Now that the domestic football season is officially over, I have a new topic of discussion to close out this thread - which football broadcasters have you enjoyed listening to during the season just gone?

On the presenting side of things, the one football anchor who has really stood out to me is Ian Danter on talkSPORT.

Dants, known for his versatility, has long been a strong commentator and reporter but over the past few years he has really come into his own as the presenter of Football First on Sunday. He has a very natural, easy-going style which helps create a pleasant environment for his studio guests to debate the footballing issues and this also helps the sports reporters to contribute in a comfortable way.

When it comes to commentary, I've really enjoyed the work of Mike Taylor on BBC WM - not just on football, but he lends his hand to cricket and speedway as well. Another versatile broadcaster with a laidback style, his quiet enthusiasm and knowledge add a lot to WM Sport. He is the kind of local radio commentator who would not sound out of place on Five Live or talkSPORT.

Taylor's WM colleague Richard Wilford is also very good - I like his quirky style and implicit pop culture references (anyone who vaguely quotes the Beastie Boys in a match commentary is alright in my book). I'm glad he's back on WM full-time and is getting his fair share of commentaries rather than just reporting.

A commentator who has only come to my attention this season but has already impressed me a lot is Joe Holt, Mercia's Coventry City commentator who is also heard as a presenter on The Sports Bar on Gold in the Midlands.

I listen to him more in the latter role and he is a more than able deputy for Tom Ross on this excellent regional sports show, with him happy to handle stories from the Premier League to grassroots levels. I must say that Tom is also superb on a programme that is a great example of local radio sports broadcasting.

When it comes to co-commentators, there are a number of guys who I always enjoy listening to season after season such as Ron Atkinson (BBC WM), Alvin Martin (talkSPORT) and Tony 'Bomber' Brown (Beacon/Gold). But the one summariser who has caught my ear this season is BRMB's Aston Villa expert Pat Heard.

He's only been in this role for a couple of seasons yet is developing the kind of natural rapport with Tom Ross that Bomber has built up over many years, which really helps to bring out the warmth in Tom's personality and make commentaries even on the dullest of matches fun to listen to.

Onto reporters and I've always thought highly of talkSPORT's reporting team, which by its very nature is so strong in that it can boast correspondents spread out across virtually every area of the UK.

As a Midlander I'm very happy with their four regular correspondents in my neck of the woods - Nigel Pearson, Ian Danter, Dave Rowe and Geoff Peters all do a fantastic job in this area.

I've also enjoyed listening to the gentle Stokie tones of Simon Humphreys, Mike Bovill was at his passionate best when covering Fulham's exciting run in Europe and in my view there are few better Scottish football broadcasters than Mark Donaldson.


There are a few of the names I've enjoyed listening to this season - what say you when it comes to radio in your area?

Hope no one one minds me going to the other end of the scale.
BBC Bristol must the only BBC radio station that has a squad rotation system.

Between the three clubs (Yeovil Town,Bristol Rovers and Bristol City) BBC Bristol must be he only radio station that does NOT use the same commentator for each clubs commentary.

Surely we must be the only radio station that does want its commentators to be known as Mr Bristol City Bristol Rovers or Mr Yeovil Town.

Gordon Sparks was only allowed to commentate on Plymouth Argyle's games and I would have thought most other Championship teams would have had their own dedicated commentator for their relevant local team.

Unless any one knows different.

I'm afraid you are very much mistaken, Germany bound - plenty of local radio stations, both BBC and commercial, have a pool of commentators who cover different clubs in their area each week as opposed to following the same one club throughout the season. BBC Radio Bristol are certainly not alone in this respect.

It varies from station to station as to what approach they take, and it also sways on the amount of clubs in their patch.

In my area, as you'd expect BBC Coventry & Warwickshire and BBC Radio Leicester have specific commentary teams for Coventry City and Leicester City respectively, seeing as they are the only league clubs in their coverage area.

On BBC Radio Nottingham, they have designated commentary teams for each of the clubs in their patch (Nottingham Forest, Notts County and Mansfield).

But BBC WM, which covers five league clubs (Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Walsall, West Brom and Wolves), have a pool of five regular commentators - Mark Regan, Mike Taylor, Rob Gurney, Dan Wheeler and Richard Wilford - but none of whom cover a particular club over the rest, and so will switch between the different Midlands clubs most weeks.

The only real pattern to the way they organise who covers which match on which day is that Mark Regan tends to commentate on WM's Saturday 3pm commentary on FM. Other than that, and it could be any of their commentators covering any of their teams at any kick-off time.

It seems to be the same kind of situation on BBC Radio London, who naturally have plenty of teams on their patch, not all of whom will be the subject of one of their live commentaries every week.

Ian F has posted on the previous page that Nick Godwin is their regular Sunday commentator. I think Phil Parry does most of their 3pm Saturday commentaries and this is the case regardless of who is playing (although when you get into the lower leagues they do have regular correspondents reporting on the same clubs week in, week out).

In commercial radio in the Midlands, with the Orion stations (who network coverage between BRMB, Beacon, Mercia and Gold with opt-out commentaries) it gets interesting as the commentary arrangements seem to be in somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

The way that games are divided out is done more on the basis of the seniority of the commentators in Orion's pecking order rather than coming down to who regularly covers which club.

Nevertheless, Bill Hatton only commentates on Wolves matches and Joe Holt has mostly commentated upon Coventry City. Mikey Burrows and Nathan Alleyne will therefore generally do games involving Aston Villa, Birmingham or West Brom.

However, Tom Ross is very much Orion's senior commentator and anchorman, and he has done the vast majority of commentaries on days when only one of their five clubs are playing. On days with a full programme of matches, he tends to commentate on whichever is the live game on BRMB.

But then on evenings/afternoons when only two of Orion's clubs are playing, it is most likely that Tom will do the top game and Joe Holt will do the other (unless the "other" involves Wolves - when it'll be Bill Hatton instead).

So, I guess it all depends on the station as to whether they want their commentators to be "the voice of" x club, or if they want to have their pool of commentators covering different teams from their patch from week to week.

Bit weird on Radio Lancashire. Last season Scott Reid mainly did Burnley, Ian Chisnall Blackpool and Andy Bayes Blackburn but they all seem to chip in to cover Preston with Phil Cunliffe also doing odd games covering the team who's commentator is off covering Preston if that makes sense.

Also Radio Merseyside rotate their commentators (Gary Flintoff, Mike Hughes & Ian Kennedy) between Liverpool & Everton. Even Derek Jones has done commentaries on the big two although he mainly follows Tranmere.

Radio City have a firm duo for each club, Steve Hothersall & John Aldridge for Liverpool, Alan Irwin & Graeme Sharpe for Everton. This has been policy since after the 2005 Champions League Final. Before then the two used to rotate between the clubs but Steve Hothersall did the 2005 CL Final and in the emotion of that night his commentary was replayed so much on the station the next day I think he had to stick with Liverpool. I think he's news & sport boss anyway so it might have been his choice.

An irony of Everton commentator Alan Irwin is that his website bio says on his wall he has "one framed picture in my office of me on that triple decker tour bus with Liverpool!".

BBC Manchester have a man of each club whilst Key 103 use Hugh Ferris for every City and United match with (usually) Stuart Arrowsmith or Mark Scott covering when their is a clash.

Finally listened to the rest of Radio Wales' coverage:-

1.30pm-6.30pm Steve James hosting with build up from Kevin Ratcliffe, Ian Walsh, Iwan Roberts and Owain Tudor Jones. Ian Holloway interview by Jason Perry and Steve James, David Jones interview by Simon Davies. Commentary by Iain Gwyn Hughes and Ian Walsh with occasional snippets by Kevin Ratcliffe. Rob Phillips pitchside.

I've yet to listen to Radio Cymru's coverage (and Sky Sports for that matter).

Just a few reporting details to round off the 2009/10 season ahead of the World Cup:


talkSPORT


Saturday 5th June

Grass Roots Football Live
National Exhibition Centre - Geoff Peters (BRMB's Tom Ross was presenting at the event)


Sunday 6th June

Soccer Aid 2010
England XI v Rest of the World XI - Dom McGuinness


Monday 7th June

Friendly
Platinum Stars v England - John Anderson


All that remains is for me to thank everyone who has contributed information about football commentators and reporters to this thread, particularly those of you who are regular contributors. This thread has been a really informative read over the past season and I for one have enjoyed adding to it.

I hope you all enjoy both the World Cup and the summer and that next season brings success for your clubs.

Finally got around to listening to Radio Cymru's coverage of the game:-

Dylan Ebenzer hosting with build up from him and Owain Tudor Jones. Commentary from Dylan Griffiths and Iwan Roberts with Gareth Rhys Owen pitchside reporter.

Thank you for those kind comments. In Autumn 2006 my Dad was terminally ill and as I was very busy through the week I decided that I would be better off spending time with him while I could and took a sabbatical. He died in November 2007 and I had a choice whether to go back to working 6 days a week, or spending more than Sunday's with my young family. At that point I had two year old boy and have since had a second son
After 20 years running Club Call, Planetfootball,Sports Internet Group,Sky Sports, and working with RTE, ITV, Talksport etc. etc., whilst running my own businesses alongside that since 2002 it was time for a 2 day weekend for the first time in two decades, primarily to spend time with the kids before they were grown up behind my back.

Good to hear from you Eamonn, it's nice of you to sign up and let us know what you've been up to. I hope you are enjoying life with your family these days.

Thanks.

With love

Ian Beddow

EDIT: Who resurrected last years thread lol.