Eurosport player

daniel_b

Irrationally Quigleys voice always irritated me, much as my own does when I hear it back on conference call recordings

bobmcstuff said:

blazing_saddles said:

JimD666 said:

According to GCN's "The World of Cycling" programme the commentators should be Rob Hatch and Brian Smith. If it's true then the strange people who don't like CK (don't understand them myself but it takes all sorts ) can breath a sigh of relief.

I figured it was, as he's done the past couple of editions. Before Hatch it was Quigley.
Meanwhile, Kirby usually turns up to talk gibberish over his co commentator and mistakenly call riders at Catalunya.
That starts on Monday.

Si clarke could win this you know... Turbo durbo... Get that motorbike out of the way! Si clarke could win this you know... Turbo durbo... Get that motorbike out of the way! Si clarke could win this you know... Meandering irrelevant possibly racist story... Si clarke could win this you know... Turbo durbo... Someone get that motorbike out of the way! Si clarke could win this you know... Turbo durbo... Get that motorbike out of the way! Si clarke could win this you know... Screaming nonsense over the finale.

Aaaaaaaaaargh

There's normally something about olive oil in there as well, plus some p1ss poor, below Dad standard, puns to boot.

blazing_saddles

Plus every other sentence contains either the verb invested or his new favourite, embedded.
One size, fits all (or more accurately none) generic commentary for those hoping for the odd laugh, rather than information.

david37

I think some of you might be taking all this a tad seriously. As far as I can see all the commentators bring something different. Personally I quite like Kirby because he provides off bike entertainment.

on the whole I'm quite pro the mix of personalities and viewpoints, it provides balance.

JimD666

david37 said:

I think some of you might be taking all this a tad seriously. As far as I can see all the commentators bring something different. Personally I quite like Kirby because he provides off bike entertainment.

on the whole I'm quite pro the mix of personalities and viewpoints, it provides balance.

I like the guy as well. However, I do get how much having a commentator you despise ruins the experience. I used to have to switch off TMS everytime Boycott opened his gob as an example. It saved me throwing the radio/pc/tablet/phone out of a window

ilovegrace

"Meandering irrelevant possibly racist story."
Not good this ,.... where is your evidence , otherwise retract.
There is to much of this type of slur gong around at the moment and has to stop.

david37

JimD666 said:

david37 said:

I think some of you might be taking all this a tad seriously. As far as I can see all the commentators bring something different. Personally I quite like Kirby because he provides off bike entertainment.

on the whole I'm quite pro the mix of personalities and viewpoints, it provides balance.

I like the guy as well. However, I do get how much having a commentator you despise ruins the experience. I used to have to switch off TMS everytime Boycott opened his gob as an example. It saved me throwing the radio/pc/tablet/phone out of a window

haha I liked Boycott too. made me laugh.

RichN95.

daniel_b said:

Irrationally Quigleys voice always irritated me, much as my own does when I hear it back on conference call recordings

I have the same irrational dislike for Ant McCrossan. No idea why. It just doesn't sound right to me.

As for Kirby, a full broadcast of Milan-Sanremo could be the making of him as long as he hands off after 6 hours.

Pross

Just came across this https://www.procyclinguk.com/carlton-kirby/

This bit nearly made me spit my drink:

“There are some other sports, like cycling, where the commentary has to be complete. There are no gaps – you might shut up for five seconds or so to listen to the crowd, but that’s it.”

To be honest, 5 seconds would be a luxury for CK but it really doesn't have to be that way as other commentators manage to avoid sounding like they've been on speed. The rest of the article seems to be a justification for getting so much wrong, I'm sure there are loads of distractions but again others manage to cope with them including people just coming into the media and not having 25 years experience. He seems very thick skinned though to give him his dues.

pblakeney

I noticed quite a few years ago that football commentators had given up describing what was on screen as the viewers can see for themselves.
Insight is what the viewers want. Something for cycling commentators to learn from?

m.r.m.

Pross said:

He seems very thick skinned though to give him his dues.

Isn't dense a synonym for thick? 😉

gsk82

pblakeney said:

I noticed quite a few years ago that football commentators had given up describing what was on screen as the viewers can see for themselves.
Insight is what the viewers want. Something for cycling commentators to learn from?

Unfortunately that leads to the likes of Martin Tyler giving his opinion, which no one wants.

pblakeney

gsk82 said:

pblakeney said:

I noticed quite a few years ago that football commentators had given up describing what was on screen as the viewers can see for themselves.
Insight is what the viewers want. Something for cycling commentators to learn from?

Unfortunately that leads to the likes of Martin Tyler giving his opinion, which no one wants.

I'll correct that. Useful and entertaining insight from people who know what they are talking about. 😉

blazing_saddles

Pross said:

Just came across this https://www.procyclinguk.com/carlton-kirby/

This bit nearly made me spit my drink:

“There are some other sports, like cycling, where the commentary has to be complete. There are no gaps – you might shut up for five seconds or so to listen to the crowd, but that’s it.”

To be honest, 5 seconds would be a luxury for CK but it really doesn't have to be that way as other commentators manage to avoid sounding like they've been on speed. The rest of the article seems to be a justification for getting so much wrong, I'm sure there are loads of distractions but again others manage to cope with them including people just coming into the media and not having 25 years experience. He seems very thick skinned though to give him his dues.

There's one comment underneath that captures the rift between cycling viewers and what they believe constitutes good commentary: the information - entertainment divide.

Carlton is a star and one of the reasons I pay to have a Eurosport account rather than watch for free in German. The German commentators are professional and knowledgeable, but don’t raise a smile and are quite rigorous in sticking to the cycling. If you try to listen to them for a 2 hour stretch of a grand tour transitional stage, you may be informed but not really entertained. In comparison, Carlton is an entertainer and when combined with an ex-pro co-commentator, you get a great mix. I see him more in the vein of the great cricket commentators of Test Match Special who make it worth listening to even when the game is paused for rain. Chapeau Carlton and keep it up!

Whether one sees the ability to entertain (dubious claim) as a virtue or impediment, to specifically pay to listen to Kirby?

rick_chasey

Who's on the MSR call?

(You can spot the races where sporza lost the licence)

blazing_saddles

rick_chasey said:

Who's on the MSR call?

(You can spot the races where sporza lost the licence)

I find it quite useful to actually read what folks post from time to time, Rick. From this thread:

JimD666 said:

According to GCN's "The World of Cycling" programme the commentators should be Rob Hatch and Brian Smith. If it's true then the strange people who don't like CK (don't understand them myself but it takes all sorts ) can breath a sigh of relief.

bobmcstuff

ilovegrace said:

"Meandering irrelevant possibly racist story."
Not good this ,.... where is your evidence , otherwise retract.
There is to much of this type of slur gong around at the moment and has to stop.

There was some debate on here a while ago about whether one of his stories had racist undertones. I didn't really buy it. Hence "possibly". But definitely meandering and irrelevant.

bobmcstuff

blazing_saddles said:

Pross said:

Just came across this https://www.procyclinguk.com/carlton-kirby/

This bit nearly made me spit my drink:

“There are some other sports, like cycling, where the commentary has to be complete. There are no gaps – you might shut up for five seconds or so to listen to the crowd, but that’s it.”

To be honest, 5 seconds would be a luxury for CK but it really doesn't have to be that way as other commentators manage to avoid sounding like they've been on speed. The rest of the article seems to be a justification for getting so much wrong, I'm sure there are loads of distractions but again others manage to cope with them including people just coming into the media and not having 25 years experience. He seems very thick skinned though to give him his dues.

There's one comment underneath that captures the rift between cycling viewers and what they believe constitutes good commentary: the information - entertainment divide.

Carlton is a star and one of the reasons I pay to have a Eurosport account rather than watch for free in German. The German commentators are professional and knowledgeable, but don’t raise a smile and are quite rigorous in sticking to the cycling. If you try to listen to them for a 2 hour stretch of a grand tour transitional stage, you may be informed but not really entertained. In comparison, Carlton is an entertainer and when combined with an ex-pro co-commentator, you get a great mix. I see him more in the vein of the great cricket commentators of Test Match Special who make it worth listening to even when the game is paused for rain. Chapeau Carlton and keep it up!

Whether one sees the ability to entertain (dubious claim) as a virtue or impediment, to specifically pay to listen to Kirby?

Yeah if he ever lets his co-commentator get a word in!

bobmcstuff

david37 said:

I think some of you might be taking all this a tad seriously. As far as I can see all the commentators bring something different. Personally I quite like Kirby because he provides off bike entertainment.

on the whole I'm quite pro the mix of personalities and viewpoints, it provides balance.

It's the way he consistently calls things wrongly which is annoying, not so much the off bike related stuff. Although the way he always seems to be telling a story when something important is happening in the race is less than ideal.

He just doesn't seem to have a good sense of the race compared to other commentators (who aren't perfect either of course).

daniel_b

RichN95. said:

daniel_b said:

Irrationally Quigleys voice always irritated me, much as my own does when I hear it back on conference call recordings

I have the same irrational dislike for Ant McCrossan. No idea why. It just doesn't sound right to me.

As for Kirby, a full broadcast of Milan-Sanremo could be the making of him as long as he hands off after 6 hours.

Damn, hangs head in shame, it's not Quigley's voice I dislike, he's actually pretty good, though not heard him for an age, but McCrossan (I have made this mistake before on this very forum!) is the one with the voice that to me is like nails down a chalkboard. Not his fault, and I don't doubt his commentating credentials, certainly better than ck, just my irrational disliking of his voice.

I heard the dutch woman the other week, Jose Been.
I think she did say it was her first time on ES, or maybe with whoever her co-commentator was, and I think it may have been Matt Stephens.
I thought she did a pretty good job on the whole, although I think perhaps nerves were showing as maybe there was a bit too much filling of silence which is not required.

Be nice for MSR if they rotated the commentators a bit, surely they wouldn't have 2 covering the full 8 hour stint?
Ideally (for me) be nice to have a mix and match of Hatch, Blyth, Lloyd & Stephens.
I did think L & S back together as a commentary team worked really well, and I think Lloyd comes across more naturally as a commentator as opposed to a presenter.

I suspect Armitstead, or Deignan as she now is, could well prove to be an excellent commentator when she eventually retires.

ddraver

I want to see a race where Adam Blythe and David Millar call the last 10km of a sprint stage together. That would be a knowledge explosion of Big Bang Proportions!

blazing_saddles

daniel_b said:

RichN95. said:

daniel_b said:

Irrationally Quigleys voice always irritated me, much as my own does when I hear it back on conference call recordings

I have the same irrational dislike for Ant McCrossan. No idea why. It just doesn't sound right to me.

As for Kirby, a full broadcast of Milan-Sanremo could be the making of him as long as he hands off after 6 hours.

Damn, hangs head in shame, it's not Quigley's voice I dislike, he's actually pretty good, though not heard him for an age, but McCrossan (I have made this mistake before on this very forum!) is the one with the voice that to me is like nails down a chalkboard. Not his fault, and I don't doubt his commentating credentials, certainly better than ck, just my irrational disliking of his voice.

I heard the dutch woman the other week, Jose Been.
I think she did say it was her first time on ES, or maybe with whoever her co-commentator was, and I think it may have been Matt Stephens.
I thought she did a pretty good job on the whole, although I think perhaps nerves were showing as maybe there was a bit too much filling of silence which is not required.

Be nice for MSR if they rotated the commentators a bit, surely they wouldn't have 2 covering the full 8 hour stint?
Ideally (for me) be nice to have a mix and match of Hatch, Blyth, Lloyd & Stephens.
I did think L & S back together as a commentary team worked really well, and I think Lloyd comes across more naturally as a commentator as opposed to a presenter.

I suspect Armitstead, or Deignan as she now is, could well prove to be an excellent commentator when she eventually retires.

She's been commentating for 10 years on Dutch Eurosport, so not quite the novice she may have claimed to be.
Wouldn't be in my top 4 or 5 choices but she's miles ahead of we all know who.
One thing I found mildly disconcerting and has been mentioned on another forum, was her heavy breathing during commentary downtime.
Rather obscene phone callish.

david37

bobmcstuff said:

david37 said:

I think some of you might be taking all this a tad seriously. As far as I can see all the commentators bring something different. Personally I quite like Kirby because he provides off bike entertainment.

on the whole I'm quite pro the mix of personalities and viewpoints, it provides balance.

It's the way he consistently calls things wrongly which is annoying, not so much the off bike related stuff. Although the way he always seems to be telling a story when something important is happening in the race is less than ideal.

He just doesn't seem to have a good sense of the race compared to other commentators (who aren't perfect either of course).

I don't even mind the odd duff call, ive been watching bike racing for long enough to have a very clear idea of what's going on, mistakes are like like mates saying something stupid in the pub only the piss take and eye rolling is remote.

blazing_saddles

david37 said:

bobmcstuff said:

david37 said:

I think some of you might be taking all this a tad seriously. As far as I can see all the commentators bring something different. Personally I quite like Kirby because he provides off bike entertainment.

on the whole I'm quite pro the mix of personalities and viewpoints, it provides balance.

It's the way he consistently calls things wrongly which is annoying, not so much the off bike related stuff. Although the way he always seems to be telling a story when something important is happening in the race is less than ideal.

He just doesn't seem to have a good sense of the race compared to other commentators (who aren't perfect either of course).

I don't even mind the odd duff call, ive been watching bike racing for long enough to have a very clear idea of what's going on, mistakes are like like mates saying something stupid in the pub only the piss take and eye rolling is remote.

If you are content with mediocrity, I am happy for you.

yorkshireraw

RichN95. said:

daniel_b said:

Irrationally Quigleys voice always irritated me, much as my own does when I hear it back on conference call recordings

I have the same irrational dislike for Ant McCrossan. No idea why. It just doesn't sound right to me.

As for Kirby, a full broadcast of Milan-Sanremo could be the making of him as long as he hands off after 6 hours.

McCrossan is monotone. It's painful.

yorkshireraw

I think the difference between CK and the rest is if Cycling was on the TV and they weren't calling it, all the others would be watching - CK never gives the impression he has watched any other races outside those he's been paid to talk over.

ddraver

https://twitter.com/TourDeJose/status/1372944751662612480?s=19

daniel_b

yorkshireraw said:

I think the difference between CK and the rest is if Cycling was on the TV and they weren't calling it, all the others would be watching - CK never gives the impression he has watched any other races outside those he's been paid to talk over.

Nailed it for me, agreed completely - the others all seem like genuinely interested fans of the sport, but he does not.

I love enthusiasm in any form, even if it is something I am not generally interested in, someones passion for it can get me hooked.

m.r.m.

blazing_saddles said:

Pross said:

Just came across this https://www.procyclinguk.com/carlton-kirby/

This bit nearly made me spit my drink:

“There are some other sports, like cycling, where the commentary has to be complete. There are no gaps – you might shut up for five seconds or so to listen to the crowd, but that’s it.”

To be honest, 5 seconds would be a luxury for CK but it really doesn't have to be that way as other commentators manage to avoid sounding like they've been on speed. The rest of the article seems to be a justification for getting so much wrong, I'm sure there are loads of distractions but again others manage to cope with them including people just coming into the media and not having 25 years experience. He seems very thick skinned though to give him his dues.

There's one comment underneath that captures the rift between cycling viewers and what they believe constitutes good commentary: the information - entertainment divide.

Carlton is a star and one of the reasons I pay to have a Eurosport account rather than watch for free in German. The German commentators are professional and knowledgeable, but don’t raise a smile and are quite rigorous in sticking to the cycling. If you try to listen to them for a 2 hour stretch of a grand tour transitional stage, you may be informed but not really entertained. In comparison, Carlton is an entertainer and when combined with an ex-pro co-commentator, you get a great mix. I see him more in the vein of the great cricket commentators of Test Match Special who make it worth listening to even when the game is paused for rain. Chapeau Carlton and keep it up!

Whether one sees the ability to entertain (dubious claim) as a virtue or impediment, to specifically pay to listen to Kirby?

The more casual you are as a fan, the more you enjoy the Carlton type of commentating in any sport. With time as you gain knowledge yourself, it becomes more and more unbearable.

bianchi_dave

gsk82 said:

It could be the internet connection to the TV if you use Chromecast. My TV is next to the router so it's connected using the cable.

Sorry, I'm a bit late, just catching up on this thread! That's something I'll need to try but not convinced it will work, as it would still be the TVs processing system. It works fine with a wired connection from my laptop on screen mirroring. A quick googling of forums, particularly in the US revealed a lot of disgruntled Bravia owners not being able to stream ESPN live without it lagging. Poor show from Sony really, as a software update can't even fix it

Mad_Malx

m.r.m. said:

blazing_saddles said:

Pross said:

Just came across this https://www.procyclinguk.com/carlton-kirby/

This bit nearly made me spit my drink:

“There are some other sports, like cycling, where the commentary has to be complete. There are no gaps – you might shut up for five seconds or so to listen to the crowd, but that’s it.”

To be honest, 5 seconds would be a luxury for CK but it really doesn't have to be that way as other commentators manage to avoid sounding like they've been on speed. The rest of the article seems to be a justification for getting so much wrong, I'm sure there are loads of distractions but again others manage to cope with them including people just coming into the media and not having 25 years experience. He seems very thick skinned though to give him his dues.

There's one comment underneath that captures the rift between cycling viewers and what they believe constitutes good commentary: the information - entertainment divide.

Carlton is a star and one of the reasons I pay to have a Eurosport account rather than watch for free in German. The German commentators are professional and knowledgeable, but don’t raise a smile and are quite rigorous in sticking to the cycling. If you try to listen to them for a 2 hour stretch of a grand tour transitional stage, you may be informed but not really entertained. In comparison, Carlton is an entertainer and when combined with an ex-pro co-commentator, you get a great mix. I see him more in the vein of the great cricket commentators of Test Match Special who make it worth listening to even when the game is paused for rain. Chapeau Carlton and keep it up!

Whether one sees the ability to entertain (dubious claim) as a virtue or impediment, to specifically pay to listen to Kirby?

The more casual you are as a fan, the more you enjoy the Carlton type of commentating in any sport. With time as you gain knowledge yourself, it becomes more and more unbearable.

Mrs MM disagrees. Walks into room when I’m watching and, unprompted, immediately remarks on how bad he is, after only having watching le tour on ITV4.