uo might have been suitable, but I’d now like to see the line-up revamped to suit the modern game.

Drawing comparisons with Sky Sports, there is simply no competition. The commentary is first rate, no matter who they seem to line up and the overall coverage is unrivalled. For me, Martin Ty

Every time I turn on the television to watch a live football match on the BBC, I’m filled with a familiar sense of dread. It might just be my opinion, but the commentary on the ‘Beeb’ has slipped to a substandard quality.

It was when viewing a recent cup tie between Liverpool and Arsenal that my loathing of the Match of the Day coverage reached boiling point. That being said, the senseless babble of an ageing John Motson has been aggravating me for sometime now. I can only liken him to an old relative who somehow still manages to see the same things you do – only about thirty seconds later.

Then there’s the problem of who they team up with Motson, and more often than not it’s Mark Lawrenson. He’s not a bad pundit to have in the studio alongside the jug-eared one and the Scottish football professor but I don’t think he’s at all right for commentary. For the cup tie in question, he was so obviously biased towards Liverpool it was painful – practically screaming for a penalty in one instance when Xavi Alonso took a contentious tumble in the Arsenal box.

Ten or fifteen years ago in the ‘Saint and Greavsie’ era, this knowledgeable but slightly irritating duo might have been suitable, but I’d now like to see the line-up revamped to suit the modern game.

Drawing comparisons with Sky Sports, there is simply no competition. The commentary is first rate, no matter who they seem to line up and the overall coverage is unrivalled. For me, Martin Tyl

hat my loathing of the Match of the Day coverage reached boiling point. That being said, the senseless babble of an ageing John Motson has been aggravating me for sometime now. I can only liken him to an old relative who somehow still manages to see the same things you do – only about thirty seconds later.

Then there’s the problem of who they team up with Motson, and more often than not it’s Mark Lawrenson. He’s not a bad pundit to have in the studio alongside the jug-eared one and the Scottish football professor but I don’t think he’s at all right for commentary. For the cup tie in question, he was so obviously biased towards Liverpool it was painful – practically screaming for a penalty in one instance when Xavi Alonso took a contentious tumble in the Arsenal box.

Ten or fifteen years ago in the ‘Saint and Greavsie’ era, this knowledgeable but slightly irritating duo might have been suitable, but I’d now like to see the line-up revamped to suit the modern game.

Drawing comparisons with Sky Sports, there is simply no competition. The commentary is first rate, no matter who they seem to line up and the overall coverage is unrivalled. For me, Martin Ty

nds later.

Then there’s the problem of who they team up with Motson, and more often than not it’s Mark Lawrenson. He’s not a bad pundit to have in the studio alongside the jug-eared one and the Scottish football professor but I don’t think he’s at all right for commentary. For the cup tie in question, he was so obviously biased towards Liverpool it was painful – practically screaming for a penalty in one instance when Xavi Alonso took a contentious tumble in the Arsenal box.

Ten or fifteen years ago in the ‘Saint and Greavsie’ era, this knowledgeable but slightly irritating duo might have been suitable, but I’d now like to see the line-up revamped to suit the modern game.

Drawing comparisons with Sky Sports, there is simply no competition. The commentary is first rate, no matter who they seem to line up and the overall coverage is unrivalled. For me, Martin Ty

n question, he was so obviously biased towards Liverpool it was painful – practically screaming for a penalty in one instance when Xavi Alonso took a contentious tumble in the Arsenal box.

Ten or fifteen years ago in the ‘Saint and Greavsie’ era, this knowledgeable but slightly irritating duo might have been suitable, but I’d now like to see the line-up revamped to suit the modern game.

Drawing comparisons with Sky Sports, there is simply no competition. The commentary is first rate, no matter who they seem to line up and the overall coverage is unrivalled. For me, Martin Ty

uo might have been suitable, but I’d now like to see the line-up revamped to suit the modern game.

Drawing comparisons with Sky Sports, there is simply no competition. The commentary is first rate, no matter who they seem to line up and the overall coverage is unrivalled. For me, Martin Tyler and Andy Gray are the best commentary team of all time and listening to them adds (rather than detracts) from the sense of occasion.

I suppose at least now, you can switch to ‘Interactive’ BBC coverage and have the radio commentary as an alternative, but more often than not this is Jonathan Pearce – who I think is best suited to football phone-ins and reporting on small robots pushing each other around a small arena.

Of the staff they have on their books, I’d promote Simon Brotherton to first choice, put Alan Hansen alongside him and throw the current commentary team a long overdue retirement bash.