Mark Sidebottom

[screenexile]

Here Cavanagh didn't really do a pile wrong. The BBC shouldn't just be plucking people without giving them some kind of proper media training and for his first go it wasn't all that bad. I would imagine he's the sort of boy who would happily segue into media when his playing days are over and Saturday was the first step in that. Good luck to him I say I shall look forward to his insights on 'playacting' or 'drawing frees'.

Sidebottom just can't hack it and I've been saying it for a long time. He's been doing this a while now and he's still making a haimes of it. The Down Fermanagh game a few weeks ago was brutal. He even apologised at a stage. He was getting names wrong, making a song and dance about a bit of handbags it was just cringey stuff. Would it be impossible for the Beeb to have open auditions and get somebody in to do a good job? By all accounts that's how RTE got O'Hehir and O'Muircheartaigh surely the interest would be there and the way the GAA is I'm sure they wouldn't have to spend a fortune as anyone who is good at the job will be able to sideline at after dinner events/prizegivings.

Just a thought!

[Maguire01]

Sidebottom is an absolute joke, between long akward silences.. long slow lazy commantary and regularly getting players names wrong. Useless! He'd make a good game sound like a watching grass grow.

Au contraire. If anything he gets over-excited commentating on games that are like watching grass grow.

[Hardy]

Segway?

[screenexile]

Segway?

Aye . . . he's gonna get one of these when he retires from playing  . . .

[ck]

Someone should give one of these to Sidebottom next time he's in Clones. Hopefully he'll bugger off on one and miss the match. He usually misses the match even he commentates!

[Seany]

This is all very unfair comment.  Mark Sidebottom is as decent a guy as you could find.  His style might not be to everyone's satisfaction, but I remember the same nonsense about Jimmy Smith too when he was commentating.  Ger Canning also gets it on this board regularly and he is also a fine commentator imo. 

And Sean cavanagh did OK as well I thought.

Mark does not need this at this time.  His family were involved in a terrible tragedy just before Christmas which has shaken him to the very core.  I'm not going to go into the details, but it involved the death of an infant neighbour who was friends with his own child.  It is hurting him still.

So what if his commentary isn't to the level of perfection some people demand.  Is it really worth all this criticism and hurtful comment?

If we heard today that he had passed away in the night, typical Irish, there would be a 50 page tribute on this board to him and how remarkable a man he was with his lovely, 'quirky' comments during his commentaries etc etc etc etc etc

[Maguire01]

I doubt he'd thank you for that personal context.

[screenexile]

This is all very unfair comment.  Mark Sidebottom is as decent a guy as you could find.  His style might not be to everyone's satisfaction, but I remember the same nonsense about Jimmy Smith too when he was commentating.  Ger Canning also gets it on this board regularly and he is also a fine commentator imo. 

And Sean cavanagh did OK as well I thought.

Mark does not need this at this time.  His family were involved in a terrible tragedy just before Christmas which has shaken him to the very core.  I'm not going to go into the details, but it involved the death of an infant neighbour who was friends with his own child.  It is hurting him still.

So what if his commentary isn't to the level of perfection some people demand.  Is it really worth all this criticism and hurtful comment?

If we heard today that he had passed away in the night, typical Irish, there would be a 50 page tribute on this board to him and how remarkable a man he was with his lovely, 'quirky' comments during his commentaries etc etc etc etc etc

No harm but that has nothing to do with anything. We pay money to the BBC and we expect a decent level of service. I have no doubt Sidebottom's a good lad, that he means well and that he's a character around GAA circles. It doesn't make him a good commentator simple as.

If someone isn't doing their job up the required level they are going to get criticism. In his line of work he's under public scrutiny so the microscope is tighter on him. That's just the way it is I'm afraid.

[Up The Middle]

This is all very unfair comment.  Mark Sidebottom is as decent a guy as you could find.  His style might not be to everyone's satisfaction, but I remember the same nonsense about Jimmy Smith too when he was commentating.  Ger Canning also gets it on this board regularly and he is also a fine commentator imo. 

And Sean cavanagh did OK as well I thought.

Mark does not need this at this time.  His family were involved in a terrible tragedy just before Christmas which has shaken him to the very core.  I'm not going to go into the details, but it involved the death of an infant neighbour who was friends with his own child.  It is hurting him still.

So what if his commentary isn't to the level of perfection some people demand.  Is it really worth all this criticism and hurtful comment?

If we heard today that he had passed away in the night, typical Irish, there would be a 50 page tribute on this board to him and how remarkable a man he was with his lovely, 'quirky' comments during his commentaries etc etc etc etc etc

Jesus there was hardly any call to post any of that bit OTT

[Dougal Maguire]

I'd like to see Jackie Fullerton getting a chance

[oakleafgael]

This is all very unfair comment.  Mark Sidebottom is as decent a guy as you could find.  His style might not be to everyone's satisfaction, but I remember the same nonsense about Jimmy Smith too when he was commentating.  Ger Canning also gets it on this board regularly and he is also a fine commentator imo. 

And Sean cavanagh did OK as well I thought.

Mark does not need this at this time.  His family were involved in a terrible tragedy just before Christmas which has shaken him to the very core.  I'm not going to go into the details, but it involved the death of an infant neighbour who was friends with his own child.  It is hurting him still.

So what if his commentary isn't to the level of perfection some people demand.  Is it really worth all this criticism and hurtful comment?

If we heard today that he had passed away in the night, typical Irish, there would be a 50 page tribute on this board to him and how remarkable a man he was with his lovely, 'quirky' comments during his commentaries etc etc etc etc etc

Thats all well and good but he is a very poor commentator who should have been sacked after his comments during the Macrory Cup final which at best was in poor taste.

[NaomhBridAbú]

this thread risks losing the run of itself

[Maguire01]

this thread risks losing the run of itself

A bit like this - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/northern-ireland/14418313

[NaomhBridAbú]

this thread risks losing the run of itself

A bit like this - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/northern-ireland/14418313

Thats his 'Best of' DVD sorted then

[Applesisapples]

this thread risks losing the run of itself

A bit like this - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/northern-ireland/14418313

Thats his 'Best of' DVD sorted then

I think that's actually brilliant, you'd never get Canning that excited by a match. Sidey is an acquired taste, he comes out with some howlers but by and large he entertains and isn't great that Oisin, PTG etcc are on hand to reel him in. Canavan and McConville up there ith Michael Duignan when it comes to analysis.