Commentators & Pundits thread

[The Bear]

2 hours ago, Stuntman_Mike said:

Lee Dixon 

 

How does he get the World Cup?

Has he said "tattle" yet instead of tackle? 

[Wymsey]

Quite miss John Motson and Mark Lawrenson..

Edited Sunday at 00:17 by Wymsey

[JimJams]

Didn't know where was most relevant to put this so...

 

 

 

[Alf Bentley]

8 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Quite miss John Motson and Mark Lawrenson..

 

I sort of agree with you, despite not rating either of them particularly highly.

Motty always had his positives/negatives (thorough research v. schoolboy nerdishness/over-excitement). Lawro started off fine but descended into a pit of banal, lazy cynicism.

 

But I almost miss them, given some of the rubbish we've been served up thus far. Dreadfully banal, under-informed commentaries interspersed with tedious, under-researched cliche-ridden punditry. I'm enjoying the football so far, but not the commentators/pundits. Even folk who can be good value, like Wright, Richards and Keane, have been dull. I get the impression that many commentators & pundits do very little research into teams, tactics, players etc. That should be the bare minimum, given the massive salaries they're all on. 

[1972 Fox]

10 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Quite miss John Motson and Mark Lawrenson..

Agree on Motty but never rated Lawrenson on co-commentary.

[Leicesterpool]

Motty was overrated "chelsea,chelsea,chelsea" for him

[Zear0]

On 13/06/2026 at 07:18, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

 

@Zear0 on here said to me once he sounds like Waldo from that early Black Mirror episode and it's not far off imo !

And as per he's only bloody right.

[Corky]

I would avoid TalkSport when Jim White is on tomorrow, crying that the English aren't saying how amazing the Scotland result was.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Just now, Corky said:

I would avoid TalkSport when Jim White is on tomorrow, crying that the English aren't saying how amazing the Scotland result was.

 

Simon you're a businessman, what do you make of this Simon

[TonyN11]

Any commentator who says "was there any doubt" AFTER a player has scored from a penalty 

Err, yes penalties do get missed sometimes by ALL players 

Edited Sunday at 20:46 by TonyN11

[TonyN11]

On 13/06/2026 at 19:35, Raj said:

Big Duncan  is a top panelist.

Scary mother fv5ker but always comes across as a decent guy just dont ever cross him!!

Yep, appears to be more sensible and informed than the others sitting alongside him

[OntarioFox]

"Here's the Brazillian fans having the time of their lives, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge! And here's something else to look forward to on ITV"

> POLICE IN A MARSH
> MUDDY BLOODSTAINED BAG
> THERE'S BEEN A MURDER

[Foxdiamond]

5 hours ago, Leicesterpool said:

Motty was overrated "chelsea,chelsea,chelsea" for him

Barry Davies was always better

[CosbehFox]

On 12/06/2026 at 17:17, Corky said:

Thought we could have a separate thread for the commentators and pundits. Good, bad and the rest.

 

You saw how much better Ally McCoist is with a proper commentator and away from the godawful Fletch.

Apparently Fletcher is now considered a joke in the US as he spent the recent game in Dallas referring to the Cowboys Stadium as 'Jerry Land' when actually the locals refer to it as'Jerry World'. 

[Stuntman_Mike]

11 hours ago, OntarioFox said:

"Here's the Brazillian fans having the time of their lives, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge! And here's something else to look forward to on ITV"

> POLICE IN A MARSH
> MUDDY BLOODSTAINED BAG
> THERE'S BEEN A MURDER

It was such a random plug at such a random moment 

[AKCJ]

The world cup really shines a light on how dreadful Gary "lets not be kidding ourselves oh my god to be fair this is sort of like Manchester United we're talking about here" Neville actually is.

 

He's all you see for 10 months of a Premier League season. Refreshing to be able to see other pundits who aren't desperately trying to say something outrageous.

 

He can't go 5 minutes without crying about the conditions either. 

Edited 19 hours ago by AKCJ

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

1 hour ago, AKCJ said:

The world cup really shines a light on how dreadful Gary "lets not be kidding ourselves oh my god to be fair this is sort of like Manchester United we're talking about here" Neville actually is.

 

He's all you see for 10 months of a Premier League season. Refreshing to be able to see other pundits who aren't desperately trying to say something outrageous.

 

He can't go 5 minutes without crying about the conditions either. 

 

That's all well and good but what about "Mancshunited at this moment in time"

[CL Fox]

Bit mixed on the rest is football - i've watched a few episodes and it's actually pretty good, but a few bits i can't really get my head around. How they're going to make it entertaining when it's a daily show will be a challenge, plus dialing Richards in is very odd. They've also not got any rights to any of the actual football. Watched the first episode and thought it'd be dreadful but i was pleasantly surprised. Lampard and Cole were very good.

[CL Fox]

1 hour ago, AKCJ said:

The world cup really shines a light on how dreadful Gary "lets not be kidding ourselves oh my god to be fair this is sort of like Manchester United we're talking about here" Neville actually is.

 

He's all you see for 10 months of a Premier League season. Refreshing to be able to see other pundits who aren't desperately trying to say something outrageous.

 

He can't go 5 minutes without crying about the conditions either. 

He used to be so good but sadly he's disappeared up his own backside. He's on too much stuff now and is a very irritating human being so his voice gets grating after a while.

[AdcockFox]

It’s a huge month for football fans. But could some of them spare a thought for the World Cup’s tireless organiser-in-chief — Gianni Infantino, head of Fifa?  

Infantino speaks many languages. He seems to feel misunderstood in all of them. “I don’t understand . . . why some of you are so mean,” he once told journalists.

On the eve of the last World Cup in Qatar, Infantino announced: “Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker.” This week, he told people to “chill, relax” after the US banned a respected Somali referee from entering the country.

Clearly something is lost in translation. To help mutual understanding, the FT is happy to interpret some of Infantino’s most inspirational thoughts.

This is the most inclusive World Cup ever. You have Cape Verde in the office sweepstake.

Let’s take the politics out of football. Do you have to publish photos of me laughing with Vladimir Putin?  

This World Cup is already breaking records. No football fan has previously paid $18 for a beer.

It would have been impossible to organise this tournament without President Donald Trump. Finally, a host nation that makes Qatar’s record on migrant workers look acceptable.

We are confronted with some challenges that we would rather not be confronted with. I have to do one press conference.

Fifa and football cannot solve all problems. I will not be visiting you in ICE detention.

This is the biggest event probably in the history of mankind. Growing up in a humble family in Switzerland, I skipped all history classes.

The fans make the World Cup what it is. I couldn’t travel by private jet without you.

I am genuinely very excited to watch all 48 nations. It’s all relative: I sat through the Melania documentary.

Unlike some, we don’t sell our broadcast rights to pay-TV. Every night, I dream about selling broadcast rights to pay-TV.

Every dollar that Fifa generates goes back into football. My definition of football includes renting an office in Trump Tower.

The World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Go to this tournament, and you’ll never be able to afford to travel again.

Democracy is not just an empty word. At Fifa, it is also an empty concept.

I’m proud that we got Iran to play. Maybe I should have given the Fifa Peace Prize to myself?

Our tickets are cheaper than those of any American sports play-off. The NBA play-offs do not feature the Democratic Republic of Congo vs Uzbekistan.

Football unites everyone regardless of ability. Have you seen a video of me taking a corner?

Shakira will take part in the first-ever World Cup final half-time show. At least admit that I’ve deterred Gerard Piqué from attending. 

A big thank you to the 44,985 fans at South Korea vs Czech Republic! Thank you to President Trump for his tips on counting crowd size.

If we do something wrong, probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong. Everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong.

Women’s football has so much potential still to be developed. One day they too will organise a tournament in extreme heat, and ban spectators from bringing bottles of water.

Fifa is the official happiness provider for humanity. I can say anything with a straight face. Anything.

It’s time to celebrate the unifying power of football. I will soon be re-elected unopposed. 

We are studying the development of a Fifa crypto token. Did you ever imagine you’d feel nostalgic for Sepp Blatter?

 

https://www.ft.com/content/fd3b5ec6-a1df-451e-b84c-ef2b7f565eae

[Footballwipe]

If nothing else from this World Cup it's lovely to see Ally McCoist back with the person who brings the best out of him - Jon Champion.

 

With TNT and his cronies he's over exposed and become quite annoying (mainly due to those around him) - but how he is with Champion is great.

 

It helps that Champion is a great commentator in his own right (another crying shame he never made it to top dog for either BBC or ITV) - but it was his partnership with Ally in the 2018 world cup that bought McCoist right back to the fore.

Edited 16 hours ago by Footballwipe

[AKCJ]

1 hour ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

 

That's all well and good but what about "Mancshunited at this moment in time"

Lets take a moment to talk about today's sponsor...HUEL.

 

I start every day with my HUEL.

 

I really like the Vanilla flavoured HUEL.

 

Why don't you try one if you like.

[Wymsey]

Over-reaction?..

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy9rd8g1lwzo

 

[Sir Steve Howard]

17 hours ago, TonyN11 said:

Any commentator who says "was there any doubt" AFTER a player has scored from a penalty 

Err, yes penalties do get missed sometimes by ALL players 

"he was never going to miss!"

say that before then you big useless dosser

[PAULCFC]

Can't say i've watched much on TV, but Pat Nevin on the radio is excellent.