WatchLOI

[Straightstory]

Ah I don't know, i used to love to 2 biased as f*ck lads who did saints TV, (pats lads will know them) while everything was a free to Pats, they were good entertainment, and I'd prefer them to yer one Madigan anytime

I don't disagree. Some commentators I listened to last year had a certain 'winning charm' about them. I think anything is preferable to the dreadful mid-Atlantic sounding, bland, over-excited, robotic, personality-free slickness of Conor MacNamara, who represents everything I dislike about modern commentators.

[Dalymountrower]

Ah I don't know, i used to love to 2 biased as f*ck lads who did saints TV, (pats lads will know them) while everything was a free to Pats, they were good entertainment, and I'd prefer them to yer one Madigan anytime

Madigan seemed to be disinterested in the game and had some woeful howlers about players names and some of the fundamentals of the game. However with Paddy Kavanagh along side her for the Bohs v Dundalk match she was greatly improved . Paddy`s " get in" for every Bohs goal and his frank comments "Dundalk are all over the shop" and " that was brutal" seemed to get her interested and engaged and she did a fairly good job. The usual Bohs commentator could well be a "professional " broadcaster, so lots of factoids but no passion.

[forza]

Madigan seemed to be disinterested in the game and had some woeful howlers about players names and some of the fundamentals of the game. However with Paddy Kavanagh along side her for the Bohs v Dundalk match she was greatly improved . Paddy`s " get in" for every Bohs goal and his frank comments "Dundalk are all over the shop" and " that was brutal" seemed to get her interested and engaged and she did a fairly good job. The usual Bohs commentator could well be a "professional " broadcaster, so lots of factoids but no passion.

Her Pats and Bohs performance was easily the worst commentary that I ever heard on a League of Ireland game.

[2 Year Contract]

If only someone wrote down all the commentary mishaps there was on WatchLOI, would be an entertaining read.

One of the most recent ones that springs to mind was Pats v Dundalk last week after Sam Bone's own goal, it was said that Pats were on the other end of an own goal having benefitted from Lee Desmond's own goal (it was Roberto Lopes) which gave them the lead in Tallaght in the opening game of the season.

[SeanDrog]

Drogs usually had Fabio o Brien or Mick Cooke as co commentators and there knowledge about the players and league really shone through and added to the matches. Thumbs up from me.

[Dalymountrower]

If only someone wrote down all the commentary mishaps there was on WatchLOI, would be an entertaining read.

One of the most recent ones that springs to mind was Pats v Dundalk last week after Sam Bone's own goal, it was said that Pats were on the other end of an own goal having benefitted from Lee Desmond's own goal (it was Roberto Lopes) which gave them the lead in Tallaght in the opening game of the season.

Some of Ms Madigans footballing terms word salad was pretty hilarious, she also routinely got players names wrong, eg "Keith Ward and his namesake Andre!". My favourite was from some male commentator talking about Bohs winger Liam Burt " He has very small feet for a ( very long pause) .... winger"

[Straightstory]

Not Watch LOI, but I enjoyed Daragh Moloney's comment yesterday during a rare first-half passage of good play from Ireland: 'they're making Andorra look ordinary'.

[D24Saint]

Her Pats and Bohs performance was easily the worst commentary that I ever heard on a League of Ireland game.

My favourite was “Georgie Kelly has been faultless today” when he missed a penalty earlier in the game. Looking forward to the new service, watchloi did a decent job but never excelled.

[Straightstory]

Ms Madigan again (after Austria v North Macedonia) "It's goodbye from Budapest". The game was in Bucharest. (And I presume she's not in either place - but in a studio in Montrose).

[Longfordian]

I turned the sound off as soon as I heard who was commentating. She is dreadful.

[D24Saint]

Ms Madigan again (after Austria v North Macedonia) "It's goodbye from Budapest". The game was in Bucharest. (And I presume she's not in either place - but in a studio in Montrose).

I am watching the BBC for this tournament. I think RTÉ has gone dreadful and the PC nonsense makes things worse.

[Dalymountrower]

I am watching the BBC for this tournament. I think RTÉ has gone dreadful and the PC nonsense makes things worse.

What PC nonsense?
BBC commentary teams have been awful, but in keeping with the flag waving populism that has the adjacent Island in its grip.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Not as funny as Stephen Alkin calling it the Jordi Cruyff arena

[Longfordian]

I heard that as well. Ridiculous.

[pineapple stu]

Morten Wieghorst was playing for Holland too, despite being Danish and 50. He meant Wout Weghorst. That annoyed me more than it should have!

[D24Saint]

What PC nonsense?
BBC commentary teams have been awful, but in keeping with the flag waving populism that has the adjacent Island in its grip.

RTE having a female commentator to say they have a female commentator to tick a box. When she clearly isn't a commentator. I've no issues with equal opportunity's as Lisa Fallon talks a lot of sense as a pundit, much more than her male counterparts. It should be based on merit not box ticking.

[Dalymountrower]

RTE having a female commentator to say they have a female commentator to tick a box. When she clearly isn't a commentator. I've no issues with equal opportunity's as Lisa Fallon talks a lot of sense as a pundit, much more than her male counterparts. It should be based on merit not box ticking.

Siobhan Madigan ahead of Ger Canning any day of the week on merit.Anyone ahead of Marty Morrissey on merit.
I dont agree that giving opportunities to female commentators is box ticking or "PC".

[Eminence Grise]

RTE having a female commentator to say they have a female commentator to tick a box. When she clearly isn't a commentator. I've no issues with equal opportunity's as Lisa Fallon talks a lot of sense as a pundit, much more than her male counterparts. It should be based on merit not box ticking.

Did it ever occur to you, D24, that RTE isn’t exactly awash with good commentators? Madigan is bland and anodyne and fact-shy, but that makes her at least as good as Alkin, who has the same, eh, qualities. As for Ger Canning and Marty Morrissey – I’d rather rub raw chilis in my eyes than listen to them. I'd have Madigan any day of the week over that pair. So that leaves George Hamilton - one out of five up for the job. Maybe the meritocracy should extend to contracting out to professional commentators for tournaments once the staffers are finally pensioned off?

[Nesta99]

RTE may not have directly employed commentators with a load of quality, but in the way that they have local indie journalists submit match reports to RTE.IE, they could do the same for commentators especially for online coverage. Ones that show good ability could be retained for wider coverage rather than just local games. Plenty of decent regional radio commentators like Adrian Taaffe at LMFM. RTE using GAA commentators for football never really worked, Dundork and Morrisey mustnt be too far off retirement in general anyway so a new generation of commentators need blooding and GAA and LoI online coverage would be a good way to do it imo.

[D24Saint]

Did it ever occur to you, D24, that RTE isn’t exactly awash with good commentators? Madigan is bland and anodyne and fact-shy, but that makes her at least as good as Alkin, who has the same, eh, qualities. As for Ger Canning and Marty Morrissey – I’d rather rub raw chilis in my eyes than listen to them. I'd have Madigan any day of the week over that pair. So that leaves George Hamilton - one out of five up for the job. Maybe the meritocracy should extend to contracting out to professional commentators for tournaments once the staffers are finally pensioned off?

I see your point. I don’t mind Ger Canning for GAA but he should stay clear of football. It looks like the golden days of Brian Moore & John Motson are gone from the game. The quality of sports commentators has done down across the board can’t think of one I really like off hand , the chap on virgin media maybe Ive warmed to him lately.