like listening to Atherton although he tends to stray from cricket too often. Alec Stewart isn't great, Tufnell is what you expect. Michael Vaughan and Nasser are perfectly acceptable. These mostly operate on TV coverage though, which is different.

Overall, I would happily listen to Boycott all day.

Vaughan is on the radio, isn't he, not television? A TMS legend, in fact. Just yesterday, he volunteered to do any and all test match coverage in Ireland.

[Burney]

I like listening to Atherton although he tends to stray from cricket too often. Alec Stewart isn't great, Tufnell is what you expect. Michael Vaughan and Nasser are perfectly acceptable. These mostly operate on TV coverage though, which is different.

Overall, I would happily listen to Boycott all day.

Atherton is thoughtful and insightful - which makes a pleasant change on Sky, which has a wearisome addiction to :shudder: 'banter'. I blame David Lloyd for this - a man who I would happily see fall off the commentary gantry to his doom.

Vaughan does have interesting things to say and is clearly reads the game very well. Bit too blokey sometimes, but there you go. Hussain is again too banterish - and his voice grates.

[Burney]

Stick another slip in is the pretty much the extent of his analysis. Botham's that is. I don't think any of the Sky team take him seriously anyway

He's basically become the modern-day equivalent of Fred Trueman on TMS, who used to spend most of his time fulminating that "Ah joost dern't oonderstand it!" about something (a fielding position, the failure to bowl a certain bowler, etc, etc), only to almost invariably be proved wrong by subsequent events. Botham is basically that now - always blustering Blimpishly about something perfectly sensible because it's not what he'd do. Wànker.

[redgunamo]

Exactly. He appealed to the ignorant masses as a parody of what cricket is supposedly all about. To people who actually understand the game and wanted to know what was happening, he was simply an irritant. Also, the fact is that he was simply doing a pïsspoor ripoff of Brian Johnston's on air persona - only without the charm, wit or seriousness about cricket.

That's just snobbery doe. It's the ignorant masses wot pays for the game, innit.

Still, I'll be at Glyndebourne soon, similarly sneering at those who are only there for the pretty frocks and the champagne. Principally my wife :-\