New Years Eve 2011

BBC Lancashire - - Early Games Split Frequencies
Blackburn v Man Utd: Andy Bayes & Jason Wilcox (12:45 95.5 & 103.9FM & 1557AM Commentary)
Preston v Sheffield Wednesday: Phil Cunliffe & David Eyres (1pm 104.5FM/855AM and DAB Commentary)
Morecambe v Burton Albion: Derek Quinn (1pm 104.5FM/855AM and DAB Updates)

BBC Lancashire - - 3pm Games on All Frequencies
Birmingham v Blackpool: Ian Chisnall & Steve Canavan (Commentary)
Burnley v Hull: Scott Read (Updates)

BBC Manchester
Didn't hear much of their coverage today but Ian Cheeseman did commentary on Rochdale at Walsall from 1pm with Bolton v Wolves Commentary at 3pm from the usual Jack Dearden & Alan Gowling

Wish FM
Stoke v Wigan: Paul Chialton & Neill Rimmer (Commentary)

New Year's Day - talkSPORT

Georgie Bingham presenting Sunday Exclusive, followed by Call Cundy

Premier League
West Bromwich Albion v Everton - Sam Matterface and Stan Collymore (12.30pm commentary), with Nigel Pearson at pitchside and Carl Ralley producing
Sunderland v Manchester City - Graham Courtney

A first for talkSPORT today: I believe that Georgie Bingham becomes the first woman to present a live football match on the station. Busy day for Nigel Pearson, he'll be back to the Alexandra Palace tonight to work on Sky Sports' coverage of the semi-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship. Mark Saggers has just said it'll be Call Cundy rather than Call Collymore after this afternoon's game, not sure why this is the case.


BBC WM

Daz Hale presenting WM Sport from the Hawthorns

Premier League
West Bromwich Albion v Everton - Richard Wilford and Daz Hale (12.30pm commentary)


Beacon Radio (Black Country) and Gold (Birmingham)

Tom Ross presenting The Goalzone from the Hawthorns

Premier League
West Bromwich Albion v Everton - Tom Ross and Tony Brown (12.30pm commentary)

And up here locally.....

BBC Merseyside: Peter McDowall & Ronnie Goodlass
Radio City: Alan Irwin & Graeme Sharp

To my knowledge its a BBC Merseyside commentary debut for Pete McDowall today. He has been freelance at the station for a while though, particularly presenting some of the nightly midweek sports shows. He has previously done odd commentaries for Radio City when he worked in the news room there and also presents even today for LFC TV.

BBC Newcastle:

12:00 Darlington v Gateshead - Matthew Raisbeck and Paul Dixon (online commentary)

15:00 Sunderland v Manchester City - Nick Barnes and Gary Bennett (commentary on DAB, 95.4FM, and 1458MW)
Last edited by jimmylad : 01-01-2012 at 12:49

As posted by me on the 'BBC Newcastle Total Sport' facebook page:

I would like to thank Matthew Raisbeck for his excellent commentary on Gateshead's game at Darlo. He came across as very passionate at the end screaming "It's in!!! It's in!!!" when the Heed got that late winner. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to his commentary of the match.

I must say as a Newcastle season ticket holder, I don't watch Gateshead too much, but have seen them several times this season including the game on boxing day.

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BBC Newcastle do a lot of Gateshead commentaries these days, generally online only, although if neither of the big two are playing on a Saturday afternoon they'll have FM/MW commentary of a non league home game usually Gateshead or Blyth as part of their usual Saturday afternoon sports show.

They tend to only cover home games or local away ones liek today (I'd assume due to costs), and sometimes don't bother covering even home games if the big two are playing. But they've got a few more games lined up and have still done a fair few this season.

Excellent coverage though.

On the subject of club TV channels, Ian Danter made his Everton TV debut today as their commentator on the game at the Hawthorns.

Ian's not the first person from talkSPORT to appear on Everton TV as Graham Beecroft has regularly done commentaries for the channel and I think Dom McGuinness has commentated for them on at least one occasion as well.

Wrexham V AFC Telford United

BBC Radio Wales - Mark Poyser (studio host) Ian Hunt and Waynne Phillips (All frequencies)

BBC Radio Cymru - Marc Lloyd Williams

(Horse racing from Cheltenham - Aly Rowell)

BBC Radio York
host: Sharon Shortle
York City verses Mansfield Town
commentator: Barry Parker
summariser: Chris Smith

BBC Radio York and BBC Radio Nottingham experienced technical problems throughout the match.


BBC Radio Humberside
host: Matt Dean
Grimsby Town verses Lincoln City
commentators: John Tondeur and Matt Dean
summariser: Gary Croft

It was the usual BBC Manchester City Away Game duo of Ian Cheeseman & Fred Eyre for Sunderland v Manchester City.

BBC Radio Leicester

Charles Dagnall presenting BBC Radio Leicester Sport.

Championship
Crystal Palace v Leicester City - Ian Stringer and Alan Young (13:00 commentary)

New Year's Eve - Today FM

Michael McMullan presented Premier League Live with Mark Lawrenson between 2-3pm and Brian Kerr (from Stamford Bridge) for Live After Five

Premier League
Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers - Stuart Arrowsmith
Arsenal v Queens Park Rangers - Russell Hargreaves
Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Jake Katborg
Chelsea v Aston Villa - Ian Beach and Brian Kerr (3pm commentary)
Norwich City v Fulham - Graham Miller
Stoke City v Wigan Athletic - Steve Roberts
Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur - Sam Fleet


New Year's Day - BBC Radio 5 Live

Ian Payne presented 5 Live Sport alongside Michael Gray and Andy Dunn from the Daily Mirror, followed by 606 with Dave Vitty and Robbie Savage

Premier League
West Bromwich Albion v Everton - Pat Murphy and Tim Flowers
Sunderland v Manchester City - Conor McNamara, Ian Dennis and Steve McClaren (3pm commentary)

Rugby Union: Premiership
Bath v London Irish - Alastair Eykyn
Saracens v Gloucester - James Marriage

Newstalk 106-108FM had commentary on both West Brom v Everton and Sunderland v Manchester City yesterday. Joe Molloy presented Newstalk Sport Sunday but I don't know who either of their commentary teams were.

That's likely to be Ed Marriage.

. . . or, as I think I heard it, James Burridge.

Coventry City v Brighton & Hove Albion - Adam Bridge and Dave Bennett (Mercia commentary)
can someone tell me who Adam Bridge is never heard him on Mercia before..
but hes quite good.

So has Key 103 given up Man Utd commentaries or has some other commentator taken over?

Just listened again on the IPlayer and 4-4-2 is correct, it was Ed Marriage at Vicarage Road. That's my first gaff (on here at least) of the New Year then.


Adam Bridge is the former programme controller of BRMB, he's been an occasional commentator on BRMB's football coverage on and off for the past five or six years now on occasions when they've needed three or more commentators on a single afternoon. Recently he's been commentating for the Perform Group and their Watch&Bet service (which supplies live football coverage from around the world to online bookmakers) as well. We'll probably hear him at bit more often now (across BRMB, Beacon and Gold at least, as Joe Holt is the Coventry City regular on Mercia) what with Mikey Burrows joining Sky Sports News Radio in Leeds last month.


They gave up on their commentaries once their previous three-year contract expired in the summer. I guess Hugh is one of the new sports newsreader based in the North-West to have joined 5 Live's rota of sportsreaders upon the station's move to Salford, what with some of their previous regulars opting to remain in London.

I think Key 103 has given up all commentaries, given that their Man City commentator from last season, Toby Gilles, is on TalkSport reasonably often now.

So there is no regular local radio commentary for Manchester United these days? Just like Arsenal and Chelsea here in London. I wonder how long it will be until Man City withdraw rights from BBC Radio Manchester.

Adam Summerton & Kenny Cunningham did West Brom v. Everton but I didn't hear any of the second match.

BBC Five Live Sports Extra
Hibs v Hearts (1215) Richard Gordon (host in studio)), Liam MacLeod, Craig Paterson and Craig Levein (commentary) with Chris McLauchlin reporting (as BBC Radio Scotland 810AM)
Dunfermine v Celtic Charlie Mann
Dundee United v Aberdeen Jim Spence
Kilmarnock v St Mirren John Barnes
Rangers v Motherwell Chick Young
Blackburn v Stoke Dave Woods and Dave Jones (commentary)

No local commentaries from Piccadilly (Key 103) at all now. Man Utd don't have a local commentary deal at all either. I think Man City will be pretty sound with BBC Manchester as that commentary is now what airs on the Man City website. Not sure if its still for free, it was last year.

BBC Swindon/Wiltshire

Swindon v AFC Wimbledon

Host and Pitchside Ian Longdon
Comentary team Chris wise and Vic Morgan

BBC Gloucestershire

Port Vale v Cheltenham Host Steve Kitchen
with commentary team of Mark Halliwell and Ian Randall

Monday 2nd January - talkSPORT

Adrian Durham presenting Matchday Live alongside Ray Parlour, followed by Call Collymore from Molineux and Kick-Off with Ian Danter and Alvin Martin

Premier League
Aston Villa v Swansea City - Dave Rowe
Blackburn Rovers v Stoke City - Dom McGuinness
Queens Park Rangers v Norwich City - Tony Incenzo
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea - Geoff Peters and Stan Collymore
Fulham v Arsenal - Sam Matterface

Championship
Crystal Palace v Leicester City - Toby Gilles
Blackpool v Middlesbrough - Graham Beecroft
Brighton & Hove Albion v Southampton - Elliot Cook
Cardiff City v Reading - Roger Hughes
Hull City v Derby County - Grahame Lloyd
Leeds United v Burnley - John Temple
Peterborough United v Birmingham City - Kev Lawrence
Portsmouth v Watford - Andrew McKenna
West Ham United v Coventry City - Ian Abrahams

Darts: PDC World Championship Final 2012
Andy Hamilton v Adrian Lewis - Dan Dawson


BBC WM

Paul Franks presenting WM Sport from Villa Park

Premier League
Aston Villa v Swansea City - Mark Regan and Paul Franks (95.6FM commentary)
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea - Richard Wilford and Mike Taylor (DAB in the Black Country commentary)

Championship
Peterborough United v Birmingham City - Rob Gurney

League One
Bury v Walsall - Andrew Dawkins


BRMB, Beacon Radio (Black Country and Shropshire), Mercia and Gold (Birmingham)

Tom Ross presenting The Goalzone from London Road

Premier League
Aston Villa v Swansea City - Adam Bridge and Pat Heard (Gold commentary)
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea - Steve Hermon and Matt Murray (Beacon commentary)

Championship
Peterborough United v Birmingham City - Tom Ross and Darren Carter (BRMB commentary)
West Ham United v Coventry City - Joe Holt and Dave Bennett (Mercia commentary)

Steve Bruce opened The Goalzone to pay tribute to former Blues defender Gary Ablett. Tom also paid his respects to former Marketing Birmingham director Dave Hodgson who died yesterday, who I know from the tributes on Twitter had many friends on the football scene in the Midlands and his native Wigan. RIP to them both.

Thanks for the Newstalk information Rufus Eric. In Adam Summerton there's a commentator who has done games for plenty of big commercial stations (including BRMB, Radio City, Magic 1152 and Wish FM) as well as UEFA.com.

BBC London 94.9
Fulham v Arsenal (1730) Nick Godwin
QPR v Norwich Phil Parry (also host) and Rufus Brevett (FM commentary)
Wolves v Chelsea Ankur Desai
Crystal Palace v Leicester Emma Jones
Portsmouth v Watford Alan Seabrook
West Ham v Coventry Kevin Hand and Julian Dicks (DAB commentary)
Charlton v Brentford Andy Rowley
Stevenage v Leyton Orient Dave Victor
Barnet v Bristol Rovers Karl Bates
Southend v Dagenham and Redbridge Stewart Smith
Swindon v AFC Wimbledon Jamie Hill