Why dont people like Eddie Butler commentating?

[petetherhooker]

He's at it again today. His column in the Oberver is usually borderline racist, but this year he has been giving England some credit. If you read the latest, it's pretty positive, but he can't resist a final dig. "Well done England, but you are responsible for hits becoming too violent"

 

[TommiG88]

What I particularly didn't like last night was when Hartley was injured, he questioned if he had wrapped his arms. Distasteful.

 

[petetherhooker]

His biggest problem though is not being Scottish. It is a medically proven fact that the best rugby commentators are Scottish

 

[The Jones Boy]

He's a dork

 

[Tony Manx]

He is actually a very pleasant person to meet but he is very irritating with his soporific voice and his almost poetic style of commentary........

 

[andy1956]

Eddie Butler comes nowhere near McClaren,Starmer-Smith or Nick Mullins with regard to explaining the technical side of the game. What a bunch of idiots singing his praises on here.

 

[valley commando]

i actually quite like his commentary (dramatic poetry videos are a bit cringey). but i often see on posts/websites that lots of people cant stand him commentating but i do not understand why. One person i do not like is Brian Moore as he just seems petulant and always biased. can someone shed some light on why you do not like Butler?

Agree with you on Butler, but disagree on Moore, I think they're great as a double act some of the commentaries on tv have been that bad I turn the sound down and put the radio on for audio but Eddie and Brian always entertain me.
ITV presenters, commentators and pundits with the exception of the excellent Johny Wilkinson, together with the reasonable Shane Williams and Martin Bayfield are dire its like some form of archaic punishment having to endure the likes of Pougatch, Harrison, Alfonso, Mullins, Gillingham and Ward to name a few.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Agree with you on Butler, but disagree on Moore, I think they're great as a double act some of the commentaries on tv have been that bad I turn the sound down and put the radio on for audio but Eddie and Brian always entertain me.
ITV presenters, commentators and pundits with the exception of the excellent Johny Wilkinson, together with the reasonable Shane Williams and Martin Bayfield are dire its like some form of archaic punishment having to endure the likes of Pougatch, Harrison, Alfonso, Mullins, Gillingham and Ward to name a few.

I don't mind the Butler-Moore pairing too much, although Butler sometimes winds me up. What I don't like is how Jiffy is taking over as the 2nd commentator so for England games we now have 2 Welsh commentators dominating the talks, neither of whom are exactly fans of England. If England are playing I want my commentary to have more than just passing comments by the English commentator. Jiffy's complete disinterest in even attempting to be impartial during the Wales game got quite grating, although it was funny when he sad "it's sad Biggar sliced that kick" and Moore responded "if you're Welsh".

 

[Reiser99]

Just to add my opinion on Moore, I think people are confusing bias with patriotism. Moore gets excited, but he is generally fair with his views. I also think Davies is similar, he gets over excited, but he generally is quite fair.

I often can't stand the Irish co-commentators to be honest, they definitely over praise for the smallest thing and often marginal decisions against are harsh and decisions for are fine.

 

[ThebigARena]

I find butler a bit cringy for my taste tbh , I much prefer ieuan Evans on sky , impartial fair and knowledgable

 

[McTallshort]

The Wales England game this year was the worst show of bias commentary I have seen on the BBC for a while. Jiffy and Eddie just took over the commentary and I dont even remember Brian Moore saying a word until the end.

 

[ncurd]

The Wales England game this year was the worst show of bias commentary I have seen on the BBC for a while. Jiffy and Eddie just took over the commentary and I dont even remember Brian Moore saying a word until the end.

Yeah it was particularly terrible this year, actually the commentary this year gave me appreciation for Eddie and he's not actually that bad when compared to Jiffy. But Christ I never want to have to listen to Jiffy commentate and Eng/Wal game ever again. You only have to look at in the incident where he claimed Young was offside (clearly wasn't even on the first replay) and he carried on claiming and yelling it.

I don't mind commentators being a little biased but Jiffy was the equivalent of me yelling at the telly with my completely one eyes heat of the moment view.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Eddie Butler comes nowhere near McClaren,Starmer-Smith or Nick Mullins with regard to explaining the technical side of the game.

McLaren was full of rampaging giraffes, inebriated golf shots and props as cunning as weasels, but I'm not sure I ever heard him talk about anything too technical! I wonder how he'd have adapted to today's game.....I'm not sure how "Oh look they've gained 3 yards and its only the 37th phase...." translates into native Hawick, but I'm sure he'd have found a way.

Butler's OK, bit poetic but much prefer him to Jiffy. Moore needs a bigger role. Too many commentators don't add colour or insight and just tell me what I can already see for myself.

 

[Amiga500]

Too many commentators don't add colour or insight and just tell me what I can already see for myself.

+1


Eddie O'Sullivan is a very good pundit. Tells you something you might not otherwise see.


When the presenter asks the guys at half time what do _____ have to do to get back into the game, and they look at him like a rabbit in the headlights, then starting going on about "intensity", "passion" etc etc etc while neglecting to once mention any tactical aspect of the game, you know they are pretty clueless.

 

[Sourdust]

Amusing to see so many (presumably English) posters railing against Butler's anti-English bias. In Wales, he's widely unpopular precisely because he's seen as so chummy with the English!

I think he's a fine summarizer but a mediocre front-man. His considered words are excellent; stuff all that repressed, inverted-snobbery bull about his flowery tendencies. But he lacks the quickfire turn-of-phrase that makes a good frontline commentator, and often gets tongue-tied when excited.

Moore is great value. Even when he's being an arse, he's persuasive and engaging.

Cotter is maturing very nicely; nothing special perhaps, but very competent indeed.

Jiffy is just bloody awful, a real embarrassment. Great bloke, sure, but borderline inarticulate in front of the mic. Until someone explains pronouns to him, he will never make any sense. I don't mind the summarizer being partisan (as Jiffy certainly is) but there are limits, and Nicol is way over the line.

 

[Lé Ddanno]

Moore is my fave commentator right now. He's usually the first call out an English player or team that makes a mistake and pulls no punches. I've never felt able to call him biased.

Nicol's cheerleading for Scotland is ok by me - someone has to do it!

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Moore is my fave commentator right now. He's usually the first call out an English player or team that makes a mistake and pulls no punches. I've never felt able to call him biased.

Nicol's cheerleading for Scotland is ok by me - someone has to do it!

This, Moore used to repeatedly criticise England with his pet hate (after scrums) being mindless kicking away of possession. He used to get so wound up during the ELV years where the game descended into aerial ping pong because the rules were so in favour of the defending team.

 

[BraddersTheDog]

He is very anti-English which can be irritating. He has a sort of epic voice, but it can grate a bit.

 

[Reiser99]

Crap should have known we'd get an Eddie Butler voice over montage...

 

[GarethGriffiths]

I was not that keen on him, years ago, but now I don't mind him.

A very knowledgeable man, and a man who cares passionately for club rugby in Wales - especially Pontypool. I recall watching a documentary which he presented asking if the success Wales are having on the international stage is at the cost of the grass-roots game and thinking 'he has got a great point with this.'

I will take Eddie, along with Jiffy and Pitbull, any day of the week - all gentlemen who have played the game and know what they are saying. What I dislike is condescending jerks like that godawful woman Sonia somebody who insists on thrusting the microphone up the nostrils of players immediately after a match. Most unprofessional IMO.