Ger Canning

Colonel Sanders

Does this man rile anyone else as much as he riles me

I always watch the games on RTE with the sound down as I can't listen to his voice (never heard a more annoying voice), and that's before you factor in how rubbish he is

Anyone else feel like this

big_show

To tell you the truth i couldn't think of anyone else doing the job!

Micheal o muircheartaigh is too descriptive to have on TV, so radio suits him.

Minstrel27

Ger Canning is ****e. He always has been. I would prefer to be listening to Marty Morrissey today.

Fentdog84

Ger canning is easily the best GAA commentator although he can be pretty bland..Its marty morrissey who makes me turn down the volume..

Magi11

Ger Canning is a very lucky man. He has been average at best at this job and he is now doing it for over 25 years. He is a symbol of the stagnant nature of RTE. Darragh Moloney is the best commentator by a country mile.

DH2K9

Magi11 wrote: »

Ger Canning is a very lucky man. He has been average at best at this job and he is now doing it for over 25 years. He is a symbol of the stagnant nature of RTE. Darragh Moloney is the best commentator by a country mile.

Agree. Darragh Moloney is the bst commentator RTE have at the moment and if they keep giving him poor matches he might leave.

Roar

DH2K9 wrote: »

Agree. Darragh Moloney is the bst commentator RTE have at the moment and if they keep giving him poor matches he might leave.

and go where? TV3?

Canning I think is excellent - there's a reason why he's been number one for the past 25 years. Morissey wrecks my head, I can't listen to him.

dorothymantooth

ger canning just called michael cussen a 6ft 7inch dinosaur.......WTF?

jamesie_boy

I remember Ger Canning shouting out "OH....YESSS!!" when Séamus Kenny's effort was blocked by Paddy Keenan on the line in the leinster final. This reflected the number one flaw in a commentator - bias.

Diabhal Beag

I like him. He has a voice less annoying and doesn't sound like he's about to hit puberty like Marty.

liammur

Commentators in rte are very poor imo. Maloney would be my preference too, but he seems to be getting into hosting sports programmes now, a replacement for bill o herily i would say.

MisterAnarchy

He is a hopeless commentator ,hasnt got a clue.
I'd say his tongue was brown today from licking Kilkenny's backside.

ShamoBuc

I think he has really gone off the boil - new blood needed.

Magi11

"Par excellence" is the saying that really pisses me off, not sure why. And the way he says "orf" instead of "off"!!

Clemon

Id much prefer morrisey

goingpostal

His accent and phony, ostentatious enunciation is like a left hook into the jaw. The amount of old waffly stream-of-conciousness rubbish he talks is a straight right into the gut. And his inability is to describe the action as it happens, is the kick in the goolies that finishes me off, leaving me lying on the floor of the living room, begging for mercy (or the mute button). His co-commentator (Bertie the bitter bollóx? "Only the real fans showed up") isn't much of a help, either.

irishh_bob

Magi11 wrote: »

Ger Canning is a very lucky man. He has been average at best at this job and he is now doing it for over 25 years. He is a symbol of the stagnant nature of RTE. Darragh Moloney is the best commentator by a country mile.

darragh malone is indeed an excellent commentator ( and presenter for that matter ) but does he do GAA , only ever heard him do soccer matches , personally i dont like cross over commentators unless its jimmy magee , not because jimmy is any good but because at least you get the camp value which comes with senility

Ricardo G

ahh Marty Morissey, the man with a face for radio !!

parker kent

irishh_bob wrote: »

darragh malone is indeed an excellent commentator ( and presenter for that matter ) but does he do GAA , only ever heard him do soccer matches , personally i dont like cross over commentators unless its jimmy magee , not because jimmy is any good but because at least you get the camp value which comes with senility

He commentates pretty regularly on football, especially Dublin games.

You've also just reminded me of how much I dread Jimmy Magee!

Daysha

He's miles better than Morrissey! Next time Marty is doing a match count the amount of times he says the phrase "...here in *insert stadium here".
The crowd has gone wild in Semple Stadium....and the score here in Croke Park is etc....all the bloody time!

Also, Leitrim could beat Kilkenny in a hurling final and he'd still manage to make it sound as exciting as a paint drying contest. Ger probably doesn't have a great way of words I'll give ya that, but at least he knows when to crank it up a gear.

Feeded

dorothymantooth wrote: »

ger canning just called michael cussen a 6ft 7inch dinosaur.......WTF?

. . . I know!! What an idiot! I heard that today and thought. . . Why can't they give commentating to past players - Like in tennis, soccer etc.

hardybuck

Watch out for when he says 'woof' whenever there is a chance. Got pretty bad a year or two ago, someone must have had a word with him.

Feeded

jamesie_boy wrote: »

I remember Ger Canning shouting out "OH....YESSS!!" when Séamus Kenny's effort was blocked by Paddy Keenan on the line in the leinster final. This reflected the number one flaw in a commentator - bias.

yup. . . That's why i dislike him soooo much. . .he cannot remove his head quick enough out of the arses of the ascending team! Sickeningly blatant bias.

K4t

DH2K9 wrote: »

Agree. Darragh Moloney is the bst commentator RTE have at the moment and if they keep giving him poor matches he might leave.

I doubt it if we presume that he is receiving a typical (i.e exhorbitant) rte salary.

I don't mind Ger Canning. We don't need expert analysts commentating. The commentator should tell you what happens and build up the excitement levels of the match. It is easy to do this in a fast-paced game like hurling but Canning does an adequate job. I would prefer Canning over someone like Paul Flynn for example, who is an excellent analyst but I can't help but be reminded of Father 'I have a boring voice, Ted' everytime he talks.

Big Ears

Feeded wrote: »

. . . I know!! What an idiot! I heard that today and thought. . . Why can't they give commentating to past players - Like in tennis, soccer etc.

The play by play commentator in soccer is almost never a former player(to any reasonable standard) only the colour commentator, and RTÉ already provide that for GAA (eg.Michael Duignan in hurling).

Say what you want about Canning, but when you hear Marty Morrissey commentate you can't wait to have Ger back. Marty is the worst GAA commentator I've ever heard(worse than Eddie Moroney) and unfortunately when it comes to boxing he's even worse, no matter what role he fills, commentator, announcer, interviewer.....he's dreadful at them all.

K4t

Big Ears wrote: »

Marty is the worst GAA commentator I've ever heard....no matter what role he fills, commentator, announcer, interviewer.....he's dreadful at them all.

Yep, once he loses his pretty boy looks he'll be out the door..

megadodge

The greatest commentator of them all, Micheál O Muircheartaigh, was once asked what was the secret to commentating and he replied "commentate on what you see, not what you'd like to see". And that right there is Ger Canning's biggest flaw (and he has many).

The match (particularly football) might be on 10 minutes and Ger is already spouting in his pseudo accent "this game will not be remembered as a classic". His constant tut-tutting of normal goings-on reeks of acceptance seeking.

His next biggest problem is that he just doesn't seem to like what he's commentating on. I honestly think he has zero interest in gaelic games beyond the professional. I can't imagine him ever going to a game as a spectator just for the enjoyment of it.

As for all the little useless soundbites he uses -

Daisy-cutters have regularly been descibed as "speculative lobs" (although he seems to have gotten rid of that one in recent years).

The worst of all his sayings though is "looking for latitude". Holy fúck man, can you imagine any coach in the WORLD telling his players to "make latitude for yourself". It might be alliterative, but Jesus it's so bloody pretentious sounding. THE WORD IS 'SPACE' GER!!!

I've also noticed this year when some person died or an old matchup of the teams he's commentating on is brought up he starts with "I remember when...". Yeah, right Ger, you just googled it last night and want everyone to think you've an encylopediac knowledge of something you hate.

Utterly useless commentator.

Henno30

Can't defend him either. All I will say is that there are very few good commentators and the inevitable comparison with Micheal makes it a tough gig for any of them. Canning is particularly bad though - "giving it plenty of latitude" - wtf does that mean??

aidan24326

Magi11 wrote: »

Ger Canning is a very lucky man. He has been average at best at this job and he is now doing it for over 25 years. He is a symbol of the stagnant nature of RTE. Darragh Moloney is the best commentator by a country mile.

Very true. RTE is quite typical of state and semi-state companies in this country, it's a job for life even if you're sh1t at what you do.

Roar wrote: »

and go where? TV3?

Canning I think is excellent - there's a reason why he's been number one for the past 25 years. Morissey wrecks my head, I can't listen to him.

Excellent at what? I almost prefer Marty at this stage, and that's a poor reflection on Canning.

jamesie_boy wrote: »

I remember Ger Canning shouting out "OH....YESSS!!" when Séamus Kenny's effort was blocked by Paddy Keenan on the line in the leinster final. This reflected the number one flaw in a commentator - bias.

To be fair, bias isn't his worst fault. Canning is from Cork and he tends to avoid being overly biased when commentating on Cork matches. It's understandable that a commentator may at times be a little biased toward the underdog. This happens in all sports.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Ah, Ger Canning, the sound of summer. Best commentator anywhere I'd say. But Marty Morrissey:mad:, he annoys me! Is it just me or does he commentate on every game as if its a news broadcast. He makes every game so much more boring. As for Jimmy MaGee, either his microphone dosent work or he just forgets where he is at times, well past his best. Moloney is actually decent enough, but not a patch on Canning

deisedevil

THFC wrote: »

Ah, Ger Canning, the sound of summer. Best commentator anywhere I'd say.

He's a joke. Has been with years but RTE are putting no effort into finding someone capable of doing a better job.

Next time listen to Ger for the first half and turn on RTE radio for the second half and see what a difference there is.

aidan24326

For me Darragh Maloney is the best commentator by far, and I'd like to see him get the top job ahead of Canning.

deisedevil

aidan24326 wrote: »

For me Darragh Maloney is the best commentator by far, and I'd like to see him get the top job ahead of Canning.

He's the best of a poor choice for me. Maybe RTE could do a search across the radio stations and see if there's some talent out there. Imagine a commentator competition, might be a good idea?

cornerboy

You obviously commentate as you see it. Ger Canning is the only man I know who can see a hurler striking it, "Gleefully" over the bar.

starlit

He is ok, but loosing respect for Des Cahill with him giving Kerry a bad name!:(

Magi11

parker kent wrote: »

He commentates pretty regularly on football, especially Dublin games.

You've also just reminded me of how much I dread Jimmy Magee!

Magee is a farce at this stage. Whenever there is a score in a game he is commentating on there is a pause, which may seem for effect but is actually Magee desperately trying to figure out who the scorer is. The only sports he should commentate on are Golf, Snooker and Bowls!!!! Everything else is too fast for him. Also his defence of Michelle Smith was (you would hope) the first sign of him losing it! Otherwise it was pathetic.

Magi11

Daysha wrote: »

He's miles better than Morrissey! Next time Marty is doing a match count the amount of times he says the phrase "...here in *insert stadium here".
The crowd has gone wild in Semple Stadium....and the score here in Croke Park is etc....all the bloody time!

Also, Leitrim could beat Kilkenny in a hurling final and he'd still manage to make it sound as exciting as a paint drying contest. Ger probably doesn't have a great way of words I'll give ya that, but at least he knows when to crank it up a gear.

Marty is also obsessed with where players went to college and their occupations!!!

Syferus

Can I interest anyone in Jerry 'The King' Lawler? If you sporadically let him play a game here and there I'm sure he won't notice a bit of difference.

Diabhal Beag

aidan24326 wrote: »

For me Darragh Maloney is the best commentator by far, and I'd like to see him get the top job ahead of Canning.

I'll never forget the time Dessie Dolan missed a free 8 metres in front of goal and Maloney made it seem like a common thing. More of a soccer commentator.

PatsytheNazi

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

Does this man rile anyone else as much as he riles me

I always watch the games on RTE with the sound down as I can't listen to his voice (never heard a more annoying voice), and that's before you factor in how rubbish he is

Anyone else feel like this

Ger is alright, been doing it for twenty years or so I'd say, so he must be doing something right.

Bill2673

In Sunday's match, Ger Canning...

... repeatedly praised PJ Ryan's penalty save when it had come off the cross bar....
...called Eddie Brennan 'Henry' when he was being subbed....
...called the score out wrong a few times...

there were a few other schoolboy errors (I wasn't actually taking notes, but there defo a few more similar mistakes)....

But to be honest that wouldn't annoy me to match...so he lost concentration so what.

What does annoy me is the cliche after cliche approach he takes. For example saying "People say Kilkenny is bad for hurling, but the reality is that that its up to the other teams to raise themselves to kilkenny's level" as if it was some sort of new information and hadn't been said hundreds of times before by the 'experts'.

He would improve greatly by talking a bit less.

deisedevil

Bill2673 wrote: »

What does annoy me is the cliche after cliche approach he takes. For example saying "People say Kilkenny is bad for hurling, but the reality is that that its up to the other teams to raise themselves to kilkenny's level" as if it was some sort of new information and hadn't been said hundreds of times before by the 'experts'.

He's not very insightful to say the least. He doesn't have some in depth knowledge of the game and pick out something that wasn't blatantly obvious to you already.

PatsytheNazi

Bill2673 wrote: »

In Sunday's match, Ger Canning...

... repeatedly praised PJ Ryan's penalty save when it had come off the cross bar....
...called Eddie Brennan 'Henry' when he was being subbed....
...called the score out wrong a few times...

there were a few other schoolboy errors (I wasn't actually taking notes, but there defo a few more similar mistakes)....

But to be honest that wouldn't annoy me to match...so he lost concentration so what.

What does annoy me is the cliche after cliche approach he takes. For example saying "People say Kilkenny is bad for hurling, but the reality is that that its up to the other teams to raise themselves to kilkenny's level" as if it was some sort of new information and hadn't been said hundreds of times before by the 'experts'.

He would improve greatly by talking a bit less.

You've made some valid points there Bill. Like the majority of the staff in RTE, he probably has an uncle a senior director or a relation a TD in Fianna Fail etc. That's how everything works here :mad:

Magi11

big_show wrote: »

To tell you the truth i couldn't think of anyone else doing the job!

Micheal o muircheartaigh is too descriptive to have on TV, so radio suits him.

O'Muircheartaigh is descriptive because he's on the radio! Being descriptive comes with the territory! If you can't think of anyone else doing the job, I would suggest that you didn't think at all.

Bill2673

PatsytheNazi wrote: »

You've made some valid points there Bill. Like the majority of the staff in RTE, he probably has an uncle a senior director or a relation a TD in Fianna Fail etc. That's how everything works here :mad:

One thing that made me laugh with Ger Canning...

RTE rand a show on their top 20 greatest goals in GAA, or something along those lines....

when Seamus Darby scored the goal Micheal O'hEithir shouts "there was a goal in it!".....now the point being that the game was almost finished and (I think) he had been discussing earlier how no goal had been scored in the match.....what he means is " we thought there would be no goal in the game, but there was one in it after all"...

another one of the goals was from an all Ireland final from around ten years ago, I think maybe one of the ones that Galway won, where there was a goal scored after 7 minutes....and Ger Canning says "There was a goal in it!"....coppying O'hEithir's line, but completely missing the point of it as the game had only just started....

Bill2673

I think RTE could do a lot worse than pick up some of the lads from Newstalk Off the Ball.

aidan24326

deisedevil wrote: »

He's the best of a poor choice for me. Maybe RTE could do a search across the radio stations and see if there's some talent out there. Imagine a commentator competition, might be a good idea?

Setanta already poached a commentator from Galway Bay FM, so I'm sure the tv stations keep an eye out for new talent. Well, all of them except RTE anyway.

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

I'll never forget the time Dessie Dolan missed a free 8 metres in front of goal and Maloney made it seem like a common thing. More of a soccer commentator.

You can't take a free from 8 metres, but I'm assuming you mean a 14 yard free. I think Maloney is good overall, a good commentator and a pretty good presenter aswell. I don't like Des Cahill doing the Sunday Game though, I think they should give that gig to Dara O'Cinneide.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Whatever any one says about the quality of the RTÉ commentators there much better than the TV3 and Setanta commentators...

Shannonsider

I was watching some game recently... may have been all ireland gold or something... and Ger made some reference to counting... then produced the gem....'I was absent from school the day we did sums, I had a hamstring injury to my mouth'.Only Ger could produce such a line

megadodge

THFC wrote: »

Whatever any one says about the quality of the RTÉ commentators there much better than the TV3 and Setanta commentators...

I would listen to any commentator from either TV3 or Setanta before Ger Canning.

lukin

Ger Canning is an utter tool; even though he is a Corkman like myself he usually shows bias AGAINST Cork anytime he is commentating on them. I also think he is not a great fan of Gaelic games as he strikes me as an upper-class Montenotte-type of person (Cork's version of Killiney for those of you who are wondering).It's just a job to him. You certainly wouldn't catch him watching a Junior B game on a wet Monday night.
Marty Morrissey is hopeless as well; litters his commentary with cliches and never says anything controversial.