After 50 yrs commentatin John Motson is to retire at the end of this season."A quality goal by a quality player",thanks for the memories Motty.UTCB
After 50 yrs commentatin John Motson is to retire at the end of this season."A quality goal by a quality player",thanks for the memories Motty.UTCB
Began his football reporting career with The Sheffield Telegraph back in the sixties. A truly nice bloke, who always harboured fond memories of his time in Sheffield. When a local amateur football society asked Kenneth Wolstenholme to speak to their members back in the seventies, his agent asked for £500!
Motty later came up from London for free and didn't even charge expenses!
Happy retirement John.
Didn't know he had links to Sheffield Ronnie thanks for that,hope he has a long and happy retirement
He was my favourite (Brucie style)
Excellent in his day but he's gone downhill somewhat over the last few years. That's why they stuck him on the radio. His insights were as good as ever but increasingly he'd make a wrong call and then claim the officials had changed their mind.
GLTTL though.
Very true HC. He did go down hill a bit with age (don't we all) and blame the odd official for "changing his mind" when Motty himself had misinterpreted or not seen the ref's clear and obvious signal. However, he was no worse at that than many other commentators.
Having met him some years ago, I have to say that he had a genuine love for the game and was (is) a true gentleman.
Preferred David Coleman and Barry Davies
Motty, as well as the 2 above were the "old School" of MOTD and their famous lines of commentary will forever live on,
"Quality goal, by a quality player" is legendary alongside the quotes of "For those of you watching in Black and White ???" I always remember when Derby played Leeds at the boggy Baseball Ground and the unforgettable brawl between Norman Hunter and Franny Lee,
The famous "re-painting" of the Penalty spot at Derby also comes to mind when I think of these commentators,
David Colemans "Goals pay the rent - and Keegan pays his dues" quote after he scored against the Geordies in the 73 wembley final sticks in the mind as does his sometimes annoying 1-0 cry which came BEFORE the ball actually hit the back of the net.
Great memories before the days of Sky and the like,
Lovely post that CiG,I think it was Barry Davies who said after Mickey Walsh scored a screamer...look at his face,just look at his face,a Coleman classic with links to us...Porterfield one nil,and of course my favourite Colemans commentary on Gordon Banks save from Pele...what a save,Gordon Banks he picked that out of the net
Anyone with BT Sport,they are showing the Big Match Revisited ,we are featured but only losing,getting hammered by Forest 6-1 away,been one on today with us losing at Chelsea
Never forgiven him for his ineptitude (deliberate?) in pronouncing the surname of 2 footballing cousins incorrectly. Chelseas Torre Andre Flo (flow) and our own Jostein Flo (flu) Seemed like inverted snobbery to me, so fvck him.