Matches to be done in the near future.
February sees the usual mix of Premier League and Football League matches to commentate on; and BBC web edit voiceovers. Venues include Swansea, West Ham and Derby, plus a couple still to be confirmed. I have a couple of matches, including one of the semi-finals, from the Africa Cup of Nations for Eurosport; and a Europa League tie at Stoke for Channel 5.
Late Kick Off is back for a third series, which started on Monday 16 January. Pergall Media, the company I jointly own with my friend Andy Steggall, are once again producing the South/West/South-West edition; and with Crawley having been promoted into the League we now have the difficult job of trying to cover 17 clubs; from Brighton and Crawley in the east to Plymouth in the West. I am delighted that another good friend, James Richardson, is back for another series as presenter.
The full list of clubs we cover is - Brighton, Crawley, Portsmouth, Reading, Aldershot, Oxford, Southampton, Wycombe, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Yeovil, Bristol Rovers, Bristol City, Yeovil, Exeter, Torquay & Plymouth.
Still lining up the summer - one tournament is confirmed, waiting on a couple of others!
I am intrigued as to who (if anyone!!) reads this. You can send me an email via this website; though I can't promise that I will reply.
Frequently asked questions.
Q. How did you start doing football commentary?
I joined BT Clubcall in 1986 and then Mercia Sound in Coventry the following year; this was when I did my first radio commentaries. My first TV commentary was in 1996.
Q. When did you join the Match of the Day team?
In the summer of 2004; for the return of the programme to BBC TV after ITV had covered the Premier League in highlights form for the previous three seasons.
Q. MotD shows highlights; do you commentate on the entire match, or do it afterwards?
Quite frankly, it is ridiculous when people say that the MotD commentators dub their words on afterwards. We are at the grounds; do 90 minutes live commentary, and then do the post-match interviews. Sometimes for technical reasons you have to re-do a line or two of commentary; but in seven seasons of working on the programme I have only once had to re-dub a goal call. Please see these two blogs from MotD editor Paul Armstrong.
How the Premier League is covered
Are the commentators actually there?
Q. What is the difference between commentating on a match when you are at the stadium and when you are commentating off-tube?
When you are doing a match off-tube (ie by watching it on a monitor, please see the photo on the home page) you are totally reliant on what the match director is choosing to broadcast; as you are seeing exactly what the viewer is seeing. So if an incident occurs off-the-ball and out of picture, you have no idea what has happened, and it is only when the slow-motion replay starts that you can ascertain what has occured. If a number of players are going for the same ball in the penalty area; from a corner or free kick for example, and one of them scores, you have to be certain who has got the final touch if you are going to name the scorer. If the director then cuts to a shot of a player, you have to hope it is the player who scored, believe me it doesn't always happen! You can always take your time in identifying the scorer if it is uncertain; you simply must not guess, as getting a goalscorers name wrong is unacceptable. Frequently a substitution will be made and the first you know of it when doing the match off-tube is that a new player gains possession.
At a stadium you see the whole picture; and if it is your outside broadcast, you can ask the director for specific shots to illustrate the point that you or your co-commentator is making. Being at the stadium is always better.
Q. What else do you do?
Voiceovers, sports programme making, corporate hospitality hosting.
Q. What do football commentators do in the summer?
Every 2 years, more football at the World Cup and European Championships. Football from other parts of the world. Prepare for the next season.
2011-2012 full commentary matches
20.07.11 Romania v Czech Republic (Euro U19 Championship)
23.07.11 Czech Republic v Republic of Ireland (Euro U19 Championship)
06.08.11 Liverpool v Valencia
09.08.11 Leeds v Bradford
10.08.11 England v Nigeria (Under 20 World Cup)
11.08.11 France v Ecuador (Under 20 World Cup)
11.08.11 Brazil v France (2011 Universiade)
13.08.11 Birmingham v Coventry
21.08.11 Norwich v Stoke
28.08.11 Newcastle v Fulham
02.09.11 Norway v Iceland
06.09.11 Denmark v Norway
10.09.11 Coventry v Derby
17.09.11 Everton v Wigan
20.09.11 Leeds v Manchester United
24.09.11 West Bromwich Albion v Fulham
01.10.11 Leicester v Derby
07.10.11 Uruguay v Bolivia
08.10.11 Northampton v Crawley
11.10.11 Denmark v Portugal
15.10.11 Norwich v Swansea
22.10.11 Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion
23.10.11 Fulham v Everton
29.10.11 West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool
05.11.11 Hull v West Ham
12.11.11 Wales v Norway
15.11.11 Ukraine v Austria
19.11.11 Wigan v Blackburn
26.11.11 Norwich v QPR
30.11.11 Manchester United v Crystal Palace
01.12.11 Uruguay v Argentina (South American U15 Champs)
03.12.11 QPR v West Bromwich Albion
10.12.11 Southampton v Blackpool
17.12.11 Newcastle v Swansea
21.12.11 QPR v Sunderland
26.12.11 Stoke v Aston Villa
31.12.11 Swansea v Tottenham
03.01.12 Tottenham v West Bromwich Albion
14.01.12 Nottingham Forest v Southampton
21.01.12 Sunderland v Swansea
22.01.12 Ivory Coast v Sudan (Africa Cup of Nations)
25.01.12 Libya v Zambia (ACoN)
26.01.12 Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso (ACoN)
28.01.12 Guinea v Botswana (ACoN)
01.02.12 Ghana v Guinea (ACoN)
04.02.12 West Ham v Millwall
2010-2011 full commentary matches
These are the matches that I did full live 90 minutes commentary on last season. This is a considerably shorter list than in previous seasons, as for the first time in many years I did not have a regular broadcaster for whom I covered Champions League matches.
The following matches were done for one or more of the following broadcasters - BBC TV, Eurosport, CSI Sports, IMG Media, Pitch International, Setanta Sports Ireland and HBS; and were either live to air or done live for later edits.
17.07.10 Crystal Palace v Chelsea
18.07.10 England v Austria (Euro U19)
31.07.10 Arsenal v Milan
01.08.10 Arsenal v Celtic
10.08.10 Chesterfield v Middlesbrough
13.08.10 Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
14.08.10 Wolves v Stoke
21.08.10 Norwich v Swansea
25.08.10 Fulham v Port Vale
28.08.10 Leicester v Reading
03.09.10 Sweden v Hungary
04.09.10 Southampton v Rochdale
07.09.10 Argentina v Spain
11.09.10 West Bromwich Albion v Tottenham
18.09.10 Aston Villa v Bolton
21.09.10 Tottenham v Arsenal
25.09.10 Birmingham v Wigan
03.10.10 Liverpool v Blackpool
08.10.10 Wales v Bulgaria
09.10.10 Brighton v Bournemouth
12.10.10 Kazakhstan v Germany
16.10.10 Fulham v Tottenham
23.10.10 Wigan v Bolton
30.10.10 Derby v Watford
06.11.10 Blackburn v Wigan
10.11.10 West Ham v West Bromwich Albion
13.11.10 Reading v Norwich
17.11.10 Sweden v Germany
20.11.10 Coventry v Burnley
27.11.10 Fulham v Birmingham
01.12.10 Ipswich v West Bromwich Albion
04.12.10 Ipswich v Swansea
11.12.10 Stoke v Blackpool
19.12.10 West Bromwich Albion v Wolves (match postponed - snow)
26.12.10 Bolton v West Bromwich Albion
01.01.11 Watford v Portsmouth
03.01.11 Ipswich v Nottingham Forest
05.01.11 Newcastle v West Ham
10.01.11 Bahrain v South Korea (Asian Cup)
12.01.11 Qatar v China (Asian Cup)
15.01.11 Norwich v Cardiff
16.01.11 Argentina v Uruguay (South American U20 Championship)
20.01.11 Venezuela v Uruguay (S Am U20)
22.01.11 Everton v West Ham
25.01.11 Colombia v Bolivia (S Am U20)
27.01.11 Peru v Uruguay (S Am U20)
02.02.11 Bolton v Wolves
03.02.11 Uruguay v Ecuador (S Am U20)
05.02.11 Wigan v Blackburn
06.02.11 Uruguay v Chile (S Am U20)
09.02.11 Denmark v England
12.02.11 Birmingham v Stoke
12.02.11 Argentina v Colombia (S Am U20)
26.02.11 Barnsley v Norwich
05.03.11 West Ham v Stoke
15.03.11 Ecuador v Peru (South American U17 Championship)
16.03.11 Brazil v Chile (S Am U17)
18.03.11 Uruguay v Peru (S Am U17)
19.03.11 Everton v Fulham
24.03.11 Uruguay v Peru (S Am U17)
26.03.11 England v Wales
01.04.11 Ecuador v Paraguay (S Am U17)
02.04.11 Everton v Aston Villa
03.04.11 Uruguay v Paraguay (S Am U17)
06.04.11 Al Rayyan v Zobahan (Asian Champions League)
06.04.11 Uruguay v Colombia (S Am U17)
09.04.11 Sunderland v West Bromwich Albion
22.04.11 Nottingham Forest v Leicester
23.04.11 Aston Villa v Stoke
30.04.11 Watford v Queens Park Rangers
07.05.11 Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
12.05.11 Nottingham Forest v Swansea
14.05.11 West Bromwich Albion v Everton
16.05.11 Swansea v Nottingham Forest
22.05.11 West Ham v Sunderland
28.05.11 Stevenage v Torquay
03.06.11 Austria v Germany
05.06.11 Costa Rica v Cuba
07.06.11 Sweden v Finland
07.06.11 Panama v Guadeloupe
08.06.11 Uruguay v Netherlands
20.06.11 Argentina v Albania
27.06.11 Japan v New Zealand (2011 Women's World Cup)
29.06.11 Brazil v Australia (WWC)
30.06.11 Canada v France (WWC)
03.07.11 Australia v Equatorial Guinea (WWC)
05.07.11 Germany v France (WWC)
06.07.11 Korea DPR v Colombia (WWC)
