snooker commentators

hazel's questions and complete lack of understanding of the game merits inclusion.

Hazel always wearing troosers and looking like she's on her way to a curling convention deserves a mention...

Well I have to defend the great WT.

Willie was without doubt the first of the great breakbuilders and his real problem was a gambling addiction that has cost him everything several times over.
When he played a match it was not just the tournament at stake it was his club and had that not been the case the guy could have won much.
When I first saw him I thought he was lord Lucan in disguise

Willie has done much for snooker and his commentary about the game is excellent for any kids to listen to.

Haven't heard the WT/JV partnership this week

john " where's the cue ball going" virgo

steve davis talking rubbish on the carter match

I think dropping Willy was a mistake good entertainment value.

The great WT is the best out the lot imo.

Have I missed Clive Everton at these championships or has he just not been used at all?

Dropped for good is clive,not with the modern game they say.Now we has to suffer davis for 20 years.

davis better in the comm box than in the studio in my view.

Hendry will be a great addition.

And bring back Clive, the king of the crucible commentators.

yes bring back clive, the voice of snooker.

2 will get chopped before the semis

probably foulds and willie

Who'se the Scottish bloke on Eurosport?  Almost always wrong!

Alan McManus is the man on eurosport

(born 21 January 1971) is a Scottish professional snooker player, known for his tactical play and safety shots, giving rise to his nickname "Angles" McManus.
Contents  [hide]
1 Career
2 Tournament wins
2.1 Ranking tournaments
2.2 Non-ranking tournaments
2.3 Team tournaments
3 References
4 External links
[edit]Career

McManus has long been a considered a consistently good player as his record of sixteen consecutive seasons in the Top 16 testifies, but never managed to achieve the success of his contemporaries such as Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty, Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. He was ranked in the Top 16 from 1990 to 2006, dropping out after an unsuccessful 2005/2006 season. His highest ranking was sixth (in 1993/94 and 1996/97). He has reached twenty-one professional semi-finals, but won only four events. He has reached the semi-finals of the World Championship twice, but has never appeared in a final. Until 2005 he had gone eleven years without reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament, despite consistent achievements in other events. He has also compiled 141 competitive centuries during his career.
The highlight of his career to date was claiming the Masters title at Wembley in 1994, defeating Stephen Hendry 9–8 in the final to end Hendry's unbeaten run in the tournament, which dated back to 1989.
A series of poor results in the 2005–2006 season saw him drop out of the top 16 for the first time since 1991. He reached the semi finals of the 2006 Snooker Grand Prix, losing to Neil Robertson. However, he lost a World Championship qualifier 10–9 to journeyman Joe Delaney.
[edit]Tournament wins

[edit]Ranking tournaments
Dubai Classic (1994)
Thailand Open (1996)
[edit]Non-ranking tournaments
Benson & Hedges Championship – 1991
Masters (1994)
[edit]Team tournaments
World Cup with team Scotland – 1996
Nations Cup with team Scotland –

I quite like Neal Foulds - at least he doesn't come out with the same lines/cliches EVERY single game.

By the way, have we seen Patsy Fagan at the finals yet (Dennis)?

,maybe joe davis will make an appearance

Agree re Foulds, thoughtful uncliched contributions.

Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne and John Virgo are superb entertainment simply for how wrong they are half the time, they're lack of of self awareness, and the fact they see fit to be critical of the play of people who have won about 5 times more then they did collectively (this is expecially true of the Willie Thorne). Snooker commentary wouldn't be the same without them.

"their lack of" rather

Willie and Neal Foulds miles clear imo.

only taylor i really don't like

Clive Everton and Jack Karnhem were excellent , this obsession with ex players is sickening , get Gary Willshire I say.

Why listen to them? Just turn the volume down, and watch the snooker. I haven't listened to a single word any of them have uttered this year, and I have enjoyed the tournament more than I have for years. Do I need to know how has "gone favourite" for the frame? Do I need another reminder that Dennis Taylor visited Australia in 1974? Do I need someone asking me where the cue ball is going every five minutes? No I don't. I just need a clear view of the table. And no superfluous noise, which is about the kindest thing I could call the interjections of Willie Thorne.

Agreed tuckyboy.
Just watch a re-run of the 147 done by Thornburn in the 80's.
I think it is Jack Karnham commentating and he really doesn't say very much at all and it is wonderful to watch.

All commentators currently try and be to clever and predict the next shot ... and usually seem to get it wrong!

Not knocking that break, but remember the match well, wouldn't be surprised if Karnhem was asleep.

Nobody remembers that match well, it finished at 3.00am
But I believe the 147 was done early on.

WHERE'S THE CUE BALL GOING

Time for a change Virgo is sickening taylor is worse   Foulds ok   There's a complete lack of excitement or passion from them all   Davis and now henry sound like they are on largactil
But these lot have the monopoly the only time there's a change is if one falls of his perch

LESS IS MORE

heard jim meadowcroft (i think) co-commentate on a 147 in the eighties, possibly in the lada classic. it was a time when 147s were as rare as hen's teeth and a cause for real excitement. but poor jim's efforts were abysmal and completely detracted from the experience.

can anyone else recall this tv gold?

Hendry is a dour ****.

this pub quiz thing is fcukin awful stuff - BBC top of their game again

agree about pub quiz. Utter ****. Dennis Taylor annoys me the most, but mainly cos he keeps mentioning that flipping charidy everytime someone gets to a break of 17. Rest dont bother me. Virgo playing on 'where is the cue ball going' too much. It's going about 4 inches away from the pocket John, we are not fooled!

i've enjoyed the steve davis quiz

Snooker commentary died with Ted Lowe.

I've followed tuckyboy's advice and muted the sound.
It's alright you know!

They commentate for the general dumbed down public not for snooker experts or gambling experts such as myself. It's the same with all sports there should be an option in this day and age to turn commentary off and still be able to listen to anything said by the referee, players, crowd, the sound of the balls etc, so you can get a feel for the atmosphere. I don't like listening on mute.

watching on mute rather.

that is the one drawback yomomma, true

Stevens getting battered JC. He fouled the cue ball in both the 1st two frames which cost him and he's been struggling since.

Everytime they use Hawkeye, it's "Hawkeye never misses a ball."

Got a few laughs from the crowd
That was like 5 years ago when they first said it.

When snooker is on I have an agreement with my mrs that she is silent so I can listen to the commentary. When snooker is not on, me and the dogs leave the room, this is a very workable arrangement so God bless every one of them.

Taylor grates on me a bit.
I always thought "Where's the cue ball going?" was just for the gamble - did a spread firm not used to price it a few years back?
Doherty is good to listen to.

Pub quiz is cringe material,if it had been recorded at midnight with continental lager and tequila shots instead of empty orange squash glasses then it would be must see.

some funny comments

Virgo has exhausted inch perfect so much that he now says absolutely inch perfect, wonder what he'll turn to next completely absolutely inch pefect?

'Deserves to win the frame just from that one shot' Another idiotic comment WT uses every frame

You'd think with the red button coverage they could introduce the option to have the 'venue' sound without the commentary.

Tends to be so bad these days I often watch it on mute but you lose any sense of atmosphere - I suspect a sound without comms option would be very popular in a lot of sports coverage these days such is the relentless inane nature of most of it.

Senility bekoning for Denis!

Credited Ron with a century 2 frames ago when he made a 98 and now saying Ron was 24 ahead with 14 between them.

What must Hendry think??

After close scrutiny I've decided tpolly parrott is by far the most sickening   
Seems totally bored by it all and looks like he'd rather be on the racing channel

mike hallett is the worst

Alan mcmanus on eurosport last week, never rated him much as a player, but I took to him straight away as a commentator, on the flip side that joe johnson is damn clueless, how he won a world title is beyond me.

totally agree davyb mcmanus talks a lot of sence

can someone at the beeb PLEASE get rid of that foolish dummy taylor. quite literally braindead. "ronnie wont go for this yellow cos he cant get on the green". only needed the yellow ya fool. cannot add up even the simplest of scores. no education. get rid.

Taylor doing my head in again

Taylor is bad , though Hallett, who never shuts up and is a sycophantic prat, is by far the worst. I  like Alan McManus too.

Taylod, "Selt is not a baad snooker player but he's an even better golfer - he plays off a 5 or 6 handicap"!

What the guy is about the 40th best snooker player in the world. Wish they would put him on the golf so I don't have to listen to his drivel.

I find Taylor's voice to be quite soothing.  Suits the sport, I think.

Quality Pandoras that...thought my ears were playing up.

People saying they can't believe Joe Johnson ever won a world championship, I agree based on his commentary, but watched youtube videos of his world title win and he was seriously top class when he won it, potted everything, was massively impressed. His commentary though is shocking alright!

He was unreal that year,everyone had handed Davis the title before a ball was potted in that final.Was even talk of a whitewash.Potted Davis to death,most bizarre final i ever remember.

bring back Sir Clive of Everton , why the beeb ousted him is still beyond me , shame on you bbc muppets

Someone could be 8-0 up and DT would still be remarking that the 9th frame was crucial

Ray Edmonds was decent.

Poor old Dennis is getting some stick.

Dennis talks way too much and tries to call every shot early to look smart.
Love to have Neal Foulds and Phil Yates as part of the team.

Sadly on Eurosport, wish their pictures were up to speed with the BBC.

Is Mike Hallet still on Eurosport?