Sky, second rate

[Bearman]

Second rate rugby teams and second rate commentators.

First rate prices.

[Rob]

Second rate commentators.

 

I don't mind the fact that the British team lost to superior opponents, not many expected anything different.

 

But the inane, stuttering, incoherent ramblings from Eddie and Stevo drive my crazy.

[Pie tries]

Superb post match analysis though !

[alan30058]

Second rate commentators.

 

I don't mind the fact that the British team lost to superior opponents, not many expected anything different.

 

But the inane, stuttering, incoherent ramblings from Eddie and Stevo drive my crazy.

We lose to superior teams.. ok

We need to improve. Sure and hopefully we will.

But sky don't need to improve.. they have the contract in their bag for umpteen years so do not need to bother.

BBC or  BT sport would have done us proud I am sure.

But the Eddie Stobart free sponsorship team did even one better and sold out and tied our game for pennies; my granny has better financial projections in her head !!!

[bamfordsbeans]

Like a lot of things in our game the Sky commentary team need a good shake up.

[cookey]

Yes,Sky do alot of good things and I enjoy the rugby league but the 'commentary' really is dire,frankly its embarrassing.I know Stevo was a good player,I'm told he is a nice guy but thank God it's his last season,as is is the worst media analyst of all time.That said,the stuttering,stumbling performance of Barrie McDermott is nearly as bad and he lacks Stevos character/charisma.

 

Why on earth do Sky believe they need four people in the commentary box? Just get two good ones.Post match analysis is good,half time is adequate but pre match and the commentary are a disaster.

 

Is Hemmings going with Stevo? If ever a man was over promoted,it's Hemmings.

[Mark S]

Oconnor, McDermott and Stevo have to go. The first 2 create the wrong impression of the sport and Stevo is well passed it.

[Wolford6]

I like Barrie McDermott; he has an enthusiasts input.

 

I like Bill Arthur, Barrie and Terry O'Connor as a commentary team.

 

I think Stevo is demob happy.

 

I'm not a huge fan of Eddie Hemmings.

 

I think Sky should provide more airtime for Angela Powers.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Do what I do - watch with the sound down.

[Futtocks]

Well unless Stevo changes his mind, he's retiring at the end of this season, so that's the most common complaint already dealt with.

[damp squib]

I think Sky are probably aware of how negatively Eddie and Stevo are perceived nowadays but they are probably on (relatively) hefty contracts that Sky would prefer to see out. I think in a couple of years Sky's RL coverage will look a lot different:

 

• Stevo's pre-kickoff role (spouting cliches while looking directly at the camera) will probably disappear and be replaced by a panel type discussion typical of other sports, which will be vast improvement.
• With Stevo gone next year I think Eddie will be soon to follow. In fact I think it's pretty obvious that Brian Carney is being groomed to take over - he has been the main presenter of Sky's GAA coverage for a year and he fills in on SL games whenever Eddie is absent. He and Wells are the most articulate and presentable of the current crop so hopefully the coverage is built around them.
• Obviously Carney won't be commentating so at last we will have a separate commentator - Bill Arthur. He's not the best but I prefer him to Eddie
• Jon Wells is universally well regarded I think so hopefully his features stay and possibly expand.
• Phil Clarke is basically a poor-man's Jon Wells. I'm not sure what he adds exactly except to occasionally pull Stevo up on his nonsense
• Barrie and Terry offer next to no tactical insight but they are funny and personable and maybe that is just as important. Ideally there would only be one of them but I'm not sure they work as well solo
• With Eddie and Stevo gone Stuart Cumming's role will hopefully be redundant

The most important thing that needs to change is that there is only one, maximum two, co-commentators during the game. Having four or five people jabbering on during a game is like watching it in a really loud pub. It sounds so unprofessional to new viewers and completely distracts from the game.

[thebull13]

I like Barrie McDermott; he has an enthusiasts input.

 

I like Bill Arthur, Barrie and Terry O'Connor as a commentary team.

 

I think Stevo is demob happy.

 

I'm not a huge fan of Eddie Hemmings.

 

I think Sky should provide more airtime for Angela Powers.

Thats fine, as long as they offer it to her on another programme!! She is terrible

[GaryO]

I'm feeling a lot better about Sky recently, stii watching but getting it from an app.

[RLDave]

O'Connor is the worst of the lot for me. When Stevo was off last week it was painful listening to him talking up every 30 seconds. Eddie could hardly get a word in at times.

[Kris]

Stevo is off, I will miss him but also think he needs to go - as a world cup winner and and enthusiastic supporter of the game his gravitas cannot be underestimated but everyone has a shelf life

 

Eddie is a 1970's style figure, he's no Ray Warren, and although a similar style has always been outside looking in so doesn't sit well with a lot of people

 

Baz and Tez are what they are, watching Catalns games they always bring a smile and are actually quite knowledgable - they aren't used properly and both have outside player interests now so unless they get a better role within the sport I think they have prepared themselves for life away from Sky.

 

Bill Arthur is a competent game caller, as is Rod Studd, and I would keep both.

 

Carney and Wells are the future Eddie and Stevo and will lift the game with their presence out front of shop in years to come

 

Phil Clarke is a stats man and there is always a need for a stats man, although I would suggest he also has outside interest so losing Sky would not overly concern him

 

Angela is a good reporter, and has recently popped up at half time with some input, but I don't think that's her strength, I would genuinely look at developing a week day show around her and using Wells to support her role on that

 

Then we need some new talent. If you could stop him talking into his chin (!) then JJB would be exceptional, bags of enthusiasm and shows some good tactical intelligence when talking about the game

 

The BBC team also needs to be considered as possible contenders for full time Sky contracts, and that would raise the bar a bit at present, love Dave Woods game calling and the likes of Nobby and John Kear have the gravitas needed

 

I also recall the last world cup in Australia when Sky used a soccer presenter\sports news presenter who was a very refreshing change in the studio, who had no idea about the sport but conveyed again that level of competence in the role and was very very professional, that word which I think might not be applied to many of the others above.

 

Interesting times.

[John Fisher]

Second rate rugby teams and second rate commentators.

First rate prices.

Why is it Sky's fault that the rugby teams are second rate?

And where would Rugby be without Sky's money?

[yanto]

Anyone noticed how little replays are shown of league games ?

Ajax v Excelisor is on for the umpteenth time today Premier League years,Sporting heros etc etc  are repeated and repeated but we are lucky if any live rugby games get a second viewing.

Even Kabaddi is starting to get as much air time.

[Tex Evans Thigh]

Ive bleated on for years that we have a generation of fans who don't actually understand the game, mainly because of these two (Eddie and Stevo). The introduction of people like Tony Rae and John Wells has helped massively but they can be drowned out by the idiots. Phil Clarke (who also talks gibbering ######) has to correct Stevo almost every 5 minutes.

 

O'Connor isn't far behind. His points are incoherent and make little sense. I struggle to comprehend how he played the game at the highest level. Nutting Tallis's fists really didn't help him.

 

Barrie is ok but maybe comes across too stereotypical 'big northern bloke' which is unfortunate.

 

Cummings - waste of time, why do we have a referee to explain decisions. Is our game so complex that even ex-players summarising don't understand the rules? Makes us look a joke. Plus he often gets things wrong. Awful addition to the team.

 

Clarke spouts too many clichés and outlandish claims that add nothing. "Leeds have to score first to win the game" No they don't Phil, that's simply rubbish. A new viewer, of which there are likely to have been a few, will have wondered what the hell was going on.

 

Wells and Carney are clearly head and shoulders above the rest and should form the basis of the team going forward, with a couple of other articulate people on there like Wilkin or Sinfield and maybe someone to add a touch of colour but can speak clearly. BBC has a much better balance.

[marklaspalmas]

Ive bleated on for years that we have a generation of fans who don't actually understand the game, mainly because of these two (Eddie and Stevo). The introduction of people like Tony Rae and John Wells has helped massively but they can be drowned out by the idiots. Phil Clarke (who also talks gibbering ######) has to correct Stevo almost every 5 minutes.

 

O'Connor isn't far behind. His points are incoherent and make little sense. I struggle to comprehend how he played the game at the highest level. Nutting Tallis's fists really didn't help him.

 

Barrie is ok but maybe comes across too stereotypical 'big northern bloke' which is unfortunate.

 

Cummings - waste of time, why do we have a referee to explain decisions. Is our game so complex that even ex-players summarising don't understand the rules? Makes us look a joke. Plus he often gets things wrong. Awful addition to the team.

 

Clarke spouts too many clichés and outlandish claims that add nothing. "Leeds have to score first to win the game" No they don't Phil, that's simply rubbish. A new viewer, of which there are likely to have been a few, will have wondered what the hell was going on.

 

Wells and Carney are clearly head and shoulders above the rest and should form the basis of the team going forward, with a couple of other articulate people on there like Wilkin or Sinfield and maybe someone to add a touch of colour but can speak clearly. BBC has a much better balance.

 

Agree with most of that Tex, especially re. Cummings who does ok but is inherently unnecessary.

 

Clarke really needs someone with knowledge of TV  to get hold of him and to turn him into the kind of pundit he needs to be.

 

I dont think Wilkin or Sinfield would add much though.

[damp squib]

Wilkin is presentable and articulate, which is extremely important in presenting the sport to casual viewers. Sky already have that though in Carney so it would be better to keep him on the BBC.

Sinfield, while obviously being a RL legend and having a degree of name recognition among the general public, was an incredibly dull pundit during the 4 nations. Maybe it was the early mornings but boy was he dour.

[Futtocks]

Wilkin is presentable and articulate, which is extremely important in presenting the sport to casual viewers. Sky already have that though in Carney so it would be better to keep him on the BBC.

Sinfield, while obviously being a RL legend and having a degree of name recognition among the general public, was an incredibly dull pundit during the 4 nations. Maybe it was the early mornings but boy was he dour.

Sinfield's not done a lot of that kind of thing. Wilkin got an early introduction to punditry during a long injury layoff a few years ago, when Radio 5 used him several times. While he's more of a natural (and did pretty well from the start), it doesn't mean Sinfield can't improve. But the latter is a quieter character by nature. 

 

After all, John Kear was very awkward when the BBC started using him, but he is relaxed in front of the camera/microphone these days and it shows.

 

Here's a thought; Luke Robinson's an articulate and outgoing character who now has no playing commitments. He speaks pretty well already and would only improve with experience.

[Dave T]

Ive bleated on for years that we have a generation of fans who don't actually understand the game, mainly because of these two (Eddie and Stevo). The introduction of people like Tony Rae and John Wells has helped massively but they can be drowned out by the idiots. Phil Clarke (who also talks gibbering ######) has to correct Stevo almost every 5 minutes.

O'Connor isn't far behind. His points are incoherent and make little sense. I struggle to comprehend how he played the game at the highest level. Nutting Tallis's fists really didn't help him.

Barrie is ok but maybe comes across too stereotypical 'big northern bloke' which is unfortunate.

Cummings - waste of time, why do we have a referee to explain decisions. Is our game so complex that even ex-players summarising don't understand the rules? Makes us look a joke. Plus he often gets things wrong. Awful addition to the team.

Clarke spouts too many clichés and outlandish claims that add nothing. "Leeds have to score first to win the game" No they don't Phil, that's simply rubbish. A new viewer, of which there are likely to have been a few, will have wondered what the hell was going on.

Wells and Carney are clearly head and shoulders above the rest and should form the basis of the team going forward, with a couple of other articulate people on there like Wilkin or Sinfield and maybe someone to add a touch of colour but can speak clearly. BBC has a much better balance.

why do you think it is only a generation who doesnt understand? Which commentators or tv coverage educated previous generations?

Many form their own views and appreciation of the sport on their own and we now see more televised rl than ever.

[johnh1]

If you think Stevo's bad (which I do), then Ray er French of Radio er Merseyside was even worse. What an appalling commentary of Salford v Widnes last Sunday that was. He didn't know who the players were, and it is still Salford er City er Reds.

[Tex Evans Thigh]

why do you think it is only a generation who doesnt understand? Which commentators or tv coverage educated previous generations?

Many form their own views and appreciation of the sport on their own and we now see more televised rl than ever.

Im only 33 Dave so my experiences have almost solely been the Sky team and whatever BBC stick on, but largely Sky as this has been the week by week coverage. I don't feel qualified to comment on anything post late 90s when my knowledge of the game was at a point where I could identify that the Sky team weren't doing a great job. I was lucky in that I was involved in the game and getting coached etc so learnt that way. Casual TV viewers, especially newbies, rely heavily on TV commentary teams to explain the game so they can learn. What the likes of Neville and Carragher do in football is great, it gives me, a casual football fan, good insight into tactics etc. After a while you can then form your own opinions and challenge what the pundits say. I feel we have missed that massively in RL apart from the odd ray of light here and there.

 

The game evolves so quickly pundits are soon behind the times. Clarkey was good when he came straight off the GB staff but is off the pace now. Stevo was off the pace in the 90s to be honest and these he just guesses what is going on which is a bit sad. Eddie has never known. Whether this was the case with people like Eddie Waring I don't know. I don't know how far removed they were from the tactics and approaches of the time.

[Dave T]

Im only 33 Dave so my experiences have almost solely been the Sky team and whatever BBC stick on, but largely Sky as this has been the week by week coverage. I don't feel qualified to comment on anything post late 90s when my knowledge of the game was at a point where I could identify that the Sky team weren't doing a great job. I was lucky in that I was involved in the game and getting coached etc so learnt that way. Casual TV viewers, especially newbies, rely heavily on TV commentary teams to explain the game so they can learn. What the likes of Neville and Carragher do in football is great, it gives me, a casual football fan, good insight into tactics etc. After a while you can then form your own opinions and challenge what the pundits say. I feel we have missed that massively in RL apart from the odd ray of light here and there.

The game evolves so quickly pundits are soon behind the times. Clarkey was good when he came straight off the GB staff but is off the pace now. Stevo was off the pace in the 90s to be honest and these he just guesses what is going on which is a bit sad. Eddie has never known. Whether this was the case with people like Eddie Waring I don't know. I don't know how far removed they were from the tactics and approaches of the time.

fair enough, my view is that the bbc coverage with Ray French was far worse. All i learnt from Ray was which amateur club they played for and their dad's name when he messed up and called them that!!!

As has been pointed out, the touchscreen stuff is better than anything they have had for years, but i do understand and share your frustrations.