EPL Talk » Tommy Smyth

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.

Day One: First Impressions of ESPN’s Euro ‘08 Coverage

Jeff Hash — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:28:03 +0000

Euro 2008 is finally here after the standard mega sports event buildup. And for ESPN, today is the beginning of their broadcast of the entire tournmanet for the first time. The network has been rolling the ads for weeks and made a big addition to its on-air talent with Andy Gray. Now, at last, the coverage itself is the focus. So how did the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports do?

Overall, it seemed to go fairly well. Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth was pretty much their standard selves on the first game, which means you already love them or hate them based on their past broadcasts. Personally, I’m a fan of Rae, and thought he was great. I was worried about how Adrian Healey and Andy Gray would come together, but it ended up just fine, with Gray’s class shining but not overpowering Healey, who was able to work well with him. Part of me, however, wishes for a Derek Rae/Andy Gray booth at some point. Maybe for the final. As for the on-screen look, I’m glad to see ESPN’s graphics was in line with UEFA’s own TV feed, right down to the scorebox in the top right. There were no unnecessary large boxes with mismatched color, and nothing that popped on-screen interfered with the match itself.

The studio show, however, left something to be desired. First off, Steve Bunin seemed to be having a hard time keeping the show moving. I’ve seen Bunin before on MLS broadcasts, and he’s always seemed uncomfortable with soccer. But given Bunin was not on the network’s original slate of hosts, maybe this ends up being just a last minute call-in. Then there is Julie Foudy. Foudy is ok as an analyst, but when she was alongside Andy Gray, she seemed superfluous. Gray just knows everything to talk about and how to say it, and so Foudy seemed unsure what to do. Foudy with Smyth was better, but seemed disjointed compared to Gray’s own efforts. Hopefully this gets ironed out as the days go on.

Some other random thoughts:
*Loved that ESPN showed the national anthems before the game. It’s a nice small touch.
*I understand the event is on a related network, but the Belmont Stakes segment between matches was unnecessary, and reminds me why I get fustrated with ESPN’s promotion at times.
*ESPN Axis is a great addition to the studio show analysis, and I hope it makes its way to the network’s MLS and Champions League broadcasts as well.

My final verdict is that this was a good first day of broadcast. I would like to see the studio show get straightened out a little, but overall it was a job well done, and showed that ESPN is serious about this tournament. Hopefully the network will be able to keep it up over the next three plus weeks.

ESPN Makes Smart Move With Andy Gray Hiring

The Gaffer — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:18:11 +0000

Andy Gray, one of the top football co-commentators and pundits in the world, made his appearance this afternoon not on Sky Sports but instead on ESPN. What Gray gives ESPN is instant credibility, which the network desperately needs if it’s to establish itself as an authority on soccer coverage both in the United States and around the world.

ESPN must have paid a hefty fee to convince the world’s number co-commentator to leave his home in the United Kingdom and work the summer at ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut. For ESPN, it’s a gamble. Paying a high salary for Gray’s expertise is ESPN rolling the dice. With an authority figure like Gray in a pivotal role at ESPN this June, the network will be hoping for increased viewing figures in return as well as satisfied advertisers. The two go hand in hand.

Gray’s knowledge of the game was quickly evident during the opening matches of Euro 2008 today. For the Switzerland against Czech Republic opener, Gray took his seat as a pundit and offered his input regarding the match from Basel. But where Gray truly shown was when he switched seats and became co-commentator for the Turkey against Portugal match.

The difference between Tommy Smyth and Andy Gray is immense. While Smyth seems to contradict himself during controversial moments in matches where we’re seeking his insight, Gray on the other hand is direct and decisive, and tells it like it is. With Gray, he points out things that we, the viewers, don’t see the first time. Plus the Scotsman does it in such a confident and authoritative manner that it’s hard to ignore.

A perfect example of this was the disallowed goal during the first 15 minutes of Portugal against Turkey. Gray spotted the incident and called it as he saw it — offside. If that was Smyth, he would have sounded hesitant, made a call and probably changed his mind when viewing the TV replay.

ESPN’s decision to hire Gray as the expert for this summer’s tournament is a shrewd move. Casual sports fans who may not know Gray as intimately as we do will find themselves absorbed by his analysis of the game. Home teams have the fans as their 12th man. ESPN has Andy Gray.

ESPN Deserves Praise For Excellent Champions League Coverage

The Gaffer — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:47:03 +0000

So much focus is put on the Champions League Final and what happened during the game that it’s often easy to overlook the admirable job that ESPN2 did behind the scenes yesterday.

Their production was excellent and what I was most impressed by is that they continued the coverage all the way through until after Man United lifted the trophy. They could have easily cut away and gone to regular programming, but they kept the coverage going. This is definitely a positive sign that soccer carries more weight at ESPN. And it’s also a reassuring sign that the network will provide an exemplary experience this summer for ESPN’s coverage of Euro 2008.

Clarence Seedorf alongside Tommy Smyth and Derek Rae was a smart choice. Smyth was at his worst throughout the match saying inane things when it would have been better to think before he spoke. Rae was the rock that we’ve grown to love and trust. How he wasn’t involved in commentating ESPN’s coverage of World Cup 2006 I don’t know. Seedorf added a lot of great insight from a player’s perspective. It was a shame that he wasn’t there for the full match though.

I usually have a disdain for touchline reporters, but I thought ESPN’s Dave Roberts did a superb job at pitchside. His thoughts and observations were valuable. One perfect example was when he provided insight about the large divots in front of Van der Sar’s goal that were causing the goalkeeper some worries.

Kudos to ESPN for wonderful coverage.