Those who have over the years debated the merits of a season review DVD when the season involved has been a step above diabolical won’t be rushing to replay the ‘highlights’ from the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign and there won’t be much cause for future generations to learn off by heart the calls and contributions made by the commentators and analysts. And that’s probably a good thing.
If you’re suspecting another one of those “It was better in the old days” Grandpa-style rants is forthcoming then you are right but only partially so, and I think in this instance there is a little more to it than that.
The recent death of David Francey was but the latest passing of a generation of commentators whose contributions coincided with Scottish football’s supposed golden era, and David was indeed the man behind the microphone for the BBC as three Scottish sides earned European trophies and occasional respectability. Over a period of thirty-seven years his instantly-recognisable style was one which constantly brought the game to life. Today, we are faced with a situation where the viewers and listeners are more likely to be sent to sleep.
The glory days of the commentator – based in part on the limited exposure to those same men and restricted sports coverage but as much, if not more so, on the quality of those entrusted with the responsibility of describing the action – is over. The deaths and retirement of the greats of Cricket, Golf, Snooker, Boxing, Tennis and others have been all too regular of late, and just last week the much-maligned (if often deservedly so) John Motson found himself next in line to contemplate the end of his long professional career.
For those in Scotland, Alastair Alexander’s well-earned retirement deprived us of one of our very best radio men but other factors over recent years have combined to make even the young(ish) amongst us wonder about the high points of commentary.
In the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the continued presence of the familiar tones of the legend Arthur Montford, fans would enjoy the work of Archie McPherson and Jock Brown and even - at times - Gerry McNee. Whatever you may think of those men personally (and the decline in later years of the first of those men in particular) this can now appear like some form of last hurrah of quality.
I’m willing to concede that their time as custodians of the microphone overlap with my most beloved and in some cases best-recalled memories of domestic football, but it’s hard not to wonder if what we are provided with in today’s multi-media, multi-channel, live football state of overexposure comes anywhere close to even such recent levels.
STV now, of course, don’t really do football. In some ways this may be for the best – the very idea of the days of Stott and Walker or even the horrors of Delahunt, Sinclair and the lady pictured can cause night terrors – but it is in some senses a shameful and very sorry state of affairs. Were Mr. Montford dead he would be turning and spinning like a young man at a ballroom in the bygone days of yore.
Eilidh Barbour lends a certain pixie charm and enthusiasm to the independent channel’s coverage of Scottish Rugby – and perhaps illustrates that the lack of football is causing problems for young talent – but the market for this isn’t significant enough to merit prime-time attention.
Things are now so bad, especially on the once magnificent BBC, that I swear I’ve recently toyed with the notion to look back fondly at the days of Rob McLean as chief commentator. Thankfully this feeling soon disappears when I recall his performances with Sandy Clark on the ‘Road to Sevull’ – a low point in (then) Queen Margaret Drive output – but it remains the case that McLean is almost literally wasted as anchor of Sportscene, a late-night show which has fallen upon desperate guests and seems to suffer from a bizarre lack of any passion and interest in the subject matter.
It’s hard to know why – a result of deliberate promotion of certain factions or simply a dearth of talent which can happen off as well as on the pitch – but BBC Scotland has completely lost its way when it comes to commentary and specifically when it comes to their television production.
In stating this it is incumbent upon me to at least acknowledge that the corporation did (eventually) get one thing correct. They removed from chief duties the high-pitch and uncomfortably nasal tones of Paul Mitchell, who seems a decent man and is clearly a professional with high standards but whose approach and delivery simply wasn’t suited to the visual medium. However, by replacing him with Liam McLeod, Auntie has, quite remarkably, performed a trick thought impossible: viewers and listeners now face a clear diminution in quality of coverage. Liam offers a tangible sense of excitement but is prone to serious lapses in fact-checking (a number of which recently during coverage of Rangers alone) and is cursed with the voice of a nine year old whose balloon has recently been pricked.
In years past many commentators had about them a sense of authority, both in their tone and command of the English language – what we might call a schoolmasterly edge. That many had been through national service, had at one point indeed been involved in teaching and worn their learning none-too-lightly may have accounted for the more staid performances of many in the black and white and early colour days but could not properly account for the energy and performance of the likes of Brown and McNee. Nowadays they all too often sound like the bullied. And with this regression the BBC in Scotland in particular is now horribly regional. Last night’s experience with McLeod and the almost unintelligible Kevin Gallacher cannot possibly be considered acceptable.
That’s not to say that the art of commentary – and it is an art, not an exact science – is all about being accurate to the point of perfection or mistaking the ability to inform with the ability to complement the game. McNee, never a popular man with the Rangers support, famously misled himself over the matter of a goal (wrongly) disallowed in a Glasgow derby and continued to misinform viewers at home for a length of time which we might imagine would nowadays probably lead to instant demotion.
And yet think yourself about the many great Rangers goals, games, incidents and matters of interest in that period and try if you will to remove the contributions of Brown, McNee, McPherson and (briefly) Tyler. It’s not easy. And it’s difficult partly because they were effective communicators. Many of those descriptions –“A goal made in England” and many more – will never be forgotten. It's particularly ironic - when one considers Gerry's vendetta against the player - that McNee's commentary on the day Paul Gascoigne ran the show in a championship-clinching display against Aberdeen is ranked among his best efforts. Think back to 2008 and the path to Manchester and the words of an Englishman, Peter Drury, will forever be associated with that remarkable run: “Manchester, brace yourself...Rangers are coming.” It all sounds so simple.
But that is misleading: it’s simply not true to say that commentary is easy and it’s evident that quality commentary isn’t quite a thing consigned to the recent past.
Indeed, commentating well on a match is a very difficult skill to master. It’s not just about the preparation or the familiarity with players, facts and figures, or even the concentration on describing what is happening while maintaining a keen edge of neutrality or balance. You have to add to what is going on, and in some ways this explains why many have been better served on radio where the responsibility to paint a picture and the indulgence to engage in bouts of wild excitement and keen word-play is often better appreciated. It seems a lesson which should long ago have been grasped but Barry Davies’ approach to football commentary on TV remains the benchmark: less is assuredly more but when you do say something make it worthwhile.
Moving away from the terrestrial channels towards the markets where most live games are presented, we come to Sky and the increasingly ‘in-with-the-bricks’ Ian Crocker. Younger fans will have a great many memories of Rangers triumphs with Crocker providing the vocal accompaniment but there’s always been the suspicion that Ian’s assignment of co-commentators hasn’t worked to the best advantage of his craft. His continued reference to Sasa Papac being the sole surviving transfer memory of the ill-fated PLG era has now become a deliberate act of comedy but didn’t say much for the levels of interest in preparation: the slog of SPL dire product must get to the men responsible for selling the game, also.
Davie Provan is, when encountered as a paid cheerleader at a Scotland game with Bill Leslie, or while performing co-commentator duties on (ahem) illicit feeds of EPL games, surprisingly tolerable. He’s bright and unwilling to allow a talking-point to pass him by. However, it has long since become obvious that Davie – like so many others who are fans – cannot be trusted when it comes to describing the events of a Glasgow derby and it reflects very poorly on Sky that they have yet to either check this behaviour or find a more appropriate solution. David Tanner continues to act as a post-modern joke as presenter of Sky’s Scottish football (seriously, can we not slip Jim White a few more £50 notes or would his presence mean the balance was off?) and all the while Neil McCann seems horribly misused: he is far more impressive than a number of the English pundits so regularly wheeled out on Super Sunday (and demonstrably more proficient in the native language than the figure of fun commonly appearing with Stelling and co. on Soccer Saturday) and yet he has as much chance of an appearance (or promotion) as Ian Crocker. The least said about the abysmal duo of Walker and Martin the better.
The best commentator of the present age – and this is not even close – is someone only recently available once more to Scottish and British customers. Derek Rae of ESPN is old-fashioned but in a decidedly positive manner – you can tell he does his ‘homework’ conscientiously and he brings this same standard to the number of different domestic leagues covered by the newcomer on the television block. Rae doesn’t seek to overstep the mark and doesn’t indulge in the editorial slant that commercial partners/rivals Sky so frequently present in an attempt to sensationalise. He’s there to offer his voice and add something to your enjoyment of the televised spectacle. His serenity is all the more remarkable when you consider the many years of action in the US with the excitable Tommy Smyth for company and the burden of the British brush with the curmudgeonly Craig Burley.
In general, ESPN’s coverage of Scottish football is far superior to anything their rivals can provide – this speaks well of the standards across the mighty US –based network and rather illustrates the problems domestic broadcasters have with their responsibilities to our national game.
We have more football available to us now than ever before. The choice can be overwhelming. But while we still stay loyal to our own teams, both domestic and international, it is to be hoped that we will soon see a double improvement in standards. Which is more likely to see an improvement soon is a matter open to debate but it is to be hoped that new highs both on and off the park aren’t far away.