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What and have a show like Channel 4? no thanks.
C4’s racing coverage is better than the BBC’s imo and I will not lament the fact Carson is no longer stood on his soap box waffling on.
I think Channel 4 is equally poor. John Francome is as bad as Willie, just a great ex-jockey who doesn’t have the skills to warrant his place. His paddock observations are as predictable as the sun rising in the morning. "Lovely size about her, biggest horse in the race, wouldn’t be out of place in a 3 year old race the size of him" etc etc
In a recent broadcast, after Mark Johnston’s Fulbright went in at good odds, having been stuffed seven days prior when a warm Fav, Jim McGrath put it to John that this was a theme with Mark Johnston inmates in general and that it was frustrating for punters. Francome didn’t answer Jim’s point at all, instead waffling some old tosh about the horse who finished second. Very poor stuff and it’s time this "well past the sell by date" pundit was put out into a field, where he can be reunited with his tips, which are scattered all over the grass as fertiliser.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
What a disaster he is. Facts wrong, and simple facts at that, all the time. Faltering, unable to pronounce words correctly, talking nonsense to fill in time and bad grammar, just as well he’s off the screen as from today. How he lasted so long I will never know.
I couldn’t agree more. Willie is absolutely hopeless as a presenter and only got the job in the first place because, back in the days of Julian Wilson, he was regarded as being a cheeky chappy and a housewives’ favourite.
Some bright spark obviously thought that this was enough to give him a high-profile presenting job. But cackling and clowning about is not a substitute for professionalism and broadcasting ability.
His employment by the BBC is part of its obsession with having former sportsmen and women as presenters, pundits and commentators.
It just doesn’t work with Willie. Being tongue-tied and unable to string together a fluent sentence just makes it worse.
Lots of people have good knowledge and insight from their previous jobs but that doesn’t mean that the basic requirement to be able to speak coherently, fluently, grammatically and without interrupting others should be overlooked.
His employment by the BBC is part of its obsession with having former sportsmen and women as presenters, pundits and commentators.
It just doesn’t work with Willie. Being tongue-tied and unable to string together a fluent sentence just makes it worse.
Lots of people have good knowledge and insight from their previous jobs but that doesn’t mean that the basic requirement to be able to speak coherently, fluently, grammatically and without interrupting others should be overlooked.
Absolutely, but the sad reality is that the Beeb (and others to be fair) never understand there are thousands of Denise Lewises for every Michael Johnson.
Yesterday Clare tweeted: "I was sad on Saturday to work with Willie Carson for the last time but we had a laugh". Make of that what you will.
Mike
Yesterday Clare tweeted: "I was sad on Saturday to work with Willie Carson for the last time but we had a laugh". Make of that what you will.
Clare must absolutely despise him really. I can’t believe she really enjoyed working with him.
His inarticulate, constantly interrupting, banal chatter must have absolutely driven her mad.
She pretended at the start of the Ascot programme on Saturday that she was grateful to the cackler for helping her to find the right words. So fake.
I suspect a more truthful tweet from her would have been: "I was sad on Saturday to work with Willie Carson."
With virtually every sport you care to name, the BBC’s commentary team is so heavily dominated by gravy-train ex-sportsmen and women.
Virtually the entire BBC snooker team is now ex-players, now they have got rid of the excellent, if outspoken, Clive Everton. Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne, John Parrott, John Virgo, Neal Foulds and Steve Davis.
John McEnroe for tennis and Steve Cram for athletics are excellent but so many of the others are pretty dire.
What and have a show like Channel 4? no thanks.
C4’s racing coverage is better than the BBC’s imo and I will not lament the fact Carson is no longer stood on his soap box waffling on.
I think Channel 4 is equally poor. John Francome is as bad as Willie, just a great ex-jockey who doesn’t have the skills to warrant his place. His paddock observations are as predictable as the sun rising in the morning. "Lovely size about her, biggest horse in the race, wouldn’t be out of place in a 3 year old race the size of him" etc etc
In a recent broadcast, after Mark Johnston’s Fulbright went in at good odds, having been stuffed seven days prior when a warm Fav, Jim McGrath put it to John that this was a theme with Mark Johnston inmates in general and that it was frustrating for punters. Francome didn’t answer Jim’s point at all, instead waffling some old tosh about the horse who finished second. Very poor stuff and it’s time this "well past the sell by date" pundit was put out into a field, where he can be reunited with his tips, which are scattered all over the grass as fertiliser.
Even if you don’t like C4’s coverage they do at least cover horse racing week in week out.
Nobody is as bad as Carson, he is beyond useless.
Most jockeys in my experience are poor tipsters but you’ll be please to know Francombe is leaving C4, though I’m surprised you watch it with it being so poor.
Even if you don’t like C4’s coverage they do at least cover horse racing week in week out.
Nobody is as bad as Carson, he is beyond useless.
Most jockeys in my experience are poor tipsters but you’ll be please to know Francombe is leaving C4, though I’m surprised you watch it with it being so poor.
I only watch the races and catch little bits and pieces before and after each race. I like Jim McGrath and Alastair Down but the rest leave me cold. I can’t figure out why Emma Spencer is on the show, she adds nothing in my opinion. By time I tune in I have already studied the form and made my selections and I have watched racing’s circle of life from season to season for about 30 years, so I have no need for the presenters to hold my hand during the show. They have to appeal to a wider audience so I appreciate the style of the show but it surely isn’t asking too much to occasionally delve a bit deeper and expect presenters to respond when a colleague asks for an opinion.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Virtually the entire BBC snooker team is now ex-players, now they have got rid of the excellent, if outspoken, Clive Everton.
Good call from you in my humble opinion. I know it`s going off, or in-off, track but he was the consumate professional. Knew the game inside-out, articulate, not prone to hyperbole unless warranted in exceptional circumstances. Also, he would pull no punches if wanting to throw in a contentious point of view and did have a witty side at the right moments. And for me, called the players by their proper names and not clique nick-names etc., which many do to remind you they are part of the inner-sanctum and you are not.
If there was a Clive Everton`esque figure for racing it would be all the better coverage. Unfortunately, one doesn`t immediately come to mind.
Regards,
Dave
@ Crustypatch
"John McEnroe for tennis and Steve Cram for athletics are excellent but so many of the others are pretty dire."
John McEnroe maybe a good pundit but a useless commentator – just, will not shut-up when points are in-play: he, certainly could do with some training.
Regards
Clive Everton
Good call from you in my humble opinion. I know it`s going off, or in-off, track but he was the consumate professional. Knew the game inside-out, articulate, not prone to hyperbole unless warranted in exceptional circumstances. Also, he would pull no punches if wanting to throw in a contentious point of view and did have a witty side at the right moments. And for me, called the players by their proper names and not clique nick-names etc., which many do to remind you they are part of the inner-sanctum and you are not.
Clive Everton fell foul of the BBC because of his fierce independence and because of his no-nonsense, provocative newspaper and website articles, which often upset the governing body of snooker.
He was the only one who called the players by their surname, instead of the more matey first-name, uncritical, sympathetic approach used by the players who commentated.
I remember reading that Everton had been due to notch up a long, unbroken sequence of being present for, or commentating on, world championship finals but missed out after falling and seriously hurting himself in the shower at his Sheffield hotel.
He was being gradually phased out, allegedly on age grounds, by the BBC and was sidelined to just the early stages of major competitions until finally being shunted out completely.
He was the last of the old-style journalist type of snooker commentator, now long gone in nearly every sport as part of the relentless dumbing down of sports commentating. Everyone now must be an ex-player or other minor celebrity.
John McEnroe maybe a good pundit but a useless commentator – just, will not shut-up when points are in-play: he, certainly could do with some training.
I think McEnroe can be quite a compelling commentator, to be honest. He’s got a good sense of humour and does a good job.
My girlfriend, who is a self-proclaimed tennis expert and someone who is not easily contradicted, claims that he is easily the best commentator the BBC uses at Wimbledon.
It’s noticeable how many foreign commentators the BBC insists on using during Wimbledon. McEnroe, Boris Becker, Tracey Austin and, over the years, Jana Novotna, Jimmy Connors, Lindsay Davenport, Pam Shriver.
Why they employ the often unintelligible Becker is beyond me. Silly me, he’s an ex-player and something of a celebrity for his sexual antics in a cupboard.
Ah, the days of Dan Maskell, John Barrett and Bill Threlfall seem so far away…
Wonder if Rishi Persad will still pop up at Wimbledon for the BBC if he is now rejoining Channel 4 racing. Presumably he will be a freelance for Channel 4, like Clare Balding.
John McEnroe maybe a good pundit but a useless commentator – just, will not shut-up when points are in-play: he, certainly could do with some training.
I think McEnroe can be quite a compelling commentator, to be honest. He’s got a good sense of humour and does a good job.
My girlfriend, who is a self-proclaimed tennis expert and someone who is not easily contradicted, claims that he is easily the best commentator the BBC uses at Wimbledon.
It’s noticeable how many foreign commentators the BBC insists on using during Wimbledon. McEnroe, Boris Becker, Tracey Austin and, over the years, Jana Novotna, Jimmy Connors, Lindsay Davenport, Pam Shriver.
Why they employ the often unintelligible Becker is beyond me. Silly me, he’s an ex-player and something of a celebrity for his sexual antics in a cupboard.
Ah, the days of Dan Maskell, John Barrett and Bill Threlfall seem so far away…
Wonder if Rishi Persad will still pop up at Wimbledon for the BBC if he is now rejoining Channel 4 racing. Presumably he will be a freelance for Channel 4, like Clare Balding.
With, regards to "Tennis" really can’t agree with you at all.
Becker is one of the superior commentators they utilize and keeps quiet while points are "in-play". McEnroe, is like the majority of the American commentators – they, just can’t keep their big-traps shut at the appropriate moments. Courier, was exactly the same on ITV4 when the "French Open" was on.
Regards
Watched the BBC’s tribute to Willie as part of the Ascot coverage.
A swooning Clare declared that it had been a "joy" to work with Willie for 14 years. Cue a series of "Willie’s best bits" including the one where the cackler tells Clare that she needs a Willie, albeit a "little" one.
All accompanied by the singalong Morecambe and Wise background tune Bring Me Sunshine.
You really couldn’t make it up. The only surprising thing is that he managed to get away with it for so long.
Watched the BBC’s tribute to Willie as part of the Ascot coverage.
All accompanied by the singalong Morecambe and Wise background tune Bring Me Sunshine.
Money For Nothing by Dire Straits would have been a more appropriate musical accompaniment.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
The really missed an opportunity to get rid of Willie Carson. They should sold him to Peter Jackson for the up and coming movie The Hobbit.
No editing trick photography or make up required the film company would have saved a fortune and even his squeaky little voice would not have been out of place..
I heard that little Willie has reinvented himself as a Country and Western singer. Ladies and Gentlemen, please give it it up for:-
Box Carson Willie
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Willie is the classic example of someone who has been given a presenting job without having even the basic requirement, an ability to broadcast.
Just because someone has been very successful as a rider is absolutely no reason to give them a job where an ability to speak grammatically, in proper sentences and coherently should be the prime requirement.
If only those employing these so-called celebrity pundits put an ability to speak fluently as a key prerequisite, we would be spared such bumbling amateurs across a whole range of sports.
Sadly, they are more concerned with having a "big name" to boast about on promotional material.
Luckily, in Willie’s case, we have seen the last of him, I hope.
There’s got to be something said for the more human approach to broadcasting. Willie Carson of what I have seen of him is lately is exactly the same as he’s always been…………constantly joking and never too serious and to be frank gives the impression he’s a bit of an idiot but is far from it..little guy so they say had more punters than Laddys back in the old days.
He’s a bit like the old Batman TV serious everyone said it was rubbish but they all watched it.
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