With the breaking news that ESPN has conceded defeat to Fox Soccer Channel in the quest to acquire the TV rights in the United States to the UEFA Champions League, a big question on the minds of soccer fans will be what commentators Fox Soccer Channel will use for some of the biggest club matches in the world. Vote now and share your opinion.
Chris Sullivan is one stateside announcer who is decent and knows what he is talking about. The rest pretty much make me cringe. I hate when they cut off the international feed at half time and say something completely useless just to justify their existence.
Shouldn’t we ask first is how FSC will broadcast the games. It maybe just as important as to who will be doing pre/post show and halftime. Also is there a chance that they will have in stadium crew.
Actually my choice is give Max a chance but get a top notch wrap around show for the games not the bad FSC LA studio sets that look like a high school tech project.
Chris Sullivan is quite possibly the worst announcer of anything I have ever heard. I once saw a scrabble game on ESPN. I would rather the guy who announced that to announce the CL than Sullivan. He is absolutely awful. If you actually listen to Sullivan he in fact says absolutely nothing. He speaks in abstracts about movement, and rythm, and then basically picks out one player he falls in love with, whom can do no wrong and even if that player has nothing to do with the game is always contributing to goal scoring opportunities.
Dont get me wrong. I hate Bretos and Miles as much as anyone. Frankly, I would love them all to be collecting unemployment come the fall, and no where near the CL.
Please FSC, hire Rae to do play by play and find an international announcer to be the color guy.
Sullivan is the only American commentator I can think of who doesn’t come off as if he is watching the sport for the first time ever. I don’t expect the things he says to be earth-shattering as he is supposed to fill the former-athlete-color-commentator role, but you’d think he was the one who went to broadcasting school compared to what some of the others say. None of the commentary is deserving of any awards. But that’s sports. Sullivan is the best America can produce so far. Maybe that’s not saying a ton, but he is better than the others.
The commentators are like the refs: they are meant to irritate us to a certain degree to take our ire away from our own players.
Derek Rae is great, better than most of the English ones like Andy Towshend. Have Derek Rae and Adrian Healey, otherwise have a foreign feed and get Martin Tyler.
Actually Chris Sullivan and Max Bretos do know the game fairly well and aren’t bad, but it is most likely that FSC will get the British feed for Champions league games, just as they do for their EPL games.
I hate to rail on guys…as I’m sure they are fine people. But please, please, please…spare me from having to listen to Chris Sullivan ramble about natural number 5’s, the rhythm, etc. I cringe when I hear him trying to say every name as if he’s a native of their country. Who’s your audience there Chris? That’s right….the US. Just say their frickin names like we do.
Derek Rae is the best. I hope FSC can get him on board!
What about Steve Cohen & Nick Webster the commentators on Fox Football Fone In?……….not a bad idea…now those guys would make it entertaining…..but i think steven would get too personal when chelsea are playing and he hates liverpool too much
Derek Smith and Tommy Rae are staples of Champions League and really make it the best sports on TV to watch, and essentially the only TV I watch religiously.
eplnfl makes a good point about how FSC will broadcast the games. Having these matches go from ESPN to FSC means we have been downgraded from HD to standard definition.
As for announcers, I look for someone to just call the game. I don’t need color commentary. And I definitely don’t need to listen to someone like Chris Sullivan who speaks as though he knows more than the coach or the players on the pitch. It’s insulting to have to listen to him criticize the players, or go on about how much he thinks the match should be played.
Well we got Tim White – the single absolute worst commentator in the world! Champions League Soccer is no longer watchable with this goon commentating…FOX must take Sky’s audio feed or I for one will turn off
hope fsc have a pre halftime & post game show like espn……….for some of you guys martin tyler is the best commentator alive…anyway who needs a commentry once we have a line up .soccer is not rocket science to broadcast..
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Why isn’t Ray Hudson an option? I love Rocky!
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i pray they hire derek rae (and not tommy smith) and some new people..i can’t stand fsc’s announcers. i’d just mute it.
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Max Bretos: Riiiisssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RELEASE THE KRACKEN!!!
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Chris Sullivan is one stateside announcer who is decent and knows what he is talking about. The rest pretty much make me cringe. I hate when they cut off the international feed at half time and say something completely useless just to justify their existence.
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Well why limit the options.
Shouldn’t we ask first is how FSC will broadcast the games. It maybe just as important as to who will be doing pre/post show and halftime. Also is there a chance that they will have in stadium crew.
Actually my choice is give Max a chance but get a top notch wrap around show for the games not the bad FSC LA studio sets that look like a high school tech project.
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Keep Rae and let him do a proper broadcast on his own without OnionBag McAnnoying.
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Chris Sullivan is quite possibly the worst announcer of anything I have ever heard. I once saw a scrabble game on ESPN. I would rather the guy who announced that to announce the CL than Sullivan. He is absolutely awful. If you actually listen to Sullivan he in fact says absolutely nothing. He speaks in abstracts about movement, and rythm, and then basically picks out one player he falls in love with, whom can do no wrong and even if that player has nothing to do with the game is always contributing to goal scoring opportunities.
Dont get me wrong. I hate Bretos and Miles as much as anyone. Frankly, I would love them all to be collecting unemployment come the fall, and no where near the CL.
Please FSC, hire Rae to do play by play and find an international announcer to be the color guy.
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Sullivan is the only American commentator I can think of who doesn’t come off as if he is watching the sport for the first time ever. I don’t expect the things he says to be earth-shattering as he is supposed to fill the former-athlete-color-commentator role, but you’d think he was the one who went to broadcasting school compared to what some of the others say. None of the commentary is deserving of any awards. But that’s sports. Sullivan is the best America can produce so far. Maybe that’s not saying a ton, but he is better than the others.
The commentators are like the refs: they are meant to irritate us to a certain degree to take our ire away from our own players.
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Andy Gray. That way I hopefully won’t have to listen to him during Premiership matches…
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Anybody but the current “crop” of FSC commentators will do. These guys are atrocious, all of them, no exception!!!
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Onionbag McAnnoying – now that is quality
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What about Steve Cohen & Nick Webster the commentators on Fox Football Fone In?
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Lil Lamps, please do not open that can of worms…
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Derek Rae is great, better than most of the English ones like Andy Towshend. Have Derek Rae and Adrian Healey, otherwise have a foreign feed and get Martin Tyler.
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Anybody but Maximum Annoying Bretos. This idiot may be the worst excuse for an announcer in sports history.
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Actually Chris Sullivan and Max Bretos do know the game fairly well and aren’t bad, but it is most likely that FSC will get the British feed for Champions league games, just as they do for their EPL games.
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I hate to rail on guys…as I’m sure they are fine people. But please, please, please…spare me from having to listen to Chris Sullivan ramble about natural number 5’s, the rhythm, etc. I cringe when I hear him trying to say every name as if he’s a native of their country. Who’s your audience there Chris? That’s right….the US. Just say their frickin names like we do.
Derek Rae is the best. I hope FSC can get him on board!
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chris sullivan is the worst commentator ever….he doesnt know anything about football
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Martin Tyler
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Lil Lamps4 May 11, 2009 at 11:24 pm
What about Steve Cohen & Nick Webster the commentators on Fox Football Fone In?……….not a bad idea…now those guys would make it entertaining…..but i think steven would get too personal when chelsea are playing and he hates liverpool too much
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Webster sucks.
Not a chance.
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FYI, Steven is sort of an explosive issue around here, the less he’s brought up the better.
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Derek Smith and Tommy Rae are staples of Champions League and really make it the best sports on TV to watch, and essentially the only TV I watch religiously.
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sorry, its derek RAE, tommy SMYTH, i always confuse the names…
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eplnfl makes a good point about how FSC will broadcast the games. Having these matches go from ESPN to FSC means we have been downgraded from HD to standard definition.
As for announcers, I look for someone to just call the game. I don’t need color commentary. And I definitely don’t need to listen to someone like Chris Sullivan who speaks as though he knows more than the coach or the players on the pitch. It’s insulting to have to listen to him criticize the players, or go on about how much he thinks the match should be played.
MUTE.
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Well we got Tim White – the single absolute worst commentator in the world! Champions League Soccer is no longer watchable with this goon commentating…FOX must take Sky’s audio feed or I for one will turn off
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MAX BRETOS IS SHIT
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Max Bretos is working at ESPN and laughing at you.
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hope fsc have a pre halftime & post game show like espn……….for some of you guys martin tyler is the best commentator alive…anyway who needs a commentry once we have a line up .soccer is not rocket science to broadcast..
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