Derek Thompson ~ Commentator - Is it time to retire?

Lets see what happens

he had issues with jack duerns name in the last race for some reason

I can't listen the fellow, sorry, no offence, Derek.

Apropos of nothing, David Probert, no idea if he's considered good, bad or average but I won't be betting on any horse he rides in future. Every time I'm 'involved' he seems to get himself boxed-in or too far behind.

"Their not hanging about here" zzzzzzzzzz

woah big fella

He would make a good Father Christmas.

HO Ho Ho

worst commentator out there

Let's leave it to the Judge..

he always says liam jones went school with wayne rooney

im sure any punter with 10 minutes prep would do better than him

DT was always somewhat of a chancer...even at a much earlier age. Back in either '78 or '79, he did a BBC Radio broadcast, not sure if it was a Network or just a BBC Scotland broadcast, on the Ayr Gold Cup. The broadcast began by Tommo welcoming the listeners to a beautiful , sunny day at Ayr racecourse...the horses were on the way to the post blah...blah! He then, in due course, gave a breathless, atmospheric commentary on the race...in what would prove to be, a most inventive, idiosyncratic style...which was to serve him well over the years! The only problem was...he wasn't within 30 miles of Ayr racecourse..lol!! Brass neck?...you couldn't mark him with a Kango Hammer..!!!

i think thommo must be in his 70s now . what you dont get is that thommo is defined by horse racing , he loves it . like big mac if you take it away from him he loses his whole identity and doesnt know who he is outside of the realm . leave dt alone , hes a part of the tapestry

.... Bayeux ?

tapestry ? lost me . all i,m saying is dont cancel your own ilk . or you,ll look behind and nobody has your back . that man has a lifetime of friends etc .

The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth nearly 70 metres long and 50 centimetres tall that depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings.


    ..... Nearly as old as Thommo !!

Call me anything but dont call me Thommos ilk. !!

not calling anyone anything . i wont get into history as its a far flung subject from thommo !i sense you would like a history contest !  strength in numbers is all im saying and he lives and breathes the game it is him so why would people want to cancel him .can you name the assryian king that created the hanging gardens without looking it up ? or the city tupac pre 92 one , ruled in south america !  and who killed him . goodnight glasgow , one more the thief that attempted to steal the star of rhodesia in sherlock holmes 1940s . now i,m being a d ic k .

Just after Shergar was kidnapped, or stolen, Thommo was called upon by the apparent kidnappers to go to Ireland with Lord Oaksey to do some kind of negoiations over the horse's release.

Nothing transpired but if only whomever took Shergar had let the horse go and kept Thommo, think how much richer our racing would be....

Seriously, I could relate a tale about something Thommo did one day when he was hosting at Sedgefield and I was there with my missus and my disabled brother. An absolute true story but BF would whip it away as soon as I posted it so no point. Suffice to say, my experience that day left me thinking Thommo was a self-serving, selfish kn*b.

I used to come on here and defend his race calls. But every race now is the same script, just changes the names. Good even break, lets see who's gonna blah..good looking run...etcetera etcetera ad nauseum. If he would just drop the repetition,(and grow a pair in the close finishes), he really wouldn't be that bad.

Hard to know which one is 'the favourite'. He only mentions it twenty times during a race.

Been listening to a few of his commentaries this past year and think he has improved a bit, I don't think he is that bad, in fact he gets all the horses names mentioned and calls it OK without getting overly excited.

I like the American style of com, low key, remaining low on emotion and not  building to a crescendo of orgasmic shouting.

Low key, low tone, get through the field in order at least once, jobs a good in imo.

Don't try and pick winner,no side story's ect.

Thommo should be a substitute Commentator at best. When one of the regulars is unable to make the gig. His comms are way below average and downright f**king annoying. I think that covers it

Who is best atm iyo?

For me, the good ones go virtually unnoticed

Good points Bread re the American comms. I think Alan Howes should get more gigs, he just calls what's happening and doesn't wander off telling us everything bar what a horse had for breakfast as some do, or try to predict what will happen as Hoiles and Holt do. Also a bug bearer of mine for a long time is the constant referral to the betting and the 'favourite', 'market leader' etc or our own Hannon calling 'the principals'. They should just call every horse in its merits(unless its a Frankel type of course) and not assume everyone just wants to concentrate on the favourite. Someone said on here before that they're told to do it but I find that hard to believe.

hes a pain in the butt,,,and why does he keep kisssing his teeth

the fella in ireland the best one atm,,imo...he can name 10 horses in 4 seconds in a close finish,,

I was at Yarmouth and Thommo was commentating, he was by the parade ring so I asked him to sign my race card which he did. He then started chatting to me like an old mate and then introduced me to Bob Champion who was standing nearby.
I speak as I find and I'm not messing about but Thommo is ok with me and his commentaries are no worse than a lot of the others

The man is a gent.

Completely agree, part of the tapestry of racing.  Love him or loathe him, that's up to you.

I like his commentaries myself, not every day but a bit of light relief on the odd day.

To tight to call. One for the judge!

The Sultan of Smarm, the first horse racing commentator or presenter where I had to reach for the mute button.

Lot more enjoyable ways for light relief Equine than Tommo Equine

As someone said, the best are those that are unintrusive and don't have either a voice that grates or annoying habits.

Alan Howes,Simon Holt and Tim Peters way ahead of the rest.
Div 2, Hoiles,Cattermole, Ennis,
Div 3, Harris, Slater, Blance, Tomlinson, Machin.
Div 4, Shouty, Thommo, er..Topham

Unclassified, muted every call, Darren Owen.

Thommos is still better than Dave Smith.

And about a year and a bit ago Thommo played a blinder in that race where a Dave Evans runner had a very insensitive name, Thommo refused to mention that nag that was swiftly renamed afterwards.

So, if the comments above are representative then he has a part to play in the game and should continue.

Horses for courses I suppose

71 years of age and turning into the straight, he's on the run in now, let's see what he can find.

Met him at Newcastle, treat me like an old friend. He was interested in my backstory in racing and I couldn't help but like him. People with courtesy , politeness and a positive outlook are getting rarer.

This guy is different class. Criminally underused because he only calls one gaff track in the US now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNr4bvaNxk0

Regularly does Chelmsford  and when he’s not there you miss him. Enthusiastic and tells people what is going on. Worth his weight in gold to the racecourse, may not be the best commentator but loves the game and makes the meeting far more enjoyable than if he wasn’t there. In his seventies and a credit to the game!

He's still pretty good at the job largely very accurate. Could you say that about the retired Irish bloke or Cattermole ?

Commentary as entertainment not as it should be...information.
Met Thommo briefly once at Betfair Hospitality and he seemed decent enough so why does he instil such hostility in us ?...because his input into a commentary takes no heed of the financial implications of the event. He is having fun while we suffer. That is unacceptable ! You won't find the racegoers in the bar moaning about Derek that's for sure.
I recall one worse Extel commentator, whispered, so blower required extra volume...and had a phrase he repeated ad nauseum "little between these two leaders...little between these two leaders." It drove me insane and I couldn't even put a face to him He made Thommo sound like Peter O'Sullivan, surely we all agree the greatest ever (albeit only on TV and he retired a few years too late.)

top cees died yesterday...thomos finest moment in court

The judge had never met Thommo before but soon had him weighed up and passed judgement

that day went many years ago.

The tipping line has maybe destroyed his reputation I think if he did not resort to this he would be more liked.

Wonder if hes on Hugo Palmers Xmas card list ?   I doubt it!!

Bloke has been hopeless for the last 47 years. My opinion, but, nevertheless, true.

man of many talents

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJb0Izry818

this is classic Thommo the ultimate player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC80Vy3Ai4I

Including dribbling rubbish

That's what we're talking about, cringe and slime all rolled into one. If he's anyone's front man then I'd hate to see what they've got hiding out the back

Admirable reply of council estate dribble, Werbie. The sentiment is correct, though; even from a rough idiot.

I often find it hard enough to just locate the horse I have backed, let alone the whole field. Yes he uses the same tired old phrases but he race reads pretty well. It is an extremely difficult skill so fair play to all of them\

Rubbish!
The idiot called a winner when it clearly wasn't a winner. Like an idiot, you want proof, look for yourself, you pathetic piece of antcrap.

Dec 21, 2021 -- 2:45PM, Dr Crippen wrote:

71 years of age and turning into the straight, he's on the run in now, let's see what he can find.

Glen said he hopes the course he is tunring into the straight is Fakenham.

Molerat ses.

I find tommo a pratt myself, doing it on purpose, no doubt a clever bloke.

Seems a decent bloke imo..........anyone with integrity and courage is right up there in my book......the Top Cees affair shot himself in the foot......but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and sod the consequences......"Tell me I've led a good life"........and when the answer is a resounding yes.......you know it was all worth it.