Originally Posted by BFGArmy:
“It's been mentioned before but for some reason it doesn't grate as much on the cricket despite happening nearly as often - Bumble, Blowers, Mikey (Holding), Beefy, Nass, Athers, Warney, Wardy etc.
I don't know why but it feels much more forced on the football side or maybe because the pundits are stronger on cricket, they're more able to 'get away' with it.
And of course one of the main presenters of the Olympics is commonly referred to as 'Chappers'.
I'm almost used to 'Fletch' at this point- the one that made me laugh was Jake asking 'Ry' a question on Saturday. :
Didn't Peter mention he's due to do some modern pentathlon commentary too at some point?”
Has he not done it?
He told me he had go straight from the boxing to commentating on the modern pentathlon without even knowing what had happened earlier!
Must admit the modern pentathlon has rather passed me by this past couple of weeks, along sadly with a few other sports( you can't watch everything!), although I do recall once doing an interview with a modern pentathlete back in my BBC Radio days!
I would agree on the cricket nicknames, it just seems to fit somehow, but on football, for me, it gives the impression it's a bunch of guys down the pub chatting together about the match.
There's a bit too much "familiarity" for me among some TV presenters and commentators, most of whom are far from being household names.
John Motson had to earn the right to be a "national treasure" known affectionately as Motty......with all due respect, I think the current breed of commentators and pundits have a little way to go yet before they can deservedly attract that kind of affection!
People in the business call me Brackers, but I don't think Ray Wilkins, Joe Jordan, Ron Atkinson or Don Howe ever did in a live commentary.
Although Ray did certainly call me " a very unpleasant young man" on more than one occasion!
So "Fletch", "Sav", " Macca" and the rest of the pet names are not for me, but then I'm from a different generation....some even think a different planet

!