Nah, everyone calls Emile Smith-Rowe either "Smith-Rowe" or sometimes the full "Emile Smith-Rowe".
No one was calling Jan Venegoor of Hesselink just "Jan" either.
Pundits during Euro 2024
- Thread starter TheGame
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Nah, everyone calls Emile Smith-Rowe either "Smith-Rowe" or sometimes the full "Emile Smith-Rowe".
No one was calling Jan Venegoor of Hesselink just "Jan" either.
I was half expecting Rooney to let fly a long tongue to catch that troublesome fly last night. He looks increasingly like a giant toad.
Smith-Rowe is two syllables, Alexander-Arnold is four. So understandable that Smith-Rowe is treated differently.
Can't remember Vennegor of Hesselink, but I can imagine that his name is so unusal that every pundit wanted to show of that he knows it
Looks like a hairy meatball.
Smith-Rowe is two syllables, Alexander-Arnold is four. So understandable that Smith-Rowe is treated differently.
Can't remember Vennegor of Hesselink, but I can imagine that his name is so unusal that every pundit wanted to show of that he knows it
Even the syllables argument falls down a bit, considering they've all been saying "Azpilicueta" for years.
The length of his name is a factor, but if he was a foreign player they'd be using his surname.
Good point. This feeling of "that's our lad" probably makes a difference as well.
baron Silas Greenback! That’s who I was trying to think of last night.
Shearer is such a wanker.
Came here to post this and realized that the same thing already happened (and I wrote the above) after the first England matchChristoph Kramer does a good job in German TV in that regard. His analysis of England was tactically on point, but what made it great was that he basically appeared to be offended by how bad Southgate is managing that squad
Still have to say, Per Mertesacker and Christoph Kramer really are a good pundit duo on ZDF. Insightful, willing to discuss tactical stuff with each other and not holding back, really having a go at each other if they feel like it and at teams like England who just don't play good. Enjoy watching them much more than any English-speaking punditry I saw about the Euro (or any other German-speaking as well, Schweinsteiger still bores me to death, even though he has slightly improved).
On behalf of anyone having to endure our American coverage featuring this clown, I apologize.
He's garbage and has been for years.
https://awfulannouncing.com/fox/alexi-lalas-soccer-contrarian-hated.html
What’s the deal with Alexi Lalas?
If you’re a contrarian about everything, then nothing is real. Nothing matters.
--- At Fox, Lalas is the star of the show. All day. Every day. The other analysts are expected to take a back seat to him and play off of his brand of often bizarre commentary. It’s one thing for Lalas to have a Taylor Twellman or Michael Ballack to banter with. It’s another for him to be a Stephen A. Smith-type centerpiece where Fox thinks viewers are hanging off his every word at every moment.
And when Lalas is joined on set by stars of the game who have competed at the highest level for both club and country, such as Giorgio Chiellini or Daniel Sturridge, and they seemingly take a backseat to him, it’s hard to comprehend. The dynamic makes fans wonder “Which one doesn’t belong and why?” and it’s pretty easy to figure out. ---
He's garbage and has been for years.
https://awfulannouncing.com/fox/alexi-lalas-soccer-contrarian-hated.html
What’s the deal with Alexi Lalas?
If you’re a contrarian about everything, then nothing is real. Nothing matters.
--- At Fox, Lalas is the star of the show. All day. Every day. The other analysts are expected to take a back seat to him and play off of his brand of often bizarre commentary. It’s one thing for Lalas to have a Taylor Twellman or Michael Ballack to banter with. It’s another for him to be a Stephen A. Smith-type centerpiece where Fox thinks viewers are hanging off his every word at every moment.
And when Lalas is joined on set by stars of the game who have competed at the highest level for both club and country, such as Giorgio Chiellini or Daniel Sturridge, and they seemingly take a backseat to him, it’s hard to comprehend. The dynamic makes fans wonder “Which one doesn’t belong and why?” and it’s pretty easy to figure out. ---
I think Ange Postecoglou seems ok on ITV. And I'm always interested in what Keane has to say. Don't mind Wrighty or Nev too much. Whilst not perfect, ITV is ok (when they don't turn to that yank lady who just chats absolute shite).
BBC are awful though, with Rio acting like your mate at the pub who only watches the big international tournaments and Micah who adds nothing but hysteric laughter. Cesc is good but he's surrounded by these two buffoons and I end up feeling sorry for him. And let's not mention Shearer that utter knobhead.
BBC are awful though, with Rio acting like your mate at the pub who only watches the big international tournaments and Micah who adds nothing but hysteric laughter. Cesc is good but he's surrounded by these two buffoons and I end up feeling sorry for him. And let's not mention Shearer that utter knobhead.
But you just mentioned him
I do like that ITV are appealing to the younger generations getting Bluey's dad on as a pundit.
I’ve generally liked Lineker over the years and enjoyed how much he riles up the gammon but there’s a bit of a snide old boys club cockiness emerging between him and Shearer at the moment that I find a bit unpalatable to watch.
Lots of sly digs and in-joke smirking between them at the expense of others. Like they’ve got too comfortable in their roles and they’re not far off Keys and Grey levels of boisterous bollocks.
Lots of sly digs and in-joke smirking between them at the expense of others. Like they’ve got too comfortable in their roles and they’re not far off Keys and Grey levels of boisterous bollocks.
But you just mentioned him
Definetely getting that vibe too.
Also, and I'm surprised to say this, Micah has been alright.
The last two games on the BBC, I've found him far more comprehensible than Shearer, Rio and Rooney.
No surprise that most of the insight comes from the managers in the studio. There’s a clear gap between them and the regular pundits.
Thank god there's been very little of J Jenas so far. I'm glad Rooney has fecked off, his contributions are excellent but his massive head with weird hair is very off-putting.
Lineker's habit of really over-telegraphing his clearly pre-scripted jokes is incredibly annoying. You can tell they're coming from a mile off because he can't help but lead in with a smirk and chuckle, and then the joke is inevitably shit.
Alexei Lalas went from the Spin Doctor's frontman to Donald Trump.
And no one can get further away than the English
Think they are just inclined to pick big names, who are all banter or social media clicks. As some have said the likes of Frank, Ange and Fabregas have come across a lot better. Lineker has become a parody of himself. He is now the dodgy mate you wished had turned down your invitation to a party because you just know he will embarrass himself somehow.
They really aren't.
Disagree, Rooney talks just as much cliché trash as every other pundit.
Georgia v Portugal with Clive and Mccoist on comms was probably the most fun of the group stage tbh
Having a proper commentator makes such a difference. Matterface just has a voice that belongs in the final game on MOTD, not as ITV’s lead commentator.
I deslike Dixon more than Matterface.
Dixon must live alone surely. How can anyone put up with that misery.
Dixon must live alone surely. How can anyone put up with that misery.
Dixon and Keown are competing for the award of most miserable commentator.
Big fan of Mendieta at half time though.
I’m going to root for Uruguay just because I want to see Alexi Lalas freak the feck out on the broadcast afterwards. That’s how bad he is. He never accomplished a thing and has players on the set who have so much more talent than he ever could dream of and he talks like he’s The Godfather of American footy.
Someone had to take up the mantle from Mark Lawrenson.
Gary was itching to shag England to death there
After Kane scored it was quite funny hearing Dixon say - in his completely bland, monotone voice - that he was "emotionally drained", while sounding like a soulless robot who has not been programmed to feel emotion.
The whole "we need to have a woman on, so to repeat what we've just said, let's go and hear from two women people standing by the pitch"
I've no issues with women who have been in the studio or on commentary, but this staple of coverage is completely ridiculous and patronising. Yesterday the excuse was that we were throwing to pitch-side to get an insight into the warm up, and they just stood there with their backs to warm up, just commenting generally about team selection like they had been in the studio and not a single thing was mentioned about how anyone looked in the warm up or even evidence they'd watched any of it.
You can recognise women on football shows get shameful misogynistic abuse and also recognise those segments add nothing and probably wouldn't exist unless as a vehicle to get a woman on the screen.
In the old days when Sky would throw to Nick, Claire or Geoff before a live game stabding pitch-side, there was a purpose to it. Updates on the warm up, news from the dressing room, info about which players were limping as they got off the team bus.
They might as well say "Now to repeat what we've just heard, but in a female voice, let's go pitch-side to Cologne..."
It really is patronising and pointless. If you want to have anyone you like in studio or on commentary - great. Just drop that dopey segment because it's obvious what it is.
I've no issues with women who have been in the studio or on commentary, but this staple of coverage is completely ridiculous and patronising. Yesterday the excuse was that we were throwing to pitch-side to get an insight into the warm up, and they just stood there with their backs to warm up, just commenting generally about team selection like they had been in the studio and not a single thing was mentioned about how anyone looked in the warm up or even evidence they'd watched any of it.
You can recognise women on football shows get shameful misogynistic abuse and also recognise those segments add nothing and probably wouldn't exist unless as a vehicle to get a woman on the screen.
In the old days when Sky would throw to Nick, Claire or Geoff before a live game stabding pitch-side, there was a purpose to it. Updates on the warm up, news from the dressing room, info about which players were limping as they got off the team bus.
They might as well say "Now to repeat what we've just heard, but in a female voice, let's go pitch-side to Cologne..."
It really is patronising and pointless. If you want to have anyone you like in studio or on commentary - great. Just drop that dopey segment because it's obvious what it is.
BBC would genuinely be better at this point if they let a bunch of children run the presentation. It'd basically be the same except the in jokes/embarassing attempts at humour might actually be funny.
Did Rio not change out of his pjamas ?
I like Rio but whoever is on with him struggle to get a word in