Carlton Kirby

Raam · 06-03-2014 10:32pm

MPFG wrote: »

Very circumspect ....don't care to elaborate , give examples or some such

Carlton is OK. I used to really dislike his commentary but the sheer volume of it last year forced me to warm to him. He tries his best and I like that.

MPFG · 06-03-2014 10:42pm

I love how mental Carlton gets towards the end of the race
During the Vuelata I remember him shrieking "Sean they are torturing us Sean they are torturing us !!!!"

But he works best with Kelly as Sean seems to be the voice of utter calm to Carlton madness

For example after one exciting mountain finish
CK "Sean I am exhausted ....I am exhausted Sean"
SK - " Well em yes eh ....I think the riders are more exhausted"

letape · 06-03-2014 10:45pm

Darkglasses wrote: »

Not sure if I remember correctly but was it about Porte? I can see the resemblance.

Was it scarponi - Kirby would say that his mouth was open so much that there would be no air left for the cyclists behind!?

afatbollix · 07-03-2014 2:10am

MPFG wrote: »

I wonder what people think of Carlton Kirby's cycling commentary on Eurosport

I initially found him annoying but he grew on me and now I look forward to his mad brand of jokes but more importantly how excited he gets in races...it isn't dull

He is doing Tour & Vuelta for Eurosport UK but not Giro
But is covering Giro ...must be the cycling subscription channel or Eurosport International (but would they do 2 different commentaries in English??)

Can you get both Eurosport international and Eurosport UK in UK ???

He goes out to Italy and covers the event for Sky who do H/Ls each night.

I dont think you can now get Eurosport international free to air anymore I think they closed down the sat feed last year. Also it is the same commenters for both British and International. The only thing British do is do a studio show at the top and end of the program.

Dr. Bre · 07-03-2014 6:43am

at least Carlton will be back for the Tour and hear him lose it everytime Froome rides away from the Peleton. All commentators have their cliches with them like chapeau! or he's cooked!

NeedMoreGears · 07-03-2014 12:51pm

Some of CK's work from the 2013 tour courtesy of http://cyclingtips.com.au/2013/07/2013-le-tour-tipping-stage-20-results/

"If he had a bit, it would be between his teeth."

"We’re nearing the 3km to go mark, and these fans are really closing in. It’s beyond beer o’clock, GET OUT OF THE WAY. OH, and there’s Chris Froome who has enough energy to give that spectator a good whack! The man has enough energy to have a go at that fan who was getting far too close. This has really been something else. There’s no need to get this close, you’re ruining the race! And there’s a pink bus just running across in front of the leaders. Ay ay ay!"

Junior · 07-03-2014 1:06pm

Don't think we will be hearing Harmon back on our airwaves any time soon.

afatbollix · 07-03-2014 6:35pm

He did a bit of track cycling commentary at the end of last year. Hopefully he can get back to full mental strength to get back on the air.

Raam · 13-03-2014 11:01pm

Am I the only one who says "Scarponi" in a "Sean Connery as James Bond" voice?

MPFG · 13-03-2014 11:21pm

Raam wrote: »

Am I the only one who says "Scarponi" in a "Sean Connery as James Bond" voice?

Dunno...there maybe a guy in Scotland who does it as part of his party piece

MPFG · 14-04-2014 10:55am

Junior wrote: »

Don't think we will be hearing Harmon back on our airwaves any time soon.

Harmon on twitter saying he is ready to come back but has not been offered any work by Eurosport....sounds very pi**ed off by it.....

Hard one this...Carlton I presume has gotten the work because Harmon was out ...so now he is ready to come back do you not employ Carlton

Also seems Matt Stephens and Daniel Lloyd are getting more work than Brian Smith & Magnus Backstead

Junior · 14-04-2014 12:56pm

MPFG wrote: »

Harmon on twitter saying he is ready to come back but has not been offered any work by Eurosport....sounds very pi**ed off by it.....

Hard one this...Carlton I presume has gotten the work because Harmon was out ...so now he is ready to come back do you not employ Carlton

Also seems Matt Stephens and Daniel Lloyd are getting more work than Brian Smith & Magnus Backstead

Well he had left Eurosport to go to Sky before the depression episode. So he blotted his copybook with two stations there.

manwithaplan · 14-04-2014 1:11pm

Carlton Kirby always finds a way to do five minutes on Edvald Boasson Hagen, usually in the "don't rule him out" space, regardless of form or position. He only does about three minutes on him if he isn't actually racing.

death1234567 · 14-04-2014 1:38pm

Didn't like him at first but he's okay inspite of his constant repetition. Better than Declan Quigley but not as good a Harmon. Bring back David Duffield! One thing that continually annoys me about eurosport is how they fail to spot obvious things that appear on screen. Example time gap of 49" appears on the screen, 30 seconds later "We really need to see the time gap between the groups"...

MPFG · 14-04-2014 1:44pm

manwithaplan wrote: »

Carlton Kirby always finds a way to do five minutes on Edvald Boasson Hagen, usually in the "don't rule him out" space, regardless of form or position. He only does about three minutes on him if he isn't actually racing.

Yesterday he got it into his mind that Taylor Phinney was going to win and everyone ( not just BMC it seemed ) was riding for Taylor Phinney
Even when Phinney was no where to be seen he still wouldn't let it go
No mention that the leader of BMC was Greg Van Avermaet nor Thor Hushov was riding very well out front...it was all some great Taylor Phinney plan !!!

When he has an idea he never gives up...even when the rider abandons

Unbelievable power of perception has Carlton :eek:
But besides he calling riders incorrectly, saying dodgy or insulting things about people or places at times and also thinking he knows what every rider is thinking he still manages to make it exciting in my book ...with his WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WOOOOOOOOOOOOO every so often when you were about to dose off

Lusk_Doyle · 14-04-2014 1:48pm

Matt Stephens was good yesterday. First time I've heard him commentate. I really like Magnus Backstead's commentary also. I hope he doesn't go away.

nak · 14-04-2014 1:49pm

A real cracker from Kirby in the TT at Tour of Basque Country - he asked if one of the riders had different size wheels on his bike. Clueless.

The oh no someones going to crash here is really irritating too. Should have had Kelly and Lemond commentating yesterday.

death1234567 · 14-04-2014 1:50pm

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

I really like Magnus Backstead's commentary also. I hope he doesn't go away.

Agreed. He provides really good insight.

niceonetom · 14-04-2014 2:01pm

What's begun to really irritate me about Kirby these last few weeks is the total disrespect he has for the audience. He clearly thinks he can just make stuff up and we are all just too stupid to notice. It's like listening to the elaborate lies of a small child only far far less charming.

topcat77 · 14-04-2014 2:45pm

What irritates me is his constant reference to betting and odds on the riders. I can't stand this aspect of the sport. If it's there i don't want to know about it just let me enjoy the sport i love without thinking about the bet cheats that you'll always have when betting is involved.

manwithaplan · 14-04-2014 2:53pm

topcat77 wrote: »

What irritates me is his constant reference to betting and odds on the riders. I can't stand this aspect of the sport. If it's there i don't want to know about it just let me enjoy the sport i love without thinking about the bet cheats that you'll always have when betting is involved.

What price was Edvald Boassen Hagen?

manwithaplan · 14-04-2014 2:56pm

MPFG wrote: »

Yesterday he got it into his mind that Taylor Phinney was going to win and everyone ( not just BMC it seemed ) was riding for Taylor Phinney

He said that BMC deserved some sort of team prize for their efforts. This being despite the fact that they got precisely no-one into the final selection.

Lumen · 14-04-2014 3:08pm

Comparisons of a rather dusty and bumpy bicycle race to the horrors of WWI trench warfare never fail to irritate.

Diggabot · 14-04-2014 3:19pm

I find too that sometimes his co-commentator can buy into the bs... I like Matt Stephens but yesterday it felt like his trying to out-nonsense Kirby! I was disappointed that we didn't have either Sean Kelly or Magnus Backsted, their insight as former winners would have been interesting. I only found out afterwards that Rob hatch and Daniel Lloyd were doing the commentary on BBC5 Live.

manwithaplan · 14-04-2014 3:49pm

Lumen wrote: »

Comparisons of a rather dusty and bumpy bicycle race to the horrors of WWI trench warfare never fail to irritate.

I did enjoy his correction of his co-commentator's historical slip of the tongue in saying that it was dubbed the hell of the north in 1909 after the state WW1 had left the roads in (an oft overlooked issue in the midst of the industrial-scale carnage!). Carlton said "I think you mean 1919, unless he was Nostradamus predicting the degradations to come. Anyway 36km to go and Eddie Boss is looking good".

He may not have said the last bit.

MPFG · 14-04-2014 4:03pm

I really like Carlton....he is anything but perfect or predictable but he has character....a bit like cycling in my book

dastardly00 · 14-04-2014 11:31pm

Carlton is growing on me. Yes he does talk a lot of nonsense, but it doesn't irritate me as much as others. I like the way he gets super excited and carried away with things, I think you need that in a cycling commentator.

I think Matt Stevens did a super job. He was more of a commentator yesterday than an analyst like Kelly, but you kinda needed that because there was so much going on.

stevemac · 15-04-2014 12:12am

No matter what its nice to listen to people who actually like the sport there commentating on. Compare any of them to rte's gaelic coverage and there all great.

Borderfox · 15-04-2014 7:41am

I like him, can't be easy commentating for that long. Kelly's accent drives me around the bend when he's on

manwithaplan · 15-04-2014 9:58am

Borderfox wrote: »

Kelly's accent drives me around the bend when he's on

You live in County Meath. If you are a bit accent-sensitive, has your head not exploded by now?

Carlton Kirby

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