Croft has to go

Croft has to go

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Discussion

Adrian W

Original Poster:

14,474 posts

236 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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It must be time for shouty mc shouty to go, if anyone from Sky is reading this, he is spoiling your coverage,


Will O. Bey jr

160 posts

53 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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I wouldn't be surprised if he is still there only because he took a massif pay kut.

V8 Stang

4,403 posts

191 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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Nothing wrong with him IMO.

You can't please everyone.

Big Nanas

2,117 posts

92 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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I don't mind hm too much, slightly annoying, but not to bad.
I had a causal F1 fan friend over to watch the race, and he was saying how much he loves Crofty because he's enthusiastic.


PaulWoof

1,654 posts

163 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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the childish shouting to fake entertainment has grown wary on everybodys ears for some time. Let alone that he cleary has very little technical knowledge.

watching any other motorsport and you will see the complete difference. But F1 has been trying to dumb down to an audience for some time. See the AWS insights and wacky car rankings and made up numbers instead of giving viewers the actual data they would like.

rdjohn

6,404 posts

203 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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You have my vote - the guy is a moron.

The worst part is that I think SKY want him to perform in that way.

ghuk

92 posts

156 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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rdjohn said:
You have my vote - the guy is a moron.

The worst part is that I think SKY want him to perform in that way.
I agree, its pretty obvious Sky have tried to find another Murray Walker. For me he just comes across as a bit fake.

Stick Karun Chandhok in the commentary box with Martin Brundle, that would work far better imho..........

jb2410

409 posts

119 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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Crofty particularly grated on me this weekend, more than usual. Couldnt put my finger on why until I remembered last time out I had been able to watch the superb c4 coverage live instead cry

Adrian W

Original Poster:

14,474 posts

236 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
I watched the Formula 3 this morning, the commentator Alex ?? Was a breath of fresh air

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,657 posts

243 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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It's the same old same old.

In period people moaned about Murray.

People really moaned about Ted Allen.

People really really moaned about Legarde (or whatever his name was)


DanielSan

19,193 posts

175 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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jb2410 said:
Crofty particularly grated on me this weekend, more than usual. Couldnt put my finger on why until I remembered last time out I had been able to watch the superb c4 coverage live instead cry
I don't get the fuss about C4's budget version of coverage. Ben Edwards is a crap commentator.

SmoothCriminal

5,314 posts

207 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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Have my vote guys an idiot! rather than just shout wrong information he needs to take a second to actually check what he is saying.

Teddy Lop

8,301 posts

75 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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Its not just his constant wrongness or lack of knowledge, that's not uncommon in commentary especially the lead (ie non tech) commentator, its that he's really quite fatigueing to listen to when he shouts, his voice takes on an abrasive edge - in audio its been demonstrated that cheap gear that's being overdriven into distortion is more fatiguing to listen to, and you can't just turn the oaf down as its not just a volume thing. I wonder if you can have a form of post production to address it, like when they use autotune on shonky pop singers to make them sound like they can sing.

But yeah this weekend we've watched or recorded f1/2/3, BTCC, wsb, BSB, motogp, formula squE, and while commentary varies crofty is stand out annoying.

I've said for ages if f1 HAS to have a goldfish-attention-span grade of commentary that's "accessible to all" they should have a second audio stream available for those who can think, its not high tech, could be done remotely etc.


Derek Smith

46,560 posts

256 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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I normally listen to Radio 5 Live, and the comparison makes me rather critical of Crofty. I get that the start is rather exciting, but to go all shouty during the race is self-indulgent.

Badgerboy

1,791 posts

200 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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We know that can do the non-shouty routine, just listen to FP.

As others have said, I would assume Sky encourage the 'shoutyness' in order to ratchet up the 'excitement'. It grates for me too, but the only lead commentator who hasn't done it in recent times was Brundle when he took the helm with Coulthard. (And even then he was more excitable)

NM62

952 posts

158 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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+1 on Croft (the tw@t in the hat after today) - Get Alex Jaques in - he's much better. Noticeable absences today from Kravitz and Davidson.

hammo19

5,775 posts

204 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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......and there was me thinking that the racing circuit down the road needs to be shut!

Heathrow

450 posts

138 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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Croft tries extra hard to "hype up" the first lap entertainment by shouting at the mic, as the race starts with its usual predictably dull procession of Mercedes 1-2..... tongue out

It's not his fault. It's part of his employer's strategy to do all they can to make the racing seem more exciting than it is, so that us mugs keep shelling out each month.

A good contrast is Alex Jacques' commentary in F2 or F3. He should be promoted IMHO. He won't be because the SkySports team seems to operate like a little club. Alex Brundle co-commentating on the support races - a case in point. Nothing against him as a commentator, but it proves the point.

Similar in SkySports' football commentary. Don Goodman has been the outstanding co-commentator in the EFL games for a number of years. Vastly more inciteful than the insufferably dour Gary Neville for example, but never gets a look in for the big (or small) Premier League games...

Nothing against Croft as a person. I spent an evening on a table with him at a benefit dinner a few years ago. He's naturally energetic and a genuine F1 fan. Maybe when you've been commentating for so many years you get overly used to the sound of your own voice....

StevieBee

13,655 posts

263 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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Yeah... bring back Jonathan Legard, James Allen, Murray Walker, Jonathan Palmer.....

You could give anybody that job and these pages would be full of the same regardless of their heritage, knowledge, skill or lack of.

It's entirely subjective. Crofty is excellent at what he does. Some people like his style. Others don't.

Polite M135 driver

1,853 posts

92 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
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I can forgive shouting but

- pointless statistic recounting
- 2 cars separated by 0.8 second] "IS HE CLOSE ENOUGH TO OVERTAKE???!!!!!??!!!"
- weird cliquey in jokes over and over and again ["hug it like..."]
- just no critical facility at all, no discussion of the implications of a strategy move etc. etc.
- two cars running close, one pits, runs a few laps faster than the other,. the timing on the screen shows the gap is now well within the pitstop time, 2nd car pits "ITS GOING TO BE CLOSE!!!!" or " WILL HE COME OUT AHEAD OF XXXX???" (we know the answer, its on the screen).