Croft has to go

[entropy]

Blib said:

IMO, there's never been a good F1 commentator and I include Murray 'if I'm not mistaken and I surely am' Walker.

And you lot know the answer why. Talking coherently for two hours about F1 is beyond any individual's abilities. It's just too complex.

When Croft goes and after the first race of the next season someone on here will start a new thread about how the new person is rubbish and should go.

Pile on ad infinitum.

It all started off with James Allen and the Stop The Cock campaign.

The only alternatives were Jonathan Legard and David Croft commentating on Radio 5 at the time.

Legard's transition to television was absolutely awful and the nadir for F1 commentary in the UK and Croft was a good alternative on 5Live who teamed up with Ant instead of Maurice Hamilton.

Croft moves to Sky and soon gets slaughtered. Even Ben Edwards has his critics when he commentated to the masses for the Beeb and Ch4.

I think part of the problem is transitioning to commentating on F1 for a broadcasting corporation/channel that has large outreach than previous and the risk of being put on a pedestal as the voice of F1 and falling into the trap of becoming a personality.

[entropy]

LukeBrown66 said:

The better commentators for me are Dave Addison, sadly paired with an ought to be retired John Watson in SRO stuff.

Martin Haven is excellent, funny and informative in WEC.

John Hindhaugh, can be a little over opinionated and commercial at times, but I can listen to him happily for hours with Jeremy Shaw in IMSA.

the ones with the big gigs, sadly are not great, Croft, Gavin (as it stands) Emmet in MotoGP, the shouty Aussie who does INdycar,

what the god guys do is be there without being OTT., shouty and making inane jokes and comments.

Croft is not the worst, Carlton Kirby is that, by a long way the worst commentator on sport I have ever heard, yet somehow managed to find work for decades, probably because he speaks numerous languages.

the question has to be, if this talking stops you from acwthing, in MotoGP, F1 and a few other sports yes it does, and that is not good.

Hindaugh seems to have taken the mantle of being the voice of LM a bit too much as well as his Porsche ownership bias

Buffalo Gals round the outside is a drinking game in itself as well as the word 'awry' cropped up often in previous season or two as much as Croft and Switch-a-roo graits with many.

Martin Haven likes to have whacky ideas and theories only to be corrected by the co-commmentator.

[Wills2]

I liked Ben Edwards and currently Jack Nicholls/Jolyon Palmer are the best pairing when they are together on 5live.

I listen to the races these days and then watch the highlights on YT the difference between Crofty and the 5live team is incredible but not in a good way for Crofty.

[paulguitar]

Wills2 said:

I liked Ben Edwards and currently Jack Nicholls/Jolyon Palmer are the best pairing when they are together on 5live.

I listen to the races these days and then watch the highlights on YT the difference between Crofty and the 5live team is incredible but not in a good way for Crofty.

I tried to watch the highlights on youtube earlier and had to go for the 'mute' button immediately. He's completely intolerable.

[thegreenhell]

alisdairm said:

LukeBrown66 said:

Croft is not the worst, Carlton Kirby is that, by a long way the worst commentator on sport I have ever heard, yet somehow managed to find work for decades, probably because he speaks numerous languages.

I like Carlton Kirby when the Dakar is on Eurosport ever January.

Is he the guy who likes to really enunciate foreign names, and is constantly talking over the top of his co-commentator?

[alisdairm]

thegreenhell said:

alisdairm said:

LukeBrown66 said:

Croft is not the worst, Carlton Kirby is that, by a long way the worst commentator on sport I have ever heard, yet somehow managed to find work for decades, probably because he speaks numerous languages.

I like Carlton Kirby when the Dakar is on Eurosport ever January.

Is he the guy who likes to really enunciate foreign names, and is constantly talking over the top of his co-commentator?

He is the sole commentor on the Dakar for Eurosport, I've not heard him commentate on anything else.

[thegreenhell]

alisdairm said:

He is the sole commentor on the Dakar for Eurosport, I've not heard him commentate on anything else.

He does cycling commentary for Eurosport.

[LukeBrown66]

he is employed by Eurosport I think and talks about anything they ask him to, Dakar is fine as he is sort of narrating over pics in a very quick format, he is loathed among cycling fans, but thankfully seems to flit in and out.

he has done ERC rallying, and Le Mans, he utterly ruins Le mans on Eurosport, so much so I am considering paying for the WEC thing next year!

I am sure he holds some sort of dirt over the Eurosport bosses as I have complained him numerous times as I am sire have others, but no, on he goes!
But these days he seems to be banished to lesser sports, thank goodness

[Spevs]

Brilliant from the Darts commentator in fp2, George's win last week was luck because LEWIS had damage costing him 2 tenths per lap, what a tosser........get rid of him.

[JonChalk]

Spevs said:

Brilliant from the Darts commentator in fp2, George's win last week was luck because LEWIS had damage costing him 2 tenths per lap, what a tosser........get rid of him.

I've binned off Sky Sports for the last 2 races of the year to see if I could cope for a whole season next year, so have been listening to 5live for practice and quali sessions.

You have no idea of how much not having to listen to Croft improves a GP weekend.

[Spevs]

I envy you, but I like to watch, I could turn the volume down I suppose, he's such an annoying idiot, what puzzles me is that SKY swap everyone else out during the year but this clown gets to go to every race. He's even popping up in the adverts with voiceovers there no getting away from the fool.

[JonChalk]

Spevs said:

I envy you, but I like to watch, I could turn the volume down I suppose, he's such an annoying idiot, what puzzles me is that SKY swap everyone else out during the year but this clown gets to go to every race. He's even popping up in the adverts with voiceovers there no getting away from the fool.

Yes, the downside is C4 highlights rather than live.

[Spevs]

I'm sure his family are more than happy he's away so often. Couldn't imagine being in his company for more than a minute tbh.

[2172cc]

I'm considering getting rid of SKY F1 as well. I'll probably ring them over the weekend. I find that I don't watch all the practice and quali like I used to and only the race so maybe it's time to give it up🤔

[Wish]

JonChalk said:

I've binned off Sky Sports for the last 2 races of the year to see if I could cope for a whole season next year, so have been listening to 5live for practice and quali sessions.

You have no idea of how much not having to listen to Croft improves a GP weekend.

I’ve done exactly the same, listened to the last race on five live and found it very relaxing on my iPods.
Didn’t know practise was also live on five live.

[carl_w]

2172cc said:

I'm considering getting rid of SKY F1 as well. I'll probably ring them over the weekend. I find that I don't watch all the practice and quali like I used to and only the race so maybe it's time to give it up??

For the last few years I've been watching it on NOW TV and binning it in the off season. They usually have an offer prior to the start of the season (I'm currently paying £19/month) and you get the Indycar too. But I'm thinking of going down the F1TV route next year.

[thegreenhell]

Wish said:

I’ve done exactly the same, listened to the last race on five live and found it very relaxing on my iPods.
Didn’t know practise was also live on five live.

Every session is on 5Live. They had John Watson on commentary today.

[LukeBrown66]

Is it really necessary to watch sessions live, really?

[PhilAsia]

LukeBrown66 said:

Is it really necessary to watch sessions live, really?

I haven't this year because of AD, but I would normally as you feel part of it. Some of the st I have got up to watch F1 has been worthy of a book. In Asia it can be uber difficult to find somewhere to watch F1. I have sat in a place around 2004/5 with zieg heiling 70 year old nazis ffs!

He never came out the next time I went there.

[freedman]

LukeBrown66 said:

The better commentators for me are Dave Addison, sadly paired with an ought to be retired John Watson in SRO stuff.

Martin Haven is excellent, funny and informative in WEC.

John Hindhaugh, can be a little over opinionated and commercial at times, but I can listen to him happily for hours with Jeremy Shaw in IMSA.

the ones with the big gigs, sadly are not great, Croft, Gavin (as it stands) Emmet in MotoGP, the shouty Aussie who does INdycar,

what the god guys do is be there without being OTT., shouty and making inane jokes and comments.

Croft is not the worst, Carlton Kirby is that, by a long way the worst commentator on sport I have ever heard, yet somehow managed to find work for decades, probably because he speaks numerous languages.

the question has to be, if this talking stops you from acwthing, in MotoGP, F1 and a few other sports yes it does, and that is not good.

Haven is utterly abysmal on the WEC coverage

Talks too much and decides what’s happened without any evidence

Last round, one of the RSRs spins on lap one, and struggles to restart

According to Haven it’s a broken driveshaft 30 seconds later car rejoins and carries on without issue

I find ale Man’s painful when he’s on shift.

At least they’ve finally binned Kirby and Mark Cole