# No Phil Liggett??



## Sunny Portrush (2 Jul 2016)

Been watching the Grand Depart and no commentary from Phil and Paul - have they been ditched??


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## Pro Tour Punditry (2 Jul 2016)

Thankfully, yes.


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## midlife (2 Jul 2016)

No great loss............

Shaun


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## coffeejo (2 Jul 2016)

It's wonderful.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (2 Jul 2016)

I believe David Millar knows all the facts he is telling us about the landmarks, he has no need to read it from the Tour Guidebook.


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## StuAff (2 Jul 2016)

It's a shock to the system when you get commentary on bike racing during a bike race....

In a very good way.


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## Hill Wimp (2 Jul 2016)

Hurrah


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## Sunny Portrush (2 Jul 2016)

StuAff said:


> It's a shock to the system when you get commentary on bike racing during a bike race....
> 
> In a very good way.



If I want to know what`s actually happening in the race, I`ll watch it. Sometimes it`s nice to know what is happening three fields away from the racing lol


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## ufkacbln (2 Jul 2016)

There is a a difference between commentary for aficionados and the interested

Given that TV is intended for a wider audience, the commentary was intended to reach them, and whilst it may have been annoying, did it amuse the random viewer?


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## Smokin Joe (2 Jul 2016)

Blimey, I've just watched it and I never realised. Shows how much I miss them


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## User269 (2 Jul 2016)

They'll be along for the interesting bits.


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Jul 2016)

I like the Ligett commentary.


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## StuAff (2 Jul 2016)

They're not coming back....
And as for 'interesting bits'...was today not interesting?!!!!


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## coffeejo (2 Jul 2016)

Cunobelin said:


> There is a a difference between commentary for aficionados and the interested
> 
> Given that TV is intended for a wider audience, the commentary was intended to reach them, and whilst it may have been annoying, did it amuse the random viewer?


It wasn't so much annoying as, well, factually incorrect...


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## User269 (2 Jul 2016)

Millar, Boulting, and Imlach did a great job on the Dauphine. Bring it on!

I suppose there will still be interesting bits. Although with Lance Armstrong gone as well.....................


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## Smokin Joe (2 Jul 2016)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I like the Ligett commentary.


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## BSRU (2 Jul 2016)

"It is thought that the main reason behind ITV’s switch is editorial, as the broadcaster has no control over the Liggett/Sherwen commentary feed, as the pair primarily call the race for American network NBC"


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## Sunny Portrush (2 Jul 2016)

Well, having followed the Tour for 30 years, I had a soft spot for Phil. Some of my favourite sporting commentaries have been uttered by him. From calling LeMond`s 8 second win to his utter excitement when Sean Yates did enough to pull on the yellow jersey (called him Sean Shyates lol)


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## youngoldbloke (2 Jul 2016)

At last ......


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## Crackle (2 Jul 2016)

Ned is getting better but his heat of the moment rider identification still needs work.


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (2 Jul 2016)

Marmion said:


> I believe David Millar knows all the facts he is telling us about the landmarks, he has no need to read it from the Tour Guidebook.


I'm not convinced this is true.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (2 Jul 2016)

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider said:


> I'm not convinced this is true.


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (2 Jul 2016)

I miss him, but TBH, as I get older I dislike change, more and more. 

Bring back Eddy Irvine and Murray Walker !!!!

Oh, wait, is that the right sport?


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Jul 2016)

User said:


> Chaque un a son gout



True, life would be pretty boring if we were all the same


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## ColinJ (2 Jul 2016)

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider said:


> I miss him, but TBH, as I get older I dislike change, more and more.


As I get older, I dislike changing into an old person, more and more! 

(Still, I was offered the alternative a few years back and decided that becoming an old person was the better option! )


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## jefmcg (3 Jul 2016)

I pay so little attention to sports broadcasting, my first thought was "wasn't he the lead singer of Thin Lizzy?"


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## david k (3 Jul 2016)

Should do what cricket do and change them every hour, commentators that is


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## Globalti (4 Jul 2016)

We're missing Uncle Phil and Paul; we have enjoyed their batty commentary for years. Bring 'em back, we say.


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## gavroche (4 Jul 2016)

User said:


> Chaque un a son gout


I won't bother correcting the spelling mistake. Was it intentional?


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## e-rider (4 Jul 2016)

Ned needs a few more years practice yet - he's ok but far from perfect


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## TheJDog (4 Jul 2016)

Went off Phil a bit when he defended Armstrong right to the bitter end. Chump.

Boulting and Millar are OK so far.


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## mjr (4 Jul 2016)

BSRU said:


> "It is thought that the main reason behind ITV’s switch is editorial, as the broadcaster has no control over the Liggett/Sherwen commentary feed, as the pair primarily call the race for American network NBC"


Source for that: http://sport-onthebox.com/2016/06/2...boulting-david-millar-new-commentary-pairing/


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## glenn forger (4 Jul 2016)




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## Sunny Portrush (4 Jul 2016)

glenn forger said:


>



Is Phil in there???


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## shouldbeinbed (4 Jul 2016)

I like Ned Boulting & am giving him and Dave the benefit of the doubt, everyone needs to learn but it does come across a bit stilted at the mo. 

I thought Phil particularly had done a Murray Walker and gone on a season or so too long, his assessing the race and rider spotting seemed to have gone awry but him and friend Sherwen did know how to fill the quiet moments in the race and it not sound like they were reading it from a 'things to see in our little town' leaflet for the first time.


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## jarlrmai (4 Jul 2016)

Still reckon commentating on GT cycling is tough work whoever does it especially long flat stages, Millar at least knows the riders and what racing is like at that level.


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## TheJDog (5 Jul 2016)

jarlrmai said:


> Millar at least knows the riders and what racing is like at that level.



Paul Sherwen rode the TDF quite a few times in the 70s and 80s. Though I suppose you are saying that he's a more recent member of that peloton, and knows more of the personally.


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## GuyBoden (5 Jul 2016)

Phil Liggett is 73, so perhaps he's allowed to slow down a bit and do less commentating.


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## mjr (5 Jul 2016)

Never mind the commentary change - WTF are Skoda's marketing department thinking with those "aren't cyclists nobbers?" sponsorship ads?


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## GrumpyGregry (5 Jul 2016)

All the commentary I hear is in Danish.


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## BJS (6 Jul 2016)

Im missing Phil and Paul at the moment ,but I think that Ned and David will be OK given time and when Ned learns to get less shouty an the end of the race , some of his verbal trip ups are quite good as well (Orica Bikeedge ) also I find David can get a bit droney at times. 
So far i will give the ITV coverage 6/10 What I have been doing is watching ITV and listening to Radio 5
Bob


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## mjr (6 Jul 2016)

Radio 5's coverage is a disgrace. They pushed back the start of broadcast coverage by an hour today and then as soon as the stage finished they were quick to cut to dead air and then a recorded loop!

The podcast is OK but the broadcast gives way to every other sport, which is a problem when there's overlapping Wimbledon and cricket.


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## srw (6 Jul 2016)

GrumpyGregry said:


> All the commentary I hear is in Danish.


I suspect the ITV4 highlights (which is all that any sane person _needs_) are available worldwide on the internet.


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## Tim Hall (6 Jul 2016)

srw said:


> I suspect the ITV4 highlights (which is all that any sane person _needs_) are available worldwide on the internet.


It could be my l33t computer skillz, but it seemed the highlights available from the ITV hub are from the day before.

Edit: Presumably their actual time ones are from the current day.


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## Accy cyclist (7 Jul 2016)

Sunny Portrush said:


> Is Phil in there???










Mmm, i wonder what his BMI is?


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## Tin Pot (7 Jul 2016)

Accy cyclist said:


> Mmm, i wonder what his BMI is?



Looks like he's eaten a frame.


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## suzeworld (7 Jul 2016)

I didn't mind the Phil and Paul commentating as much as some in here. The commentary we got on bunch sprints in the past was usually very good, whihc Ned certainly is not (yet?) and tbh, what ARE you going to talk about for five hours a day, peddling through the scenery? 

But I really love the quiet authority David brings to the airwaves. He knows these people inside out and his recent experience really enlivens the commentary, so all in all, yay. 
We were certainly due a change to in the old guard and this team is a really good one.


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## tyred (7 Jul 2016)

Tin Pot said:


> Looks like he's eaten a frame.



So long as it's a steel one, it would be good. High iron content.

I prefer butted tubes myself, plain guage are very difficult to chew.


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## mjr (7 Jul 2016)

User said:


> Presumably, when Paul Sherwen retired from racing and started doing commentary, he was in the same position. It has a shelf-life.


Well, here's 1990 (Ch4 not ITV, contrary the title) and skip forwards to 11mins for some not-so-insightful early Sherwening, unless you like watching Phil being Gary at the start and end, Gary being Ned at about 7mins 30, or Paul being Matt at 22mins:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahtBc8h05Ew

Already some of the clichés like over-use of "jump away" and "back in the front" were appearing, but he sounds much more Northern than he does now.

I suspect that David Millar might keep up-to-date for longer because he seems quite a fan of cycling beyond being an ex-pro, so might be similar to Chris Boardman, who doesn't yet seem to have fallen into foolishness.


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## Tin Pot (7 Jul 2016)

I love the way TV sports is so engaging that we all criticise the commentators.


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## Dave Davenport (7 Jul 2016)

David Millar cycled past us on a fold up (wasn't a Brompton) near the finish of stage 2 on Sunday morning, I said 'alright Dave' but I don't think he heard me.....err that's it really. 
Oh, whilst Ned B is still learning the ropes to some extent he's a vast improvement on Phil L.


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## al-fresco (7 Jul 2016)

I miss Phil Liggett, but don't miss Paul "The thing is Phil, he's got a big diesel engine" Sherwen. Phil could get things spectacularly wrong but he'd always re-tape them for the highlight show! David Millar is, I think, brilliant - knowledgeable, witty and full of insight. Ned, on the other hand, doesn't know when to shut up, is prone to cliches and, damningly, has a tendency to talk over Millar. He's not a terrible commentator (better than the Eurosport crew) but I don't think he'll ever make a great one. Liggett and Millar might make an interesting combination.


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## Tim Hall (7 Jul 2016)

The Dave and Ned show has just discovered the hazards of live interviewing FOREIGN Directeurs Sportif from ABROAD.


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## mjr (7 Jul 2016)

mjray said:


> Radio 5's coverage is a disgrace. They pushed back the start of broadcast coverage by an hour today and then as soon as the stage finished they were quick to cut to dead air and then a recorded loop!


And again today, another half-hour delay to the start of broadcasting. This time neither EPG or BBC web schedule updated until after the start


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## User269 (7 Jul 2016)

We thought Phil & Paul were great, even though they went off the boil over the past few years. 

Whether live or during the edited highlights program we liked their conversation and most importantly the discussion and interpretation of the action, in preference to the uninteresting Boulting commentary about nothing important happening with regard to the riders positions.

ITV4 continue to put together a very good, professional, highlights programme, but we look forward to returning home next week to our live pause and record sat TV, and fast forwarding through the ads; we only have live sat here, and find it almost unwatchable, with barely 7 mins of program, then 5 mins of ads. They really are taking the piss, and this ratio of ads makes for a very poor quality viewing experience.

Dave & Ned doing quite a good job though, although Ned should stop asking me "will they catch the breakaway?" "Who will win the stage today?" and so on. I was rather hoping he would tell us.

Dave's commentary, and interpretation of events is brilliant. I miss Ned's funny little pieces to camera that he and Chris used to do, and also his live post race interviews with riders, often in their native tongue. And thank God for Gary and Chris's continuing contribution.


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## cyberknight (7 Jul 2016)

They may have been bad but i grew up listening to their bad, i miss them like a miss an old comfy chair or a moth eaten dog/cat thats a bit whiffy but a family pet .


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## Broadside (7 Jul 2016)

I never really got the Phil Liggett bashing that went on, but now it is Ned and Dave I am enjoying the highlights program much more, and now I realise why so many complained about Phil before!

It's a big improvement from my point of view.


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## Ian H (7 Jul 2016)

I suspect Phil might have been tarnished by his enthusiastic support for Armstrong, right to the bitter end.


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## GuyBoden (9 Jul 2016)

"ITV4 used to buy in Liggett and Sherwen’s commentary from an internationally distributed audio feed – the same commentary is used by NBC in America and SBS in Australia, among others. And that’s where you can still hear Liggett and Sherwen."
Read more at: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...de-france-coverage-249523#Hi1AF5fCXydgJKf0.99


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## Smokin Joe (9 Jul 2016)

David Millar is informative and knowledgeable, you feel like you get a good insight into the tactics of the race when listening to him. Paul Sherwin is like Andy Townsend or Robbie Savage in football - if you didn't know they played the game at a high level you'd never believe it, the cliché ridden crap they come out with that tells you precisely nothing that you can't see for yourself.


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## John the Monkey (9 Jul 2016)

Other than a distinct lack of talk about the local cheeses, or the difference between square and round keeps as they relate to the architecture of chateaux (quite often, in latter years as a crucial move was being made), I've not missed P&P personally. They soundtracked some of my favourite moments, but weren't adding to the experience in the last few years, sadly.


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## G3CWI (10 Jul 2016)

Anyone who can witter on for hours in an even remotely interesting way when there is largely nothing much happening, gets a big thumbs up from me. It must actually be incredibly difficult.


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## zacklaws (17 Jul 2016)

I wish both Phil and Paul was still commentating, all my club rides, group rides etc are all going terribly wrong and I'm getting shed out of the back constantly, can someone please remind me how many places back I would find myself if I was to just touch my brakes whilst in the group. Thankfully those two would remind me every day of the "Tour", and more than once a stage.


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## steverob (18 Jul 2016)

I didn't get to see the 1st time trial live (only the highlights show), so I'm wondering if anyone could tell me whether Ned/Dave made the same mistake that Phil Liggett made every year which really annoyed me?

As a rider approached the line or a time check he'd always say things like "looks like he'll be in the top 10" because his time was say the same as the 8th placed rider at that moment, even though he clearly had a good 500m to the line/time check still to go and so by the time he actually reached the line, he would be about 23rd. Surely after watching the first few riders cross the line, you'd have a fair idea of how far the rider had to go before stopping the clock by which TV camera he was being covered by / what corner he was taking / which advertising hoardings he was passing etc.? It's not like he had trouble commentating on a bunch sprint where he couldn't tell if Cav was either just about to cross the line or was still 300m away from it, but yet he managed to get it wrong in the TT's for the majority of riders EVERY year.

However, if this turns out to be a commentators thing that they all suffer from, then I'll shut up and accept that Phil wasn't quite so bad after all!


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## Bollo (18 Jul 2016)

steverob said:


> I didn't get to see the 1st time trial live (only the highlights show), so I'm wondering if anyone could tell me whether Ned/Dave made the same mistake that Phil Liggett made every year which really annoyed me?
> 
> As a rider approached the line or a time check he'd always say things like "looks like he'll be in the top 10" because his time was say the same as the 8th placed rider at that moment, even though he clearly had a good 500m to the line/time check still to go and so by the time he actually reached the line, he would be about 23rd. Surely after watching the first few riders cross the line, you'd have a fair idea of how far the rider had to go before stopping the clock by which TV camera he was being covered by / what corner he was taking / which advertising hoardings he was passing etc.? It's not like he had trouble commentating on a bunch sprint where he couldn't tell if Cav was either just about to cross the line or was still 300m away from it, but yet he managed to get it wrong in the TT's for the majority of riders EVERY year.
> 
> However, if this turns out to be a commentators thing that they all suffer from, then I'll shut up and accept that Phil wasn't quite so bad after all!


Yes David Millar did that. No, Phil was as bad as you remember.


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## Starchivore (27 Jul 2016)

It's good we didn't have to hear the phrase ".... in this bike race" every 30 seconds.


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## Jehannum (28 Jul 2016)

I think Gary Imlach is very underated (on here at least). His dry, sardonic humour is very entertaining, and he is very perceptive. His bits to camera are very polished, fluent and understated. Ned will hopefully calm down a bit with more experience. David Millar has some great insights into how the riders will be seeing any given situation.


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## Starchivore (28 Jul 2016)

Jehannum said:


> I think Gary Imlach is very underated (on here at least). His dry, sardonic humour is very entertaining, and he is very perceptive. His bits to camera are very polished, fluent and understated. Ned will hopefully calm down a bit with more experience. David Millar has some great insights into how the riders will be seeing any given situation.



I think Imlach is great. I really enjoyed his presenting of the highlights, and I like his dry tone- we don't want a presenter who is constantly acting and trying to hype everything up.


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