EPL Talk » Andy Gray

Poll: Who Is The World’s Number One Authority On Soccer?

The Gaffer — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:51:03 +0000

American football has its John Madden, but among the media soccer doesn’t have a recognized authority figure on soccer? Or do we? Vote now who you believe is the number one authority on soccer worldwide.

FIFA 09 Preview

The Gaffer — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:58:08 +0000

FIFA 09 Preview? We’ve got it here including the official preview, a trailer from EA featuring Maurice Edu and a couple of fan videos showing actual gameplay.

[display_podcast]

Electronic Arts must hate the August transfer window. With their FIFA series being released in early September, EA has no time to include the latest big signings such as Robinho and Berbatov. Thankfully updates should take care of the transfer switches.

FIFA 09 is scheduled for release in Europe on October 3, 2008 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The North America release date is October 14.

The commentators featured in the English-speaking versions will include Martin Tyler and Andy Gray.

Jack Bell Is A Wanker, Part II

The Gaffer — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:20:33 +0000

It’s pretty sad when two soccer columnists who represent what is supposedly one of the nation’s top newspapers are so incompetent and out-of-touch with reality.
Last November, I called New York Times soccer columnist Jack Bell a wanker for writing an idiotic article criticizing Fox Soccer Channel for broadcasting the Premier League, the world’s most popular sports league. Now Bell is criticizing ESPN for its Euro 2008 coverage.

Bell this time aims his criticism at ESPN’s decision to feature Euro 2008 commentators with British and Irish accents instead of those that are American. Jack Bell backs up his claims by including quotes from sometimes New York Times columnist Greg Lalas, better known as the brother of another doofus, Alexi Lalas.

Here are their inane comments:

“ESPN’s decision to import the Scotsman Andy Gray as an analyst has added a whiff of authority and some good insight. But would that insight be absent, for example, if Americans like Shep Messing or John Harkes were at the microphones instead?” – Jack, the answer is a definite yes. I loved John Harkes as a player, but he’s one of the most boring football commentators I’ve ever had the displeasure of hearing. Shep Messing is okay, but Andy Gray is better than Messing by a country mile. Gray’s ability to provide listeners insight into tactics and formations is fantastic as well as his ability to be direct with his criticism, which is so refreshing to hear.
“There’s nothing offensive about Derek Rae, the Scottish play-by-play guy. But is he any better than J.P. Dellacamera, the voice of M.L.S. and the U.S. national team on ESPN?” — Again Jack, the answer is yes. How incompetent can Bell be not to realize the world-class commentary that Rae provides and to suggest that Dellacamera could do better? I’m a big fan of JP, but Dellacamera has only recently returned to the game after being out for quite some time commentating hockey matches. Dellacamera, alongside Seamus Malin and Phil Schoen, are three of the best U.S. soccer commentators the country has to offer, but all of them pale in comparison compared to Derek Rae and Andy Gray. In a recent interview I conducted with Dellacamera, he himself admitted that he wasn’t on top of the latest European news since being out of the game for so long.
“ESPN has made it clear to its roster of mostly competent American soccer dudes that they need not apply for any job outside broadcasting Major League Soccer games” — That’s a ridiculous and childish statement to make. Rather than to go home and cry to mommy, Bell should realize that American commentators need to improve their work so they can compete against people such as Adrian Healey, Tommy Smyth, Rae and Gray. Would Bell and Lalas be more satisfied if we brought back Marcelo Balboa and Dave O’Brien? Both of them were an abomination in World Cup 2006. And do they realize how many American viewers ESPN and ABC lost because they switched to the Spanish language network Univision for better commentary?

Obviously ESPN knows what they’re doing. ESPN’s Euro 2008, with a few exceptions, has been spectacular and the ratings have been higher than ever. Instead of being so negative in a national soccer column, Lalas and Bell should be embracing the game not ridiculing it.

ESPN’s Euro 2008 Dream Goes According To Plan

The Gaffer — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:30:59 +0000

ESPN and ABC’s dreams have come true. Sunday’s Euro 2008 final between Germany and Spain is a far better proposition for the Disney owned TV networks than Turkey against Russia would have been. With plenty of German Americans living in the United States as well as a massive hispanic population, TV ratings should be high.

Overall, the amount of attention that ESPN has given to Euro 2008 this summer has far exceeded my expectations. The games seem to be a centerpiece of the network’s coverage and has even been the lead story on some of ESPN’s other sports programs.

The work that ESPN has done this summer is to be applauded. Everything from the TV commercials to the broadcast of a different European Championship final each night leading up to the tournament, as well as the way that ESPN has been cross-promoting the tournament on its own shows, has been fantastic.

Inside the studio, the only mistake the network made was hiring Julie Foudy. While she is exuberant on the set, she adds little to no worthy analysis. As the weeks have passed by, she has grown on me, but ESPN would have done better to hire someone who really knows his or her world football and has more passion than Foudy. That person is Ray Hudson.

What struck me this week is that there really isn’t a TV network that football fans love globally. In the UK, many viewers despise the BBC, ITV and Sky Sports. In the United States, Fox Soccer Channel often gets ridiculed. But with ESPN, they have a unique opportunity to produce high quality soccer coverage. They’re experts at production. Plus they have a soccer expert in Derek Rae as well as a hired hand such as Andy Gray.

Derek Rae, especially, has been a joy to listen to this summer. His level of football commentating as well as his knowledge of the game, the statistics and his impeccable gift of knowing how to pronounce difficult words and speak other languages puts him into the top tier of football commentators. While Andy Gray seems to talk down to Adrian Healey a little bit during matches, Gray and Rae strike up a dynamite partnership. Both Scots are still trying to get used to working with each other, but you can tell that Gray has a lot of respect for his fellow countryman.

The big question is where does ESPN go from here? The next World Cup in 2010 still seems far away. The obvious choice would be for ESPN to enter into the bidding later this year against Setanta Sports and Fox Soccer Channel for the rights to show the English Premier League in the United States. FSC’s current contract with the Premier League runs until 2010.

Could ESPN Steal Andy Gray From Sky Sports?

The Gaffer — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:05:37 +0000

Modern day football coverage is such that the commentators don’t even need to be in the stadiums anymore. ESPN’s Euro 2008 commentators are all huddled in Bristol, Connecticut. Most TWI commentators, meanwhile, broadcast Premier League games out of their studios in west London.

With the world being a much smaller place today plus with the global popularity of the Premier League, this opens up opportunities for football commentators who are interested in working overseas. Gone is the need for commentators to work from the actual stadiums.

What this does is open up mouthwatering possibilities. Imagine if ESPN was to capture the rights to Premier League coverage when it next comes up for bid in the United States.

It’s entirely possible that the American broadcaster would attempt to sign Andy Gray as their lead co-commentator and pundit. When it comes down to it, most people have a price tag and ESPN could be willing to sign Gray to a long-term contract in the future if it makes business sense.

At the same time, if ESPN offered most of the top football commentators in England a chance to live and work in the United States and make more money, many of them would jump at the chance. All it would take is someone like Andy Gray to lead the way and many top broadcast professionals would follow.

Don’t believe it? The last time I spoke with a Premier League commentator at TWI, he expressed his interest in working in the United States and asked that I keep an eye out for any opportunities.

For the exodus to happen, though, ESPN’s TV ratings for football will need to grow and advertisers would need to express an interest in sponsoring the Premier League. ESPN used to have the TV rights to the Premier League in the States, but a lot has changed since this happened. Could the timing be right for ESPN to get behind the EPL?

Share your thoughts on the story by clicking the comments link below.