Eurospurt commentators

lvquestpaddler
lvquestpaddler Posts: 416
edited July 2011 in Pro race
"Torty"?
What exactly is the veteran Sean Kelly saying? Ok he's a former pro, but get someone who can speak English to an acceptable level, I'm Scottish and even I can't make out half the guff he spouts.
Emotionless commentary that sounds like something from Channel 4(HORSE) racing.
Makes that porky scouse lad flogging the Apollos on ITV4 seem intelligible..... :lol::lol::lol:
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Comments

  • JamieRa
    JamieRa Posts: 82
    i can understand him perfectly fine, i find his accent no harder to understand than Scottish.
  • Simontheintrepid
    Simontheintrepid Posts: 128
    Damned if you do, damned if you don't. With ITV4 you get the commentators talking about 'Laopard Trek'. What's that all about?

    It really shouldn't wind me up as much as it does.
  • pdstsp
    pdstsp Posts: 1,264
    Never had aproblem with S Kelly - July would be crap without him.
  • scwxx77
    scwxx77 Posts: 1,469
    Simontheintrepid wrote:
    With ITV4 you get the commentators talking about 'Laopard Trek'. What's that all about?
    Believe the team put out a press release asking for it to be pronounced that way.
    Winner: PTP Vuelta 2007 :wink:
  • ascurrell
    ascurrell Posts: 1,739
    I have no problem understanding Sean Kelly.
    If you can't understand half what he says how can you describe it as 'guff'. [baloney, nonsence].
    I think theres only one person talking guff here.
    He is a true expert in every sense who's been there and got the Tee shirt.
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    I suppose even Sean Kelly knows the difference between 'spurt' and 'sport'.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    ascurrell wrote:
    I
    He is a true expert in every sense who's been there and got the Tee shirt.

    Kelly hasn't got the T-Shirt. He owns the T-Shirt company.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • greeny1
    greeny1 Posts: 106
    He does have the most monotone voice ever, his insights cannot hide this.
  • ElLawro
    ElLawro Posts: 59
    rather have a geezer with good info in a monotone voice, than some 'media trained' guy reading from press releases!!
  • B3rnieMac
    B3rnieMac Posts: 384
    P&P might be pronouncing leopard-trek correctly, but they're still making a faux pas by crowbarring "team" onto the front of it.
  • exlaser
    exlaser Posts: 266
    greeny1 wrote:
    He does have the most monotone voice ever, his insights cannot hide this.

    +1 :lol:
    Van Nicholas Ventus
    Rose Xeon RS
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    lvquestpaddler wrote:
    "Torty"?
    What exactly is the veteran Sean Kelly saying? Ok he's a former pro, but get someone who can speak English to an acceptable level, I'm Scottish and even I can't make out half the guff he spouts.
    Emotionless commentary that sounds like something from Channel 4(HORSE) racing.
    Makes that porky scouse lad flogging the Apollos on ITV4 seem intelligible..... :lol::lol::lol:

    A jock questioning an irish accent :roll:

    http://youtu.be/U4yeqSgNxiE
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    edited July 2011
    ascurrell wrote:
    He is a true expert in every sense who's been there and got the Tee shirt.

    No, that's Millar :lol:
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    Give me Kelly any day over the inane bollox that P&P talk.
  • luckao
    luckao Posts: 632
    Aimless enthusiasm will only get you so far. Head on over to ITV4 if that's your thing.
  • Simontheintrepid
    Simontheintrepid Posts: 128
    I stand corrected. What with all this mithering from the Schlecks and now this they're making themselves hard to love, even if they have got Jens.

    http://bikehugger.com/post/view/team-leopard-trek-guidelines-f
  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    lvquestpaddler wrote:
    "Torty"?
    What exactly is the veteran Sean Kelly saying? Ok he's a former pro, but get someone who can speak English to an acceptable level, I'm Scottish and even I can't make out half the guff he spouts.
    Emotionless commentary that sounds like something from Channel 4(HORSE) racing.
    Makes that porky scouse lad flogging the Apollos on ITV4 seem intelligible..... :lol::lol::lol:

    Are you from Edinburgh - You lot were always a STRANGE lot anyway.
    I am from Glasgow (now living in Hampshire) and i can understand Sean Kelly - The guy knows what he`s talking about so i suggest you turn over to the American couple on ITV4 Chuck Liggett & Bubba Sherwin see how long that lasts before you start throwing stuff at the TV !!!!
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    When I first started watching the Tour I struggled with Kelly's monotone and thought he sounded generally disinterested. After listening to him for a while you realise what a dry sense of humour he has. He's actually a very funny, witty guy, you'd just never think so on first hearing him.

    I think he and David Harmon are about as good as sports commentary gets, they do a superb job in my opinion.

    On the other hand, who the hell is the anchor in the Eurosport studio? He's been presenting cycling for at least as long as I've been watching it, and constantly gives the impression that he's never seen a bike race in his life before.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,811
    That's because he probably hasn't. He's James Richardson, formerly known as the presenter of Football Italia in the 90s and pops up when ever Eurosport need a face in a studio.

    He learns about the Tour as he goes along, the first few stages he's generally reading from a script.

    Get him to talk about football, and in particular Italian football, and he'll astound you with his knowledge. The Football Weekly podcast he presents for the Guardian is absolute class
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    That's because he probably hasn't. He's James Richardson, formerly known as the presenter of Football Italia in the 90s and pops up when ever Eurosport need a face in a studio.

    He learns about the Tour as he goes along, the first few stages he's generally reading from a script.

    Get him to talk about football, and in particular Italian football, and he'll astound you with his knowledge. The Football Weekly podcast he presents for the Guardian is absolute class
    I think the thing that bothers me most about him is he's been presenting cycling as long as (probably longer than) I've been watching it, and when I started I felt our knowledge level was about equal. Since then I've learned a lot and he appears to have learned nothing at all!

    Sounds like he's a great football presenter, but maybe he should stick to that and Eurosport should find someone with more cycling knowledge to present their cycling coverage.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,811
    I think he should be kept for his puns alone.

    "Team Sky's Edvald sprints to win in Hagen dash" anyone?
  • yourpaceormine
    yourpaceormine Posts: 1,245
    I think some of you should read Ned Boulting's "How I won the yellow jumper" for several reasons:-

    Firstly you'll understand quite how hard a job it is commentating on the Tour. Secondly you might get an insight how a footie journalist learnt about the dark art of road racing. And thirdly it is a cracking good read. Only minor gripe is the pictures all need lightening, and picture titles would be better next to the pics rather than at the back of the book.


    Yes P&P make me cringe, and sometimes the Eurosport team make me change channels. I think all of us would struggle to fill 4 or 5 hours of airtime without sounding like complete numpties (and no doubt making lots of factual errors). I know cream crackered I feel after delivering in service training for a day (talking all day in other words). So I doff my hat to both teams of commentators.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    yourpaceormine wrote:


    Yes P&P make me cringe, and sometimes the Eurosport team make me change channels. I think all of us would struggle to fill 4 or 5 hours of airtime without sounding like complete numpties (and no doubt making lots of factual errors). I know cream crackered I feel after delivering in service training for a day (talking all day in other words). So I doff my hat to both teams of commentators.

    I've said this before

    #1 - Belgian commentators have no problems. From what I've heard neither do the French.

    #2 - It's their job, not a hobby. If I was paid to commentate, I'd be pretty damn sure I'd study everything properly. Prepare beforehand, learn riders' styles, etc etc.
    _
  • rajMAN
    rajMAN Posts: 429
    Richardson's a nice enough guy but for christ sake he has been asking and posing the same daft questions for as long as I can remember too. I think Will Fotheringham is secretly trying to instill some knowledge into him. Maybe Malc should just punch JR off screen. That would be good. :)
  • Fat Head
    Fat Head Posts: 765
    Saying 'turty' is an Irish thing, not specific to King Kelly.

    Kelly is a great commentator.

    I liked it yesterday when Harmon couldn't make out the riders in the shade on the final climb and prompted Kelly to help him out. Kelly couldn't make them out either due to the shade and rather than do aimless speculation, he just kept quiet till he was sure who it was. When he speaks, you listen!

    Harmon is a top bloke too. Clearly passionate about the sport.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,811
    Ah, but Rick, do you study the details of what you get paid for? ;)
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    rajMAN wrote:
    Richardson's a nice enough guy but for christ sake he has been asking and posing the same daft questions for as long as I can remember too. I think Will Fotheringham is secretly trying to instill some knowledge into him. Maybe Malc should just punch JR off screen. That would be good. :)

    James Richardson already knows the answers to the questions he's asking. His job is to ask questions on behalf of the viewers, who have different levels of knowledge.

    It's like on Match of the Day when Gary Lineker asks something like "So Alan, can Drogba and Torres play well together?", do you think that Lineker is asking because he's lacking the knowledge himself?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    Ah, but Rick, do you study the details of what you get paid for? ;)

    'Fraid so, and it makes me weep every time. :cry:
    _
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    RichN95 wrote:
    James Richardson already knows the answers to the questions he's asking. His job is to ask questions on behalf of the viewers, who have different levels of knowledge.

    It's like on Match of the Day when Gary Lineker asks something like "So Alan, can Drogba and Torres play well together?", do you think that Lineker is asking because he's lacking the knowledge himself?

    I listen to the Mark Kermode film reviews on 5Live on Fridays. In this set up Kermode is the exepert and Mayo is representing the layman. Mayo manages this role without coming across like someone who's never set foot in a cinema, unlike Richardson.
  • rajMAN
    rajMAN Posts: 429
    Graeme_S wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    James Richardson already knows the answers to the questions he's asking. His job is to ask questions on behalf of the viewers, who have different levels of knowledge.

    It's like on Match of the Day when Gary Lineker asks something like "So Alan, can Drogba and Torres play well together?", do you think that Lineker is asking because he's lacking the knowledge himself?

    I listen to the Mark Kermode film reviews on 5Live on Fridays. In this set up Kermode is the exepert and Mayo is representing the layman. Mayo manages this role without coming across like someone who's never set foot in a cinema, unlike Richardson.

    Exactly!!

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