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RIP John Motson

by 50 Comments

The legendary football commentator has left us.

https://youtu.be/k5yP-iT8pgkhttps://youtu.be/k5yP-iT8pgk

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  2. This is terribly sad. I was always a Barry Davies man but we were so spoilt to have them both. Motty called most if those big foitball moments of my youth. Gaxza’s goal against Scotland springs immediately to mind along with Ronnie Radford RIP Motty

  3. Voice of football may be a cliche and probably depends on your age and when you did most of your listening / watching. I’m too young to have listened to Kenneth Wolstenholmes 1966 World Cup Final, I remember being impressed by Peter Jones when listening and doing homework but for most of my football watching existence Motty was a mainstay. I suspect there’s a sheepskin coat waiting for him….RIP

  4. Motty was a true original footy man. He entertained and educated us fans. His favourite English footballer was also a favourite of most fans – Paul Gascoigne. He was definitely one of kind.

    R.I.P. Motty: “The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club”

  5. RIP, sad for his family and friends. I was more of a Davies man, Motty more anal and more ready to shoe in his prepared facts, which were often uninteresting. However compared to the current crop of football commentators he was a genius

    • How true your last comment is @dai. I know this may cause some controversy but why oh why are there so many female commentators on the men’s game these days? They are all unforgettable and are there simply because…

      My views are not alone amongst fellow football fans, another example of P.C. gone daft.

        • Cave? Hmm, a reflection of your mindset there. I expressed an opinion of which I’m entitled to, an opinion shared by many. You don’t mind female commentators fair enough but do not insult me.

          • Of course you’re entitled to your opinion, but as you allude to ‘PC gone daft’ and women being there ‘simply because…’ (we’ll ignore the ‘unforgettable’ as I’m sure that’s the last thing you meant) I have no problem in highlighting the latent sexism and Neanderthal attitudes in your post.

            Are the female commentators any more ‘(un)forgettable’ or bland than Mark Pougatch or Sam Matterface? Any more hysterical or jarring than Jonathan Pearce or Martin Tyler? 🤔

              • “P.C. Brigade in a world gone mad.”

                Bonus track on Zinc Alloy & The Hidden Riders of tomorrow, wasn’t it?

                You’re entitled to your opinion. But equally people are entitled to express the view that your opinion is sexist and a bit gross. It’s what makes the Internet go round, frankly.

                I agree there’s no need for insults though.

      • The majority of the male commentators have been absolute crap for the last quarter of a century. It’s not like they were putting up such high performance levels as to automatically block out the other half of the human race from having a go.

        • @Black-Type, you ‘don’t mind women at all’ that’s a fair comment which I have no issue whatsoever with. Why the hell should I?

          However in my opinion there is no female football commentator who is better than any male commentator at this present time, in fact it is my truth that female commentators are in place simply because they are female. Your opinion obviously differs but am I not entitled to mine. I ask the same question of you @Black-Celebration and you @Bingo-Little and you @Mike_H

          Of course I would not have expressed this opinion if there were in my opinion female commentators on par with Guy Mowbray, Ian Dennis, Jonathan Pearce. Your opinions may differ but I believe that these roles should be filled on merit. Not to fulfil a quota.

          Nowhere in my comments have I insulted females or those criticising me. I have expressed an opinion. You don’t agree, fair enough but I’ve listened to every female football commentator on the terrestrial channels and none of them cut it. When one comes along who does I will hold up my hands and acknowledge the lady.

          • Of course – per the above, you’re absolutely entitled to your opinion, and to express it.

            But by the same token others are entitled to think it a little crass to dismiss all female commentators on the basis of their gender, and to (politely) tell you as much.

            “Get back to your cave” was probably a bit punchy, but then so is accusing someone of making “idiotic comments”, so I’d say that’s a one all draw.

            I don’t really think anyone has said you’re not entitled to your view. They’ve merely criticised the view itself, which you more or less anticipated when you posted it.

    • ‘Davies’ and ‘anal’ bring to mind that truly tortuous analogy he foisted upon us when commentating a Man Uts game…summat on the lines of “Nicky Butt – an apt name for his style of play, so often the one who stops the other team’s progress, like a butt or full stop”.
      Bazza also rather pretentiously insisted on trying to pronounce Solksjaer in the Norwegian vernacular for a while.

      But he is eternally forgiven for the above crimes due to *that* Franny Lee commentary.

  6. Loved Motty- ‘& it’s interesting to note…’ the template for most modern ‘Statto’ types.
    By all accounts an absolute gent, as fascinated by small fry football as by big club goings ons, & a stalwart defender of what was good about the game through the frankly awful 80s years when it seemed it might die out, plagued by violence, shitty grounds & racism etc.
    He was proud to be a footy nerd when it really couldn’t have been less fashionable & maybe they’ll have to retire the sheepskin as the commentator’s iconic clobber in tribute.
    There won’t be another, Godspeed.

  7. I’ll repeat my brief Motty story. A friend ran a sound studio in the 90s and they recorded the voices for FIFA video games. John Motson was due in one afternoon but he didn’t turn up. Phone calls were made to anyone who might know where he is. As a last resort, they phoned Barry Davies on his mobile who confirmed they were together in a pub having a pint! It had totally slipped Motson’s mind – and he got there to do the job and was full of profuse apologies. I loved the fact that Barry Davies and John Motson were real-life mates.

  9. Paul Draper out of Mansun says that he was struggling to come up with lyrics for a pop song when he turned on the telly to watch football. Motty was commentating and says “he’s in a wide open space! …” and the rest is history – well, in a mid-90s pop song kind of way.

  10. They think it’s all over, … it is now.

    Yes, I know, I was watching at the time, long before Motty got his audition, but it seemed fitting anyway, being commentary legend like a lot of his own output over the years since.

  11. For me Motson was okay but dull. I much preferred Brian Moore as a commentator, even before I was aware of his contribution to industrial funk alongside the mighty Tackhead…

  12. Motston was a football fan through and through and found himself the perfect job.
    That didn’t make me like his commentary. You knew some tedious and laboured fact was coming and whoosh there it was, groan and double groan.
    Saying that, RIP

  13. Hmmm. It occurs to me that, just as, proverbially, the best refs are the ones you don’t notice, maybe bland and trainspottery are good qualities in a football commentator. Those sports which offer little for the eyes require the performance enhancing thrills and colour a Sid Waddell or a Murray Walker can inject, but the beautiful game is so arousing that the BBC has to employ Danny Murphy – the human equivalent of the bromide in the soldiers’ tea..

  14. The best commentators on TV are generally the ones who let the pictures do the talking (the late, great Richie Benaud springs to mind), while the best commentators on radio are the ones who paint the pictures for you (St John of Arlott being the undisputed master of the form).

    • Our ‘Arry should have been in my list above, along with Benaud and Walker who were also mentioned elsewhere. Maybe Vine too.

      For football, Gubba was a good one, also Moore. I rate many above dear old Motty, but this weekend once again proved to me how poor the current crop are. (and there are millions of them)

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