The Commentary Controversy | Page 4 | Vital Football

The Commentary Controversy

Well Thommo proves that as he never watches the games he’s not on commentary (I.e. being paid to watch), and Hone is the same.
To be fair to Hortin I have known him go to away games when not on commentary but having said that it’s not their job to be Imps fans.
Going back to this so called training, it must be unique to Lincs as no one else seems to be adopting it. Rather than saying Accrington left back has the ball, much better to say Accrington’s Paul Smith has the bell on the left side, Smith who’s on loan from QPR clears the ball long ....,or whatever
That’s spot on but to be pedantic it’s Paul Smyth not Smith and he plays as an attacking midfielder and wears number 7 but is in fact on loan from QPR. That would have been easy for the Lincs team to research especially as Smyth is their stand out player and pulls their strings.
 
I am sure that Micheal Horton is a nice person. Does come across like that on the radio especially on Pirate Gold. My wife enjoys him on it anyway.
But he isn't getting paid to be a nice person but a professional radio presenter and commentator. I am sure most of us would be quite happy to recieve the salary he gets. Noing the BBC that will be quite reasonable.
However if we don't do are jobs professionally at work we soon lose them. I think he is very lucky to be so unprofessional and under prepared every week and still be in a job. It is not as though he is new to the job or covering for somebody else by now he should be shit hot at it.
His reply to the Accrington fans complaint about being coached at the BBC is quite clearly bullshit as well unless its a cooking coach!
 
That’s spot on but to be pedantic it’s Paul Smyth not Smith and he plays as an attacking midfielder and wears number 7 but is in fact on loan from QPR. That would have been easy for the Lincs team to research especially as Smyth is their stand out player and pulls their strings.

You only have to give that sort of reference once in the game, then, simply "Smyth in the middle", or "Smyth behind the forwards", will do for the rest of the game.
 
Michael Horton is usually an okay commentator for local radio but he definitely should be now more prepared knowing an away audience is listening too. Thats just general etiquette and professionalism. He also messed up when the imps were promoted to league 1.. not knowing the fairly basic permutations and failing to understand we were promoted. A bit ironic as one of his favorite sayings is 'you have one job (linesman)'.
 
i remember during the commentary of a Lincoln game last season, Horton started to talk about the wonderful build up play to a Liverpool goal, in a game that was on at the same time. So he let slip that he was watching both games at the same time. He'd got a telly on as well.
 
BTW - I too switched off the Accrington commentary as it got beyond a joke, and I watched the Sunderland I-Follow replay with the commentary off. It was a breath of fresh air as you could hear everything that was being said by the players, the referee and the dugouts (though they were Sky microphones all over the ground). Incidentally Michael - I very quickly figured out which Sunderland players were which so no excuse for not naming them.

Is the no commentary option back? People keep saying just mute it but I want to hear the players and whistle etc.
 
That’s spot on but to be pedantic it’s Paul Smyth not Smith and he plays as an attacking midfielder and wears number 7 but is in fact on loan from QPR. That would have been easy for the Lincs team to research especially as Smyth is their stand out player and pulls their strings.
I think it’s a bit much to ask him to say Paul Smyth spelled with a Y not an I clears downfield
 
I think it’s a bit much to ask him to say Paul Smyth spelled with a Y not an I clears downfield

The irony being that Smyth was the only player of theirs he knew and called by his name throughout the game. He even corrected Thommo's pronounciation of Smythe. Laughable.

Their left winger plays it into Smyth, who plays it out to the Accrington player on the right, who plays it back to Smyth, little pass to the right and the Accrington forward shoots.

Although the above has far too much detail for it to be Hortin. the real version would be:

Hortin - Their left winger has the ball near the half way line..............
joke with Thommo with a nudge, nudge and chuckle
Hortin - Ref is wearing a pink shirt, more like Cerise, No baby pink, Hot pink, closer to lilac. What do you think Thommo
Thommo - "groan"
Hortin - Nothingburger.......giggle.......uhhh. its a goal. Michael Appleton won't be happy.
Thommo - I've said it before, I'll say it again, risk reward Michael, risk reward.
Hortin - Liverpool have scored, yippee..........

JINGLE JINGLE

Thommo - WTFs going on Michael. I can hear music.
Hortin - I dunno, technical problems.
Hortin - Welcome back, you've not missed anything
Thommo - They missed the second goal Michael
Hortin - What second goal?

CUE MUSIC: My head is in a spin, My feet don't touch the ground …

Hortin - Welcome back, it's half time and its 2-0, Whats your summary of the half Thommo?
Thommo - The 4 goals that we've seen have all been quite spectacular, hard to describe how good they were but the 2-2 scoreline is a fair reflection on the first half.
Hortin - 4 goals?
 
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I think it’s a bit much to ask him to say Paul Smyth spelled with a Y not an I clears downfield

Well to be fair, during one Kelly Marie free period he did pick Thommo up on his pronunciation of Smyth declaring that it was not the phonetic version, but more "Smith", so he must have done some research!

Generally I find Michael Hortin ok. As is the case for most I suspect, the heavy breathing is distinctly off putting during interviews etc, I also find the following phrases annoying "he's just about kept that in", "that's just about gone out for a corner", "he's just about cleared that". Sorry, he either has fucking cleared it or it has probably just about gone over the line for a goal, "it's a goal Michael" (classic commentary moment). Rob Makepeace is ok but if purely on radio, he get's too excited if the ball gets within 20 yards of the goal. Definitely no good for one's nerves!

Finally I would say we are pretty fortunate in comparison to the small sample of alternatives I have listened to. The Sky coverage on Wednesday was soporific at best. I'm not sure who the summariser was but can't believe anyone could have imagined that he had a voice for broadcasting.

Always preferred Barry Davies to John Motson as a boy, we all have our preferences.............
 
When I was younger I did enjoy Ron Jones's commentary on the radio.
I'm sure John Motson is a really nice bloke but his voice used to really annoy me.
I like the BBC Lincs commentary when listenning to the radio but it is a little lacking when watching ifollow. I can understand the opposition fans frustrations.
 
They've been terrified of the Tories ever since they threatened to abolish the licence fee.

Even so, be careful what you wish for. Murdoch et al can't wait for the BBC to be abolished. And then it's full-on Fox News.

Still, nothing more than the right-wing, cap-doffing fore-lock tugging fuck-me-up-the-arse-please-Boris English electorate deserve.

A pathetic, contemptible country full of weak-minded idiots. And I say that as an Englishman born and bred.


If you have not already seen it, I would recommend the film Vice, not a soft porn film as the title suggests. But, one about Dick Cheney - and predominatley features how he abolished broadcasting standards in the US which led to the rise of the right wing broadcasters like Fox News and how these broadcasters do the dirty work for the right in the US. The film is a clear and stark presage, of be careful of what you wish for, when considering changing the funding of the BBC.

Incidently, Fox News managed to get itself banned from the UK, which takes some doing - but, they would not relent over lies they told and perpetutated over the Ariana Grande Manchester bombing.
 
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I am sure that Micheal Horton is a nice person. Does come across like that on the radio especially on Pirate Gold. My wife enjoys him on it anyway.
But he isn't getting paid to be a nice person but a professional radio presenter and commentator. I am sure most of us would be quite happy to recieve the salary he gets. Noing the BBC that will be quite reasonable.
However if we don't do are jobs professionally at work we soon lose them. I think he is very lucky to be so unprofessional and under prepared every week and still be in a job. It is not as though he is new to the job or covering for somebody else by now he should be shit hot at it.
His reply to the Accrington fans complaint about being coached at the BBC is quite clearly bullshit as well unless its a cooking coach!

I like Pirate Gold !