Tom McGurk

MG

Just wondering how other people felt about Tom McGurk. I think I would just about tolerate him if he didn't keep interupting the panelists in the middle of their answers. RTE panelists are usually great to listen to, even if you don't agree with them. I think he could learn a lot from Bill O'Herlihy who nevers tries to be centre of attention and allows the panelists to expand on their points.

Sherifu

He was pretty bad yesterday. Kept jumpin in like a jack rabbit on speed.
He can be very abrasive with his "RIGHT, ad-break..." style.
Maybe hes excited by the big occasion.....

MG

Yeah he is always doing the ad break thing. He doesn't seem to have an feel for time. He might ask a good question, then cut off Hook or Pope midway through their answer. Why not wait until after the break to ask the question?

Eoin

TBH, Tom can be annoying, but Ryle Nugent drives me mental. He doesn't have the rugby background to be convincing, and his normal commentating skills are quite poor - he just keeps waffling on and on and on.

BANZAI_RUNNER

Tony Ward really annoys me , but yeah Tom is annoying and abrupt

RuggieBear

my problem with Tony Ward is that he acts as if he wants BODs children. Even when BOD does a simple basic, Ward goes on about how class it was. Really annoys the hell out of me....it's not as if we all need to be told of BOD's abilityies but he does do the odd stupid thing too.

As fro McGuirk....i don't mind him really. he seems to bring genuine enthusiam to his hosting.

Personally, i can't listen to RTE commentary....much prefer the beeb even with its hoplessly biased scots, welsh and dickhead moore. George "soccer" Hamilton sums up RTE for me.....has no background in the sport but still gets to tell us about it....

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

gutta

MG wrote:

Just wondering how other people felt about Tom McGurk.

Tom McGurk's nickname inside is the Towering Inferior.

Just about sums it up.

Hairy Homer

gutta wrote:

Tom McGurk's nickname inside is the Towering Inferior.

Just about sums it up.

I think he does a good job.

CJhaughey

I think he is a reasonable commentator.
His sartorial displays on the other hand.......

besty

i like hook's contriubution. i even listen to his radio show.

Jak

I must say I don't mind McGurk, he at least knows a bit about the game and keeps things lively. Bill 'would it be fair to say now Eamon' O'Herlihy knows sweet F All, and while he amuses me, I can't stand his commentating.

Live broadcasting with ad breaks can be tricky to manage as you have interviews on the pitch etc etc. all to be balanced in.

As for the triumvirate of pundits, I think they are grand. You need conflict and you need three people who will give opinions from another side, the last thing you want is 3 carbon copies reeling off the same ****e week in week out.

My only problem with RTE commentating is the "Questions being asked" phrase which irritates me no end, as it is little more than a catch all phrase when you can't think of anything decent or insightful to say.

JAK.

Trojan

Newstalk 106 rules - excellent station for sport I'm addicted.

besty

its brilliant isnt it. i love off the ball every night. ger gilroy and ken early really know their stuff and are funny guys to boot (excuse the shocking pun)

Davey Devil

When I was in school we have a lecture given by Ryle, this was way back in the days of that crappy programme he did on The Den with Kathryn Thomas. He told us how he went to Blackrock College and how he hated rugby - he prefered swimming.

The guy doesn't know his arse from his elbow. It pains me to say it but I'd rather listen to Hamilton comentate on a football game than listen to Ryle spouting all sorts of crap about the rugby.

Chucky the tree

tom mcgurk is a gob****e. He knows absolutely nothing about. When i watch the show, i actually want to stick pins in my ears so i wont have to listen to him.

He comes out with the most amazingly, stupid and completely idoitic things i have ever heard. He nearly as bad as billy boy on the football. It seems, the only qualification you need to be a presenter for an RTE sport is to know jack-**** about the sport you are presenting. Same goes for commentating, with the two clowns ryle and george hamilton

Brian017

We are in Ireland here....

Sherifu

Brian017 wrote:

We are in Ireland here....

Thats no excuse.
I hate that attitude.
Bacause its Ireland itll do.

Nukem

RuggieBear wrote:

my problem with Tony Ward is that he acts as if he wants BODs children. Even when BOD does a simple basic, Ward goes on about how class it was.

Ha ha - i have been saying this for ages and i cant stand the way he says "look at the way BOD did .............." "thats world class from BOD............"
BOD better have some Vaseline - or Vicks vapo rub and some saw dust,dont think Tony can hang on much longer

Brian017

What I meant was we're hardly going to have world class commentators for a smallish country.

MG

Brian017 wrote:

What I meant was we're hardly going to have world class commentators for a smallish country.

I don't see any correlation between a small country and commentating ability.
In fact, I've found commentating and analysis in bigger countries much poorer for Rugby and Soccer. I think it is because they are appealing to larger audiences and feel they must employ big names rather than incisive experts. RTE are superb at analysis in almost all sports, I even think McGurk is good at asking the right questions but I wish he'd let the experts answer.

Sherifu

Brian017 wrote:

What I meant was we're hardly going to have world class commentators for a smallish country.

Even so, there must be better people out there.
That guy that presented against the head last Monday was good.

Hydroquinone

It's a shame RTÉ couldn't afford Keith Wood.
He knows what he's talking about.

Eoin

I don't know if a commentator needs to be an ex-player - that's what the pundits in the studio are for, or for assisting the commentator.

The commentator just needs to say what is happening, and the expert beside him can interpret it and give his opinion based on his experience. Ryle however thinks that being in the same year in school as Victor Costello gives him this knowledge that he clearly doesn't have - as Davey Devil pointed out.

For instance, you have Ryle Nugent and Ralph Keyes (I think?). This sort of combination is what you want commentating. The only problem is that Ryle has an intensely annoying nasal whinge and won't stop talking absolute shìte, and Ralph sounds about as interested like he is reading names from the phonebook.

What I meant was we're hardly going to have world class commentators for a smallish country.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you on this one: we are supposed to be a country of literate people; possibly more so than most other countries.

Brian017

I liked the guy who retired after the Scotland game last year or was it the South Africa match?

Brian017

eoin_s wrote:

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you on this one: we are supposed to be a country of literate people; possibly more so than most other countries.

Being literate has nothing to do with being a good commentator.

Eoin

Brian017 wrote:

Being literate has nothing to do with being a good commentator.

I don't think they are totally unrelated - I would imagine that having a good command of the language is a "nice to have" if not "must have" skill for a commentator.

Brian017

I'm literate and I couldn't commentate for the life of me.

Chucky the tree

Brian017 wrote:

I liked the guy who retired after the Scotland game last year or was it the South Africa match?

Bill mclaren you mean?

Brian017

Chucky the tree wrote:

Bill mclaren you mean?

No, the RTÉ guy.

MG

Brian017 wrote:

No, the RTÉ guy.

Fred "Boggely eyes" Cogley?

Brian017

Was that him?

Longstaff

McGuirk is an ignoramus both professionally and socially, I had the misfortune to bump into him in a restaurant recently and was bowled over by his social ineptitude. He is a Pig.

There are plenty of brilliantly witty sports commtators in this country, the problem is that none of them feel the need to be on the stage.

Longstaff

Did I mention the fact that he dresses like a big gay blouse.

MG

Brian017 wrote:

Was that him?

Come to think of it, it was Jim Sherwin.

Brian017

Ah, that's the one.

BolBill

Longstaff wrote:

Did I mention the fact that he dresses like a big gay blouse.

Wasn't he married to Miriam O'Callaghan at one stage, lucky begger !!!!!