Carlton Kirby

rick_chasey

Kirby isn’t over enthusiastic?!

yorkshireraw

TheBigBean said:

Bjorn Haneveer does the commentary on Eurosport for the Flemmish/Dutch crowd.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjorn_Haneveer

was in NL last week and watched some of the Snooker on Dutch ES1. Tbh if you watch enough snooker you don't really need the comms but enjoyed that they had it on. Clearly I didn't have a clue what he was saying apart from the players names.

poweredbyidris

Pross said:

Carlton would liven the sport up though, it's so quiet and needs his level of enthusiasm. You never hear mention of a gnarly black ball coming up or comments that the weather conditions may have made the baize a bit sketchy. No-one has even predicted Si Clarke as a winner.

Brill

"get that referee out of the way for goodness sake..."

norrinradd

I want to know how many roundabouts the players have to navigate getting to the crucible. Plus think of all the pot-lets.

Pross

vincesummerskRoxcBTr said:

I don't mind Kirby but find Rob Hatch's overenthusiasm pretty irritating.

“L-ooooo-kah Brehhhh-selllll has potted the black, he’s potted the black. This is one of the greatest frames of snooker of all time”

Pross

norrinradd said:

I want to know how many roundabouts the players have to navigate getting to the crucible. Plus think of all the pot-lets.

‘He gives his cue a little toot on the chalk block’

poweredbyidris

Mind you, a break of 294 is possible if Hatch is doing the commentary:

"He's potted the red. HE'S POTTED THE RED

He's potted the black. HE'S POTTED THE BLACK..."

tailwindhome

John Virgo seemed to occupy the Kirby space, bringing a bit of 'enthusiasm'. Which as someone who watchs little snooker was enjoyable, but if I'd heard 'Where's the cue-ball going?' a hundred times it may be irritating - and I'd think the fanclub with the catchphrase on their tee-shirt were knobs

Dorset_Boy

Snooker ain't no sport. It's effectively another bar game!

pinno

vincesummerskRoxcBTr said:

I don't mind Kirby but find Rob Hatch's overenthusiasm very irritating.

FTFY

pinno

tailwindhome said:

John Virgo seemed to occupy the Kirby space, bringing a bit of 'enthusiasm'. Which as someone who watchs little snooker was enjoyable, but if I'd heard 'Where's the cue-ball going?' a hundred times it may be irritating - and I'd think the fanclub with the catchphrase on their tee-shirt were knobs

I have played a lot of snooker and I find that Virgo states the obvious (and was never a really good player). He's good for the layman.
I don't watch the BBC snooker coverage. It is poor. Doherty is fine and Hendry is excellent but they usually pair them with twits like Virgo and their version of hyperbole.
On ES you have Joe Johnson and Neil Faulds plus their young presenter Radzi Chinyanganya knocks spots off Hazel Irvine plus you get Ronnie O'Sullivan, Alan McManus and Jimmy White.

bm5

norrinradd said:

I want to know how many roundabouts the players have to navigate getting to the crucible. Plus think of all the pot-lets.

I was wondering if they could add a roundabout onto the table, maybe "crazy golf style snooker"

Pross

Wife just commented on the huge difference between Hatch doing his hyperbolic commentary of the last few hundred metres and Kelly’s downbeat style when asked to comment.

alan_a

Giro stage 5, 119km to go.

Probably the funniest cycling comms moment I have ever heard.

Cold weather. Talking about hot tea. Dan regales story of one former team mate, whom he says he won't name, in 2009 Tour of Austria who got hot tea from the car, instead of drinking he poured it over his head. . .

Adam pushes for name, none coming.

After a while .. Ok... What does it rhyme with.

Nothing coming

While later

Dan: Ok I'll tell you who it was, Jez Hunt, no way I was rhyming that

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

No_Ta_Doctor

The Chancellor of the Exchequer approves

daniel_b

Blythe, Lloyd and Hatch bounce off each other really well.

webboo

daniel_b said:

Blythe, Lloyd and Hatch bounce off each other really well.

They have even Sean K sounding sparky. The story where he believed that Dan Lloyd was riding on an electric bike was amusing.

pinno

daniel_b said:

Blythe, Lloyd and Hatch bounce off each other really well.

...and Remco bounces off tarmac.

Lanterne_Rogue

webboo said:

daniel_b said:

Blythe, Lloyd and Hatch bounce off each other really well.

They have even Sean K sounding sparky. The story where he believed that Dan Lloyd was riding on an electric bike was amusing.

I think there's been a slight change in the way they do things, though I couldn't swear to it - it feels like there's a little bit more of a rolling commentary roster in the manner of Test Match Special, rather than rotating by swapping in pairs wholesale. It means that the conversations meander a bit longer and across partnerships. It might be I'm just thinking of the ITV thing where Dave and Ned get swapped out for the B crew so they can get lunch though.

webboo

Kelly told a tale yesterday where he was in a team car with one of the now Ineos coach’s. When Sean tried of offer advice on tactics he was told in no uncertain terms to be quiet and drive because he knew nothing on the subject.
It appears working with Adam, Dan and Robbie is bringing out a less dry side to him.

Pross

Yep, it's a good team. They seem to get on well which helps with the banter and on The Breakaway Orla does a really good job 'supervising' them.

rick_chasey

Big fan of Blythe.

pinno

rick_chasey said:

Big fan of Blythe.

Yeah - he doesn't take it too seriously.

daniel_b

Bit of a shame they are sticking him on the back of a (motor)bike for the final week, his insight and humour will be missed both in the commentary and the studio.

I appreciate we will still hear from him, but it will be sporadic if any of the others on the bike are anything to go by.

carbonclem

No sign of Brad Wiggins so far this season on ES or his Podcast.

mrb123

daniel_b said:

Bit of a shame they are sticking him on the back of a (motor)bike for the final week, his insight and humour will be missed both in the commentary and the studio.

I appreciate we will still hear from him, but it will be sporadic if any of the others on the bike are anything to go by.

Yeah, I generally find the reports from the motorbikes are fairly uninteresting and don't seem to add much of any relevance.

Pross

mrb123 said:

daniel_b said:

Bit of a shame they are sticking him on the back of a (motor)bike for the final week, his insight and humour will be missed both in the commentary and the studio.

I appreciate we will still hear from him, but it will be sporadic if any of the others on the bike are anything to go by.

Yeah, I generally find the reports from the motorbikes are fairly uninteresting and don't seem to add much of any relevance.

They give a slightly enjoyable irony of Carlton bemoaning bikes getting in the way before seguing to their reporter on a motorbike but I'm surprised how little additional insight you get from someone effectively sitting in the peloton.

rick_chasey

It works best when they’re used less as a pundit but a third commentator who can see what the TV can’t.

So sporza use them to deliver urgent updates (often they spot mechanicals first), rather than cutting to them at a random point.

Comes into their own in classics and big mountain stages where the cameras can’t cover it all.

So for example in the classic E3 in 2011 when Cancellara made that amazing victory, his first big move was from about group 4 - the moto was there giving live commentary while we were waiting for the TV to pick him up.

“Hier komt de tank!!!” (Here comes the tank). Quality stuff.

If there’s a big crash like we’ve had in the giro, they’re usually confirming the riders down, how soon they get back.

andyp

Iris Slappendel does that role well in some of the women's races.

daniel_b

Pross said:

mrb123 said:

daniel_b said:

Bit of a shame they are sticking him on the back of a (motor)bike for the final week, his insight and humour will be missed both in the commentary and the studio.

I appreciate we will still hear from him, but it will be sporadic if any of the others on the bike are anything to go by.

Yeah, I generally find the reports from the motorbikes are fairly uninteresting and don't seem to add much of any relevance.

They give a slightly enjoyable irony of Carlton bemoaning bikes getting in the way before seguing to their reporter on a motorbike but I'm surprised how little additional insight you get from someone effectively sitting in the peloton.

I think my favourite instances are when any of the ex pro's riding pillion have some banter with the riders - pretty sure ASO told Wiggins off for that at the tour one year, and he had to dial it back which was a shame.

*Maybe they could put Kirby on the bike for the tour